{ app for fade rift }

[trashlife]

PLAYER

Name: Megan
Age: over 30
Contact: megoom
Other Characters: Christine Delacroix and Ellana Ashara
Interests: This dwarf disaster has a shard, so that's new for me. Also the dwarf thing.

CHARACTER

Name: Minka
Canon/OC: OC
Journal: trashlife
Race: Dwarf
Nationality: Marcher
Occupation: smuggler (Carta)
Division: Forces
Mage or Not: Nope
Age: 23

History

Minka was born on the surface and quickly intregrated into the Carta, doing small tasks to train her for her future as a lyrium smuggler. Home life was never stable, and she often was shuffled between Carta hideouts as an expendible member. In the Carta, only the most skilled survived, and it seemed as though Minka might be cut out -- literally -- as she had few skills she could bring to the table. Thankfully, despite her poor archery, poor social skills, and poor attitude, she was fast. Years of outrunning those who would try and punish her meant she was often called upon as a messenger to deliver notes between Carta bigwigs. Traveling on foot, she could cover enough ground in a day to nearly rival a horse going at average speed, even on her short dwarf legs. This saved the Carta on hiring or keeping horses for these quick little notes. Why waste a horse when they could send a near-useless girl who seemed to only be able to do this task right?

This skill managed to save her life, as she was stationed in the Vimmark Mountains but was send out with a message to Kirkwall. While there, word reached the Carta that their Vimmark Mountain base had been destroyed. Minka -- being kind of dense -- only knew that there were some Wardens hanging around, and they were digging tunnels for something, but she didn't know what. She stayed in Kirkwall during the Chantry explosion and afterwards. However, she's been out of the city since before the Inquisition's arrival and has only just returned under duress. While out running a message, she was hit by a shard from an opening fade rift and she fled the demons that poured out, looking for help. When she learned that the Inquisition was taking in people with shards to try and help them, she returned to Kirkwall to see if it could be pulled out.

Personality

Meet Minka: Human Dwarven Disaster. She's basically a mess. Years of verbal and sometimes physical abuse has put her self esteen straight in the chamberpot. She believes she's practically useless, except as a runner of messages. She can barely read, so she's the perfect person to send when you want your messages fast and to remain confidential. She has a great sense of direction and knows both major and minor roads like the back of her hand. She's even created some footpaths of her own to cut down on travel time! But beyond that, Minka thinks she's just the worst. She can shoot a bow in the general direction of a target? But she's not great. Any other rogue abilities, she just bumbles through while screaming in her head. And her social skills involve a lot of anxiety-ridden moments and pretending not to care while desperately begging in her head for people to like her.

Far from being well educated, Minka has some street smarts, but tends to fold under pressure. Her fight or flight response button is stuck on "flight." In fact, it may be superglued there. The scars on her face show she's been in fights, however, and when she says "You should see the other guy," that means, "No really, he's huge and he freaking scratched the shit out of my face. See this scar?" She's a total coward, because running is what has kept someone with no fighting skills or charm alive this long.

Talking to her, one will find Minka to be rather simple and she likes it that way. The smarter you are, the more people expect from you, and if you aren't good at anything, you'll fail and then the Carta will strangle you to death and throw you down a mine shaft to be eaten by nugs. The ultimate irony, as it's supposed to be the dwarf eating the nugs. She doesn't like a challenge, and would prefer to breeze through life without having anything expected of her beyond getting a letter to its receipient. And if she can spend most of the day lying on a bed roll ignoring interactions with people, she'll take it.

Only now she's joined the Inquisition, so she has to get off her butt and do things while waiting for them to figure out this shard shit. Bummer.

Opinions & Affiliations

The Chantry: Minka is Andrastian in that she believes all that crap about a Maker and his prophet. Doesn't seem to be any dwarves in that story, but whatever. It's what everyone says to believe, so she'll follow along.

The Qun: Bunch of scary, stoic fuckers. She ran messages to Kirkwall while the Qunari were stranded. No one should be that tall. It's suspicious.

The Mage/Templar War: Look, people get fucked with in life and it's not fair; just ask her. But if the mages kicked some ass, good for them. She still thinks magic's kind of freaky. Templars are usually sticks in the mud, but they take care of psycho mages.

Thedosian race relations: Dwarves are the glue that holds this fucking world together. They control the lyrium and everyone knows it, but dwarves don't get haughty about it. They just do business. Humans think too highly of themselves, because the Maker loved them or some shit? Elves get shit on for no reason, so that sucks for them. Yeah, fight back or whatever. The Qun she already covered. She doesn't know about these defectors, though. What if they're really spies?

Grey Wardens: Shady as fuck. She saw them in the Vimmarks and they think themselves pretty damn important just because they kill darkspawn? Just shut up and do your job like everyone else.

Nobles: She figures that anyone that has someone else dress them, do their hair, and wipe their ass must be more useless than she is, and that's saying a lot.

The Carta: Yeah, it's all she's ever known, but if you can't find your place, you're worthless. Problem now is since she's with the Inquisition, she's left them. What if they're pissed and they'll kill her if she returns?


Strengths & Weaknesses

STRENGTHS

running fast

being familiar with a good deal of the roads in the Free Marches, Ferelden, Orlais, and Nevarra

navigating easily

having a good sense of preservation

WEAKNESSES

insecure, feels worthless

cowardly

uneducated

poor archer/rogue in general

Inventory

clothes

knapsack

simple bow and arrows

Motivation

She's got a sliver of weird magic in her hand she'd like the Inquisition to deal with.

SAMPLES

{ sample 1 }

{ sample 2 (reusing it from my test drive cuz no one picked this option) }
[ This fancy piece of pretty is the sort of thing that puts a runner like her out of a job, so Minka can't help but resent it a little. Then again, talking to people without having to see them? Who would pass that up? (People who aren't socially stunted is the answer here.) ]

Hello? How do I know this damn thing's on? It should tell you when it's on. If this is on, tell me how to join a division. I hear I get more money that way.