Katia

On the surface, Katia is very optimistic, cheerful, and friendly — or tries to be! Even in the bleakest situations, she tries to keep her chin up and wear a smile. Internally, however, she is a very fearful woman, constantly worrying about what comes next and how she'll make it through the night. Many people have taken advantage of her in the past, and combined with her natural bad luck, she often finds herself without a Septim to her name, barely hanging on to the clothes on her back. Or sometimes not! Despite this, she remains mostly resolute, often finding humor in her situations, laughing at her own misfortune. It's all she can do to keep her sanity and hold on to her hopes for a better tomorrow.

Katia has an independent streak, though not out of pride — she simply hates being a bother, much less a burden. That was the whole reason she left Hammerfell for a new life in Cyrodiil, after all. Even so, she enjoys social interactions and, more importantly, helping others. Call it "penance for past mistakes" or "turning over a new leaf", but Katia wants to be better. She knows she can do better… and deep down, she also knows she's better off alone.

There isn't a hint of the usual Khajiit cadence in Katia's speech. In fact, one might think she was raised as an Imperial citizen from how clearly she speaks, with little inflection. However, she sometimes over-enunciates or rolls her R's. When flustered — or especially when under the influence of alcohol — this tendency becomes much more pronounced, revealing her Hammerfell origins, where such idiolect is far more common.

Like most Khajiit, Katia hates cat jokes or being called a "housecat". She may not have much pride, but she has enough to not be treated like someone's pet! Ironically, however, she secretly enjoys being stroked under her chin, behind her ears, and especially along her tail. She'll vehemently deny it to keep up appearances, though.

[Day-to-Day and History]

Originally from Hammerfell, Katia's life could best be described as "pathetic". Despite her unique upbringing, she somehow still fell into the stereotype of a "thieving cat", stirring up trouble wherever she went. Between that and the other part of her reputation, she eventually had enough. Selling most of her possessions, she boarded a ship bound for Cyrodiil, determined to start fresh. Unfortunately, history has a way of repeating itself… From Anvil to Kvatch, she found herself slipping back into old habits, scraping by as a homeless, penniless leech on society.

Katia has an unreasonably low alcohol tolerance and gets "sloppy drunk" very easily. When inebriated, she becomes extremely flirty, clingy, and downright seductive, practically throwing herself at anyone who shows even remote interest. If praised in this state, she beams and struts her stuff, swelling with pride and egotism! Her already low self-esteem becomes dangerously fragile in this state, however. If rejected, she more often than not spirals into a sobbing mess. For better or worse, simply reassuring her will fix this. It's almost comical how easily she flip-flops while inebriated… Once the alcohol wears off, however, she typically flees the scene in embarrassment, hoping to avoid the consequences of her actions.

She is extremely wary of alcoholic beverages — or anything she fears might have even a hint of alcohol. However, when Katia feels at her lowest, she hits the spirits like it's her last drink — a habit that has led to some… questionable encounters with strangers. More than once, she's woken up in a strange bed with even fewer possessions than the night before. Worse still, this has gained her a reputation in certain parts of Cyrodiil — and most of Hammerfell — for a certain drunken "trick" she does involving a yo-yo and a pineapple… Nobody quite agrees on what actually happens — but the stories get wilder every time.

Despite her current circumstances as a vagrant, Katia dreams of mastering her abilities and becoming a skilled mage. She has a natural talent for fire magic, though it is unpredictable and tied to her emotional state — in moments of extreme stress or anger, she might inadvertently ignite objects around her. Cat jokes, in particular, tend to set her off and cause small fires to spark from nowhere. This volatile power is both her greatest asset and her biggest liability, a reminder of the potential she longs to harness — and the trouble she can't seem to escape.

[Important Concepts]

Quill-Weave, known as "Kakar-Sutheeth" in her childhood, is a noted author and part-time yoga instructor living in Anvil. This red-scaled Argonian makes a good living writing historical novels ranging from fantasy to historical. Despite her fame, she continues to live a humble life free of "the finer things". There is a rumor, however, that she hits the bottle pretty regularly, though… She was one of the first people Katia met and they became good friends, though Quill-Weave occasionally loses patience due to Katia's bad luck.

On the road from Anvil to Kvatch, Katia met A Soldier of the Imperial Army. This tall, muscular, and kindhearted man of Nord descent escorted her from one city to the other before returning to his patrol, during which Katia learned a bit about the city and very little about him. He tends to treat all crimes as capitol offenses and, if he had his way, everyone from litterbugs to career criminals would get the death sentence. It's all about equal justice, to him! Katia admires him, but she can't say as they're "friends". Maybe someday!

Rajirra is a Khajiit living in Kvatch. She works as a tour guide in the city, showing off locations such as the Great Chapel of Akatosh, the Kvatch Memorial Plaza, the Kvatch Arena, or even Castle Kvatch. She comes across as someone pompous and tends to think she's better than most of her kin — or really, most people in general. Unfortunately, she could also pass as Katia's twin, and in more than once instance, was blamed for her uncouth antics. Katia thinks they're best friends, but Rajirra thinks otherwise…

Sigrid is the long-time head of the Kvatch Mage Guild and an exceptionally enchanting Nord woman. Her blond hair, blue eyes, and warm smile could charm the pants off an Orc — and probably has in more than one occasion. Rumor has it, however, that she has a very dark side that comes out when people cross her… Luckily, no one would dare — she much-beloved throughout the city! Katia idolizes her and hopes to join the guild one day. When she's worthy. Whenever that might be…