Rivka
Appearance
Rivka bears the brown skin of the orc tribes that roam the barren steppes of Taagi Baara. Her hair is worn long and knotted in the fashion of tribe Girakun, woven with the hawk feathers, beads and chips of bone that mark her as a spiritual guide to her people. She bears striking eyes, which appear almost gold in full light, and a jagged piercing on her left brow.
Unlike some of her brethren, Rivka strides about at full height amongst the other races. She is prone to periods of utter stillness broken by sharp, sudden movements.
Rivka’s choice of weapon is the axe, of which she carries two slung long on her hips. She also travels with bow or spear though her skill with both is limited. The heat of her lands sees her don thick leather for defense in lieu of mail or plate.
Personality
Rivka has always been driven to discover and understand the unfamiliar. This insatiable yearning to learn, along with her deep connection to land, marked her apart from her peers at an early age. Were it not for the protection offered by her bloodkin Dromash, son of the Warchief, it is likely that Rivka’s curious nature would have been beaten from her at an early age.
Rivka has an instilled sense of duty to her tribe and the traditional ways of orcish life. She loathes admissions of weakness and respects feats of strength and cunning.
Biography & Lore
Girakun is a militant tribe infamous for heavy handed negotiation tactics at the end of the spear. A fiercely independent and traditional people, they detest the trappings of life within walled towns and cities, believing that luxury and technology undermine the strength gifted by their harsh nomadic lifestyle.
The Girakun have warred frequently with neighbouring tribes and other settlements over the centuries. Rivka was born shortly before the attempt by the father of Dromash, Warchief Urgarok, to unite the steppes tribes through conquest. The attempt decimated Girakun who, despite a string of early victories, found themselves outnumbered by allied forces outraged at Urgarok’s unconventional warfare against warrior and noncombatant alike.
Rivka’s parents were killed in the infamous Battle of the Bystra, alongside the Warchief, as his armies sought to cross the river and lay siege to the river tribes that lay before the stronghold of Bhathairk.
Rivka was raised by Urgarok’s widow, Agna, and the ageing tribal Shaman Torg. It was Torg who initiated the young orc in the way of the spirits, teaching her the gifts of healing, scrying and storytelling while others her age were baptised in the art of war. Torg also fiercely argued for Rivka’s right to learn further at the feet of the Circle of Shamans at Bhathairk. As such, as an adolescent, Rivka left the steppes to participate in the Circle trials and learn of the written history, lore and magic of her people and other species.
Now in her early adulthood, Rivka has returned to her tribe as the drums of war sound once more.