Gonifa

Gonifa Schvartzstone
Status	Active
Race	Human
Gender	Female
Guild	Barbarian
Instance	Platinum
Relatives	Adele

Gonifa venerates Everild, the Huntress, and Asketi.
Gonifa is a citizen of M'riss, but maintains a home on Diamond Street in Shard. She also maintains ties to the home of her birth - Wolf Clan.

Description

You were born on the 17th day of the 8th month of Skullcleaver the Dwarven Axe in the year of the Amber Phoenix, 339 years after the victory of Lanival the Redeemer.

You are Apprentice Weaponsmith Gonifa SchvartzStone, Amazon of Elanthia, a Human. You have elegant arched eyebrows, pointed ears and thick-lashed crystal green eyes. Your bright green-streaked black hair is shoulder length and thick, and is worn untamed. You have tanned skin and an athletic figure. You are tall for a Human. You are venerable..

You are wearing a lumpy bundle, a chain balaclava, a pair of tarnished metal fangs, a jadeite gwethdesuan, a kyanite gwethdesuan, a rough-cut chakrel amulet, an ornate brass necklace, a Barbarian Guild boutonniere displaying a Crimson Massacre carnation, a midnight black velvet tabard embroidered with Damaris' panther, a hammer-shaped badge stamped "Head Crusher", a clockwork spider, an embossed greatsword sheath, a canvas sack, a sturdy backpack, a Mo costume with attached mask, a rough white fur tunic, some perfect firecat-skin leathers, some engraved elbow spikes, a medium shield painted with the image of a galloping horseman, some embossed brass knuckles, some pitch-black gloves, a grimy steel ring bearing the crest of the Barbarians' guild, an albredine crystal ring, a wide leather utility belt embellished by a platinum crest, a polished bronze belt knife with a wire-wrapped hilt, a medicine pouch made from the skull and hide of a cougar, an origami-paper envelope, a lockpick ring, some pleated khaki slacks, a thigh quiver dyed in a brown and green camouflage pattern, some iron knee spikes, some pitted steel-toed footwraps, some thick-soled leather mountain boots, a damaska boar-hide chest harness and a calcified femur.

Backstory

Gonifa was born in Wolf Clan, also known as Trefan Ulf, into the tribe of Human Barbarians who inhabit that region. She grew up with the rough and tumble games of her peers. There were two older boys who mercilessly teased her, day after day about her pointed ears, claiming she must have elven blood. They were finally given something to remember her by, after she broke both their noses. This was the first time she felt the berserker rage come on her - and she was only 10 years old, not quite old enough for the rites of passage. The next two years were supposed to be spent in preparation for this, so she started learning all the ways of the clan - how to fight, how to skin,swimming in the nearby river -- all of the skills a barbarian would need to survive.

She was also told never to leave home after dark. Although it had been 30 years since Suza, the wife of the head of the clan, had been kidnapped by the neighboring Togs, the people of the clan were not taking chances, and kept the town dark at night so as not to attract the Gor'tog raiders.

So, it was during daylight that she saw a group of traders who were traveling the outpost which had just been built recently. Curious, she wondered who or what these people could be, dressed in clothing so different from the simple hunting garments worn by the clan, and having shiney jewelry, and loud and noisy animals carrying all sorts of items. She decided to follow them, practicing the hunting skills she had been learning for tracking beasts of prey.

They left the clan, traveling east, and then north. They traveled far from Wolf clan, stopping in cities that were noisy, yet Gonifa continued to stalk them, not knowing the way back, but hoping they would come back soon. Her stomach was rumbling, and she was hungry, but she kept on going. The traders though, were going the wrong way. Onward north they went, through Kaerna, through Dirge, and finally going up though a barge. Gonifa found a few coppers that they had dropped, and when they boarded the ferry, so did she. Then the town of Riverhaven , and on the traders traveled, taking a barge to the town of Langenfirth, and then onward to Theren, and then west, through an area filled with gypsys.

Finally, the traders reached the Velaka Desert. Apparently they were not prepared for what followed, for soon the whole company was surrounded by Velakan Slavers.

These proceded to throw their nets over the whole party, ensnaring them in their nets! She was trapped!

The traders tried to buy their way out, but the slavers were not convinced. The traders were slain. Gonifa, though, fought as she had been taught. An eleven-year old barbarian was no match for them. Then she saw something... a Barbarian S'kra, Shhayna, <the mother of Shayddow> had been hunting in the desert nearby and heard all the commotion. She made short work of the raiders, and, although she did not speak the common tongue, motioned to the young human to follow her, and she brought her back to her home in Muspar'i, and treated her the best she could with the herbs of the desert land.

When in the home, the oldest daughter Shayddow and Gonifa became friends,as they were the same age, although they did not speak each others language, both learned somehow to communicate. A few months went by, while the family tried to find out where this very lost young Human had come from. Finally, Bahggs, a trader himself, returned home from his own journeys, and he was able to find out from the ledgers that the slavers had taken from the slain traders where they had traveled through, and retraced their steps from the notes in their ledgers where the young Human had come from. He then set off, returning the young girl to her home after a very long journey, and managed to communicate much better - as a trader, he was more versed in the outer world than those of the isolated city of Muspar'i, which had not yet opened its doors to many outsiders. So thus Gonifa was exposed to many of the cities that Bahggs visited along the way, hoping to open trade relations with the rest of the world. Gonifa though greatful for the return to her home, couldn't make sense of someone who wanted to follow animals all day rather than have the freedom of the hunt. And she'd had her fill of the beasts by the time they had returned.

She had been gone many months, and her family had thought she was slain, although they had prayed to Damaris, the god who watches over children, to watch over her. Thus they were very glad for her return, so she wasn't punished overly much for going outside - they were too relieved to be angry.

She had had a taste of the outside world though, and had seen other styles of barbarians in cities outside of her clan. After she passed her rites of passage, she spoke to Wolfjaw and his wife Suza about her training and her plans.

They told her that she could continue her training, and recommended her to Agonar, telling her that she was always welcome back in the clan. Mopeliar told her that after she received sufficent training, she could return and learn his dance style as well, which pleased her tremendously.

Gonifa thus traveled to Crossing and recieved training from Agonar. Additionally, it is her hope to learn Weaponsmithing in order to provide better weapons for her native clan. She met Shayddow again after she had became an adult, along with many of her family, and renewed their friendship.