Inara Naira

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  1.   1.  Appearance
    1.   1.1  Basics
    2.   1.2  Modification and Wardrobe
  2.   2.  Personality
    1.   2.1  Ideals
  3.   3.  Relationships
    1.   3.1  Family
  4.   4.  Abilities
    1.   4.1  Strengths
    2.   4.2  Weaknesses
  5.   5.  History
    1.   5.1  Threads

By Mandi!

Inara Naira was born in the Selmaski tribal lands of Northern Minnesota but departed from her homeland with a handful of companions in the winter of 2014 in search for her missing sister, Lottie Gwynn. A string of tragedies befell the little search party, decimating their numbers. While her sole remaining companion returned back home to Selmaski, Inara refused to give up her search and continued on north and into 'Souls. She joined Vinátta in March of 2014 in order to stay alive but quickly found herself enjoying the company and culture of the Vikings.

Though she began settling herself into her new pack, Inara never stopped looking for her sister and in May of 2014 her search finally ended with the discovery of Lottie's remains. Glad for closure but still deeply grief-stricken, Inara became despondent and reclusive. She continued to go through the motions, interacting with her packmates and trying to take comfort in their spiritual beliefs, but found it difficult to shake the sadness. Following the arrival of several familiar faces in November of 2014, Inara decided to leave Vinátta and return back home to Selmaski. She currently resides there and is a master hunter and cook.

In the winter of 2016 a troupe of traveling musicians established camp near Selmaski and Inara met a young ocarina player from Scandinavia named Tarina Skadi She told the woman about Vinátta, which piqued Tarina's interest enough to seek the Vikings out and join their ranks in March of 2016.

Overview

Basics

Heritage

NPCs

Player Info

  • Family: Selmaski
  • Birthplace: Selmaski
  • Pronunciation: EE-nahrah, Nai-rah
  • Epithet: --
  • cNPC: --
  • Minor NPCs:
    • probably a blue jay

Pack Information

OOC Assumptions

  • Pack: Selmaski (15 Nov 2014)
  • Previous Pack: Vinátta (11 Mar 2014)
  • Rank: Hollr (25 Apr 2014)
Risna (11 Mar 2014)
  • None at the moment, sorry!

1.  Appearance

1.1  Basics

Overview

With a long, tapered muzzle and large ears, Inara's features are sharp and pointed. Being predominantly American Indian Dog, she's a bit on the smaller side with thin legs and a lean, lithe body. Her haircoat, while short, is thick and provides her with substantial warmth. Inara postures herself respectfully for whatever the situation calls for but has been known to lean more towards overconfidence rather than humbleness.

Picture

By Shade!

Coloration

Inara's base coat is Dove Gray (#737373) with darker overtones of Mine Shaft (#383838) on her forehead in the shape of a diamond and running down her back to her tail tip. Her muzzle, eyes, throat, chest, legs, underbelly, and thighs are shaded in Coral Reef (#c8b9a7) with darker overtones of Teak (#b79267) highlighting these areas. Inara's eyes are heterochromatic with the right being Copper (#b6823d) and the left being Morning Glory (#96c5dc). Her long mane in optime form is a touch darker shade of Mine Shaft (#383838) with some slightly lighter and darker streaks throughout. Genetically, Inara would be considering blue sable and tan, meaning she is incapable of producing black pigmentation. Therefore, her nose skin, paw pads, and nails are shades of grey rather than black.

Palette

Mine Shaft (#383838)
Dove Gray (#737373)
Teak (#b79267)
Coral Reef (#c8b9a7)
Copper (#b6823d)
Morning Glory (#96c5dc)
Mine Shaft (#383838)

Forms


40 lbs (18 kg)
19 in (48.2 cm)

Lupus

Average for her breed, Inara prefers her lupus form least of all since she finds it weak, inexpressive, and small. However she has found that she is fastest when she takes this form of any of the others.


105 lbs (47.6 kg)
25 in (63.5 cm)

Secui

While still not her favorite, Inara appreciates her secui form for its added strength and the confident bulk it gives her. She only ever takes this form whens he feels exceptionally threatened.


120 lbs (54.4 kg)
5'5" (65 in) (165 cm)

Optime (Preferred)

Of all of her forms, the optime is Inara's favorite and she is rarely seen out if it. She prefers to keep her body bare of clothing, as she feels more attuned to nature and her surroundings that way, though she does adorn her mane with two bluejay tail feathers for sentimental reasons. She keeps her slightly wavy mane long but somewhat unkempt.

Gallery

1.2  Modification and Wardrobe

Alterations

  • Scars:
    • Small, deep nick above her right eyebrow from a hunting accident.
    • Approximately 1cm long tear from the tip of her right ear given to her during a puphood tussle between herself and her sister, Lottie.

Accessories

  • Two tail feathers from a blue jay situated in her mane below her left ear.
  • A small rabbitskin pouch she brought with during her journey from her old tribe. It's attached to a long strap made of thin sinew and she wears it so that it sits diagonally across her chest from one shoulder. She does not wear it unless she's foraging.

2.  Personality

Inara is what some might consider a social introvert; while she enjoys spending time with others in her family or pack, she believes there are few things better than unwinding and recharging in the the sole company of oneself. Because of this, close relationships can be difficult for her to establish and it can take some time before she feels comfortable enough to consider new acquaintances as friends. In addition, due to her relatively sheltered upbringing, Inara tends to be aloof with new individuals especially if she perceives them to be suspicious.

Despite her shortcomings Inara tends to be kind, albeit cautiously. Once she determines there is no threat, she will do what she can to help someone in need and will occasionally go out of her way to ensure the safety and/or comfort of others. This does not come without serious consideration, however. Being a fairly sensitive soul, Inara can take quite some time to make a decision on things and often second-guesses herself. This can make her seem wishy-washy but she's only trying to do what is in the best interest to herself and those around her.

Regardless, Inara is a determined and confident being who knows what she wants and refuses to settle for anything less. If she sets out to do something, she'll see it through until the bitter end.

2.1  Ideals

Traits

Respectful, confident, observant, emotionally transparent, introverted, cautious, kind, determined, sensitive.

  • Outlook: Cautiously optimistic for the most part. That, combined with her determined attitude, can cause her to be stubborn about giving things up.
  • Expression: Introverted and respectfully submissive depending on what the situation calls for.
  • Alignment: Lawful good

Fears

  • Failure, rejection, being trapped, disappointment.

Interests

  • Likes: Whittling, cooking, learning new things, foraging, exploring, sunshine, running, cool Autumn days, birds.
  • Dislikes: Humidity, livestock, large crowds, boredom, loneliness, uncomfortable situations, snakes, freezing temperatures.

Biases

  • Species: Due to her previous tribe's viewpoints, Inara feels more somewhat uncomfortable around wolves and therefore prefers the company of dogs and coyotes. She also views coyotes with slight reverence due to her tribe's beliefs that their ancient breed originated from that species.
  • Non-Luperci: While she feels that being able to shift does give a person an advantage, she isn't bothered when others can't or won't.

Sexuality

Having practically raised her developmentally disabled sister, Inara has given very little thought for mateship or sex. Now that the shock of her sister's disappearance has subsided and she's settling into Vinátta, she has a bit more freedom discover this aspect of herself. That said, due to her own slight social ineptness, Inara will likely be awkward and shy towards those males she find attractive.

Substances

As was customary in her old tribe, Inara has tried and enjoyed fermented apple products. She likes the looseness and freedom it gives her but is hesitant to have too much should it completely cloud her judgement or ability to protect herself. She has not tried, nor knows of, any other substances.

Beliefs

The Selmaski tribe that Inara was born into loosely held the ancient belief that American Indian Dogs descended from coyotes many, many years ago and that their involvement with Man had made them more privileged and better than any other species or breed of canine. This belief was passed down from Inara's ancestors and originated long before the virus struck, so current views are much more lax. While Inara doesn't believe she's any better than any other canines because of her breed, she does find herself holding coyotes with slight reverence.

3.  Relationships

* Does not know this person by name.

3.1  Family

  • Mother: Kara Ani
  • Father: Kaska Baru
  • Siblings:
    • Littermates: Lottie Gwynn, Hako
  • Key Relationship: Lottie was Inara's surviving littermate and the closest family member she had. Lottie was thought to have some sort of developmental disorder, likely autism, that caused her to fall behind socially and educationally. After their parents gave up on her, Inara ended up providing for and teaching Lottie what she could, thus strengthening their bond. Unfortunately, in December of 2013 Lottie disappeared after shifting for the first time and, after many months of fervent searching and obsessive tracking, her remains were finally found in May of 2014.

4.  Abilities

4.1  Strengths

  • Whittling: Inara started whittling to help relieve stress and could be considered fairly good, though she still has a lot to refine. She prefers to carve small animal replicas out of wood, especially birds.
  • Cooking: Being that it was necessary in her tribe that everyone know the basics of cooking, Inara had no choice but to learn this skill. Though she doesn't consider herself particularly good at it, her tribe appreciated her ability to combine and mix unlikely herbs and vegetation to create above average dishes.
  • Tracking: Though she has a lot more to learn, Inara prides herself in this ability and strives to refine and perfect it.

4.2  Weaknesses

  • Livestock: Having never been around such animals kept and housed for their meat and other products, these animals are largely strange and make her feel uncomfortable. Maybe they can sense this, or it's just in her head, but the animals kept for this purpose seem to dislike her so Inara prefers to avoid them.

5.  History

On April 11th, 2012 three healthy pups were born to Kara Ani and Kashka Baru of the Selmaski tribe, which was located in what was once known as Jay Cooke State Park, MN in the era of man. Being the eldest of the three pups, Inara had always felt a sense of responsibility for her two younger siblings Hako and Lottie, so after the tragic loss of Hako to the June of 2012 flooding, the bond between Inara and Lottie grew even closer. Unfortunately, it was becoming increasingly obvious that there were developmental issues with the younger sister.

Lottie passed up developmental milestone after milestone, refusing to engage in acknowledgement, conversation, or recognition of her tribe. Despite this Inara remained close with Lottie, who seemingly remained the only individual whom Lottie would respond to.

At six months of age, during the time at which Inara first shifted, Lottie remained in Lupus form and had the vocabulary of a 2-month-old. It was at this point that the girls' parents decided to seek help from the elders.

Unfortunately there was little the elders could do for Lottie and Inara didn't understand what the big deal was anyway. Even though Lottie hadn't shifted and she couldn't speak or understand things as well as Inara herself could, her sister still had feelings and could sing better than most of the adults in their tribe. Because of this, Inara became her sister's sole supporter and teacher.

Regardless of Lottie's developmental disabilities, she caught onto hunting very quickly with Inara's help. During her own training with the adults, Inara would spend copious amounts of time going over and over hunting techniques and strategies with Lottie. While this strengthened the sisters' bond, it forced Inara farther apart from her parents who felt that Lottie was something of an abomination and should be left to nature. Because of this, Inara began to feel more and more estranged from her parents. Thankfully the tribe as a whole was supportive and effectively helped Inara raise Lottie.

When Inara was 20 months old her sister Lottie shifted for the first time. Unfortunately she took it very poorly and, terrified, Lottie ran away from their territory and disappeared. Despite several weeks of waiting and searching, Lottie remained missing. Inara was hit hard by this unexpected blow and pleaded to try and find her sister. After a full month of campaigning to the tribe to allow her to search for her missing sister, she was awarded four companions to help her search for Lottie.

Inara and her companions followed Lottie's cold trail north-east, far away from Selmaski territory. Being winter at this point, it was slow-going and difficult to faithfully follow where Lottie traveled, though they did their best. This was not without consequences, however. During a month of searching, one of Inara's companions fell to an illness and one to a hunting accident. This left just herself and her other two tribemates and they were quickly losing hope.

A particularly harsh February snow storm found Inara and her tribemates crippled and forced to hunker down to ride out the storm. Tensions were rising between Inara's companions, who felt that continuing onward at this point was both dangerous and hopeless, and herself. A heated argument ensued, after which one of Inara's two remaining tribemates walked out of camp in an attempt to cool down and collect her thoughts. She never returned. Despite extensive searching after the storm, no trace of her was ever found and Inara presumed her to be dead. Because of Inara's decision to continue on without further inquiry, the sole remaining member of her small band decided to abandon the campaign and started his way back to their tribe.

Despite being alone, Inara felt determined to carry on and find her sister. She was at this point estranged from her parents and she felt disappointed with the rest of her tribe, even though they had provided her with help. She couldn't help but feel they could have done more. By this time, though, it had been almost a month and a half since they set off and Inara had no fresh trails to follow. Hungry, alone, and in need and of friends and more help, she found herself in Vinátta territory and decided to settle down and regroup.

Inara continued to search for clues of her sister and finally, after months of searching, managed to track down Lottie's remains near the southern-most fork at St. Andrew's River. After the discovery, Inara went into a state of despondency and severe loneliness but continued to try and make a life for herself in Vinátta. In mid-November a group of Selmaskians from her home pack arrived at Vinátta's borders and urged her to come back home with them. After some deliberation, Inara agreed to leave Vinátta behind and returned back to Selmaski.

5.1  Threads

2014

March

  1. Things have changed for me (11 Mar)
    Vinátta, joining thread with Palaydrian Soul. As a token of friendship and peace, Inara gives Palaydrian a wooden chickadee figurine she carved herself.
  2. And I have finally realized what you need (15 Mar)
    (Pack Thread) Grand Lake. New to Vinátta, Inara hangs back as Colibri Haki announces to the pack that she is stepping down as the Sannindi subleader in place of Florina Soul. She takes note as many Vináttans express their displeasure but tries not to form an uneducated opinion.
  3. All that's left is the ghost of you (15 Mar)
    Sing Sands Dunes with Ascher Stormbringer. While familiarizing with the ocean, Inara meets Ascher who gives her invaluable advice.
  4. Drunk 'n' Disorderly (16 Mar)
    Jordheim with Bran Stormbringer. Inara helps an inebriated Bran home after she runs into him in the pre-dawn light.
  5. Are you the one I seek? (30 Mar)
    Amherst with Sol D'Aabt. Trying her exhaust every possible area in search of her sister, Inara travels to Amherst where she meets Sol.

April

  1. Home is where you hang your enemy's head (10 Apr)
    Amherst with Bec Nachtdottir. Inara meets Bec and they talk about boats, family, and pack life as they share a snack of dried meat.
  2. Horses and goats and sheep, oh my! (12 Apr)
    The grazing fields with Aspen and Fionna vin Haki. Hoping to overcome her unease of livestock, Inara makes her way to the stables where she meets Aspen and Fionna.
  3. To the breathing forest that surrounds the room (13 Apr)
    (Thread Prompt) Sacred Grove with Shiloh Dawnbringer. Shiloh teaches Inara about Vinátta's spiritual beliefs as they clean up the Sacred Grove
  4. Reflections of you (17 Apr)
    Hart Pond with Carya Aston. While sitting reflectively near Hart Pond, Inara meets Carya.
  5. We're one in the river and one again after the fall (20 Apr)
    (Pack Thread) Grand Lake. Inara attends a pack meeting in which Florina Soul announces the unfortunate departure of Vinátta's founder and leader, Saul Stormbringer.
  6. In times of sorrow and in times of joy (25 Apr)
    Idun's Meadow with Ascher Stormbringer. In Idun's Meadow, Inara considers her next steps in the search for her sister and comes upon Ascher who is still getting used to the idea of Saul's departure.
  7. Defend thyself! (26 Apr)
    Jordheim with Bran Stormbringer. Recognizing how much she lacks in self defense, Inara asks Bran to help teach her how to defend herself.

May

  1. Who wants to live forever anyway? (6 May)
    St. John's River With Palaydrian Soul and Taro Kurosoul. Inara commences her search for her lost sister with unfortunate results.
  2. Second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning (20 May)
    (Pack Thread) Sveit Village Hall. Somewhat reluctantly, Inara gathers with her fellow packmates to celebrate Vinátta's second anniversary. Being in the company of her friends helps her to overcome the grief and guilt of her sister's death.
  3. Down by the water (30 May)
    Futhark Falls with Saturn Cosmos. While down at Futhark Falls, Inara slips in shallow pool and subsequently meets the adorably awkward Saturn.

July

  1. Crown of leaves, high in the window on a gold morning (13 Jul)
    Vinátta with Shiloh Dawnbringer. In an attempt to start working towards a rank, Inara joins Shiloh on patrol. The two come across an unexpected trespasser.
  2. I left all my blue days behind (18 Jul)
    Vinátta with Palaydrian Soul. Out on patrol with Palaydrian, Inara awkwardly brings up the topic of mateship.

August

  1. Waiting for the storm (2 Aug)
    Near Commune of the Salmon with Ramsay Kit. While patrolling the boundaries of Vinátta, Inara interrupts a young fox in the hunt and offers to help him catch a meal.
  2. Gardening is relaxing, right? (9 Aug)
    Communal Garden with Aspen. Determined to help out in the Communal Garden, Inara finally overcomes her concerns and unexpectedly meets Aspen there.
  3. Changes (19 Aug)
    Hart Pond with Fionna vin Haki. Inara wakes from a nap near Hart Pond and unexpectedly bumps into Fionna.
  4. A beautiful day for a beautiful hunt (22 Aug)
    Vinátta with Tyris Kurosoul. Inara asks Tyris if he would like to help her set snares and hunt for game.
  5. Go scratch your name into the clouds (27 Aug)
    Jordheim with Saturn Cosmos. Hoping to catch Saturn at home, Inara treads through Jordheim to see if he would be willing to teach her a little reading a writing.

September

  1. River run (7 Sep)
    Wabanaki Coast with Semini. Semini chases a runaway sheep from Krokar territory and meets Inara, who just happens to be exploring the area.

October

  1. Discovery (3 Oct)
    Vinátta with Taro Kurosoul and Lila Jordans. Coming back from patrolling the territory, Inara comes across Taro who has found an orphaned litter of kittens.
  2. Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower (17 Oct)
    Jordheim with Aspen. Inara visits Aspen in the hopes of connecting with her friend once more.
  3. Wait 'til you're announced (20 Oct)
    (Pack Thread) Grand Lake. Inara attends Vinátta's puppy naming ceremony, Ausa Vatni, with the rest of the pack.

November

  1. Goodbye may seem forever (15 Nov)
    Vinátta. Canines from Inara's home pack, Selmaski, turn up unexpectedly in the outskirts of Vinátta where they find the very girl they've been searching for. Realizing how homesick she's become, Inara decides to leave Vinátta to return back home with them.

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