Character Name: Demitra Naja Nyimah
Profession: Mirage
Apparent age: 28
Hair: Thick & free-flowing; Auburn to Dark Brown. She generally never puts her hair up, nor deviates from a relaxed style. Her hair parts naturally and seems as though she may have spent an exorbitant amount of time on it, although it's a completely natural look.
Skin: Ranges from a deep amber to an almost golden sheen in certain lighting.
Eyes: Bright vivid emerald eyes which they seem to glow as they reflect light.Appearance details: Permanently stained patterns adorn her lower half. (Henna-like) Ritualistic in nature, to those that don't know, they simply have the appearance of soft brown tattoos.
Religious beliefs/philosophy: "Lyssa may be many things, come in many forms and fight on many sides... To truly know her, one must embrace this chaos."
OOC Intro:Demita Naja Nyimah was my beta character when the GW2 Path of Fire expansion came out. I knew instantly I had created something special. During all the test playthroughs that followed - and while others were actually playing the game :P - I was perfecting her looks and really falling in love with this character. I knew from the get-go I wanted her to be a Mirage, but since I've always found Mesmer gameplay pretty challenging, and I definitely don't think of my only other Mesmer a "go-to character," I was really worried jumping into a character like this one: Someone whom I adored the look of, but really didn't do good with playing her. That said, I used the few opportunities we were given before PoF was released to truly hone my skills as a Mirage. I worked on her traits and build and weapon combinations for many hours until I finally came up with a skillset and build and rotation I was really excited about. I've never been into build craft, but this character's looks and story really drove me to do so. Ironic that a toon character drives a RL player to train :) Upon getting into PoF and creating Nyimah, the training definitely paid off! This is the character I took through the story in it's entirety, and I loved every minute of playing her! In retrospect, taking a character whose roots are based in Elona through a story that's constantly reminding you that you "are the commander that took down two elder dragons already" does kinda break the immersion I would have if I played one of my older characters, but I just sorta thought to myself that maybe one of my other characters is there alongside her - and Nyimah is there as a guide? I don't know... I really wish the devs would have put something like this into consideration. I'm sure alot of people are making Elona-born characters to take through this xpac. Either way, I suppose we can all justify it in our own ways, and it definitely didn't deter me too much from enjoying the story and playing one of my new favorite characters & classes.
ROLEPLAY:
For a full account of Demitra's adventures, see the Destiny Bound series.
What follows are select excerpts from the Destiny Bound series:
For a full account of Demitra's adventures, see the Destiny Bound series.
What follows are select excerpts from the Destiny Bound series:
-------- Awoken --------Once when I was young, my mother laid down her restless child for the night sleep. Having no intent of slumber, I requested a tale. No stranger to stories, my mother ritualistically placed a shade over the lantern and filled my small mind with dreams too unfathomable to be untrue. Gods and Goddesses battling for power, with the fate of Elona in the balance; heroes sacrificing their very being to rise up and combat those powers - further still becoming that which they fought in effort to keep the very magic from breaking our world apart. Wide-eyed excitement eventually gave way to the moon's sleep magic and I slept deep to the rhythmic melody of my mother's lore. It was the last time I would hear her lovely voice; quite possibly the last time I've let sleep take me so strongly with its embrace. I was suddenly jolted from the dreamland and whisked away by a panicked neighbor. Hoisted over his shoulder, I watched as our village burned to the ground. I remember being so overcome with shock, I did not cry, enthralled by the burning embers which were once our home. My family perished that horrid night, and unbeknownst to me, so did my innocence.
I then caught the gaze of the beings which caused the devastation upon an overlooking mound. Palawa Joko, the self-proclaimed god-king and his awakened minions watched our village flee in terror. I would later discover our destruction was a political message; a tactic to spread his reach of power through fear and promote loyalty. I cared nothing of this as a child... I simply understood this to be a wicked, cruel, inhumane act. Moreover, rather than fear, I remember feeling resolute in that moment, with a clarity that only comes from such an encounter. With everything in my being, I would become one of the heroes in my mother's stories; I would rise up against my parent's killer and make him pay for their deaths.
At least... that was my aspiration.
-------- The Gift --------As imperceptible as it may have been to most, the Djinn smiled a lipless shriveled grin; my mentor was pleased. With two right arms it gestured to a chest, which swirled with sands into existence on a nearby platform.
"You are far from all the lessons you must learn, my pupil. But my teachings to you of such desert deceptions must now come to a conclusion, for the art of creating such illusions cannot be truly tested on one whom knows the craft," my master explained.
I stood from my kneel, approached the chest and opened it. Indigo dyed gossamer lining surrounded two intricate finger-less gloves, affixed to golden blades running alongside the length, attached with leather straps. I smiled and accepted the gift carefully sliding my hand into each. My fingers extended through the tips, and upon fastening the straps onto my arms, my digits each glowed a brilliant sparkling azure. New bracers adorned, I proudly turned around to see dust in the wind where my mentor had been. And again, I found myself alone.
-------- The Sacrifice --------The crystalline structure of the beast's arms penetrated me. I flew backward from the assault, slamming into the dune behind. Warm blood poured forth from my wound, ensuring it would be a fatal gash. I prepared for the inevitable end; the solace of my clones finishing the beast brought satisfaction and I smiled a bloody grin. I had decimated Kralkatoric's advancing army of branded minions, thereby stopping them from invading the small village, and perhaps stopping a child from loosing her family. As I closed my eyes, I heard my mother's voice tell me a story.
"Once, long before you were born, there was a village in Vabbi. This village lived under the guise of protection from the god-king, Palawa Joko. The god-king promised their afterlife would be claimed and sentenced to servitude of his agenda. The people of the village knew that to be truly free in life, and death, they must rise up against their oppressor. Thus, did they form a guild of heroes to fight... But the heroes perished, becoming undead servants of Joko. As penance, Joko went to each settlement and claimed those who would be defiant to an early sentence of undead slavery. The last village Joko came upon had a plan, however: As the god-king approached, he was presented with a beautiful young girl; the most alluring woman he had seen in some time. Joko accepted the gift, claiming the girl as one of his brides - and in so doing - spared the town. Much later, there are tributes that are still given to the god-king as concubines which spare the town's inhabitants..."
My mother's voice merged with the storyteller's as I fought the warm familiarity of nostalgia. I opened my eyes to see a stunning young woman dressing my wound. She smiled brilliantly, spoke in soft melody, and had the most gentile touch. Her alluring eye winked as she saw my stare; I, in turned, blushed. I'd never felt my heart beat so fast as it did when she told me her name, 'Valandra'.
We spoke much over the course of my rehabilitation. Her village was a comparatively poor community on the outskirts of Vabbi and healers were hard-pressed to find. There were traveling caravans which brought medical supplies to the region, but my unexpected arrival came at a time coinciding with Kralkatoric's branded minions cutting off supply. Thus, it took a great while for my wounds to finally heal. Valandra was my motivation for recovery: I'd grown fond of the woman, and she of me. Each morning I would awake to her fragrance and each night I peacefully rested as her songs lured me to slumber. I found, for the first time in my life, my quest didn't dominate my thoughts, instead preoccupied with Valandra. Eventually casual flirtation gave way to a much deeper relationship, and we gave into our love for one another.
It was only after my wound was almost completely healed, and many nights in her arms, that she shared her future fate; one I had assumed was a afflicted dream... She was to be sacrificed for her people. My heart - so alive for the first time in my life - stopped. Shock and distress gave way to anger thinking the tyrant Joko again threatened to destroy my peace, my life, my heart. I vowed not to let it happen again!
Over the course of the next few months, I formulated a plan; one which I believed my dear love would be most happy to execute, for it meant she would not have to sacrifice herself. Using my powers of illusion, I would allow Joko's men to retrieve a replica of Valandra. I could maintain this illusion while she spirited away, and when the clone reached a sizable distance, it would subtly disappear. The awakened abductors would report to Joko that the maiden escaped and Joko would be unaware the village hadn't properly complied. Valandra would be the sacrifice without actually becoming part of the madman's harem.
One night as we lay together, I explained the plan to my lover. What followed was unexpected: she refused to playing her part in the subterfuge. She explained she had been raised to understand her lot in life; was consigned to it. While her feelings for me allowed for something she hadn't known before, she would not let it detract from her sworn duty to her people. Needless-to-say, we argued (at length!) Tears were shed, voices raised, professions of love surfaced... But, it was all for nothing. Her mind was solidified; she would not put her village in jeopardy for her own freedom.
But I would... and did.
The morning of usurpation had come. She awoke with a resoluteness that I would have been proud of, had the situation been different. Our tears had already been shed, last passions exchanged. Valandra thought all that was left to do was to await her captors. Her abductor, however, was me. I wrapped my arms around her, whispering an incantation of sweet confusion. Whisking her away from the village, I left behind a clone which I could control from some distance. It would appear to the awakened that she was stoic and detached, as one would be in the situation. My plan would have worked perfectly... if only Joko had sent a detachment and not personally arrived to claim his prize.
The village's screams froze me and snapped Valandra from the spell, awakened to the sounds of her village burning and being slaughtered. A horrified shriek of pain, anger, disgust and heartbreak came from the woman I love, and in that moment, I was a small child again: reliving the pain of my own village's death. What had I done?
My attempt to hold her back from the chaos of the scene was pointless. I honestly don't know if I tried or if I gave into the guilt I felt for my selfish, arrogant act. Valandra fought me, both physically and with expletives that cut deeper than a blade ever could. She felled me with a blow to my tender bruised flesh, and I sorrowfully, embarrassingly, shamefully sobbed as she ran back into the destruction..
I discovered later that she had ventured back into the village and successfully brokered a deal with the monster, exchanging her body, soul, and afterlife for a cease on the village's desecration. I know not of her current whereabouts, other than the inner sanctum of the bone palace, where she's undoubtedly desecrated, herself. My heart breaks to think of the torment she's forced to endure. I often find myself longing to rescue her from the fate she sealed, but in so doing, would it again lead to the countless deaths she's sacrificed herself to protect? Would I even be welcomed by my dear heart? This pondering keeps me from accepting the moon's sleep magic, and I'm forced to return my thoughts to taking down the monster which wrought destitution on so many, feasting on the heartbreak of Elona.
I know not if my future brings me to be a hero which rises up against the Scourge of Vabbi, self-proclaimed god-king, Palawa Joko...
But for all those I have lost... For all the pain he's left in his wake...
I shall try.
Recent history:
Summoning:
Upon a recent excursion, Demitra learned during a particularly harrowing act of self-preservation, that her bracers could be clanged together to summon a Djinn spirit. This spirit would conform to whatever the situation demanded, in the form of a mountable beast. Since there have been multiple outlander Tyrians taming riding animals recently, it seems the Djinn spirit enjoys taking their form. It brought joy to her heart the first time she mounted the manifestation of swirling sand, accepting the gift from her long-since mentor.
Personality:
Demitra Naja Nyimah is very well spoken for one that doesn't speak all too often. When she does speak, it would not take someone much effort to imagine her as a leader. Yet, she's gathered a more reserved demeanor from her times with the Djinn. Upon meeting her, most would peg Demitra as an upper class royalty, given her general appearance and poise. If she were to ever attempt it, she could easily pass for a court member or countess with little effort. She is very resolute in her goals and is very difficult to deter when her mind is made up, although she reflects on her actions quite often in effort to better herself. This does lead to quite a bit of introspective regret, however, and it's difficult for her not to judge herself on past indiscretions. Objectively, she can seem a bit cold to others, as her thought process tends to be more practical and methodical than based on feelings. Yet, her past has shown that such passions can lead her down a compromised path which she would justify as being rational, eventually analyzing her decisions as emotional - but only after the fact.
Notable relationships:
No stranger to romance, Nyimah has had her share of flings. However, nothing more than casual encounters had ever held feelings, until she met Valandra. After all that's happened however, she suffers from not having someone to confide in now, and finds it extremely difficult to open up to unknown companions. One such companion, however, found her way into Demitra's heart. (See the Destiny Bound series for more.)
Favored alcoholic beverage:
Wine of any type. A glass or a flask will suit her just fine, as long as a frost spell be cast on it first. A summer night with a blanket of stars overhead with a nice sipping beverage is most enjoyable. Flying on illusionary wings after a few beverages in the Elonian sky is a particularly exhilarating experience, although, you probably shouldn't drink & fly.
Favored food: Amnoon's cooks are particularly favored (specifically for their house special soup). There's also an amazingly tasty rock gazelle stew from Vabbi's chef in Seborhin that is wonderful - though it is somewhat tough if not prepared properly. :P
Favored weather or season: Summer nights in Vabbi are particularly intoxicating to her; laying to watch the stars fade into through the night's dark curtain memorizes her. For a few moments, she can set aside the horribleness of the world and know that something amazingly beautiful beyond it exists.
Favored weather or season: Summer nights in Vabbi are particularly intoxicating to her; laying to watch the stars fade into through the night's dark curtain memorizes her. For a few moments, she can set aside the horribleness of the world and know that something amazingly beautiful beyond it exists.
Favored color: Purple / Pink / Gold / Brown
