Natalie's Questionnaire

Yup, you guessed it, the standard questionnaire as forwarded by Casey to the original Cavris campaign.

Name

What is your character's full birth name?

Natalie Rachel Shipley.

Does you character go by another name? Why?

Sometimes, when she feels the need or whim to hide her true identity, she'll use another name. Her usual choice is Isabel Rae Cooper.

Any other nicknames? Why?

Nat, Nattie, or occasionally Nate; just for short.

Did the character's parents have any names for the character? Why?

She was usually Nattie to them; again, mostly just for short.

Family

Who are/were the character's parents?

Mother: Diana Lee. Father: Jacob Sean. Mother is a housewife; father is a merchant-trader and makes quite a good living for them both.

Is the character's mother still alive? If not, how did she die?

To the best of Nat's knowledge, though she's a little pessimistic.

Is the chatacter's father still alive? If not, how did he die?

To the best of Nat's knowledge, and she's not happy about it.

Is/was the character close to their parents? Why or why not?

Not at all. Natalie ran away when she was 11 years old, because her father started developing a taste for alcohol, which quickly turned into an addiction. Which would be fine in and of itself except that her dad gets angry and violent when he's drunk. The last straw was when her mom dared to stand up to her dad and got a severe beating as a result. Natalie knew that if she stuck around, she'd be next.

Does the character have siblings? If so, how many? What are their names?

No.

Does the character have any other living family? Relation to character?

Various aunts, uncles, and grandparents, whom Natalie never sees anymore - the price of running away.

Any living family members that hate the character?

Well, her dad is probably furious. Her mom might be disappointed in her, or might understand. Natalie doesn't really know.

Friendships

Does the character make friends well?

Not anymore. She's been through so much at the hands of various people that she's gotten very jaded at the thought of making friends with strangers. About the only people left she calls friends are people she was friends with before this most recent chapter in her life.

Does the character have a best friend? Who?

Kind of. Sebek is a sun-elf who ended up in the same gang as Natalie, and took a lot of genuine interest in her welfare. He's probably still out there somewhere, unless he's finally run afoul of the law, but Natalie hasn't seen him in a while either way.

Who are the character's other friends?

She has a few old childhood friends still in Galos, and made a few during her days in the gang before she got terribly jaded. Mostly, though, she's got folks on a string and wouldn't dare use the f-word to describe them.

Enemies

Does the character have any enemies?

Not directly; she indirectly did while she was affiliated with the street gang.

Does the character seek any revenge?

There are two people in this world she would love to destroy, but she doesn't think she'd stand a chance against either of them.

Does the character feel the need to make enemies?

Of course not. She knows better to think she can take on the world and win. Of course, it doesn't mean it won't happen; just that she doesn't set out to do it.

Feelings

Will the character show their feelings?

If those feelings are pessimism, cynicism, or sarcasm, yes. Anything else is probably going to be hidden; joy will be superficial at best.

How do they feel about others showing their feelings?

She rolls her eyes and chalks it up to naivete.

Has the character ever been in love?

Yes, and you really don't want to hear the story of what happened. Well, okay, you probably do, you nosy bastard, but she doesn't want to talk about it, so just leave her alone.

Will the character want to find love now? Why or why not?

No. She's got too much baggage from that one relationship.

How does the character handle jealousy?

Keeps it bottled up.

How does the character handle hate?

Keeps it bottled up.

Seeking For

Does the character have any goals or ambitions?

Well, she achieved the goal of getting away from her dad. She's chafing a little at pretty much going from one parental relationship to another (the Church of Leeyah), but it was either that or incarceration.

Does the character seek to better themselves?

Only in that she enjoys her arithmetic lessons. She is a ward of the Church and as such labours for them without monetary recompense, but she has a little bit of time for herself on occasion, and she's accumulated a little bit of money by juggling in the square, or by taking those earnings and gambling at the local alehouse. So she enjoys arithmetic because she can then keep better track of how much money she has, or how much will be left if she buys something or loses a bet (or makes a tithe, which she is actually pretty good about doing). And thanks to her gambling habit, she's actually getting the hang of odds and statistics, which is more advanced than what the Church teaches.

Does the character seek to better those they're close to?

No. For starters, she's not close enough to very many people to care what they do to themselves. And then she's probably think it hypocritical.

Does the character seek to better the world?

Not really. She can't think in large pictures like that.

Does the character want more money, power, or land? Why or why not?

She would at least like enough to be independent. First she was living with her parents and being taken care of, then she was working in the gang and being taken care of, now she's working for the Church and being taken care of. Despite her lack of self-esteem, she does occasionally indulge a fairy-tale daydream of being able to take care of herself.

How hard will the character work at achieving their goals or ambitions?

Not very. The gang philosophy was that it was impossible to succeed at the honest life unless you started out with (were born into) a lot of money to begin with - hence their disposition toward the dishonest life. That has kind of stuck in her head, so she is resigned to the fact that she will probably spend the rest of her life as a ward of the Church since they've made it very hard for her to revert to her old ways, and juggling or gambling doesn't bring in *that* much.

What does the character believe morally?

She should behave because otherwise she'll get in trouble. She's really not a bad person; she's just very very jaded, and altruism is not something you're going to see out of her very often. The philosophies of Leeyah are starting to rub off on her, though she probably doesn't realize to what extent.

Role Models / Mentors

Has the character or do they now have any role models? Why or why not?

The clergy of Leeyah are trying very hard to make themselves her role models. However, I'd have to say no, because that would imply that she has sufficient ambition to want to emulate someone.

Had the character or do they now have any mentors? If so, were they close?

Well, there was the failed relationship. He took her under his wing and taught her stuff, and she fell in love, and things went to hell. So I guess he was close for a while. Long enough, at least.

Does the character have any healthy or unhealthy fixations?

She tries not to think about the aforementioned relationship, but it really did mess her up emotionally, so it comes to mind a lot.

Childhood

Did the character have a good or bad childhood?

It was good until daddy found out he liked booze.

Were they raised by their parents? Why or why not?

Yes.

Name one memory of the character from childhood.

Other than seeing her mom get beaten up by her dad? Well, there was the first time she tried to ride a horse. She was maybe five years old, and her legs were too short to reach the stirrups of any of the saddles, so she had to ride bareback. And rather than just lightly gripping the horse's mane, she pretty much threw her arms around the horse's neck and rested her cheek against the horse's jaw so she could see where she was going. It was really kind of cute. She probably doesn't realize consciously how much that close kind of contact cemented her fondness for horses, but she has noticed that she still cuddles close like that before she kicks a horse to a gallop.

Did the character have any childhood friends? Why or why not?

Yes; her dad made enough money that at least for a while, they could hire a maid to help out with chores, so she wasn't asked to do them, and had time to play with other kids.

If yes to the above, are they still friends with them? Why or why not?

She hasn't seen them in a long time. She might remain friendly toward them if they resurface in her life and she remembers them, though.

If no to the above, is this a problem for the character?

If she never sees them again, she probably won't miss them.

Religon

Does that character have any religous beliefs? What are they?

The philosophies of Leeyah are getting ingrained into her head, but very much on a subconscious level.

Did they always have their beliefs? If not, what were they before? Why did they change?

She wasn't brought up to any religion; mostly just told to behave or she'll get in trouble.

Habits

Does the character have any normal habits?

None that merit mentioning.

Does the character have any annoying habits?

None that merit mentioning.

Does the character have any strange habits?

None that merit mentioning.

How does the character react to those who try and change their habits?

Nobody's tried yet. She'd probably just glare at them till they shut up, though.

Psyche

Does the character hold any emotional problems? Why?

Oh gods, yes. A failed relationship, and some pretty severe side effects from that relationship, mean she's very mistrusting and jaded and cynical.

Does the character have any phobias? Is so, what?

She's an arachnophobe.

Does the character fear anything that is not a phobia?

She's not phobic about heights, but they make her very uncomfortable.

Does the character have a high or low thresh-hold for pain?

Above average, thanks to being female.

Does the character have any mental problems?

No.

How does the character view other's mental problems?

She hasn't been exposed to anyone with a mental problem.

World to Character

Was the character born on a celebrated holiday of the campaigning world?

Nope.

Does the character have any famous or infamous family or ancestors?

Nope.

Does the character have any royal bloodlines?

Nope.

Like and Dislikes

Does the character like themselves? Why or why not?

Not really. She's never really had the opportunity to think that she's a worthy person all by herself. She dreams about independence, but really believes that she doesn't deserve it and needs to be taken care of.

What is the character's favorite color?

Sky blue.

What is the character's favorite hobby?

Juggling or gambling. Usually one right after the other. ;)

What is the character's favorite drink?

Apple Juice. The only reason she can tolerate any sort of alcohol is because cider still kind of tastes like apples.

What is the character's favorite meal?

Roast chicken, fried mushrooms, and a good quality cheese.

What is the character's favorite animal?

The horse.

What is the character's favorite book?

She hasn't read enough to have a favorite.

What is the character's favorite quote?

"Wanna bet?"

What is the character's favorite battle cry?

Her? Battle cry? Yeah, right.

What is the character's least favorite color?

Steel grey. She wore it way too much during her time in the gang, and it's a bad reminder.

What is the character's least favorite hobby?

I suppose it's math. She enjoys it, which is what would qualify it as a hobby at all, but it's not *fun* fun.

What is the character's least favorite drink?

Water.

What is the character's least favorite meal?

Nothing.

What is the character's least favorite animal?

Rats.

What is the character's least favorite book?

She hasn't read enough to have a least favorite.