Character Profiles VINE VEIN #8: Riish Dearmieter
Riish had always been one to exploit those around her—only when they deserved it. Wherever something could be gained from someone else, without her having to pay or work too hard for it, it would be hers before the other party realized their pockets were lighter. Pickpocketing was second nature to her. She was 31 in Age 105, was a sharp-witted, tiny little woman, and loved her newfound status as a Shaper as much as she did taking advantage of those she considered ‘softer minded’. Her behavior towards others was a direct result of her coping, of her attempting to control and use others before they did so to her—a learned defense mechanism. However, it would not always be this way. She had left home at a young age, preferring to do as she pleased on the streets. Though that decision was regretted soon after she made it, as the Burning of Age 90 came, forcing her to return home only to find her family had perished in the flames. She had always felt immense guilt over not being there for them, to help them, and her behavior only sharpened after this tragedy. She was going to have to become a master of survival if she was to make it in the Copper City.
Her mother was a Shaper, and had nurtured Riish’s love and adoration for Mother Nature, and for the Old Ways. Though Riish never became a Shaper herself—not until she met Nebra Oremire.
Silver is Silver, Joy is Joy
Riish enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh, and these temptations and indulgences grew with every passing age. However, what at first was a nice way to pass the time, and to dull the edges of her personal pain and dislike of the way her life had gone, eventually became a lucrative career. She procured suitors from all four districts—even bedding a lord at one point—and was able to not only sustain herself day to day, but to afford a home, a place she could rest safely and comfortably.
Riish at long last found herself feeling quite fulfilled. Many frowned upon such endeavors, especially when receiving money for them, but Riish didn’t care what people had to say about her. In fact, she openly mocked those who did talk badly about her, telling them that they only judged her because they wished they could do what she did, they wished to feel as liberated and powerful using nothing but their bodies.
Nebra Oremire
It was the Fall of Age 98. The Burning had claimed the Copper City of one of its most vital resources: Shapers who could keep Leviathans away from the city. Furthermore, Vexings(plagues) and Lightless continue to ravage the populace, causing everyone to fear stepping outside their doors. Riish’s clientele dropped significantly, and she found herself once again near to living on the streets. Putting herself out there longer and longer each day, she tried her hardest to earn enough metal to pay her expenses.
This had her out in the Market District one afternoon, where she overheard one of a number of individuals that would spout off all manners of nonsensical rhetoric. However, this old woman was saying something that resonated with Riish, something other than religious ramblings. She was saying something about returning commerce to the Copper City—as it had dwindled significantly since the Burning and the rise of the recent Vexings and Lightless. This was something Riish could get behind—if this woman turned out to not be totally insane, and most likely she was. But what did Riish have to lose? Nothing.
So the two of them met, and the old woman introduced herself at first as Webhome, and that she simply was a concerned citizen that had all kinds of ideas on how to turn the city around. The eyes of a few guards had started to drift this old woman’s way, so she told Riish that if she wanted solutions to all of her problems, that she need only meet her later when they wouldn’t be watched. Riish was skeptical, but she was also very capable of defending herself, and especially from an elderly woman.
When they reconvened, the woman told Riish her real name was Nebra Oremire and that she was the last Elder Shaper in the city, and that she was recruiting more Shapers under the Order Dragtide. Riish initially considered yelling at this woman for wasting her time, when she wasn’t offering up any real solutions right away. However, Neb explained further, telling Riish that the only way to truly bring life back to the city was to invoke radical change in it. A splash of water in a burning pan. Riish told Neb that her mother had been a Shaper, but died in the Burning of Age 90. This made Neb even more insistent that Riish join her, as it would be a great way to honor her late mother. Neb told her that her father had lost his life as well, thought they both had been there trying to stop the Burning. She also told Riish about the things Redshift had done, and that it was her who had exiled and vilified the Shapers.
Riish was ready for something to change. Something, someone had to step in and do something before it was too late. The Lightless were a brand new hurdle to leap over, and it they were strong enough to give guards trouble, Redshift and Gallenthrall may not be able to clear them all out before they grow too large in number.
Riish was joined with her star, Seratis, a couple of days later, and got right to work devoting her time to Dragtide as its third member, and to becoming the best Shaper she could be. The clouds had seemingly parted, and for once in her life, Riish could see hope on the horizon. Hope that life could be so much more than what it had become, that those good, warm days before the Burning could return, and she was going to be there when they did.
