The Winter Huntress
Mark well the light of the moon for the shadows offer no hospitality.
Spring Always Comes. Until It Doesn't.
A girl is born into a world where winter is difficult but spring always returns. Fear the winter, her mother tells her. Fear Hringr's wrath. Though the spring always comes, Hringr does not give her succor so easily. Sacrifices must be made. Sacrifices must always be made. A step too far on a frozen branch can snap an arm or a neck. A downed kill can be the difference between a full stomach and a death of hunger. Something must always be burned, no matter how that small bit might have helped. The gods demand their pound of flesh, always.A girl is given the name "Neshu" - "first arrow" - and is taught the ways of the world. The rules of Egyja. How to hunt, how to track, how to kill. The girl is cursed with pity by the gods. She cries over her kills. She refuses to watch the deaths of the outsiders who are bought to the camp. Everything, everyone, has their place in the Egyja. Instead, the girl focuses on her bow and hunting skills. She refuses to be weak. She refuses to cry. It is her fierceness that will make her useful, she thinks.When the winter stretches on too far, the clan become desperate. Their rituals take on a feverish pace. There are things in the woods - more than have been in the past. The hunters of the Egyja renew their missions as protectors of the woods. There are more deaths, more cases of people being spirited away in the woods. Hringr's wrath does not abate and so the Egyja become all the more ferocious. If it is what their goddess wants, they will oblige.
"Our Gods Speak To Us. Do Your's?"
A man is brought to their camp one day. An Elezen named Cassian. The first outsider Neshu has seen close-up. He tells her of the world outside the woods. Of cities so hot they feel like they're on fire. Of the ocean, a lake so large it seems to stretch on for eternity. Of "the Empire", whatever that is. And Neshu listens. She learns. She dreams. She longs for a life beyond the woods. Her eyes lift to the horizon."A dreamer," laments her mother.
"A dreamer," warns her clan's elder.
"A dreamer," murmurs Neshu.When the Veina comes, it is Neshu who is selected. Sequestered away from the others, she is gifted with the vision of the gods in those dark woods. Of screams. Of blood. Of people begging for their lives. The sky on fire. The world on fire. When Neshu finally stumbles back into camp, it is with fear in her gaze and an edict within her heart:Save the clan.
The Huntress, Framed By Winter Trees
The girl cannot return home, not permanently. Her clan has heard of her mission from the gods and will not allow her to rest with them for long. She is their curse and their cure. Their destroyer and their savior. Neshu, the last great hope of the Egyja. It is Neshu that patrols the woods now, further than any Egyja has gone in memory. It is Neshu who hunts the shades in the woods and the world beyond it. It is Neshu who must find the strongest warriors for when Hringr's wrath descends upon them.Whatever her thoughts or feelings may be on the matter, Neshu will carry out this duty. With bow in hand and ice in heart, Neshu patrols the borderlands of her homeland with ruthless intensity. Yet despite her new mission, there is a part of her that still looks to the horizon and dreams of old Cassian's words. There is a part of her that longs to see this "ocean". The place where the world is so hot as to be on fire. After all, she is meant to bring back the strongest of warriors.But what will happen if she leaves those clan lands?
The Egyja
Long rumored to merely be a story passed from clan to clan in the furthest northern reaches of the Shroud, the Egyja are a mysterious and violent clan known for their fierceness in battle and their bizarre rituals. Built on the idea of extreme survivalism due to their extreme environment, the Egyja live in the snows of the Northern Shroud-Coerthas border and fiercely protect their hunting grounds. Now that the harsh winter is never-ending, the clan grows ever-desperate to survive in their ancestral land by whatever means necessary.
The Veina
Little is known about this mysterious ritual outside of the Egyja. Some say it is nothing more than a rumor. Others say it is a hallucination. Yet others say it is a vision, gifted by the primary goddess of the Egyja to those who she deems worthy. While most Egyja will debate the meaning of the name itself (the literal meaning is “to cry”), all will refer to it as the “Final Walk” outside of the tribe itself.The ritual itself is complex, requiring different rites to be completed up to the day it is performed. Starting on or near Heavensturn, the Egyja select one young female from their number and sequester her away in a ritual tent. During this time, the selected individual may not eat, drink, speak, or look upon any source of light. She is left to meditate on her coming encounter with the spirits while the rest of the tribe partakes in a feast. Upon midnight of the third day of this celebration, the participant will emerge from the tent and be given a highly potent hallucinogen to “grow closer” to the realm of the goddess. From there, she is sent out into the woods alone to commune with the spirits.Some of these women, of course, never return. Those that do not are considered spirited away by the goddess and have their personal items burned in leiu of a funeral pyre. Those that do, though, are hailed through the clan as messengers of the goddess and their visions are analyzed for how they might please the goddess.
The Gods
For as secretive as the Egyja are, some of their personal pantheon has come to be known by a select few outsiders of the clan - mostly those who have escaped captivity. The list below is by no means comprehensive and it is hard to say if it is even accurate.
Menphina | Hringr
Domain: Seasons, the natural world (flowers, trees, etc)Referred to by the Egyja as “Hringr”, Menphina is the clan’s primary deity. The Egyja’s representation isn’t far from those of other Keeper clans: a beautiful woman who is as silver as the moon, save for her depiction in winter as an old crone. She is their source of strength and happiness in addition to their weakness and sorrow. Menphina represents the seasons: her gentle, loving nature guides them through spring, summer, and autumn. In winter, it is her wrath that the Egyja must bow to. The Egyja often refer to her as “Grandmother” or “Grandmother Winter” during winter - a time when she is meant to be most respected. It is Menphina for whom the Veina is truly for, as doing so is meant to calm her spirit and lead the Egyja into a new spring.
Bekkir
Domain: Fishing, hunting, navigationIn times of strife or uncertainty, the Egyja turn to Bekkir to draw the path that they must follow. Oftentimes depicted as a handsome young male miqo'te wielding a spear, Bekkir is the first god to which any Egyja hunter pays respects to upon beginning a hunt and the first one to which a sacrifice is made upon returning. Rituals involving Bekkir are rare but those that do take place center around providing for the clan as a successful hunter. Interestingly, each new Egyja hunter or huntress must make his or her own bow before undertaking their first hunt. When they finally make their first kill, a portion of that kill is burned along with the bow as an offering for Bekkir, who is said to select the finest of these bows to display in his lodge.
Sigla
Domain: Home, poetry, fertility, medicineMost Egyja homes have at least some small shrine to Sigla hidden somewhere away. This goddess is often confused with Hringr by outsiders, as both are often drawn as beautiful young miqo'te women. However, Sigla can be set apart from Hringr by the bountiful basket of foods and medicines that she carries. New mothers-to-be burn offerings of flowers and berries in their homes to ask for good fortune during their pregnancies. Sigla is considered a more motherly goddess than Menphina, whose wrath descends with each winter. As such, she is sometimes referred to as the “goddess of love” by young Egyja women, who ask for her guidance in finding a spouse.
Utlagi
Domain: War (especially victory), overseer of dead warriorsUtlagi is considered by most Egyja to be Hringr’s spouse - a strong, but not as strong male counterpart to the main goddess. A hulking warrior covered in warpaint, he wields a giant axe but his skin remains unmarred as testament to his prowess in battle. Utlagi’s war chants are uttered by every Egyja warrior before entering battle, often accompanied by nothing more than the beating of drums. The effect is chilling to those who have faced the Egyja and lived to tell the tale. Oftentimes, the enemy will hear the Egyja before they can see them, as the guttural war song carries through the woods far further than one would believe possible. Utlagi also oversees the realm of warriors who have died in battle, who join him in glorious eternal battle.
Rekja
Domain: DeathAs guardian of those who have led good lives, Rekja guides such souls to a land of eternal summer. In this land, food is never scarce, the weather is never harsh, and happiness is always within reach. Twin sister to Vekja, it is said that Rekja alerted her father Utlagi to the danger of a rival clan’s betrayal. As a reward for such loyalty, Rekja was awarded with a silver bow and a quiver that never emptied. She stands guard over the fields of death with pride, always ensuring that her charges are safe from any threat that might present itself. She is often flanked by a group of female warriors called the Vestur. In fact, the moniker “vestur” is often given to particularly talented huntresses in the hopes that Rekja will add them to her ranks when they have passed on.
Vekja
Domain: DeathVekja is both the savior and jailer of Egyja who have led lives unworthy to meet with her twin sister. A young miqo'te woman covered in tattoos, Vekja favors the broadsword to her sister’s bow. In addition to her tattoos, Vekja can be told apart from Rekja by her skeletal left hand. Given the task by Utlagi to keep the souls of the unworthy from ever knowing peace, Vekja bargained with her father to be allowed to offer redemption. While she does hold the spirits of the evil at bay, she is also known to offer guidance to those who were guilty of lesser crimes such as cowardice, stealing the killing blow of another hunter, or the inability to provide for one’s family. When the dead are placed on funeral pyres, offerings of weapons and alcohol are burned with the deceased to provide them with gifts should they meet Vekja in the afterlife.
Hooks
- The Northern Tribe - If your character is from Ishgard or the Northern Shroud, they might have heard rumors of an odd group of miqo'te who are incredibly protective of their lands. Gods help anyone who treads there unknowingly...
- There's Something In The Woods - Like horror? Interested in hunting voidsent? The Shroud and it's borderlands are a place of hidden darkness - darkness that Neshu intends to burn out of her clan's lands.
- What Is A 'Gil'? - It's rare that Neshu ventures out of her clan's lands. It's even rarer that she enters major cities. She might be a fierce huntress but she doesn't have a clue what it takes to live in the city-states.
- A Strong Arm - Is your character strong? Do they like to show off their combative prowess? Neshu is looking for people willing to help her 'save' her clan. What that means, though, is anyone's guess. Maybe even Neshu's.
Server: Mateus
Time Zone: EST, I am active at all sorts of times!
In-Game Name: Neshu Egyja
Types of RP: I'm willing to roleplay almost anything excluding permanent character death!
I am a roleplayer with 10+ years of experience roleplaying. I like running long-term story plots with my partners so if you'd like to do something like that, please let me know!
Neshu is not conducive to much slice of life roleplay but if that's something you're interested in, please let me know and we will find a way to make it work!