The Baron's Enforcer
Nali Tor Sorja is a mysterious shade of a Ral-Mi. She stalks Gommorah Sands like a hunting ground, taking what she wants from who she wants. Most of the time, she can get it willingly, but she is not above forcing her way through resistance.
Her methods have no oversight, thanks to her position as Baron Tholemew's right-hand. She works with his explicit blessing, and every Fær Consenti complaint lodged against her behavior is lost somehow.
Appearance
Nali stands tall at six feet seven inches. Her body is defined by strapped muscles thanks to her life of physical exertion. Her voice is a foreboding growl like a nocturnal predator on the hunt. Her glowering stare can buckle the strongest wills. She wields both to intimidate her enemies and dominate her associates.
Her eyes are a dark orange, the same shade as the burning sands under Nova Braga's suns. Her pupils are piercing diamonds, unwavering.
Nali wears her mane back, tied into a single wrist-thick braid that reaches between her shoulders. Her hair is darker than her already jet-black fur.
A Coat that Strangles the Light
Her fur is shaded coal black and smooth to the touch like a sheet of silk. Her natural patterning consists of chest and belly stripping, rosettes on the shoulders and cheeks, and symmetrical patterns that cross her brows and temple. These patterns are onyx-colored, slightly lighter than the base fur coat, and visible under UV light.
She has dyed her facial fur with solid stripes of bone-white to resemble a skull and broken rows of wicked teeth. These markings are a Sorja family tattoo, the same ritualistic patterning that is used during their Witchcraft rituals.
A Shadowy Getup
Nali wears a form-fitting envirosuit layer, an armored tactical vest, and a heat-dispersing duster when outside. Her envirosuit seals with a sleek ebony mask that obscures her entire face except for her brow and eyes. When she gets excited, she rips off her mask to reveal the skull pattern markings on her face.
Calhoon rounded the corner to the bathroom. The moment he broke eye line with Ja-guen, a strong palm slammed into his shoulder, pinning him to the wall with her immense strength.
"Hello, little one." The palm's owner growled at him in a feminine tone so low that it trembled in his chest. He looked up to another Ral-Mi, a brute of a Ral-Mi at that. She was built like a curvaceous battle tank, complete with armor plating. "I would know if I've seen you around before."
"Uhm, Calhoon." Calhoon found himself unable to pry himself away. He was held in place physically by her hand, but she mentally trapped him in her unrelenting stare and hungry tone.
He peeked to the corner he had just rounded, debating calling for help.
She called out his plot instantly, "No need to make a scene. I'm just introducing myself."
Her free hand reached for her mask, and she unlocked it from her envirosuit with a soft hiss. Those orange eyes never broke with his own once, not even to blink. Calhoon gasped at what she revealed, goosebumps ran rampant on his arms.
The entirety of her face from chin to brow had been covered in skull-like markings, complete with a wicked set of jagged teeth. The dyed fur highlighted her confident smile, baring the ivory cage of her pearlescent fangs and tusks.
"I am Nali, the Baron's bodyguard." Her hand squeezed the soft meat that joined Calhoon's neck to his shoulder. "I like to make sure new blood knows who I am. Should they need something."
"Yeah. Thank you." Calhoon tried to slide the hand off him, considering it wouldn't take much of a change for her to be strangling his throat. He felt the tingle of her long claws sinking into his shirt to press at the flesh beneath.
Her smile widened, reveling in his squirms. She relinquished her hold all at once, and waved Calhoon off with a dismissive hand gesture.
"I'll be seeing you around, Calhoon."
It was only the fear of making a scene that kept him from booking it down the hall. Without a word, he hurriedly walked down the hall towards the bathroom.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her refit her mask and head out into the restaurant like the interaction had been no different than a handshake.
Psychology
Social
Nali has an ambitious and manipulative personality. She has empathy, but only to the extent that she can understand how to manipulate her target's emotions.
She does not feel guilt, and she does demonstrate sadistic personality traits, such as joy at another's discomfort.
Her pride and confidence are on full display when she is interacting with others. Some describe interacting with her like interacting with the devil itself. Devious, tricky, and even sultry should someone catch her hungry eye.
Intimacy
Only two types ever see my face— predator and prey.
You are certainly not a predator.
Nali sees love-making as a conquest. She embraces the idea that dominating someone does not always involve hurting them (purposefully).
She goes after smaller partners, one that she can physically overpower. She will use the strength of her body and the sting of her silver tongue to reel in those she calls her "prey."
History
Growing up in the Sorja Family - Clandestine or Die
The Sorja Clan young grow up in a spartan environment. Nali's upbringing taught her to stand up for what was hers, and be ready to handle her aggressive siblings.
She learned her strength over others young, and went from being defensive to offensive. She took what she wanted, and very few times could her siblings fight her off.
Nali honed her love of violence, learning the ways of traditional Ral-Mi martial arts and the Hiserabi art of SighanaBr'rv. Even with her posse of friends, her 'gentle' sport was Shalegkua.
As she pushed into her teens and adulthood, her opponents took on different shapes and skillsets. She began to push up against the powers of the Sorja family establishment.
People with power rarely give it up willingly, so she learned how to combine her raw strength with her sly tongue and her sneaky nature. Blackmail, sabotage, gaslighting, and threats made up her daily schedule for several years.
She reached a powerful station in Sorja, earning her own small pile of family wealth. Wanderlust struck her, and she felt plenty capable of taking on the world. She traded most of her acquired wealth to get a ticket off world.
Her path to Hedon - The Thrill of the Hunt
She travelled through two WayHalls in a trip that took her a year's travel away from her homeworld. She found her way to the prosperous Federation planet Nova Braga. A Federation world with a plentiful population to hide within.
She acquired a small safehouse in the capital city and set up her roots. Nali started as a bounty hunter, a career where 'extracurricular activities' with her targets went unnoticed. Effective and brutal in her methods, she earned the title "Skull" from her fellow hunters and the criminal underworld she prowled.
She was raised with the wolves, and now found herself living with the sheep.
Nali hunted people off the job, too. The capital city was packed with clubs, bars, and other hangouts. She found a thrill in finding 'new toys' to chew up. She stalked through the crowds, ready to grab onto what bumped into her claws. Armed with her bounty-hunter toughness, large build, and confident personality, she gathered a small posse of subservient 'allies.'
One GearHeart from Earth caught her attentions more than others. They were the first person to earn her trust, and they were attentive to all of her needs— on command. Nali let them serve as her right-hand. This Gearheart taught Nali how to work with ironClad. She found hacking to be particularly rewarding, especially when combined with her other hobbies.
Making friends with the Baron - Plots with the Devil
Diving into Hedon
As her reputation and sphere of influence grew, the major city players caught on to her. She didn't find Hedon, Hedon found her.
The young and newly appointed Baron Tholemew, a frequent customer of Nali, needed a new bodyguard suitable of his station.
The pay was right, the perks were only limited by what she could get her hands on. She took the job, and began spending her days and nights patrolling the local Hedon clubs.
Nali's ambition grew higher, and the Baron had his own plots to fulfill. People of power went missing, enemies had accidents, and even the city government knew to steer clear.
Her lover did not agree with this new arrangement with Hedon. Especially as Nali begins to become a killer rather than a Bounty Hunter. In a dramatic falling out in the Hedon club, they ran off into the rainy streets. Nali chased after them with an angry roar.
No one heard from the lover after that breakup.
Nobody talked to Nali for a week after they stormed out. I think she gained a few levels of fucked up that day, you know? Maybe she killed them? Maybe she just told them to leave.
I don't know. I do know that her favorite plaything really kept her calm and that she still hurts from it. That might be something to use against her in court. A motivation for the deaths of your detectives.
You mention them to me, I will do to you what I did to Kingsley.
Professional Courtesy, check his case files before eating lunch.
Moving to the Sands
The Capital city of Nova Braga is a densely populated place, with tens of millions of people living in its densely packed and interconnected buildings.
Business was good, but the clientele was basic. The Baron and Nali began to grow restless. They started making deals above their station in an ultimate bid for the Duke's position.
Through a lucky string of events, the Baron of the prominent locale, Gommorah Sands, went missing after a trip into the deserts.
The Baron was next up in line to take over the profitable location, especially after the other competitors for the role dropped out. There are plenty of rumors circulating around the grounds of the Sands on how exactly the former Baron vanished, though a sharp eye will notice Nali's small smile as the topic is brought up.
She serves as the Baron's right-hand, exerting his will on the crew and visitors to the Sands. She also reports back on any problems that may arise if she is not able to take care of them due to the policies of Fær Consenti.
Despite her outward adherence to Consenti, she is rumored to have broken it on multiple occasions, but reports against her are lost in the Baron's ear, never escalated.
Nali and the Baron are not satisfied with just own the Sands, they seek the Duke's position over the entire planet of Nova Braga. Doing such requires more than just someone vanishing into the night.
Nali helps coordinate some less-than-legal shipments from other Banners, including destructive weaponry designed to bring most common military forces to their knees. With this hardware flowing into the Sands, it is only a matter of time before the Baron and Nali make their move.
This article was amazing from start to finish, It had me hooked and wanted to read more, Very well done!
Cheers mate, appreciate you giving it a skim! <3 They were fun to write!
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