Noros Natani

Name: Noros Natani
Age: 70, though she looks even older.
Race: Wick
Place of Origin: Anhau

Backstory:

Natani of the Kohore clan was born to a powerful witch, who was born to another powerful witch, and so on, down a line leading all the way back to her great-great-grandmother, Noros Nithani, an extremely powerful witch who was visiting Anhau shortly before it was sealed off from the rest of the world. Nithani, while far from famous, was quietly influential in shaping the spiritual and magical practices of Anhau. Her daughters and daughter's daughters are known for their mastery of Knowing. Magic runs in Natani's family, and she has studied the craft for most of her life, tirelessly working to improve on her ancestor's techniques.

For a short period in her youth, she rebelled against her heritage, drifting through the city working odd jobs and making trouble. She studied Erga in defiance of her mother and grandmother, and her magic use was ostentatious, noisy and brash. She would often go to the Bending Stones to throw fire and flirt with the Roek boys. Eventually, it got to the point where the Mona began to ignore her. Eventually, her natural proclivity towards Mans made itself known, and Mansi slowly slid into her repitoire . It was not long before the rebellious youth realized that her heritage was not a mold pushed around her, forcing her into shape, but a gift with which she can do what she will. She returned to her mother, and humbly asked to be taught.

While her innate talents were undeniable, knowledge never comes easily even to those who are born to learn it. She had to work hard for her skills, and failure was ever-present. Natani tirelessly meditated, sometimes for weeks at a time, slowly developing a powerful rapport with the Mona that would serve her for the rest of her life. She learned to respect themona, and to use it wisely and infrequently - and only when necessary.

Once her mother died, she took over the family "business", a funny little shop built from Nithani Tola's original cart, located near the exact center of town. While she does not actually sell anything, she offers advice, spellwork, stories, and herbal remedies. She generally refuses payment unless the payment offered happens to be something she needs at the time, and instead simply asks favors of people she has helped in the past, as she needs them. For example, she asks someone to repaint her shop every few years, as soon as the paint job begins to fade. She never asks for more than they can easily afford. As for her basic needs - food, water, and so forth, her sons attend to those, and each one stops by at least once a week to check in with her and tell her stories about her grandchildren.

Natani has been married three times, though only once at a time. Her first husband, a fiery young Roek named Vinta, died in a hunting accident. The second, a jolly, pudgy Kohore named Lewis, she split up with on amiable terms when she was around 45. Her third, a Kohore priest, she lived with late in life until he died of simple old age. Natani had seven sons by her first two husbands, no daughters, and more than a dozen assorted grandchildren.

Description:

A wrinkled old crone, Natani has the rusty good-looks of someone who was stunningly beautiful half a lifetime ago. Her face is old and leathery - with layers of wrinkles along the well-worn paths that seven decades of smiles have left behind. She wears quilted shawl and a faded dress that was once bright and colorful, but is now just comfortable and worn. A bandanna holds back her pale grey hair, and she wears an eclectic array of beads, bangles, piercings and other jewelry. Overall, her clothes is unusually colorful and flamboyant for an Anhau wick, and hearkens back to the Old Ways.

She carries a belt covered with pouches, and always smells strongly of tea, herbs, and incense.

Though her once-bright blue eyes are now merely a dull grey, they still burn with a penetrating intensity. She has practiced her piercing stare for more than half a century, and on a good day she can glare through a solid steel plate. She tends to give the impression that she knows far more than she lets on, and that she sees through all one's lies . . .

Mostly it's an act, honed by generations of training and experience, and passed from witch to witch. However, she is a clever old gal, so you never know . . .

Personality:

Natani is kind, affable, and compassionate. She has a good-natured sarcastic air, and is often humbly self-deprecating.

She often seems very grounded in practicality, but at the same time she is vehemently spiritual. She is devoutly religious, and stubbornly moral. Forthright, honest, and straightforward, she has little time for lying or vaccination, and rarely tolerates it in others. She usually speaks her mind, and speaks with the calm, knowing clarity of a woman who carefully considers every word. She is staunchly traditional, but always considers tradition secondary to the people who carry it out. In her opinion, traditions are meant to serve their people, not vice-versa.

Clever and wise, years of listening to people's troubles and trials mean she essentially has the experience of twenty lifetimes. She has heard the details of every sort of misfortune imaginable, and seen what works and what doesn't to overcome them. She offers this knowledge freely to anyone who will listen. She absolutely loves to tell stories. Folk tales, tall tales, true tales, parables, fables, or histories, it makes little difference to her - she just takes joy in the telling.

She's an old lady now, and she doesn't have the energy that she used to. The hills of Anhau are awful hard on her knees, and getting around town is often simply too much of a pain for her to bother with. But when she's in a mind to, she'll hobble to wherever the wind takes her.

Inventory:

Stuff:

Several pouches worth of herbs, spices, potions, and poultices. Some of it is actually useful, most of it just smells or tastes nice.
A gnarled, rock-hard, redwood walking staff.
A pair of reading spectacles, her eyes aren't what they used to be, you know.

A small army of sons, daughter-in-laws, and grandchildren:

Sons: Shako Nera, Sten Nera, Nathan Nera, Varrick Nera, Kol Letan, Noros Vincent, Noros Levi
Daughter-In-Laws: Lidda Nera, Toma Nera, Nora Nera, Kendra Nera, Kol Lola, Noros Veera, Noros Nale
Grandchildren: Seamus, Fiero, Tess, Micah, Nalati, . . . Nathan Jr. . . . Letan Jr., Natalie, Veera, and many more . . .

Her home and shop. Generations ago it had a name, but now it is simply "Natani's Cart". In any case, given that the shop has sat at that very spot since the town was first founded, pretty much everyone knows what it is. The shop itself was once actually a large cart, which belonged to the original Nithani. When the city was surrounded by the hatchers, trapping her within the city, she refused to build a permanent home, and instead rolled her cart into central square, and lived there. The axles have long since rusted into a single piece, and what remains of the wheels is mostly ornamental, but it is still - technically - a cart. It's paint job is carefully maintained, and the garishly colorful cart still retains some small sliver of the original wick culture that created it.

Natani's cart doesn't sell anything, rather, it is where you go when you need advice, wisdom, direction, and/or a good cup of tea. She can also heal your wounds, do some magic, tell a story, whatever you need. She almost never asks for payment, but occasionally asks favors of people who she has helped in the past. Perhaps her cart needs to be repainted, or perhaps she's running low on tea, whatever it is, she's sure she can find someone who can help. Her cart has been an essential pillar of the community for generations, and many people put a lot of stock inNatani's advice. She is essentially a therapist of the people, occupying a strange middle ground between priest and friend.

A set of wooden stairs leads up to the front porch, where a rocking chair sits. The front door is generally left open. Inside, there is chaos. Incense and tea fill the air, quilts, beads and curtains are hanging everywhere. The cart is cramped and low-ceilinged for a shop, and tall patrons must bend over to avoid smashing into the low wooden beams. There are a few soft, comfortable chairs, including a rocking chair on the far side of a heavy round table that stands in the center of the room. Herbs, spices, dried food, books, scrolls, maps, boxes, jewelry, and other assorted knick-nacks are everywhere, hanging from the ceiling, on shelves, and in piles on the floor. One corner of the room is dedicated to portraits of her children and grandchildren, all painted by one of her sons. The entire room is positively infested with potted plants, many of which are quite rare herbs. The rear of the cart is blocked off by a curtain, and is whereNatani sleeps at night. A wood burning stove by the entrance keeps the room nice and toasty, and keeps her tea hot besides.

There is a stuffed whice hanging from a perch in the corner. The local children claim that it sometimes speaks, and it's eyes seem to follow you wherever you go . . .

Career/Skills:

In early life, she rebelled from her mother by briefly becoming an exotic dancer. While technically she still remembers the moves, the effect would probably be a little different now . . .
She was always a talented witch. While her energy has now begun to wane with old age, her experience has served her well. She has grown powerful and wise.
She is quite good with herbal remedies and such. She knows effective but simple folk cures for numerous physical and emotional ailments.
She's a clever old broad.

Magic:

She is a skilled master of the Art of Knowing, and she specializes in the craft above all others. While she rarely has the energy for the long, deep meditations that she once did, her ironclad rapport with the Mona and her decades of experience mean that she can still get answers when she has a mind to.
She barely knows and Jolta at all, and she practically never uses it. She considers it a rather vulgar waste of the Mona's time, though she's not judgmental of others who use it - kids will be kids, after all.
She is also a weak expert at Erga. This skill was first honed in her youth, when she initially specialized in channeling Zan. As she grew older and more mature, she grew less interested in the art and her skills fell somewhat to the wayside, replaced with her focus on Mans. Her expertise - particularly at healing - remains strong, due to constant practice (Crazy gran'kids seem to be more scab than skin, nowadays!).

Goals:

Her goals are in line with the Sacred Duties of magic. As a master of magic, she sees these sacred duties as her personal charge.

To protect her tribe and her people, and help them face whatever trials may come for them.
To assist and support her community in any way that she can.
To honor the gods, spirits, and Vita.
She's also always on the lookout for better cup of tea. Honestly, they just don't seem to make it like they used to.