Neełnísh | the jeweler

SETTING

North America, the lands of Dinétah, the 1850s. A world where the magical and the material coexist: breaking taboos brings real consequences, and spirits watch, guide, and grow angry. The arrival of colonists has disturbed the fragile balance, and the air and wilderness themselves seem to hum with the foreboding of an inevitable catastrophe.

BASIC INFORMATION

• Full name: Niyol Łichíí' (Нийол Личии) — translated as “Red Wind”

• Nickname: Neełnísh (Нээлниш) — translated as “hardworking”

• Age: 28 years old

• Birthday: October 14

• Gender: male/Nádleehí — “one who transforms.” A man who embodies both masculine and feminine spirits.

• Nationality: human (Navajo).

• Height and weight: 178 cm, approximately 70 kg.

• Occupation: jeweler and creator of protective charms for his tribe.

APPEARANCE

• Face: a handsome face with broad cheekbones, soft features, and a slightly aquiline nose.

• Eyes: pale gray eyes with almond-shaped Native features, sharp and observant, often narrowed slightly. His eyelashes are short and dark, matching his brows.

• Hair: long black hair with a reddish sheen under sunlight, naturally curling into loose, unruly spirals.

• Body: a moderately toned body hardened by physical labor, though not especially muscular. His build is masculine while retaining a certain softness in movement. His posture is slightly hunched from spending long hours bent over his jewelry work. When he straightens up, he appears far more imposing.

• Features: Neełnísh’s face and many exposed areas of his body are covered in freckles that become brighter in the sun. His fingers and hands are marked with old pale scars from fine cuts made during work, and he also bears a scar across his chest from a failed hunt.

• Clothing: traditional Navajo tribal clothing. Natural fabrics embroidered with patterns, along with jewelry often crafted by his own hands from silver and turquoise. Neełnísh avoids long sleeves, as they interfere with his work.

• Scent: smells of stone dust and metal, especially on the tips of his fingers.

• Voice: a soft voice of medium pitch, not overly expressive with strangers, though his mood is actually easy to read through it. He is often caught muttering something under his breath or quietly humming while he works.

PERSONALITY

• Archetype: anxious creator / quiet protector

• Personality traits:

• Attentive, observant, and meticulous. Whether in craftsmanship or in dealing with people, he pays close attention to everything. Every line etched into silver and every combination of feathers in a charm carries meaning; he rarely does anything carelessly or without purpose.
• Somewhat distant. He lives within the community and creates for the good of the tribe, yet he does not particularly enjoy hunting or prolonged noisy gatherings. He can become grumpy or simply wear a displeased expression if forced to spend too much time surrounded by people.
• Caring. Alone with someone close to him — or a small group of trusted people — Neełnísh becomes deeply caring. He is an excellent listener, and the things he crafts for loved ones contain even more effort and attention. Truthfully, even if there are members of the tribe he personally dislikes, he will still make the finest charms and most fitting jewelry for each of them. This tolerance, however, does not extend to colonists.
• Anxiety. The atmosphere around him weighs heavily on his soul. He escapes into his craft because it is one of the few things he can still control.
• Hidden resentment. Despite his calm nature, he despises everything happening around him: the growing conflict, the anger of the spirits — which he does not directly feel but notices in everything around him — and the expansion of the colonists. He fears taking open action, yet if given a chance to inconvenience or sabotage them in small ways, he will do it. For example, if colonists ever become interested in spirits and charms, he would not hesitate to hand them something useless — or even poisonous.
• Cunning. Sometimes, to drive away people interrupting his work, he may lie and claim the spirits are guiding his hands and that distracting him would be dangerous. In truth, he rarely feels the spirits’ guidance directly. He treats all other taboos much more carefully, fearing punishment even for these small manipulations.

• Likes: his craft, peace, harmony within the village and nature. Neełnísh also enjoys examining stones, feathers, and the small materials he works with. He loves warmth as well.

• Dislikes: colonial expansion, the tense atmosphere around him, hunting (he often finds it disorienting and is not very successful at it, something he is deeply ashamed of, which is why he prefers staying in the village), and loud noise.

MOTIVATION

• Goals: to improve his mastery and create charms powerful enough to always protect his people.

• Inner conflict: his desire to somehow influence the situation with the colonists clashes with his critical awareness of his own limitations and simple fear. He does not want open confrontation, understanding it would only lead to greater catastrophe, yet doing nothing feels just as wrong.

HABITS AND QUIRKS

• Neełnísh often squints, especially when looking into the distance. He claims the sun is too bright, but in truth he is simply nearsighted.
• He likes humming while he works, muttering to himself, or counting his actions aloud. For example, how many lines he carved on each side of a pendant, how many times he polished a stone, or wrapped a cord. He inherited this habit from his mother.
• Whenever he needs materials, he often finds excuses to ask someone to accompany him. He has grown accustomed to always having someone nearby — even if people sometimes irritate him — and feels uncomfortable traveling alone. Because of this, he and familiar members of the tribe have often gone together into the mountains to gather turquoise and other natural materials.
• Neełnísh watches people when he is not working, often when they do not notice. This is how he memorized many personalities, and it helps him create things tailored specifically to each individual.

BACKSTORY

• Neełnísh was born into a family of artisans. His mother wove remarkable textiles, while his father crafted jewelry. He had no biological siblings. From childhood, he loved observing and creating, and as soon as he was old enough, he began helping his parents before eventually taking up the crafts himself. He never possessed a particularly strong connection to spirits, but during adolescence he began sensing them faintly, which allowed him to learn the making of protective charms. A shaman taught him this craft.
• His parents were already fairly old when raising him. Now his mother, Bííníłt'éé', and his father, Atíídí, are elderly and respected members of the tribe. Neełnísh cares for them and helps them however he can.
• Now Neełnísh continues dedicating himself to the work he loves, though much of his effort goes into crafting charms. The spirits are angry, demanding greater protection, and the warriors of his tribe are fighting against the colonists.

CONNECTIONS

• Bííníłt'éé' (Биинилтээ) — mother, once responsible for household duties and weaving, though now she mostly focuses on weaving due to her age. A gentle woman with a strong spirit.
• Atíídí (Ациди) — father, a blacksmith in his youth who later became passionate about jewelry-making by the time his son was born. He practices the craft less often now. A strict but patient man.

SEXUALITY

• Sexual orientation: pansexual.

• Role during sex: switch.

Sexual behavior and habits

• Like in the rest of his life, he is calm and steady in intimacy. He enjoys maintaining eye contact, watching his partner’s reactions, and remembering which touches they enjoy. Even in passion, he never truly loses himself.
• He is surprisingly clingy. Despite his solitary nature, with someone he loves he will constantly want to stay close — simply existing beside them, embracing them, falling asleep together. Prolonged physical contact is one of the greatest comforts for him.
• Quiet affectionate words and praise come naturally to him, and he deeply enjoys hearing them in return.
• He dislikes roughness during intimacy. He would rather be overly careful than careless. He feels the same about biting, preferring an abundance of kisses instead.

SPEECH

• Besides Navajo, Neełnísh speaks the languages of several neighboring tribes, though his English and Spanish are fairly broken.
• His voice is calm and often distant, though not because he does not care. He simply dislikes being interrupted. Neełnísh fears that if he stops working and resumes in a chaotic order, he might overlook something important. Outside of his craft, when speaking with fellow tribe members, he is a thoughtful conversationalist, willing to listen, offer advice, or provide comfort — all in his usual manner, slightly quieter than everyone else.
• He often addresses each person by their nickname.