- Character Biography
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| Age | 39 (Notempre 9th, 1726) |
| Species | Wildcat |
| Pronouns | She/Her |
| Size | Medium (5'1") |
| Build | Trim but Curvy |
| Rank | Stealthblade Adept, Unsmudgables |
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
Vaianna is a lithe little wildcat whose curves are backed by muscle. Her short-haired coat shows off her physique quite nicely, especially in its midnight coloration—except at the throat, where her coat grows slightly thicker and is marked by a pure white blaze. She grows her headfur long in the front and makes sure it is kept short at the sides and nape, proud of its luster and softness. It often hangs in the way of her remarkable orange eyes, light as gold in places while deep as embers in others. She also has a short cropped tail, the product of no accident or mishap but simply that way from birth.
As a fashionable wildcat, Vai is found in all sorts of clothing; mostly the kind that flaunts her form. She is rarely seen without her vintage Captain’s coat, though she tries not to wear it during work hours given the mixed messages it can send. While she does wear her badge, she often tucks it under a lapel; Stealthblade being a less than wholesome rank in the Unsmudgables.
PERSONALITY:
Dark and mysterious? More like edgy and a bit mad.
Those are the words others might use, likely in a snide tone, to describe Vaianna. Vai herself thinks that she’s a daring and loyal sort, willing to do the sort of work that others would turn their nose up at or even be too scared to attempt. Sometimes that means getting one's paws dirty when others wouldn't consider it.
STRENGTHS:
[Stoic]
Endures hardship with a face of calm, without a peep otherwise.
[Acro-cat]
Do a flip!
[Razor Sharp Focus]
This may actually be a weakness, but she views it as a strength.
WEAKNESSES:
[Emotional Vulnerability]
No, I don’t need to talk about my feelings.
[Paranoia]
What are your intentions?
[Loneliness]
Keeping all that distance gives you a special perspective on how alone you really are.
BIOGRAPHY:
Vaianna Vskihyi was born on Notempre 9th, 1726 to a pair of wildcats she knows not. All Vai knows is that sometime later that day, or perhaps the next, she was handed in to a state-run orphanage where she would spend the majority of her next 16 years. Unfortunately for her mental health and social life, this is the very same orphanage that Aramaeus Lemon was enrolled in; the very same that was part of a program to patriotize the Imperial youth. Unlike her friend, however, Vai was less inclined in ways of the mind and more in matters of the body; she paid less attention to her studies and spent more time worrying about whackball practice. While this led to a strengthening of her spirit against mind-numbing indoctrination, it did little to help her social life.
However, things changed when Vai was 6, in 1733.
Somebeasts wanted to foster her—potentially adopt!—but it was supposed to be very hush-hush. She quietly packed her things in the Orphanage and made her way to a very upscale estate in the Insanely Rich Area, where she was ushered away inside in spite of the late hour and dreary weather. Within she met her mothers-to-be: a tall, elegant Wildcat with dense fur and an endearing smile and... a much smaller pale-coated vixen with a stern look about her. Odd as the pair were, they seemed quite devoted to each other and to her, as it turned out, as they started to offer her the delights that were reserved for non-orphan children. Big bedrooms, fantastic feasts, colorful clothes, and most of all their attention. Vai was doted upon by them and, more than that, doted upon often. It seemed all that they wished of her was a legacy; someone to carry on their names, ways, and stories once they were gone.
To a young Vaianna this seemed a fair trade.
But the pair were busy beasts. The Wildcat with mixing her teas and medicines, and the Vixen with the duties of a Captain... and the duties of a Blademaster. It took Vai several months just to find out what she did, and how she kept sneaking away from the house despite never leaving through the front door—but, to her credit, she was only six. Then acrobatics-minded Vai was on the Vixen's case forever more about learning her ways with the sword, regardless of hearing that the title 'Blademaster' did not imply skill with blades necessarily...
But, eventually the pale-coated Vixen caved and, with a coy smile, made sure it was on one condition:
She would have to dedicate herself to the Unsmudgables and learn the ways of the stealthblade.
Primed for a purpose within the Imperium and with stars in her eyes, once again, young Vaianna thought this a fair trade. So, the Vixen brought Vai to the underground headquarters of the Unsmudgables and there... began her training.
Vai was devoted to the point of becoming anti-social, throwing all of herself into the task of learning the art of throwing daggers, picking locks, and being unseen... as much as a six-to-seven-to-eight year old really can. While worrying to the Wildcat, the Vixen seemed enamoured by Vai's love of her trade and encouraged it at every opportunity. Their training continued the rest of the year and into the next whenever the Vixen had time... and even when she did not. Little Vai began to sneak her way back to the Unsmudgables HQ to train, becoming a well known addition to the local Smudgie population—and fiercely loyal, to boot.
Then came the Winter War—and the day that neither of them returned home; the day the Skeered of Nothing burned to ashes.
Times were getting rough; even she could tell that through the haze of her hyper-focus. The Vixen and the Wildcat were already home less and less often.
But that day there were explosions in the Harbour and screams in the streets. The Estate Staff bundled her up and took her out of town in a rush, avoiding the tunnels that she would have run to like the Plague. She stayed in the country for a few days with her tutor—long enough for the smoke to stop rising from the Harbour—until it was finally deemed safe to return... but there was nothing to return to.
The Estate had been ransacked during the conflict.
Not yet old enough to accept the money from their Estate, nor be reasonably left alone to care for herself, there was talk among the house-staff of who might be able to take her in—but Vaianna was decided on what to do before they even had a chance to offer. Without a peep, she ferried herself back to the Orphanage with what little she had—mostly clothing she had hidden in stashes she had made in the tunnels that remained intact after the Winter War had torn through the Harbour—and prepared to make the eight year journey through the public care system.
She spent much of that time trying to train when she could, visiting the Museum and Smudgie HQ to see the familiar faces that still lingered after the War. But School and the Orphanage were primary—and her new hobby and devotion to it made her rather unpopular with the rest of the teens. Save Aramaeus, of course. He had a good head on his shoulders.
Things changed on her 18th birthday.
Already intending to leave the Orphanage when she came of age, she was taken by surprise when a Missertross gull arrived with a sealed envelope from the Ministry of Niceties. Within was her claim to the inheritance of the Wildcat and Vixen, including the estate and their fortunes. Money more than enough to live on and a literal place to live.
The only unfortunate thing was that the estate was in terrible condition after being ransacked and abandoned for eight years. But that did little to stop her; she lived in the tunnels below the Estate while it was being rebuilt, using her spare time to explore.
Of course, she was determined to visit the Smudgie’s HQ whenever she had the chance to continue her training. Though there were many new faces, given the change and cycling of their rank in the past eight years, she tried not to let that deter her and showed strength in the form of unwavering dedication to the cause.
By 20 she was officially a Smudgie on paper, though she’d been accepted into their midst well before then.
Since then she’s had a long and storied career of twenty years, with ten years of supposed peace—the largest and most interesting points of which being the Rebellion and Empress Amelie’s ascension. Rising through the ranks as a Stealthblade, she has many missions under her belt and has done unspeakable things and charitable actions alike. These days she is primarily a trainer of new Stealthblades.
POSSESSIONS:
-[Tanto]
Passed down from mother-to-daughter in the Malikus family, this Tanto is wicked and expertly crafted with a tsuba (handle), tsuka (guard), kashira (cap), and saya (scabbard) all made of bone. The all-black ito (wrap) holds a steel manuki (decoration) that depicts a bouquet of cherry blossoms. The only thing that would make it more stunning would be a blade of Auldurian Steel, but alas… that is more valuable than gold. To her, however, this tanto is priceless.
-[Captain’s Coat]
A black captain’s coat, purchased from one of Bully Harbour’s many thrift shops in a nostalgic fit of weakness. Its flaunty epaulets have long since gone out of style, making it distinctly vintage. Unfortunately, it is altogether too large for her—but fortunately, she’s taken the opportunity to make it ~fashion~ by removing the sleeves and making it roughly mantle sized. The length of the coat can be re-added with the crafty use of buttons, allowing her to swish about or use it as a blanket.
-[Unsmudgeables Badge]
Crafted out of silver, this badge of office is depicts a quillon dagger with a ruby embedded in the crossguard. Should times be desperate enough, it does seem sharp enough to be used as a weapon despite its miniscule size.
-[A Collection of Throwing Knives]
-[A Large Collection of Fashionable Clothes]
-[A Sizeable Fortune of Gilders, mostly invested in MinoNice projects]
REAL ESTATE:
- [The late Malikus Estate in the Insanely Rich Area]
Conveniently located along the Great Mowt River, between MinoInn and Mowt Harbour, it shares a large backyard with a much larger mansion and open-sided block. It is the second largest house on its block, but has been in the process of being repaired for the last ten or so years. At this point it's serviceable but nowhere near its former glory.
SKILLS:
Sixteen+: 12pts
Physical | Mental | Social |
|---|---|---|
| Tools of the Assassin [Seasoned] (4) Daggers, lockpicks, and garrotes, oh my! | Espionage [Proficient] (2) Somebeast has to do it. I might as well be good. | Deception [Trained] (1) Say what you need to get where you must. |
| Stealth [Seasoned] (4) Be unseen. | Secrets of the Harbour [Novice] (0) A worrying knowledge of Bully’s tunnel-network. | Diplomacy [Novice] (0) Being nice. Poorly. |
| Acrobatics [Trained] (1) Parkour! | Fyadorian Customs [Novice] (0) While you partied, I studied the way of the blade. | Fast-Talk [Novice] (0) That’s interesting, Aramaeus, but I don’t want to know— |
| ‘Modern’ Fashion [Novice] (0) It’s called fashion. Look it up. | ||
| Total Points in Category: 9 | Total Points in Category: 2 | Total Points in Category: 1 |
