Neesharii Alven

“I have spent many days in the finest houses and cannot deny the beauty and even kindness that abounds among the rich. But I will never trust them, past wounds run too deep. No they are none of them to be trusted.”

Name: Neesharii Alven, Hides-Her-Face (childhood nickname) Aliases – Llaretha Andarys,

“Neesharii for one father, Alven for the other. My mother never named me but this seems fitting.”

Race: Dunmer

Age: 102

Origin: A border town, in the south of Morrowind

Birth-sign: The Shadow

Occupation: Assassin, Enchantress

Relatives: Tevru Alven, her father.

Brief description of appearance:

Tall and beautiful with flowing brown hair. Her face is softer than the average Dunmer her skin perfect, her nose unbroken. There are rumors that Telvanni sorcery is responsible for her looks, though her mother must claim some credit, for her looks made her a prize for slavers who thought to punish a small town unable to pay their taxes. A greenish tint to her skin and a hint more yellow than is natural in her eyes may suggest the effects of the Hist sap she was fed as an infant, or they may not (there is many an Argonian priest who will hotly dispute it).

Weaponry:

Two swords, the blades gracefully curved, the hilts plain. She is also known to be a fair shot with a longbow, but despite the affinity of her race for fire magic none tell of her using destruction spells. She is however a skilled enchantress and magic imbues all of her weapons.


Armour/Clothing:

She has picked up a taste for fine clothes from her time infiltrating the great houses of the Telvanni, and has many styles of dress chosen to blend in to her company. However when alone on the road she prefers the much simpler clothes. In her wanderings she may be seen in a simple ragged shirt with torn sleeves and loose undyed trousers with her feet bare. It is unclear as to whether she dresses such as a protest against the wealth and slavery in the upper classes, though this seems unlikely as she does not dress in such a way in public.

Religious Point of View:

Neesharii follows the Argonian tradition of revering the Hist. She was fed Hist sap at birth and strangely accepted it without ill effect. She believes that from this she has the soul of an Argonian imparted by the Hist and that this is a gift she is bound to protect. She has clashed with more than one Argonian priest who refused to believe that a Dunmer could become one of them.

“You presume to know all the mysteries of the Hist? I presume nothing but the evidence of my eyes.”

Political Point of View:

She has a strong anti-slavery ties and rumored affiliation with the Twin Lamps. She distrusts the Dunmer nobility, respects the Nords for their solidarity and straightforwardness and feels the closest loyalty to the Argonians despite being a misfit and near outcast in their society. She also has sympathies towards the Kajiit through her anti-slavery work. She firmly believes in the Ebonheart Pact and will fight for the independence of the three lands.

Loves:

The feeling of mastery in a skill, enchanting or swordplay, or an assassination skillfully done; when she can enjoy the ease with which she accomplishes what were once the most difficult tasks. Also what she calls the green moments when sun shines on deep marsh or forest, the damp greenery seems to shine and every drop of water sparkles.

Hates:

Slavery, too much snow, scamps, Molag Bal (with a passion).

Strengths:

Neesharii is a highly skilled assassin agile, well versed in stealth, and possessing deadly skill with her dual blades against a single opponent. She has also benefited from an excellent education in Telvanni enchanting. She can blend in with any crowd from the high Telvanni social scene to the scruffy mercenaries in small sordid taverns. She is well educated and intelligent and can adjust her speech and manners to be friendly to almost anyone she meets.

Weaknesses:

Shy and unwilling to initiate talk with others, unless she is acting or has reason to. She is also distrustful of the rich and more than willing to take advantage of them given any opportunity. Her love of solitude has worked against her in the past, when faced with many foes she finds her martial skills wanting and can recount a particularly bad experience with a group of scamps summoned by a jealous Telvanni wizard. Having wizards such as that one take such interest in her looks has also left her with a certain vanity that she refuses to admit.

Companions:

Since the death of her mentor and adoptive father Deeh-Ja she has largely preferred solitude, though lately can be occasionally seen in the company of an Argonian sorcerer.

Notable relationships:

Apart from her blood father Tevru Alven she has no family, her mother having died in childbirth. A partner and children she believes would be precious but is something that she has no time for at present.

She has ties with certain more secretive members of the Shadowscales (Deeh-Ja was a leader of their ranks) and carries out tasks for them that involve infiltration of the Dunmer great houses. She also has ties with influential members of House Telvanni under her alias Llaretha Andarys including a friendship, (of sorts) with the crotchety wizard Neloth (whether he will admit it or not is a different story). She is also a member of the Twin Lamps.

"Have you seen the twin lamps?"

Background:

She was conceived in a small town on the border of Morrowind and Black Marsh. Her father later said he regretted the timing if not the act. Times were harsh and taxes were high, slavers roamed earning gold for the nobility. The village was one, that hit by Argonian raids and cruelty of slavers had little chance of paying their due taxes. So the tax was taken in slaves, the prettiest woman to fetch the highest price. The slavers continued on into Black Marsh and out, months passed and the numbers of slaves in the chain accumulated. But the slavers were on this occasion too greedy; they went into the marsh once too often and were ambushed by an Argonian band that had been monitoring their activities. Argonians were freed, Dunmer slaves fled and one woman collapsed in pain of childbirth after a pregnancy which had gone unnoticed through months of starvation. Deeh-Ja was skilled in alchemy and did what he could for the mother but it was not enough. Under the sign of the Shadow her child was born, her last act before leaving this world. Deeh-Ja held the child close, heard its fluttering heartbeat and feared she would follow. There was no mother’s milk, but with a quick prayer he lifted a vial of Hist sap to the lips of the infant. Deeh-Ja didn't give her the Hist sap out of medicinal reasons, but for religious ones. It was all he had left, he was sure it would be almost certain death for anyone who wasn't Argonian, but the Hist had minds of their own and they used the sap to commune.
"I commend this soul to Sithis, whether to serve in life or death," he whispered.
The small face screwed up, a cough, and the infant finally opened eyes which glowed pale green. It lasted for a second before they closed again. The child slept, a peaceful sleep, and the young Argonian assassin relaxed.

The way she understands it to this day is that Sithis accepted the gift, he claimed her Dunmer soul for the void, and the Hist replaced it with one of an Argonian.

Deeh-Ja was not one to ignore the gifts of Sithis. A child born beneath the sign of the Shadow, and blessed by the Hist, it was clear what he was to do. He bought her into the Shadowscales, into the most trusted circle of his family. They saw her as a weapon, as one who could infiltrate the Dunmer houses and be used to strike back against the slavers. They did not see her as one of them however, despite arguments that raged for days. She was permitted to train with the hatchlings, under the dark brotherhood, but in the brotherhood she would remain. She started slow. Very slow. Deeh-Ja could not believe how long it took this young elf to master even the most basic art of walking. But eventually she did and as she grew she developed a stubborn streak which he had to admire. He would watch while the hatchlings laughed as she tried to do the same task over and over again with her clumsy soft hands. As she grew more she began to catch up, or at least stop falling behind. Her natural talents with sword and her intelligence grew quickly after a slow start and the keen mind she possessed began to give her advantages over some of the slower hatchlings. And some of the Shadowscales began to remember the purpose which had first been proposed for her. Deeh-ja did not disagree with her being used in this way, he had argued so hard for it in the beginning, but he loved this child and would not see her life in undue peril from such an undertaking. So as he honed his skills he taught the child he had named Neesharii. He pursued any knowledge and skill that could aid her and imparted all his knowledge onto her. His dedication to the arts of assassination saw him rise in the ranks of the Shadowscales, and he used his position to obtain even more knowledge to aid the Dunmer girl in his care. She was intelligent and quick on her feet; she learned quickly and seemed to have a natural affinity for the arts of assassination. She also learned from the hatred of most Argonians towards her race, skills to hide in plain sight, to stick to the shadows and when to fight or run. She learned that covering her head and hiding her skin was less offensive to those around her and slowly the girl known as Hides-Her-Face became accepted into Black Marsh society. The pale green eyes faded to red by the time she turned five, but a slight greenish tint imbued her grey skin to remind her of the Hist which saved her life.

I will not recount the adventures of her life, they are many and I have spoken long enough. Suffice to say she did infiltrate the great houses or Morrowind with great success. She spent years among the most wealthy Telvanni and from them learned the intricacies of masterful enchanting. She mourned Deeh-Ja when he passed away at a ripe age of 106 in a fight he should not have been in, but was too proud to refuse. She found her birth father and was able to bring him much joy as well as an easier life away from the border. She found the Twin Lamps and freed many slaves. She pledged herself to the Ebonheart Pact to fight for independence. She has argued with priests, flirted with noblemen, sparred with the deadliest of assassins, befriended wizards and always kept her identity close, her true self hidden. But is seems in times to come, she may have need of more than her facades can provide her.

“Deeh-Ja was a father to me, but my own flesh and blood has ties that can’t be forgotten. Obviously I mourn him, but I have found life is still very much worth living.”

This is my first shot at doing a character bio for any sort of roleplay, I am considering roleplaying with her in ESO under her alias Llaretha Andarys. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, especially any things to improve on.

I used the format by Triskele, and a fair bit of inspiration from her and others’ character bios.

Great char!

Yet the hist sap may be dangerous for an infant (it is not good for others than Argoians) though.

And the Shadow scales are Argonian only...

Giving a non-argonian hist sap is like giving someone lsd, or even something worse like bath salts. Also shadowSCALES are only argonians and would never let a non-argonian into their ranks. Remember this is an extremely religious order and would never disobey or change the rules to fit in an outsider.

Thanks, both of you!

(November 23rd 2013, 09:24 AM)Archmage Alator Wrote: Yet the hist sap may be dangerous for an infant (it is not good for others than Argoians) though.

(November 23rd 2013, 12:16 PM)Roflwaffleauthoritah Wrote: Giving a non-argonian hist sap is like giving someone lsd, or even something worse like bath salts.

Does it make any more sense this way?

Deeh-Ja didn't give her the hist sap out of medicinal reasons, but for religious ones. It was all he had left, he was sure it would be almost certain death for anyone who wasn't Argonian, but the Hist had minds of their own and they used the sap to commune.
"I commend this soul to Sithis, whether to serve in life or death," he whispered.
The way she understands it to this day is that Sithis accepted the gift, he claimed her Dunmer soul for the void, and the Hist replaced it with one of an Argonian.

If she were to drink Hist sap now she is granted some protection by the Hist because of the events of the past. She doesn't rush off to kill every nearby creature. In fact she doesn't gain prowess in killing anything, instead it is more like she gets incredibly roaringly drunk. It is not a pleasant experience.

Too chosen-one-ish?

(November 23rd 2013, 09:24 AM)Archmage Alator Wrote: And the Shadow scales are Argonian only...

(November 23rd 2013, 12:16 PM)Roflwaffleauthoritah Wrote: Also shadowSCALES are only argonians and would never let a non-argonian into their ranks. Remember this is an extremely religious order and would never disobey or change the rules to fit in an outsider.

Hmm and that would go double for any Dunmer, hated as they are. That is why I said she was secret from most, and those who know of her see her more as a tool. Hmm... there are two ways I can think of getting around this while keeping her loyal to the scales, and thus to Argonia.

1) Their religious nature was what convinced them to take her in, somewhat unnerved by the pale green of her eyes, hearing the tale from Deeh-Ja and being persuaded through communication with the Hist allowed them to see her as an Argonian in a Dunmer body. She was accepted but reluctantly, and never trusted. She was not allowed to know or be known by more than a very few members, she was not allowed to know their secrets (though Deeh-Ja taught her some as he saw fit, being somewhat angered by their reluctance to accept what the Hist had done), and she was seen only as a tool by some, though treated kindly enough. Then when she was ready she was sent away to Morrowind.

2) Despite raged arguments and the best efforts of Deeh-Ja they would not accept her as a member. But she was useful to them she could infiltrate the Dunmer so they trained her in order to be able to use her. They told her that they would allow her to join if they could, but that their rules forbade it. Some trainers said that they wished that she had been born an Argonian. Some started to believe what they said. In the end she was a member in all but name, she pledged loyalty to Argonia and carried out what tasks the Shadowscales required of her.

I prefer the first way, it cements her reverence for the Hist, and Sithis and gives her a stronger sense of belonging and thus stronger loyalty to Argonia. She doesn't seem one to be deceived by people fawning over her. The first instance she respects that they obeyed the Hist and the will of Sithis and understands why they don't trust her. In the second she would believe they disobeyed and likely feel some contempt towards them, she is after all very religious. However if it is too lore breaking for too many people the second gives a possible alternative.

---

oh I realized that yellow eyes = vampire so changed that to pale green. They still fade by modern day but serve as an early proof.

(November 23rd 2013, 03:46 PM)Blue Rose Wrote: Thanks, both of you!

(November 23rd 2013, 09:24 AM)Archmage Alator Wrote: Yet the hist sap may be dangerous for an infant (it is not good for others than Argoians) though.

(November 23rd 2013, 12:16 PM)Roflwaffleauthoritah Wrote: Giving a non-argonian hist sap is like giving someone lsd, or even something worse like bath salts.

Does it make any more sense this way?

Deeh-Ja didn't give her the hist sap out of medicinal reasons, but for religious ones. It was all he had left, he was sure it would be almost certain death for anyone who wasn't Argonian, but the Hist had minds of their own and they used the sap to commune.
"I commend this soul to Sithis, whether to serve in life or death," he whispered.
The way she understands it to this day is that Sithis accepted the gift, he claimed her Dunmer soul for the void, and the Hist replaced it with one of an Argonian.

If she were to drink Hist sap now she is granted some protection by the Hist because of the events of the past. She doesn't rush off to kill every nearby creature. In fact she doesn't gain prowess in killing anything, instead it is more like she gets incredibly roaringly drunk. It is not a pleasant experience.

Too chosen-one-ish?

(November 23rd 2013, 09:24 AM)Archmage Alator Wrote: And the Shadow scales are Argonian only...

(November 23rd 2013, 12:16 PM)Roflwaffleauthoritah Wrote: Also shadowSCALES are only argonians and would never let a non-argonian into their ranks. Remember this is an extremely religious order and would never disobey or change the rules to fit in an outsider.

Hmm and that would go double for any Dunmer, hated as they are. That is why I said she was secret from most, and those who know of her see her more as a tool. Hmm... there are two ways I can think of getting around this while keeping her loyal to the scales, and thus to Argonia.

1) Their religious nature was what convinced them to take her in, somewhat unnerved by the pale green of her eyes, hearing the tale from Deeh-Ja and being persuaded through communication with the Hist allowed them to see her as an Argonian in a Dunmer body. She was accepted but reluctantly, and never trusted. She was not allowed to know or be known by more than a very few members, she was not allowed to know their secrets (though Deeh-Ja taught her some as he saw fit, being somewhat angered by their reluctance to accept what the Hist had done), and she was seen only as a tool by some, though treated kindly enough. Then when she was ready she was sent away to Morrowind.

2) Despite raged arguments and the best efforts of Deeh-Ja they would not accept her as a member. But she was useful to them she could infiltrate the Dunmer so they trained her in order to be able to use her. They told her that they would allow her to join if they could, but that their rules forbade it. Some trainers said that they wished that she had been born an Argonian. Some started to believe what they said. In the end she was a member in all but name, she pledged loyalty to Argonia and carried out what tasks the Shadowscales required of her.

I prefer the first way, it cements her reverence for the Hist, and Sithis and gives her a stronger sense of belonging and thus stronger loyalty to Argonia. She doesn't seem one to be deceived by people fawning over her. The first instance she respects that they obeyed the Hist and the will of Sithis and understands why they don't trust her. In the second she would believe they disobeyed and likely feel some contempt towards them, she is after all very religious. However if it is too lore breaking for too many people the second gives a possible alternative.

---

oh I realized that yellow eyes = vampire so changed that to pale green. They still fade by modern day but serve as an early proof.

Personally the shadowscale thing is quite lore breaking for me. You could go with the 2nd option OR just say the shadowscales wouldn't accept her but the the dark brotherhood did. That way she could work with the shadowscales without being an official member.

I like the character well enough the shadow scale thing is a tricky bit and a dunmer no offense, but she could never truly understand or revere the hist the way the argonians do...they are as children to the hist and they are part of the hist as the hist is part of them she no matter what could become that she could emulate it due to reverence and loyalty, but it would never be the same.

I think the second option is a better bet and you could just take some elements from the first one and put them in it to keep that loyalty and all that, but for her to be in spirit argonian is just a bit off cause the hist are patient things the oldest beings of tamriel and they do not act with haste or exception so it would be very strikingly odd for them to give such a boon out of seemingly desperation as they let many of their own children die.

Ok, dropping the Shadowscales idea due to popular demand *bows to the wisdom of more experienced roleplayers* =)

I have another idea which might be better (it is actually even more detached from the Shadowscales than 2)), I just want to give it a bit more thought and expansion. I am worried about putting her into Dark Brotherhood as we don't know yet if the brotherhood has actually formed by the time of the game.

(November 23rd 2013, 04:01 PM)MaxxRocker Wrote: I like the character well enough the shadow scale thing is a tricky bit and a dunmer no offense, but she could never truly understand or revere the hist the way the argonians do...they are as children to the hist and they are part of the hist as the hist is part of them she no matter what could become that she could emulate it due to reverence and loyalty, but it would never be the same.

That's basically what she is doing, emulating it but she truly believes that she has a similar relationship. Cue many arguments on this topic with Argonian priests.

(November 23rd 2013, 04:01 PM)MaxxRocker Wrote: for her to be in spirit argonian is just a bit off cause the hist are patient things the oldest beings of tamriel and they do not act with haste or exception so it would be very strikingly odd for them to give such a boon out of seemingly desperation as they let many of their own children die.

They are patient but they can act with haste (recalling the Argonians to Black Marsh in the oblivion crisis). Also maybe they were waiting for an opportunity. I doubt they did it for her at all, but to help the Argonian race. The soul thing also helps me with the expected game lore. It seems a bit weak to me that a soulless one is running around being generally badass, while the rest of them are cattle for Molag-Bal. Having her Dunmer soul in the care of Sithis but her body still running around seems to provide a better explanation. After all Molag-Bal is keeping souls from Sithis by enslaving them, the night mother story shows he cares about the time he receives souls, it is not inconceivable that he might provide help to one to defeat Molag Bal, such as allowing them to retain will. His having care of her Dunmer soul provides a nice conduit to do that and a reason for the "why me?" question.

Sorry I thought you meant her soul was replaced not that she was soulless to begin with in that case it gets a little more convoluted as TES does have a lot of weird concepts about how the travel and what can store a soul and where all that works is very complex and the magic behind it is as well so my bad did not read that correctly.

They did not really act in haste they knew the crisis was coming and though the message was instant it was planned and let loose at the right moment. Same thing with their invasion of morrowind it seems sudden, but when you dig deep it was actually planned and while the order was instant the actions were instant the planning and orchestration was in the making for a long time.

Anyways you got a good grasp on the subjects so good luck!

What are you on about? The dark brotherhood is definitely around by the time of eso, it's just not in the game at launch.

(November 23rd 2013, 05:25 PM)Roflwaffleauthoritah Wrote: What are you on about? The dark brotherhood is definitely around by the time of eso, it's just not in the game at launch.

Ah my bad, I had misheard something in the ESO promo information that had made me think they were going to bring the Dark Brotherhood in post launch with the whole story of the first listener. I guess they still could as there is no set time as to when this happened (just that it was second era), but it does look like the Brotherhood at least existed in some form for a couple of hundred years before ESO. That makes more sense too since the Shadowscales are supposed to be a sect of the Brotherhood and we know they are in ESO.

That makes things a little easier, I will update over the next day or two. Thanks everybody for all the feedback =)

Updated

Hey Blue Rose,

I think your first character has a lot of interesting concepts surrounding her which definitely makes her seem alive in the world of the Elder Scrolls! I think her unsteady relationship with the Argonians of the Black Marsh adds some dynamic to her persona. Although she is loyal to them and carries out deeds for them, they eye her with suspicion or see her as an outsider; a grim reminder of their historical oppressors to the North. I think the entire challenge of whether she is a respected member of their society or simply an asset to be used should be continued going into your character's future. It adds conflict and an internal struggle that makes the character seem more alive given her circumstances.

One thing I think you could expand on is Dee-Jah's relationship with this orphaned child in the backstory. Obviously he cared for her, but what drew him to this motherless child initially? Was he part of the Argoninan band that ambushed the slavers, or was he a captive alongside Neesharii's mother? Did he know her mother beforehand and found her to be kind or strong of willed, so when she passed he had to protect her newborn child? Something like that may add a stronger connection for his upbringing of Neesharii.

With the Hist, perhaps to have her ingesting the sap seem more genuine; she could have at first struggled with the potent hallucinogenic effects for a worrying amount of time, before finally lulling into a peaceful sleep. This would seem to abide more to what this powerful substance may do to a non-argonian, and also add more tension to her taking it.

I don't think it's necessary for her to be part of the Dark Brotherhood to work alongside the Shadowscales. She could simply be an "ally" of their's. But that's a preference thing. It's your judgment call if you think that's best suited for your character!

The Twin Lamps may not have been established quite yet, these hundreds of years before Morrowind. I was always under the impression they were relatively new during the time of the Elder Scrolls III, though that extends from personal perception. Perhaps if you might think the same, she could simply be part of an unnamed or new anti-slavery movement instead of mentioning Twin Lamps directly. You should also consider that Neloth may not exist during the time of TESO or may not be at the rank of Master, and adapt accordingly if this is so.

Black Marsh is often considered unihabitable by outsiders due to the ever present diseases of the swamps. This has often been the end of many would be invasions by other provinces like Cyrodiil. Perhaps you could include a line telling how Neesharii came to adapt to the harsh environment of Black Marsh. Like she developed a strong immune system, and was often aided by the alchemical expertise of Deeh-Ja.

In any case, it's a solid first character Blue Rose! I like how the last few lines of her backstory sums her up in a way that is both inspiring and has her looking into the future. It gives the sense of where she comes from and where she may go, and develop more as a character! Looking forward to seeing what you may have in store for her!