Rafaela Tejada

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  1.   1.  Characteristics
    1.   1.1  Personality
    2.   1.2  Skills
  2.   2.  Relationships
    1.   2.1  Family Relationships
    2.   2.2  Other Relationships
  3.   3.  NPCs
  4.   4.  Assets

Rafaela Tejada is an aspiring horse trainer from the Del Cenere Gang, where she currently holds the Ashen Ring title of La Carne.

One of three children born into Evelyn Escuella and Santiago Tejada's first litter, and raised alongside an adopted brother, Rafaela's early life was largely unremarkable and filled with happy memories. She spent much of her time learning about horses from her father and (mostly) minding her manners around her mother, but there were changes afoot as her first birthday neared and she stepped into adulthood just in time to navigate the tragic loss of her sister, Luciana.

In the wake of the the turmoil and tragedy that befell her family, Rafaela splits her time between ensuring her younger sisters are looked after and taking care of the Gang's communal horses. She spends as little time at home as possible and is usually seen with the Tierra Amplia herd in Broke-Leg Marsh.

Overview

Rafaela
Credit: San
OOC Information
Signalment
  • Name: Rafaela Tejada
    • Nickname: Rafa
  • Date of Birth: 22 July 2019
  • Species: Coyote 1
    • Luperci Ortus
  • Sex: Female
    • Pronouns: She/Her
Community
NPCs

Talismans

Hover over icons to see achievements!

Rank out of Las Brasas Rank out of El Probado Rank out of El Elegido Serve in the Enkindled Rank for Five Months Serve in the Ashen Ring for Five Months Play an Ashen for 12 Consecutive Months
Take a Mate Raise a Child Recruit a Friend Thread with a member from every active Pack Thread with a member from every active Loner Band Create 5 AW threads in Del Cenere
Conduct a Pack Project Coordinate a Pack Event Adopt an Ashen Earn Spotlight Soul Contribute to DCG's Wiki Exemplary Membership
Participated in Through The Valley Participated in Born Unto Trouble Participated in the 2021 Lancaster Stockshow

1.  Characteristics

Summary

Rafaela is a full-blooded coyote of mixed subspecies and there is no mistaking her for anything different. While her broader muzzle bears evidence of her dominant Mexican coyote heritage, her larger ears take after other coyote subspecies and her fur, while straight and dense, is not as thick as that of a pure Northwestern coyote.

On the smaller side of average in size, she has a slim, somewhat androgynous build that is covered with lean muscle. She keeps her mane long when she is in her Optime form, though she usually pulls it out of her face by securing it in buns or ponytails with bandanas or scarves. Her green eyes are sharp and mistrustful.

Although Rafa is almost exclusively found in her Optime form, she wears little in the the way of clothing aside from the scarves and bandanas that she likes to accessorize with.

Rafa's earthy palette is made mostly of dusty, smoky hues with tones of umber and red ochre. She owes her eye color to her father.

Palette

  Fur:
    Optime Hair:
  Eyes, Nose, Scars:


Sizes

  Lupus: 28 lbs (12.7 kg) — 24 in (61 cm)
  Secui: 123 lbs (55.8 kg) — 47 in (119.4 cm)
  Optime: 138 lbs (62.6 kg) — 5 ft 5 in (165.1 cm)


Scars

  Right Forearm: Burn, hypertrophic [M][1]^]
  [
Left Shoulder, Top: Linear slash, diagonal '^[M][2]^]
  [
Right Collarbone: Linear nick, small scar '^[M][3]

Visual References

Click for reference images
by Despi   by Despi   by San   by Despi

hover over images for artwork credits

Please visit Rafa's gallery for more!

Interaction

  • Speech: Somewhat gruff and a little gravely. Generally impassive.
    • Fluent in Common Tongue and Spanish.
    • Semi-fluent in Equine Low-speech.
  • Unique Scent: Horses, manure, leather, prairie grasses, earth.
    • Also carries associative scents of Tejada/Escuella, coyote, Del Cenere.
  • Quirks, Gestures, Etc.: Tends to make hard, prolonged eye contact and absolutely has RBF.
  • General Posture and Body Language: Confident and strong, occasionally with an air of provocation.


1.1  Personality

Summarized: Dutiful, resilient, loyal, cautious, mistrustful, cynical, practical, indelicate, judgmental, self-reliant, prickly.

There has always been a bit of impatience and gruffness about Rafaela, who, as a child, frequently tested boundaries and regularly rebelled. But it was age, experience, and loss that molded her into the guarded and cynical woman she has become.

Inherently mistrustful, particularly of those who are not Ashen, there are few within Rafaela's social circle and fewer still with whom she shows vulnerability. While Desconocidos are always regarded with caution and doubt, she knows most of her fellow Gang members enough to freely socialize with them and assist them with pack duties.

But she keeps herself guarded nonetheless. When she is with the horses, be it riding, training, or tending, Rafaela is in her most peaceful frame of mind. She sometimes finds it easier to understand and work with horses than she does her own peers. But this has not made her antisocial. While she may sometimes be quite taciturn and occasionally even a little pugnacious, Rafa does not avoid Luperci or shy away from social interactions.

Besides her horse companions, it is with her siblings, particularly her adopted brother, Remy, and her two younger sisters, that Rafaela shows the most love and devotion.

Archetypes

Epithet

Traits

  • Alignment: Neutral Good
    • Values life and freedom above all else.
    • Driven to right injustice.
    • Supports their family even if it means personal discomfort.
    • Enjoys having close friends.
    • Will take risks if the benefits are great.

Tropes


Ideals

  • Motivations:
  • Fears:
  • Likes:
  • Dislikes:
  • Biases:
  • Sexuality:
  • Spirituality:
  • Substances:


1.2  Skills

Note: Listed skills are those that the character has some significant talent or interest in to be noteworthy. Skills that have been mastered (and are best expressed as such) are marked.

Main Focus: ROLE TITLES

  • SKILL (Master):
Describe this skill, their talents in it, how they learned it, how they maintain it, or maybe a weakness within it. For example, maybe they’re a really good cook, but, always overcook fish or can only do certain dishes; maybe they’re a really good fighter have really low endurance; etc.
  • SKILL:
Describe this skill, their talents in it, how they learned it, how they maintain it, or maybe a weakness within it. For example, maybe they’re a really good cook, but, always overcook fish or can only do certain dishes; maybe they’re a really good fighter have really low endurance; etc.

Auxiliary Skills and Hobbies

  • SKILL (Master):
Describe this skill, their talents in it, how they learned it, how they maintain it, or maybe a weakness within it. For example, maybe they’re a really good cook, but, always overcook fish or can only do certain dishes; maybe they’re a really good fighter have really low endurance; etc.
  • SKILL:
Describe this skill, their talents in it, how they learned it, how they maintain it, or maybe a weakness within it. For example, maybe they’re a really good cook, but, always overcook fish or can only do certain dishes; maybe they’re a really good fighter have really low endurance; etc.


2.  Relationships

2.1  Family Relationships

Family Tree: Escuella, Tejada

Italics indicates an unknown relationship; they may be offboard or the relation is merely uncertain.

Key Family Relationships

  • Parents: While both of Rafa's parents were attentive, they showed their love in drastically different ways. Where Evelyn Escuella was strict and held her children to high standards, she showed her love through actions rather than through words. This, combined with differences that caused them to butt heads, created a noticeable strain and tension between Rafaela and her mother. Warmer and gentler than her mother, Santiago Tejada had always been her favorite parent until the tragic death of Luciana changed him in a drastic and decidedly negative way. Rafa has fond memories of her father but the choices that he has made in recent years has soured her image of him.
  • Siblings:
    • Calhoun de la Cruz: Rafa's only remaining littermate. His pious nature doesn't align perfectly with her looser values, but she respects and loves him.
    • Remy Debois: Rafaela's adopted brother. They share a deep devotion to horses that has allowed them to bond more closely in recent months.
    • Esperanza Tejada: One of Rafa's younger sisters. She looks out for Esperanza and will teach her about horses whenever the opportunity arises.
    • Jimena Escuella: Rafa's other younger sister. Although their interests differ (especially as it relates to horses), she loves and looks out for Jimena.

2.2  Other Relationships

Key Relationships

  • Bennett Braithwaite: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
  • Peony Braithwaite: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Notable Relationships

  • Nazario del Bosque: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
  • Boots McKenzie & Holly McKenzie: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Minor Relationships


3.  NPCs

cNPCs:
Current:
yNPCs:
Previous:

Amadahy (horse)

Appearance

Credit: Despi

Signalment

  • Gender: Mare
  • Species: Horse
  • Date of Birth: 2013
  • Size:
    • Height: 15.3 hh (61.2 in | 155.4 cm)
    • Weight: 1000 lbs (453.6 kg)

Summary

Del Cenere Gang members may assume:

  • Seeing Rafaela riding, training, or tending to Amadahy.
  • Witnessing Amadahy playing or chasing the other horses.
  • Hearing that Rafa recently claimed ownership of Amadahy.
    • More Information »

Skills & Abilities:

  • Rider-trained.
    • Competent at trail riding.
    • In-training for hunting and racing.

Description:

Amadahy is a blue roan hotblooded grade mare with a white blaze on her head. She has a short, broad back and low withers. Her legs are long, evidence to her Thoroughbred and Arabian bloodlines.

Personality:

Curious, playful, and perhaps a little stubborn, though well-meaning. Ama loves to make use of her excellent speed, often running and chasing other horses in the pasture. She's incredibly quick, and her over-eager nature can prove to be challenging.

History:


Saratoga (horse)

Appearance

Credit: Despi

Signalment

  • Gender: Mare
  • Species: Horse
  • Date of Birth: June 2020
  • Size:
    • Height: 16hh (64 in | 162.5 cm)
    • Weight: 1200lbs (544 kg)

Summary

Del Cenere Gang members may assume:

  • Knowing that Saratoga resides at Rafa's house in Irving.
  • Seeing Rafaela training Saratoga.
    • More Information »

Skills & Abilities:

  • Halter- and lead-trained
  • In-training for riding and endurance
  • Carry Capacity: Saratoga is able to comfortably carry 240lbs (tack + rider).

Description:

Saratoga has a faded black coat that appears almost ashy or dark brown, especially during the summer months. Her mane is silvery in color and faint dappling can be seen on her body, particularly her flanks. She has a blaze, half-pastern markings on both of her forelegs, and half-socks on both of her hind legs. Carries DCG's brand on her left shoulder.

Personality:

Intelligent and inquisitive, Saratoga has a tendency to push boundaries and test limits. She seems to appreciate challenges and while this makes her a good choice for difficult jobs and competition, it also requires that her handlers are always one step ahead of her. This has proven a bit of a challenge for Rafaela as she continues her training. In spite of this, Saratoga has a good temperament and a fearless spirit — traits that she shares with both of her parents.

History:

  • 2020: Born to Vegas by Blackjack in June. Began handling and halter-training early.
  • 2021: Handling and halter-training continued and was gradually increased to include leading, lungeing, desensitization to blankets/saddles, and other groundwork exercises. Received DCG's brand.
  • 2022: Began moving away from lungeing to liberty training as per Del Ceneren standards. Saddle-trained and comfortable with ponying. Started getting use to having a rider late in the year. Rider-training to continue in 2023.


4.  Assets

Inventory

Note: While the character may have other personal effects, the items listed here are those that are either unique, are significant or have sentimental value to the character, or are items that are regularly referenced to.

  • Item
  • Item
  • Item

Trade

How do their trade deals go? Are they super stingy? Very relaxed? Easily duped? Anything in particular that they’re always on the lookout for/will trade anything for?

Offering
  • Category:
    • Stuff that falls under that category
  • Category:
    • Stuff that falls under that category
Accepting
  • Category:
    • Stuff that falls under that category
  • Category:
    • Stuff that falls under that category

Residence

La Pezuñaveloz

As evidenced by the lack of any unnecessary flourishes or décor, La Pezuñapeloz is a modest home meant to be utilitarian rather than elegant. The back end of the cottage butts up against a thicket of spruce trees that stands apart from the thick woodland beyond and is surrounded by tussocks of tall grasses and wildflowers. The two paddocks, which are situated alongside one another, have a gateway built into the shared fence line, allowing for them to be opened up into one large space or divided again into two.

Previous Residences:

  • Old Charmingtown Mill (Jul 2020-Apr 2022) (Show)
Sitting along a little tributary off the shores of Moosehead Lake, Northwest of the Market Center, this old mill has taken a great deal of time and hard work to turn it into a suitable residence. Though small, the living space itself is comfortable for the budding family and, once operational, the water wheel will power the mill and allow the couple to produce mash for future moonshine productions, though the missing slats and sagging structure of the uprights has proven a struggle all its own.


 

1 50% Mexican Coyote, 25% Plains Coyote, 25% Northeastern Coyote