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Old 06-30-2006, 01:37 AM   #108
Brinniel
Reflection of Darkness
 
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Polishing the stars. Well, somebody has to do it; they're looking a little bit dull.
Posts: 3,027
Brinniel is a guest of Elrond in Rivendell.Brinniel is a guest of Elrond in Rivendell.Brinniel is a guest of Elrond in Rivendell.
Brinniel's character


Name: Shae

Age: 25

Race: Man

Gender: female

Weapons: Two pairs of throwing daggers attached to a belt and a crude long knife tied around the thigh.

Appearance: Though Shae is originally from Gondor, her skin is extremely dark and tan from years of hard labor in the plantation. Her wavy dark brown hair falls down her back in a messy braid. Standing at 5’6, Shae is slender and petite and considered unusually pretty for a former slave, though her face reads otherwise. It has been so many years since Shae has smiled, that her mouth has naturally creased into a frown. Her bright green eyes are sad and reflect the pain she has suffered. Underneath her eyes are dark circles from lack of sleep. Shae’s clothing is ragged and torn and her trousers are ripped off at the calf. Shae does not have shoes- instead she wraps her feet in rags for some protection. She also wraps her palms and wrist in rags as well.

Personality: Since her brother’s death, Shae mostly keeps to herself. She remains quiet and only speaks when she needs to. Shae uses this reserved nature as a shell to stay tough, determined, and most of all, fearless. She isn’t afraid to do anything and does not want others to view her as weak, which is why no one knows one of her biggest physical flaws- she is blind in her left eye. What Shae doesn’t realize, is that keeping to herself is only hurting herself. Still partially blaming herself for her brother’s death, Shae finds her only comfort through self-mutilation, carving shallow cuts into her palms. Shae has no friends and denies the truth that she probably really needs one.

History: Shae was born in Gondor to a pair of farmers. She was the youngest of six, with the oldest closing in on adulthood. Shae remember little about her days before slavery except that they were happy and full of love. Those days ended when she was five, one year before the fall of Sauron. One day a combination of Southrons and Orcs invaded the farm. In the process, both parents were killed and the children were captured as slaves. Shae was sent to a different plantation than four of her siblings and never saw them again. All she had left was her eleven-year-old brother, Joren.

From the moment the family was separated, Joren swore to his sister he would take care of her. For twelve years he kept that promise protecting and caring for her. The fall of Sauron came and passed, and the hope of being freed quickly died. Still, both children remained obedient, doing whatever possible to avoid severe beatings. When Shae was ten, she collapsed in the fields from heat exhaustion, and as a result an overseer gave her a large blow to the head. Joren was there to nurse her to full recovery. He held her hand when the other slaves had to cut off her hair to remove dry blood and stitch the wound. A week later, when Shae suddenly lost sight in her left eye, Joren helped her deal with her new disability. Through the years, the brother and sister became best friends and were inseparable.

That all ended during their twelfth year as slaves. Shae was seventeen, no longer a girl, but a young woman. She looked to each day with optimism, working harder than any other slave in the fields. One night on the way back to her quarters, a guard pulled her aside and brutally raped her. Afterwards, Shae’s mood suddenly shifted. She had no appetite and hardly spoke. She felt ashamed and unclean. Joren immediately noticed this change and questioned Shae. After learning what happened, Joren became outraged and lost all control of reason. He attacked the guard while he was unwary and killed him with a shovel. Many witnessed this murder, and as punishment, Joren was tortured then put to death.

Shae was devastated. Her brother was the only reason she survived through all these years. She felt partly responsible for his painful death, but most of all she was angry at the ones who had killed him. Joren’s death became a wake-up call for Shae. For years, Shae had accepted her life as a slave. Now, more than anything she wanted freedom and a chance to avenge her brother’s death. She quickly found a group of seven slaves who had been planning escape for months and joined their mission. Only two weeks after Joren’s death, the eight slave made their escape. Though two died in the process, the escape was a success.

The weeks following the escape were tougher than expected. Food and water was limited and many were exhausted from the escape. The situation grew worse when Shae and another slave fell ill from drinking foul water. The group refused to stop for them, so both forced themselves to push on. For the first time in her life, Shae felt completely alone, surrounded by strangers who could care less about her health. When the other slave succumbed to the illness, the others regarded Shae as dead as well, ignoring her and letting her drag behind. Despite the lack of faith in her companions, Shae was determined to live and avenge her family. Shae had been ill for a week when the group encountered a larger group of ex-slaves. The five joined this group and Shae finally received proper treatment from a kind woman and fully recovered a few days later. Though she had survived the illness, many of the ex-slaves regarded Shae as weak and gave her little respect. Determined to change their opinions and fit in, Shae spent the next year strengthening herself for what the ex-slaves had to endure. She taught herself to use weapons and learned to be an expert thief. Shae killed with no mercy, thinking only of the family she lost and determined to give those who had harmed her and her family what they deserve. Within a couple of years among the ex-slave, Shae was no longer regarded as weak, but instead equal to any other man in the group. Now with only fifteen of them left, Shae is respected for her determination and many abilities.

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Alright, I've finished my post.

I wrote it so it would take place right after Khamir's first post.


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Brinniel's post - Shae


All slaves sentenced to death were to be executed publicly. Joren was no excuse- he was to be made an example of. The slaves of the southeastern quarters had only been asleep for a couple hours when they were reawakened and ordered to watch the execution. The hundred or so of them rubbed their groggy eyes and gathered around the wooden platform. Shae stood in the front. Joren had been there for her, through good and bad, and she would do the very same until the end. Her brother was dragged onto the platform, bleeding and his head hanging. His ears and tongue were gone, as were his fingers. For several minutes, the guards taunted Joren as they beat him. Then they pulled him to his feet. The executioner sharpened and positioned his blade. For a split second, Joren’s eyes found Shae’s. His expression was not one of fear, but of sincerity and regret. And then it was gone. The blade ran swiftly through his neck and then it was over. The slaves all trudged back to their quarters until there was only Shae left. Hands clenched into fists and feet planted to the ground, she found herself unable to take her eyes off her brother’s body. Then something in the dirt- a shine of silver- caught her eye. Shae reached down and picked up the item. It was a necklace- Joren’s necklace. The small symbol of the White Tree glowed dully underneath the stars. It was the last bit of her brother she had left. Tonight was the first night Shae was completely alone.

*********************

Shae woke suddenly, clutching the necklace, her forehead beaded with sweat. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her senses to return and opened her eyes. All around her, bodies were sprawled out inside the cave, fast asleep.
Great, she thought. It’s still night.
Shae was tired of having the same dream. Almost every night she witnessed Joren’s murder over and over again. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get her brother out of her head.

Shae sat up and unwrapped the rag on her left hand. Scars covered her palm and the most recent wound was only beginning to heal. Shae unlatched a dagger from her belt and used it to reopen the wound. The familiar pain felt soothing to Shae and as the blood poured from her hand, so did the memories of Joren’s death.

As Shae rewrapped her hand, one of the slave escapees kicked her foot in his sleep, startling her. Shae was not used to the large size of the group. For over a month, there had been only fifteen of them. She enjoyed the small number- all could carry their own weight and most were quiet and kept to themselves. Last night, the ex-slaves stumbled upon a large group of slave escapees and suddenly the number jumped from fifteen to sixty-five. There would be no privacy.

Outside, Shae could see a line of pink on the horizon. Dawn was approaching. No point in trying to go back to sleep now. Brushing back strands of tangled hair, she stood up and stepped outside, waiting for the sun to rise.

“Couldn’t sleep again?”
Shae turned around to find Khamir, as usual, on the last watch of the night.
She shook her head. “No. Too much to think about.”
“I know what you mean.” Khamir paused a moment before continuing. “We have sixty-five mouths to feed. I think we need to have a hunting party go out this morning. You up to it?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Aren’t I always? How about you?”
“No,” he said, scanning the sky. “I have a letter to write.”

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Let me know if anything needs to be edited.
__________________
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum

Last edited by piosenniel; 06-30-2006 at 02:14 AM.
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