[OOC] The Elder Scrolls: Swords & Septims

[Kassarock]

Oh shit looks like I'm up right?

[Hank]

Go for it!

[Peik]

Ahh- Ahhhhh CHOOOOOO!

holy shit what even is this-

Judena Callisar - Argonian Utility Mage

Nickname
Jude the Forgetful
Age
61
Gender
Female
Race
Argonian, Sarpa Descendant.
Birthsign
The Mage

Playlist
Ruby Red Memory Spotify Link
Ruby Red Memory Youtube Link

Appearance

Judena stands tall at 6’4”, she would return regularly to her Hist tree partaking in its sap to reconnect with the resting place of her soul. The sap lent well to growing a few inches, thicker scales, or toughening of nails. Though, she always hoped for the sap to affect her mind or memories in someway. Bright vibrant red scales glitter across her wide head complimented by a trio of small horns grown out from her jawline on both sides of her face, giving her a symmetrical look at first glance, marred only by a scar in the shape of a lumpy star above her left eye. Along with her ruby colouring, Judena’s underbelly scales are that of a pale yellow, her head’s profile comparable to that of a bearded dragon.

Her eyes are a bright golden hue, irises forming slits like that of her reptilian species. Rows of serrated teeth hide within her gums for tearing raw meat. Beneath her chin concealed by the spiny excess skin, it expands involuntarily when she fights. Her tail sweeps behind her, pock marked with scars from years of travelling. Some scars due to the cold bitter winters through Skyrim and the arid sands during expeditions in the Alik'r Desert. The webbing between her fingers and toes are light red.

For clothing, she prefers to wear mage robes that coincide to the region she is travelling in. Currently with her trek through Skyrim she wears apprentice mage robes, sewn with extra fur lining for warmth. Judena differs to fur-lined leather boots in addition to leather plated gauntlets to provide small protection to her arms. Largely relies on her Ironflesh mage armour for protection rather than physical means, leaving her unencumbered by hardened leather or plate.

Personality

If Judena can be described in one word, it would be laid-back. After years struggling to cope with short term memory loss, losing things and forgetting are simply how things have been for a long time. She believes she has come to peace with her condition, able to fool those around her into believing that as well. In truth, she spends some nights awake in fear of what she will forget at dawn. She still does have moments of panic when she loses something as important as a logbook, with decades of experience she is able to compensate simply by backtracking until she finds a familiar place or face. Judena knows her broken mind enough to quiet the panic quick as it bubbles up.

Gold was rarely in short supply, either finding herself in the company of well-funded mages or fair explorers giving her a cut of the findings, able to haggle on behalf of her companions for the best price of their treasure. Occasionally she has misjudged character, falling in with the likes of thieves or ruthless mercenaries looking for easy coin. But like rain, those instances roll off her back. Never to dwell on what could have been.

Judence notably has a terribly eccentric single minded focus on collection, history or restoring a piece. Much like an artist with a project. She loves to share her extensive experience and education whenever given the chance. She takes delight in appraisal she can give her companions, offering quick and accurate knowledge.

Due to her writing down daily events in meticulous detail, she took no small amount of pleasure on mediating group dynamics with whomever she choses to travel with, either providing evidence to dissolve rumours or support suspicions. Many have approached her with their secrets and guilt ridden stories, when she was younger it used to fire up her temper, but now she sees the benefit in easing her companion’s minds, promising to strike the confessions from her daily logs.

History

Judena Callisar hatched the 28th of Rain’s Hand 4E141 in Soulrest, Argonia nestled safely in a hatching pool at the base of her family’s magnificent Hist tree. In a small clutch of nine eggs, Judena was one of the five to survive to see her naming day. Raised in the cosmopolitan trading port of Soulrest, under the watchful eye of Sar-Keer and Innue, Judena was exposed to a great many different people, including Men and Mer from across Tamriel. Both Sar-Keer and Innue worked at the docks, with her father teaching his children their native tongue Jel, first and foremost. The strange, difficult, common language of Tamriel came second. Writing and learning numbers were priority for the family, Sar-Keer knowing well it would be vital for them to know both if they were to have any hope employment in the city. Like most Argonian children, Judena and her clutch mates learned how to fight and defend themselves early on for survival given Black Marsh’s inhospitable wilds lurking at the edges of Soulrest. Judena opted for using spears, preferring to keep enemies and predators at the end of her pole. Having been taught self defense initially, Judena sharpened her skills with a spear fishing.

At an early age, Judena showed to have some potential with magicka. Her parents citing her birth sign for such early development. Unfortunately with no real mentors to guide her abilities, she simply tried her best to keep it under wraps.

One rather ordinary day a small group of explorers, largely mages from Cyrodiil arrived to the port. They journeyed to Soulrest to recover an ancient sword from legend said to be found outside the Argonian city in the dense swamps. They searched around the port looking for locals who would be interested in acting as their guide. These type of explorers came to the docks quite frequently for one reason or another, in hopes to discover the mysteries that lie in the swampy waters. The four mages were three Imperial men by the names of Hareld, Viro, and Contar specializing in various schools of magic, but all proficient with the school of Alteration. The fourth mage was a female Breton named Leonora that stood out from the rest, catching the Argonian’s eye with her soft beauty and infectious personality. Sensing opportunity, Judena knew what she had to do.

Judena volunteered to guide them, young as she was with only seventeen years to her name. The expedition was planned to be a short one, they prepared for a week at most out in the wilderness. Unfortunately, a combination of bad weather and back tracking forced the expedition to push on for far longer. Fortunately for the mages, Judena was there every step of the way guiding them through certain dangerous waters, past predators and providing food when their stocks ran dry, all too eager to demonstrate her hunting prowess. When they finally arrived to the designated site, the sword they were searching for was buried deep in poisonous waters, ones that Judena would refuse to swim through. Gathered together, the mages and their magicka seeped into the waters searching for the sword. Marvelling at the power, Judena watched them successfully pull the sword free from deep waters. At the site they were able to erase years of mud and decay free from the sword, restoring it. Their talents with the arcane truly captured Judena’s imagination.

On their way back to Soulrest, Judena hounded them with questions, eagerly soaking in their replies and listening in on their conversations. When they arrived safely back to Soulrest, relatively unmolested by the marsh, the mages invited their faithful guide to join them back to Cyrodiil, in hopes of returning the favour thanks to their success and survival. She jumped at the chance, saying goodbye to her family and set out to travel with the band of mages once again, this time to new lands far from home.

For several years Judena saw no reason to leave their company, learning a great deal about herself and what she was capable of. She took up study in the Imperial City at the Arcane University where the mages presented their findings and gained permission to continue their expeditions for more lost pieces of history. She spent eight years with them, travelling and learning the tools of the arcane trade. When she finally decided to travel back to Black Marsh to visit her family, reconnect with the Hist, it was on the voyage back home that she fell victim to a rather common accident. She did not duck when the boon of a sail came swinging about with the strong change in winds, unprepared for the blow she was struck over the head, sending her stumbling overboard. When the crew fished her back out of the water, blood was leaking from her ear canals at an alarming rate. She struggled to recall faces she had just met on board a day or so ago, as well as failing to remember where her belongings were, and her hammock aboard the ship. Her memory was immediately, and permanently, affected.

On the journey back to Soulrest, the mages around her tried to mend her mind with what little skill they could as none were adept to fix something as complex as the mind and its memories. There was some progress and hope. Damage that resisted the mysterious properties of Hist sap. She spent two years coping in Soulrest with her family to support her, and took to writing the events of her day down, designing a system for both reference and ease of use to try and help recover her damaged mind. Her self-confidence nosedived, her mood was perpetually stormy and her temper on a hair trigger, as well as being defensive whenever someone dared to remind her of something as if it rubbed in her predicament. What she could remember before the accident was sharp and clear, she never forgot her learned spells and histories, so why couldn’t she remember something as simple as what she had for breakfast the day before? Growing restless day in and day out, she decided to head back to the Arcane University to search for a cure. She bid her family goodbye once again, disappearing on the first morning ship out of Soulrest.

Upon her return, she was greeted warmly by her long time companions. They promised to help her research her affliction. Leonora took to spending the most time with Judena picking up in their friendship where it left off, the years apart disappearing all at once. They were rarely seen apart. Eventually Leonora built up the confidence to confess she harboured feelings for Judena. Judena delightfully accepted Leonora's feelings and reciprocated. In a whirlwind romance they dived into marriage, Judena took a small break from her research to craft an Argonian wedding band for her wife-to-be. They travelled to Highrock, Leonora presented her new wife to her father and siblings, they were off put initially at an argonian joining the family but were warmed by Judena’s charm.

The honeymoon afterglow lasted a total of four months and sweet as they were, the warm glows dimmed when Leonora’s father fell to illness. With their return came new harrowing responsibilities that anchored both Judena and Leonora to taking care of her family. Leonora’s family flailed into heavy debt, accumulating more when work ran dry for two mages, skillful as they were. Their research was pushed to the side, along with the freedoms they once enjoyed before. Leonora’s patience ran thinner with each passing day, unable to cope with the stress of debt collectors knocking upon her door. What little research they found to time to do had proved fruitless, set back by Judena’s slow absorption of the material. What Leonora found to be unique about her charming wife, she soon found to be yet another burden. Without Judena’s realization, Leonora in secret sought comfort in the arms of someone else. Judena grew suspicious as their marriage strained further, only to discover Leonora’s mistress existence. They split, Leonora begged her forgiveness at her back as she left.

As the decades passed Judena’s heart never yearned for another, time has helped to mend but nothing felt sacred as it once did. From that point on, she decidedly surrendered herself to her memory, satisifed to go with the flow, depending solely on her logbooks. A cure may exist but perhaps it wasn’t for her to find. Now free of Highrock, it was time to return to adventure. Judena set out on her own at the age of thirty-two in 4E173. For the next thirty years she wandered from province to province, spending time among the natives absorbing their cultures, history, and collecting some parts of it. Judena saved a few items from every region, selling them and sending some money back to her family in Soulrest. She was often hired as an appraiser, valuing an array of items from weaponry and armour to precious jewelry. Her company often included pleasant sailors, treasure hunters, and archaeologists, preferring to be among others who shared her interests. In her age of near constant travel, fighting and activity her body has remained strong and spry. Others in her age group would be happy in settling with grandchildren around them.

In the unlucky year of 4E201, Skyrim was ravaged by the return of the dragons and the ominous doom Alduin promised, the country side torn apart by its civil war. While any sane traveler would have steered clear of the province, Judena had found herself in the College of Winterhold searching its library for reference when the hermit Greybeards shouted for the Dragonborn. Curiosity brought Judena to the ancient dragon burial sites, finding them fascinating and collecting the odd bone for study, but found herself no closer to puzzling out how they were brought back to life. She eventually dismissed it as some ancient magic that was beyond her understanding.

In her time in Skyrim she struggled to find work with many of the Nords taking up arms for the war. Independent of the war, she dodged great battlefields where the Empire and Stormcloaks clashed. In a year of fruitless exploration, dodging certain danger, she redoubled her efforts to join a group once more, knowing the strength and safety of numbers. When she found herself wandering into Falkreath her long search was over, so she thought. She missed the exploration team by a couple days, still she choose to hang around in Falkreath. Perhaps learn of what they may have found.

Skills

Major
Alteration: Transmutation, Ironflesh, Telekinesis, Detect Life, Magelight, and Detect Dead (Currently Studying)
As her fellow mages before her, she uses transmutation to remove rust, moss and other such foreign debris from artifacts; restoring years back to the item. Relies on Ironflesh to protect herself, in lieu of heavier armour. Magelight provides light where the darkest caverns are explored, and brightens her logbook pages at night while she writes. Telekinesis gently handles more fragile pieces, also safely moves objects from several feet away. She would be sore to use possibly precious items in her environment to defend herself. Currently, she is working on studying Detect Dead. Due to her memory, it has taken her several months to learn the spell and longer still to successfully practice it. She still has a ways to go before being able to cast it correctly.

Two-Handed: Spears
Judena is fairly proficient with a spear in her hands, an incredibly skilled fisher. In her formative years she learned how to hunt and fight, and has since then relied on her skills to protect herself. The spear acts as extension of herself with both reach and piercing damage.

Minor
Destruction: Flames, Frostbite, and Ice Spear
Judena knows a few a destruction spells, loves the convenience of Flames and Frostbite, has been using them interchangeably for as long as she has been a mage. So fine tuned is her control with both simple spells she uses it for cooking and meal prep or preservation. Cooling and boiling water, start fires, freezing salted meat, etc. In a fight, falls back to Ice Spear if she is disarmed.

Natural Ability: Water Breathing and Swimming
As an Argonian she is born with the natural ability to breath underwater, a strong natural swimmer. With previous experience on deeper dives she has, in the past, explored lake beds. For small amounts of time she can swim in the cold waters of Skyrim, prefers temperate waters.

Healing: Healing Hands
Out of need and not interest she learned how to perform healing hands. Roughly she can pull together small wounds and stop bleeding. Her patients often complain of how she was not born with a gentle touch.

Equipment

- Steel Leaf-Headed Spear - Oak Staff.
- A small satchel of fresh fruit, dried slices of salted fish. A jar of pickled raw fish.
- A backpack stacked with one blank logbook, one dated back 30 years ago, one dated to the year before, and the current one she is working on. It dates back to Frostfall 4E201. Each logbook is wrapped with waxy leather bindings to protect against water damage. Judena specializes in restoring damaged items, but prefers preventing damage in the first place where her precious logbooks are concerned. Including in her pack is writing utensils crafted from charcoal and solid wood, sharpened to a fine point.
- Detect Dead spellbook she is studying along with her own scrawled notes on each page, largely noting what she had already accomplished in practice. Rudimentary drawings of hand movements, committing the spell to muscle memory as well.
- 1 Reference Guide for Ancient Nordic artifacts, written by her.
- An extra set of apprentice robes. Coupled with a mending kit.
- Small pouch of 50 Gold Septims.
- 1 waterskin.
- 1 Argonian wedding band hung on a silver chain tucked into her shirt.
- 1 Empty Satchel for storing valued items.

Miscellaneous

• Judena takes meticulous notes in her daily journals, through years of coping she designed the best way of reference within her own notes. Always noting date, time and event concisely.
• Favourite Drunk Claim to Fame Story: Reincarnated from the argonian lady that inspired the Lusty Argonian Maid.
• Judena’s memory is spotty throughout the day, she relies on her companions to remind her of their names and certain things that may have only occurred or were spoken of hours ago. In a daily ritual before she sleeps she records the day’s events in a logbook, the following morning awakes to reread the logs refreshing her memory. Some precious few things do make it into her long term memory, however there is no predicting what will make it.
• Is a staunch believer in muscle memory, Judena has long since employed rigorous physical repetition when learning new things. If her mind cannot remember, her muscles will.
• Gotta go south of the Marne for the best fish.

@DearTrickster

I've finally had the time to go over your sheet once more and I also went over your old version again to see the differences and I'm glad to see that Judena has been made into an even more plausible character. From what I've seen, you've practically filled against all the criticisms I've made, and her development does not feel 'empty', as it did in places in the earlier revision (such as her unexplained adventure with Mysticism, whereas now she's into Alteration, exposure to which being what her got into magic in the first place). Any further critique that I would make would go into unjust nitpicking territory I believe. Now that she's an appraiser who restores artifacts and sells them to the highest bidder or offers her own critique on prices, as opposed to stashing things, I think she would make quite an important addition, you know, just in case we find a silly hat which is actually a work of Dwemer art. While Judena has my approval at this point, it's up to @Hank to make the decision on when to include her.

[DearTrickster]

<Snipped quote by DearTrickster>

I've finally had the time to go over your sheet once more and I also went over your old version again to see the differences and I'm glad to see that Judena has been made into an even more plausible character. From what I've seen, you've practically filled against all the criticisms I've made, and her development does not feel 'empty', as it did in places in the earlier revision (such as her unexplained adventure with Mysticism, whereas now she's into Alteration, exposure to which being what her got into magic in the first place). Any further critique that I would make would go into unjust nitpicking territory I believe. Now that she's an appraiser who restores artifacts and sells them to the highest bidder or offers her own critique on prices, as opposed to stashing things, I think she would make quite an important addition, you know, just in case we find a silly hat which is actually a work of Dwemer art. While Judena has my approval at this point, it's up to @Hank to make the decision on when to include her.

@Peik

Thank you, I did mean it when I said originally that the critique would help out a lot and it did! Both yours and Hank's. So I'm glad she's looking up to snuff now.

[Kassarock]

Boom, short one just to keep things moving. Didn't join the combo attack because it might be a little too crowded, but feel free to move Skall if the big 'un is still alive after everyone's hits have landed.

[Hekazu]

Post has been edited to include the demise of the draugr 'boss' as approved by @Hank.

[Hekazu]

Who would be going next? I'm afraid if we are to have two week long periods of no communication one way or the other that is not going to do any good to my interest in doing my part in keeping the RP afloat...

[mickilennial]

I'm still interested regardless of the wait time.

[Dervish]

I'm still here, like an ingrown hair.

[Hank]

My apologies for the long silence. We're nearing a crucial deadline at work and I've been a little burned out from the crunch. I appreciate the patience of anyone willing to stick around this long and we can hopefully resume regularly scheduled programming shortly (read: next week).

[mickilennial]

Sjara and myself will be at the ready when the time comes.

[DearTrickster]

@Hank so any light at the end of the tunnel?

[spicykvnt]

HELLOOOO?!

*screams into the void*

:(

[Dervish]

I'm still here!

[spicykvnt]

[mickilennial]

I know Hank is swamped, but is there anyway we can progress? Perhaps @Peik can lead in his absence?

[Peik]

I know Hank is swamped, but is there anyway we can progress? Perhaps @Peik can lead in his absence?

@Inkarnate

I mean I'd try but the last time I tried to do that in a RP it died anyway. That and I've no idea how the plot is meant to progress at this current point in the story.

If people are down for it I'm willing to give it a shot.

[spicykvnt]

<Snipped quote by Inkarnate>

I mean I'd try but the last time I tried to do that in a RP it died anyway. That and I've no idea how the plot is meant to progress at this current point in the story.

If people are down for it I'm willing to give it a shot.

@Peik

I'm definitely down. I don't even think the plot needs to progress just that we need to call time on the battle with the Draugrs. At least if you could do that, everyone in the group can get a post in and by the time we do that Hank could well be back :D :D :D

[Dervish]

<Snipped quote by Inkarnate>

I mean I'd try but the last time I tried to do that in a RP it died anyway. That and I've no idea how the plot is meant to progress at this current point in the story.

If people are down for it I'm willing to give it a shot.

@Peik

I'd offer to help there, but I'm running 2 RPs at the moment, so maybe in an unofficial capacity?

I was in a game that ran entirely without a GM for about 5 months with just the players contributing ideas and stuff like that. I don't know if that's something that would be worth exploring here, where we can all just build on what's going on with our posts and you can simply set the stage for the next bits or think of loose ideas of what we'll be finding.

Basically the game I was in that was missing the GM had everyone know what the general mission was and what we were fighting, so we as players helped move the group closer by adding encounter bits and obstacles, as well as just generally fleshing out the scene descriptively. It actually ran really well and helped the existing players build a pretty solid lasting bond with one another. We don't necessarily need a big story to follow, it could just be something that as a group we kind of build together.

For instance, somebody alludes to the group being watched by a shadowy figure who slips out of sight. Another then makes a scene where said figure reports to a bandit king or something, who another player decides is either a rival or a potential client for our group, and so on. You get the idea, nothing's set in stone and we just keep improvising.

[Peik]

<Snipped quote by Peik>

I'm definitely down. I don't even think the plot needs to progress just that we need to call time on the battle with the Draugrs. At least if you could do that, everyone in the group can get a post in and by the time we do that Hank could well be back :D :D :D

@Stormflyx

<Snipped quote by Peik>

I'd offer to help there, but I'm running 2 RPs at the moment, so maybe in an unofficial capacity?

I was in a game that ran entirely without a GM for about 5 months with just the players contributing ideas and stuff like that. I don't know if that's something that would be worth exploring here, where we can all just build on what's going on with our posts and you can simply set the stage for the next bits or think of loose ideas of what we'll be finding.

Basically the game I was in that was missing the GM had everyone know what the general mission was and what we were fighting, so we as players helped move the group closer by adding encounter bits and obstacles, as well as just generally fleshing out the scene descriptively. It actually ran really well and helped the existing players build a pretty solid lasting bond with one another. We don't necessarily need a big story to follow, it could just be something that as a group we kind of build together.

For instance, somebody alludes to the group being watched by a shadowy figure who slips out of sight. Another then makes a scene where said figure reports to a bandit king or something, who another player decides is either a rival or a potential client for our group, and so on. You get the idea, nothing's set in stone and we just keep improvising.

@Dervish

Very well. If that is the general consensus, I'll sort out the fight and improvise a plot further (Hank and I'd discussed some future plot threads, maybe I'll use some stuff from there).