Post by Maike Kaufer on Nov 20, 2014 21:34:44 GMT -5
[attr="class","main"] [attr="class","imgdiv"] [attr="class","name"]Maike Kaufer [attr="class","race"]Ferelden, Human
[attr="class","infoh"]Physical Attributes
[attr="class","infoc"] Maike has sienna colored skin, with a splash of freckles across her face. Maike is rather tall for a woman, being rather equal in height with her male peers. Her hair is black in color and rather thick. It is currently very short, having been hacked off recently. Her build isn’t as slender as an elf’s, but nor is she bulky with muscle. She is somewhere in the middle, like many others. Maike tends to wear a tunic and pair of trousers; she finds robes and dresses uncomfortable and cumbersome. Adding in the factor of her height, they also constantly rip or trip her up. She finds men’s clothing doesn’t do that and allows her more freedom of movement. Her clothing often ends up with ink stains from writing so many notes and journals. While she has been a circle mage all her life, Maike is not without scars. There are burn marks across her palms, reminders of what happens when she gets overconfident with her abilities. [attr="class","infoh"]Personality
[attr="class","infoc"] Maike is easily described in one word: curious. She is always asking questions, about anything that comes to mind. She wants to learn as much as she can about Thedas, and sees value in any knowledge. As such, Maike doesn’t snub any form of learning anyone can teach her. Her general demeanor is bubbly; indeed, Maike is simply a cheerful person. She looks on the Brightside of things and tries to judge people based on their actions, not their race. Growing up with elves and people of different backgrounds has helped her keep an open mind about everything. Even she isn’t a saint, though. Maike is completely clueless when it comes to social interaction. She is rather honest when asked her opinion and she ends up putting her foot in her mouth more often than not because of this. She has been insensitive and rude to others, often while trying to help them. Another thing is that Maike can often get sidetracked from a task at hand, spending her time researching an obscure question instead of finding or getting whatever she had been tasked to do. While not an angry person for the most part, when Maike gets upset, she gets very upset. She is vindictive toward whoever has angered her and isn’t the type to forgive and forget. Finally, Maike is naïve. She believes the world to be better than it really is, and hasn’t had the opportunity to develop any sense for battle or life outside of the circle. So she is susceptible to manipulation and deception by others. [attr="class","infoh"]Background [attr="class","infoc"] Maike was conceived in Llomerryn, but was born and raised in Ferelden. Her mother, Caterina, had caught the eye of Dietrich. Dietrich was a wealthy merchant whose trade routes brought him to Rivain. It wasn’t long before he started courting Caterina and he eventually proposed to her. Caterina accepted and was soon traveling on the road back to a country she knew little about. Maike was born shortly after her arrival. Ever since she could talk, Maike was constantly asking questions. She annoyed many of the townsfolk when she asked them non-stop about their work and what they were doing. Often, she was put to work to learn whatever trade she was bothering people about, as if the townsfolk thought that doing the task would soon satisfy her curiosity. It didn’t completely deter her, and it lead to Maike knowing a good deal about several trades, in case she ever decided to set out on her own. When she became interested in the Chantry and Chant of Light, Maike eventually learned how to read since none of the sisters could keep up with her intense interest in the subject. Though Maike easily found acceptance in the town, her mother did not. There was always some distance between the Rivani woman and the townspeople. She didn’t go to the Chantry nor did she swear by the maker. She held onto her Rivani beliefs, though she never forced her children to believe the same way she did. Maike chose to follow Rivani tradition, since the Chantry couldn’t answer a lot of the questions she had. Caterina found herself alienated from the town, with her only company being Maike and occasionally her husband. All of that changed when Maike was four years old, however. Maike became and older sister. By the time she was six years old, Maike had three younger brothers who she often ended up being in charge of. With her father away trading a lot and her mother being an outsider to the town, rumors began to spread, especially concerning Maike’s parentage. Maike had never seen her mother so furious. The chatter and rumors of the townsfolk resulted in a large fight between her mother and father. Her father left the next day, and that was the last time Maike saw him. Things eventually returned to normal, though now her mother seemed even lonelier than before. Maike did what she could, but as a child of only seven, there was only so much she could do. A year passed in relative peace. However, shortly after Maike’s eighth birthday, things changed. Maike showed signs of magic. Her dreams seemed brighter and more vivid than ever before. Pots and pans hung in mid air for a few seconds before clattering to the floor, fires grew bigger whenever she was in the room and it rained whenever she was sad. It was not long until the Templars were contacted to come and collect her for the circle. Maike gladly went along, and she was soon put into the Circle for training. Maike was excited, to say the least. Though she was a little sad to be leaving her home forever, she stayed in touch with her mother through letters. With the occasional visits to the circle by her family, Maike found that she didn’t miss her home all that much. She was an apprentice mage and there was so much to learn. After her first two years at the circle, one of the Senior Enchanters noticed that Maike displayed an unusual knack for magic and spells. Though she was often chastised for being lazy, the senior enchanter noticed that it was only because the girl was several steps ahead of her class. When it was pointed out that Maike was a little beyond her peers, the girl was given harder work. She became regarded as a star pupil in no time, so long as the subject matter was challenging. Through trial and error, Maike began to master her magic. When she was only thirteen, she was summoned to face her harrowing. She made it through the test, but it had been a difficult trial. She now saw why so many people were afraid of mages and magic. Not that she agreed with the views entirely, but now she knew why there was so much fear and hatred toward those with magic. The years passed by in a blur for Maike; she learned so much about magic, though her natural curiosity was never sated. There is always a question that needs an answer. Maike often hopes that she’ll be able to go farther than some of the outlying towns of Lake Calenhad and maybe explore the world. |