Renessa

Renessa
Status	Active
Race	Rakash
Gender	Female
Guild	Empath
Instance	Prime
Relatives	Taevish Dzirta, Voksrig

You see Enelne's Daughter Renessa, a Rakash.
Renessa has an oval face, tilted crystal green eyes and a classical nose. Her red hair is very long and straight, and is worn in a careless, windblown arrangement.
She has pale skin and a slender figure.
She is short for a Rakash.
A cloisonne butterfly with large rose-patterned wings floats lazily around her head, glowing with a lustrous sheen against her skin.
She appears to be a cub-herder.

She is holding a beribboned wyndewood tambourine in her right hand.
She is wearing a formal sky blue jaspe odaj engulfed by a kaleidoscope of sky opal butterflies, a silverwillow picnic basket, a black tankard-shaped badge etched with the insignia of the Tavern Troupe, a dragonwood good-luck charm painted with a tiny rendition of Katamba, a blue enameled button labeled "Crossing Empath", a white small lace case, a petite tea caddy, a pair of dainty Katamba-black slippers overlaid with marquisette, an enveloping rantija of raw silk, a zila oilcloth rugursora and a stunning gold engagement ring with a carved red jade rose.

The Rock in the River

Renessa was born to a pack even most Rakash would describe as "traditional" if not "backward." Self-identifying as "The Rock in the River" this cult of Rakash refused to assimilate to the Eastern ways at the time of the migration. A cult of only a few hundred Rakash, divided into a handful of familial packs, they attempted to live "the old ways" - though many of the cult's founders were young at the time of the migration, so their interpretation of Rakash Tradition was often a best guess at remembering how things were done. Ultimately, the cult developed the most restrictive, prescriptive forms of Rakash culture in order to survive in the forrest with no connection to other packs or the Eastern peoples. Pack leaders occasionally went into Siksraja to trade goods, but young cubs and women were not allowed. Believing all spells allowing for the raising of the dead to be connected to the Necromancy that led to the Rakash diaspora, cult members were not allowed to pursue the Favor of the Gods, thus making death final.

As a result of their isolation, The Rock in the River was composed entirely of what easterners would consider commoners. Pack members divided labor into several roles, such as Defender(fighters), Maker(Crafters) Herb Mother(healers), God Whisperer(spiritual leaders), Moon Reader(Astrologists), and Scholar(Pack Leaders). Due to their self-imposed isolation, no members of her pack were magic users. Renessa's father was the Scholar of her pack, and her mother was a Maker.

When Renessa was 17 years old, her quaint way of life came to an end when beings from the plane of probability, Starcrashers, descended on the encampment of her pack. Renessa managed to hide, but watched the creatures destroy her home, her pack, and her entire way of life. As the fighting ended, only a few deathly wounded remained, and Renessa was unable to help them. For weeks she wandered the forrest looking for other packs from the cult, but could not make contact with them. Eventually, she stumbled into Riverhaven, with only a few artifacts from her pack, and a bloodsoaked Odaj.

Taevish Dzirta

A few days after arriving in Riverhaven, Renessa was found on the road outside the East Gate of Riverhaven by Taevish Dzirta, a Warrior Mage and member of the Theren Guard. He coaxed her out of hiding and convinced her he was safe- but a crowd gathered, frightening the small, traumatized girl. After a time, those gathered realized that the girl could- or would- not talk. Someone provided a slate for her to communicate with, but found that she only wrote in the Rakash language. One in the group was an Empath, who sensed in her great empathy.

In time, Taevish convinced Renessa to go with him to Crossing, where he left her in the care of the Empath's guild. In the weeks to come, he would show up at the guild to check on her, bring her presents, and take her on short outings. Still, she did not speak. She communicated with her slate and with pantomime, though few but Taevish bothered to take the time to understand her. Finally, when they met in Moonskin, Taevish discovered she could talk- but was too shy and depressed to speak when not in her true form.

Over the next two years, Taevish worked with Renessa to heal her traumas, create a sense of safety and stability in her new life, and support her passions of healing, art, and music. As her joy and confidence increased, so did her ability to communicate. After two years of friendship and patient courting, Taevish proposed to Renessa in the very spot outside the east gate of Riverhaven where he had first found her, crying and covered in blood. She said yes.

The River Runs Dry

Before they could be married, Renessa expressed regret that she had never tried to find the other packs in The Rock in the River, including the pack her sister had married into. Taevish took a leave of absence from the guard and he and Renessa spent nearly two years camping in the wilderness, attempting to track the roaming packs. Finally, the gave up and returned to Theren. Renessa still hopes to see her sister again, but has now fully embraced her life in the East. Upon returning from their failed quest, Renessa finally expressed a desire to learn Common, and has been making slow but steady progress.

Renessa no longer practices the lifestyle she was raised in, though she remains devout of Enelne. She does now seek the favor of the Gods, and joyfully makes friends with members of all races, though the language barrier remains with non-Rakash friends.

Voksrig

Though Renessa introduces Rakash Moon Mage, Voksrig, to everyone as her brother, they are not related. When they first met, Voksrig spoke to Renessa frequently of her ancestors, including her recently deceased immediate family. It did not occur to the seer that this might upset her. As a result, Renessa had to finally confront the latent trauma of not being able to save, nor die with, her pack. One night Renessa and Voksrig were hunting near each other, and she heard his screams as he was felled by a bear. She dragged him to crossing, taking and healing his wounds as she pulled his body to the Cleric's guild. When he regained consciousness and asked her why she would do something for someone she hated so much, she declared him a member of her pack. Since that day, they have been brother and sister.

The Tavern Troupe

Upon returning to Crossing after the failed quest to locate her Sister and other cult members, Renessa expressed to Taevish a desire to fully assimilate into the culture in Crossing. Her goals were threefold: to learn common, to make friends, and to progress within her guild. She began to attend more events outside her guild, and to socialize with more than just her pack. Her affinity for music and storytelling drew her to events put on by the Tavern Troupe. In that space she found friends who accepted her difficulty with language, as well as bards who were capable of casting the Aura of Tongues spell so that she could be understood.

After performing an original song at her first Tavern Troupe event, she applied to join the group, and is currently a member.

Tea

Though Renessa is an Empath and can heal through the transfer of wounds and self-healing spells, she still holds to the Rakash methods of healing, and frequently presents her patients with tea while she heals them. Whether the tea has actual medicinal qualities, or is just a ruse to get them to sit still and calm down while she works, is unclear.