Post by Rosalind Tarana on Dec 20, 2010 22:48:00 GMT -5
Unless you come of the gipsy stock
That steals by night and day,
Lock your heart with a double lock
And throw the key away.
Name
Rosalind; Germanic, meaning Gentle Horse, and poetically taken to mean Beautiful Rose. Tarana; from the Persian word meaning Song, a reflection of her musical Gypsy heritage.
Nickname(s):
Goes by the name Rosalind
Age:
97
Date of Birth:
9th February
Sexuality:
Heterosexual
Breed:
Mammalian Werebeast: Gypsy Vanner Horse
Loyalty:
The Song of Heroes
Status/Occupation:
Healer (primarily non-magical) and Diviner
Played by:
Archer
Abilities:
Mammalian Affinity
Character Creation Swift: superior speed and reflexes
50 Posts Judgement: allows Rosalind to judge the nature of other characters simply by looking at them. She can pick up good versus evil, bad or good intentions, and personality traits. Can be countered by a character with a higher post count and ability that prevents mind reading.
100 Posts Healer's Breath: Rosalind can heal other characters of all minor ailments such as coughs, measles, flu, colds, worms, mild poisons, warts and so forth by having them inhale her breath. Does not work on injuries or major illnesses such as cancer
150 Posts Fortune: Rosalind has the ability to bestow either good or bad fortune on another character. The effects last for the duration of the next thread that character participates in but can be countered if the character has an ability preventing bad fortune. Can only be used once per thread.
200 Posts Bless: Rosalind can bless pregnant woman and young children, conferring on the child a character creation level ability of the character-owner's choice from the species genus book. Can be used on one character per thread, and only once on each individual.
250 Posts Evil Ward: Rosalind is immune to dark and evil-based magical abilities such as evil-eye, or other abilities that seek to cause her harm in an overtly dark or evil manner.
Other
Gifted by Moana New Moon: Allows Rosalind access to her mammalian magical powers while in her human form. Works subconciously.
Pets, Weapons and Items:
Magic Teapot Made of red-and-orange glass, which both improves the flavour of tea made in it and improves the accuracy of reading tea-leaves. Gifted by Cyril.
Dragon Knuckle-Bones (Inactive) When activated will allow her to read the fortunes of others. Received as a companion reward for completing a dragon hunt.
Farkle Cait Sith who chose Rosalind as a companion a decade ago. Primarily resides in Rosalind's Spirit residence, although may accompany her on travels at times.
Unless you come of the gipsy blood
That takes and never spares,
Bide content with your given good
And follow your own affairs.
That takes and never spares,
Bide content with your given good
And follow your own affairs.
Appearance:
Human Form; Rosalind is around average height for her breed at 5'6", with a reasonably curvaceous frame and a slender waist and limbs. Her hair is long and rarely tied, jet black in colour with white streaks like the mane of her true form, and woven with black and white feathers and glass beads. She has a bronzed, golden complexion and large, expressive chocolate brown eyes. At first glance she appears innocent and deferential, however there is a mischief and hardness in her eyes that might be picked up if one looks closely - or indeed if one spends any length of time with her.
She dresses as one expects a gypsy might, in a corset and white blouse with a long coloured skirt, or in various colourful dresses. She does not own shoes. A cloak may be procured for cold weather. She has a fondness for gold jewellery and wears a lot of it.
True Form; Rosalind's animal form is that of a large gypsy horse. When she shifts feathers and beads remain woven through a long mane and tail. Her coat is patched black and white. Her shifted form is powerful, athletic and swift.
Half Form; A centauress. Rosalind has the upper torso and head of her human form and the lower body of her true form, although the horse's body in this form is lighter and less powerful.
Human Form; Rosalind is around average height for her breed at 5'6", with a reasonably curvaceous frame and a slender waist and limbs. Her hair is long and rarely tied, jet black in colour with white streaks like the mane of her true form, and woven with black and white feathers and glass beads. She has a bronzed, golden complexion and large, expressive chocolate brown eyes. At first glance she appears innocent and deferential, however there is a mischief and hardness in her eyes that might be picked up if one looks closely - or indeed if one spends any length of time with her.
She dresses as one expects a gypsy might, in a corset and white blouse with a long coloured skirt, or in various colourful dresses. She does not own shoes. A cloak may be procured for cold weather. She has a fondness for gold jewellery and wears a lot of it.
True Form; Rosalind's animal form is that of a large gypsy horse. When she shifts feathers and beads remain woven through a long mane and tail. Her coat is patched black and white. Her shifted form is powerful, athletic and swift.
Half Form; A centauress. Rosalind has the upper torso and head of her human form and the lower body of her true form, although the horse's body in this form is lighter and less powerful.
Unless you carry the gipsy eyes
That see but seldom weep,
Keep your head from the naked skies
Or the stars'll trouble your sleep.
That see but seldom weep,
Keep your head from the naked skies
Or the stars'll trouble your sleep.
Personality:
Wise: With wisdom and knowledge which do not reflect her age, Rosalind was always suited for a career reading fates. It is possible she has some psychic characteristics; nothing magical, just a simple connection to the spiritual world. For example, she can generally judge a person's basic character after no more than a greeting and she is able to see auras.
Blunt: Rosalind is more or less tactless. She goes about life in her own particular way and if someone gets in the way of that, she won't hesitate to let them know. She can be very blunt though she is also very honest, and will inform you of impending death and cheerily as of impending love. She is very forthright and unafraid to speak her mind.
Sociable: Part of the attraction of her job is the fact that she gets to meet lots of different people. This trait is a throwback of both her gypsy heritage and upbringing in a very social group environment, and her animal-soul the horse, which is a herd creature. She has a strong affinity with children.
Fun-loving: She might no longer live with her troupe full time but Rosalind is still a gypsy at heart. She loves to dance, sing and create music; she adores parties and large gatherings; she is very spontaneous and surprising.
Motherly: Despite her direct manner Rosalind is caring to a fault. This often translates into bossiness when dealing with patients but her wicked sense of humour and infectious personality make her a popular basic healer; a side line to her divination career.
Wise: With wisdom and knowledge which do not reflect her age, Rosalind was always suited for a career reading fates. It is possible she has some psychic characteristics; nothing magical, just a simple connection to the spiritual world. For example, she can generally judge a person's basic character after no more than a greeting and she is able to see auras.
Blunt: Rosalind is more or less tactless. She goes about life in her own particular way and if someone gets in the way of that, she won't hesitate to let them know. She can be very blunt though she is also very honest, and will inform you of impending death and cheerily as of impending love. She is very forthright and unafraid to speak her mind.
Sociable: Part of the attraction of her job is the fact that she gets to meet lots of different people. This trait is a throwback of both her gypsy heritage and upbringing in a very social group environment, and her animal-soul the horse, which is a herd creature. She has a strong affinity with children.
Fun-loving: She might no longer live with her troupe full time but Rosalind is still a gypsy at heart. She loves to dance, sing and create music; she adores parties and large gatherings; she is very spontaneous and surprising.
Motherly: Despite her direct manner Rosalind is caring to a fault. This often translates into bossiness when dealing with patients but her wicked sense of humour and infectious personality make her a popular basic healer; a side line to her divination career.
Unless you come of the gipsy race
That counts all time the same,
Be you careful of Time and Place
And Judgment and Good Name.
That counts all time the same,
Be you careful of Time and Place
And Judgment and Good Name.
History:
Childhood
Rosalind was born into a gypsy family which was part of a fifty-strong travelling gypsy shifter troupe. They performed for a living, moving from city to city and stopping off in Forest locations on occasion. They therefore lived separately from the main population of Shifters on the island, but the size of the troupe provided adequate support from their own kind. They were strictly nomadic, rarely staying in any one place longer than a few weeks.
Rosalind had a trouble-free and fairly unstructured childhood. She was taught to act, sing, dance and play the tambourine and flute. The children were allowed to entertain themselves in between performances and like any other young Shifter she became familiar with the Forest and learned to fend for herself within it, as the entire troupe had to be able to do in between cities when purchased supplies ran low. It was a sheltered but enlightening childhood and she would later be grateful of the travelling she had done and the skills she had acquired.
Adolescence
During her early twenties Rosalind realised that, despite the freedom and fun of her childhood, she did not want to spend the rest of her life as a performing gypsy. She was certainly not the most talented of her troupe in any skill and she had always been a little odd, a little lost in her own world. Her mother would later say that Rosalind was an easily distracted child, often caught daydreaming. In reality it was a deep connection to other people which allowed her to easily read and understand others, and which led her to an interest in star-reading, card-reading and divination. She left the troupe and travelled to the Shifter island.
Adulthood
After seeking out a mentor talented in the art of divination Rosalind spent years learning every subtle nuance of the craft. She learned to read people's natures and behaviour easily, and soon developed the ability to see auras through concentrated meditation. The relationship with her mentor, who was also her first lover, might have continued unabated for many more years but the eruption of the volcano killed him and left Rosalind homeless.
The Shifter fled the island and settled briefly in the Boil with a large proportion of the Shifter population. She helped treat the many injuries they had all received in the eruption and following evacuation and developed some basic healing skills. However the Boil was not a good place to settle permanently for business so she soon moved to Spirit and set up a small shop, where she might be found on weekends. During the week she travels and has three known houses where she peddles her talents: one in the Marshes, one in the Forest and one in the Tangle.
Childhood
Rosalind was born into a gypsy family which was part of a fifty-strong travelling gypsy shifter troupe. They performed for a living, moving from city to city and stopping off in Forest locations on occasion. They therefore lived separately from the main population of Shifters on the island, but the size of the troupe provided adequate support from their own kind. They were strictly nomadic, rarely staying in any one place longer than a few weeks.
Rosalind had a trouble-free and fairly unstructured childhood. She was taught to act, sing, dance and play the tambourine and flute. The children were allowed to entertain themselves in between performances and like any other young Shifter she became familiar with the Forest and learned to fend for herself within it, as the entire troupe had to be able to do in between cities when purchased supplies ran low. It was a sheltered but enlightening childhood and she would later be grateful of the travelling she had done and the skills she had acquired.
Adolescence
During her early twenties Rosalind realised that, despite the freedom and fun of her childhood, she did not want to spend the rest of her life as a performing gypsy. She was certainly not the most talented of her troupe in any skill and she had always been a little odd, a little lost in her own world. Her mother would later say that Rosalind was an easily distracted child, often caught daydreaming. In reality it was a deep connection to other people which allowed her to easily read and understand others, and which led her to an interest in star-reading, card-reading and divination. She left the troupe and travelled to the Shifter island.
Adulthood
After seeking out a mentor talented in the art of divination Rosalind spent years learning every subtle nuance of the craft. She learned to read people's natures and behaviour easily, and soon developed the ability to see auras through concentrated meditation. The relationship with her mentor, who was also her first lover, might have continued unabated for many more years but the eruption of the volcano killed him and left Rosalind homeless.
The Shifter fled the island and settled briefly in the Boil with a large proportion of the Shifter population. She helped treat the many injuries they had all received in the eruption and following evacuation and developed some basic healing skills. However the Boil was not a good place to settle permanently for business so she soon moved to Spirit and set up a small shop, where she might be found on weekends. During the week she travels and has three known houses where she peddles her talents: one in the Marshes, one in the Forest and one in the Tangle.
Lose your life for to live your life
The way that you ought to do;
And when you are finished, your God and your wife
And the Gipsies'll laugh at you!
The way that you ought to do;
And when you are finished, your God and your wife
And the Gipsies'll laugh at you!
Roleplay Sample:
The Forest rang with laughter and music; the steady thrum of light footsteps and the merry jangle of small golden bells. A deep murmur; the rise and swell of singing voices, was the baseline behind an ever-changing music. Firelight, red and gold and ocher, leapt playfully over the trunks of ancient trees and flung itself uselessly into the shadows of the night.
In a clearing in the Forest of the Fae, the Gypsies were dancing.
She danced with them; not the most talented but eye-catching nonetheless. Dark hair streamed behind her, a black banner stitched with feathers and beads, inky against the scarlet of her shawl. Deep brown eyes laughed along with her playful giggle as she took the hand of a gypsy child, sombre and serious in his bright blue vest. Soon he was laughing too though, his Romany heritage ensuring he couldn't help but be moved by the music just like she was.
Minutes bled into hours as the Gypsies celebrated, performing not for others this time but for their own enjoyment. Dancing and music was a bonding exercise here and she rejuvenated the ties with her family, all fifty of them, leaping through the firelight. But she didn't belong here, not permanently, so when the moon crept from behind the cloud cover and they all changed, shivering in ecstasy and lost in the magic of the night, a patched black-and-white horse breathed a soft farewell and slipped back beneath the trees, returning to her own world until the next time the Gypsies passed through.
The Forest rang with laughter and music; the steady thrum of light footsteps and the merry jangle of small golden bells. A deep murmur; the rise and swell of singing voices, was the baseline behind an ever-changing music. Firelight, red and gold and ocher, leapt playfully over the trunks of ancient trees and flung itself uselessly into the shadows of the night.
In a clearing in the Forest of the Fae, the Gypsies were dancing.
She danced with them; not the most talented but eye-catching nonetheless. Dark hair streamed behind her, a black banner stitched with feathers and beads, inky against the scarlet of her shawl. Deep brown eyes laughed along with her playful giggle as she took the hand of a gypsy child, sombre and serious in his bright blue vest. Soon he was laughing too though, his Romany heritage ensuring he couldn't help but be moved by the music just like she was.
Minutes bled into hours as the Gypsies celebrated, performing not for others this time but for their own enjoyment. Dancing and music was a bonding exercise here and she rejuvenated the ties with her family, all fifty of them, leaping through the firelight. But she didn't belong here, not permanently, so when the moon crept from behind the cloud cover and they all changed, shivering in ecstasy and lost in the magic of the night, a patched black-and-white horse breathed a soft farewell and slipped back beneath the trees, returning to her own world until the next time the Gypsies passed through.