Place of Origin: Blacklight, Morrowind.

Appearance: Though probably not everyone's cup of tea, Niernen is an attractive woman by Dunmeri standards. Her eyes are large and expressive and have an unusual coppery hue to them, diluting the crimson iris that is so characteristic of her race. They are supported by prominent cheekbones; beneath that, Niernen's face narrows sharply, sporting a small chin and gaunt cheeks, though her jawline is well-defined. A ruddy scar runs over her left eye and cheek, almost touching the corner of her mouth. Niernen's lips are lush and display a peaked Cupid's bow. She takes pride in (and good care of) her hair, which is long and dark. Niernen usually wears it swept back, tucked away behind her ears, resting on her shoulders. Her body is rather conventional; neither thin nor overly curvy, not whipcord muscled nor flabby. However, if one got the chance to see her undressed they'd be able to tell faint scarring on her chest, abdomen and back, caused by wicked Argonian warblades. Niernen stands at 5'6", which makes her rather short for a Dunmeri woman.

A near-permanent presence by Niernen's side is her pet Nix-hound, Garm. He is roughly the size of a wolf, mottled green in appearance, and trained to attack only on command.


Background: Born to parents that held influential positions in House Redoran, Niernen came second to a favored son. Her birth under the sign of the Serpent was considered bad omen by Redoran traditions, and hopes for Niernen weren't high. Though she was by no means ever abused, her brother Narzul was a tough act to follow and her parents could be blind in their devotion. Niernen was always quietly bitter about this but didn't act out against her brother in any way; in fact, she was very fond of him herself. Besides, it wasn't his fault he was such a good son.

While Narzul was rather obviously being groomed to take his father's place as House Father, Niernen was left mostly to her own devices and became determined to excel somewhere her brother didn't. Narzul's martial prowess was stellar, as befitting a son of House Redoran, but Niernen's short stature and natural ineptitude with weapons prevented her from matching up to him. It is often said that Dunmer have three talents; the blade, the shadow and the flame. Niernen wanted to focus on the last.

Whether a sign of love or casual disregard Niernen couldn't figure out, but her parents allowed her to pursue an education in Destruction magic with the war-wizards of House Redoran. She traveled all over Morrowind for this, apprenticing for several such war-wizards. Because of their rarity, they were posted all over the province. One of them was able to teach her a little about Conjuration as well, especially how to summon and bound a Flame Atronach, and they all knew a little Alteration for general utility. A sympathetic Temple Priest taught her a few things about Restoration.

Niernen returned to Blacklight when she was 27. She was now reasonably skilled, far from a master, but remarkable for her age nonetheless. For the first time in her life, Niernen got to experience what it was like for her father to be impressed by something she had achieved after demonstrating her Flame Cloak spell. Narzul had risen to the rank of House Cousin on his own merits by now and the two siblings remained very supportive of each other.

Life seemed to trundle along on its scheduled course when the Nerevarine unexpectedly returned to Morrowind, intending to take the title of High King. Niernen was far too young to have been alive when the Nerevarine first appeared but she'd grown up with the stories, of course; a brave hero who had saved Vvardenfell from Dagoth-Ur and then abandoned his people to the consequences. He was worshipped as a saint in the Dunmeri pantheon but wasn't a very popular figure in Niernen's household and she knew her father disapproved highly of the Nerevarine's claim to the throne. Openly opposing him was political suicide, however, so this particular Redoran family was forced to watch as the Nerevarine wrestled power away from their Great House and became High King of all the Dunmer people.

Niernen obeyed the decree issued by the High King to aid in the rebuilding of the province, much to her father's chagrin, but she wanted to prove the usefulness of her arcane studies. Narzul also participated, though this was for political reasons. The two traveled to the south of Morrowind with a contingent of the Redoran army and joined the raids on Black Marsh.

Determination alone wasn't enough to completely repell the horrors of war. Niernen had never raised her magic against another person before and she was having difficulty processing the consequences. Narzul would lead the charge against the Argonians while Niernen and a conjured Flame Atronach lobbed fireballs at designated targets from a safe distance. From so far away it wasn't so bad, but being confronted with the charred, twisted corpses of Argonians she encountered on the battlefield afterwards haunted her dreams. Narzul was blind to her turmoil and merely proud of his sister, Niernen the battlemage.

It was fantastic practice however, and Niernen continued to develop her skills rapidly. She contributed significantly to a victory in the fight for Stormhold's gates, blanketing the area just inside the city walls with flames through a small hole in the gate, forcing the Argonian defenders back and allowing siege units to knock the gate down. Niernen started making a real name for herself and saw herself rise through the ranks of House Redoran on her own merits. This, and the encouragement from her brother, was enough for Niernen to persist.

Misfortune struck during an assault near the city of Thorn. The thick jungle-marsh prevented the Dunmer from anticipating a flanking strike and Niernen was almost asssassinated by a pair of Shadowscales. The two Argonians killed Niernen's bodyguards in the initial strike and struck her with quick jabs from their twisted daggers. Overcome with adrenaline, Niernen seared them both with gouts of hot flame, burning brighter than they ever had, but the Shadowscales were high on Hist sap and unstoppable. Within seconds, Niernen had been stabbed several times, including a horrific gash in the left side of her face, and collapsed. One of the Shadowscales made the mistake of stabbing the Flame Atronach through the chest; it exploded violently, killing the Argonians and knocking Niernen unconscious.

Narzul, having heard the detonation, abandoned his post at the head of the battle and rushed to save his sister. A retreat was organized and the Redoran army back off from Thorn momentarily. Niernen's life was saved by the combined efforts of seven Temple Priests; the daggers used to wound her were coated with a potent poison that was rapidly turning her insides to goop and an enormous amount of magicka was required to reverse the damage.

Alas, Niernen would never be quite the same. She was permanently weakened and her entire body hurt if she overexerted herself. Narzul was reprimanded for his actions in putting his sister's life over the success of the entire battle, but allowed to remain. Niernen was sent home with a commendation for valor in the face of mortal danger, but it was merely a small comfort. She was ashamed of having been a burden to her brother and traumatized by the near-death experience; the images of the Shadowscales, moving like frenzied blurs to inflict maximum damage, undeterred by the fire eating away at their flesh, was never far from her mind's eye. It took her more than a year to recover enough to start leaving the house in Blacklight. At first, short walks would leave her exhausted and gasping for air, but by the start of 4E 204 she had regained most of her former range of mobility, provided she didn't start to run. Most of the scarring had faded away except for the cut over her eye. It wasn't considered life-threatening at the time so little magicka was dedicated to repairing the damage by the Temple Priests, and it was too difficult to fix after the fact.

In 4E 205, the decree was lifted and Narzul returned home. He had served with distinction and replaced his father as House Father of the Great House Redoran, who gladly retired and started dedicating his time to literary pursuits and woodcrafting.

Tired of sitting at home like some kind of sickly woman, Niernen resolved to resume traveling and developing her abilities. She was also determined to face her fears and overcome them; it seemed to her that the nightmares weren't going away on their own. Narzul protested fiercely but Niernen had made up her mind. She promised to be cautious and brought one of the family's Nix-hounds with her, a fine specimen named Garm, who could protect her during a spell of weakness. Niernen traveled east, to Skyrim, and found herself applying for a mercenary company in the city of Windhelm, somewhat to her own bewilderment.

Personality: Niernen is determined, resourceful, intelligent and witty. While still headstrong, she used to be far more stubborn and has relented a lot after her injuries. Her confidence was significantly shaken by the whole ordeal and she struggles to regain her former level of self-assuredness. Niernen gets along well with most people except Argonians and still finds it difficult to look at them, let alone have a proper conversation. She's proud of her magical abilities and relies on them heavily, refusing to carry physical weapons into combat, and resorts to telekinesis for heavy lifting. Because she was born into a wealthy family Niernen has no idea what it's like to be a peasant and may ocassionally make off-the-cuff remarks that reflect this ignorance. Her greatest pleasures are fine dining, magical discoveries and moonlit nights, while her biggest peeves are uncultered brutes, the sight of knives and physical exertion. She worships the Reclamations.

Skills:
Expert: Destruction.
Adept: Alteration and Conjuration.
Apprentice: Restoration, Light Armor, Alchemy.
Novice: Tailoring, Speech, Enchanting.
Weaknesses:
Purity of Magic: Niernen carries no weapons on her and is entirely reliant on her magic, especially now that she's physically incapable of throwing a solid punch.

Foot in the Grave: Niernen came so close to death after the Shadowscale assassination attempt that she never fully recovered. The poisons took a hefty toll on her physical fortitude, reducing her strength to that of a child's and her endurance to that of an elder with rockjoint. She cannot march long distances, lift anything heavier than a sword or throw something larger than a pebble. Most of these inconveniences can be worked around with magic, but she's dead weight after her magicka is spent. Riding on horseback also doesn't solve the long-distance travel problem entirely, as it takes a lot of energy to merely stay seated; carriages, on the other hand, are ideal.

Mind Schism: Niernen hasn't overcome the mental trauma of her attack and is susceptible to moments of fear and weakness during combat, especially if the enemy combatants were to get close to her. Garm has been trained to cover her during such a time, but there's only so much a Nix-hound can do against angry men with axes.

Relations and Affiliations: Narzul and the rest of her family in Blacklight. She was on friendly terms with all of her magic teachers when she left them, though some of them probably don't even remember her anymore. It's possible, but not a given, that she encountered Sadri Beleth in Black Marsh.

Spells:
Destruction: Niernen commands most Fire-variety Destruction spells, though she favors Fireball from a distance and Incinerate on closer targets. Wall of Flames sees ocassional use in large confrontations. Fire Storm is beyond her grasp. With great concentration, she can create fierce flames that burn so hot it causes an involuntary retreat in most targets, mimicking the Intense Flames perk from Skyrim.

Alteration: Telekinesis, Magelight and Detect Life for general utility. Stoneflesh in a pinch.

Conjuration: Flame Atronach, Flaming Familiar.

Restoration: Fast Healing, Healing Hands, Turn Lesser Undead.

Combat Style: Niernen staunchly refuses to engage her enemies up close unless absolutely forced to. She prefers to lob Fireballs at her enemies from a distance, preferably from a high vantage point, in support of other armed forces. She will often summon a Flame Atronach to double the rate of fire. She has never wielded a weapon into battle and isn't about to start now; not that it would do much good, what with her condition. If presented with an overwhelming force her tactic is to spray Wall of Flames as far as possible and retreat.

Other Capabilities: Niernen can read Daedric runes and speaks the Dunmeri language, something her father insisted on while she was growing up.

Cash: 126 septims.

Keys and Lockpicks: No lockpicks. Several keys, to such places as her house in Blacklight and the family coffers.

Clothing and Armor: Niernen wears a traditional Dunmer tunic beneath a set of form-fitting, lightweight leather armor, sans the helmet.

Weapon and Ammunition: No weapons and no ammunition whatsoever.

Potion and Arcane Supplies: Several magicka potions in small, thin vials, and the ingredients to make more in a pouch at her waist. For absolutely dire emergencies she has a scroll of Fire Storm with her.

Jewelry and Novelty Items: A Redoran signet ring on the ring finger of her left hand and a necklace given to her by her brother. She also carries a rosette, awarded for valor in the face of mortal danger, in her breast pocket. The signet ring is enchanted with a mild feather effect to help counteract the weakness of her condition.

Books and Documents: A copy of The Art of War Magic by Zurin Arctus and Racial Phylogeny by the Council of Healers, books on Destruction and Restoration magic respectively. Also a map of Tamriel.

Food, Drinks, Provisions: A hip flask with sujamma to help calm her nerves and some dried meat and juniper berries.

Bags, Pouches, Packs: Several waist pouches to hold her alchemical ingredients, potion vials and money. Niernen also has a leather backpack that holds her books and her map, though she's starting to regret bringing the books.

Other: Nothing I can think of.