The Runt
01-20-07, 06:38 PM
Full Name: Kadana Udayana Mahjon
Name: Kadday (“dd” is a soft D sound)
Race: Tash’Hari Human
Tash’Hari means “of great minds” The Tash’Hari are a very small group of humans that have incredible telepathic abilities. They also have a longer average lifespan, usually around 150 years. [More in history]
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Height: 5’8
Weight: 133
Hair Color: Red
Eye Color: Blue
History
In the wastelands of Fallien lie many oases. Suravani’s, source of the famed Fallien horses is the largest and most famous, but remnants of the lush beauty that once covered the lands are scattered throughout the desert. Most of these oases are uncharted and unknown, simply because the harsh desert makes passage to them difficult and likely deadly.
One oasis, however, is more than simply remote. It is protected- hidden for thousands of years in the mountains of Fallien. To the east of Survani’s oasis lie the Zaileya mountains. Deep within the mountains, surrounded by peaks impassable to all but the strongest and most courageous of souls, lies a small compound. A single tower in the middle of the clearing is the most prominent feature. The tower is not large, only 40 feet tall, but the pure white marble gives it a majestic appearance much greater than even a massive tower would inspire. The tower is situated in a courtyard, surrounded by four buildings. Each of the buildings forms one quarter of a circle with the tower at its center. Beautiful flowers and carefully manicured hedge mazes fill the inner courtyard. Outside of the circle, gardens fill half of the remaining clearings. One quarter is filled with fruit and vegetables, another holds a small field of wheat and flax. A third quarter houses orchards of trees bearing larger fruits, while the final quarter is an open clearing with a stream running out of the mountains and into the courtyard, forming a pool around the tower. This small piece of land seems to be untouched by the destruction that happened so long ago, still bearing the lush prosperity of ancient Fallien. This land is known only as the Gardens.
Of course, the number that have seen this land are few. They are carefully guarded by an ancient race of humans, the Tash’Hari. These powerful men and women do not rely on strength of arms or might of magic, but on the overwhelming force of their minds. In the realm of creatures, there are few, if any, that could stand against a single Tash’Hari. Diligently, day and night, they keep vigil over this hidden refuge. Any brave soul that happens into the mountains will find themselves searching hills and crevices of great majesty and grandeur, but never will they find their way to the Gardens. If, through some great failure on the part of the Tash’Hari, a failure that has never occurred in thousands of years, someone were to stumble upon the Gardens, they would not find a place of beauty. Long ago these lands were cloaked in illusion so powerful that you would walk through the middle of the courtyard and see only broken and shattered ruins, the legacy of Survani’s wrath.
Then, if through some miracle a mind saw past the illusion, the response of the Tash’Hari would be swift and terrible. To the thoughts of a Tash’Hari, the mind of a man is but a thin crystal balloon, easily shattered and crushed into non-existence. Even the physical world obeys their command, the very molecules that form the world susceptible to their manipulation.
And yet, their great power has never been tested, their fury never unleashed upon the world. For they are bound, by ancient obligation, to the Gardens. Long ago, long before Survani burnt the lands, before the greed of men turned them against one another, even before the great cities of Fallien were built, the Tash’Hari guarded the Gardens and the single Artifact within. Housed at the pinnacle of the tower, the Artifact is an item of great power, perhaps even the source of the Tash’Hari’s great strength. The history had been passed meticulously from generation to generation, but the true power and meaning of the Artifact was obscured, whether by time or intent is unclear. But, there is never a question to the Tash’Hari, they must protect it and keep it from the hands of all men, protecting them from its power, whatever it might be.
Unhindered for generations, the four families of the Tash’Hari have lived in the Gardens, sharing in the ease of life and each other’s company, while sharing the duties of scouring the skies and land for any intrusion. They are limited in number, there have always been four families of Tash’Hari, the Mutukan, Lokapa, Zukra, and Mahjon.
The Tash'Hari all follow the same life pattern. Each child is born, the opposite gender of the Tash’Hari parent. They spend their formative years, usually until around the age of 20, living in the Gardens, perfecting their mental prowess. Sometime around this age they each leave the Gardens in search of a partner. There is one entrance and one exit to the Gardens, a portal at the base of the Tower. The other end of the portal is in a tree hidden deep inside Concordia forest. It opens only at the command of the Tash’Hari in the Garden and will only open for a Tash’Hari. This quest usually takes 3 or 4 years, though their absence would sometimes stretch into 15 or 20 years. Eventually they would find a suitable mate, wed them, and return to the gardens. The couple would have one child, opposite gender from the Tash’Hari parent, and the cycle would begin again. The life, climate, food, and telepathic augmentation of the Tash’Hari extended the lives of their spouses to match their own and they lived, as the saying goes, happily ever after.
The number of Tash’Hari is always around one hundred, with their spouses doubling the number. Their long life spans meant that up to six generations of a family would be alive at a time. The land provided plenty of food and each of the buildings was large enough to house each family in comfort. The life is simple, joyful, and a picture of near perfection.
This may sound like a rather boring and scripted life, without excitement or adventure, but it was natural to the Tash’Hari. Never had a seeking Tash’Hari failed to find someone with him they were perfectly happy. Never had a Tash’Hari failed to return. Never had a spouse become unhappy with the company of the Tash’Hari. The cycle was perfect. Almost perfect.
However, every 500 years or so, a runt of sorts would be born into one of the Tash’Hari families. 6,000 years had yielded 12 of these. Every time one of these runts, they were known as Vakrin, was born, their parents would have a second child to continue the family line. Kadday was the thirteenth Vakrin, born into the Majhon family in the six thousand, five hundred and third year of the Tash’Hari’s tenure as keepers of the Artifact.
______________________________
“Father, why can’t I feel your memories? Phelan Zukra is a year younger than I and can already read years into his parent’s past, but I can only hear what you are thinking…”
Kadday was twelve and her father had known for a long time that this question was coming. He had, of course, shielded his mind from sweet Kadday, as had the other Tash’Hari. But the truth could only be kept from her for so long and it was time to tell the truth.
“Come Kadday, let us go for a walk in the orchard.”
Her father, Jenya Mahjon, took her hand and led her outside into the Gardens. Most of the Tash’Hari spent their time among the flowers and beautiful plants, but Kadday always wanted to go to the orchards. She seemed to enjoy the solitude of that place. If she was to learn of her fate, it would be here. They went to a bench in the far corner of the stretch of trees, a bench with one spot noticeably more used than the rest of the bench. Kadday sat in her usual place while her father leaned against a tree.
“I need to do something you have never experienced before. You have learned of Samavay from Polus Mutukan, have you not?”
Polus was Kadday’s teacher of Knowledge. She had learned of Samavay, Polus spoke of it with great reverence. It was a rarely used technique by which a Tash’Hari could pass large amounts of information directly from one mind to another, not in words and phrases, but as an experience of images, sights, sounds and power that was unmatched. It was not dangerous, but it was extremely powerful and intimate. It was most common between a Tash’Hari and their spouse, in fact, a ritual in celebration of marriage involved a Samavay. But it was not unheard of between others, especially family. Kadday nodded, frightened at the thought of what might merit such an action.
“Don’t fret my little one. You will understand in a moment.”
Jenya crossed the short space from the tree to the bench and placed his hands on either side of Kadday’s head, cupping them over his ears. He hesitated for a moment, knowing that after this there was no turning back. He spoke words in the ancient Tash’Hari tongue, evoking the power of Samavay.
“Milektan tuse Milektyn”
Mind meets Mind, for a brief moment Kadday recognized the words before a flood of images, sensations, feelings, thoughts, stories, history, and a hint of things to come flooded her mind. There was no jerking or violent convulsions, only peace as her normally innocent and happy face became troubled. It was over in an instant and Jenya backed away, opening his eyes. Kadday spoke.
“I understand…”
In that moment, she aged before her father. Her body was the same, but something fundamental changed about her. A depth, dark and unfamiliar to the joyous Tash’Hari, sprung up deep inside of her. It was not evil, but sorrowful.
“It is sad, father.”
The look in her eyes tore at the heart of a loving father as he gazed on his daughter that would be forever changed.
“What is that Kadday?”
For a moment, Kadday looked at her father, confused.
“Don’t you know? You just showed it to me.”
Jenya smiled at her, shaking his head slightly.
“No my dear, I don’t know. The knowledge of the Vakrin comes from the Artifact. I took it from there and brought it to you, but only the Vakrin can understand it. I will never understand, so you must tell me.”
Kadday looked at her feet and kicked an apple that lay on the ground, to sad to look her father in the face.
“Then…I will tell you. Father…I will have to leave. I can’t stay here forever with you. Every Vakrin must leave. I don’t know why, but we must. Somewhere there is a purpose in it all, I feel that there must be, but I can’t accomplish it here.”
For a moment, Jenya only stared at his daughter. The words that she was speaking were unnatural, far too weighty for a child. But their meaning was true. He HAD known, at least, he had an idea. Every Vakrin before had left, but he had silently hoped that Kadday would be different. He took her hand and they began walking back to the tower.
“Come…you don’t have to leave yet and there are many years still to enjoy.”
She squeezed his hand a little tighter on that walk, and life would never be the same.
_________________________________
Life continued, however. Kadday stopped attending classes with the other Tash’Hari children. She had reached her potential and could learn nothing more. She did not abandon her telepathic background though. She practiced the skills she possessed, mastering them to perfection. She also began studying other skills that the rest of the Tash’Hari neglected for lack of need. Physical strength and training became her counterweight, always striving to keep ahead of the others. And she was very successful. By the time she was 16, few of the Tash’Hari could stand against her physically. Granted, they never had to, any of them could pin her to a wall with a mere brush of the mind, but they humored her, suppressing their abilities to give her a chance to succeed. She knew they did it from love, but it was hard to not feel patronized in her weakness. Later in life she would experiment with weapons, designing Veda’Ketu and working to become skilled at fighting. Though no one ever questioned her, the Tash’Hari never quite understood her obsession with the martial skills. Everyone attributed it to her status as Vakrin and explored the issue no further.
Soon the children of the other families had left on their quest for companionship, but Kadday stayed behind. She had never enjoyed the outer world of Radasanth. She had ventured there occasionally as a child, but had not left the confines of the Gardens since the Samavay. It held no appeal to her and the people there only served to remind her that she as closer to one of them than to her own kind.
When she was twenty one, her younger sister was born. It was well known that she would be and Kadday had prepared for the aberration of a second child born to her father. Despite the preparation, Kadday could not help but feel a slight twinge of resentment toward the girl that was, in effect, replacing her. But the resentment did not fester, Kadday would not allow it. She truly loved Mazai more than the world and did everything she could to let her know that there was no malice for the twist of fate that brought the two together. When it was time for Kadday to leave, Mazai pleaded with her not to leave.
“Why do you have to go Kadday?”
She looked up with love filled eyes that melted Kadday’s heart.
She is twelve, the same age I was when I learned of my fate. I wonder if I was so sweet and beautiful. I am no longer…the sorrow inside of me won’t let me stay here, it would pollute the whole Gardens. I have barely been able to keep it in and I don’t want Mazai or the others to see me like this.
“I am different than you Mazai. I can’t stay here, you must carry on the Mahjon family in my place. Don’t worry…you will be happy without me. I will never forget you and I promise I will return some day.”
The promise sounded empty in Kadday’s ears, but somehow it still seemed right.
“Good bye, princess of the orchard. Keep the apples well.”
The joke did little to lighten the mood as Kadday turned and strode quickly from Mazai’s room, a sweet “goodbye” haunting the hall behind her.
Her father met her at the portal. All the other Tash’Hari had given their gifts and said their goodbyes.
“My daughter…I know that you must leave. And….I know about the sorrow, the darkness inside of you.”
Kadday looked up at her father, pain, surprise and a twinge of anger all gathered in her eyes.
“How??…I buried it as well as I know and I never felt anyone searching for it.”
Jenya shook his head, letting her know that her defenses hadn’t failed.
“No, no, I never searched. And none of the others know, don’t worry. They all agreed not to search your mind and they have kept their promise. But…the Samavay. It binds minds in strange and powerful ways. I can feel it, not like you, but I can feel its hold on you. I don’t want you to go, I want you to stay so I can help you fight it, but I know that in this I am weaker than you and you must go. Please, take care of yourself and never forget that I always loved you.”
The words hang in the air for a moment before Kadday breaks down, nearly falling into her father’s loving arms, crying in pain.
“I…I…know daddy. And I want to stay…but…you know I can’t…I have to go…”
She pulls away, composing herself from the rare burst of emotion. She takes a step toward the portal before turning and backing into the swirling turquoise abyss, projecting one last thought behind her as she goes.
I’ll never forget…
~~~~~~~~
Kadday emerges from the tree into the forest of Concordia. She has a full days hike before she reaches the road and another day of travel after that to reach Radasanth. Without a glance behind her she shoulders her sack and begins hiking, Veda’Ketu supporting her on her way.
Appearance
Kadday is not a stunning goddess or beauty queen, but she is not unattractive. Her face would not stand out in a crowd, darkly tanned skin, slightly round with a clean complexion. She has an athletic build, but it would be difficult to tell because of her clothing. When she left the Tash’Hari, she wore the traditional, flowing robes of lightweight material. The robes are a dark crimson with a doubled black rope for a belt. With the hood up, a stranger might mistake her for a male monk of slight build, barring a glance at her face which is definitely feminine. Under the robe she wears a short sleeved shirt and pants of the same material as the robes, including the color. If you were to see her in this clothing, you would notice her dark, uniform tan from the Fallien sun and muscles defined by strenuous training. She is not muscle bound, but it is obvious that she has more strength than most women of her size. Her one most notable feature would not be visible when wearing her robes. Her shoulder length hair is a red hue, not bright or garish, but definitely noticeable enough to warrant a second glance.
Personality
Kadday is a quiet, pensive and sorrowful. The Tash’Hari are not prone to great emotion, their mental control and training tends to suppress their susceptibility to mood swings, though they can release this control at times and are not complete stoics. However, Kadday is not a typical Tash’Hari and has a wider range of emotions that are not constantly controlled. Whatever it is inside of her that caused her to leave the Gardens eats away at her joy, leaving her empty. She also suffers from feeling of inadequacy, as you might expect from someone who grew up under her conditions. She compensates for this with tenacity, pride, and a very stubborn streak. Though quiet most of the time, when roused she will become impassioned, even to the point of recklessness, a very uncommon trait among the Tash’Hari.
Weapons
Veda’Ketu: This is a simple but sophisticated weapon consisting of two separate parts. When joined, Veda’Ketu appears to be nothing more than a hardwood ash walking stick. Six feet long, just over an inch and a quarter in width, and perfectly straight with a highly polished surface, the staff would be an effective pole arm. However, it is not hard to tell that the staff is not a common stick.
Each half of the staff is a different color, split in the center by a silver ring, about two inches wide. If you had very good eyes and examined the ring with the utmost care, you might spot a tiny seam between the two halves. Intricately housed within the opposing sides of the staff are two steel blades, two feet in length and ¾ of an inch wide. The thin blades have a slight diamond shape to give them strength, thicker in the center and narrowing to a keen edge at each extremity. When separated, the blades form an interesting pair of weapons, with the wooden shafts forming handles that are longer than the blades. The butt of each weapon has a heavy steel cap, lending weight and strength to the blunt ends.
Veda’Ketu is not without unique properties. The weapons were not forged with heat as most weapons are. The Tash’Hari created the blades before Kadday’s departure by re-arranging the raw steel at a molecular level, removing all the flaws and any imperfections in the construction. This doesn’t make them indestructible or anything too special, mainly contributing to extra durability and holding a sharper edge longer. Similarly, slight imperfections in the wood were re-arranged to make it as strong as possible.
The most valuable, and unique, facet of Veda’Ketu is in fact the two, one inch rings that form the joint between the two halves. While the rest of the weapon is nothing more than common steel and wood, the Tash’Hari bound the joint rings to Kadday, creating a direct mental connection between Kadday and the rings. Each ring was given a name, Veda and Ketu. Veda bears the crest of Kadday’s family, while Ketu bears the crest of the Tash’Hari.
These rings give the weapons their unique abilities. Kadday can control the rings with her mind, moving them and manipulating them from a distance. This does not mean she has control over the whole weapon, only the rings respond to her control. This does allow her to join the staff together securely with no latching mechanism. The two rings attract one another on her mental command, locking in place until she separates them. She can also return the rings, and anything connected to them, to herself if they are dropped. She can even suspend the rings in mid-air and manipulate them, effectively allowing her to fight with the weapons without actually touching them.
However, this skill is limited. Kadday can only exert force equivalent to her hands, without the benefit of arms, on the rings. If someone holds the rings or weapons tightly, she is unlikely to be able to remove them from their grasp. The only exception to this is if she gave the close command. The bond between the two rings is based on the power of the Tash’Hari that created the rings, not her own. However, this would pull both rings toward one another with great force, not necessarily one ring toward her. And, while she could attempt to fight with the weapons suspended in air, they would be ineffective except as far as they may surprised the opponent. With the small force exerted on the rings, a single swipe of sword or hand would spin the weapons out of Kadday’s control. Even if she did succeed in stabbing or slashing someone with the airborne blades, without the add force of her arms and body behind the blow they would not do as much damage as they are capable of. She could probably skewer an unarmored opponent, but anything more requires more strength than she can currently produce. There is also a limit on the range of her abilities. She currently must be within twenty meters of the rings to control them.
This skill, unlike her other mental skills, is not bound by the glass ceiling of her abilities and will grow with practice. In fact, anyone to whom the rings were bound could manipulate them and could master their use, as the power of the rings comes not from the wielder, but the creators.
Armor: None
Items
Kadday left with basic provisions for travel. Her leather bag contains a waterproof poncho that she can use as protection from rain, along with a coil of 100 feet of rope that she can use to string the poncho up as a tarp. Food, water, and a tinder box give her a minimalist but functional set of traveling neccesities.
Skills
Veda’Ketu: Kadday actually made the basic design of Veda’Ketu as a weapon that fit her abilities. While at the palace, she trained with several weapons but became most proficient with the dual blades of Veda’Ketu. She is also fairly competent when the two halves are joined into the staff, giving her a less lethal option in a fight.
General Weapons Skills: Kadday’s training with other weapons means she can pick up most weapons and defend herself to some extent, although she would hardly be a match for a skilled warrior with anything except Veda’Ketu or staff.
Gymnastics and Martial Arts: None of the Tash’Hari were martial artists, they had no need for physical combat abilities. However, Kadday was constantly teaching herself as best she could. She is agile, flexible, and spent a great deal of time improving her body control and gymnastic abilities. She is not an expert, but she has excellent balance and agility. The improvised style of fighting is not particularly advanced, but she can more than hold her own against untrained fighters, even if they out match her strength and size. One weakness of her hand-to-hand skills is that she has much better attacking skills than defensive, owing to the fact that none of the other Tash’Hari came close to her physical abilities.
Mental abilities: [Note: These skills are locked into their current levels unless the “glass ceiling” is broken through, something that would not happen until Kadday levels up several times, if it happens at all.]
The Tash’hari skills are divided into three categories. Kadday has a minimal level skill in each of these areas, however, what she can do she has practiced for years and can execute consistently and with ease.
I. Knowledge: The ability to know things through the reaching of the mind.
Other Minds: Kadday can listen in on thoughts as they occur. This is the easiest of mind reading techniques, because the thoughts are being actively projected by the thinker. She cannot learn anything about a persons past or memories, only what they are thinking as they are thinking it. There is no advanced warning of thoughts, she hears them slightly after the target thinks them. To execute this skill, Kadday must focus carefully on the target. The only exception is extremely powerful thoughts, such as bursts of fear, that are projected toward her. Her sensitive mind will involuntarily experience these thoughts, a side effect of her lack of control. Most Tash’Hari can detect and control the thoughts that enter their mind. Kadday can to an extent, but only if she is intentional about it, meaning she can be surprised by a sudden, powerful emotional outburst.
Other Places: Far seeing allows Kadday to see things at a distant location as they occur. This skill takes a great deal of concentration to execute, as well as a removal of nearly all distractions from the environment.
II. Control: The ability to control another mind.
Control is a great deal more difficult than knowledge. All Kadday can do is “touch” parts of a mind, trying to activate them. This could be, as examples, a pain stimulus, emotion center, or vision to distort sight. This takes even more intense concentration and eye contact to execute and the effects are brief and minor.
With less advanced minds, such as animals, Kadday can implant thoughts and ideas, but not direct commands. Again, this takes intense concentration and eye contact.
III. Kinetic: Kinetic skill is the ability to manipulate the physical environment.
Kadday is limited to inanimate objects that are relatively small. Weight is the major limiting factor and Kadday can manipulate objects a maximum of fifteen pounds in weight. Because kinetic skills do not deal with other minds, they are actually the easiest to execute and Kadday can use these without intense concentration. Accompanying hand motions can serve to strengthen the kinetic skills, but are not necessary.
Note: This history was previously approved by Valkyrie for the Fallien region.
Name: Kadday (“dd” is a soft D sound)
Race: Tash’Hari Human
Tash’Hari means “of great minds” The Tash’Hari are a very small group of humans that have incredible telepathic abilities. They also have a longer average lifespan, usually around 150 years. [More in history]
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Height: 5’8
Weight: 133
Hair Color: Red
Eye Color: Blue
History
In the wastelands of Fallien lie many oases. Suravani’s, source of the famed Fallien horses is the largest and most famous, but remnants of the lush beauty that once covered the lands are scattered throughout the desert. Most of these oases are uncharted and unknown, simply because the harsh desert makes passage to them difficult and likely deadly.
One oasis, however, is more than simply remote. It is protected- hidden for thousands of years in the mountains of Fallien. To the east of Survani’s oasis lie the Zaileya mountains. Deep within the mountains, surrounded by peaks impassable to all but the strongest and most courageous of souls, lies a small compound. A single tower in the middle of the clearing is the most prominent feature. The tower is not large, only 40 feet tall, but the pure white marble gives it a majestic appearance much greater than even a massive tower would inspire. The tower is situated in a courtyard, surrounded by four buildings. Each of the buildings forms one quarter of a circle with the tower at its center. Beautiful flowers and carefully manicured hedge mazes fill the inner courtyard. Outside of the circle, gardens fill half of the remaining clearings. One quarter is filled with fruit and vegetables, another holds a small field of wheat and flax. A third quarter houses orchards of trees bearing larger fruits, while the final quarter is an open clearing with a stream running out of the mountains and into the courtyard, forming a pool around the tower. This small piece of land seems to be untouched by the destruction that happened so long ago, still bearing the lush prosperity of ancient Fallien. This land is known only as the Gardens.
Of course, the number that have seen this land are few. They are carefully guarded by an ancient race of humans, the Tash’Hari. These powerful men and women do not rely on strength of arms or might of magic, but on the overwhelming force of their minds. In the realm of creatures, there are few, if any, that could stand against a single Tash’Hari. Diligently, day and night, they keep vigil over this hidden refuge. Any brave soul that happens into the mountains will find themselves searching hills and crevices of great majesty and grandeur, but never will they find their way to the Gardens. If, through some great failure on the part of the Tash’Hari, a failure that has never occurred in thousands of years, someone were to stumble upon the Gardens, they would not find a place of beauty. Long ago these lands were cloaked in illusion so powerful that you would walk through the middle of the courtyard and see only broken and shattered ruins, the legacy of Survani’s wrath.
Then, if through some miracle a mind saw past the illusion, the response of the Tash’Hari would be swift and terrible. To the thoughts of a Tash’Hari, the mind of a man is but a thin crystal balloon, easily shattered and crushed into non-existence. Even the physical world obeys their command, the very molecules that form the world susceptible to their manipulation.
And yet, their great power has never been tested, their fury never unleashed upon the world. For they are bound, by ancient obligation, to the Gardens. Long ago, long before Survani burnt the lands, before the greed of men turned them against one another, even before the great cities of Fallien were built, the Tash’Hari guarded the Gardens and the single Artifact within. Housed at the pinnacle of the tower, the Artifact is an item of great power, perhaps even the source of the Tash’Hari’s great strength. The history had been passed meticulously from generation to generation, but the true power and meaning of the Artifact was obscured, whether by time or intent is unclear. But, there is never a question to the Tash’Hari, they must protect it and keep it from the hands of all men, protecting them from its power, whatever it might be.
Unhindered for generations, the four families of the Tash’Hari have lived in the Gardens, sharing in the ease of life and each other’s company, while sharing the duties of scouring the skies and land for any intrusion. They are limited in number, there have always been four families of Tash’Hari, the Mutukan, Lokapa, Zukra, and Mahjon.
The Tash'Hari all follow the same life pattern. Each child is born, the opposite gender of the Tash’Hari parent. They spend their formative years, usually until around the age of 20, living in the Gardens, perfecting their mental prowess. Sometime around this age they each leave the Gardens in search of a partner. There is one entrance and one exit to the Gardens, a portal at the base of the Tower. The other end of the portal is in a tree hidden deep inside Concordia forest. It opens only at the command of the Tash’Hari in the Garden and will only open for a Tash’Hari. This quest usually takes 3 or 4 years, though their absence would sometimes stretch into 15 or 20 years. Eventually they would find a suitable mate, wed them, and return to the gardens. The couple would have one child, opposite gender from the Tash’Hari parent, and the cycle would begin again. The life, climate, food, and telepathic augmentation of the Tash’Hari extended the lives of their spouses to match their own and they lived, as the saying goes, happily ever after.
The number of Tash’Hari is always around one hundred, with their spouses doubling the number. Their long life spans meant that up to six generations of a family would be alive at a time. The land provided plenty of food and each of the buildings was large enough to house each family in comfort. The life is simple, joyful, and a picture of near perfection.
This may sound like a rather boring and scripted life, without excitement or adventure, but it was natural to the Tash’Hari. Never had a seeking Tash’Hari failed to find someone with him they were perfectly happy. Never had a Tash’Hari failed to return. Never had a spouse become unhappy with the company of the Tash’Hari. The cycle was perfect. Almost perfect.
However, every 500 years or so, a runt of sorts would be born into one of the Tash’Hari families. 6,000 years had yielded 12 of these. Every time one of these runts, they were known as Vakrin, was born, their parents would have a second child to continue the family line. Kadday was the thirteenth Vakrin, born into the Majhon family in the six thousand, five hundred and third year of the Tash’Hari’s tenure as keepers of the Artifact.
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“Father, why can’t I feel your memories? Phelan Zukra is a year younger than I and can already read years into his parent’s past, but I can only hear what you are thinking…”
Kadday was twelve and her father had known for a long time that this question was coming. He had, of course, shielded his mind from sweet Kadday, as had the other Tash’Hari. But the truth could only be kept from her for so long and it was time to tell the truth.
“Come Kadday, let us go for a walk in the orchard.”
Her father, Jenya Mahjon, took her hand and led her outside into the Gardens. Most of the Tash’Hari spent their time among the flowers and beautiful plants, but Kadday always wanted to go to the orchards. She seemed to enjoy the solitude of that place. If she was to learn of her fate, it would be here. They went to a bench in the far corner of the stretch of trees, a bench with one spot noticeably more used than the rest of the bench. Kadday sat in her usual place while her father leaned against a tree.
“I need to do something you have never experienced before. You have learned of Samavay from Polus Mutukan, have you not?”
Polus was Kadday’s teacher of Knowledge. She had learned of Samavay, Polus spoke of it with great reverence. It was a rarely used technique by which a Tash’Hari could pass large amounts of information directly from one mind to another, not in words and phrases, but as an experience of images, sights, sounds and power that was unmatched. It was not dangerous, but it was extremely powerful and intimate. It was most common between a Tash’Hari and their spouse, in fact, a ritual in celebration of marriage involved a Samavay. But it was not unheard of between others, especially family. Kadday nodded, frightened at the thought of what might merit such an action.
“Don’t fret my little one. You will understand in a moment.”
Jenya crossed the short space from the tree to the bench and placed his hands on either side of Kadday’s head, cupping them over his ears. He hesitated for a moment, knowing that after this there was no turning back. He spoke words in the ancient Tash’Hari tongue, evoking the power of Samavay.
“Milektan tuse Milektyn”
Mind meets Mind, for a brief moment Kadday recognized the words before a flood of images, sensations, feelings, thoughts, stories, history, and a hint of things to come flooded her mind. There was no jerking or violent convulsions, only peace as her normally innocent and happy face became troubled. It was over in an instant and Jenya backed away, opening his eyes. Kadday spoke.
“I understand…”
In that moment, she aged before her father. Her body was the same, but something fundamental changed about her. A depth, dark and unfamiliar to the joyous Tash’Hari, sprung up deep inside of her. It was not evil, but sorrowful.
“It is sad, father.”
The look in her eyes tore at the heart of a loving father as he gazed on his daughter that would be forever changed.
“What is that Kadday?”
For a moment, Kadday looked at her father, confused.
“Don’t you know? You just showed it to me.”
Jenya smiled at her, shaking his head slightly.
“No my dear, I don’t know. The knowledge of the Vakrin comes from the Artifact. I took it from there and brought it to you, but only the Vakrin can understand it. I will never understand, so you must tell me.”
Kadday looked at her feet and kicked an apple that lay on the ground, to sad to look her father in the face.
“Then…I will tell you. Father…I will have to leave. I can’t stay here forever with you. Every Vakrin must leave. I don’t know why, but we must. Somewhere there is a purpose in it all, I feel that there must be, but I can’t accomplish it here.”
For a moment, Jenya only stared at his daughter. The words that she was speaking were unnatural, far too weighty for a child. But their meaning was true. He HAD known, at least, he had an idea. Every Vakrin before had left, but he had silently hoped that Kadday would be different. He took her hand and they began walking back to the tower.
“Come…you don’t have to leave yet and there are many years still to enjoy.”
She squeezed his hand a little tighter on that walk, and life would never be the same.
_________________________________
Life continued, however. Kadday stopped attending classes with the other Tash’Hari children. She had reached her potential and could learn nothing more. She did not abandon her telepathic background though. She practiced the skills she possessed, mastering them to perfection. She also began studying other skills that the rest of the Tash’Hari neglected for lack of need. Physical strength and training became her counterweight, always striving to keep ahead of the others. And she was very successful. By the time she was 16, few of the Tash’Hari could stand against her physically. Granted, they never had to, any of them could pin her to a wall with a mere brush of the mind, but they humored her, suppressing their abilities to give her a chance to succeed. She knew they did it from love, but it was hard to not feel patronized in her weakness. Later in life she would experiment with weapons, designing Veda’Ketu and working to become skilled at fighting. Though no one ever questioned her, the Tash’Hari never quite understood her obsession with the martial skills. Everyone attributed it to her status as Vakrin and explored the issue no further.
Soon the children of the other families had left on their quest for companionship, but Kadday stayed behind. She had never enjoyed the outer world of Radasanth. She had ventured there occasionally as a child, but had not left the confines of the Gardens since the Samavay. It held no appeal to her and the people there only served to remind her that she as closer to one of them than to her own kind.
When she was twenty one, her younger sister was born. It was well known that she would be and Kadday had prepared for the aberration of a second child born to her father. Despite the preparation, Kadday could not help but feel a slight twinge of resentment toward the girl that was, in effect, replacing her. But the resentment did not fester, Kadday would not allow it. She truly loved Mazai more than the world and did everything she could to let her know that there was no malice for the twist of fate that brought the two together. When it was time for Kadday to leave, Mazai pleaded with her not to leave.
“Why do you have to go Kadday?”
She looked up with love filled eyes that melted Kadday’s heart.
She is twelve, the same age I was when I learned of my fate. I wonder if I was so sweet and beautiful. I am no longer…the sorrow inside of me won’t let me stay here, it would pollute the whole Gardens. I have barely been able to keep it in and I don’t want Mazai or the others to see me like this.
“I am different than you Mazai. I can’t stay here, you must carry on the Mahjon family in my place. Don’t worry…you will be happy without me. I will never forget you and I promise I will return some day.”
The promise sounded empty in Kadday’s ears, but somehow it still seemed right.
“Good bye, princess of the orchard. Keep the apples well.”
The joke did little to lighten the mood as Kadday turned and strode quickly from Mazai’s room, a sweet “goodbye” haunting the hall behind her.
Her father met her at the portal. All the other Tash’Hari had given their gifts and said their goodbyes.
“My daughter…I know that you must leave. And….I know about the sorrow, the darkness inside of you.”
Kadday looked up at her father, pain, surprise and a twinge of anger all gathered in her eyes.
“How??…I buried it as well as I know and I never felt anyone searching for it.”
Jenya shook his head, letting her know that her defenses hadn’t failed.
“No, no, I never searched. And none of the others know, don’t worry. They all agreed not to search your mind and they have kept their promise. But…the Samavay. It binds minds in strange and powerful ways. I can feel it, not like you, but I can feel its hold on you. I don’t want you to go, I want you to stay so I can help you fight it, but I know that in this I am weaker than you and you must go. Please, take care of yourself and never forget that I always loved you.”
The words hang in the air for a moment before Kadday breaks down, nearly falling into her father’s loving arms, crying in pain.
“I…I…know daddy. And I want to stay…but…you know I can’t…I have to go…”
She pulls away, composing herself from the rare burst of emotion. She takes a step toward the portal before turning and backing into the swirling turquoise abyss, projecting one last thought behind her as she goes.
I’ll never forget…
~~~~~~~~
Kadday emerges from the tree into the forest of Concordia. She has a full days hike before she reaches the road and another day of travel after that to reach Radasanth. Without a glance behind her she shoulders her sack and begins hiking, Veda’Ketu supporting her on her way.
Appearance
Kadday is not a stunning goddess or beauty queen, but she is not unattractive. Her face would not stand out in a crowd, darkly tanned skin, slightly round with a clean complexion. She has an athletic build, but it would be difficult to tell because of her clothing. When she left the Tash’Hari, she wore the traditional, flowing robes of lightweight material. The robes are a dark crimson with a doubled black rope for a belt. With the hood up, a stranger might mistake her for a male monk of slight build, barring a glance at her face which is definitely feminine. Under the robe she wears a short sleeved shirt and pants of the same material as the robes, including the color. If you were to see her in this clothing, you would notice her dark, uniform tan from the Fallien sun and muscles defined by strenuous training. She is not muscle bound, but it is obvious that she has more strength than most women of her size. Her one most notable feature would not be visible when wearing her robes. Her shoulder length hair is a red hue, not bright or garish, but definitely noticeable enough to warrant a second glance.
Personality
Kadday is a quiet, pensive and sorrowful. The Tash’Hari are not prone to great emotion, their mental control and training tends to suppress their susceptibility to mood swings, though they can release this control at times and are not complete stoics. However, Kadday is not a typical Tash’Hari and has a wider range of emotions that are not constantly controlled. Whatever it is inside of her that caused her to leave the Gardens eats away at her joy, leaving her empty. She also suffers from feeling of inadequacy, as you might expect from someone who grew up under her conditions. She compensates for this with tenacity, pride, and a very stubborn streak. Though quiet most of the time, when roused she will become impassioned, even to the point of recklessness, a very uncommon trait among the Tash’Hari.
Weapons
Veda’Ketu: This is a simple but sophisticated weapon consisting of two separate parts. When joined, Veda’Ketu appears to be nothing more than a hardwood ash walking stick. Six feet long, just over an inch and a quarter in width, and perfectly straight with a highly polished surface, the staff would be an effective pole arm. However, it is not hard to tell that the staff is not a common stick.
Each half of the staff is a different color, split in the center by a silver ring, about two inches wide. If you had very good eyes and examined the ring with the utmost care, you might spot a tiny seam between the two halves. Intricately housed within the opposing sides of the staff are two steel blades, two feet in length and ¾ of an inch wide. The thin blades have a slight diamond shape to give them strength, thicker in the center and narrowing to a keen edge at each extremity. When separated, the blades form an interesting pair of weapons, with the wooden shafts forming handles that are longer than the blades. The butt of each weapon has a heavy steel cap, lending weight and strength to the blunt ends.
Veda’Ketu is not without unique properties. The weapons were not forged with heat as most weapons are. The Tash’Hari created the blades before Kadday’s departure by re-arranging the raw steel at a molecular level, removing all the flaws and any imperfections in the construction. This doesn’t make them indestructible or anything too special, mainly contributing to extra durability and holding a sharper edge longer. Similarly, slight imperfections in the wood were re-arranged to make it as strong as possible.
The most valuable, and unique, facet of Veda’Ketu is in fact the two, one inch rings that form the joint between the two halves. While the rest of the weapon is nothing more than common steel and wood, the Tash’Hari bound the joint rings to Kadday, creating a direct mental connection between Kadday and the rings. Each ring was given a name, Veda and Ketu. Veda bears the crest of Kadday’s family, while Ketu bears the crest of the Tash’Hari.
These rings give the weapons their unique abilities. Kadday can control the rings with her mind, moving them and manipulating them from a distance. This does not mean she has control over the whole weapon, only the rings respond to her control. This does allow her to join the staff together securely with no latching mechanism. The two rings attract one another on her mental command, locking in place until she separates them. She can also return the rings, and anything connected to them, to herself if they are dropped. She can even suspend the rings in mid-air and manipulate them, effectively allowing her to fight with the weapons without actually touching them.
However, this skill is limited. Kadday can only exert force equivalent to her hands, without the benefit of arms, on the rings. If someone holds the rings or weapons tightly, she is unlikely to be able to remove them from their grasp. The only exception to this is if she gave the close command. The bond between the two rings is based on the power of the Tash’Hari that created the rings, not her own. However, this would pull both rings toward one another with great force, not necessarily one ring toward her. And, while she could attempt to fight with the weapons suspended in air, they would be ineffective except as far as they may surprised the opponent. With the small force exerted on the rings, a single swipe of sword or hand would spin the weapons out of Kadday’s control. Even if she did succeed in stabbing or slashing someone with the airborne blades, without the add force of her arms and body behind the blow they would not do as much damage as they are capable of. She could probably skewer an unarmored opponent, but anything more requires more strength than she can currently produce. There is also a limit on the range of her abilities. She currently must be within twenty meters of the rings to control them.
This skill, unlike her other mental skills, is not bound by the glass ceiling of her abilities and will grow with practice. In fact, anyone to whom the rings were bound could manipulate them and could master their use, as the power of the rings comes not from the wielder, but the creators.
Armor: None
Items
Kadday left with basic provisions for travel. Her leather bag contains a waterproof poncho that she can use as protection from rain, along with a coil of 100 feet of rope that she can use to string the poncho up as a tarp. Food, water, and a tinder box give her a minimalist but functional set of traveling neccesities.
Skills
Veda’Ketu: Kadday actually made the basic design of Veda’Ketu as a weapon that fit her abilities. While at the palace, she trained with several weapons but became most proficient with the dual blades of Veda’Ketu. She is also fairly competent when the two halves are joined into the staff, giving her a less lethal option in a fight.
General Weapons Skills: Kadday’s training with other weapons means she can pick up most weapons and defend herself to some extent, although she would hardly be a match for a skilled warrior with anything except Veda’Ketu or staff.
Gymnastics and Martial Arts: None of the Tash’Hari were martial artists, they had no need for physical combat abilities. However, Kadday was constantly teaching herself as best she could. She is agile, flexible, and spent a great deal of time improving her body control and gymnastic abilities. She is not an expert, but she has excellent balance and agility. The improvised style of fighting is not particularly advanced, but she can more than hold her own against untrained fighters, even if they out match her strength and size. One weakness of her hand-to-hand skills is that she has much better attacking skills than defensive, owing to the fact that none of the other Tash’Hari came close to her physical abilities.
Mental abilities: [Note: These skills are locked into their current levels unless the “glass ceiling” is broken through, something that would not happen until Kadday levels up several times, if it happens at all.]
The Tash’hari skills are divided into three categories. Kadday has a minimal level skill in each of these areas, however, what she can do she has practiced for years and can execute consistently and with ease.
I. Knowledge: The ability to know things through the reaching of the mind.
Other Minds: Kadday can listen in on thoughts as they occur. This is the easiest of mind reading techniques, because the thoughts are being actively projected by the thinker. She cannot learn anything about a persons past or memories, only what they are thinking as they are thinking it. There is no advanced warning of thoughts, she hears them slightly after the target thinks them. To execute this skill, Kadday must focus carefully on the target. The only exception is extremely powerful thoughts, such as bursts of fear, that are projected toward her. Her sensitive mind will involuntarily experience these thoughts, a side effect of her lack of control. Most Tash’Hari can detect and control the thoughts that enter their mind. Kadday can to an extent, but only if she is intentional about it, meaning she can be surprised by a sudden, powerful emotional outburst.
Other Places: Far seeing allows Kadday to see things at a distant location as they occur. This skill takes a great deal of concentration to execute, as well as a removal of nearly all distractions from the environment.
II. Control: The ability to control another mind.
Control is a great deal more difficult than knowledge. All Kadday can do is “touch” parts of a mind, trying to activate them. This could be, as examples, a pain stimulus, emotion center, or vision to distort sight. This takes even more intense concentration and eye contact to execute and the effects are brief and minor.
With less advanced minds, such as animals, Kadday can implant thoughts and ideas, but not direct commands. Again, this takes intense concentration and eye contact.
III. Kinetic: Kinetic skill is the ability to manipulate the physical environment.
Kadday is limited to inanimate objects that are relatively small. Weight is the major limiting factor and Kadday can manipulate objects a maximum of fifteen pounds in weight. Because kinetic skills do not deal with other minds, they are actually the easiest to execute and Kadday can use these without intense concentration. Accompanying hand motions can serve to strengthen the kinetic skills, but are not necessary.
Note: This history was previously approved by Valkyrie for the Fallien region.