Kemena
Submitted by Kara on July 10, 2008 - 11:08am Full Name: Kemena Nicknames: Kem, Kemmie, Little Field Mouse, Little Snow Mouse
Age: 20Race: half-Cimmerian, half....Zingaran?
Gender: Female
Hair: Black
Skin: Light Tan
Eyes: Lightgreen, shading to hazel
Height: 5'3
Weight: 110 pounds.
Sexual Orientation: Chaste
Facial Markings: None Place of Residence: Fort Invicta, across the valley from Caenna, in the far south of Poitain
Place of Birth: The windmill outside Caenna
Known Relatives: Foster-siblings Aurelius Maxtentius, Tereska Maxtentius, Hrothguard Skaldurr (slowly becoming known that Hrothguard is her half-brother also), foster-uncle Claudius Maxtentius
Group/Guild Affiliations: Invicta
Guild Rank if available: Herald
Religion/Philosophy: Devoted to Mitra in a quiet personal way
Occupation: Herald...messenger for Invicta, both internally and externally. And herbalist
Weapons of Choice: Light sword/long dagger
Professions: Recently initiated as a priestess of Mitra. Studying alchemy and building plans to aid Invicta
Enemies: None save those that attack her familyLikes: Beautiful scents, especially roses
Favorite Foods: Apricots, oranges, peaches, apples, Poitainian cheeses with a handful of olives or grapes
Favorite Drinks: Fruit juices, water, Poitainian wine
Favorite Colors: White, green, skyblueDislikes: The loud, the frightening and, though trying to keep it buried, Setites and black magicians
Hobbies: Weaving flower garlands, listening to tales
Physical Features: Youthful and pretty, with clear soft skin. Athletic once more now she roams the Poitainian countryside again. Tattoo on left upper arm: Mitra Protects
Special Abilities: Keen sense of smell, slightly shortsighted
Positive Personality Traits: Modest, gentle, kind. Organised and practical. Devoted to family
Negative Personality Traits: Tends to blame herself, overly shy, slow to react
Misc. Quirks: Twists the ends of her cloak or rearranges the contents of her pack when agitated
History:
Comes from Poitain, the land of chivalry, and in many ways has been sheltered from much of life in Hyboria till recently Born to the local herbalist and raised by her and her husband the miller till she was 10 when her mother disappeared and the miller was found swinging from a beam in the windmill. Taken in as fostersister to Aurelius, Hrothguard (and the absent Tereska, her closest friend by then a novice in training). Sent away at 14 to Tarantia to train with Tereska. Learned some months back that she and Hrothguard share the same father. Recently returned and following her family as best she can though often far out of her depth.
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Kemena Updates
Some updates:
None now call her Little Field Mouse as she is starting to grow and mature, even giving orders on occasion as her confidence increases.
Many now call her Lady Kemena, though she is still a little uncomfortable with that.
Sister-in-law now to Tereska Skaldurr. Betrothed herself to Aurelius Maxtentius
Skin kept soft and supple with the many lotions and potions she makes, though muscles and some minimal callousing speak of the many long hours spent chopping trees and shaping lumber and stone to build Fort Invicta.
Growing into her role as Herald, assisting the line officers of Invicta, hosting gatherings in Tesso, receiving messages, negotiating for supplies, speaking out on behalf of Invicta when no other senior officer is present.
Working hard again to increase the strength of Fort Invicta after a short rest to celebrate her betrothal. Also, much involved in preparations for her upcoming nuptials, the wedding set for 3rd October.
"None now call her Little
"None now call her Little Field Mouse"
She will always be my Little Field Mouse. :)
Saving this here from the
Saving this here from the Hyper forum thread.
Kemena is a Basque girl's name meaning Brave/Courage.
Poitain fills the position on an overlaid map of Europe/Hyboria of Navarre, the Basque country, that was sometime subsidiary kingdom to early France. Like Navarre/Catalonia, the area is regarded askance by the rest of the kingdom, being on the far side of the great range of the Poitainian Mountains (a la Pyrenees), and open to influences from Zingara (chivalry especially), Argos, Ophir.
Partly her tale is meant to be a meditation on the meaning of Bravery, an exploration of different aspects of it, mostly non-physical. Will she demonstrate it? Started with the backstory of having failed once in her eyes in her past at a critical moment.
The personality comes largely from someone I know in real life who is a member of a very strict sect that subjugates women as second-class to men. Yet she is very devout and very happy in her life, striving to do much in the way of "good works". Mitran religion seems very patriarchal from all the iconography, various bits of information I have picked up, all the chief priests being male etc. So that seems to fit, creating a second theme of exploring life in Hyboria from the point of view of someone essentially good but naive, and happy at her lot in life.... and then seeing what changes may happen when pivotal moments come.
And also, though in some ways resolved now, there was early on the tension between her love for her god and her love for Aurelius, the man she thought she would never have. Like another woman I know, who is very devout yet happily married to an agnostic, there are still possibilities to explore there.
Other influences too, including the theme of how people can turn to religion in times of adversity (in Kemena's case losing parents at age 10, one to suicide the other disappeared), based on another friend of mine. And also, a child I cared for a while, who retreated into silence at a great shock, becoming very hesitant with periods of agitation.
Kemena's face I based on a montage of Michelle Pfeiffer's (from Ladyhawke), my sister's and that of a friend of mine from university.