ORIGINATOR OF CHARACTER: Melissa Van Houten
NAME: Pearl
SOUL NAME: Perri
RACE: Elf
GENDER: Female
BIRTHDATE and/or APPROXIMATE AGE: NH 10
ORIGIN: Conceived at Sagewinds, born at New Hope
HOUSEHOLD: Sea Runner
HAIR (color/length/style): Sandy-brown with auburn highlights. Generally worn in some arrangement of cornrow braids with some of it loose on occasion. Normally, it should be straight, but it's been braided so tightly for so long that it's actually quite curly when loose. She has bangs that (when unbraided) fall just below her eyebrows. The rest (when braided) falls to her hips. The braids usually have some sort of shells, feathers or beads for decoration.
EYES: Grey-green, like verdigris.
SKIN TONE: Deeply tanned with a spattering of freckles on her nose and shoulders.
HEIGHT: 4'2"
BUILD: Relatively broad for an elfin female -- almost stocky. Well-muscled; moreso than a surfer or a dancer, but not quite as far gone as a bodybuilder. Athletic
VOICE QUALITY/SPEECH MANNERISMS: Low alto range. Roughened by constant exposure to the salty air. Husky --sort of like Lauren Bacall. Will NEVER be a beautiful singing voice. Speaks softly unless excited. She has an unusual accent made up from blending the accents of everyone else in Sea Runners. (Definitely Celtic, though not identifiable as any particular type.)
OTHER PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES: Scar on her left foot from a surfing accident.
PARENTS: Calypso (father), Nightdancer (mother, D)
SIBLINGS: none
OTHER RELATIVES: No other blood relatives at New Hope, but she does have an adopted family through Zigan's son Maarli.
CURRENT MATE: Negotiable
RECOGNIZED: No
PREVIOUS MATES: Zigan (lovemate) until his death in NH 40. Possibly other joinings, especially at festival time.
CHILDREN: No blood children, but she does have an adopted brood through Zigan's son Maarli.
CLOSEST FRIENDS: Zigan, Catspaw, Fletcher, Bilge
SPECIAL TALENTS: None save sending
SKILLS: Sealore, surfing, fishing, weaving (net-making), sailing, whaling, some smithing, some healing, some forestry, basic survival skills, kelp farming, shipbuilding, sewing, cooking, woodcarving, swimming, star navigation, macrame
HOBBIES: Surfing, macrame, sailing, teasing Zigan (while he was alive)
WEAPONS USED: Knife, short spear/harpoon
BOND-BEAST: None, but she has a cat she keeps in her cave. Its name is Landlubber, but she usually just calls it "cat". Male. Neutered. Over the years, as each cat dies, she acquires another. Also male. Also neutered. Also named something, but just called "cat".
JEWELRY WORN: Hair decorations, various earrings (generally small so they don't get caught on anything), sometimes a choker or bracelet, usually wears a braided rope ankle bracelet
CLOTHING: Summer: Shorts and loose tops while on land, closer fitting tops at sea. When planning on getting wet, she wears a whale- or sealskin onepiece that has a high standing collar, elbow-length sleeves and comes to mid-thigh (like a wetsuit). Generally barefoot or wearing rope-soled cloth deck shoes. Has a few hooded pullovers and drawstring pants for cooler nights. Colors are irrelevant, though she likes interesting weaving patterns with at least one bright color in her tops. Winter: Sweaters and drawstring pants. Low boots. Full wetsuit (long sleeves and stirrup feet). Wool-lined sharkskin jacket or wool peacoat. See "summer" for colors.
OTHER SPECIAL POSSESSIONS: The surfboard Zigan made for her. A set of Pearl earrings from Calypso.
PERSONAL INFO: A rambunctious child and "daddy's wee darlin'" with a very sunny, outgoing personality. Full of energy. Ebullient and friendly; energetic. Works hard, plays hard. Gets a bit reckless sometimes in search of adventure. For the first couple of years (until about age 13) her life and energies were devoted to keeping herself amused. She learned quite a bit of Calypso's craft --at least, those jobs that can be given to a small, still-developing girl. At thirteen, she had a surfing accident that resulted in a really sliced-up broken foot. Though Calypso permitted the healers to "arrange th' bones so they'll knit right proper", he insisted on a splint and wrappings and crutches, and the open wound was treated herbally against infection and stitched closed. (His intention that his daughter not be crippled, but that she learn the result of reckless behavior. The healers checked it regularly to be sure there was no infection or loss of mobility, but that was all.) However, since her injury made her unfit for sea-duty and Calypso didn't want her unsupervised when the Sea Runners put to sea for a moon or so, he left her under the watchful eye of Bilge so she could start her smithy training. For the first year, she did gofering and scut work for Bilge and his apprentice, Zigan, but when she was 14 she was permitted to start working at the forges. This was when she developed an ENORMOUS crush on Zigan. As they matured, so did their feelings for each other, and they eventually became lovers, and finally formally mated in NH 33. From that point on, more of her energies were devoted to keeping Zigan happy. She ended up being as much a parent to his son, Maarli, as he was. Her time with Zigan taught her to be a reasonable, responsible adult --though she can still cut loose when the situation allows. After his death, she took a proprietary interest in his line, first with Maarli, then with Maarli's kids, and so o! n. They call her "Aunt Pearl".
She's remained friendly with humans --especially "her" humans-- though she has never taken another one as a lover after Zigan died; tending to keep her relationships both casual and with elves.
A generally uneventful life. Even the death of her mother didn't affect her too badly. She mourned for a while, but death is a fact of life. Especially around sharks.
Pearl's Character Questionnaire