Shia of the Rune Nomads

Shia with her cat-familiar Mia.

> *"You do not understand! This is Mia - my daughter!" ~ distressed Shia to Gladys and Dustin, explaining her attachment to the Void Shard creature that emerged from within her after the battle with Zetheniela.*
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**Shia of the Rune Nomads** was an eccentric female monk-traveller from the geographical region of the Rune Lands and part of one of the multiple human nomadic tribes under the umbrella name The Rune Nomads. She joined briefly the group later to be known as The Nameless Brotherhood in her gods-given quest of restoring harmony on the continent. Her peaceful personality was said to gather people around her and dissolve interpersonal conflicts, however, it was not enough to dissolve the conflict in her own heart.

## **Appearance**

Shia was a human woman of swarthy complexity, with
milky green eyes and dark brown hair. She had a small, pointy nose and puffed lips, as well as bushy eyebrows, making her exceptionally beautiful. She was 21 years old, of average height and with athletic body.

She always walked barefoot, insisting that helped her understand her surroundings better. Her daily attire consisted of simple beige and brown rags made out of rough fabric and a yellow tunic. Her walking was assisted by a long wooden staff with runes engraved into it.

## **Personality and Traits**

She was calm and open-minded, rare to enter in
conflicts and quick to resolve them. Shia enjoyed the simple beauties of life
and appreciated a moment of silence and peace. She searched the calming presence
of nature wherever she went. Her hatred of violence and death obliged her to
prevent them as much as possible, avoiding lethal methods of combat and feeling reluctant at
consuming meat. She thought that taking another creature’s life is abhorrent and
judged others for doing so. Her lack of sight since birth made her more
sensitive to sounds and motions, as well as better at reading other people’s
emotions through the sound of their voices.

Shia was an
altruistic person, open in her relations with other people. Her religious
beliefs apparently did not restrict her from experiencing love and procreating, even
the opposite. She was unfazed by being seen sexually and was more than willing to
respond accordingly. In fact, she had expressed preference for the same sex when confronted about it.

Despite her peaceful nature, Shia was deeply traumatised by the loss of her child - Mia - that presumably died during childbirth. She shared she was relieved to be chosen to leave the Rune Lands soon after, as that allowed her to not think about the experience too deeply. However, after the battle with Zetheniela during the "Sacris" Arc, she was embedded with a Void Shard that manipulated her emotional weakness by pretending to be her deceased daughter. It was because of that incident that she left the Nameless Brotherhood, thinking it was possible that the Void was not completely evil. This act is assumed to be the reason for her death.

## **Powers and Abilities**

Shia was a prominent martial artist following the monastic tradition of her people. She tended to use unarmed strikes that dealt non-lethal damage, preferring to stun her enemies instead of killing them. She was also a skilled healer.

### Martial Arts

Trained in the way of her people, Shia was told from young age not to use her powers for evil and to be the bringer of justice, not death.Her main weapons were her hands and her walking staff, which she used to great effect despite being visually impaired.

### Blindsense

Her attunement with the natural world allowed her to sense objects and creatures near her without using sight. Her hearing and touching senses had also being honed to an extraordinary extend.

### The power of Ki

With her knowledge of the Ki points, Shia was able to stimulate the nerves in a person's body. With a swift strike, she could temporarily freeze the motor functions in one's body or restore its vitality.

### Familiar's assistance

Her bond with her spiritual familiar - Mia the Cat - was a strong emotional support for Shia. The little sand cat, native to her homeland, was long to be her only companion in her travels and studies.

## **History**

### Early life

Shia originated for a nomadic tribe in the Rune lands,
dedicated to the worship and understanding of the gods, with Tu being their
patron deity. They follow strict traditions passed down from hundreds of generations,
as well as knowledge and wisdom. Her tribe is also devoted to learning the
secrets of the human mind and body.

Shia was thus raised in a collectivist and
traditionalist society. Unfortunately, she was born blind. However, she learned
how to use her weakness as a strength and was one of the best fighters among
her peers. Shia was taught never to bring death, but only life.

As she grew, she became more and more interested in
the world beyond the dessert, fondly listening to the tales of the Dwarven
merchants she encountered on the rare occasions when visiting their cities.
Shia felt the desire to explore the world freely, but of course, her duties as
a pious person were a lot more important to her than her own desires.

And so, when the elders of the tribe sensed the great
danger approaching this realm, Shia, among few other talented and inspiring
youths, was chosen to represent the will of her people and the will of the
Four.

Thus, she ventured into a new world, beyond the
Dustshields. For a while, she practised medicine in the north parts of the
Union and the Empire, conducting personal investigations. She became witness of
the increased tension between the two factions and discovered the secret of the
false gods’ artefacts. Engaging with diverse folk, she met Mirinin and his
resistance group. She willingly joined their efforts, seeing as they had the
same goal.