Zebra Insara [Ready]

[RarityDash]

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria

Name: Insara

Sex: female

Age: older middle-aged mare

Species: zebra

Eye colour: dark blue

Coat: Insara's base coat colour is a very pale pink while her stripes are a dark maroon. She is accustomed to wearing a dark violet hooded robe with a red trim, which gives her a mysterious vibe that lends to her fortune teller act.

Mane/Tail: Insara's mane is roughly the same colours as her coat, striped pink and maroon. She has taken to wearing her mane long and straight so as to fit within the hood of her robe, toward the front is is curled a bit to add to her allure.

Physique: Insara is very concerned with keeping herself look young, as an attractive visage is important for her job. She is very fit and healthy, and looks younger than she is. It is often assumed she is the older sister of her daughter Verity rather than her mother.

Residence: Stalliongrad, though several times a year she'll venture back to the tribal lands of Unyasi.

Occupation: Fortune Teller and potion maker.

Cutie Mark: Insara's tribal mark is the shape of an open eye gazing outward. The eye is centered in the outline of a heart shape. As a whole, the mark represents her acute ability to perceive and understand others.

Insara received her mark at a young age. One of the tribe colts had disappeared from his parents' side and all were worried for his safety. As the time passed and he was not found, Insara became increasingly worried of the dangers of him being alone on the savannah.

Insara knew the colt, Zaki, well, and she had a good idea where he might be, recalling a favored spot near the river the two of them would often wander to as foals to play. Having watched his face for weeks prior to his running away, she was unsure about what to say to the adults. It was clear that Zaki was feeling pressured by his family, who were pushing him to take over a lot of the work in the place of his ailing father. Understanding how desperate and unsure the colt must have felt, Insara decided to not tell the elders, instead going to the spot on her own.

When she found Zaki, he was clearly frightened, not knowing if he could meet the expectations set for him and live up to the example set by his father. Insara listened calmly to his worries and fears and offered a few well placed reassuring words. Then, looking him straight in the eye, she told him that he would never be forced to face it all alone, and that he would always have her support.

This was exactly what the colt needed to hear, and in the strength of the promise, he found the courage to turn around and face his troubles instead of continuing to run away. For her effort, Insara's tribal mark appeared that night.

History: Insara was born the daughter of an influential tribe mystic. She was encouraged to, as her mother had, learn the traditional tribal arts and secrets and from an early age displayed a deft hand at brewing potions. She showed incredibly promise and was expected to follow in her mother's hoofsteps to become a mystic leader of the tribe.

Fate proved to have something different in mind for the young zebra though, as her tribal mark proved. Insara excelled at the tribal arts, but it soon became clear that a life among the tribe would not satisfy her. Her mark was an eye, and as would be expected for one with such a mark, Insara sought to see as much as she could, both into the hearts of others and into the world beyond. The stories of travelers passing through her land reacher her ears and left her young mind buzzing. The tales made the world seem so big and strange to her, and in her young heart Insara knew she had to see it all.

About the time she came of age, it was decided that Insara would be permitted to venture from the tribe to see what she needed to see. She would be accompanied by a male from the tribe named Zaki, a young worker and builder whom she had known her entire life and had promised in her youth to one day marry. Together, the two set off to the North on a foreign ship and came to Equestria.

For the first few years, the two zebra travelled the land together seeing everything they could see and meeting as many ponies as they could. Insara felt wonder at each new sight and cherished the time she spent seeing it all with Zaki at her side. She wanted it to continue on forever, but when she became pregnant with Zaki's foal, she decided it was time to settle down for a while. The two came to settle in the city of Stalliongrad, an entire continent away from their homeland. There, their child was born, and with her came a crucial decision.

Insara had come to love Equestria, and something about this city of Stalliongrad in particular appealed to her sensibilities. Her and Zaki agreed that they would remain in that city and only visit the homeland on occasion. This decision in mind, their daughter was given a pony styled name, Verity Essence, so as to fit with Equestria where she was born. The name was intended to reflect the parents' valuing of truth.

For the next many years, Insara focused on raising Verity and on setting up her new enterprise as a fortune teller. Ponies didn't seem to know much about zebras or the traditions of Unyasi. She soon realized that she had what could be considered a magnetic sort of foreign mystique to the locals, and using that, some theatrics and her keen senses of perception regarding others she could get ponies coming to her for fortune readings. She is not actually precognitive in any sense, but her ability to read others allows her to easily understand the problems of others before they've even explained them fully, which when coupled with her knack for giving good advice has lead to a successful act, especially when supplemented with the potions and herbs she'll sell on the side.

As the years passed, Insara became even more firmly rooted in the city. Zaki took a job as a worker at a local factory and together they made a modest life for themselves and Verity. Verity grew up to be something of a handful for her parents. it was somewhat difficult to see her child had no love or understandings of the traditions of old and for a time Insara felt very distanced from her daughter. Things did not improve when the child got a black cloud for her cutie mark, something that represented the obscuring of truths rather than seeing through them as hers did. Accepting that her daughter was to be an agent of an organization she considered deceitful was a difficult thing until she was made to realize that she was frequently deceiving others to an extent herself with her fortune teller act.

The two would make amends, and Insara even began supplying her daughter with potions to use for her job. She is now very much proud of Verity and what she has accomplished, though she does regret that Verity still has little love of Unyasi or interest in venturing to see it. her great hope is to someday drag the mare back with her to see her extended family in the tribe.

Her only daughter now an adult, Insara is now free to venture back to the tribal lands more regularly. She does so several times a year, both to see her family and to gather rare ingredients for potions that she cannot find in Equestria. Zaki sometimes accompanies her, though on occasion she'll make the trip on her own. Though most of the other zebra seem to think Equestria has changed her considerably, Insara truly feels that both Unyasi and Equestria are home.

Character Summary: Insara is a relatively quiet, focused mare. She tries not to show an excess of emotion, though she is far from cold. Being that she is keenly perceptive and skilled at reading others, she is quick to adjust herself to keep her company comfortable and content. She is not exceptionally talkative regularly, choosing her words quite carefully and letting actions speak for themselves.

With her family, Insara is very warm and affectionate. She is nurturing and passionate, though never weak. She doesn't let her loved ones get away with anything, and will not stop herself from calling them out or embarrassing them if she sees something she doesn't agree with. Around her family and tribe she is cheerful, and quick to joke around.

When working her shop, Insara is very serious about her character and her act. She plays the part of a mysterious zebra mystic in tune with the spirits. She dresses accordingly in a dark robe and is careful with how she presents herself, believing the theatrical element to be part of what her customers are paying for. With customers, she puts on an air of mystery, and will even flirt some when she thinks it will help the customer open up to her. She tries to remain calm and cool, even in extreme cases.

Sometimes when she's at a loss, Insara will slip into bombast and theatrics in an effort to distract from the situation, even outside her shop. if that doesn't work, it can lead to some serious panic. She really does not like not having a handle on any particular situation, and will attempt to bluff herself into seeming to have the upper hoof even when she doesn't, which can lead to issues. Generally she does not deal well with being cornered. She is so used to knowing how to handle situations and others that she actually fears instances where she has no ability to do so.

Insara really enjoys meeting new individuals and learning new things about them. She also loves to travel and see new places. In general, she is someone who does not believe that you can experience too many things in life. She is open minded to new experiences, and despite her firm roots in Unyasi she has come to enjoy even some more Equestrian things.

In terms of what motivates her, Insara is a relatively simple mare. She seeks nothing more than to live a full and fun life and provide for the family she cares about. She wants to see as much as she possibly can while also spending as much time as she can with her loved ones. If she can bring some of Unyasi to Equestria and something of Equestria back with her to Unyasi, that is just an added bonus.

Here's a cool pic by Shenanigan of Insara in action reading her OC Shenangian's fortune:

[Rosewind]

This looks terrible.

[RarityDash]

Love you too, Rose.