Atalia Segorna

Atalia Segorna

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Atalia is recorded as having been of average physical condition in all respects except in her endurance.  It was recorded in the official expedition notes that she was "often ahead of the main party, meeting us only at the agreed campsite or should she require something from the wagons."  Atalia's own writings show that she was either able to easily coexist with the Kajan tribes in their day-to-day activities including long hunts, gathering expeditions, and patrols, or was an exceptional liar about her ability.

Mental characteristics

Education

Atalia received little formal education as a child, instead learning herbalism and survival from her family. After developing an interest in history, she left her village at 13 and traveled to Cada Cratal in order to begin studying the writing craft. Although never officially enrolling in the Cada Cratal Academy of Spellwriting, Atalia was well-known around the campus and there is anecdotal evidence that she attended the odd lecture there. Instead of attending this school, Atalia studied with independent tutors around the city before eventually being taken under the wing of the historian Hed Taharr.  Under her tutelage, Atalia learnt about the historian's craft and began producing small texts assisting Hed with her research.  The first published work to bear Atalia's name was authored in the main part by Taharr, and Atalia continued to work in this role for several years.  However, Atalia abruptly departed from Hed's residences in an event recorded by multiple local newspapers, where she left in a hurry carrying her bags after a screaming match in the early hours of the morning.

Employment

After Atalia's work as an apprentice and assistant to Hed, she ceases to be a presence in Mythian society for a number of years, until she resurfaces again as part of an expedition to the swamp regions of Mythia. Setting out from the [insert name here] kingdom of the plains, the expedition was given very little fanfare at its outset. The announced intention was to examine potential sites for oilbark harvesting, and continue to examine the natural resources in the swamps. However, those who observed the expedition at its outset noted that it wasn't very well provisioned for a naturalistic study; rather, it seemed to have no discernible purpose or equipment, other than extensive wagons of food.
After this expedition, Atalia became the sole author of History of the Kajan, and retired on the earnings from this.  She has entered no significant contracts since this time, occasionally appearing as a guest lecturer or speaker in her few episodes of paid work since.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Although she is the co-author of numerous texts, Atalia's real fame is due to the fact that she is the author of the only substantial text on the Kajan. Nearly all knowledge that wider Mythia has of these people is based on the studies that Atalia carried out and documented in this book.

Mental Trauma

TW: parental neglect/abuse Show Spoiler

Some have postulated that Atalia's sometimes questionable resarch methods (see Morality) are a result of early emotional trauma as a child.  Those who lived in her village at the same time as she did when she was a child report many times when they saw her alone in the streets, often with bruises and cuts visible on her face.  Atalia had no siblings, but many suspect her parents abused her as a child, and they were not well-liked by the other members of the town.

Intellectual Characteristics

Atalia is widely regarded as having been smart, good with words and languages, and having an inquiring mind.  Her command of multiple languages attest to this, as do her writings of understanding the language of her host tribe when she was among the Kajan.  Literary analysers have pointed to Hed Taharr's works showing considerable more insight when co-authored by Atalia, implying that despite her lack of a true formal education she was still able to compete at a high level with Mythian writers.

Morality & Philosophy

Atalia's morals have come into question recently as more and more details of her methods of investigation of the Kajan have come to light.  As the Kajan continue to become more involved in wider Mythian society, their oral histories of the early contact with the plains kingdoms have become more common knowledge.  They often mention "the half-woman", and the events that involve her are consistent with the time that Atalia was present with the Kajan, leading scholars to believe that "the half-woman" is in fact Atalia herself..  These stories tell of various acts that were committed by Atalia that seem abhorrent.  Some tell of her stealing food and water and, when caught, declaring that she wished to find out how the Kajan would react, while others detail her refusal to respect Kajan custom by recording notes during sacred ceremonies.  Although many discount these stories as products of a mythologised oral tradition, it has been pointed out that the events closely parallel those told of in Atalia's History, meaning they cannot be discounted.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Atalia's motivation to work in history and eventually in anthropology is not clearly known.  Her original motivation to work in history seems likely to be more to do with wanting to leave the town of her birth than a particular desire to enter the vocation, although by nature it would have appealed to her inquiring mind.
Atalia's desire to work in anthropology is more documented, however.  The expedition from the [insert name here] kingdom has never been officially acknowledged by the government, and so it allowed Atalia to work with relative freedom in an independent environment.  Her disagreements with Hed seem to have been regarding research methods, and indeed the screaming match that preceded her eviction from Hed's house was reported to involve shouts about things being "unethical beyond the point of reason".

Known Languages

Kajan Common, Mythian Common, San Mythian,