deegee
FatPrincess
GubGar
Creative Chaos
Yankee
Name: Samira Rainwright
Age: 28
Alias: Sammy, Doctor Rainwright
Title: Lady Cretaceous
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 136 lbs
Family Backstory:
The Rainwrights once upon a time were an important family. Once upon a time, they were a proud family of medicine men and women among the Crow Nation in what would become Montana. That was before the settlers came. That was before the Crow were forced into a reservation. That was before the foundation of their beliefs was slowly being eroded as their numbers were whittled away.
The Rainwrights were forced to adapt. They took on the name Rainwright and joined the wider world's magus society. They took a sacred relic of their family and converted it into a crest. Transforming their craft from its traditional form into something new. Even if it was not their tradition, they knew they could not continue as before. Any scrap of power they could get their hands on was grabbed.
Yet they would be unable to find much of anything in the North American continent. They floundered, unable to find their niche among the many magus that called the continent home. The few generations that existed in this new paradigm managed to fill their crest with what knowledge they retained from their past. Yet it wasn't until their fifth heir that things changed.
Personal Backstory:
Samira Rainwright was an exceptional child even at birth. Some thought they were finally blessed, some thought they got lucky. It mattered little, what mattered was that while she had a low number of circuits, her quality was higher than any short of their ancient past. They needed her, and so she was treated as a savior for the family.
She was raised from birth to understand their craft as deeply as possible, slowly transferring their magic crest across her childhood. Knowing what they had lost from their past. Being told how much they needed to try and reclaim. She got started on that task rather young, undergoing a ritual from her people's past. A Vision Quest.
Traveling far from civilization, she'd starve and dehydrate herself while praying in the wilderness. In a trance she would wander through the barren expanse of Montana, searching for something. As she searched through her people's ancestral lands she would follow signs only she saw. Eventually coming to a cliff-side, she would dig into it before pulling out a massive foot-long fossilized tooth.
Claiming it as her own in the tradition of the Crow people, she'd return to the Rainwright family with a new niche for them to exploit. As well as a new fascination that would engulf her. Dinosaurs. Something that the Crow had already discovered in their past, and could easily be added to the foundation they had already set up.
As she grew up, she balanced herself between both the mundane and the spiritual. Going through the process to get herself a paleontology degree and began to join mundane digs. Writing papers on the possibilities of fossils in the use of thaumaturgy for the Clocktower. One such paper even got her accepted for four years in General Fundamentals. Unsurprisingly joining the Department of Archaeology after those four years.
Yet she did not get the respect she thought she deserved. Their foundation was shaky, not yet stabilized by age, and they lacked their spiritual land. So when she heard of the Grail War happening in Kyoto, she packed her bags. The Grail would be nice, but she was after that land!
Personality:
Samira has a chip on her shoulder. Though some might say it's more along the lines of a boulder. The woman constantly seeks the respect she believes she deserves. Embittered by believing herself looked down upon by those older and loftier families. Viewing Magus society as a ladder that she must climb, that isn't to say she doesn't have friends. There are those she genuinely enjoys being around back in the Archaeological Department, where the politics of the rest of the Clocktower matters little. As long as they don't get in her way.
She is extremely passionate about what she cares about, similar to many magi. Whether that be the traditions of her people, the fossils she collects, or whatever random interest she has. It's incredibly easy to get her talking, and hard to stop her once she's set herself on a path. Whether she has to push past something or break through something, it matters little to her. If they are in her way, they are something she will deal with. Nothing matters more than her getting the task done.
The Rainwrights once upon a time were an important family. Once upon a time, they were a proud family of medicine men and women among the Crow Nation in what would become Montana. That was before the settlers came. That was before the Crow were forced into a reservation. That was before the foundation of their beliefs was slowly being eroded as their numbers were whittled away.
The Rainwrights were forced to adapt. They took on the name Rainwright and joined the wider world's magus society. They took a sacred relic of their family and converted it into a crest. Transforming their craft from its traditional form into something new. Even if it was not their tradition, they knew they could not continue as before. Any scrap of power they could get their hands on was grabbed.
Yet they would be unable to find much of anything in the North American continent. They floundered, unable to find their niche among the many magus that called the continent home. The few generations that existed in this new paradigm managed to fill their crest with what knowledge they retained from their past. Yet it wasn't until their fifth heir that things changed.
Personal Backstory:
Samira Rainwright was an exceptional child even at birth. Some thought they were finally blessed, some thought they got lucky. It mattered little, what mattered was that while she had a low number of circuits, her quality was higher than any short of their ancient past. They needed her, and so she was treated as a savior for the family.
She was raised from birth to understand their craft as deeply as possible, slowly transferring their magic crest across her childhood. Knowing what they had lost from their past. Being told how much they needed to try and reclaim. She got started on that task rather young, undergoing a ritual from her people's past. A Vision Quest.
Traveling far from civilization, she'd starve and dehydrate herself while praying in the wilderness. In a trance she would wander through the barren expanse of Montana, searching for something. As she searched through her people's ancestral lands she would follow signs only she saw. Eventually coming to a cliff-side, she would dig into it before pulling out a massive foot-long fossilized tooth.
Claiming it as her own in the tradition of the Crow people, she'd return to the Rainwright family with a new niche for them to exploit. As well as a new fascination that would engulf her. Dinosaurs. Something that the Crow had already discovered in their past, and could easily be added to the foundation they had already set up.
As she grew up, she balanced herself between both the mundane and the spiritual. Going through the process to get herself a paleontology degree and began to join mundane digs. Writing papers on the possibilities of fossils in the use of thaumaturgy for the Clocktower. One such paper even got her accepted for four years in General Fundamentals. Unsurprisingly joining the Department of Archaeology after those four years.
Yet she did not get the respect she thought she deserved. Their foundation was shaky, not yet stabilized by age, and they lacked their spiritual land. So when she heard of the Grail War happening in Kyoto, she packed her bags. The Grail would be nice, but she was after that land!
Personality:
Samira has a chip on her shoulder. Though some might say it's more along the lines of a boulder. The woman constantly seeks the respect she believes she deserves. Embittered by believing herself looked down upon by those older and loftier families. Viewing Magus society as a ladder that she must climb, that isn't to say she doesn't have friends. There are those she genuinely enjoys being around back in the Archaeological Department, where the politics of the rest of the Clocktower matters little. As long as they don't get in her way.
She is extremely passionate about what she cares about, similar to many magi. Whether that be the traditions of her people, the fossils she collects, or whatever random interest she has. It's incredibly easy to get her talking, and hard to stop her once she's set herself on a path. Whether she has to push past something or break through something, it matters little to her. If they are in her way, they are something she will deal with. Nothing matters more than her getting the task done.
Magical Circuit Quantity: D
Magical Circuit Quality: B+
Composition: Normal
Alignment: Earth
Magecraft: General Fundamentals
Arguably more so than any other Rainwright, Samira is the most traditionally trained magus in the family's history. Having managed to gain access to the Clocktower through a theoretical paper on how to utilize dinosaur fossils in the alignment of grand rituals to communicate with the land. There she learned about the standard topics that are taught, including but not limited to Bounded Fields, Ley Lines, Sympathetic and Contagious Magecraft, Magic Circuits, Magic Crests, and Reinforcement. While not her specialty like some, she's no idiot.
Magecraft: Curse-Arts
What the Clocktower classifies as curse arts are to Samira the traditional medicinal arts of her people, taught to her by her ancestors. Though it has been somewhat warped over time as time has passed and the Crow's foundation has been eroded. It's not her specialty, it is something she knows enough to utilize. The purview of creating medicines and potions, of exorcising unwanted spirits from an area, or even cursing someone via various methods.
In particular, she utilizes hand-made cigarettes to help activate her circuits and support her magecraft. Among the Crow, it is believed that the smoke from tobacco helps carry prayers to the Creator.
Magecraft: Baaxpée (Crow Spiritual Evocation)
Baaxpée roughly translates to "power transcending the ordinary", and is the term the Crow used to describe the abilities their medicine men were granted. To the Clocktower, it's just another form of Spiritual Evocation.
Baaxpée is not something considered inherent to an individual, but rather being granted to them by a spirit, called a Iilápxe. Each spirit is different, and the abilities that come from them are different as well. Samira in particular is mostly attuned to spirits tied to the Earth in some way or another and makes deals with them mostly. She transfers her magical energy to them in exchange for accessing their abilities and powers.
Mystic Code: Cretaceous Xapáaliias (Relics of Ancient Beasts)
Translating roughly to 'medicine', Xapáaliia is an object tied to a particular spirit. It is formed after a ritual in which a Crow seeks out a spirit to serve as their patron, becoming known as their "Medicine Father". It's meant to serve as a conduit through which one can channel and maintain their Baaxpée. While this concept has lost much of its previous Mystery due to the erosion of the Crow foundation, Samira found a workaround.
In a similar way to how Gemstones were stained by long contact with Nature Spirits, Fossils undergo significant changes. Rather than being changed by the spirits they encounter, Fossils tend to warp spirits around them. Their natural mystery serves as a conduit and magnet for nameless spirits seeking identity. Where Gemstones "accumulate thoughts" of their owners and imprison flow, Fossils "warp thoughts" and bend flow around themselves.
By tracking down fossils and converting them into Xapáaliia, Samira can use their mystery and power to create new "Medicine Fathers", spirits attached to the items themselves that allow her to call upon them more easily. In turn, the fossils grant these spirits a greater measure of power than they would have had as shapeless entities that simply floated through the world unseen. A mutually beneficial relationship between the two of them.
Of course, tracking down dinosaur fossils that she can use has proven somewhat difficult. At the moment, she is only in possession of four Xapáaliia, which are as follows:
Thunder (Tyrannosaurus Fang): The first fossil she found and what started her down this path. Thunder lives up to the title of "Tyrant-Lizard King", being the far most demanding of any of the spirits that accompany her. Requiring more magical energy than most, Samira maintains a special connection with Thunder nonetheless. A large part of her personality can be attributed to his guidance.
Bulwark (Triceratops Horn): The second fossil she found, Bulwark has proven a steady and reliable ally in her pocket. Butting heads regularly with Thunder in terms of what Samira does, they are the defense to Thunder's offense, as well as the grounding force that keeps Samira realistic. Though sometimes, his 'grounding presence' can be described more as 'ornery stubbornness'.
Feather (Utahraptor Talon): The third fossil she collected, Feather has proven to be a menace compared to the others. The smallest in terms of raw presence, Feather's energetic and erratic personality always keeps Samira guessing what the spirit might want. Frequently, Thunder and Bulwark simply want her to disregard or get rid of Feather. Yet their abilities cannot be ignored.
Shoal (Plesiosaur Vertebrae): The fourth fossil she's converted into a Xapáaliia, and the newest to the group. Shoal was added as more of a specialty option in her kit, with him being more aligned to water than the earth she's used to. His isolated and gloomy personality confuses her sometimes, but she has yet to see any signs he is against her or any of the other medicine fathers.
Each of these rather large fossils is kept on her person at all times, tucked away into her belt. To the public, she pretends that they are replicas she keeps on hand to help teach about her passion. Any magus would be able to tell that there was something more special about them at a glance from the aura they carry. At the least, they're more durable than your standard fossil.
Skill: Paleology
Despite how obvious it is, it bears saying that Samira is considered a first-class paleontologist with all the necessary credentials, including a PhD in the subject. She is somewhat famous in the field for her discoveries, though also somewhat infamous for certain people being certain that she's stolen fossils for her collection. Even if they can never prove it, it's true. At the least, her well of knowledge is high, and she tends to be able to get into academic institutes with her credentials.
Skill: Multi-Lingual
Having traveled all across the world for her work, she's been forced to learn several languages to a conversational level. While she's most fluent in English and Crow, she's able to read and speak in Japanese and Spanish, while able to somewhat speak and understand Russian and Chinese as well.
Equipment:
Preparing for this expedition to Kyoto, she's packed only the bare essentials for her stay. A suitcase of clothes, enough money to last her a week or two, a laptop, a smartphone, and resources to help with any rituals she may need to perform.
Magical Circuit Quality: B+
Composition: Normal
Alignment: Earth
Magecraft: General Fundamentals
Arguably more so than any other Rainwright, Samira is the most traditionally trained magus in the family's history. Having managed to gain access to the Clocktower through a theoretical paper on how to utilize dinosaur fossils in the alignment of grand rituals to communicate with the land. There she learned about the standard topics that are taught, including but not limited to Bounded Fields, Ley Lines, Sympathetic and Contagious Magecraft, Magic Circuits, Magic Crests, and Reinforcement. While not her specialty like some, she's no idiot.
Magecraft: Curse-Arts
What the Clocktower classifies as curse arts are to Samira the traditional medicinal arts of her people, taught to her by her ancestors. Though it has been somewhat warped over time as time has passed and the Crow's foundation has been eroded. It's not her specialty, it is something she knows enough to utilize. The purview of creating medicines and potions, of exorcising unwanted spirits from an area, or even cursing someone via various methods.
In particular, she utilizes hand-made cigarettes to help activate her circuits and support her magecraft. Among the Crow, it is believed that the smoke from tobacco helps carry prayers to the Creator.
Magecraft: Baaxpée (Crow Spiritual Evocation)
Baaxpée roughly translates to "power transcending the ordinary", and is the term the Crow used to describe the abilities their medicine men were granted. To the Clocktower, it's just another form of Spiritual Evocation.
Baaxpée is not something considered inherent to an individual, but rather being granted to them by a spirit, called a Iilápxe. Each spirit is different, and the abilities that come from them are different as well. Samira in particular is mostly attuned to spirits tied to the Earth in some way or another and makes deals with them mostly. She transfers her magical energy to them in exchange for accessing their abilities and powers.
Mystic Code: Cretaceous Xapáaliias (Relics of Ancient Beasts)
Translating roughly to 'medicine', Xapáaliia is an object tied to a particular spirit. It is formed after a ritual in which a Crow seeks out a spirit to serve as their patron, becoming known as their "Medicine Father". It's meant to serve as a conduit through which one can channel and maintain their Baaxpée. While this concept has lost much of its previous Mystery due to the erosion of the Crow foundation, Samira found a workaround.
In a similar way to how Gemstones were stained by long contact with Nature Spirits, Fossils undergo significant changes. Rather than being changed by the spirits they encounter, Fossils tend to warp spirits around them. Their natural mystery serves as a conduit and magnet for nameless spirits seeking identity. Where Gemstones "accumulate thoughts" of their owners and imprison flow, Fossils "warp thoughts" and bend flow around themselves.
By tracking down fossils and converting them into Xapáaliia, Samira can use their mystery and power to create new "Medicine Fathers", spirits attached to the items themselves that allow her to call upon them more easily. In turn, the fossils grant these spirits a greater measure of power than they would have had as shapeless entities that simply floated through the world unseen. A mutually beneficial relationship between the two of them.
Of course, tracking down dinosaur fossils that she can use has proven somewhat difficult. At the moment, she is only in possession of four Xapáaliia, which are as follows:
Thunder (Tyrannosaurus Fang): The first fossil she found and what started her down this path. Thunder lives up to the title of "Tyrant-Lizard King", being the far most demanding of any of the spirits that accompany her. Requiring more magical energy than most, Samira maintains a special connection with Thunder nonetheless. A large part of her personality can be attributed to his guidance.
Bulwark (Triceratops Horn): The second fossil she found, Bulwark has proven a steady and reliable ally in her pocket. Butting heads regularly with Thunder in terms of what Samira does, they are the defense to Thunder's offense, as well as the grounding force that keeps Samira realistic. Though sometimes, his 'grounding presence' can be described more as 'ornery stubbornness'.
Feather (Utahraptor Talon): The third fossil she collected, Feather has proven to be a menace compared to the others. The smallest in terms of raw presence, Feather's energetic and erratic personality always keeps Samira guessing what the spirit might want. Frequently, Thunder and Bulwark simply want her to disregard or get rid of Feather. Yet their abilities cannot be ignored.
Shoal (Plesiosaur Vertebrae): The fourth fossil she's converted into a Xapáaliia, and the newest to the group. Shoal was added as more of a specialty option in her kit, with him being more aligned to water than the earth she's used to. His isolated and gloomy personality confuses her sometimes, but she has yet to see any signs he is against her or any of the other medicine fathers.
Each of these rather large fossils is kept on her person at all times, tucked away into her belt. To the public, she pretends that they are replicas she keeps on hand to help teach about her passion. Any magus would be able to tell that there was something more special about them at a glance from the aura they carry. At the least, they're more durable than your standard fossil.
Skill: Paleology
Despite how obvious it is, it bears saying that Samira is considered a first-class paleontologist with all the necessary credentials, including a PhD in the subject. She is somewhat famous in the field for her discoveries, though also somewhat infamous for certain people being certain that she's stolen fossils for her collection. Even if they can never prove it, it's true. At the least, her well of knowledge is high, and she tends to be able to get into academic institutes with her credentials.
Skill: Multi-Lingual
Having traveled all across the world for her work, she's been forced to learn several languages to a conversational level. While she's most fluent in English and Crow, she's able to read and speak in Japanese and Spanish, while able to somewhat speak and understand Russian and Chinese as well.
Equipment:
Preparing for this expedition to Kyoto, she's packed only the bare essentials for her stay. A suitcase of clothes, enough money to last her a week or two, a laptop, a smartphone, and resources to help with any rituals she may need to perform.
