"The sand tells stories. Secrets, whispered on the wind."
— Zha’ar
| Zha’ar | |
|---|---|
| |
| RPG | Bara Magna (Series) |
| Species | Agori |
| Gender | Female |
| Pronouns | She/Her |
| Equipment & Traits | |
| Weaponry/Equipment | Shortbow, Catchpole |
| History & Relationships | |
| Faction | Bone Hunters |
| Occupation(s) | Bandit |
| OOC Information | |
| Status (IC) | Alive |
| Status (OOC) | Active |
| Player | Nato |
Zha’ar is a solitary member of the Gatherers.
Biography
In her younger years, Zha’ar was much like any other Bone Hunter. She trained in Gatherer traditions, learning the ways of the blade, listening to the stories of her kin, and shadowing more experienced warriors on hunts and raids.
But then came the day for her to battle a Rock Steed and become its rider. Though she succeeded, it came at a cost, with her left leg being crushed and broken at the knee in the battle. The limb never recovered, leaving her lame and useless, unable to stand beside her brothers and sisters in battle. She was ultimately abandoned by her tribe, left to fend for herself in the unforgiving wasteland.
She nearly died, many times over, in the years that followed. But slowly she learned new skills and strategies to help her scrape out a modest living in the wilderness. She became skilled at archery to engage enemies from a distance, learned how to safely harvest her steed’s venom to make her arrows more effective at disabling victims, and developed hands-free techniques for guiding her mount so she could fire while riding. She learned how to avoid attracting too much attention, leaving her victims with their lives, and never lingering in the same place for too long.
Nowadays, Zha’ar continues to wander, lacking any ambition beyond stealing or scrounging enough to make it through the next few weeks. She remains on good terms with other Gatherer clans, maintaining small stashes of stolen treasures which she trades to other clans when she crosses paths with them. Though she’s done her best not to draw too much attention to herself, the story of the merciful, clan-less Gatherer has nonetheless spread over the years.
Appearance
Zha’ar has the traditional appearance of an Agori of the Rock Tribe, save for the splotchy smears of orange clay warpaint marring her ebony armour. She’s rarely seen far from the saddle of her Rock Steed, Solis, named for the sun whose path through the sky is her guide across the Wasteland. His scaly hide is a mottled tan in colour, helping him blend in more easily while traversing the sandy terrain.
Equipment
Zha’ar’s weapon of choice is a hand-crafted shortbow suited to her stature and strength, allowing for fast and accurate fire at mid-to-close range. Her preferred arrows use obsidian broadheads, though she also has a small supply of metal-tipped bodkin arrows for combating armoured targets.
With easy access to the paralytic poison of her Rock Steed, she often coats her arrows in this substance to more easily subdue her victims.
For foes foolish enough to close within melee range, Zha’ar also has a simple metal catchpole, useful for parrying the weapons of attackers and ensnaring their limbs. The pole is connected by a secondary rope to Zha’ar’s saddle, allowing her mount’s strength to supplement her own in a struggle against a stronger opponent.
Personality
Zha’ar is known for being more honourable and merciful than most Gatherers, taking no slaves, and always giving her prey fair warning and a chance to peacefully surrender their goods. Unless forced to fight, she always leaves her victims with their lives, and enough food and water to get to the nearest settlement. Though some of her comrades see her as soft for these behaviours, she asserts it to be a sensible survival strategy; a bandit who butchers or enslaves everyone they come across is a threat to be destroyed, whereas one who takes only a little and lets their victims live is a tolerable nuisance.
Lonely from her lengthy periods of isolation, she has a habit of talking a little too much when she has the opportunity to do so, whether her conversation partner is a fellow Gatherer she’s seeking to trade with, or an unfortunate traveller she’s intending to rob.
Zha’ar also suffers from longsightedness, which makes her both a perfect scout, and a terrible one. Though she can identify prey and landmarks from afar as capably as a counterpart using telescopic lenses or a spyglass, she’s unable to read maps or messages, nor appraise most goods, and so tends to stick to familiar areas and steal only items of obvious value. When travelling, she must navigate by landmarks alone, and can easily become disoriented when terrain is changed, such as after a sandstorm or stampede.