BASIC INFORMATIONFull name: Hiwa Ahuja
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Height: 5'4"
Build: Slight
Race: Human?
Occupation: Temple Priestess
Nationality: Thanati
Residence: Suna, Thanatos
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE Art: Hiwa Art Credit: LanWuThe only truly Thanati characteristic about Hiwa is that she is a short woman. Her hair is a rich dark brown with a faint wave, and her eyes are almost dark enough to be black. Neither is a common trait for true islanders. The woman's fair skin also stands out like a sore thumb.
Hiwa has a soft face, with large almond shaped eyes, high cheekbones, and pouty lips. Her shoulders are narrow, with a full bosom, curved hips, and slight waist. Around the outside of her ears she enjoys wearing golden cuffs and her ears are pierced. However, she has no other body modifications or decorative tattoos, which is considered somewhat unusual.
PERSONALITYHiwa is as polite and reserved as the next Thanati. Honor, duty, family, and of course Inima are the primary driving factors and values in her life. She is kind-hearted and good natured, but naturally wary of outsiders and untouchables. A strong sense of curiosity and willingness to learn make her grateful for the opportunities the Temple has given her.
MAGICHoly Radiance: Hiwa has an
aura surrounding her. It is not something visible to most, but the young woman radiates a calm, gentle holy presence. Animals normally skittish around humans do not fear her. Even the most aggressive stray village dogs do not bite her. She has never been scratched by a cat or stung by a bee. This unwillingness to cause her harm even extends to some people. Wilting flowers are rejuvenated and bloom all the larger and brighter. Sick or injured individuals start to feel better faster.
Healing Touch: Since she was born Hiwa has been able to lay her hands on the sick and injured to make them better. This is a far more intense and direct healing than her simple aura. She can't cure a gash or broken bone like it never happened, instead she accelerates the natural healing process. A cut can look as if it is several days old, disappear completely, or form a scar, depending on how long she channels her holy power into the patient and if the wound would naturally scar or not.
This ability can be dangerous for her, however. The energy to mend such wounds comes from her own reserves and it drains her. Trying to completely heal serious injuries can leave her exhausted and feeling unwell. If she gave too much of herself she could even die.
Threads of Fate: Certainly the hardest gift to truly explain. Imagine that every living thing – whether human, creature, or plant – has a shining golden thread connected to them, and that all these threads are woven together in the tapestry that is Fate. They can weave, tangle, and intertwine with one another drawing together to form a shared destiny.
When Hiwa was born, imagine a knot was formed in this constantly weaving, unweaving, and reweaving tapestry. This knot draws in and tangles everything around it. She is far from the only knot in the threads of Fate, but she is certainly a knot in the pattern. This manifests in unfathomable and innumerable ways, not only impacting her but everyone and everything around her. Some might consider this a strange form of Luck. For example, during a thunderstorm lightning struck a tree outside her home seven consecutive times. A gambler might throw only winning rolls or they could unfailingly strike out. It is neither good nor bad Luck – strange things that could almost be considered coincidences just happen to occur when she is near. Once a child climbed a tall tree and fell from the tallest branches all the way to the ground only to get up and walk away completely unharmed. The next day a man stumbled off his steps and broke his neck.
The key things to know are that this is a completely passive gift she has no control over and that small, odd, random things happen around her.
RELATIONSHIPSAshe Ahuja: Her mother, alive and well on Ruka.
Soren Falk: Her father, alive and well on Ruka.
BACKSTORYBorn on the island Ruka. Hiwa was a miracle child. Her mother is a Thanati weaver and her father was a Serenian merchant that visited the island and stubbornly never left after falling in love with the local culture – and a local woman. They tried for several years to have a child together, but all attempts ended in miscarriages and heartache. Some said it proved that the relationship was cursed, and that Ashe was at fault for marrying a foreigner.
The very last pregnancy of Ashe, she managed to keep the baby all the way to term, but her daughter was born not breathing. Both parents held their unresponsive newborn and prayed harder than they had ever prayed before, and after five minutes, Hiwa took her first gasping breath, followed by her well-earned first wail.
Ashe never conceived again, but was content that she had finally managed to have even one child of her own. Strange things began happening almost immediately to the small family. It was nothing major, just odd little coincidences. When Hiwa was a toddler was when the real discovery was made. Her father suffered a bite from a deadly snake. He was laid in his bed and showed signs of succumbing to the venom, but his daughter lay on his chest and cried inconsolably. Soren got better and Hiwa became very weak and ill. Her parents tended to her for three days before she finally recovered and began acting like a normal child again.
Shortly after that incident they were persuaded to give their daughter to the Temple. Healing gifts were very rare, and the child was clearly blessed.
From that point on Hiwa's life has been spent in service to the Temple. Her parents, though they miss her, consider it an honor for her to have such a life. She has gotten a very fine education, especially once moved to the capitol city.
