With Leaves of Gold
07-26-08, 07:45 PM
Name: Meredith Polyxena
Aliases: 'Mer'
Age: Appears twenty-something, is in reality 10 years old.
Race: Hamadryad of the Populus tremuloides. (quaking aspen)
*Hamadryads, or more commonly 'dryads', are a species of nymph that are attached from creation to a single tree. They are tied to this plane only by their tree; when the tree dies, the dryad dies.
Hair Color: Deep auburn.
Eye Color: Yellow.
Blood colour: Green.
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 138 lbs
Occupation: Wildlife biologist (specialising in the Magical and Mythical)
A Brief Personality:
A flippant and nearly maverick young dryad, Meredith cares only for her work - helping to preserve the numerous endangered species whose existence she cherishes more than anything.
Callous; cynical; untrusting; impetuous; meticulous.
Physical Appearance:
Feral yellow eyes notwithstanding, Mer appears completely human. She has strong features and a shapely yet slimly muscled hourglass physique, and shoulder-length hair that is moderately voluminous with slightly frizzled curls often pulled back in an unruly ponytail. Her pale skin is tanned, roughened and scarred in places - faded green remnants of bite marks and scratches can be found particularly along her arms and legs. She wears thin wire eyeglasses to help correct mild myopia.
Standard Clothing:
Comfortable, convenient. A white cotton long sleeve shirt, form fitting brown pants, black leather work boots, a brown belt and a baggy, hooded tan field coat adorned with many pockets. A woolen red scarf and gloves are seen in sour weather.
Misc.:
She carries a pair of anelaces - long daggers with two sharp sides - crisscrossed on the small of her back in a specialised sheath and strap. A young aspen sapling in a pail of earth protrudes from her haversack. This tree accompanies her everywhere.
History:
Meredith was grown in a research facility in the tiny, isolated country of North Heganis. Hamadryads were considered barbaric creatures, little more than animals to be studied and stored behind glass. Such was her fate - the tiny, utterly inhuman dryad nymph was coaxed from her sapling and cursed with a powerful magic to forever remain apart from her host tree, for easier access.
Through the earliest years, she inevitably imprinted on them. Slowly the nymph began to adopt a more human appearance, aging a bit faster than the plant that contained her life force. Despite reservations about not wanting to 'get attached', her assigned team eventually named her Meredith Polyxena, after one of the founders of Heganis who had a great love of forests and trees. When their research was complete, Meredith had been with them five years.
The time came soon enough to release her into the wild. She was loathe to go - the lab and it's residents were all she knew. Separated and unknowing of her people and their culture, and frankly nervous as hell about having to fend for herself with scant knowledge about the world and it's workings, Meredith petitioned to stay and join the facility as a member of it's expedition team. An astute and astoundingly swift learner with an affinity for the wild lands in which they tread, the higher powers decided that her presence couldn't hurt. She was never an equal except in the eyes of few, but at least she still had a home.
Skills:
Anelace Play - Meredith was taught how to do combat with her anelaces by a soldier stationed in the facility. She is above average in use with one or both blades in battle.
(associated strengths)
agility - 1.5x faster than the average human.
Treespeak - A natural ability, below average strength. She can communicate with tree spirits, asking for guidance and advice and the like. Unfortunately, how cooperative a spirit will be depends a lot on the tree itself, and she is not always successful. Meredith can also call upon other dryads to show themselves, but as these are individuals they won't be of much help unless they choose to be. (Never used in battles)
Creature Psych - She can 'sense' the thoughts and motives of some wild animals, and with effort communicate with them. Average ability.
Tracking - Below average ability.
Wilderness survival - Average ability.
Meredith is also literate and proficient in mathematics.
Equipment:
Two steel anelaces with hilts wrapped in scarlet and golden cloth. Feint designs reminiscent of curling roots have been etched into the metal of each blade.
- Her tree, carried in her haversack along with the necessary supplies (rations, toiletries, notebooks and writing utensils, a change of clothes and a green sleeping blanket rolled and tied on top).
- A waterskin hanging from her belt.
Familiar: A seahorse named Nix about an inch in length that floats in the air. No magical abilities to speak of, but will hide in her hair or in a coat pocket when not bobbing lazily around her head. He is thought to be a member of a species of shapeshifting water spirits sharing the same name.
Aliases: 'Mer'
Age: Appears twenty-something, is in reality 10 years old.
Race: Hamadryad of the Populus tremuloides. (quaking aspen)
*Hamadryads, or more commonly 'dryads', are a species of nymph that are attached from creation to a single tree. They are tied to this plane only by their tree; when the tree dies, the dryad dies.
Hair Color: Deep auburn.
Eye Color: Yellow.
Blood colour: Green.
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 138 lbs
Occupation: Wildlife biologist (specialising in the Magical and Mythical)
A Brief Personality:
A flippant and nearly maverick young dryad, Meredith cares only for her work - helping to preserve the numerous endangered species whose existence she cherishes more than anything.
Callous; cynical; untrusting; impetuous; meticulous.
Physical Appearance:
Feral yellow eyes notwithstanding, Mer appears completely human. She has strong features and a shapely yet slimly muscled hourglass physique, and shoulder-length hair that is moderately voluminous with slightly frizzled curls often pulled back in an unruly ponytail. Her pale skin is tanned, roughened and scarred in places - faded green remnants of bite marks and scratches can be found particularly along her arms and legs. She wears thin wire eyeglasses to help correct mild myopia.
Standard Clothing:
Comfortable, convenient. A white cotton long sleeve shirt, form fitting brown pants, black leather work boots, a brown belt and a baggy, hooded tan field coat adorned with many pockets. A woolen red scarf and gloves are seen in sour weather.
Misc.:
She carries a pair of anelaces - long daggers with two sharp sides - crisscrossed on the small of her back in a specialised sheath and strap. A young aspen sapling in a pail of earth protrudes from her haversack. This tree accompanies her everywhere.
History:
Meredith was grown in a research facility in the tiny, isolated country of North Heganis. Hamadryads were considered barbaric creatures, little more than animals to be studied and stored behind glass. Such was her fate - the tiny, utterly inhuman dryad nymph was coaxed from her sapling and cursed with a powerful magic to forever remain apart from her host tree, for easier access.
Through the earliest years, she inevitably imprinted on them. Slowly the nymph began to adopt a more human appearance, aging a bit faster than the plant that contained her life force. Despite reservations about not wanting to 'get attached', her assigned team eventually named her Meredith Polyxena, after one of the founders of Heganis who had a great love of forests and trees. When their research was complete, Meredith had been with them five years.
The time came soon enough to release her into the wild. She was loathe to go - the lab and it's residents were all she knew. Separated and unknowing of her people and their culture, and frankly nervous as hell about having to fend for herself with scant knowledge about the world and it's workings, Meredith petitioned to stay and join the facility as a member of it's expedition team. An astute and astoundingly swift learner with an affinity for the wild lands in which they tread, the higher powers decided that her presence couldn't hurt. She was never an equal except in the eyes of few, but at least she still had a home.
Skills:
Anelace Play - Meredith was taught how to do combat with her anelaces by a soldier stationed in the facility. She is above average in use with one or both blades in battle.
(associated strengths)
agility - 1.5x faster than the average human.
Treespeak - A natural ability, below average strength. She can communicate with tree spirits, asking for guidance and advice and the like. Unfortunately, how cooperative a spirit will be depends a lot on the tree itself, and she is not always successful. Meredith can also call upon other dryads to show themselves, but as these are individuals they won't be of much help unless they choose to be. (Never used in battles)
Creature Psych - She can 'sense' the thoughts and motives of some wild animals, and with effort communicate with them. Average ability.
Tracking - Below average ability.
Wilderness survival - Average ability.
Meredith is also literate and proficient in mathematics.
Equipment:
Two steel anelaces with hilts wrapped in scarlet and golden cloth. Feint designs reminiscent of curling roots have been etched into the metal of each blade.
- Her tree, carried in her haversack along with the necessary supplies (rations, toiletries, notebooks and writing utensils, a change of clothes and a green sleeping blanket rolled and tied on top).
- A waterskin hanging from her belt.
Familiar: A seahorse named Nix about an inch in length that floats in the air. No magical abilities to speak of, but will hide in her hair or in a coat pocket when not bobbing lazily around her head. He is thought to be a member of a species of shapeshifting water spirits sharing the same name.