Mari Rosuto

Mari Rosuto (a.k.a. The Desert Hound)

Mari Rosuto heralds from the outskirts of the Savage Wastes. Entering the local guard as part of a conscription process due to a lack of manpower to defend against Gnoll raids. As years passed, she gained more skills and battle prowess and the village became more secure as it's population increased. Eventually she left for the coasts to receive more training in her martial skills. When she returned the village was gone. With nothing left to protect, she too left the wastes. Mari now finds herself in the employ of a mercenary group centered in Agharti.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Well toned with well defined muscle groupings.

Body Features

Mari has multiple scars on her body. While most seem to be from claw marks there is a visual history of gnoll bites and bladed weaponry.

Facial Features

Mari's face is oriental as befitting of her home nation Her features are sharp and when at rest looks completely disappointed.

Physical quirks

Mari's various injuries over the years have led to her body being stiffer with scar tissue. Her eyes are also slowly going bad.

Special abilities

She is human. Nothing more, nothing less.

Apparel & Accessories

Mari often wears a mask of a black dog. While it represented her family's crest, she now uses it as a piece of her armor. She can be seen wearing a gamberson coat with at least one side arm attached to her belt. Her colors are white and yellow.
More casually she has a high yellow scarf, a white tunic, black pants, and reading glasses.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Mari was born in the human nation of Canjian. Her parents, being of a poorer position took part in a mining expedition into the Savage Wastes just after Mari's first birthday. The expedition settled a suitable area on the outer areas of the Savage Wastes and established the village known as Haruka. The village was besieged by Gnoll raids throughout it's existence but very few made it through the village's defenses.
Growing up, Mari would help her mother, Naomi, preform her tasks of a housewife such as cooking, cleaning, and sewing. Later responsibilities included taking care of her younger brother who would be born five years after Mari. Life remained relatively stable for the village. Mari's father, Fuji, would guard the walls as it's captain. Mari would stay home with her mother and baby brother, Taka. Throughout her childhood Mari heard stories of the place her parents came from. A far off land with lush green forests and silver tipped mountains that her mother bragged had ripened apples sweeter then honey. The salted air and bustling cacophony of different races in the man-made jungles of the places her father was stationed. Other stories of long lived elegant creatures similar to humans and people with the features of animals came and went with the odd traveling merchant. These rumors would have a profound effect on Mari's imagination of a world beyond the desert. The young girl would often find herself pretending to be an explorer with the other children of the village. Taka too, would pretend to be an explorer, serving as the imaginary cook of the group. The sands would be ocean waves and the cellar under their home a dark cave full of mysteries. The siblings and the other children would dream of visiting those far away lands. However, they were never allowed to wander far from Haruka and for good reasons.
Although her parents wanted to groom Mari into proper wife the opportunity never came. Circumstance dictated that Mari was to be conscripted into the local militia at the age of 15 after one major Gnoll raid broke through the village's defenses. The attack left a lack of able bodied men for both village defenses and mining operations so actions were taken to keep the village productive.
Mari's first battle occurred two months after the first major attack. Stationed on the flank with the rest of the conscripted militia by her father in an attempt to keep her safe and with only basic spear training, the battle was chaotic at best. The front of the village, where the professional guards were station held strong against the main force. The flanks were quite different. A total of 12 Gnolls attacked the village flank and routed nearly 30 members of the militia. Mari was one of the few who didn't route. Instead she froze, unable to move or turn away from the incoming threat. Only when a Gnoll sank it's teeth into her did she finally move. It was a feeble resistance. The flat of the spear merely patting the gnoll on the side. Had her father not seen the route into the village and responded in time, she would have died. Her father used her wounds as an excuse to keep her off the walls, which worked for a time, but eventually he was forced to place her back in the militia.
As basic supplies such as food and wood had to be brought into the village the population would always be strained. The desert had viable water wells and was rich in metals but that was all. The land was dead and barren. The repairs were slow and the lightly defended supply convoys made easy targets for the Gnolls. The villagers, out of necessity were forced to lead more regimented lives. Rationing and curfews became common.
The lack of regularly arriving convoys and the continuation of gnoll raids ranging in size led to the militia developing their own armor and weapons. Arms and armor would be recycled. They would be pried from the corpses of others, repaired, resized, and given to those who remained. Most militia after the first year were used to making their own unique arsenal. No uniformity could be seen amongst them. If an onlooker glanced at Haruka's militia they would dismiss it as a untrained mob. At that point however, they could be considered among the best equipped of human militia.
Mari was initally hesitant about making such tools. She could feel the Gnoll's phantom teeth sharply imbedding themselves in her flesh. She retreated into herself and did her best to smile when spoken to. Her father let her, afraid of pushing Mari too far. The Gnolls would push her anyway.
Mari's father spent much of his time searching for the Gnoll's clan grounds and a possible location was determined. Unfortunately the lack of manpower made it unrealistic to send out an expedition. Her father would never get the chance to mount such a thing anyway. He was killed outside the walls, defending a convoy of much needed food, and the expedition died with him. Mari and her brother, Taka, buried him in their backyard. Mari's mother became a shell of herself, sitting in front of the grave stone of her husband. Taka moved into her place to cook and maintain the house. Mari had considered running away, chasing those stories her parents told, but when met with the perfect chance to do so, she put on her armor, grabbed her spear, and stationed herself on the walls.
The young woman took an active part the this process of customizing her war gear. It was a trial and error experience for her but she had made her own spear by the time she was 17. As time passed she began to create more refined arms and armor. Using the tools and materials around her she added more to her armor and weaponry. With each battle she further honed her skills, gained more scars, and getting used to the sight of dismembered friends and enemies. Her mind became entirely focused on surviving the next battle and she soon forgot her dream.
It became customary for members to design their faceplates after the animal their family associated with. Hawks, bears, snakes, and all sorts of creatures were forged into steel masks and worn by the milita. Mari made her own mask imitating a hound. A forged steel plate painted black. When her brother came of age, she made a mask for him as well.
The village did eventually stabilize by the time Mari was 21. The population of the village grew and the rationing and curfew were lifted. The militia swelled in numbers and Haruka was once again considered secure. A few of her childhood friends who survived the battles with her considered leaving the village for the coasts of Canijan, the nation their parents came from. With the village secured, most left. Some to start their own families after losing their own at Haruka. Others simply wanted to try something other then fighting. Mari, was one of the few to stay. Her mother and brother still remained alive and well. Although her conscription ended, she decided to stay in the militia as one of it's captains. Had her brother not urged her to leave, she would have remained. Of course the urging of the other captains who grew up fighting with Mari may have also influenced her decision to leave.
When met with the opportunity to leave, Mari hesitantly left to a martial monastery called Youyong. It was the same one her father trained at decades ago. Taken under a teacher named Zhao, an old comrade of her father's, she began her training for the next 5 years. There she mastered more then just simple weapons. She became proficient in bows, great weapons, and proper polearms. Her technical skills in modifying arms and armor began to rival professional blacksmiths here as well.
While in this city by the sea, Mari often wandered around in common garb. She visited everything from the gardens to the bustling markets. Mari often found herself admiring the wares of artisan shops specializing in weapons and armor. As the years passed though, Mari began to pay attention to things other then the items pertaining to the art of war. It took a few letters from her brother for Mari to realize that she was living her dream. The salted air and the green forests where there for her to admire. The people were varying in background and rich with their own stories. While Mari continued to train intensively, she began to try various new things.
At 23 Mari got drunk and participated in a bar fight with goliaths and orcs. This did not go well. A few months later Mari attempted swimming. The season this was done in was jellyfish season. This did not go well. Mari once attempted eating mushrooms. This was attempted on the third story of a tavern. This too, did not go well.
Of course the young woman did find some positivity in her experience. The culinary of the city was far more flavorful and varied then the meals she was used to. Her favorite being the chocolate cake. That being said her own attempts at cooking went rather poorly. She also attempted to take up painting to varying success. In addition, the city's library offered much in the stories she wished to read. Far off fantastical lands still stimulated her imagination and desire to travel to those lands. In fact she often spent more time reading then actual training in her last years at the monastery. Much of her training was completed in the first four years. The remaining one was mostly ceremonial and basic practice.
Mari kept in touch with her brother quite often initially but letters between the two became more of informing each other about the events in their lives. While Mari was training, Taka had married and was already expecting his first child by the time Mari was 25. Mari's brother had invited her to come home and celebrate but as her pen touched paper, she realized that she did not want to go home. Using the excuse of being in the middle of important training, she refused but sent her congratulations.
A sour sense of shame came over her for lying about her actions but she would see them in less then a six months anyway when her time at the monastery would officially end. The letter did get Mari thinking of starting a family. It was an idea she considered but regarded it as too far out of reach. She was already on the older side and her body was covered in scars. Her field of work was not exactly the safest and her desires did not keep her in one place. In the end, she decided that a life alone would be for the best.
When her time at the monastery ended she thanked Zhao and said goodbye to her peers. A small party was thrown for her before she left. Mari took a horse back to the village. She took her new armor, weaponry, and a few books. A letter describing her return was sent out a week earlier. The young woman looked forward to seeing the new family Taka wrote highly about. The nephew he praised as adorable and the wife he described as reliable.
Mari would never get the chance to meet them. When she arrived, she found the blackened, smoldering remains of Haruka. The burnt houses and splintered wood were illuminated under the silver light of a full moon. Shifting through the ruins of her old home she found the letter she had written. It was partially burned and partially covered in blood. The blood was a day old.
There were many partially eaten corpses, human and Gnoll. The metal masks the militia wore were littered on the village grounds. Some were still attached to their owners while others lacked their owners. This sight alone gave enough desire for a hunt but it was solidified when Mari came across a black blooded dog mask. Mari found the few maps that survived the attack in her father's study and quickly located the supposed location of Gnoll's clan grounds. Donning her armor, sherushed out, intending on exterminating her life long enemies. She found them and under the cover of darkness, and a thankful prayer to her father, set traps and prepared for her assault.
When the dust settled, Mari discovered human remains deep in the clan grounds. Some bodies more intact then others. It was impossible to identify any of them due to the damage each body suffered but Mari brought them back to the village anyway. There were hundreds of villagers but Mari could only find just over 60 bodies.
Intending to bury them in the front of the village, Mari cleared off the cellar door buried in rubble to grab a shovel. Inside though, next to the shovel, she found two small babies, wrapped up in a blanket and partially hidden. She checked them and both seemed to be alive and well. Taking the twins out and loading them onto her horse, Mari proceeded to dig the graves in the center of Haruka. The family crests and metal masks were gathered from each house and placed before the graves.
As the sun rose on the horizon, Mari departed Haruka, intending on delivering the children to Youyong. Along the trip back, she cared for her nephews as she did for her brother just over two decades ago. When she arrived at the monastery Zhao was confused at first but accepted to caring for the two babies without many questions. Mari soon left, intending on avoiding her nephews. She left them with a family crest, their father's mask, and a sizable amount of gold.
Mari took on the name Rosuto after she left the monastery and left behind her father's name out of guilt. For the next year she would find herself doing odd jobs. She saw new sights, fought new foes, and did come to terms with the loss of her family but never stopped blaming herself for what happened.
Using her old dream of seeing the world, Mari found herself wandering Canjiun and then lands beyond the borders of her home nation. As she neared the age of 27 she found herself working regularly with a large mercenary group based in Agarthi, an island city. Eventually, Mari joined the group with the intent on using it to travel the world and see fantastical sights like the old stories.

Gender Identity

Mari identifies as a woman.

Sexuality

Straight

Education

Mari Rosuto has her education based mostly in experience. Over a decade of fighting and surviving further honed by Youyong monestary's Master Zhao have turned the woman into a capable warrior. She also has some attempts at painting with some degrees of success. This is also self taught.

Employment

Mari currently finds herself in the employ of the mercenary group known as the Luminaries.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Mari is quite adept at killing gnolls. She is among the best warriors from Haruka and among the pupils of Zhao.

Failures & Embarrassments

Mari finds herself being unable to cook very well. She can make simple dishes but will often find herself burning food.

Mental Trauma

Mari blames herself for what happened to her brother and his family. Had she returned to help take care of the children she could have been their to aid in the village's defense.
She is also extremely desensitized to the gore of the battlefield.

Morality & Philosophy

Mari meets a problem with a pragmatic and logical solution. Through careful planning, some patience, and the right tools, you can do anything.
She also believes that improving one's self and pursuing one's dreams should take priority before anything else.

Mari is a ordinary human who, through a select skillset and a survivor's mentality, found new purpose in exploring the world after an immeasurable loss.

View Character Profile

Alignment

True Neutral

Age

28

Birthplace

Haruka Village

Current Residence

Agharti

Gender

Female

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Black

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale

Height

6'1"

Weight

156 Lbs

Known Languages

Common, Beastspeech