Name: Shokrakar
Race: Tal-Vashoth
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: 5 Drakonis, 99 Blessed
Occupation: Leader of the Valo Kas mercenary company
As tall and nearly as powerfully built as the males of her race, Shokrakar nonetheless possesses a very potent set of curves that she is not averse to showing off in the right circumstances. Her hair is a deep russet, most often kept in a single thick plait that falls halfway down her back. Her left horn has been broken off and filed smooth at about a third of its length, the right about halfway; the stumps of both are a glossy black. Her facial features are striking: handsome, rather than beautiful, dominated by a wide mouth that smiles easily, a nose that has been broken so many times that it is permanently off-center, and intense golden eyes.
In defiance of the Qunari custom against tattooing, her bronzed skin is extensively inked, including her face. She is partial to geometric designs and knotwork, but she bears a few images that have significance to her. Like most mercs, she has her share of cool scars, and is happy to bare them when competitions arise. Others she won't talk about, and those who know her know not to ask. Many of her tattoos have been arranged to cover those scars.
Out of armor, she dresses simply in tunics and trews, unless she has her eye on a potential bedmate, in which case she has a couple of silk dresses tailored to her build that have gotten her banned from a few upscale establishments in Orlais. Regardless of the situation, she carries herself in the manner of one utterly and supremely at home in her own skin.
Class: Warrior
Specialization: None
Weapons & Armor: Like most good mercenaries, much of her pay has gone into her kit: heavy stormheart plate and a nevarrite greatsword, both of which she maintains in immaculate condition. She uses vitaar on her face, since her horns make helmets problematic
Languages: Qunlat (Spoken, Written), Common (Spoken, written)
Non-Combat Skills:
Two decades as a mercenary have left Shokrakar a shrewd bargainer and a practiced scrounger. She doesn't like living off of the land, but she can do so for several weeks at a time when needed. She can gamble and drink with the rowdiest of her squad, but she also enjoys dancing, and the livelier, the better.
She can maintain and repair her own weapons and armor, stitch a wound or set a bone, navigate using a map and the sun or stars. She keeps herself well informed on current events and political happenings in order to know which contracts to accept.
She is very well-spoken (though she can swear a blue streak when she wants to), but the injuries sustained in the course of multiple 're-education' attempts have affected her reading and writing ability to the point that she prefers to do both as little as possible, as it leads to skull-splitting headaches.
Combat Skills:
Shokrakar prides herself on her martial prowess, and there are few melee weapons that she can't wield proficiently (she's never bothered with bows), but she most often chooses the nevarrite greatsword from which the Valo-Kas Company takes its name.
She is also skilled in unarmed combat, and enjoys wrestling and bareknuckle competition in her down time.
In battle, she is skilled in the small unit tactics that make the best use of her company.
Larger than life is a term that is frequently used to describe Shokrakar. Boisterous, confident and outspoken, she stands out in any crowd, and will not shy away from making her opinions known. Well aware that she will never convince the average observer that she is anything more than a giant barbarian, she can play the role with relish.
To those she respects, she drops the pretense; she is no less confident and opinionated, but she is also intelligent and insightful. Having built the Valo-Kas company from the ground up, she is fiercely proud of her accomplishments and cares, deeply and passionately, for those under her command, leading from the front and never leaving the fallen behind.
She enjoys the finer things in life: good food and drink, soft beds, the feel of silk against her skin, music and dance, but also the mercenary trade that makes it possible for her to afford such pleasures. As big as many males of her race, and therefore larger than the men of other races, she is proudly female, and dons revealing dresses when it suits her without the slightest hint of self-consciousness at the display of her tattoos and scars on such occasions. What seems dichotomous to some is simply Shokrakar living her life as she wants to.
One of the few things guaranteed to spoil her mood is any mention of Qunari; her hatred of them is virulent, and if the Valo-Kas meet them in combat, she gives no quarter, though she will accept any Tal-Vashoth into the ranks without hesitation. That she has been unable to free her mind completely from the teachings that were driven into it is a source of no small frustration, but she has learned to let it slide off, consoling herself with the knowledge that she has broken free of the worst of their domination and is living her life on her own terms.
That the Maraas-Asala (empty soul) was intelligent surprised no one; she was the end product of generations of selective breeding, and all of the females in her line had become Tamassrans of noteworthy wisdom. What was unexpected, and unwelcome, was her size as she matured and the boisterous energy that she never grew out of. She was granted additional time during adolescence before beginning the specialized training that was required for her role under the Qun, but she never showed any interest in being a Tamassran, and her inattention, which no amount of discipline or re-education seemed able to correct, distracted the other students.
She wanted to fight, to be a part of the antaam, but when told that to do so, she would need to live as a male, as Aqun-Athlok, she argued that it made no sense. She was a female, she was good at fighting; was that not enough? More re-education followed, and her elders began to refer to her as Shokrakar (rebel) in disapproval. The term was one of the harshest pejoratives in a society dedicated to conformance, but the girl bore it as a badge of defiant pride, even as the re-education sessions became more brutal, depriving her of food, water, sleep, for days on end, as well physical punishments that left scars upon her flesh and mind. The only option not utilized was qamek, which would blot out the keen intellect that was considered her greatest asset, leaving her suitable as nothing but a laborer, but when her resistance continued, there was a growing consensus that it was the only avenue left.
Shokrakar knew it, and had seen what it did. She feigned capitulation, accepted the status of Aqun-Athlok, and trained as a warrior, answering to Sataari. She more than fulfilled her potential in this role, and the Arishok was pleased, but in the privacy of her own mind, she never stopped calling herself Shokrakar, gaining skills and biding her time. During an engagement on Seheron, she deserted but found that the Tal-Vashoth that inhabited the north of the island were mainly those that had been driven to near insanity by the ceaseless combat against Tevinter and the natives of Seheron, along with the unyielding demands of the Qun. It took some weeks before she was able to gain passage on a ship that took her to Llomeryn. She spent several years selling her sword as a freelance mercenary, learning from every company that she worked with while refusing to sign permanently with any of them. Being Tal-Vashoth and female set her doubly apart.
She frequently encountered others like herself: Tal-Vashoth who had made the conscious choice to break from the restrictions of the Qun, rather than abandoning it from madness, and realized that she was not the aberration that her elders had made her feel that she was. Starting a mercenary company of her own, composed solely of Tal-Vashoth and Vashoth, seemed a long shot at best, but she applied herself to the task with her customary determination, and the Valo-Kas eventually earned a reputation as a disciplined and formidable group that was the antithesis of the crazed, savage Tal-Vashoth that the term raised in most minds. Their growing fame was accompanied by a heavy bounty on any members offered by the Qunari, double for their leader. Shokrakar responded by keeping the Valo-Kas out of conflicts in the north, finding plenty of work in the southern kingdoms.
The Conclave initially seemed like a gravy job: stand around and look intimidating to keep templars and mages from going at each other. All of that changed in a flash of green light and a thunderous explosion that obliterated the Temple of Sacred Ashes and the half of the Valo-Kas that had been on active duty at the time. The rest were scattered in the resulting confusion, some of them taken prisoner by nobles who seemed to blame them for the catastrophe. It took time for Shokrakar to discover that the quiet but competent Vashoth that she'd recruited in the Free Marches a few years back was now known as the Herald of Andraste and working for something called the Inquisition.
Fortunately, Sati hadn't hit her head too hard when she fell out of the Fade, and convinced her new associates to help her old comrades-in-arms (and finally get them paid, to boot). With what remained of her company restored to her and a client willing to pay well for their services (fighting demons! and dragons! and other cool shit!) close at hand, Shokrakar remained affiliated with the Inquisition until Corypheus was defeated, then accepted Varric's offer to supplement the city guard in Kirkwall. Less cool shit to fight, but the accommodations were much more comfortable than camping out
She was beyond incensed at the Qunari attempt to assassinate the leaders of the southern nations, so much so that Solas revealing that he had caused the Breach and intended to do even worse before relieving Sati of her arm barely qualified as an anticlimax. Nonetheless, she is quite ready to back up the Inquisitor in whatever ass-kicking is needed. That's what friends are for, right?
Race: Tal-Vashoth
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: 5 Drakonis, 99 Blessed
Occupation: Leader of the Valo Kas mercenary company
As tall and nearly as powerfully built as the males of her race, Shokrakar nonetheless possesses a very potent set of curves that she is not averse to showing off in the right circumstances. Her hair is a deep russet, most often kept in a single thick plait that falls halfway down her back. Her left horn has been broken off and filed smooth at about a third of its length, the right about halfway; the stumps of both are a glossy black. Her facial features are striking: handsome, rather than beautiful, dominated by a wide mouth that smiles easily, a nose that has been broken so many times that it is permanently off-center, and intense golden eyes.
In defiance of the Qunari custom against tattooing, her bronzed skin is extensively inked, including her face. She is partial to geometric designs and knotwork, but she bears a few images that have significance to her. Like most mercs, she has her share of cool scars, and is happy to bare them when competitions arise. Others she won't talk about, and those who know her know not to ask. Many of her tattoos have been arranged to cover those scars.
Out of armor, she dresses simply in tunics and trews, unless she has her eye on a potential bedmate, in which case she has a couple of silk dresses tailored to her build that have gotten her banned from a few upscale establishments in Orlais. Regardless of the situation, she carries herself in the manner of one utterly and supremely at home in her own skin.
Class: Warrior
Specialization: None
Weapons & Armor: Like most good mercenaries, much of her pay has gone into her kit: heavy stormheart plate and a nevarrite greatsword, both of which she maintains in immaculate condition. She uses vitaar on her face, since her horns make helmets problematic
Languages: Qunlat (Spoken, Written), Common (Spoken, written)
Non-Combat Skills:
Two decades as a mercenary have left Shokrakar a shrewd bargainer and a practiced scrounger. She doesn't like living off of the land, but she can do so for several weeks at a time when needed. She can gamble and drink with the rowdiest of her squad, but she also enjoys dancing, and the livelier, the better.
She can maintain and repair her own weapons and armor, stitch a wound or set a bone, navigate using a map and the sun or stars. She keeps herself well informed on current events and political happenings in order to know which contracts to accept.
She is very well-spoken (though she can swear a blue streak when she wants to), but the injuries sustained in the course of multiple 're-education' attempts have affected her reading and writing ability to the point that she prefers to do both as little as possible, as it leads to skull-splitting headaches.
Combat Skills:
Shokrakar prides herself on her martial prowess, and there are few melee weapons that she can't wield proficiently (she's never bothered with bows), but she most often chooses the nevarrite greatsword from which the Valo-Kas Company takes its name.
She is also skilled in unarmed combat, and enjoys wrestling and bareknuckle competition in her down time.
In battle, she is skilled in the small unit tactics that make the best use of her company.
To those she respects, she drops the pretense; she is no less confident and opinionated, but she is also intelligent and insightful. Having built the Valo-Kas company from the ground up, she is fiercely proud of her accomplishments and cares, deeply and passionately, for those under her command, leading from the front and never leaving the fallen behind.
She enjoys the finer things in life: good food and drink, soft beds, the feel of silk against her skin, music and dance, but also the mercenary trade that makes it possible for her to afford such pleasures. As big as many males of her race, and therefore larger than the men of other races, she is proudly female, and dons revealing dresses when it suits her without the slightest hint of self-consciousness at the display of her tattoos and scars on such occasions. What seems dichotomous to some is simply Shokrakar living her life as she wants to.
One of the few things guaranteed to spoil her mood is any mention of Qunari; her hatred of them is virulent, and if the Valo-Kas meet them in combat, she gives no quarter, though she will accept any Tal-Vashoth into the ranks without hesitation. That she has been unable to free her mind completely from the teachings that were driven into it is a source of no small frustration, but she has learned to let it slide off, consoling herself with the knowledge that she has broken free of the worst of their domination and is living her life on her own terms.
She wanted to fight, to be a part of the antaam, but when told that to do so, she would need to live as a male, as Aqun-Athlok, she argued that it made no sense. She was a female, she was good at fighting; was that not enough? More re-education followed, and her elders began to refer to her as Shokrakar (rebel) in disapproval. The term was one of the harshest pejoratives in a society dedicated to conformance, but the girl bore it as a badge of defiant pride, even as the re-education sessions became more brutal, depriving her of food, water, sleep, for days on end, as well physical punishments that left scars upon her flesh and mind. The only option not utilized was qamek, which would blot out the keen intellect that was considered her greatest asset, leaving her suitable as nothing but a laborer, but when her resistance continued, there was a growing consensus that it was the only avenue left.
Shokrakar knew it, and had seen what it did. She feigned capitulation, accepted the status of Aqun-Athlok, and trained as a warrior, answering to Sataari. She more than fulfilled her potential in this role, and the Arishok was pleased, but in the privacy of her own mind, she never stopped calling herself Shokrakar, gaining skills and biding her time. During an engagement on Seheron, she deserted but found that the Tal-Vashoth that inhabited the north of the island were mainly those that had been driven to near insanity by the ceaseless combat against Tevinter and the natives of Seheron, along with the unyielding demands of the Qun. It took some weeks before she was able to gain passage on a ship that took her to Llomeryn. She spent several years selling her sword as a freelance mercenary, learning from every company that she worked with while refusing to sign permanently with any of them. Being Tal-Vashoth and female set her doubly apart.
She frequently encountered others like herself: Tal-Vashoth who had made the conscious choice to break from the restrictions of the Qun, rather than abandoning it from madness, and realized that she was not the aberration that her elders had made her feel that she was. Starting a mercenary company of her own, composed solely of Tal-Vashoth and Vashoth, seemed a long shot at best, but she applied herself to the task with her customary determination, and the Valo-Kas eventually earned a reputation as a disciplined and formidable group that was the antithesis of the crazed, savage Tal-Vashoth that the term raised in most minds. Their growing fame was accompanied by a heavy bounty on any members offered by the Qunari, double for their leader. Shokrakar responded by keeping the Valo-Kas out of conflicts in the north, finding plenty of work in the southern kingdoms.
The Conclave initially seemed like a gravy job: stand around and look intimidating to keep templars and mages from going at each other. All of that changed in a flash of green light and a thunderous explosion that obliterated the Temple of Sacred Ashes and the half of the Valo-Kas that had been on active duty at the time. The rest were scattered in the resulting confusion, some of them taken prisoner by nobles who seemed to blame them for the catastrophe. It took time for Shokrakar to discover that the quiet but competent Vashoth that she'd recruited in the Free Marches a few years back was now known as the Herald of Andraste and working for something called the Inquisition.
Fortunately, Sati hadn't hit her head too hard when she fell out of the Fade, and convinced her new associates to help her old comrades-in-arms (and finally get them paid, to boot). With what remained of her company restored to her and a client willing to pay well for their services (fighting demons! and dragons! and other cool shit!) close at hand, Shokrakar remained affiliated with the Inquisition until Corypheus was defeated, then accepted Varric's offer to supplement the city guard in Kirkwall. Less cool shit to fight, but the accommodations were much more comfortable than camping out
She was beyond incensed at the Qunari attempt to assassinate the leaders of the southern nations, so much so that Solas revealing that he had caused the Breach and intended to do even worse before relieving Sati of her arm barely qualified as an anticlimax. Nonetheless, she is quite ready to back up the Inquisitor in whatever ass-kicking is needed. That's what friends are for, right?
