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Name: Vaani
Race: Yaeli
Gender: Female
3 Base Traits: Active, Naive, Monophobic
Personality: Vaani was raised in a very hands-on household and it shows. Laziness was never tolerated so she’s grown into the type of girl that is constantly on the move. Whether it’s taking up chores, tending to household repairs or her studies she’s constantly up to something. With a large family she’s grown rather used to taking lots of breaks to play outdoor games.

Due to her semi-isolated childhood Vaani developed a tender heart. Underneath the layers of suspicion is a willingness to believe in the good natured smiles of others and hope that those that treat her with kindness really are being kind. It’s led to a lifetime of bullying, but she can’t seem to break herself of it. At least when she’s being ‘asked’ to tend to someone else's chores or to do their work for them she’s being included.

Vaani is terrified of being on her own. As part of such a large family there aren’t many chances for her to be alone, but even when she is she hates it. There’s a comfort in being in a quiet room surrounded by others, even if no one is speaking, but once they’re gone her anxiety takes over. Shadows become monsters, her thoughts are spirits coming to claim her and every little sound is evil. So, despite her general mistrust of people as a whole, she would still prefer to be on the fringes of society than a complete outcast.

History: Valin and Amira fell into each other’s arms early in life. The pair were nearly inseparable from the moment they saw one another and as soon as they were able to they solidified their union by getting married. Valin was a scholar, one who adored collecting as much information about the new world as possible and the two traveled for years. During that time neither made any efforts to prevent the start of a family and even hoped for it! They wanted nothing more than to share their love with a little one, or three!, but as time passed their dream seemed to slip away.

Months turned into years and years turned into a decade. Soon enough their youth was slipping away without any sign of a baby. The pair saw healer after healer, witch doctors and priests, all across Tendaji for help. Amira drank a plethora of teas to help with fertility, and they tried every trick they could think of with no success. At long last they saw an older Oban woman who claimed to have just the cure.

”Drink this every night for a year and on the last night you will conceive.”

Valin didn’t believe it would work, but Amira was desperate. As ready as her husband was to simply give up, Amira held strong. She drank the miserable concoction every night, making it a part of her nightly routine and soon found her nerves slipping away. Valin suspected the roots that were supposed to ‘aid in fertility’ were simply a drug to help with her nerves, but Amira wouldn’t hear it. She believed it worked so he kept his peace.

And sure enough a year later Amira was with child.

To ensure a safe pregnancy the pair moved back home to Yael. When Amira’s stomach began to grow round the pair were understandably excited, but ultimately cautious. The sheer size of it was daunting. Surely she shouldn’t be that big this early on? When seeking out a healer the best the healer could say was that all was healthy and good, but that there were multiple aura’s coming from within her. Suspecting twins, the happy couple settled into their new routine.

They prepped for two infants, but when Amira went into labor early they soon learned the truth.

That night, under the light of a New Moon, Amira gave birth to five tiny daughters.

Amira’s mother, who had been present at the birth, panicked. Seeing it as an ill omen she ran to get the closest priest while the new parents simply tried to process it all. Five daughters?! After so long they couldn’t believe their eyes. The midwife assured them that not all five would survive; how could they? With as small as they were? All five seemed sickly, practically near dead already, but the parents wouldn’t believe it. The priest saw it as an ill omen, given the moon outside and the sheer number of children, but Amira saw it as a blessing.

And the girls thrived. It was a hard road, one filled with much heart ache and sickness, sleepless nights and spiked emotions, but they grew. Their tiny village, however, prayed for their end. To be born on a moonless night...What could they be if not ill omens? The identical girls were spat at as they passed, had salts and dried herbs tossed at them, and were outright yelled at if they came close to a building. Valin, sick of it all, did his best to help his daughters but one man could hardly fight back against societal pressures. As much as Yael was changing over the years due to outside influence the superstitions still reigned and it left its mark.

Family
Varshana - Eldest sister
Laksha - Second eldest sister
Nakia - Third sister
Zahira - Fourth sister

Yep! I assume her father would have taken smaller trips outside of Yael off and on while they grew up, but the sheer amount of children would have kept him closer to home to help raise them. The girls themselves have never left Yael.

I kind of imagine their village as being one of those smaller places that rarely appears on a map, and even if it is visited by outsiders it's generally only people passing through. Small town vibes~