Shigeko

Shigeko (しげこ Shi-gé-koh )' is a Female Nevrean who has been living her life up to the Modern Era period in the New Age on Planet Tal.

Appearance
Shigeko is a somewhat elderly woman, measuring up at about 4’7” (140cm) tall displaying an often tired and apathetic visage. She sports a pair of silver eyes, complemented by raven black feather-hair and a sun-kissed yellow beak to match. Her beak displays a crack on the left side, no doubt injured in the line of duty or from some rough-housing with Outring. Much of her colors are plain and dull naturally, as most female Nevrean ones are. Despite her age, she is still quite spry and agile, however her bulk and muscle mass have dwindled down over time, Her tailfeather is normally shaped almost like a petal, however, Shigeko trims it down to look sharper, akin to a blade or knife. Shigeko does not really like uniforms, and would only wear them when absolutely necessary during her tenure under the Shigu Dukedom’s armed forces. As such, Shigeko’s usual attire is either average, inconspicuous and raggedy clothing most of which she tailours herself, like her favorite, sleeveless trenchcoat which she painted the Shigu Dukedom flag on with gilded lines, to show her own brand of loyalty.

Personality
As a youngster, Shigeko was completely homeschooled by her parents, eventually being inducted into the newly formed, Shigu society. Living in the main capital city taught her the general scopes of life, listening to various immigrants from the land her parents fled, stories of the city of gold beyond the Sailzane, she had a fairly uneventful life in her teens, working as a fisherman’s apprentice. A quiet yet inquisitive bird, she would write down everything there would be to learn about crafts, ideas, laws and society in a journal. Joining the Shigu armed forces as a recruit, she was given ample education about the daily routines and duties of a citizen, as well as how to deal with various Talyxian threats. Shigeko would listen intently however, her penchant for knowledge and attentive nature suited her better into the role of an information specialist. Her skills coming in great use later on as she advanced through the ranks. Shigeko’s parents never informed her of the existence of a twin egg, up until their death bed, this realization shocked her and caused a dramatic shift in her personality. The quiet, inquisitive bird that once was turned bitter and introverted. The realization that she might still have a brother or sister out there drove her to push for the truth. She never really found out the truth about her sibling’s status, the search for them within Gold Ring nearly driving her mad with anger and depression. As a result, Shigeko picked up the bad habit of smoking to relieve stress and calm her nerves, she has a very awful, raspy voice, nurtured by the addiction to hand-rolled smokes. She is known to have a very short temper and react viciously when someone gets on her nerves too hard, going as far as to even extinguish a cigarette in someone’s arm or hand if they are being too loud or obnoxious.

Biography
Shigeko would be born under less stable circumstances, Shigeko’s parents had just escaped Gold Ring at the very height of Nevrean discrimination, a raid upon their makeshift abode was conducted by the joint GRVC and legislative powers task force at the time, forcing them to abandon all of their precious belongings. In their frenetic attempt to escape they only had managed to grab one of the two eggs before the officers managed to bust down the door and raid the abode, however the parents had escaped with what little they could and only one egg. They were forced to swallow their sorrow, ending up travelling the length of the Salt Road by hitching a ride which cost them dearly, paying all of their Cevia and shells as well as any spare clothing and rags. The ride all the way up to Etai lasted a fair share of months, when they finally arrived, they were seen as no different from Outring vermin thanks to their scrawny and dishevelled appearance. Many regarded them with suspicion, and they were often perceived as hiding something other than their precious egg which contained the still unborn Shigeko. Such an environment soon forced them to flee into the Northern regions, where they eventually made their way up to the fringes of the Northern Villages that were at the cusp of being rebuilt and recovered from the era of war and famine. It was here that the egg of Shigeko would finally hatch. Shigeko was born and raised right around the start of the Shigu Renaissance, her parents assisting in the rebuilding efforts in any way they could while their child was raised up alongside the newer Shigu generations. While the exact date of her birth is unknown, it is estimated that she is in her late 50’s by the year 100RC, making the date of her birth most likely around the year 50RC Growing up, she idolized the spiritual bond and nature of Sergals and their relations to the forests and wolves. Such fascination subsequently led her to be a slightly more religious person, with a keen fascination and inclination towards the mythos surrounding Rain and her descendants. In fact, such was her fascination that the children of Silves were like heroes to her, due to the way that society often treated them as figures of respect who worked to keep the bloody past from repeating itself. While her life was mostly uneventful, a defining moment that left quite an impression on her happened around the year 64RC when a descendant of Rain herself came to her place. Marked by her pristine golden eyes, this descendant could be seen freely walking amongst the people in the Shigu Dukedom’s plaza. The gathered crowd more than happy at such a rare sight, though a few people yelled out in protest while throwing trash at the descendant, being shortly subdued and arrested in the citizen’s fashion. However, in the child’s view, there seemed to be a slight tinge of somber feelings in the descendant’s eyes as they reached out to her passing by. Needless to say, such a moment left a heavy impression in her still untouched mind, furthering her respect for those of Rain’s lineage. The more militaristic and industrial nature of the Shigu appealed heavily to her as well, and the camaraderie shown by the people both in rebuilding what they have lost while still maintaining a cohesive, united people prompted her to join the armed forces in her youth as a peacekeeper. From this, she would later on advance to the position of informant, her highly observant and keen nature marking her quite suitable for this rank while also happening to be a role which she, herself, quite enjoyed. Rooting out crimes at the source and help leveling down the rate of criminal activity overall was something that drove her, and she fulfilled her job with a fervent glee. However this would have a somewhat controversial effect, to the point some might say it even radicalised her, thus having her end up working as an Information Specialist and Infiltrator for the Shigu Dukedom, having been assigned to act as liason between Gold Ring and Reono’s Etai, particularly. Shigeko displays an intense zeal and national pride for her adoptive country, going at lengths to even defend the Silves bloodline, for in her eyes, they are just as innocent as the Nevreans living in Gold Ring. The gross discriminations that other Nevreans faced in Gold Ring was something she often compared to the discrimination Silves descendants faced when called “yellow-eyed freaks” or “demon spawn” by the common person. Such crowds and dissenters who tried to often throw down the very people who saved the nation thus heavily repulsed her, appearing as a vile stink of unjustified hatred within her mind. Clandestinely making strategic use of Outring’s already established smuggling lines, Shigeko was able to liberate quite a lot of opressed Eltus, mostly Nevreans but impoverished Sergals and Agudners alike, persecuted by Gold Ring’s corruption - most would choose freedom under Shigu or Reono, seeking work wherever they could to start a new life whilst the few, determined and loyal, would follow suite under her wing, working in the shadows as well as collaborating with the Sabi No Wa. A certain air of “Taking orders from up high” can always be felt around her demeanour. There are a lot of rumours floating around her, but the most common one being that Shigeko herself might have had a hand in orchestrating and instigating the Blaze of Sailzane protest herself. In addition, her dealings as an informant and infiltrator would add weight to these rumors, especially within the underworld side of things.