Murdina

Name: Murdina Weddell

Species/Race: Selkie

Gender: Female

Age; 37

Occupation: Owner of the Hatchery

Playlist: Here

-Physical Aspects-

• Thin, relatively average build
• Eyebrows lead into a pair of whiskers that have grown relatively high
• Dark brown curly hair that often remains unstyled and a little unkempt
• Seems to wear a constant, albeit small, frown
• All features seem soft; very little hard edges to her
• Her back has a large birthmark that has patterns similar to sealskin
• She wears her cape at almost all times; there are very few instances where she would take it off
• Almost always seen in long dresses, with a special infatuation with mermaid dresses
• She has a very small limp on her left leg
• However, she has a large scar patch on her left thigh
• Very soft, melodic Spanish accent

-Mental Aspects-

• Constantly wistful or melancholy
• Very reserved and private
• Does her best to maintain an elegant demeanor regardless of the situation
• Is torn between her life here and life out at sea
• Although she can eat anything a human can, she really prefers to eat only seafood
• Has a constant fear that she'll lose her cape, and thus her ability to change
• Is a firm advocate for being in control of your own freedom
• Loves her job running the Hatchery
• Treats Fiona like family; almost a mother-daughter relationship
• Loves singing, but she couldn't fathom singing in front of anyone except Fiona
• Recovering from her past

-Talents and Abilities-

• Can switch between her human form and seal form through her cape, which is actually her sealskin that is modified into clothing
• The seal form has increased speed and agility in the water, along with an immunity to any elemental magic of the water variety
• In her human form, her song has slightly hypnotic qualities. These are mostly used to lull people to sleep
• Expert chef in terms of seafood and fish
• Has extensive self-taught knowledge of exotic and magical animals

-Likes-

• Her cape
• Singing
• Fiona
• Full moons
• Swimming
• Her job at the Hatchery
• Ballroom gowns
• Cooking fish
• Taking care of animals

-Dislikes-

• Indecision
• The thought of losing her cape
• Confinement
• Deserts
• People telling her to be happy
• Giving up her freedom
• Orcas

-Backstory-

Have you ever heard a melancholy wailing on the outskirts of Ebonvale? If you've found yourself falling asleep at its tune, you've probably heard the cries of the selkie, Murdina. She lives off by herself, and occasionally she'll raise her voice in song to a sea she barely knows. Most believe she wails to help her decide what to do, and I agree with them.

Back when the Sunder was first happening, there were no neutral parties, even if both man and monster wanted there to be. Not even the most peaceful people or friendly fae were spared the wrath of war and conflict. The selkies, unfortunately, we caught in that struggle. Like most merfolk, they tried their best to avoid the struggles man and magic. However, selkies were at a disadvantage due to the nature of their transformation. When the sailing party saw and captured her, they maimed her left leg so that she couldn't swim away from them. Most monsters during this time would have been killed on sight; however, a maimed, defenseless merperson that was significantly more human than most monsters were prized as an oddity and not a monstrosity, Thus, she was sold off to a caravan, who collected magical goods and creatures brought on from the Sunder. Her seal skin was stripped from her, and so was regular clothing. Mistreated, nude, and abused, she was kept like a caged animal for a decent portion of her life and treated like one too. 

However, she got her freedom the day the Zephyrs ran through the carnival

The Zephyrs were, and are, a band of rogue humans and air elementals wrought on basically being freedom fighters for magical kind. Some humans believed that monsters shouldn't be killed and locked up, even in the old days. As for the air elementals, their whole element is thriving off of the energy to run free and rampant. Thus, when this party spotted the caravan, they had a target that went against everything they believed in. The carnies weren't ready to deal with raiders and forces of nature; thus, they fled. The Zephyrs let all of the monsters free and dashed the magical artifacts the caravan had. And Murdina, for the first time in years, had gotten her sealskin back. The second she got her skin back, which was now fashioned into a fancy cape, she ran towards the nearest river and began to swim downstream.

However, due to her leg, she had to stop. It hadn't fully healed and it hurt her to swim for too long, so she stopped at a nearby abandoned fish hatchery. Seeing that the fish here were, somehow, still thriving, she decided to settle down here in solitary until she was healed up. As time ticked on though, more and more magical creatures came to the Hatchery, either for food or for rest. With nothing better to do, she decided to take care of these creatures and nurse them back to health. Weeks turned to months turned to years and the expanse of animals that she was tending to ever grew. She had discovered a love that she had never known she had.

Here we are, almost a decade later. The town eventually found out about her, since the size of her compound had grown significantly, and now she regularly communicates and comes into town for supplies. She is nice enough, but she always seems to have something on her mind. You can notice a small limp when she walks, but nothing too detrimental; which leaves her with a tough decision. Does she return to the sea, a home she had nearly forgotten; or, does she stay here, away from where she belongs, but closer to her calling?

I don't rightly know what the best choice is

I just hope she does what makes her happy in the end. She could use a little more happiness in her life.