⊱ I will put an ocean into a thimble. I will build a world on the edge of a blade. ⊰

Her appearance leaves room for questions regarding her muddied heritage. It suggests Imperial for the most part, of the Niben variety given her birthplace, but not all in it's entirety. She strikes a feminine figure, short and curvy but with strong legs and arms built for wielding a sword and withstanding the swaying of a ship. Her skin is bronze and marked with freckles, golden eyes lined with kohl and bordered by thick lashes.Typically the Niben dons a mix of leather, chainmail, with splashes of color in Ancestor Silk adornments, keeping her lighter on her feet and at least semi-competent at sneaking about. She carries no visible weapons, instead choosing to summon a bound blade whenever the occasion arises.

rumors

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"A reliable hunter, with a nose sharper than any hound I've tried to train. She hunted that little shit all the way from Daggerfall to Senchal, and returned him to me promptly. Sure, he was significantly beat up on his return home, but I doubt that was truly Niko's fault."
Wayrest, circa 2E 592."You know, a bounty hunter is only as good as their ability to chase a lead. I swear she performs some kind of necromancy on even the coldest of trails - Someway, somehow, she'll find a way to bring a contract back from the maws of some distant prison or, Gods above, the depths of the Void itself."
Anvil, circa 2E 593."The outlander handles most of the Captain's business - We often can't stand the arrogant s'wit after his repeated attempts to bed many a Magister. Nikola, however, remains ever the professional and entirely discreet. When there are those that run off to distant lands that not even the Cammona Tong can reach, the Osprey is a reliable sight upon the horizon."
Tel Mora, circa 2E 591."That woman is bad news. Her footprints are bloodied, teeth stained crimson by magic most foul. This one tried to warn Rashah-dar, but he swore the walker was only there to guard the moonsugar. Rashah-dar should have listened, for now there is no one left to hear him but the other ghosts of his farm. Bandits, this one heard, but where is Nikola?"
Rimmen, circa 2E 588.

"Lord Caelius' first daughter - I remember her. Died young in labor, didn't she? I remember how dark the estate was the day of her passing... First the Serpent appeared in the sky, and then the great storm that lasted ten days and ten nights. Narina Caelius wailed through the night and the Lord pleaded endlessly for her to simply see the sunrise. There were no Caelius Battlemages for a decade after, until he sent his bastard off in some desperate attempt to maintain his goodwill with the Spire."
Leyawiin, circa 2E 560."The Spire nearly took her life. The maddening whispers of the void beckoned her into bed with them like an old lover. She was never quite good enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of us, not until her Initiation. Not until the very end. She was gone for one-hundred days - longer than any other Potential took for their trial - and she came back beaten, bloodied, and wrong."
Imperial City, circa 2E 579."Aye, we took the Witchman's head. He granted one too many 'wishes', it was bound for one of those cursed deals to go sideways. He was a proud one, but he whimpered and begged for his children in his last moments. Nikola and Saenus, no surnames... Reach dogs. Nothing came up when we looked into it, figure someone else stuck a blade in them before we could get to it."
Shornhelm, 2E 577.

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common

⊱ For the Love of the Hunt - Whether by land or sea, Niko's primary chosen occupation is that of a bounty hunter. Tyrants, criminals, deserters, escaped prisoners, and pirates are all her quarry. She has a keen nose for scum, making her quite the unsavory figure for those sympathetic to criminals, even if the job is just for the coin. She's hardly above the law, though, and her hunts are rumored to be targeted on those that could be considered competition.
→ want to have a fun hunt for your criminal character, or send Niko off on a job to go hunt a criminal? let me know! no perma-deaths will happen here, just sending your character to "jail" or whoever would be hunting them, all discussed OOC. this hook can also be used for other bounty hunters or mercenaries - perhaps they'd end up as unlikely allies?⊱ In the Belly of the Boat - For the past fifteen or so years, the prisoner transport ship known as "The Osprey" has been Niko's home. Once the first-mate, she's now a turbulent occasional crewmate after her frequent altercations with the Captain, an Altmer by the name of Vinancarin. Sailors would likely recognize her face, and certainly they'd recognize the ship.
→ a broader version of the hook above - the Osprey as a concept takes on much larger hunts than what would make sense for one person alone and can also be contracted for prisoner transport. in Morrowind, on occasion, they have been known to work with House Telvanni to return lost property.⊱ A Poor Disguise for Improper Associations - To assume Niko is no better than a criminal would be close to the truth. She's not one to shy away from any job in order to make a quick drake, but this typically includes some kind of questionably legal work from questionable associations. Assassinations more akin to messy hired killings, intelligence gathering, and infiltration are not entirely out of Niko's paygrade. She's certainly not the best - More a convenience.
→ Niko isn't particularly skilled with subterfuge, but this is meant to also sort of act as an opportunity for mentorship - if given the skills to be a little more tactful, Niko could be effective.

uncommon

⊱ High-Value Targets, if a bit Otherworldly - Time spent peering into Oblivion has left a taste of the Void upon her tongue. Nikola has garnered an understanding of all things vile from the planes beyond. Friends of friends possess deeper knowledge of trade channels and means to get their hands on forbidden goods - Niko is more inclined to the people. Dangerous mages, smugglers of Daedric idols, cultists, the stray Dremora, and those with a little too much power on their hands are of great interest, and typically need to be put down.
→ I wouldn't call myself expressly a high magic roleplayer, but I'm a big fan of some batshit TES lore and the magical aspects. Oblivion Cowboy Bebop shit afoot here operating out of a storefront in Leyawiin.

rare

⊱ Alone, at the Edge of the Void - It's not a history she's proud of, nor is it something she'll bring up willingly. Trained in the art of war and magicka, Niko's formative years were spent within Oblivion itself. Were she a better student, a better mage, more sound of mind, more strong willed, she could've been something more than she is today - an Imperial Battlemage. She barely survived her mentorship, and the last trip through the Void for her Initiation left her stunted from ever achieving that dream.
→ fellow Battlespire trainees might recognize Niko from their shared time there, though this is something she rarely, if ever brings up. she is, quite frankly, the worst fucking battlemage and would be considered a stain on the Battlespire.⊱ Muddied Longhouse Lineage - The reign of the Longhouse Emperors was certainly a... confusing time for Cyrodiil. Born to a woman of House Caelius, Niben aristocrats and nepo-baby Battlemages, and the Reachman shaman-advisor of the family, Niko's bastardry is but a cruel joke. House Caelius has since attempted to scratch her names from the records, but for those interested in digging a little deeper, they'd find hushed stories of her father, a man who went only by The Weaver.
→ perhaps for Reach characters familiar with Cyrodiil or who have ties to the Longhouse Emperors.⊱ The Hunger - It's something that coils around her spine, ripping and wrenching at her stomach until all she can hear are its whispered words. It smells and tastes of rot, something other conjurers may note is not quite normal with the craft, and Daedric scholars could potentially recognize as Daedric in nature.
→ a little 'trying to commune with a daedric prince' gone wrong, if we would.

locations

port cities

Niko is a well traveled woman, having been around most of Tamriel at least once. Typically she frequents port cities of men (Solitude, Daggerfall, Wayrest, Sentinel, Abah's Landing, Anvil, Leyawiin, Bravil) but will also occasionally find her way to mainland Morrowind and some cities in Vvardenfell, as well as Senchal and some cities in Valenwood.

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• ooc. (click!)

playlist

face reference

tanaya beatty

gallery