Jevai Nadenigh

Jevai Nadenigh

Vitals

• Name: Jevai Nadenigh
  • Udul (nickname): Sifri (Red)
  • Dimir (Lady's Name): Hestur
• Player: Heather
• Class: Sigillant
• Gender: F
• Age: 25
• Hair: black
• Eyes: dark brown
• Height: 5'6"
• Weight: 140 lbs

Biography

Jevai Nadenigh was born in 743 to Porfo of the Nadenigh and Fusna of the Igriz. She was a somewhat strange and quiet child, who saw colours where there were not, interested in stones and the secrets of the lineage caves. In other words, a perfect candidate to be trained as a new Sigillant. She began this training in 757, when she turned 14. As the last Nadenigh Sigillant had dies some years before, others had to be found to conduct her training. Among the Siginllant community, those who could be found were both outcast themselves: Eng-Dur of the Chuchuru as Upward, and Saza of the Gago, sister of the erratic and violent hengi of her lineage Tocha Gago, as Downward. Despite the concerns of her parents, Jevai endured their idiosyncrasies and abuse (from Saza), and passed her initiation into the craft. Afte this, she was recruited by Bura Hazh to come to the Uajeta as an acolyte, to deepen her knowledge of the world, of source, and for other reasons that only became clear as she became older and came into more responsibility.

She stayed at the Ulajeta, in service to Nemnu Ula, after she completed that training. As an acolyte, she had made close relationships and broadened her mind. She continued to research, sharing her learning with her Upward and even undertaking some research on his behalf. She also learned more of her responsibilities as Sigillant to her lineage, and the secrets of the underground Iftibal and the cave complex beyond which linked her home with Nemnosti. When she was 21, having lived this life – balancing her responsibilities to her teachers, to her lineage, to Nemnu and the ulajeta – for almost 4 years, her Downward disappeared. Jevai was struck with a certainty that she could not comprehend that he was no longer a Person. She searched for answers for months before a vision brought her to the Lanky stones, and a vision. Ther, she learned to communicate with him, whatever his Kind now is, but it was limited in scope. Based on her research, experience, and intuition, she has dismissed the possibility that he has become a haunt, at least in the way that this Kind is usually understood. Her research into what he is, and how he became this way, has begun to lead her down new, perhaps unorthodox, paths.

Role

Jevai's main role at Nemnosti is to conduct magical research across fields such as abjuration, magical theory relating to Source and the ways to access it (fos, glyphs, etc.), as well as areas of key interest to Nemnu Ula. Since the disappearance of Eng-dur her research has expanded into some of the areas he used to be interested in, as clues to his current fate. She aids in the curation and management of the many treasures, books, magical items, and spell texts at Nemnosti, in anticipation that one day that might be a more important role. Recently Giri has had her doing some teaching of sigillant things to new acolytes, although it is not clear whether Jevai would aspire to more responsibility in that area. She might also be called on by any of the mystics, or her aunt Naka, or Giri, for some random task involving research of some mundane sort. Either Giri or Saza (if present) could give her instructions outside her duties here at Nemnosti - while her formal apprenticeship is over, her duties to Upward and Downward remain.

NPCs

People

• Afra Sortusai: A good friend who was an acolyte with you; you call her Ikhi usually, never Firesnatch though! Despite her coming from a radically different social class, you became friends - she's friends with everyone. She's very hurt by being shunned by many at Nemnosti over her relationship with Hojon now that she's pregnant.
• Ailal Takovenga: Mostly Ailal, Folazh when very informal, the acolytes all call her Sister Hush. A Ravre forager from the high hills, expert in survival, she is the Warden of the grounds at the ulajeta. You deal with her in terms of the Nadenigh cave entrances (which she knows about of course) and also, she lives in Akapa Sogo with her family, and is good friends with your mom. Not nearly as scary as the young acolytes think her to be.
• Avrubai Dusmanis: You call him Estuki, or playfully Earwax. Mystic who trained as an acolyte around the same time as you. Friendly, outgoing, went away to Ardukh to train further in mystic stuff but returned a while ago, now working as a scribe at the ulajeta. You've always wondered if he has a crush on you but he's just so friendly with everyone.
• Bura Hazh: AKA Zephyr or Larar - you wouldn't necessarily call her either, though. Bura comes from Akapa Sogo and knows you from there, but also as the recruiter for the ulajeta, she is always on the lookout for potential Ravre acolytes of promise. A reckoner with a vast knowledge of the history and folklore of the region, someone you can trust to be (sometimes brutally) honest about things.
• Dijur Nadenigh: AKA Chiselfoot. Hengi of the lineage, and a cousin of your dad of some sort. A super social guy with a big network throughout the Ravre communities who strongly supports sending kids to Nemnosti to be acolytes, which he never got to do.
• Elof Losturi: AKA Ponderer and Chonosh. Researcher on magical theory who maintains Nemnu's mystical aisamons. You have a better sense than most of the kind of research he is undertaking for Nemnu but even that is not much. Brilliant guy, but always seems sad and lonely.
• Eneronde Pekai: Eneronde is a sigillant who now works as a mosaicist and artist in Naftusa, where she lives with her husband and children. Eneronde was born in Akapa Sogo, like you, and is maybe around ten years older than you. She trained as a sigillant and very unusually (because of a lack of suitable people), her own mother was her Upward, while Giri Hazh was her downward. She is not an acolyte, and hasn't ever been to Nemnosti to your knowledge. These days, she is busier with her work creating mosaics than she is doing actual sigillant work in Ravre communities.
• Faja-dur Chuchuru: The sister of your deceased Upward Eng-dur. You met Faja-dur a couple times while in training. She's just a warm, kind person who lives a simple life, and since Eng-dur's disappearance, has been relying on you to find answers. She has a partner or two on the side but has never married.
• Fusna Igriz: Your mom, adorably called Snugs. Well-respected and loved in Akapa Sogo. Spends a lot of time worrying about your brother Pughan's wellbeing, although she used to be more concerned about you when you were first an acolyte.
• Giri Hazh: Almost always 'Upward', never Wispy or Khizmo. Your new Upward since Eng-dur died/disappeared. You came to him in the years after his wife Ozel died, although you'd known him from your time as an acolyte. Very, very disorganized - your first task was to try to unclutter his office (failed). As Master of Signs, he knows far more than you about Nemnosti's glyphs and inscriptions, and does share useful tidbits with you. Giri is very hands-off as your Upward, mostly happy to serve as a figurehead.
• Meze Hazh: AKA Yearny or Kaifuri (though likely not to you). Master of Hunts at the ulajeta, you were never much of a hunter and didn't know her much when you were an acolyte, and came to know her better only after her brother Giri became your upward. The two of them are very close.
• Momuzai Nemni: AKA Singalong or Siskin. Hojon's heir (maybe?), he was an acolyte at around the same time as you or maybe a bit later, so you got to see all his less appealing traits. He's honestly a good guy, just ... not special, and he feels that. Cantor is not a great job, and he's not even that good at it, more of a beefy fighting type. You feel like he is just ill-suited for this life that has almost been appointed for him.
• Mususi Nemni: AKA Reject or Rokha. Hojon's middle daughter, a year or so older than you. Currently serving at Birgoje, the Hand temple in Naftusa, as common for Hands, but her home and place are surely back at Nemnosti. Lots of tension with Ifa, and definitely has a bit of entitlement. Has never had much to do with the mystics and sigillants.
• Naka Igriz: Aunt Naka (aka Ovakh if you're feeling cheeky), expert healer and herbalist, and of course mom to Ifa and Izu. You have a sense that she's really proud of you even though you're not her own child, for your interest and skill in Source. She is also an excellent cook and not just with mushrooms.
• Porfo Nadenigh: Your dad, aka Itchycap. He is the daddest of all dads, very proud of you and Pughan even when he doesn't fully understand what you do. He is much much smarter than most ordinary farmers but seems very happy as a beska farmer and now, with his beekeeping. He and Dijur are often in conversation about matters to do with the lineage and Akapa Sogo.
• Saza Gago: Downward, or Saza under duress. You have had more nightmares about Saza than all other nightmare topics combined. She is undeniably brilliant, but 'hate-filled' is not too strong a word. You have never done anything to her exacting standard, and not just because that's her role. She still tells you to give up and go back to the farm regularly.
• Tamandu Sempi AKA Pavavi, which you and lots of people call him. You know his whole story but to you he's always just been this friendly old dude who keeps the artifacts organized and shares some of his system with you as Curator. You literally don't know anyone who dislikes him.
• Verga Dendorfi: AKA Quencher. Young Voice a little older than you, came to Nemnosti a few years ago to serve at the temple. You don't have anything against him personally but a lot of people do, and his lack of knowledge of the Courses does hurt him.
• Zaren Nemni: Your uncle; Ifa and Izu's dad, aka Zesty or Ronu. Always has a good story for you, and fond of learning more about the Ravre (though being married to one for 30+ years helps).

Revenants

• Bem Pekai: AKA Lozla. An acolyte at around the same time as you, you knew her as Miti before her death and rebirth a few years ago. Stoneguard with very few intellectual interests, so not much in common, but a Ravre from Akapa Sogo, so you've known her since you were little kids, and always have been relatively friendly.
• Jorota Vuvrugh: AKA Five-lashes or Zhivai. Very powerful Omban mystic, extremely close to Nemnu Ula, perhaps moreso than anyone at the ulajeta. She is the Preceptor of the acolytes - in charge of overall curriculum. Not as much of a scholar as some of the other mystics, but very important in the intellectual life of the place, and one of the teachers you were close to during your own studies.
• Pughan Nadenigh: Your brother, born Zhundul but who took the name Pughan as his ghir; also sometimes known by his friends as Spindletop. His death and rebirth just the year after Eng-dur disappeared was a difficult time for you. For his part, Pughan's rebirth has made him more reckless than ever, which is a subject of discussion among your family. Definitely your success and status at Nemnosti has made him a little resentful towards you, which he expresses through derision.

Ancestors

• Hestur Lutamu: A jeweler and gemcutter of great skill whose work with her sigillant husband on creations such as the Reje Diadem earned her a privileged place of interment after her death 40+ years ago. Hestur, as an Ancestor, is an elder of exacting precision in language and a sharp eye for detail, not unkind but not given to idle chatter. Though not a fos user, she can relate to you through her long partnership with a sigillant.
• Sharusila Nadenigh: The former keeper of the Nadenigh caves, which have various ancient and modern glyphs, mostly dislodged but with a few active wards. You have learned much from her over the years, and understand your place as the inheritor of her work and practice. As a sigillant, Sharusila was never of great power but she was highly respected for her knowledge of the craft, and had a good relationship with Nemnu even though she was never an acolyte herself.

Haunts

• Eng-dur Chuchuru: What to say? Eng-dur was an excellent Upward, fond of sharing a beer with you around a fire, with some greater purpose in mind, which wasn't always clear. He always made you divide your time with him and go off to Saza, which was hard. Saw the role of sigillant as one of service and obligation, never self-interest. He never had any interest in Nemnosti until around 759, around the time Marga became an acolyte. Coincidence? But he also became interested in some version of what you know as the Five-Kinds Error around the same time. It took a while for that interest to even become clear to you. In the last year of his life he was having you increasingly doing research by proxy in Nemnosti's libraries, sometimes ordinary-seeming stuff, other times bizarre. Your relationship evolved, never equals, but more of a sense that you were a resource. You've run that period over in your head many times since then - were you being exploited? Could you have done something to stop whatever it was? In any case, in fall of 764, four years ago almost now, he disappeared suddenly. You knew that he was dead, almost immediately. Gossip spread through the Ravre communities about what had happened - a murder, an experiment gone wrong, etc., etc., all without any foundation. No body was found, by magical or mundane means. Months later, though, you found yourself under new-moon's light drawn to the Lanky Stones, where you had a ...vision? Stronger than a feeling, more visceral than visual, that Eng-dur was trapped, but almost reluctant to ask for your help. You are no diviner, but over months you learned to use this time to reach out to him, almost to have a kind of conversation. He has made it clear to you that you are NOT to tell anyone about him or about these meetings, and that you are in great danger. Several times he told you to move on and get a new Upward - that is when you started with Giri. He blames himself for his own state, which you can only describe using a word like 'haunt' that may be incomplete. Of late, you have had the sense that maybe, maybe?, he's ready to ask for help.

Special Notes

• You and Nemnu are the only two living people who know for a certainty that the Nadenigh caves link directly to the Inner Caves of Nemnosti. There is a deep chamber with a permanent seal that encodes a powerful illusion, a wondrous, softly-lit mural known as the Fingerprint, to which various sigillants have added over many centuries, and which conceals a secret tunnel leading through to the Viper's Cave of Nemnosti. You learned about this, and many other secrets of those caves, from Sharusila.
• It has been widely and reliably gossiped among the tiny circle of Ravre sigillants that one of the powerful noblewomen of the province is receiving some sort of secret training as a sigillant, though no one knows who their Upward and Downward could be.
• During your training with Eng-dur, you rediscovered a long-forgotten standing stone in the Turtu, northwest of the mountain, Zarizi, which is known as the Vulture-Pecked Stone (Tetavai Ikhanne, literally 'pecked-repetitively by vultures' because its appearance is as if having been pecked with tiny holes by hundreds of vultures. Strikingly, a vulture was standing atop the stone (which is now sunken in earth, with only three feet or so showing above ground) when you arrived there with Eng-dur.
• Once, in a fit of madness, you thought to try to help Giri organize his office. Hey, it's a thing you do! While you were largely unsuccessful, you did discover Giri's unfinished sketches for a great glyphic project that was clearly to go on the tomb of his wife Ozel, and which had, among other things, a piece of epic poetry that Giri seems to have composed himself. That was a couple years ago, and nothing further has come of it.