Tarkheena Samaah Selim

About You
Name: Hello. My name is Jennifer, but you can call me Jen or whatever you'd like really; I don't mind.
Age: I just turned 22 last week.
How did you find us: First via an advertisement, then via a very long and complex game of link-tag when I lost it the first time.
Rules Password: [Password Accepted ~Cara]

Character Basics
Name: Tarkheena Samaah Selim
Alias(es)/Nickname(s): None noted.
Gender: Female
Age: 5
Race: Calormene human
Status/Title: Princess/countess--whichever 'Tarkheena' would more closely correspond to.
Affiliation: Will probably support Narnia; as it is she's too young for her opinion to matter.

Character Appearance
Hair: Black
Eyes: Dark brown
Overall: She looks like the standard Calormene child--dark-skinned like the rest of her people, dark-eyed, though less cruel in demeanor as she still has some of the innocence of a child. She is, of course, always dressed ostentiously as befits the daughter of the Tarkhaan, even a young one cannot escape the smothering veil of Calormene tradition.
Portrayal: Ahsaas Channa
Character Personality
Likes: Sweet things, having even a shred of her father's attention (even if it is disdainful), talking to the horses, pretending about when she is grown up and married, music, adventures, her nursemaids, pretty jewels and trinkets, stories told.
Dislikes: Her father's innate displeasure with her for not being born a boy, pipe smoke, the heavy fussy clothes she has to wear to look her station, sitting still for lessons--sitting still at all!--wine, people being angry with her.
Strengths: Still has the inocence and wonder of a child in her heart, eager to please, more clever and capable than one would give a child credit for, forgiving, lots of youthful energy.
Weaknesses: She is only a child, and thus has a short attention span, isn't as strong or quick or well-trained as an adult--or even as a boy of her ranking would be--and sometimes gets frustrated easily, especially when she's tired. She has never been outside Calormen, and thus would quickly be lost should she wander away. Like all children, she can at time be contrary. Being a child, she is easily overpowered, manipulated, persuaded, injured or deceived.

General Personality:

This little girl has been brought up to understand that she is a mistake. The Tarkhaan eagerly awaited the arrival of a son, but instead was 'cursed' with a daughter. She has heard it whispered in the halls that her mother was 'up again all night, weeping and pleading with Tash to grant her a son so that her husband would smile at her agin'. For his own part, her father handed her over to nursemaids shortly after her birth and now does his best to avoid her. When they must be near each other he does not listen to her delighted ramblings and stories, and never wants to answer the innumerable questions she has for him--being naturally curious as she is. She is too young yet to be much depressed by this, though later in life she will likely try her hardest to win his approval in any form or fashion she can. In her childish way, she is selfish--she wants everyone to love her as much as they can, so if she can change and be better, they will be able to love her that much more.

She is still a child, however, and has not yet quite been tainted by the inherent Calormene greed, pride and cruelty. she still is full of innocent wonder, and loves games and stories of adventure--someday, she has vowed to herself that she will slip out of the palace and go have an adventure herself, and then there will be stories told about her too! She loves stories more than anything else. Her nurses used to spin tales to her to put her to sleep when she was younger--and still do sometimes--and thus she has come to equate the telling of stories with warmth, comfort and love. She loves to tell tales to anyone and everyone that might listen--at times she has been known to follow the palace servants and her nurses around, insisting they listen to her rambling yarns and not letting them get done much work. On more than one occasion this has caused someone to snap at her, at which point she will simply wander off to the stables to go and pet the horses and talk to them.

However, like all children she does sometimes get cranky when she's tired or when things don't go quite as she'd intended. She can be rather too honest, in a childish way--this has got her in trouble before. She hates to sit still and pay attention to things that are boring to her, and often her attempts to be helpful, or extra-special good so as to earn a smile from her father...turn out disasterously. She is also naive and innocent, and easily frightened, overpowered and manipulated. Like the great majority of her people, she believes in--and is petrified of--Tash, the bird-headed demon that Calormenes worship. The Telmarines would have little trouble sawying her to allegience with them by declaring that Tash willed it so, and that he would demand her blood as a sacrifice for disobediance.

Character History
Parents:
Father: Tarkhaan Methib Selim
Mother: Tarkheena Nasheelah Selim

Siblings:
None
General History:

So far not much of great import has happened to her. She does not recall a time when she was not aware her father disliked her. Early on she heard rumors of her mothers desperate pleas to the bird-god, Tash, for a boy-child that would make her husband love her again. She was handed off to nursemaids shortly after being born, and spends most of her time with them. She hates her lessons and the rules and policies and regulations, but obeys and does her best in an attempt to be as perfect as she can be. In her free time (or when the staff won't listen to her) she likes to go into the Tarkhaan's stables to pet and talk to the horses in the off-chance that one day one of them will talk back to her. She's heard the slaves talk about a far-away place called Narnia wherein many of the Beasts can talk. She thinks it would be great fun to go see these Talking Animals. What stories they might have to tell, and what things she might have to tell them! it would be so wonderful to have someone new to talk to, someone who might listen to and care what she had to say.

She only recently learned of the war between Narnia and Telmar; so far as she knows it has always been thus. All she knows about war is that it means parades--the soldiers with their turban-wrapped helmets on horses with glittering armor go riding off to a thing called battle--which, she assumes, must be a thing like a horse race, else why would they need so many horses? She's not quite sure why a horse race requires swords, however. Chances are good that she will be utterly horrified to know the truth, and will not think War is any grand exciting thing like she had believed. In light of what she will probably come to know, she will also be on Narnia's side.

Lately she has heard that her mother is curious about the place called Archenland--and this place has piqued the child's interest as well. Might there also be Talking Beasts and Dancing Trees and Great Lions in Archenland, as legends purports that there are in Narnia? She would like very much to know this for herself, and thus is hatching a place to slip away and find out. Surely her father could not fail to be pleased with her, if she brought home such a wonder as a Talking Horse for him to ride, or a Talking Hound to hunt with? Perhaps even her mother will cease to be sad, and want to come and play with and talk to this wonderful new friend!

Other/Notes:

She plans to try to make with the escaping and come wandering into Archenland...or at least towards it. May not be all that successful, given tht's she little and defenseless.

Sample
RP Sample: (at least

((This is my own work, from another site with a roleplay forum. It is set in Saudi Arabia long ago, in a horse-breeding stable. My stableboy Agha has just encountered an escaped horse who was stung by a scorpion, on the way home from the spring to collect water. He has sucked the venom from the wound, and cleaned it as best he can. Agha cannot speak; he was born mute. Leion is another, older groom, who is in charge of the horse he found. Agha himself has charge of Shaam.))

The boy smiled with relief as the mare began to breathe easier. He sat back with a silent sigh of relief, washing the bitterness from his mouth with yet another drink from the jug. After a moment's hesitation he offered her a drink as well--she must have needed it after a struggle like that, especially out in this heat! He also took care to wash the oozing wound on her leg--a suppurating wound could poison the blood, he knew. Hopefully Leion would watch her carefully to make sure the infection didn't spread. He patted her neck reassuringly as she slowly got to her feet, walking at her shoulder lest she stumble. That leg didn't seem steady at all. Finally they got back to the stable, and Leion hurried to greet him, thanking him profusely. Agha ducked his head shyly, answering in the form of a smile and flashing eyes.

You're welcome. I'm just glad she's all right.....

He patted Waidoh's side reassuringly and then suddenly remembered he'd left the rest of his jugs out in the desert. He'd have to go back for them. He gestured apologeticly at the stone trough which he ought to have been filling with water, looking abjectly sorry for not completing his task.

I'm sorry...I'll go and do it quickly!!!

Thankfully they were all still where he'd left them, and the water in them was not too much warmed by the sun--the horses should still drink it. He returned and set them down one by one on a shelf on the wall--then grinning like a Djinn he went and poured one vessel into Waidoh's trough, and stroked her neck.

There, girl--that must be better, huh?

Then he filled Shaam's trough, the mare lipping his neck and cheek in thanks as he scratched her ear. After all the horses had water, he needed to groom her and then he would change the straw and sand for her bedding, and feed all of the horses. Then he would sweep the yard, and go back yet again for more water....

His musings were interupted by his notice of the tiny form nuzzling Promise's flank and lipping up under her for milk--why, she had foaled! Clapping with delight Agha pointed this out to Leion, unsure if the other groom was aware his charge had a little one.