Marisan's page

Marisan comes from the Bonuwat fishing village of Nkhata, which lies inland a bit from where the Oubinga River flows into Desperation Bay. This village has suffered attacks from the Spawn of Angazhan every 5-10 years, with chaura-ka pouring out of the nearby jungles to abduct members of the tribe to become slaves to the Gorilla King. When this happens, the tribe picks up and moves to a different location, but retains the village name. This has occurred regularly enough that the tribe accepts it as a part of their oral history and the natural ebb and flow of life. During one particularly brutal attack several generations ago, a couatl emerged from the forest to aid them. Ever since, they have been known as the Nondo tribe (the Polyglot word for a couatl), and they venerate snakes of all kinds, even dangerous vipers and constrictors, which must never be hunted or eaten. Any primates, on the other hand, are attacked on sight.

Like all of her tribe, Marisan was born on a fishing boat. She does not know who her biological parents are, since for the Nondo, the tribe is the family, and no further distinction is made. Perhaps uniquely, several halflings originally from the Shackles who migrated here have been integrated into the Nondo community, and are also considered part of the tribe.

The Nondo (and the Bonuwat more generally) venerate Shimye-Magalla, a janiform combination of Desna and Gozreh. Marisan showed particular interest among her peers in the spiritual, mystical, and natural worlds, and was chosen as apprentice to the Nondo shaman. Unlike her tribe, Marisan views the disappearance and presumed slavery at the hands of the Spawn of Angazhan as intolerable as the unnatural nature of many of the Gorilla King’s minions, such as awakened apes and chimpanzees.

Marisan learned to fish and hunt at an early age, and she continues to do so in between other tasks or duties. Her tribe is also known for their jewelry made from a combination of driftwood, shells, and fish bones. While she showed no great talent or inclination toward the handiwork, she loved to accompany others from her village on the long trek around the coast of the Kaava Lands (the inland route being too deadly) to the marketplace in the port city of Senghor.

It was in Senghor that she learned of faraway places and met peoples of diverse ancestry and culture. She had always loved the tales told around the village fire of ancient ruins and powerful spirits, and a chance meeting with a Pathfinder agent in Senghor sparked a latent desire for travel and exploration. Two days later, she joined him on a ship bound for the Inner Sea. Not until later did she realize the stature of her traveling companion - none other than the Master of Scrolls Kreighton Shaine, who had spent the last three months on a sabbatical in her homeland. On the voyage to Absalom, she and Kreighton shared many stories and gained much knowledge from one another.

Though calm on the outside, she feels a mixture of excitement and homesickness as she begins her career with the Society. Marisan believes that sharing the legends and tales of the Nondo with others, whether on a ship, in a tavern, or by a campfire, keeps her connected to her village in a very literal sense.