Vatura Amador

Vatura Amador is reconized throughout the five countries as Adradia's Ambassador, residing at Corida Castle in south-west Adradia. She is an 18 year old born to the Arian Tribe in south Adradia, and lived there until she was thirteen, when she became Ambassador and moved to the palace. Vatura is a descendant of Honora Mori, first chosen of Adradia, The Swan Goddess, and in return holds the current position. Vatura wields a scimitar, knives, or no weapons at all, and has the ability to harness the power of water.

Pre-Trials of Fate/Early Life
Vatura is from the Arian Tribe, in southern Adradia. She has links to the Dalca Bloodline, connecting her to the royal family of The Fulger Empire, and the Mori Bloodline, connecting her to Honora Mori, the first Ambassador of Adradia.

After her birth, Vatura was sent to the children's house in her tribe, following ancient tradition. Growing up, Vatura was fairly popular in her tribe, her royal blood bringing her to a high ranking and allowing her to get away with much. She went on many hunting trips with those of age, helping to carry game or fletch arrows.

At age seven, Vatura discovered a small tabby-and-white kitten by the bank of the stream her tribe was built across, adopting it and naming it Sugar. She lived as a perfectly normal member of the tribe until she was 13.

A full two years before she reached adulthood in the Arian Tribe, they were paid a visit. The royal family of Adradia, the Abano, came searching for a new ambassador. The young prince Kai Abano claimed to have received a dream from the goddess Adradia that the tribe was the best place to find a successor. Emperor Jaron chose Vatura on a spur of the moment decision, spotting her potential. No one knows what, exactly, but he claimed to have seen something about her.

After moving to the castle, Vatura was schooled in studies such as languages, weaponry, embroidery, etiquette, self-defense, and diplomacy.

At age fourteen, a traditional Adradian scimitar was commissioned by the Adradian royal family, forged in The Fulger Empire by the young metal smith Luminita Lupei. In spite of her original disliking of larger weapons, she soon grew very fond of it and carried it with her everywhere.

After her fifteenth birthday, Vatura was recognized as being of age by her tribe. Turning fifteen also qualified her to compete in The Horse Chase Ceremonial. Despite the fact that her participation in the event was strictly prohibited by Emperor Jaron and Empress Nerida, that didn't stop her. She put her name down in secret on the second day of the three-day festival, and by the time they figured out what she had done, it was too late.

She ended up taking third place in the race, though the horse she won claim to was given to a young village child instead. After that, the nation's rulers realized that their ambassador wasn't as delicate as they had thought, and gave her far more leeway following the event.

Between her fifteenth and sixteenth birthdays, Vatura took a trip to the Fulger Empire, in the west. While she was there, she met Serghei Dalca, the empire's younger prince and her distant relative. They became friends, seeing each other as younger brother and older sister.

Upon reaching age sixteen, Vatura elected to move out of her room in the palace. She hit a rebellious streak and decided that the Ambassador should not live in Corida Castle. To appease her, Emperor Jaron had a hut built for her, still on Corida Island, but not technically inside the castle. Vatura was very excited about her new dwelling, decorating it with massive amounts of dream catchers. In addition, she also mounted various weapons on the walls, and went so far as not to allow any guards inside.

By then, Vatura had grown into a strong, clever young woman. She was recognized throughout her nation as their representation, and she gained the support of the majority of the people. She continued to advance her ability at both swimming and riding, and that year took second place at the races. Vatura was recognized as a true showing of Adradian pride, with her dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin reflecting her tribal background. Her hair was commonly kept neatly in a braid or a ponytail, and she saw it as her solemn duty to proudly represent her people and her nation. She was pursued by the occasional Adradian general, hoping to set up a fine match for their sons, but she refused every offer.

She took some time off during the winter of that year, going to work and hunt with her tribe in the south. As a technical adult then, she stayed in a three-room house with her grandfather Uriah Amador, and spent much of her time educating the children.

All her time spent in dedication to Adradia resulted in a steadily-increasing dislike for their neighbors to the south, in the Fire Kingdom of Adoiri. She was distrustful of those who did not fit quite right with the other Adradians, becoming closed off and uncomfortable. Her lessons in diplomacy served her well then, until she realized that it was unfair to hate an entire people, an entire country, based on which of the twins they worshiped (though she still continues to work on it).

At seventeen years of age, Vatura was formally crowned fourth in line for the Adradian throne, behind Empress Nerida, Prince Hart Abano, and Prince Kai Abano. In spite of much ambition and the ability to lead, she did not like the idea of leading an entire country, and hoped deeply that it would never come to that. As no ambassador had been crowned as ruler of Adradia since Honora Mori herself, Vatura's ability to claim the throne sparked a tempest. Finally, she managed to convince Emperor Jaron to allow her to renounce her claim and leave her be.

Following her refusal to take power, the country's respect for Vatura just grew in strength. Their ambassador had elected not to lead them, not seeing herself as strong enough. Despite her choice, the people had come to see her as an unofficial leader. After all, she was the one who met with delegates from other countries, she was their representation.

Over the years, Vatura had become very good friends with both of Adradia's princes. However, she had not made any normal friends, as she disliked all the daughters of lords she was shoved towards, and spent much of her time dodging her guards. She became particularly close to Prince Kai, and they often allied themselves against the others, as they shared a love of freedom and hatred of oppression. Meanwhile, her friendship with Hart was more as a younger sister; he was very defensive of her and disliked lords looking for matches for their sons. However, that also meant he occasionally got in her way trying to do things herself.

When Kai turned eighteen, Vatura gave him a gift, a pair of Fulgerian Wolfhounds named Venator and Bellator. Commonly, the dogs symbolize a deeper connection. Whenever anyone asked her about this, however, she answered that they were just a gift for her friend. In spite of this, their friendship grew deeper, though it was also a bit uncomfortable. However, they still managed to keep their old friendship, only becoming a bit uncomfortable when completely alone.

Throughout her life, Vatura had always kept to tribal custom, keeping her hair longer than her elbows. On her eighteenth birthday, however, she cut it immediately before making a speech. This caused minor stirs within the tribes, though they eventually realized it didn't matter. She was still their ambassador and she still had their loyalty.

Original Future Intended
Had Fate not gotten in the way, Vatura would still have become Ambassador of Adradia. However, she would have been chosen rather later, and would have lost much of her experience.

Because of the marriage laws put in place long before she was born, she still would eventually have been paired with royalty, most likely Prince Kai of her own country. Despite their long-lived friendship, it would not have been a love marriage for several years. Vatura would have eventually become empress, when Kai's older brother Hart was killed in a fire. She would have mothered Adradia's next two princes, with a three year age difference between them, and the younger would have become Adradia's next Ambassador.

Vatura would have died at age 38, in an assassination attempt targeting her husband. She would have been mourned by her country as empress, and Adraida's tribes would never have been the same.

Personality
Vatura is known to be very assertive and harsh. Despite her deep affiliation with water, she is often associated with fire because of her sharp personality, along with her fairly dark skin, which she is rather disgusted by at first. Vatura is closely loyal to Adradia, her own country, but there is a chance of her turning against others. Before Trials of Fate, she had a deeply-seeded dislike of Adoirians at first, and is genuinely worried about how associated she is with them.

Vatura is very slick and clever, neatly fitting her appearance. Her loyalty, integrity, and intelligence are some of the things that made her a good choice as an ambassador. She has a lot of fortitude-strength of mind-and will stick firmly to her beliefs. Occasionally, she has been stuck between two entirely different beliefs, both of which she find to hold some truth. First, she has a firm belief that everyone is perfect the way they are, and no one has to change for anyone else's benefit. On the other hand, she also believes that everyone has the potential to learn and grow. The people wanted someone who would put other countries in their places and could actually change things.

She has a tendency to speak in long, difficult-to-understand sentences, occasionally using words she can't even spell. Vatura has a soft spot for the people who don't have a voice. And since she is one of the ones who actually does, she's perfectly happy to spend all day listening to complaints and debating over little, unimportant things. If a discussion (argument) doesn't go her way, she's likely to try to find some distraction, and isn't going to admit defeat even with another just-as-stupid fight. She knows how to find people's buttons, and when angry will ruthlessly push them. While she is popular with people from her own nation, she's hardly well-loved in other countries because of how firmly she sticks to the belief that her people are separated from the ocean. That's also a point she has continually come back to throughout her life.

In her heart, Vatura is truly a good person, but she just has an odd way of showing it. She has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor, a confident streak a mile long, and more pride than any lion. She has a way of smirking or standing off to the side that infuriates some people. She believes all have the potential to be great, if they only have the chance to prove it. That means that she has a way of letting people fight their own battles, and has trouble deciding whether assistance or input from her are actually required. She has trouble simply biting her lip and backing off, but does tend to come through when it is truly important.

Fears

 * Drowning
 * Failure
 * Losing the respect of people she cares about
 * Betrayal
 * Having no Purpose
 * Spiders
 * Absolute Perfection

Appearance
Vatura is noted for being a naturally-born swimmer, lean, tall, and agile. She has an odd, slick look about her, which makes her at times both hard to spot and impossible to miss. Because she is from Southern Adradia, her skin is a bit darker, with corresponding eyes and hair.

Near the beginning of Trials of Fate, Vatura cuts her hair, something very few Tribe Women do. It used to hang to her elbows, but instead stays in a neat, elegant, silky bob around her face. Her hair color is dark brown, although it is naturally highlighted. At times, it can appear almost black when wet.

Vatura's eyes are a dark coppery color, glinting in the light. Her eyes are noted for changing in certain lights, occasionally gaining an almost gold tinge. When Vatura is angered, they can appear a bit surprising, almost sparking when she is truly angry. The few times she cries, they sometimes become lighter, occasionally taking on a green tinge.

Vatura has a strong dislike of dresses, coming from a tribe where both men and women are dressed for agility and speed. After much trial and tribulation, she has settled on a style that reflects that of her country, and will accept almost none of the finery generally offered to her. She enjoys dressing similarly to Adradia's Military, and wears clothes similarly made, but created specifically for her. This jacket is of dark blue leather.

During the winter months, she continues to dress like Adradia's Military, along with travel in the north. She has a dark blue military-inspired jacket with chrome buttons.

For her trial by water, Vatura was forced by Adradia into a traditional Adradian dress. However, she was glad to find that it did not have a long, trailing skirt, nor did it particularly restrict her movement. It was black, covered in shimmering flower designs.

As a wolf, Vatura's fur is coppery-brown and black. It is sleek and good for shedding water, and she is noted to be long-limbed, allowing her to run or swim at great speeds. Whether she is a wolf or a human, her eyes remain a very similar color, though as a wolf they gain an amber-like quality.

When in the form of a dog, she takes the form of a Shiba Inu. Her fur is brown and black, pointed in the middle of her face, with a black nose. Young children tend to mistake her as either a fox-for the pointed shape of her face-or a wolf-for her coloring and rounded ears. The main giveaway that neither of these things is the case, however, is the curly tail.

During her time as Adradia's lieutenant, Vatura is commonly seen as more their representation during times or crisis or war. Like other gods or godlike beings, Vatura appears the way the people picture her. During the beginning of the Astrite's war on The Sterlia Isles, she is shown with comfortable black leather armor. It is created of overlapping pieces with loose gauntlets, and accompanied by a pair of black, laced boots and no helmet.

Adradia, The Swan Goddess
Relations between Vatura and Adradia are not as strained as the relations between other deities and chosen. The goddess has been watching her chosen since she was seven, talking the form of a small kitten to watch over her. The few times they have actually communicated, they have worked together. While Adradia put Vatura through pain with the administration of her mark on the back of the girl's hand, Vatura saw it as an honor and a privilege than a scorn or punishment. She also keeps a deep dedication to the Goddess's chosen kingdom.

Uriah Amador
Uriah is Vatura's grandfather. He has been shown as a caring and defensive grandparent, always willing to help his granddaughter out of trouble. He has a very easy manner, can deal with impertinence from Vatura, and is one of the few who can manage or control her. They love each other deeply, and she sees him as her one and only guardian.

Sugar
Vatura found a small tabby and white kitten by the stream bank when she was seven years old, naming her Sugar. Even though she had her for about eleven years, the kitten never seemed to run out of energy, and never seemed to slow down. She stayed very similar to her size even as an adult, and always seemed to know exactly what Vatura was up to, occasionally giving her disapproving stares from blue-green eyes when she sneaks off and does what she is not supposed to.

In Trials of Fate, Vatura finds out that Sugar is actually Adradia, The Swan Goddess, watching over her.

Inku
Inku is Vatura's Adradian Plain Horse. Like the rest of his kin, he is very free-spirited and has a wild nature. However, he is a good horse for Vatura, capable and quick, and she likes to have to deal with being bucked off occasionally, it keeps it interesting. Despite this, he is one of the more approachable horses owned by the Adradian Military, and his loyalty is to Vatura. He is a beautiful, powerful black stallion, wandering freely by the shore of Corida Lake.

Scimitar
Vatura owns a scimitar, given to her when she was fourteen. Though she doesn't like larger weapons, she carries it with her almost always, and is mentioned to be very proud of it because of its graceful, sleek design, saying it corresponds with the country it comes from. It was created in Fulger by Luminita Lupei.

Bow
While she does not use it often, Vatura is also in possession of a bow, which she does occasionally use for hunting. While she isn't the best archer, her skills are the same on horseback as on foot.

Necklaces
Vatura owns many, many necklaces, buying any that catch her fancy. Some days, she can wear more than a dozen, though most of the time the plurality hang in her hut on the island in Cordia Lake.

All children in Vatura's tribe are given carved swan necklaces upon reaching the age of six. Vatura's is made of rosewood and was given to her by her grandfather. Upon coming to the palace when she was thirteen, Vatura was also given a second necklace, meant to symbolize her new status as an ambassador. She also has a third necklace, a single feather on a silver chain. This was a swan feather she found when she was fifteen, after her victory in The Horse Chase Ceremonial. She calls it one of her many good luck charms, and wears it around her neck with the rest.

Swan Pin
When she came to the palace, Vatura was also given a swan pin. Each Ambassador has been given their own unique Adradian pin. When they leave office, each pin is put on display in the Gallery of Ambassadors in Cordia Castle, displayed for all future generations.

Adradian Military Jacket
While Vatura is not technically part of Adradia's Military, she does often dress the part. Perhaps because of her deep dislike of dresses, Vatura is constantly finding other ways to dress. She enjoys appearing to be similar to her country's military. Her particular jacket was tailored specifically for her by the same team that designed the uniforms of their army.

Dream Catchers
Vatura owns a massive amount of dream catchers, hanging from the ceiling of her hut. They are also displayed in her room inside the palace.

Hut
In spite of her ranking, Vatura elects to live in a small hut on the island in Corida Lake. Inside she has a pallet on the floor, a small circular table with two chairs, and massive amounts of dream catchers hanging from the rafters. The roof leaks often, but she doesn't mind, and is perfectly happy for the wooden floors to be a bit wet. Bamboo staffs are always leaned against the wall, and she has extra arrows, knives, and a bow mounted on hooks.

Swimming
Vatura is naturally a very powerful swimmer. With her strong lungs and powerful limbs, she is able to cross bodies of water quickly or stay beneath the surface for long amounts of time. Everything about her is made for speed, her hair was even cut partially to lose the extra weight.

Linguistics
Vatura is well-schooled in the dialects of many Adradian tribes, along with managing several other obscure languages. She knows hand signals used by Adradia's Military and tribal hunting parties, and can read and write in several other languages.

Fighting/Weaponry
Upon moving to Cordia Castle, Vatura was taught how to handle a variety of weapons. She is fairly good at archery, skilled with knives, a scimitar, or a spear, and is quite capable of holding her own with no weapons; she is naturally built slick and light, made for agility and speed. She does not, however, manage well with swords or axes, deeming them to be "clunky" and "purposely weighted". Vatura has strong legs, allowing for hard, strong kicks, and is quite good at using the weight of her opponents against them.

Water Elemental Power
After her Trial of Water in Trials of Fate, Vatura gained the ability to control, manipulate, and freeze water. When controlling large amounts of her element, Vatura seems to give off even more confidence than normal, and is perfectly relaxed with her element. It takes much work for long periods of time for her to actually begin to tire. She can survive under water considerably longer than the average human, and can sometimes give minor frostbite when angry. She may be able to manipulate water inside the bodies of others-chocking them, causing bleeding, etc.- but never would, considering it treacherous and amoral.

Horse Riding
Vatura is a capable horse rider, taking third place when she was fifteen, and second at age sixteen and seventeen in The Horse Chase Ceremonial. She deeply dislikes riding side saddle but can still manage quite well, even without a saddle. Because horses are associated with water, she enjoys riding and does it often in her free time. Adradian Plain Horses are wild, rebellious, and not above bucking or kicking unwanted riders. Adradian children are trained early to bounce with them rather than attempting to stay perfectly still, and to not just back off to lick their wounds.

Trivia
-First, she was intended to be dark and intimidating, an explanation of her darker coloring.
 * Vatura was created by Fictionpress author Celtic Gold.
 * She is the second-oldest of the chosen, older than Haven by several months.
 * There are two reasons for Vatura's height.

-Second, it was meant to make up for her creator's rather shorter height. Celtic stands at full height between 4' 9" and 4' 10".
 * She was supposed to have brown eyes, but Celtic decided that four of the chosen having brown eyes was too much.
 * Vatura is descended from Honora Mori, the child Adradia saved before becoming a goddess, and her first Ambassador.
 * At seventeen, Emperor Jaron attempted to make Vatura fourth in line for Adradia's throne. Because this sparked rebellion throughout the country, she renounced her claim and elected to remain only as ambassador.
 * She fears drowning because it is something she has never had to worry about.
 * Vatura is Sinhalan for Water.
 * Amador is a Spanish and Portuguese last name, meaning 'to love'.
 * She collects huge amounts of necklaces and dreamcatchers.
 * Despite her disliking of swords, one of her preferred weapons is a scimitar.
 * Vatura has a deep fondness for green apples.
 * After posting Vatura's appearance as a wolf, Celtic decided she liked it so much that she turned it into the wallpaper on her computer.
 * After five years, Vatura absolutely despises any class in etiquette, while she finds diplomacy, linguistics, and weaponry fascinating.
 * Vatura is linked to the Dalca Bloodline, though Fulger's royal family doesn't recognize this. She also has a brother-sister relationship with Serghei, the younger of the two princes.
 * The name of Vatura's horse, Inku, is Japanese for "ink".