Rusk Shardskar

Personal History

Rusk's origin is a mystery to everyone she knows, including herself. It was two short and confusing years ago that she first awoke, pulling herself from the earth and into a dense forest far from the closest sign of civilization. Upon examining herself, she was as surprised as a newborn would be were they to suddenly discover their own body for the first time: she was a petite, yet miraculously powerful woman. She had muddy brown hair which had become as long and unkempt as it would were it to keep growing for ages, with shockingly cold, grayish skin seemingly which was rigidly formed of the same shale and limestone rock she emerged from. She was also learned that she was far from helpless. Somehow she was armed with the knowledge and skill set of a ferocious fighter, with natural battle instincts which seemed to come to her so regularly that it almost frightened her. In an effort to ease her discomfort she quickly began fashioning a weapon from her surroundings, feeling spartan without extra weight and assurance having one would grant her. She made herself an unwieldy looking hammer with a head crafted of sheer stone, and a great big one at that, to crush any sense of apprehension that lingered in her system.
From here she started to tour the area, wandering the thick forest in a quest to discover more about what it was she supposedly already knew. Over a few short days, she learned that she was actually quite proficient in scavenging the land and in the building of campfires, and she could secure shelter for herself while still making a decent pace day-in and day-out. It wasn't too long on her journey of personal discovery when she stumbled upon her first village. The first contact with any civilization she'd made as far as she could recall. This granted her a small measure of relief, as she seemingly aware of the potential consequences of spending too much time alone in the wilderness, and so she yearned to make contact with whatever humanoids lived in this place. What she didn't realize until she had already approached the small forest community was that it was currently being terrorized by a rabid creature known as an Owlbear. A ferocious, powerfully muscled and terrifying monster that could tear a man to shreds with one swipe of its long hooked claws. One which had coincidentally picked this same day to try and extend its own territory.
A terrifying, yet quick and savage fight came to a head, one which saw Rusk as the victor over the beast as she eventually collapsed to her own wounds. For three days she slept, surrounded by physicians from the village she had saved. When she awoke, the villagers still wore expressions of shock as they studied her reactions closely. When they asked her for her name, even she was astonished that she had an answer for that question. "Rusk", and "Shardskar", were two names that she'd remembered, and so she resolved that they must've be her own. The people who took her in felt culpable after learning of her missing memory, initially thinking it to be a side-effect of her battle with the owlbear. The community, despite not having much to give had already decided to take responsibility for her and welcomed her to stay among them in the small village she learned later was named Menlow. Graciously she accepted their offer, using this as a chance to learn as much as she could. Not only about herself, but of the world itself and the myriad questions which were beginning to populate her every thought. As months went by Rusk began to feel a sense of duty to the people of Menlow, and felt remarkably comfortable in acting as their guardian and protector. The seniors among the communities' small militia were surprised by her proficiency with weapons and tactics; and those who thought to extend to her an invitation to their morning drills unwittingly wound up becoming her pupils for the next few weeks. Using what she was gradually relearning, she worked with the village to reform it and make it a safer place than it was on the day she arrived. Even though there was a sense of accomplishment in living alongside the people of Menlow, her mind was still not at peace. The empty portions of her mind were beginning to nag at her, and there was a steady hunger for battle growing inside of her. A need she found quite disturbing, but was still unable to ignore. A need to feel the thrill of a fight: to be one mistake away from death, and to experience the sense of overwhelming victory achieved by crushing ones enemies.
Troubled by these thoughts, Rusk approached the elders of the village for guidance. To her surprise, the elders had already prepared for this eventually. Knowing that Rusk would eventually leave Menlow, the revealed to her a secret which was marked upon her own body. They told her of discovery made by the doctor's had treated her wounds from the owlbear's attack. A strange yet strikingly purposeful marking that resided on her back. Her skin bore a number of markings, blue snaking patterns which seemed to stretch further each day, but which seemingly extended from this much larger pattern which started just below her shoulders. Outlined in blue, the spaces in-between which revealed her natural skin tone bore the uncanny resemblance a large circular tree, with branches which swept down deep enough to connect with the long its long roots, entwining one another. The elder's referred to the mark as "the Ghost Tree", an ancient symbol used in association with many sylvan cultures which worshiped spirits, fairies, and the trees themselves. For what purpose the mark appeared on her back they did not know however. The mystery of this mark was enough of an excuse for Rusk, who had already decided it was time to leave. She made her goodbyes to the people of Menlow, who imparted what goods they could to prepare her for this new journey and watched their hero set out into the world.

Meeting Theodore

At some point on her travels Rusk came across a struggling wizard's apprentice by the name of Theodore. His teacher's had thrust him into the world in order to gain practical experience in using magic, or by Theodore's own description: "He needed to complete at least one quest". To Rusk, Theodore seemed just as lost on his own journey as she was on hers, having found no direction for which to take. The two eventually formed an adventuring party together, as by sheer chance it seemed each of their abilities were a compliment to one another. Rusk having the physical might and instincts required to embark on a perilous quest, and Theodore knew a surprising amount about the world. Eventually the two came into the care of an adventuring elf named Kero, a wayward prince who had turned mercenary leader who was happy to provide the two with a quest or two.

Mental characteristics

Intellectual Characteristics

Rusk has a hard time relating to others and their traditions, feeling like an outsider in most formal social situations. She is bored easily and oftentimes becomes impatient if she feels that she is not making progress on her quest to learn where she came from.
Rusk feels an innate bond with nature: trees, stones and animals. Yet for some reason, she feels as those she has no personal connection to any creature in particular, which is the causes her some distress. Most unnervingly to her, she finds herself only truly comfortable while in the throes of battle, especially when death is on the line.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Rusk has two primary quests: the first is one of self-discovery, to learn more about herself and what it is she is capable of. The other, a quest to discover her origins; to find something or someone who can help her understand her past, the meaning of her name and of the mysterious mark located on her back.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Savvies

Rusk quickly discovered that she has a proficiency with every weapon she has managed to get her hands on. She understands multiple forms of martial arts, including different forms of both melee and ranged combat, but sticks to using using her overwhelming strength and incredible athleticism. These skills have caused Rusk to believe that she may have been a champion fighter or duelist at some point. To her surprise she is also somewhat confident rider, and is also comfortable with receiving and carrying out orders on behalf of others, so the possibility of her having been a knight remains open to her. Her survival skills are top notch, easily able to navigate through thick forests while simultaneously tracking down and hunting the creatures of the wild. She also has the nearly supernatural ability to move at hunting speeds without so much as leaving a trace, as if being able to merge with the dirt and stones of her surroundings. Rusk is excellent in caring for her own weapons and armor, and is a skill enough blacksmith to forge and repair her own equipment. Most shocking of all to Rusk is her skill with the brush and easel. In her downtime, Rusk will paint small landscapes of the places she has been, or attempt to recreate the creatures she has faced in battle on canvas.

Ineptitudes

Rusk is hopeless at social gatherings, having no frame of reference to understand the different cultures and people around her. Formalities, such as using titles, proper manners and following customs simply go over her head, nor does she care to improve herself in this regard. In large cities Rusk feels anxious, seemingly too far from the outdoors and the constant struggle for survival which provides flavour and purpose to her existence. To this end, Rusk is also inept at reading social queues and has a hard time properly conveying the thoughts in her head. Whether missing parts of her memory or otherwise, Rusk lacks large amounts of information most people would've assimilated through simply living their day-to-day lives: she has no grasp on the history of Galea or its people and no understanding of magic and its myriad applications.

Eyes

Jade Green

Hair

Long muddy brown, braided.

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Shale coloured, pastel blue.

Height

5'1"

Weight

290 lbs.

Known Languages

Common, Primordial.