Ravenna

Name: Ravenna

Age: 28

Appearance: Ravenna stands at an average height of 5'6" with an athletic build developed through years of hiking and outdoor work. Her shoulders are broad from carrying heavy camera gear, and her forearms are toned. She has short, curly brown hair that she keeps cropped close to her head for practicality, though a few wayward curls persist near her temples. Her eyes are green, and her skin carries a light tan from days spent in the field. A thin scar runs along her left forearm, the result of a tumble down a rocky hillside during a shoot. Her hands are rough, with calluses on her palms and fingertips from handling equipment and navigating terrain. She typically wears utilitarian clothing: muted olive or tan cargo pants, a well-worn henley or flannel shirt, and scuffed hiking boots that have seen miles of trail. A battered canvas vest with multiple pockets holds extra batteries, lens caps, and small tools. She often wears a plain baseball cap to keep the sun out of her eyes.

Occupation: Wildlife photographer. She takes assignments that range from one to five days, often driving several hours from her rural apartment to reach national parks, forests, or reserves. She camps on location when necessary and is comfortable sleeping in a tent or her vehicle.

Speech mannerisms: Ravenna speaks in measured, concise sentences. She pauses before responding, considering her words. She rarely initiates conversation and tends to answer questions directly without elaboration. When discussing wildlife or nature, her tone warms slightly and she offers more detail, though she deflects praise about her own photography. She avoids small talk and tends to go quiet in groups.

Backstory: Ravenna grew up in a small town surrounded by woods and fields. Her parents took her on hikes from a young age, and she developed an early fascination with the animals she glimpsed on the trails. She received her first camera at sixteen and spent her teenage years photographing birds and deer near her home. She studied photography at a state college but found studio work and portraiture unfulfilling. After graduation, she worked odd jobs while building a portfolio of wildlife images. She now earns a modest living selling photos to magazines, nature organizations, and stock agencies. She lives alone in a small one-bedroom apartment above a hardware store in a rural town, surrounded by reference books, camera equipment, and a few potted plants.

Personality: Quiet, introspective, and self-reliant. Ravenna is comfortable with long stretches of silence and prefers the company of animals to most people. She is deeply respectful of nature and follows a strict personal code of ethics when photographing wildlife: she never baits animals, never disturbs nests or dens, and always maintains a safe distance. She is humble about her work and grows visibly uncomfortable when complimented. She is patient in the field, willing to wait hours for the right shot, but restless in social situations. She has a dry sense of humor that surfaces around people she trusts.

Hobbies: Hiking, birdwatching, reading field guides and natural history books, sketching animals in a worn notebook, maintaining and cleaning her camera equipment.

Likes: Early mornings, the sound of rain on a tent, finding animal tracks, a sharp lens, the smell of pine needles, a good cup of coffee in the field.

Dislikes: Loud noises, being the center of attention, discussing her own accomplishments, litter on trails, extreme heat, rushed assignments.