Huruma
Huruma
Unknown
Unknown as Huruma
Name Huruma
Status Alive
Age 40
Occupation Karaba Ranger; Consultant to the Watch
Place of Origin Namanga, Kenya
Date of Birth October 31, 1973
Player ExitsPursuedByABear
Timezone EST
Notes Notes for Huruma

From a small, rather secretive clan of individuals who have fought against the Gloom and its creatures in wild and urban Africa for at least a few generations, Huruma has been transplanted to London- in order to potentially consult with the Watch, and form a bond through information sharing, as well as assisting with objectives.

Her presence in London as an emissary of the Karaba is a double-edged sword, to be quite sure.

Background

Born during a trek between Nairobi and Arusha, in Tanzania to the south, Huruma’s birth itself was an uncomplicated affair at the town of Namanga, in Kenya, directly on the southern border. While her birth remained uneventful, to healthy parents and a pair of siblings, the new babe they were blessed with did not turn out to be quite what they had imagined- or hoped for, for that matter. The child was rather thin, lethargic, and pale for the first several days- and whatever the reason for this- Huruma’s newborn ills gave another presence enough time to catch up to her family in Namanga. Her father’s mother had been following them for some time. It was not family that took her after them, in the usual sense; it was the newborn in particular whom Etana was seeking out in Namanga. An altercation between father and grandmother at the Namanga Hospital led to Huruma being put under her grandmother’s care indefinitely. Perhaps it was Etana’s tenacity in taking her, or perhaps it was the unwillingness of parents to want to raise a child they could not actually afford to keep, rather than turn her to the ward of a Catholic orphanage. In the end, it proved to be both. Etana was looking to prevent her bloodline from being dragged into the mundane; through a connection to the Gloom, knew that if she did not take the child, it would do just that, for her own son wanted nothing to do with her traditions nor her tales. Etana eventually took her granddaughter back into Kenya, while the rest of her birth family continued south to the cape, where they would remain to purportedly raise Huruma’s siblings.

The new family that Huruma was brought into by her grandmother, was a proud and somewhat old line; a clan, if you will, of which Etana had always been a part of. They were otherwise known as the Karaba. The Karaba, as Huruma grew to know them, were a small clan of individuals who have fought against the Gloom and its creatures in wild Africa for several generations. Those individuals of the Karaba are Touched by the Gloom, raised to entice the entity to take them in, and to test them. If they are able to find their way back to the world, they are brought properly into the ranks of the Karaba. From there, they are trained to function similarly to the Watch of other lores; the Karaba themselves tend to be darker of heart and small in number, stretched thinly over the continent of Africa, cast into regional territories not unlike the raw concept of a ranger.

Huruma’s official training began when she was old enough to understand it; that said, her version of primary school was not terribly different from any other child’s, save for more language lessons and of course, the scholarly side of the supernatural. She was overall more cunning, and reacted more violently than her peers, and often seemed more a wild child than a grandchild. At first her activities were childishly malicious, but as Huruma grew into it, she became increasingly and consciously malevolent. Were it not for the patience and spry interference of her grandmother, one of the only adults able to control her, things would certainly have turned out quite differently. Though Etana loved her granddaughter, it was a challenge even for someone of her sternness and wisdom. In an effort to make Huruma understand her world, Etana began to teach her the old ways- the tales of the world’s foundation and influence which were fading ever since the arrival of missions to the continent. Etana was never one to be facetious enough to pretend to change; she simply did not, and fate rewarded her loyalty to the old gods by making these lessons exactly what Huruma needed. The religious lessons provided something stable, influential, and world-building for a little girl harangued by a fitful mind. Between her grandmother’s education and the schooling of the Karaba, Huruma grew physically and mentally resilient; this also came with some downsides, as with intelligence came the capacity for willful manipulation, and the ability to be far more subtle in any of her maliciousness. Huruma was, however, intelligent as well as bold, and while the gods were kind to her, she still knew to fear them. Instinct was always one of her more powerful suits. Later in her preteen years, she would take up the stewardship of Gaunab, a Death-like God figure, making herself closer at heart to the tasks of the Karaba. The physical side of her training started a few years after her primary schooling began. Huruma was first trained in survival skills and small weaponry, until she was old enough to learn more complex techniques and weaponry. The Karaba trained her mind as well as her body, and it was a rare night when she was not liable to pass out from exhaustion- never during training, however. She learned that particular lesson after one incident. In the end, however, the travel and trials were all worth it, once she took up the task set to all initiates after their training.

Huruma never spoke of what she remembered of the Gloom in great detail- not that she could recall more than anyone else. At seventeen she went in, and several weeks later, returned in the midst of a silent cavern. Huruma also returned with abilities that she did not yet know the extent of- just that she knew she was indeed blessed- and cursed- by her visit. She also knew that she needed to return to the Karaba at once. Returning to Africa was easier said than done; as she found her way from the cave and into a rainy French winter. By the time she found her way to the nearest village, it was deep into the night; the inkeeper of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc found it very strange that a naked, drenched teenager was bashing upon his door in the middle of the night. He did not seem an unkind person, however odd an incident it was, and allowed her to stay. Huruma would have been gone by the next morning, had she awoken early; regretfully, when she awoke, it was already evening, and the warm stench of blood in her senses was evidence enough- even before she found the half-devoured corpse of the innkeeper at the foot of her bed. She would eventually recall the event- his unlocking the room while she slept, and her waking reaction, buffed by her return from the Gloom- but at the time of such a discovery, and despite the pleasure over knowing it was her work, Huruma’s flight was inevitable. She did not return to the Karaba for several weeks after the events in France; parts of her relished the freedom from her duties, while the other parts demanded she return. Huruma had also found that she was soon evading some interesting followers, and returning home seemed like the better idea in order to lose them. Unbeknownst to her, this was a French division of the Watch; though they tailed her across the south of the country and to the sea, they ceased as she crossed the water into Algeria. The Karaba were there, waiting for her. They knew of the bloody incident in France thanks to the Watch, yet were reluctant to punish after hearing her recalled version of the tale. It was Huruma’s first encounter with the Watch itself, and certainly not the last. Their meager influence in Africa at the time was concentrated mainly in the cities and warzones, and the presence of the Karaba did some to shield the cities from influences coming in out of the wilderness. It began as a tenuous relationship, out of functional differences- but when the bones were boiled down, the Watch and the clan were on the same side of the proverbial coin.

Being returned to the realm of men meant one thing for Huruma and her role in the Karaba; she would be trained as skillfully as possible in the proper use and delegation of her new abilities, and given a mapped range to where she was to function as steward. For a little over two decades, Huruma gave herself to the Karaba’s cause all over continental Africa, and a dozen times overseas- including a few returns to France- whether simply being thorough, being territorial, or being servant to her own whims and desires. She came into contact with the Watch again over the years, yet these meetings were all brief enough to prove her elusiveness, and the secretive, self-contained nature of the Karaba itself. Of the Karaba ranks, Huruma was continuously the most likely to interfere- meddle, perhaps- with the affairs of normal men. More than once, Huruma put herself in the shoes of a mercenary for hire when not fastened with the chain of obligation; whether for a local militia, for special operations under mysterious jurisdictions, or simply for the sake of sating a bloodlust, any such activities- involving her abilities or not- were all carried on outside of the Karaba. In several independent cases of Huruma using her gifts in questionable ways, evading capture was an essential part of keeping anyone from acting on her autonomous activities. It was not that she was an enemy of any organizations in particular- just that acting responsibly was not always on her agenda. It came as a slight shock then, when the Karaba made direct contact with the Watch in order to make an offer; they wished to send one of their clan stewards northward, to the main base in London. This emissary would transplant to the city, to potentially consult closely with the Watch and to form a mutual bond through information sharing, as well assisting with objectives. That Huruma drew the short straw was no mistake; sending her would not only enable the younger, larger organization to get a better look at the ways of the Karaba, but it would take the task of looking after Huruma off of the backs of the clan.

Needless to say, it did not please her to find that she was the one to be going. Despite any displeasure with the situation, Huruma took to treating it as if it were an upcoming vacation from boring repetition- which she would usually break up with mayhem. On one hand, a small blessing for the Karaba. Only time will tell if this proves the same for the Watch.


Personality

Huruma is definitely one of the most unpredictable- independent, in her words- people that one could ever know, and she is very good at putting up a facade of predictability. Her core functions err towards neutral and chaotic, but through repetition and causes she will find a reasonable middle ground. Most people who deal with her on a non-regular basis have no idea of what she can really be like- only that she is an intense, formidable woman.

There is a method to her madness, though sometimes only in her own mind. Huruma is cunning and clever enough to know what she is doing, much of the time. She can be very charismatic and subtly manipulating if she wants to be- an adept at beguilement, with a great amount of willpower.

On the innermost layers, Huruma is a murderous, bloodthirsty, prideful and wrathful individual; there are many words to use. However, the most broad turn out to be the most accurate. While her macabre sense of the world can be overwhelming for some, Huruma has seen the world through wild eyes her entire life. Instinct was something that she needed very early; she often believes in survival of the fittest, and it hasn't failed her thus far- nor has being careful and elusive.

She will respect someone who she deems worthy of it; it is a difficult road, but worth it. Huruma would not be a first choice of someone to befriend, but there have been a few rare instances despite the effort it takes to get on her true good side. Her good side is less hostile, but just as much a spitfire; "good side" is subjective in many ways. One of her tendencies is to sometimes revert to a somewhat stern and motherly aspect with those younger than her. Peers and elders are treated accordingly. She can become firecely protective of someone that she proves fond of. She can learn to love, in the usual sense of the word, but it would most likely be something most people would give up trying to do.


Paranormal Abilities

The foremost aspect of Huruma’s bestowed abilities, is being able to assume the form of a giant, melanistic feline; this form functions physically as any big cat of its size would. Standing around four feet at the shoulder, with a nose-to-tip length of fourteen feet, it easily clocks in at between nine-hundred to one-thousand pounds. With a lithe, flexible, and muscular form, it is a prime example of feline prowess; a powerful back and neck, large paws with claws like daggers, long, sharp white teeth. Huruma’s eyes in this shape have the same colorless irises that she was born with.

As a human, she is able to partially transform parts of herself for short periods of time; whether it be elongated, vampiric teeth, or hands forming into clawed humanoid paws. As a feline, Huruma retains her human memories and mind, and possesses the skill of non-complex speech. She is also able, on a raw scale in her feline shape, to communicate with non-sentient animals; on the off-chance she encounters a beast much like her, with a sentient mind, the cat will be able to communicate depending on the mental capacity of whatever it may be.

In order to return to her human shape, Huruma must feed upon some manner of flesh in the most literal sense. It must be enough for one healthy sitting for the cat itself, which in many cases constitutes at least twenty pounds of meat. She will more often than not go for the most readily available source; obviously, that definition changes from place to place.

Though she has great favor for this other shape, if she spends too much time within it, it becomes more and more difficult to change back; in addition to this, too much time spent in the other shape may cause her human shape to retain some feature of the cat itself, as if clinging to the fore. When this occurs, Huruma cannot shift again until the former state has faded.

A secondary hitch becomes apparent whenever she may be too far into bloodlust while in her human form; if Huruma is unfortunate enough to lose her sense of self for whatever reason, the shift happens regardless of if she willed it to. This shifted state is several times more difficult to come back from, and she must feed accordingly, as well.

Huruma has several tertiary abilities, including two which are in perpetual use even while in her human form.

In the feline form only, Huruma exudes an aura of unease and disquiet to those who look at her; this is a line of sight effect, and once the affected looks fully away, it fades according to their emotional capacity to quell it.

Huruma’s human side, as well as the cat, have the the ability to sense the presence of other physically living beings, or fearful emotions, within a ten-foot sphere. She cannot detect the presence of non-living beings.

Canines, as it so happens, seem to dislike her in any form.

The visual provided by her Touched nature is a striking one, rather than subtle. The Karaba call it baada-ya, ‘the After’; they also use this term for those who are Touched. Huruma’s skin is darker- nearly a true ebony- lined with thin, ritual scarring; it is also caked with perpetually fresh blood- both her own and not. Her eyes are blazing white, and her mouth is lined with four rows of sharp, cat-like teeth; the jawline is elongated and mouth widened to fit both these- as well as a disturbingly long, bloodied tongue. Both hands are home to curved claws, splintering from the skin. She is bare, save for a thick golden chain wrapped several times around her neck. Attached by a ring, is the gilded skull of a cat.


Skills

Cunning Linguist: Huruma has learned several native African tongues from the Niger-Congo and Khoisan language groups. She is also fluent in English, and proficient in French.

Play Him Off: She first learned her keys and how to read music while in her formative school years, and ever since has nurtured the piano as a hobby.

Don’t Turn Around: Huruma was always naturally inclined to stealthiness and watchfulness, and her training under the Karaba, as well as her visit to the Gloom, has made her adept at both. Her attention to detail is sharp, and Huruma’s ability to be furtive, resourceful and cunning makes her an ideal covert figure.

Be Prepared: Being able to survive on her own was something that Huruma needed to learn early, regardless of the presence of the Karaba; she knows how to create shelter, hunt for food, make fires, gather water, and all manner of things to do with keeping oneself alive and well.

Femme Fatale: Huruma knows her way around weapons of many varieties; this includes firearms, melee weapons, ranged weapons, and some explosives. She knows her way around hand-to-hand combat as well, opting to use her size and swiftness to an advantage; Huruma strikes hard and fast, and knows how to do the most damage in any situation. It helps that she enjoys her job.

Knowing Your Enemy: Due to her training with the Karaba, Huruma has a standard education on the Gloom and the Others, much like an agent of the Watch; however, she has more experience and knowledge with things to do with the African continent, and the more ‘wild’ areas of the world.


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