Clair Nolatari
From Reydala
Clair immigrated along with her family from the Walstad border when she was just a child. Her elven father was a retired soldier and now wealthy merchant who found business in Nuln was more attractive. Her human mother was a retired guild member, but she would not find that out until she was to actually apply for membership. The desire for adventure seemed ingrained in her blood, even as a child she would be constantly exploring surrounding forests. Though her father was initially troubled, eventually her parents would relent and allow her to join the guild's junior division at Todare.
After being a star performer for several of her years she would rise to become a full guild member after her seventeenth year. She began as any other member, taking routine escort missions around Nuln, seeing much of the surrounding region. She would rise up the ranks quickly and few would question her ability. She soon found herself in the place of mentoring new members herself, many which were twice her age (and in the case of the elven population, sometimes quadruple).
During this period she would often find herself on missions with Nilhean, one of the other up and coming members of the Todare guild. They now found themselves promoted together and transferred all the way to the largest Freehaven guild. It was leaving behind everything they knew and making a new home somewhere else.
Neither of them had any problems with this.
They had already boarded a train to Freehaven, the scenery outside the train zipping past their windows, sitting across from each other in a mostly uninhabited car.
Nilhead appeared a little apprehensive. "Hey.. You been to Freehaven before?"
Clair tapped her chin. "Mmm, twice I think, when my father had business there.. Of course, it's been awhile since then, I was just a kid."
"Damn, I never got to go anywhere as a kid, my dad just wanted me to be fishing all the time..
"It's not all that great, you're constantly getting uprooted all the time and just have to deal with it. Practically have to restart your life in another time, another place."
"...Sounds like what we're doing now."
"I guess you're right..." Clair looked out the window a bit wistfully. She had never minded too much in the past, but this trip felt a bit more significant, home had never felt so far away. "You worried about settling in at freehaven?" She voiced her own concerns.
"I know it'll turn out well enough, I know at least one person, right? The guild there is what worries me."
"Eh?... The guild?"
"It's the biggest office there right? It's gotta be filled with great hero types! There might be no room for me to shine!"
Clair laughed. "As if you ever shone in Todare. No matter your rank or ability, the guild will still have work for you to do. Freehaven has the largest reach of the guilds, even international missions can take off from there."
"Woah, so we could be sent across the world?"
"Eventually... but our rank is still low for that sort of thing. It'll probably be back to the usual for us."
"It can't be the usual, everything will be entirely different, it's a huge city!"
"Tedium can be found everywhere, Nilhean."
"Yeah, but... Even tedium can be fun in a new place, and the city has to have alot of stuff to keep one interested. I mean, why would so many people live there?"
"Well certainly more than Elshing..."
"Hey, Elshing was a great place to live! I gave it near sixty years!"
"So why'd you leave?"
"A man has to grow up and see the world, y'know, I figure I'll wander around for a few decades and then go back to fishing."
"...You always say you hate fishing."
"It's a metaphor. Anyway, why'd you leave on this promotion? You still got family in Todare right?"
Clair was quiet for a bit, speaking softly. "Why did I?.. Though I traveled the world with them, I've never really be on my own before... I constantly tried to get away from the city as a kid, but always knew that home was waiting when I got back.."
Nilhean suddenly looked suprised, crossing his arms. "Hey, are you having second thoughts?"
"I think it's only natural to have second thoughts at a time like this... and I just remembered, you were the one who kept pushing me to get promoted!"
"Was I?... Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, I don't think about those things too much. There comes a time when you gotta get out on your own though."
"You're not worried at all?"
"No time to be worried, just gotta push on through, right? It's like in f...adventuring! Sometimes you just gotta get out there in your boat and hope the storm doesen't come"
"...You switched the name, but not the content"
"...It still applies!"
Clair went quiet for a moment again, softly saying "Yeah I guess so..." as she stared out her window. One of the new Kasser prototype flying ships was in the sky across the way, hovering amongst the clouds. It seemed like a sign they were reaching Freehaven. Like this trip it was something strange, unusual, something that doesen't really make sense. Nilhean never seemed to care, she wondered if she should try to emulate him.
"And hey..." Nilhean said after a long silence. "It doesen't matter how far you go, home will still be waiting when you get back, right?"
Clair smiled a bit, looking forward toward the front of the train and toward the future. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. You can't walk if you're afraid of tripping, after all. We'll make this our new home."
Nilhean nodded. "That's the spirit! Show them what Elshing is made of!"
Clair looked at Nilhean. "I'm not from Elshing..."
Nilhean seemed undaunted, "You're strong in heart, mind, and body. So I'm ninety-nine percent sure you were made there."
"Don't let facts get in our way, huh?"
"Now you're getting it! That's the way that leads to victory!"
Clair laughed again. Nilhean was always great at motivating people. She wondered if he'd be a commander one day. Her previous worries and concerns were still there, she knew, but somehow it all seemed alright.
"Just keep on walking forward, no matter what." She echoed in her mind as the train neared the tunnel that was Freehaven station.
Character Sheet
Level: 7 | Class: Rogue | Paragon Path: N/A | Epic Destiny: N/A | |||||
Race: Half Elf | Size: Medium | Age: 25 | Gender: Female | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 115 lb. | Alignment: Unaligned | Deity: Ragnae | Origin: Walstad |
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