APPLICATION FOR THE INJUN MAIDEN, PENNY DREADFUL RPG

Part I: General Information

Name: Rei "The Texas Turtle" Helen
Email Address: rehrick @ bgnet.bgsu.edu
AIM: Sandhya Nawar, Shiamirei

Part II: Character Information

Character Name: Lark who Sings as the Dawn Paints the Sky with Fire. (As that's a bit of a mouthful, most folks just call 'er Lark. She got the name cause her ma had a sense of humor about getting up to rock a crying baby in the wee sma's.)

Character Archetype: The Injun Maiden

Character Position: Beautiful Daughter of Chief Red Wolf

Birthdate and Age: Lark is sixteen, going on seventeen.

Likes:

• Animals: Lark likes animals, and animals like Lark. She can't communicate with them, but she has a knack with them.
• English: Lark doesn't speak much English now, but she is quite enthusiastic about learning, because it is Different and she wants to understand it.
• White Folk: Perhaps not so much a "like" as it is a "curiosity towards," but Lark certainly has no animosity towards the palefaces that have been moving out into her vicinity. Not all of her tribesfolk feel the same way, but Lark figures that they're just people, only different, and she wants to learn more about them.
• People in general: Lark tends to give people the benefit of the doubt, assuming they're good at heart. She's not so much gullible as she is naïve--she knows people do bad things, but that's because they're misguided, not because they're bad.

Dislikes:

• Violence: Lark's no fainting violet, but she'll do anything in her power to keep a disagreement from coming to blows. She doesn't want to see anyone hurt, even though she's damn good at fixing 'em up. Seein' a gunfight won't make her pass out, but it will make her cry.
• Misunderstanding: This usually leads to her first dislike, violence. Lark believes that if everyone would just take the time to get to know each other and learn to understand each other's differences, no one would fight, and everyone would live together in peace.

Hobbies:

• Rescuing the Lost & Injured: Thanks to Coyote, Lark has a sixth sense that always puts her in the right place at the right time to pick up any poor soul just when he thinks he's as good as dead. Then she has to nurse him back to health, so it's a good thing that another hobby of hers is...
• Herbal Medicine: The ancient art that has been passed down from generation to generation. Lark gathers the herbs, mixes, and steaps them all herself--she does the grunt work for the tribe wisewoman she's apprenticed to. She always has a pleasant, herbally smell about her because of it.

Description:

• Hair: black, shiny, and reasonably long, reaching past her shoulder blades. It's almost always plaited into two matching braids, unless you happen to catch her when she washes it, in which case she looks like she came straight out of a shampoo commercial. It's real nice hair.
• Eyes: dark brown, large, and shining with innocence. Big doe eyes that you can't say no to, especially if they're brimming with tears.
• Mug She's got the prettiest li'l smile you ever did see. In fact, her face has a way of conveying what she can't put into words, her English being in a sad state. Her skin's more a tan color than red, and somehow it's smooth and soft as a fancy Eastern lady's. Either Coyote's power or plain good fortune have eliminated any need for her to worry about acne.
• Duds: Usually a white deerskin dress with fringe, complemented by the ever-fashionable beaded headband with two feathers sticking up at the back, one blue and one white. Her clothing is decorated with beads, and still seems pristine, even if she's been trekking through the dust.
• Build: Petite, though hardier than an average girl of her years. She is about five feet tall, slender, and not quite grown into womanhood.
• Voice: Hesitant and stilted when she's speaking English, but still soft and charming. Pitch-wise, she's probably a mezzo-soprano. Her voice is low enough to sound "deep" when necessary, but she doesn't have the strong, deep voice of an older woman.
• Actress: Odds are, Lark's not being played by anyone you've heard of.

Personality: Lark personifies the beautiful, "good" aspects of nature and the wilderness. She is beautiful and pure; jealousy and hatred are unknown to her. She's still untamed, still waiting for someone who can take her from her raw state and turn her into a proper woman, suitable for marryin'.

Lark is a very kind, sincere person. She doesn't have much of a sense of humor--if someone makes a joke, it will probably go right over her head. However, she's the sort of person who will listen to your story of Woe and actually care, and do anything in her power to help you. Her heart is pure and noble.

She's probably a little too nice. Lark is sensitive beyond the borders of rationality, able to go from zero to totally empathic in seconds. This is a good thing, if you're a settler who's run afoul of her tribe. Lark will understand. Lark hates bloodshed. If you don't have a sob story for her to believe, she'll probably make up one for you. Lark wants everyone to live in peace, and will speak passionately about this desire. She doesn't speak much English, but when she does speak stilted phrases, she does it charmingly, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

She also will stubbornly believe that everyone is good at heart--even if someone does bad things, it's because they're misguided, not because they're truly evil. Also, the concept of original sin is alien to her. She doesn't know how to hate. Lark very rarely becomes angry, but she does become sad, because she is so Sensitive and Empathetic.

Lark is shy, especially when she deals with the white settlers. It makes her seem even more mysterious. Even among her own people, Lark's no chatterbox, but she's not a complete pushover. When the plot calls for it, she can grow a backbone and talk back to her father the chief in defense of the poor soul for whom she feels a sudden compassion. Fortunately, her father is the sort of man who, despite his stern facade, would do anything for his little girl, but he'll at least pretend to be reluctant when he lets the poor paleface loose.

Deep down, Lark is still a motherless child. Although she smiles, the loss of her mother has left a void inside her. After her mother's death, she was very sheltered, and everyone in the tribe has been kind to her. She never lacked for love--but she never had a really close relationship with a female role model. Because of the way she was treated, she may be a bit spoiled. No one wanted her to have to deal with the harsher truths of life, so Lark believes that there is good in all people, all disagreements can be resolved peacefully. Something will probably shatter the illusion, but does anyone really want to cause her such Woe?

History: Strangely enough, no one has ever Done Her Wrong.

Sure 'nough, there's been plenty of Woe along that life of hers, but most of it's been due to the cruelty of fate. She was born to two very proud parents--the chief of the tribe and his lovely wife. Her mother was the loveliest, kindest lady the tribe had ever known. She was sweet, smart, a gifted healer, and possessed something extremely rare among Wild West Indians--a sense of humor.

The whole tribe was pretty bummed out when Swift Deer took ill and Died Before Her Time, but no one took it harder than Chief Red Wolf and his little girl. Lark inherited all the sweetness of her poor ma, and quickly became the darling of the tribe. Before long, she was like everyone's little sister, and they all looked out for her. As she blossomed into womanhood, though, she never had a sweetheart--most of the boys her age were like brothers to her, and her father made it known that anyone who got too involved with his daughter would answer to him.

Lark overheard her father talking in a language she did not understand to a man with very pale skin. She found hiding places where she could watch some of the rancher's families as they worked and played, fascinated by their ways. She began to pick up some of their language, but was too shy to ever introduce herself.

Not too long ago, Lark was out gathering herbs when she heard the moans of someone in pain. She followed the sound to find a fresh-faced young white man who told her, in great agony, that he'd been bitten by a snake. It took her a bit to understand what he meant, but once she did, her gentle heart kicked into overdrive. She helped him back to her home tent, where she mixed a concoction of herbs as an antidote to the venom. As the young man was expressing his gratitude with eloquent words that were flying over the girl's head, Lark's daddy walked in to see a strange man privy to his daughter's innocent smile.

Chief Red Wolf was pretty upset, and was about ready to scalp the pale man, but Lark gave him an impassioned speech about how she found him, and she couldn't just leave him to die, and it touched her father's heart. It touched the heart of the snakebite victim--who was, of course, Coyote in disguise--and at this point he staged a miraculous recovery, thanked Lark in her own language, and asked her to do one more favor for him.

The rest, as they say, is history...just not part of this history section.

NPCs:

• Red Wolf: Lark's stern but loving pa, the chief of a Cheyenne tribe. Not really a "good" or "bad" Injun--he won't go out of his way to scalp and kill, but if one of them palefaces tresspasses on his lands, they're gonna have some 'splaining to do.
• Swift Deer: Lark's dear, sweet momma, who done gone and Died Before Her Time, leaving a void in the life of her husband and daughter.

Part III: Archetype Information

L33t Skills:

• Herblorist in Training: Lark is apprenticed to her tribe's wisewoman, who uses the power of Goodness and light to heal wounds, illnesses, and the occasional broken heart. Lark's handy with herbs, but still far behind her mentor.
• Empathy+: Lark is quiet, but she is a great listener, and when you unload your troubles to her, she will be right with you and you'll Feel Better just from talking to her. She's also got a knack for saying the right thing to put you back on track if you're feeling uncertain.
• Stilted English+: Lark knows more English than she should by rights of her background, but still not enough to be fluent. However, she is able in her stilted English to cut right to the heart of things, and she always seems to be able to convey what she means.

Super Sekrit Speyshul Powers:

• Painting With all the Colors of the Wind: Lark is One With The Earth. She lives in Perfect Harmony with Nature. Birds will eat from her hands, fawns will lay their heads in her lap.
• Bringing about the Miraculous Recovery: So, you've collapsed in the desert, parched, injured, starving, just about 's good as dead? Expect the next thing you see to be the blurry but beautiful face of this mysterious Indian girl who has nursed you back to health. No matter how badly you're hurt, Lark will be able to save you, and there will be little or no permanent damage.
• Premonitions of Vagueness: If there's trouble brewing, Lark usually senses it, though she won't be able to tell you what's going on, or what to do about it. However, she can feel the wrongness through her Connection with the Earth, and go to great lengths to Warn someone who's actually capable of doing something about it.
• Purity and Goodness: Lark is impervious to corrupting influences. No matter what happens, she will try to do what is best--even if it means she will have to endure pain. When she falls in love, it will be Pure and True, and she will either die dramatically, pining after someone, or marry a white man and join the fold of good housewives for the rest of her days.

Belongings:

• Pretty Fawn: A straw-stuffed doll that her mother gave her when she was little. It is Lark's key memento of her mother and has oodles of sentimental value. The doll has obviously been loved.

Part IV: Other Information

RP Experience: What does "RP" stand for?

Why You?: Why not?

Miscellaneous: My hovercraft is full of eels.

Part V: Grammar Check

What matter Lark not talk good? What matter that person is good, not how person talk.

Connections:

• The Cowboy: Pretty likely to need Lark to fix him up at one time or another.
• The Schoolmarm: She wants to teach, and Lark wants to learn, but it depends on how she feels about Injuns.
• The Missionary: The Missionary will probably have a bit of a hard time getting Lark to understand the concepts of Christianity, but in the end Lark will probably be a successful convert to the faith. Because, you know, she's that Good.
• The Gambler:
• The Lawman: Also likely to need Lark's medical skills at one point or another. If he's young, it's a pretty good bet that she'll fall in love with him.
• The Frontiersman:
• The Noble Savage: If he's from her tribe, Lark probably will think of him as an older brother. If not, romantic tension is possible, but probably they'll just get along.
• The Tricksy Injun: If he's from her tribe, he probably has been a friendly brother/uncle since her childhood--probably convinced her he could pull beads out of her ears.
• The Wildcat:
• The Gunslinger: Lark will be Deeply Saddened by her prejudice, and will probably help to bring about a change of heart in Emmy.
• The Express Rider: If he gets attacked, he's probably gonna need Lark to find him and fix him up. She'll probably crush on him, it's a shame his heart already belongs to another.
• The Rancher's Daughter:
• The Small Mexican Sidekick:
• The Wise Woman:
• The Rustler:
• The Soiled Dove:
• The Tee-Totaler:
• The Con Man:
• The Politician:
• The Killer Redskin:
• The Rabid Squaw:
• The War Shaman:
• The Stone Bitch:
• The Outlaw:
• The Highway Robber:
• The Foreign Woman:
• The Sneaky Greaser:
• The Sawbones: