Character History:
Ash is Vashoth, one who looks like those who follow the Qun, but has grown up apart from it. She was born to Tal-Vashoth parents, raised in a small community of others fleeing the Qun. It was a hard, anxious life. The Tal-Vashoth lived in constant fear of being discovered by Ben-Hassarath spies, which resulted in frequent, furitive moves, and an inherent distrust of strangers. The Tal-Vashoth in this particular group came from many sects of the Qun, but most defected from the intelligence and religious factions rather than the soldiers, which made it difficult to scrape a living from the land. They managed, barely, learning enough to survive. Merchants occasionally passed close to their meagre settlements. Trading with them gave them access to items they were either unable to find or manufacture in the wild. Trading was just as difficult as learning to hunt. There was an immense language barrier, as the Tal-Vashoth only knew a smattering of common between them. Couple an inability to communicate with their fearsome appearances, and many merchants chose not to stick around long enough to figure out what they wanted. Some of the adults preferred this, as the strangers could easily be spies.
This is where Ash found a chance to shine. Her name comes from the Qunlat word "to seek", and that was her purpose. As a child, she was not as terrifying to travellers, and had a better chance to approach them. Her parents always kept careful watch from the shadows, just in case. These brief encounters allowed her to start to learn the common language, which in turn allowed her to barter for a wider selection of goods for her community. She would seek out items, but the more she learned to communicate, the more she learned of the world. Although her encounters were brief and far between, she was fluent in common by the age of twelve. This served her well as she grew from a nonthreatening child into a somewhat unsettling appearance. One human merchant in particular was not afraid to trade with them.
Bert was his name, and he went through the Tal-Vashoth territory two or three times a year. He would often make a point to converse with Ash, trade goods, and offer an education on the world at large. By 18, Ash viewed him as family, and he felt the same. When she turned 20, he offered to take her on as an apprentice of sorts. While this was a thrilling opportunity for the young Qunari, it also meant leaving behind her loved ones. It would be a grievious loss for the community as well. Not only would they lose a strong, contributing member, but their best interpretor as well. She asked for time to consider, which Bert allowed. He moved on in his journey, but returned many months later. Ash had reached her decision. She passed on her knowledge of common and human customs as best as she could to those that remained, and set off with Bert. The pair of them travelled from major settlement to major settlement for a few years, until Bert's health deteriorated during the most recent blight. It was the taint, and it claimed him quickly. He had no family, save for Ash, and he left his cart of wares to her. She carries on now, difficult though it may be.
Personality
Timeline
Other Information
Qunari don't really do names, at least Ash's family didn't. Most are known by their rank or job, rather than an individual arrangement of sounds. Hence, Ash (to seek), although she was often called Imekari (child), or whatever Qunlat word described her primary task. Her favorite was when they called her Hissera, their word for hope. But she's a merchant now, and she has to seek out customers, and seek out a living, so Ash it is.
There are no Qunlat words to describe parents either, so they were both called Kadan, or loved one.