Sinami Swifthowl

[Sinami]

Name: Sinami Swifthowl
Alias: Sin, Sina, She-Wolf, Little Wolf, Wandering Wolf, Wild Wolf, Beloved Wolf, Sweet Wolf
Rank: Gosh'kar (Varog'gor candidate)

Age: 28
Gender: Female
Race: Orc
Clan: Frostwolf/Warsong
Class: Hunter, beastmaster
Alignment: Neutral Good

Family: Ullagvar Loneaxe (Father, deceased) , Raona Ironsong (Mother, deceased), Kozgugore Feraleye (mate), Therak Duskstalker (bloodbrother), Kogra Windwatcher (bloodsister), Trakmar Beastbane (bloodbrother), Frostfang (deceased), Ashensong (Garn)
Known Friends: Kogra Windwatcher, Trakmar Beastbane, Therak Duskstalker, Kozgugore Feraleye, Rhonya Steelheart, Srelok Grimtide, Kyrazha Throatrender, Oguur Redhand, Frostfang (deceased), Ashensong (Garn)
Known Enemies: None... so far.

Appearance:
Sinami is about average height for an orc female, but of a lean and sinewy build rather than bulky.
She is most often seen in leather and/or fur armour with a bow strapped to her back. Her armour is well worn, crookedly patched and mended in places. She wears a fur cloak that is in fact the hide of a light grey wolf, the head making up the hood and conveniently hiding her face, and especially her eyes, from view.

Her face is oval shaped with high cheekbones and a pointed chin. She wears her black hair loose, allowing it to tumble freely down over her shoulders. She has a few braids interwoven in the thick locks however and attached to one of the braids is a pair of feathers. Her eyes are almond shaped and their colour is a strange mix between light blue and amber.

She wears a large rylak claw on a leather thong around her neck.

Her arms and legs are crisscrossed with scars of all shapes and sizes, there is not one piece of skin unmarked by at least one scar.


Personality:
Orcs who don't know Sinami might describe her as shy, soft spoken, yet stubborn. Orcs who do know her might have gotten a completely different picture all together. After spending all her life in the wilds and having been turned away again and again Sinami is wary of letting other orcs too close. Her desperate need to belong is at constant war with her instinct of self preservation and as a compromise she usually ends up appearing shy and not very outspoken in company she doesn't know.

But when she is among friends she is talkative and quick to share laughs and jests. She still has a stubborn streak and when she ends up in a discussion whose topic she feels strongly about she'd rather stand up and leave than yield to another's opinions.

Her stubbornness derives from a need to prove herself, to prove that she has value and that she is worthy of belonging. If she is issued a challenge she will very rarely back down.

In her younger years she was quite the prankster and some of that has translated into her adult personality as well and one thing that is sure to amuse her is when she is allowed to play friendly pranks on her friends.

Sinami has confidence in her own abilities and takes great pride in how she's managed to survive on her own for so long. But she is still very insecure about her former blindness and the fact that most orcs saw that as a burden, while all she ever wanted was to belong. She will be fiercely defensive if someone even hints at it being a weakness somehow and she is deathly afraid to be turned away once again, like she has been so many times prior.

History:
Ullagvar Loneaxe was from the Warsong clan and after having met and fallen in love with him Raona Ironsong left her own clan, the Frostwolves, to live with him. A decision that would change their budding family's fate forever.

Sinami was born on Azeroth, a couple of years after the opening of the Dark Portal. When it became apparent that she ahd been born blind her parents feared for her fate. Ullagvar had been brought up on the Warsong ideals and beliefs; a blind child will at best be a hindrance and a burden and at worst a weakness and should be drowned at birth. But when he held his daughter in his arms for the first time he was overwhelmed with fatherly affection and protectiveness towards her. Perhaps Raona's influence and views had managed to soften his rigid Warsong beliefs over time and when the leaders of their part of the Warsong clan wanted to drown Sinami both Ullagvar and Raona refused to comply.
For that the whole family was banished and forced into exile.

The first years were difficult for the small family. Both Raona and Ullagvar were used to having a large clan to depend on and work together with, but suddenly they only had each other and their wolves... and they also had their blind daughter to take care of. It wasn't easy, but somehow they managed.

Being blind, and not having known anything else, Sinami was quick to adapt and figure out how to move around in the world without constant guidance. When she was old enough her father made her a small bow and taught her how to use it. It took a lot of practice before she became proficient in predicting distance and the winds enough to be able to hit anything, but being the stubborn she-orc that she is she refused to give up and kept at it.

When Sinami had just turned ten her mother's wolf had just given birth to a small litter of pups. One of the pups immediately attached himself to Sinami and once he was strong enough he followed her around everywhere she went. Raona rejoiced at this, saying to Ullagvar that the bond between their daughter and the wolf was evidence that they were one soul, divided into two different bodies.

But not long afterwards tragedy struck. A band of roaming humans happened upon their small camp one night and even though the orcs were caught unawares they put up a good fight. The wolf pup, now named Frostfang, dragged Sinami, kicking and screaming, away from the battlefield their camp had become and into the relative safety of the underbrush. After the humans had brutally cut down Raona, Ullagvar and their wolves they searched for Sinami and Frostfang, but were unable to find them. Eventually they left, leaving only smoking ruins and corpses behind.

Sinami and Frostfang stayed hidden for a long time, just to make sure the humans had really gone. But eventually they crept out of their hiding place and entered their ruined camp. Sinami's memories of what happened next are hazy and blurry at best. She remembers digging graves for her parents and their wolves, using her hands, and burying them. Then she and her wolf companion gathered what they could salvage from the ruins and left, never to come back to that place again.

The pair grew up, sheltered by the wilds, and their shared bond became stronger and stronger with each passing year. They learned how to work together as one and became quite effective hunters after a time. As she grew older Sinami begun to feel a longing to be with her own kind, to belong to a pack bigger than just her and Frostfang, and she began to seek out other groups of orcs. But while she didn't perceive her blindness as a problem or a weakness, other orcs were way more superstitious in their belief and she was turned away again and again. Sometimes she was asked to leave politely, but most of the time she was chased off with stones or weapons... sometimes the other orcs would even try to hunt her for sport, seeing her as weak and easy prey.

But the wilds protect and shelter their own and Sinami and Frostfang were able to disappear back into the safe haven of the wilds each time she had been rejected by her own kind. But while her heart was bruised, and sometimes broken, because of it, that longing and need to belong would eventually make itself known again and push her out of her seclusion. It was this longing and need that eventually made her cross paths with the Orcs of the Red Blade. 

Within the Red Blades Sinami found a new home and a new family. She gained a sister in Kogra Windwatcher and a brother in the form of Trakmar Beastbane, as well as a bunch of other friends, most notably Therak Duskstalker, Kozgugore Feraleye, Srelok Grimtide and Rhonya Steelheart. But despite her newfound home and place she still feels insecure and afraid, afraid to lose it all again at a moment's notice.

Eight months after encountering the tribe for the first time Sinami underwent a ritual that Rhonya had prepared for her, a ritual to grant her sight permanently. But the price for that sight ended up being much too high and if Sinami could have gone back and changed it she would have. But as it is she gained sight at the cost of Frostfang's life, a sacrifice the wolf was willing to make, but it is something Sinami can't yet forgive herself for just yet. She is in deep mourning at present and has failed to realize that her spirit and Frostfang's are now merged, that he lives on inside of her, sharing her body. Only time will make that clear.

Sinami is still grieving for Frostfang, and she most likely will for the rest of her days, but she has a small family to love and take care of now. She has found her lifemate in Chieftain Feraleye and Feralye's worg Shrewd and Sinami's garn Ashensong have four cubs, marking the beginning of a small pack within the bigger pack that is the Red Blade clan.

Things you may know about this character:

• She prefers the company of animals over that of other orcs.
• She likes to keep her face and eyes covered from view.
• She gets really uneasy in large crowds.
• She has very sensitive ears and loud noises is a no-go.
• She has a desperate need to belong somewhere.

Things you may not know about this character:

• She loves, and has a special affinity for, water.
• She's heard the call of the wilds ever since she was a small child, not knowing what it was.
• She fears having her heart broken as well as being alone again.
• She likes to sing and has a deep and smooth contra alto voice.
• She collects books and has a deep respect for knowledge.
• She is -extremely- stubborn and opinionated, something that tends to get her in trouble.
• Hates humans with a passion.

Spoiler: Gallery • show

Spoiler: Sinami's view of some of the others • show

Spoiler: "Orcs of the Red Blade" • show

The first group of orcs who hasn't chased her away, for which she is very grateful. She is very happy that they accepted her into their community with more or less open arms and she is proud to call herself one of them.

Spoiler: "Kozgugore Feraleye" • show

They are both incredibly stubborn and firm in their beliefs, and when all that stubborness and those beliefs clash there is bound to be sparks. Their initial headbutting was thankfully resolved as a missunderstanding and they managed to leave any hurt feelings behind them. Sinami isn't quite sure of how or when it happened, but her feelings towards Kozgugore took a sharp turn and landed her in a heap of feelings so strong it takes her breath away. She's still trying to come to terms with these feelings and what they will mean for her future, but for now all she knows is that she doesn't want to be parted from this orc if she can help it.

Spoiler: "Kogra Windwatcher "Frostwolf" " • show

Sinami liked Frostwolf right from the start. She finds her to be kind and easygoing and she values the friendship the other she-orc has offered her very highly. Frostwolf is one of the first real friends Sinami has ever made and when Frostwolf asked her to make a bloodoath to become her sister in blood Sinami didn't hesitate for one moment. Having gained Frostwolf as a sister, and thus regained a semblance of family, is one of the best things that has ever happened to Sinami and she still can't quite believe that it is real.

Spoiler: "Oguur Redhand" • show

Oguur has lived in the wilds, just like Sinami. Oguur doesn't like to stay inside camps, just like Sinami. Oguur is wary of other orcs, just like Sinami. They may be very different in personality, but they come from similar backgrounds and Sinami feels that this grants a sense of kinship. Oguur was the first real friend Sinami made aside from Frostfang, and just as with Frostwolf she values that friendship highly.

Spoiler: "Rhonya Steelheart" • show

Sinami likes this kindhearted she-orc and she also thinks that Rhonya needs to add some more steel to that backbone of hers, not just her heart. She is also happy about their newly forged friendship and the knowledge that Rhonya feels comfortable enough around her to unburden her heart sometimes... the ancestors knows Steelheart needs it!

Spoiler: "Therak Duskstalker" • show

Sinami views this orc as one of her closest friends. He was one of the first orcs to ever show her kindness and she's grown increasingly comfortable in his presence and feels like she can talk to him about almost anything.

Spoiler: "Trakmar Beastbane" • show

Trakmar is yet another of Sinami's best friends. They share a lot of the same views and interests and she's always found him to be a comforting presence. She is a little sad, however, that she can't return his affections in the manner he might wish. She holds nothing but brotherly love for him, whereas his feelings towards her are anything but brotherly.

Spoiler: "Kyrazha Throatrender "Cat" " • show

Sinami is pretty curious about this orc that smells like trolls and cats. She seems to have a rather interesting sense of humour, and she talks funny too... but her direhorn cub is a nice playmate for Frostfang.

Spoiler: "Sadok Sharptongue" • show

She's not exactly sure where she stands with Sadok. He was her tutor during her Newblood training and she got the impression that he was less than impressed with her at times, but despite his incredibly prickly nature she can't help but like him a little... at least it is fun to tease him and have Frostfang sit on him.

Spoiler: "Srelok Grimtide" • show

Sinami's recently begun spending some time with this orc and she's found that she likes his company. That he's an empath doesn't really bother her, since she suspects that his ability to feel others' emotions is far more disturbing to him than it could ever be to her. She's also a little intrigued that he comes to her with some of his problems, but she does value the trust he's placing in her by voicing his concerns to her.

Spoiler: "Mayabi "Sungrass" " • show

Sinami will be forever thankful for whatever force sent Sungrass her way. She doesn't know the troll at all, but Sungrass still offered to help her regain her sight temporarily... a gift that was beyond precious to Sinami and she will do anything in her power to help Sungrass, should the female troll ever need it.

Spoiler: "Rargnasha Bloodmark" • show

Sinami did NOT get along with the former Chieftain of the Red Blades in the beginning. The two of them are quite similar and that resulted in them rubbing against each other the completely wrong way. But they eventually managed to solve their initial conflict and realised that they had more in common than either of them had thought. There was some interest from both sides initially, but Sinami didn't feel ready to commit and when she came back from some time away Rargnasha had left the tribe on business of his own. Somewhat relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with it immediately Sinami moved on, and hopes that they can just go back to being friends if he comes back.

Stories:

• Waters of Change
• Out of the Ashes and Into the Fire
• Savage Spirits
• A New Name
• In Memoriam - Farewell to a beloved friend
• Nightmares
• Not Strong Enough
• Betrayal
• Adrift