Tahmina

Nineveh and Anshar (Brothers)

Issa (Sister)

Elam and Ashur (Half-Brothers, NPCs)

Nouri (Uncle)

## Application Sheet

Tahmina was a brown-furred she-wolf with very pale jade eyes. Born in Xassa to the previous Cyrus, Zagros, she had three littermates: Nineveh, Anshar, and Issa. The sickness that killed her parents and several packmates caused Tahmina to flee her home. After receiving a prophecy from the god Xerxes, she returned to Xassa to serve as the pack's Melchior. She was created and RP'd by iBadge.

## Personality

* ***Passionate, Outspoken, and Cynical.*** Tahmina is… a presence, that much is certain. Often characterized as loud and spirited, this is a she-wolf who has the tendency to care deeply about things (and wolves, most of the time) and has no problems voicing her opinions about said issues. Sitting by and quietly disagreeing simply is not her way of doing things. If she doesn’t favor something, she says so. Loudly. Multiple times. She can also sometimes come off as a little sour, as trust in other wolves is not something that comes easily to her anymore, and she’s more likely to see the negatives before she sees a positive when it comes to the motives of others. While not always a bright presence, there’s never a doubt that she’s around.
* ***Suave, Charismatic, and Witty.*** Mina is what some might refer to as a “people person.” On the surface, she presents a smooth-talking exterior and flirts like none other, though it’s never anything deep, and most of it isn’t sincerely meant. Smart and light on her feet in the social sphere, she enjoys talking to others and likes to keep things mildly entertaining. Her natural sass often comes off as playful and sharp banter, a wit that keeps both her and others on their toes. There’s an intelligence to her that’s hard to pinpoint, something that comes from within that manifests itself in how she presents herself.
* ***Faithful, Spiritual, and Moralistic.*** “Really? Her?” A side to Tahmina that not many are keenly aware of is the deeper, quieter side to Tahmina’s heart, one that drives her to stay true to her ideals and to those that she cares about. But, perhaps more importantly, that has sustained her faith in Xerxes, and Xerxes alone, and the legacy of Xassa. This is a part of her that’s really only begun to show after her long journey. Though she loves being social, Tahmina actually does enjoy spending chunks of her day meditating and strolling about the caves; while she doesn’t openly speak about how she feels there, she’s never felt as though she was alone while in the dark winding pathways underneath the mountains. This is a wolf pushed more by moral principle than loyalty to any one physical wolf or idol. She may not always come off as the most reverent, or proper, of spiritual guides, but Tahmina has a deep and moral intelligence to her that might surprise her packmates.
* ***Proud, Private, and Vindictive.*** Loud, seemingly rambunctious and social, it might be surprising to many when they realize… they actually may not know all that much about Tahmina. She’s surprisingly stoic when it comes to her own emotions and feelings. She’s private, and despises showing vulnerabilities or weaknesses of any kind. There’s times when her bloodline makes her feel pressured. She *should* be perfect, flawless, and any vulnerability is a detriment to that image. But Tahmina’s pride often drives her to hide those feelings, and her flippant shell covers up a lot more than many would expect. She also has a slightly… vindictive, almost cruel, side to her. When Mina is wronged, she remembers it, and will often try to find ways to get her “vengeance” even if it’s a long period of time. It’s… caused some of her more profound regrets in life, and it likely isn’t going to stop any time soon.

## Pre-Group History

From birth, it felt like greatness was expected from Tahmina.

One of two daughters born to Cyprus Zagros and Farrah, Tahmina was raised from the start to know two things: one, that she was of the Susa bloodline and therefore a model for all of Xassa to embody, and two, that she would always have a special connection to Xerxes from that bloodline. Much of her puphood was spent alongside Zagros, who made it a point to ensure his daughters were educated to the best of his, and the pack’s, ability.

The plot twist? Young Mina *hated* it.

She was always more inclined to go and play with the other young pups, to go out and be with her brothers and be *doing* things for Xassa, rather than studying herbs and reciting prayers and discussing boring old politics. Truth be told, Tahmina longed to be exploring, always dreaming of what life might be like beyond the mountains that were, seemingly, there to keep them safe. During her studies (for which her mother Farrah was frequently present), she was always drawn more towards the stories of what Xassa had been like before the Silence, and once she had bound herself to a contract stone, she often found herself within the Hall of Conquests. Unruly, rambunctious, restless young Tahmina simply wanted *more*.

But then Elam died in the fire, and Nineveh only got out by the skin of his tail. Everything happened so quickly after that.

Mina dealt with her grief by closing herself off, spending more time in the Caves than was probably necessary, and studying the contract stones of all those that had come before in the Hall of Memories. That yearning for exploration and to see more never quite went away, but it was now tempered by the sobering weight of grief and pride. Her family needed her. Xassa needed her. And Xerxes… he needed her too; Xassa needed protecting, because her family, her pack, it wasn’t invincible. She suddenly understood the dark fear that had led to the Silence, and wondered if perhaps it hadn’t been the wrong choice. That doubt did not last long.

Then the sickness came, and it was an entirely different reckoning. In many ways, it felt as if as soon as Tahmina had accepted the Silence, the first cases began to appear in Xassa. And as they only continued to get worse, her agitation grew, and then… Ashur died. Farrah died. Her brother Nineveh was now slotted to become Cyrus, and Xassa was diminishing around them. This time, Mina dealt with her grief in a different way. There had to be something that could be done, something that nobody had thought of, and perhaps Xerxes might lead them to the right answer. With increasing fervor, Tahmina began to believe once more that answers lied outside of Xassan territory, because all that remained of their packland was death.

So she approached Zagros with the idea of sending out a search party for help. It was an explosive argument, one that didn’t end well. Of course little rebellious Mina wanted to leave the territory - she presumed too much of her rank and role within the Xassan hierarchy, to suggest such an outlandish and dangerous idea to her Cyrus. Tahmina was furious, convinced that she was in the right, the drive to find *some* way to help their pack and finding no answers in what they already knew pushing her past a breaking point.

She did the only thing she felt like she could do. Tahmina left.

The young headstrong Magus departed from Xassan territory in the middle of the night, without a word to anyone. As far as Tahmina was concerned, she refused to sit by and hope that the herbs and resources they had at their disposal would be enough. There had to be something more, something else, that they could do. And if her father wasn’t willing to do what it took, then *she* would be, even if that meant disobeying the word of her Cyrus, breaking the law. After all, she was of the Susa bloodline too, was she not? She had the same blessed wise blood flowing through her veins. Her father didn't have the heart to send wolves out to collect his daughter, and unknown to Mina, he fell ill very shortly thereafter.

Not that it did her much good, on her own, trying to find her way through a world that she didn’t know how to navigate. As excited as she initially was to explore and as determined as she was to find help and make a positive difference, that excitement and determination quickly fell into despair and anger when her search yielded no suitable results. The wolves she met had no answers, no solutions that she’d hoped to find.

Months went by. One night, one of the wolves that Tahmina had encountered came back with friends, to steal the meager meal she’d gotten for herself. They roughed her up seemingly just for the fun of it, and to warn her away from their stretch of land. Injured, frustrated, and angry, after months of travel and no answers, Tahmina did something she hadn’t felt was helping this entire time.

She prayed. Tahmina wasn’t sure if she would be able to find her way home, lost in the wilds, and also wasn’t even sure if she could face her pack, after having abandoned them. Had she made the right, or the wrong choice? Was Xassa doomed in its badlands prison?

But that night, a vision came to her in a dream, one that almost seemed too potent to be real. In it, she flew on the back of a great bird, and beneath, she saw various landscapes flying by. She saw mountains, valleys, swamps, forests, plains, and the ocean. It was beautiful, and it was the *world*. But the great bird still set her down on a familiar, forbidden peak: that of Mount Sumer, looking out onto the Xassan badlands. On that dream peak, Tahmina learned a great many things.

When the bird looked her in the eye, Tahmina saw an endless expanse, and she knew with whom she spoke; the restlessness within her had perhaps been the will of Xerxes himself, the yearning for what lay beyond the mountains and the badlands. The world needed Xassa, her, the entire Susa bloodline. And when that mighty bird finally lifted its wing, Mina turned to find herself face to face with her brother Nineveh, and she understood.

Nineveh was now the Cyrus, and Zagros was dead. And it was time for the Silence to be broken. Xassa needed her, a messenger, a Magus, to rise alongside Nineveh. As her brother would become Cyrus, so she would become his Melchior.

It was time to go home.

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* iBadge's deviantART Gallery