Pre-Creation
Navyri, born in the Shadow City to a Naerrik woman named Deshira, had no need to be tattooed at birth, and despite the disdain of her extended family, had her father advocate for her to be unblemished. This was not well received, but given his status as her father and the favor of Deshira, Gaius' wishes were held. Navyri grew up with a relatively good childhood, a little girl with dark hair and a spoiled disposition. She was blessed with almost everything she wanted but seemed to be put in her place with every training session given by the matriarchs of her family.
She began her training around the age of five and learned quickly that in battle, she was not superior. Not yet, at least. While her father was not pleased and would rather have Navyri go on fishing trips with him and Deshira, it was clear her mother had a preference towards the traditions of the Naerrik and kept her daughter focused on her lessons. Navyri was taught the basics - how to hold and wield a dagger and the most vulnerable parts upon the human body to strike. She was bruised daily, beaten and struck with the blunt end of her mother's tamo daggers, and pushed until muscle failure. Wanting to please both her family and her Immortal, Navyri never gave up.
The instruction Navyri received from her grandmother focused more on stealth and flexibility, keeping her light on her toes and playing games of detection, sensing that there would come a day where her father would want to take Navyri outside of Augiery, and she would need to blend into the general populace. She would give small lessons on acting, offering Navyri the challenge of imitating different imaginary roles. These varied as the years went on, and when Navyri took on these personas, she would often refer to simplistic Euthic signs to relay the truth, having to focus on maintaining one silent conversation while voicing another. It was a mental exercise that often led to failure in some way, either she would break character or be unable to focus on two things at once.
This wasn't often a problem, but even the resilience of children is limited. While born a free man, her father agreed to become Deshira's slave while in the city so that time with his daughter was not split. As Navyri got a bit older, she was capable of convincing her mother to let her go on small trips with Gaius within the city. He claimed he needed to teach her things like navigation, and field craft, although these lessons would not happen till after she received her illusions. In the meantime, he tried to educate her on other things - particularly how to appraise items and tell when shopkeepers were attempting to take advantage. Gaius said it was important for a woman to always be quick witted, and claimed it was the reason he had fallen in love with her mother. And while these statements were true, they were also a means for him to be relieved of the judging eyes and constant superiority the women when dealing with him, and Navyri was his breath of fresh air.
Such mental exhaustion put a strain on her parent's relationship after some time, but Gaius stayed around for his daughter, always loving her, despite his souring opinion of others in her race. But nice boat rides and breaks to read star constellations was not enough. Gaius' heart began to harden and he started to resent Deshira and her family. He saw how Navyri grew closer to the children of Audrae and secretly wished to steal her away to the seas so she could learn the ways of Biqaj and not have to worry about turning into a crafty monster. He wanted to save her, to preserve her innocence, so when Navyri's grandmother began the tattoos that would make her a beautiful illusion and saw how much pain it brought Navyri... how she cried in the night... Gaius vowed he would bring an end to her torture.
When his daughter turned sixteen arcs, his scheming began. In the season of Saun, he told Navyri they would go on a nighttime boat ride. Admire the sea life on the coast and then would return by dawn. But that didn't happen. Disgusted at how his daughter fawned over her new appearance, how proud she was to belong to Audrae... he kept sailing, using Navyri's trust to kidnap her. Breaks passed and they sailed into the sea until the coast was but a distant memory. It was far too late when Navyri began to suspect anything and by then, they were surrounded only by water. Confronting Gaius, the truth was revealed and struck by a flurry of emotions - anger, fear, panic - she attacked the man she had called father, accidentally launching her shadow form and stunning him. In the assault, she pushed him overboard where he later drowned and Navyri was lost at sea, alone.
Try as she might to remain resourceful just as she was always taught, Navyri knew far too little on sailing, on reading coordinates and navigating long voyages past the coastline. In preparation, her father had stocked food and supplies, but soon that dwindled. During the day, she struggled, attempting to catch fish or return to any maps in hopes for an epiphany. Instead, she found journals ranting about her training and how "they" would soon corrupt her, and despite what they vowed, she had Biqaj blood in her and should live as he had. He refused to acknowledge who she truly was, a shadow, and Navyri wanted nothing more to go home.
Each night she prayed for Audrae to save her and each day was long and arduous, the double suns of Saun sapping her energy and browning her skin until she burned. When the food ran out and she was huddled inside the cabin for any shade she could, she began to lose hope.
But what other choice did she have? Audrae did not heed her call, and she would die within days. She collapsed upon within the cabin, the door open as she stared hatefully at the blinding sea. Everything was too bright, and her skin was starting to peel. And then she heard it... The squawking of seagulls circling overhead and knew of their greediness. Navyri lifted her head and peered out from her den, imagining one sitting her belly.
"Please," she whispered, her strength renewed momentarily as she scoured the cabin once more, only finding crumbs. Inhaling a sharp breath, she gathered her net and threw the scraps upon the deck, lying in wait. The food remains caught the eyes of one of the birds and when it swooped, she launched her net, scrambling for her dagger and pounced upon it, ready to plunge her knife into its heart.
But... she didn't. Navyri wrestled with the bird, gripping the netting and tried to get a clear shot when she looked into its eyes. And with as much anger as she held for her father, the young Naerrik remembered his favored immortals - one of his favorites being Delroth. A being of vanity, birds, and wind... for a sailor was nothing without a breeze to carry his ship. And that was what she needed... Eating the bird would keep her alive for another day of torture, but finding salvation wouldn't be as easy.
She turned to other immortals - to the immortals of her father, and with a heavy, traitorous heart, she prayed softly, scared but desperate to go to another powerful being. The bird snapped at her fingers and she moved faster, grabbing its beak and staring into its soul, "Delroth," she commanded, voice hoarse from dehydration and desperation, "Find Delroth, the master of Birds and Wind. Tell him... Tell him Navyri Vy'pyjr needs him. He's the only one left who can save me. He..." Navyri hated herself and remembered what Augiery did to other who sought favor outside of Audrae, "He is the only one... Please."
With a great flourish, Navyri pulled the net away and the bird wasted no time in flying off with a loud screeching that lingered in her mind long after it disappeared into the clouds. Meanwhile, Navyri crawled back into the shadows, waiting for death with tears in her eyes and prayed until she fell asleep, not feeling the soft winds that began to push against her sails...
She awoke to a gentle breeze caressing her cheek and Delroth leaning against the rails of the small sloop. The conversation the followed was one that has since torn the Naerrik, making her question her singular loyalty to Audrae. Doing her best to appeal to his vanity, Navyri bowed her head to the Immortal and offered her services as a Naer. Interested that she would turn from her mother goddess and favor him, despite the death risk it posed, she found his fickle approval and that was the day she received his mark and a gift of the wind that guided her sails to the shores of Desnind.
Unsure of how to get back to Augiery and unable to find a traveler who knew its location, she has since traveled with other sailors, going from city to city in hopes to find work and information on how to return back to her homeland. Navyri has discovered a number of clues, but is still scared to return, in fear of being skinned alive and thrown into a great place of light. Instead, she migrates from one place to the next, seeking the feeling of home and mourning the family that accepted her.
