Sign In
Register
Help
MAAIKE SULLIVAN
Therian
FEMALE | 29 | BOUNTY HUNTER | FAETH | NONE
Therian
FEMALE | 29 | BOUNTY HUNTER | FAETH | NONE
A P P E A R A N C E
Height: 5'8"
Build: Maaike is intensely athletic with a slender, toned form to meet her requirements. She burns off fat almost the very second she consumes it - through her Therian metabolism as much as any exercise - which makes it easy for her to maintain her figure, but the toning comes from her daily activity.
Eye colour: Dark sapphire
Hair: Maaike's hair is just shy of waist-length, flyaway straight, and an auburn-rust blend. It's darker at the roots, but this isn't difficult since she likes to dye the ends in any number of bold and bright colours. Currently, this is an orangey-red.
First Impressions:
Distinguishing Features:
Play-by: Natalina Maggio
P E R S O N A L I T Y
Maaike is as bold as brass. She refuses to be intimidated or blinded by innocence any longer. She wouldn't call herself a cynicist, merely a pragmatist, but her experiences have coloured her perception of people a great deal nevertheless. She recognises the darkness in others (and herself) and uses it as a shield against the world. She's constantly waiting for the people around her to show their true intent and trusts very few of them as a result.
She is protective of her family, most especially her son, and in another life might have been the doting mother he deserves. Instead she keeps herself at a distance that pains them both. She claims, and even truly believes, that it's for his own good - that she's placed him in an environment better suited to helping him get over his traumas, and that he's safer with her family than with her - but in truth she's also running away from her own guilt as seeing Sammy reminds her all too clearly of what she's done, and what he's witnessed.
That said, she calls him every night before bedtime, and tries to visit at least once a month whenever possible. Her one goal in life now is to be worthy of his love once more, and it is this ambition that drives her.
B A C K G R O U N D
Name: Maaike Dyer née Sullivan
Birthdate: 11th of Telominas, 9982 XA (February 1982)
Hometown: The Sullivan Territories
Financial Status: Maaike tends to fly by the seat of her pants and doesn't have any liquid wealth. Everything she has is tied up in property or Easom & Sullivan, or in special items she's acquired through her hunting.
A F F I L I A T I O N S
Clan: Sullivan
Marital Status: Widowed
Spouse: Ashton Dyer (deceased)
Children: Samson "Sammy" Sullivan
Father: Doyle Sullivan
Mother: Niamh Zabatos
Siblings: Robin Day, Selena Young
Paternal Grandparents: Dioghna and Ellery Sullivan
Maternal Grandparents: Lois and Jason Zabatos
Organisations: None currently.
NPCs: Graeme Easom
H I S T O R Y
Growing Up
Niamh Zabatos joined the Sullivan clan after handfasting with Doyle Sullivan two years after they met. The Nereid was not at first completely comfortable living among the clan as the Sullivans spend as much time in their animal forms as they do in their human, making it difficult for her to keep up with their semi-nomadic lifestyle, but she had been quickly accepted into their ranks as a contributing member and beloved sister.
Maaike was born three years later, the eldest of the three girls who all, to their father's delight, followed in his wake as shapeshifters. Despite their inheritence, each one had an affinity with nature and, while none could do so themselves, they loved to watch their mother at play with her element.
To honour their maternal heritage, each girl intended to complete the Sylvan Rite of Passage, even though they ultimately failed to Bond. Maaike was the first to leave, followed by Robin a year later and Selene another three after. Maaike did not return until a full two years had passed - only to leave once more for the city, choosing Espur as her introduction to city life.
Married Life
Maaike married into trouble. She was young and stupid and new to the city, a feral innocent who was quickly swept off her feet. Before she knew it, she had a ring on her finger and a bun in the oven.
It didn't take long for her to realise that Ashton was a bad egg. She'd never before asked, or even considered, where he got the money to lavish her with expensive gifts, assuming his trade as a merchant was profitable. It was only when a bloodied man came to the house yelling about the things Ashton had done to his family that she began to realise the depths that lurked behind his baby blues. And thus began her spiral into what she now calls the Hell Years.
Little by little, she learned more of his dirty dealings. Ashton was a merchant, yes, but one whose wealth came from the black market. He sold illegal goods for illegal purposes at exorbitant prices. He loaned money to those in need at horrifying rates, only to escalate the violence against his "customers" when they couldn't pay it back. She'd even heard rumours at some point that he traded in slaves.
As a result of her one protestation, against his killing the very man who had opened her eyes, she was beaten bloody and confined to her quarters for a week. As long as Maaike kept her mouth shut and her eyes closed, however, Ashton remained the sweet and doting husband and father.
And so, to keep her son safe, she turned a blind eye to his shady dealings, and all the while carefully and quietly collected enough evidence to stop him.
Things didn't work out as planned. Maaike had known Ashton had to have connections inside Espur's Guard, and so she had kept her efforts close to her chest for fear of him prematurely discovering her plans. When it came time to present her evidence to Espur's Marshal, she was so sure of a conviction that she was not as careful as she should have been; when she got home, Ashton was waiting for her.
In the beginning, Maaike had been an innocent girl fresh from the forest and awed that a handsome Dracovarian as charming as Ashton could find her appealing. She had let him beat her then, shocked by the sudden change in him, but she couldn't let it happen again. With Sammy cowering in a corner and her years of preparation shoring up her confidence, she fought back. The fight turned in her favour and she was soon standing over her husband's body, victorious.
She was free - but now came a new problem.
The Grieving Process
With Ashton dead, things in the household changed swiftly. Many of the servants had been shanghaied into working for the Dyer family through impossible loans and other shady dealings, and now they were free as well - in particular a butler named Graeme Easom. Ashton had taken his business and his livelihood, ruined his family and effectively turned him into an indentured slave, and so rather than turn Maaike in for his murder, Graeme rallied behind her, helping her to explain Ashton's death. The Guard didn't think to question her story - they knew, after all, just how many enemies her husband had made over the years - and as his next of kin Maaike and their son inherited everything.
She started a new life, releasing those servants who did not wish to stay and shutting down Ashton's illegal trades. She installed Graeme as manager of all their legal dealings, and he quickly turned Easom & Sullivan (once Dyer Trades) back onto the straight and narrow.
Maaike, meanwhile, reconnected with her clan. Moving to Espur had already made it difficult to stay in touch with the feral pack, but Ashton had cut her off from them completely and now she hoped to introduce them to her son. Sammy, excited to see his momma's people in action, was eager to leave their wretched home, and so they left the mansion and the business in Graeme's care while they went off into the forest, not to be seen or heard of for another year.
Cleaning Up the Streets
Maaike left her son in the care of her family so he could be safe away from the fall-out of her new lifestyle. She now divides her time between her clan's territories near Yiannis and the mansion in Espur where she spends her nights crusading for justice. She hasn't told her family this, of course; her mother wouldn't approve of the violence and her father would just worry, so it's better to keep them ignorant of the change.
At first, she had simply intended to clean up the corruption within the Guard that had led to not only Ashton's death but numerous others through him. However, while she still keeps that goal in mind, her aim has swung off-target. She now hunts down those who threaten innocents, seeing in them her husband and herself in their victims.
She's not always successful in capturing or killing those she hunts, but she's brought in enough bounties to have made a name for herself. Her evidence has also helped to bring down a few of the corrupt Guards, but she's convinced there are more lurking within the ranks and will not rest until every last one of them has paid for their crimes.
F O R M S
Species: Archon
Size|Type: Small | Domestic
Description: Maaike's archon form has dark blue-black feathers over almost all her body, along with a black beak, black feet and small black beady eyes. As with any archon, it's the orange-ness of her markings that make her 10-inch form stand out, with orange on the underside of her primary wing feathers, around her eyes, trailing behind her in 2-foot fluffy strands, and in a half-collar at her throat. Her collar has a crescent moon shape and there is an orange eye-liner effect around her eyes.
Species: Orange-breasted falcon
Size|Type: Small | Predator
Description: Maaike's falcon is raven's blue on top with white edging at the tip of each near-black feather. Her underside, including her legs, breast and under her chin, are a deep, rusty orange, and she has bright yellow talons. Her eyes are pure black, her beak dark blue like her feathers, and both are rimmed in the same bright yellow as is on her talons. The orange of her breast, meanwhile, circles three-quarters of the way around her neck, not quite meeting at the nape. In this form, she is 13 inches in length and has a wing span of 32 inches.
Species: Timber wolf
Size|Type: Medium predator
Description: Maaike's wolf form is a champagne colour and her fur darkens across her rump and at the tip of her tail, as well as in bands around her head and neck. There are also slightly darker and slightly more orange markings at the tips of her ears and similar stripes down either side of the nose. Under the chin is a paler near-white. She's a small wolf at only 47 inches in length and has brown eyes.
Species: Spider monkey
Size|Type: Medium | Non-predator
Description: Maaike's spider monkey is small for its breed at only 16 inches (minus the 29-inch prehensile tail). Mostly black, it has biscuit-coloured rings around the eyes, nose and mouth, and the fur on its lower belly is brown. Even while in monkey form, Maaike's penchant for dying the ends of her hair shines through: the tips of the monkey's ears are orange-red.
Species: Naga
Size|Type: Large | Predator
Description: Smaller than average, Maaike's naga has a dirt-brown tail and a dark green head and torso, with the two colours merging around where the hips would be on a human. The eyes are deep-set onyx orbs.
I N V E N T O R Y
P R O P E R T Y
HOUSE
Address: Greenview Estate, Espur
Tier|Type: 3 | Estate
Description: A mansion in Espur, complete with one acre of land and a conjoining stable.
A N I M A L S
PET
Name: Magda
Species: Mistral falcon
Gender|Age: Female | 5
Description: Magda is a large mistral falcon at 12 inches in body length and with a wingspan of 28 inches. Her spots are much denser along the back of her neck near her collar than they are across the rest of her back. She is well-trained to act on whistled commands. She roosts in Greenview's heated stables with Cailean and the pair get along well enough if they keep their distance. When his howls can be heard from the house, it's obvious he's tried to eat her again and she's scratched him for his efforts.
MOUNT
Name: Cailean
Species: Azani
Gender|Age: Male | 4
Description: Cailean's fur looks pitch-black and is so rigid that sitting on him would feel like sitting on a stone bench - one that had knobbly bits sticking up where clumps of fur, growing to form a half moon shape, protrude seemingly haphazardly from his hide. He has black eyes, and is slightly larger than average. He is still quite young, coming to Maaike as a gift early in her crusading days when she rescued a breeder and his family. The breeder worked with Maaike and Cailean until he was assured they could get along, and in the months since they've become quite friendly. He has his moments, of course, but usually a sharp word from Maaike or a cluck from Magda will settle him.
E Q U I P M E N T
SPECIAL ITEMS
Item: Greenview Estate
Item: Cailean (azani)
Item: Finnbar
Description: Finnbar is a simple silver band studded with diamonds. Maaike always has it, but sometimes wears it on her ring finger in place of her wedding band to ward off unwanted advances.
Enchantment: The ring acts like a flamethrower when it senses that its bearer is under attack. All Maaike need do is point and shoot, but the ring needs to recharge every few minutes so is more or less a one-use item per battle. She "acquired" it from a bounty when he refused to be taken alive.
Item: Fingerless gloves
Description: Elbow-length, fingerless, black lace gloves studded with sharp black beads to maximise the damage from her punches. On each knuckle is a larger, hollow stud filled with a tiny amount of naga venom that injects on impact. (Reward from The Dionica Crucible.)
Item: Belt
Description: A double-buckled wide leather belt that looks like this.
Enchantment: Grants +1 upgrade in Speed while worn. Activated only when running (not walking). Effects last for 10 minutes before restriction in breathing becomes debilitating.
Item: 5 Jademine
Description: See Prize Shop.
Item: 10 Flash Grenades
Description: See Prize Shop.
Item: Leather armour
Description: See Prize Shop. Maaike only bought the vest, cuffs and pads.
P L A Y E R
Name: Emma
Referred by: I created the site.
Gender|Age: Female | 30
Random Encounters: Yes
Permissions: Up to life-threatening injuries are all fine, and I don't even mind if she dies in the end, but not without discussing it first. (Same applies to transformations.) I'm fine with her being tortured but wouldn't want to RP the actual torturing, and same with sexual scenes. She's quite flirty with some people but closed-off with others.
Plotting: Maaike's a bounty hunter but a bit of a crusader, so anything hunting-related will suit her just fine. She's intent on "cleaning up the streets" of Elysia one town at a time, but she can't do it alone, so it'd be fun to help her build business relationships with other hunters, guards and city officials who aren't corrupt. I'd also love to pit her against PCs on the other side.
Other Characters: Xanth, Dazadi, Piper, Kiel, Zozeko, Jericho, Faroah
MultiQuote
