TaleasEnaid: Rice

Name: Rice

Age: 26

Height: 5’5 | 2.54

Weight: 123 lbs | 55.9

Race: Human

Not much different from normal humans save for the added water endurance. She needs to eat sleep and breath just the same as any other earth human being that hails from earth.

World: Maji Duniani

A world covered almost entirely by water. Much like the city of Venice most land is submerged in water and the people live on boats or floating cities and in some places not  fully submerged  give the current inhabitants ruins to live in from the vast civilization that once occupied it. Not much is known anymore about the previous people other than that a great war tore the world asunder and unleashed water from the depths and then much was lost. Generations after the great deluge those who remain and had weathered the storm now call what is left home. Fish and seaweed along with some other water-hybrid plant types that have adapted to the new environment are all the people have to eat. There is no system of governance. There is no one to rally people together to make much of anything civilized. And with supplies scarce people don’t live in large groups. Most prefer to go about in small clicks or pods and rarely stay in one place, following migrating herds of aquatic animals. Although in some places modest cities are there but they are too few and far in between and most aren’t on maps.  It’s a dangerous world where you trust no one and the ocean stretches for miles upon miles and land is rare and often fought over at great expense. Massive storms tear across the oceans, destroying people and structures alike. Killer whales and sharks as well as other unfamiliar man-eating monsters dwell  in the depths and are a constant threat and the skill to fish and sail will decide if you live or die.

History:

Born in the midst of a storm Rice’s mother and father were separated from their pod family. They washed up on the shore of a small island inhabited by an older asian couple. And once they figured out the couple meant no harm they let them stay.

Rice's early years were spent on the island and playing in the rice paddies that she got her nickname from. There she learned to fight and defend herself as well as  how to dance from the asian couple. And her fishing and sailing skills were taught by her parents. By the age of thirteen Rice has become accomplished in every category.

Her first solo fishing escapade was out in the reef with a row boat. She only had to stay in sight. When she came up for air she spotted a ship approaching, Didn’t take long to understand it was a pirate ship. She immediately rowed to shore but it was in vain. They’d seen them already and the men were soon pulling ashore. Rice was stowed away in a cellar while her parents and adopted grandparents fought to protect them. But with so many able bodied ruthless men it was a waste. Not even talking did much. Rice’s mother was captured and the others killed. And she herself was rooted out later. From there the men ransacked the  island, taking anything worth taking. Slaughtered the animals for meat and with their new prisoners sailed off for the next conquest.

Rice and her mother were both ravaged and beaten throughout their stay on the ship. Once they’d had their fun they both sent to market. Rice’s mother never made it. Between their living conditions and her lack of hope she became ill and died soon after leaving her only daughter alone.

Sold to a rich affluent man named Cisqou who had a number of other women for his own pleasures as well as his henchmen or business ventures. Rice spent the next six years playing the role of a consort. All the fight had left her the day her mother died leaving a sad, angry shell of what she had been. An entertainer named Miguel was hired on to take the place of the previous musician. The instrument was rare and his singing voice was like the purest honey and found much favor. It didn’t take long for Rice to catch his eye as despite what she was she had a way of carrying herself. She was also the only one who never smiled no matter how much a of a show he put on at dinners. Intrigued he asked to borrow her for the evening much like anyone would with Cisqou’s women. But instead of bedding her that evening he talked  to her. She remained silent the entire time he was there. He was persistent though and came to call every week at the same time.

Eventually Rice gave in and soon the two were chatting and once Miguel discovered she danced they soon spent their evenings doing so. With each visit Rice opened up more and more and her latin friend compared her to a pretty flower that was blooming in slow motion. She retorted by calling him the the most obnoxious butterfly who couldn’t take a hint. She taught him how to fight and he taught her how to play and even showed her some dances of his own.

It was inevitable that they’d fall for each other. Miguel could no longer allow her to live as she did for he loved her too dearly and so he made plans for them to escape. Of course their actions would be met with grave consequences. One of the other consorts squealed to Cisqou and the night the couple was packing they were caught. Miguel was stabbed from behind as they were making their getaway. He fell to the floor in a heap and Rice latched onto him running her hands over his wounds and covering him with her tears. She was yanked off seconds later and beaten before being returned to her room a sobbing, injured mess.

Miguel’s death hit Rice hard and the parts of herself she’d opened up closed again and were locked up tightly. Her pain and anger hidden beneath a facade she'd learned in her years of servitude. The next year was spent plotting. She waited, biding her time and after exchanging numerous favors soon found herself with a hidden dagger and waiting for the wretched man in his room in the dark. Coming in drunk from dinner he wasn't even aware she was there as he had a woman on each arm. Teasingly the ladies began disrobing him staring with his shoes and while they were preoccupied Rice slipped out of her hiding place and in a few seconds was dragging her blade across his throat from behind. Having never killed anyone though the job was sloppy and he flailed around with his hands clamped over his neck. Blood sprayed over the two women who screamed alerting the guards down the hall. As they burst in with weapons raised she fled, jumping out the back window that led out to a steep cliff drop into the ocean. She didn’t expect to live but swam on until she found a piece of drift wood. She floated on it for what felt like days as she waited to die and finally passed out but woke to find herself on a ship full of pirates. She instantly lashed out but when no one returned the violence she hesitated.

Soon she’d learn that even though they stole they were quite like the Robin Hood of the seas. Stealing from awful criminals and giving to the rest of the people they encountered who were in need. So she agreed to sail with them and it made it easier  to get over her loss. But she was distant with the crew, never opening up to them or sharing much.  The high seas adventures did reignite the desire to live though. After several years her actions on Cisqou’s island came back to haunt her as she and her crew were tracked down. When the time came to surrender or fight Cisqou’s Successor offered the crew to trade Rice for their lives and to pardon their crimes. She could only stand there in absolute anger and devastation as people she’d fought alongside for years gave her up without much discussion. She yelled out angrily that she wished she’d never been born and promptly vanished.

Personality: Untrusting | Introverted | Adventurous | Cynical | Energetic | Playful | Uncaring | Blunt | Anti-tech

Rice isn’t very trusting and it will take a good deal of time to get her to open up or share anything at all. Blame her ruined youth on this as most of who she was retreated inside to save itself. Being captured and her family murdered left a lot of mental scars and with a not so peachy life after that she  has some issues,particularly with sleeping as nightmares are a problem form time to time. Her latest betrayal has left her unfond of people prying or trying to get close to her. She’s suspicious if you do and will probably avoid you if you get too clingy or curious and she hasn’t reached a certain level of comfort with you. She comes off as cynical and won’t believe something unless she sees it for herself. Weak people aren’t viewed fondly and she considers them a waste.

One thing that has never dwindled is her thirst for adventure, for exploring and finding exciting things to do after being locked up for so long. She often will get in over her head but she seems to thrive in the adversity and wouldn’t have it any other way. She has a lot of energy and isn’t fond of holding still. Partly from being in a world where relaxing got you killed and also just a personality quirk. She’ll twitch, shift her weight or find something to do with her hands. She’s very alert of her surroundings and despises being caught off guard. When speaking she can be a bit blunt and rude. She’s not aware of social standings or order. Her world had none of this so obviously she will treat everyone the same. Although people who are obviously living off the work of others or abusing someone for their own gain and will receive a good deal of hate directed at them.

Despite her numerous personality flaws Rice does have some good points. She’s not adverse to playing with children and honestly seems more at ease with younger individuals and animals as well. A bit protective and much more patient. Men can and will bother her to some degree depending on their personality and appearance. Not every man she's had in her life was bad, but after spending a lot of time with mostly bad ones her view of them is slightly a skewed. Women who come off as superficial and spend their time gossiping are met with scorn. She also enjoys games be it a card or board game or something physical. If she’s never played she’ll give it a try. And if you can get past her emotional walls and unfriendly exterior she can be quite kind but she has an odd way of showing it sometimes. Once you’ve earned her trust you better not break it because it will not be taken lightly. Also don’t come to her with your sob stories if she hasn't befriended you. She doesn’t care about them and if you want comfort you’d better find it elsewhere. And if she does it would be unwise to bank  on an understanding response even if she means it nicely.

Keep your technology away from her. All that hums, beeps and flashes she will try to break if she thinks it might cause harm. Technology ruined her world centuries ago so all of it is seen as the enemy.

Abilities/weapons:

- Swimming/Water skills: Born a descendant of many generations Rice has the ability to swim exceedingly well and hold her breath far longer than what would be considered normal. She can’t breath under water but being able to go under for minutes at a time is a great fete and has assisted her many a time on her homeworld.

- Agility: Very fast, agile and hard to hit.

- Bone and tooth darts she hand carved her self. She usually dips them in pufferfish venom or anything else dangerous she can catch and use to paralyze or maim her enemies.

- An old samurai blade that was remade by a member of her pirate crew. When they discovered she only had darts they gave her the blade. The red rock t the hilt is an raw ruby.

Additional Info:

- The guitar pick was Miguel’s and he gave it to her the night he proposed they leave together

- The pearl necklace was her mothers

- The pouch was a gift from her pirate friends. She fell in love with it because trees are a scarce rarity

- The gray cloak and shorts are sharkskin

- The blue circle tattoos were Cisqou’s marker, a customary practice to lay claim to what is yours in her world.

RP Prompt: You must respond to one of these prompts depending on your character’s origin.

Non Natives: "You suddenly woke up in one of the 3 starting worlds, with no clue why/where you are and no luggage besides the clothes you currently wear and anything you had been holding. What do you do?"

Rice jerked up and awake, swiping at the open air with her blade. Her weapon cut into nothing and looked  around in surprise at what she seen. Grass… trees and … really large plants, some looked to be glowing almost in the low light. For a person who’d lived on nothing but oceans she’d never seen such a thing. Standing up she was wobbly at first but after a few staggering steps leaned against a tree. A real tree. She hadn’t seen one in years and it was so big. She ran her fingers down the bark, eyeing the  leaves. She didn’t even see any water. Where was the ocean? Where were her traitor crew members? Where was the ship? Where was everything she’d ever known. Was she dead? She touched herself in some vital spots but felt nothing hurt. Not even blood.

The scents and sounds assaulted her senses. Pretty flowers and plants drew her attention and she wandered along hobbling a little with a stick for support as she maneuvered through the dense foliage and out into a more open area. Spotting what looked like tents she wobbled over that way. Maybe someone had food she could barter off of them. Or possibly steal  but that depended on who she found there.