Bleeding Heart Apothecary

Curator Saraen Namaerí Ironwright (a.k.a. Rain)

"If I had to describe Rain in three words, those words would have to be... Quiet. Kind. And... the third would have to be... Hmm... How can I say this without sounding unkind? The third word would have to be 'unassertive'. Poor girl. She cannot help it, when one thinks about it. Her family molded her into what she is, even if they hadn't meant to bind her to them with such incorporeal chains that she would have had more freedom as a djinn bound to the Sultan Warlock of ancient Beht'adur..." – Emeth Summerhold, City Guard and Expeditionary Captain of the Ice Wall Conundrum.

Saraen—'Rain' to most—was born to dwarven smith Egil Ironwright and human woman Kíana Amaerthûl around 27 years before King Rymhûl began to worry about the Ice Wall and what might happen if it rapidly thawed.
Born seven years before her brother, Egino, Rain is a girl whose head is often in the clouds, her head full of daydreams that slowly grew to become a coping mechanism when she found she couldn't live up to her parents' expectations.
From a young age, her father had her assist him at his forge, where he taught her everything he knew. Once she was old enough that her mother trusted that she wouldn't hurt herself, her father made her his apprentice and had her begin to learn how to work the iron... until it became apparent that she had no skill in it. Rain felt physical pain when she saw the disappointment in her mother's eyes. For it was her mother who was disappointed that she didn't continue the family trade as the eldest child. Her father felt sad for her at her ineptitude but didn't hold it against her like her mother did.
Until her brother grew old enough to try his hand in the family trade, Rain would still spend time in the forge with her father, handing him things when he needed them while spending quality time with him. Unfortunately, this led to her mother developing a sort of jealousy at the fact that Rain was always eager to spend time with her father and openly showed it, whilst Rain was less enthusiastic in showing it when with her mother.
What her mother failed to understand was that Rain was always with her, whilst Rain's father was often gone for long periods of time. Rain enjoyed being with her mother, who grew more and more ill as Rain matured, but had to garner as much time as she could with her father as his time at home was short and far between.
As Egino's skill bloomed, his shadow was cast over her and her mother heaped responsibilities and duties upon her whilst her brother was free to do whatever he wished. This generated an envy within her that was hard to control, but control it she did. She bit her tongue and went through the motions, taking solace in the moments of silence she could find when she wasn't occupied with caring for her mother and making sure her mother didn't stand for too long and wreck her feet.
In order to stave off the burgeoning sense of inadequacy and being left behind, Rain allowed herself to read in the few moments of freedom she had, and soon found that she had an intense fascination with the art and science of herb lore. This fascination grew when she saw that she could apply this knowledge in her own life and she could use it to try and help her mother.
Without informing her parents, she apprenticed herself to a local healer—the only one who was willing to take her under her wing as all the others already had apprentices. This healer was named Grandmother Varea to those she treated, an old woman bent by her many years and on the verge of needing to let go of her duties before she dropped dead. Grandmother Varea saw the potential shining from within Rain, something that all of the other apothecaries and healers had overlooked.
With Grandmother Varea's dutiful guidance, Rain's skill and knowledge quickly grew. In two years, she was skilled enough that Varea trusted her with taking care of some of the many duties the old woman had amongst the many cramped and ramshackle homes that could be found on the poorer side of town. After half a year of work there, she gained the trust and appreciation of the poor, and soon she had a moniker of her own: "Sister Saraen".
Unfortunately, her time there was not to last. Unbeknownst to all in town except a few select merchants who knew of another merchant who owned a warehouse in the poorer half of town, there was a volatile material stored within that warehouse, and it exploded while Grandmother Varea and Rain were doing their rounds, and when they were on the street beside it.
Rain was greatly injured, and lost her left foot as a result. But it was not the only thing that she lost...
Grandmother Varea was killed.
After Varea's funeral, her father had Rain whisked off to the dwarven kingdom of Silverthrone, where his cousin, a great dwarven healer and tinkerer, oversaw her recovery. When he gave her back to her family, her mangled left foot had been replaced by a mechanical facsimile, personally crafted by her father's cousin.
But Rain couldn't bring herself to stay in her family home any longer, and she joined the Athenaeum in order to get away.

Physical Description

Facial Features

There's a light fuzz on her cheeks, a gift passed down from her dwarven father.

Identifying Characteristics

The most identifying feature of Rain's is her mechanical left foot, a groundbreaking invention created by one of the dwarves' top healers.

Apparel & Accessories

Rain's most common outfit is comprised of a white linen short-sleeved tunic with dainty floral embroidery around the neckline that hangs no lower than just below her collarbone. What flowers those are and what colours they are range from day to day, as most of her shirts are of this design. She wears the tunic loosely tucked into the waistband of her mid-calf-length, navy-blue skirt, and a thick metal belt of five inches in width is always bound around her waist. This belt is a prominent representation of her father's culture and people—as all dwarves have belts such as these, as the belt speaks of their achievements and what they had to go through as they aged to maturity. Her look is often completed by a single steady leather boot of dark brown and a knee-high stocking.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Rain is one who is driven to help in any way she can, a trait that was pressed into her by her upbringing and the fact that she had to watch her mother's health fluctuate wildly over the years. Whenever her efforts managed to help her mother, her desire to help grew, until, now, she cannot ignore when someone needs help and she's able to fulfill that need. Despite what struggles and whatever she might go through, the rush of endorphins she receives when she successfully helps someone is enough to keep her from resisting the pull.
On top of this, she has a great desire to learn as much as she can about herb culture. She wishes to become a great apothecary and is willing to join the Athenaeum if that's what it takes.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Savvies:

• Herb Lore
• Animal Husbandry
• Knitting & Crochet
• Cooking

Ineptitudes:

• Socially Awkward
• Ironworking (does not reflect her father's skill)
• Swordwork
• Archery

Likes & Dislikes

Likes:

• Being in a quiet place in order to be able to hear her own thoughts.
• Cats.
• Reading & books.

Virtues & Personality perks

Virtues:

• Kind
• Understanding
• Willing to help no matter what
• Mercy when she is able to see the motivations of the guilty party

Vices & Personality flaws

Vices:

• Short temper.
• Will hold grudges if she feels she has been wronged.
• Despair: she feels she cannot better herself, and can't see the beauty within herself.
• Anxious.
• Most of the time she will have no mercy for those who have done wrong

Flaws:

• She picks at the skin around her fingers when anxious.
• She cannot ignore her family when they call for her aid, even if their need could easily be fulfilled by someone closer and more adept.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Friends:

• Emeth Summerhold
• Dakel et Thím Gûthuwal

Mentor: Grandmother Varea (deceased)

Family Ties

Mother: Rokíana "Kíana" Amaerthûl Ironwright — daughter of Raenea Thainor and Paeían Amaerthûl, and wife of skilled dwarven smith Risto Ironwright.
Father: Risto Ironwright — son of Aveza Lapislight and Egil Beryldike Ironwright. An extremely skilled ironworker and tinkerer who inherited all the skills his father had that led to the infamous epithet and surname "Ironwright".
Brother: Egino Ironwright — brother of Saraen and son of Risto and Kíana. He inherited all the family's ironworking skills and puts them to use in sculpting, garnering a glowing reputation since iron isn't an ore that can be considered "pretty". Rain can't help but feel a little jealous, since Egino's success overshadows her to the point it feels like her parents barely lend her any attention at all. She feels like a failure in her brother's shadow.
Father's Cousin: Healer Gero Beryldike — Risto's cousin and an infamous healer in their home kingdom of Silverthrone. When Rain is injured, Gero takes her in and crafts a replacement mechanical prosthesis in order to help Rain return to as normal a life as she could have now.

Current Status

Currently stopping the thawing of The Wall of Ice.

Species

Dwarf/Human Hybrid

Ethnicity

Human

Other Ethnicities/Cultures

• Dwarves

Age

27

Pronouns

She/Her

Sex

Female

Presentation

Tomboyish/Feminine, depending on her mood

Eyes

Hazel

Hair

Shoulder-length, chocolate brown, light waves

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

White

Height

5' 6"

Belief/Deity

Avva'ai (the Creator)

Aligned Organization

The Athenaeum Curators

Known Languages

Common, Talnoran