Characteristics:
Yuka Mendwort is a halfling through and through - she greets everyone with a generally happy disposition and can always be counted on to help out when she is able. While her favorite phrase might just well be “I told you not to do that,” she means well and her nagging is (often) a reflection of her trying to look after her companions.
While she is young, Yuka’s age is hard to define - she could be early 20’s or mid 40’s- this cause for speculation is often because of her personality rather than her appearance. For a halfling she is slightly taller of height and more slender in build than most of her family, but this would be very hard for anyone to see, owing to her massive bulk of thick traditional leathers and layers upon layers of sweaters. Since her skin is a tawny beige, her traditional face tattoos almost blend in with her skin, except when she is channeling her magic and they gleam in the colors of the Northern Lights. She almost always has her hair away from her face, usually in one or two braids, a practical habit she picked up when working as a healer in Stormhaven.
Yuka can often be seen writing in her journal with her favourite finely decorated quill, presumably writing notes, interesting stories to share or corresponding with her family back in Stormhaven. After receiving it as a gift, she now also carries a small fox sculpture with her everywhere she goes. Even though she is curious about other cultures and ways of life, Yuka is very proud of her own heritage and will gladly share her culture with others, if they ask her to.
Shared with the group:
- Yuka is in a party from The Blades in Stormhaven, sent to the Delenar Ruins to hopefully save the residents of Stormhaven from succumbing to an incurable disease.
- She has before talked about loving stories, and has told the group that she comes from a big family where they all love telling and hearing stories.
- When arriving in Briskwater, Yuka mentioned that she had never visited another town before and was visibly taken aback by the sheer size and grandeur of the city.
- While possibly not known to residents outside of Stormhaven, Yuka has mentioned that she owes her skills in healing to her Grandmother, and is convinced that the magic she possesses has been passed down to her by her ancestors, after her Grandmother died.
- Yuka also is quite fond of traditional halfling meals, such as ringed seal steak, whale blubber, curdled blood and berry ice cream, and caribou cauldron stew and will always offer to share her meals with others.
- When encountering the black water in Deep Delanar, it took a while for Yuka to remember, but she eventually warned the others of the water. Upon further prodding from Balogun, Yuka shared the experience she recently had in Stormhaven with the black water. She told him how she had come home after Kana's funeral only to find her entire clan in a catatonic state. The black water steadily rising around them, completely engulfing her in a feeling of hopelessness and despair. It only disappeared after she violently shook her father awake, who didn't remember much after the incident.
- When burying her former teammates and her best friend, Flake, Ksumi appeared before Yuka and the party. While she thought she would never receive a clearer sign to discuss her connection to her ancestors freely, Yuka has still only shared a few times that she is not a follower of the faith of The Lord of Frost, nor the faith of The Lady of Fire.
- In the few days before The Blazing, Yuka told the others she had encountered and helped three halfling ghosts on the outskirts of Briskwater, after being led there by Ksumi in the middle of the night. She asked Mirasol if people are able to simply walk between realms, but then dismissed the thought when Mirasol said it would require a very powerful magical person to do so. She doesn’t quite understand what happened to her that night, but she is sure that it is her purpose and that Ksumi is asking for her aid in helping spirits pass on.