Nerine Lyrant
affable wanderer
basics
Birth Name: Alja Revti
Goes By: Nerine Lyrant
Race: Viera (Veena)
Gender: Female
Age: 74
Eye Colour: Crimson
Hair Colour: Salmon Pink
Height: 6 fulms, 3 ilms
Weight: 181 ponze
Birthplace: Revti, Skatay Range
Birthdate: 14th Sun of the 4th Astral Moon
Occupation: Adventurer
Relationship Status: Single
Sexuality: Bisexual
Biography
Early Life
Nerine was born Alja, in the secluded Viera village of Revti, deep in the Skatay Ranges north of Dalmasca. She was the youngest of the matriarch's 3 daughters, and the three siblings bore the high expectations of their village. Faol, the eldest, had the deepest ties to the Wood and her Word, and grew into the foremost priestess of the tribe. Hatia, the middle child, took to the spear, becoming one of the village's formidable warriors. And Alja took to the hunt, using arrows and thrown weapons to down game to provide food. Together, the three were taught the sacred dances of their tribe, meant to honor and renew their connection with the wood, as was their responsibility as the matriarch's children.
Alja had no intention on leaving her village, but Garlemald forced her hand. Following the Empire's occupation of Dalmasca, units were sent into the Skatay Ranges to round up and subjugate the many Viera villages. Revti was no different, and despite their heavy losses, Garlemald managed to wipe the village from the proverbial map. The three sisters managed to escape, guided by the wood’s whispers to Faol, but with no home left to return to, they wandered lost, for a time, until each chose their steps forward, though in different directions. Faol wished to stay in the woods, as close to them as she was, and find more survivors, and perhaps rebuild their home. Hatia was burning with vengeance, and wished to join the Resistance she had heard whispers of starting in Rabanastre. Alja too, followed her sister to Rabanastre and the two set off across the desert.
The desert Sapphire
Hatia chose to keep her name after leaving the wood, fiercely proud of who she was and where she was from, while Alja replaced her name as was traditional, choosing the name Nerine Lyrant. The first name she took from an Elezen woman who helped the pair cross the Westersand to Rabanastre, while the last name she took from a storybook. Their initial life in Rabanastre was not easy; the immediate effects of the occupation made life hard, and the two had to scavenge and struggle to make ends meet. Hatia soon got tied in with the Resistance, and put the lance skills she had learned to work on the front lines, while Nerine fell into more into an information gathering position. When the higher class Garlean nobles and generals would pay money to just be in company of a Viera, it was both lucrative and informative. All she had to do was to put on a mysterious air, and listen. Nerine saved every gil she could from this, building up a deep well of savings over the many years.
The Barheim Incident was when things began to go awry for Hatia and Nerine. Garlemald took to killing suspected rebels on the spot, with no trial and afraid for her life, Nerine chose to step back from her work with the Resistance. Hatia decried her sister's cowardice, and went underground into the labyrinthine passages below the city, cutting Nerine off. She escaped Garlean attention, and started making a living as a hunter-for-hire, and as much as she desperately would check for any sign of Hatia, dead or alive, she never did find anything. After Doma's liberation, once more the people of Rabanastre rose up, and this time, the rebellion was subdued with the destruction of the city. Nerine was lucky, once again, to escape with her life, but this time, alone.
KUgane and Eorzea
Nerine fled from Dalmasca across to the nation of Hingashi, settling in Kugane, though it wasn't to be a longlived stay. The fact that Garlemald had an embassy, and was treated as an equal nation, rather than the subjugators she knew, made her uncomfortable. She wasn't able to abide it, in the end, and wary of yet again fleeing to a country that had been subjugated by Garlemald, Nerine purchased passage to Eorzea over Doma, leaving her home of Othard behind.
Her life in Eorzea started better than that in Rabanastre. With money still saved from her life there, she was able to support herself between adventuring jobs. After a time wandering the continent, Nerine chose to settle in Gridania, the Twelveswood being both a painful and comforting reminder of the woods of Revti.
Personality
Nerine is, at first glance, jovial, affable and almost flippant about life. She responds to serious situations with snark and jokes, and never seems to take things seriously. Her nature means she finds it easy to get along with most people, and she seems to treat near everyone equally, regardless of status or race. Garlean loyalists seem to illicit the nastiest reaction from her, that of pure spite and hatred, feelings that she is not afraid of showing. Despite the flippant appearance, she seems averse to risk-taking and almost cowardly in some respects
Above all else, Nerine fears losing what she cares about, and for good reason. Her homes, her tribe, her sisters, everything she has ever cared deeply for has been ripped away over the many long years. Her affable, easygoing attitude is a shield to stop people from digging deeper and trying to build a deeper relationship with her. It leaves her both desperately lonely, and still nursing her heartbreak privately
In private, Nerine is quite spiritual, still believing and revering in the goddess of her village, and despite having long ago lost the ability to hear the Green Word, still strains to listen for its voice in the Twelveswood. Sometimes, she will even take to doing her part of the dances taught to her long ago. Instead of the carefree facade, she goes over each decision and thought quite laboriously, often writing down her thoughts and plans in a journal written in Dalmascan.
Interests
Leatherworking and fletching
The quiet of the woods
Desert sands
Cooking and a good meal
Animals and animal handling
Socialising & being with a 'community'
Folk tales and fairytales
Hooks
Member of the Dalmascan Resistance: Nerine was a member of the Suncrest, one of many resistance forces in Dalmasca, until the Barheim Incident. She worked in information gathering, and lived in Dalmasca for the entirety of its occupation.
Veena of the Skatay: Other Veena who may have resided in the Skatay Ranges may have come across Nerine during the hunt, or perhaps there was trade between their villages.
Blade for Hire: Since coming to Eorzea, Nerine has been working freelance as an adventurer/mercenary. She wouldn't take jobs that were exceedingly dangerous, but, a girl has to eat.
Curious About Cuisine: Nerine has a taste for foods she's never tried before, and you can bet since arriving in Eorzea, she's been partaking of the local cuisine across the region.
Chocobo Afficionado: Given a spare bit of time in the cities, Nerine will no doubt gravitate towards the chocobo stables. She can often be found tending to her own chocobo as well, an ill-tempered boy with crimson feathers.
ooc info
I'm a 25 year old girl, and I'm in the AEST timezone (GMT+10), which makes my availability kind of...wonky at the best of times. I'm also working with some chronic health issues, which can make me even wonkier.
Still, I'm happy to RP both in game and via Discord depending on what's best for everyone, and you'll also regularly find me online running content.
You may also know me from my previous character, Lahn Aier, or through my alt characters, Nariko Katsuta & Carlin Perrault
IGN: Nerine Lyrant (Balmung)
Tumblr: laonii.tumblr.com
Discord: laoni#7352