Naraya

Naraya Nekane Itxaro

Naraya Nekane Itxaro
Status
Race	Human
Gender	Female
Guild	Empath
Instance	Prime

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General Information

Age: Early thirties
Birthdate: 12th day of the 7th month of Moliko the Balance in the year of the Silver Unicorn, 364 years after the victory of Lanival the Redeemer
Birthplace: Therengia
Race: Human
Sex: Female
Height: 5"4'
Weight: 120 lbs.

Physical Description

You see Naraya Itxaro, a Human Empath. She has a heart-shaped face with pouting lips, thick-lashed steely grey eyes and a small nose. Her black hair is long and thick, and is worn in a tousled mass of locks that tumbles over her shoulders. She has smooth skin and an athletic figure. She is slightly under average height for a Human.

She is wearing a chain shirt, a perfect gargoyle-hide cowl, some perfect gargoyle-hide greaves, some perfect gargoyle-hide gloves, a warrior's tower shield, an oilcloth rucksack, a plain war belt crafted from dark brown leather, a foraging apron, an etched steel parry stick with black leather straps, a pair of dark leather pants laced with sinew, a silky white blouse, and some beaded sandals.

History

Having lost both of her parents at an early age, Naraya Nekane Itxaro instead blossomed under the guardianship of her grandparents, Esti and Unai Nekane, two very nurturing and loving individuals. As a youth in a small Therengian farming village, she was allowed to wander the nearby fields, to play in the mud after the rains, and to stay up as late as she wished, so long as it did not interfere with her chores or studies the following morning. Rarely was she scolded, but rarely did she require it. When her grandmother planted herbs and vegetables in the spring, Naraya always and with much eagerness helped. When her grandfather returned from his voyages at sea, she would always listen with great interest to the same old jokes, familiar sailing stories, and the descriptions of the exotic flora and fauna of foreign places.

And yet, Naraya had always been a bit out of place in her tiny hometown. Even as a child, she seemed a little too distant, a little too distracted by something. She rarely took part in the games of other children, much preferring the company of trees and books, both of which, as she used to say, had plenty to tell. She had a quiet way of learning, a remarkable capacity for empathizing with the plants and animals that inhabited her world. Some mistook this for a slow mind, but she always surprised them later by demonstrating something quite beyond her years, an understanding of life or nature that many could never begin to grasp. Other people would say that she had a gift, a boon given by the Goddess out of sympathy for the girl's losses--though no one really knew what it was, if anything. But those rumors, just like childhood, eventually faded and were forgotten. Over the years, Naraya became like any of her peers: rather preoccupied with work and mundane chores. But, during her time alone in the gardens and fields, her imagination secretly flourished. However, she did not imagine what it would be like to be a fancily-dressed lady of the court, an exotic performing diva, or even the wife of a handsome and courageous knight. Rather, she imagined herself as a tiny white flower in bloom, a silver wolf treading lightly through a dark forest, or a priestess devoted to the healing arts. And each year, she let go of just a little bit more of her childlike daydreaming.

As time went on, Naraya invariably accummulated more and more responsibilities, for her grandparents had the strength to do less with each passing year. One of the first duties she was given was to look after the two nags in their tiny barn. Later, she began to put together and deliver medicine packets to neighbors and city-dwellers for her grandmother. When her grandfather's sight became too poor, it was Naraya who wrote and read his missives. When her grandmother's old hands were in too much pain, it was Naraya who harvested and cured the herbs. And eventually, she became accustomed to this mundane but peaceful life. She allowed her own song and voice to keep her company while she went about her chores, and in the evenings, she oft sat by the hearth, immersing herself in her favorite stories by the fire's light. Although her grandparents were elderly, they would live a while yet, and Naraya could hardly imagine not being around to take care of them.

But all of this was soon to change.

On an otherwise ordinary and chilly autumn morning, Naraya was approached by her grandmother and told that it was time for her to leave her home of twenty years. "Leave Theren, Little 'Aya. Journey down to the town of Langenfirth," her grandmother had said. "There, you must seek out the Herbalist Yorgi and learn all that you can from him, for the Earth Mother surely has plans for you." Despite the younger woman's many ardent objections, Madam Nekane would not be persuaded, and so Naraya had no choice but to do as she was told. It was only after she had packed her things and said her goodbyes that she finally began to accept her grandmother's wishes and to see the wisdom hidden within them. She had too much potential to spend her days in her grandparents' house in a small farming village. Though, she knew she would soon miss her grandfather's old jokes and her grandmother's warm smile. She also knew, in her heart, that she might never see either of them again.

Four years Naraya spent in Yorgi's oft-difficult shadow, in prayer, in study, and most especially, put hard to work. During her free time, she became familiar with the town of Langenfirth and helped in the maintainance of the gardens at the Temple, and there she began to learn more of the common religion. Yorgi, both an Elf and an ex-Empath, proved both a superb mentor and a warm confidant, despite his age and gruff exterior. Nor was it long before Naraya made friends with Yorgi's daughter, a young Elven girl wise beyond her years. During times of individual meditation and reflection, however, Naraya would seek solitude in the nearby forest, along the bubbling brook, beneath the great trees, and amidst the sounds of wildlife. She listened carefully, and she waited for the Earth Mother's guidance. And then, just as suddenly as she had arrived, Naraya perceived that her stay in the little town of Langenfirth was over. It was time for her move on and to put her skills to use in the outside world. The work and the mentorship of the Herbalist, while they had given her an excellent foundation and had supported what she had learned from her own grandmother, could themselves only offer so much. To reach her true potential, she would have to get her hands dirty. She would have to join a guild.

Friends of Yorgi and denizens of Langenfirth gave their parting prayers for the young lady Itxaro, and the daughter of Yorgi directed Naraya down the narrow road toward the wharf. As she did so, she offered this last bit of advice to Naraya, along with a small silver Empath charm: "Take this gift for luck and protection, but do not forget to listen to the Goddess, Friend 'Aya, for she will always tell you where you are needed most. The Itxaro women are excellent listeners, their lives too short. I have no doubt that I will one day meet your daughter and welcome her as family, also. Take every care, and may Hodierna watch over you."

And with that, the young healer-in-training, clutching her charm, stepped onto the road, and began her journey to the River Crossing...