Ok - So here he is in his hopefully-spellchecked, resplendent glory! :) I decided to scrap the initial image edit that I made for him and go with the original aesthetics description, instead.
This character may be treated as an NPC. Please discuss in-depth interactions with the GM, first.Name: Keiki Maokeisu O'tao
{kay ' kee | mow ' kay ' shoo | oh ' tow}Type: Paramnaran
Gender: Male
Age: 53 taokuneii; 2 sukaoii
Sukaoi of Birth: 8th; 3rd day
Height: 178 cm (about 5' 10")
Body: Fit, and somewhat athletic
Aesthetics: skin-tone is deeply tanned; eyes are a vibrant. emerald green; face is a angular and long; hair-tone is a deep, rich red with natural, blonde highlights
Clan: Saearma Keiki
{sh'eye '
ahr ' mah |
kay ' kee}
{translation: (the) Keiki of Fire}Role: Idaeo'suzei
{ee '
d'eye ' oh ' shoo '
zay}
(Oath)Bound to: Maomu Gaearma Taesa
{mow ' moo g'eye ' ahr ' mah t'eye ' shah}
{translation: Third Shrine of (the) Terra}Beholder of: Idaeo'an Teisei Asaomun
{ee ' d'eye ' oh ' ahn | tay ' shay | ahsh ' ow ' moon}
The Taesa rested there, resonating a curious, subtle vibration, and appearing as if it were moulded from the ground, itself. Each Taesa was a mystery, with its origins remaining unknown regardless of how thoroughly one delved into Paramnarma historical records. This was no exception, seeming as if it had been Shaped seamlessly from a reflective, pitch black stone. Except for this Taesa, and a couple other Gaear Taesa like it, there were no other examples of this strange, unnamed material on Paramnar. Now, the boy - merely 9 taokuneii - stood there with his back to the primary Idaeo'suzei of the Monaznar; fists were clenched, and he was grimly stoic, and somber.
His parents had discussed the possibility of inducting him as an Idaeo'an, but they had procrastinated the actual deed because his Clan had a dwindling number of warriors to protect it. This summer, however, the elder Idaeo'suzei had been sent - by the Taesa, itself - upon a pilgrimage to collect him. His parents were distraught, but they knew better than to argue such a blatant play of destiny. So they had packed the most basic necessities, and bid him farewell.
As he had glanced at his mother, who kept her soft, grey eyes averted, he knew that he would never see them again.
The imagery of his brief recollection shimmered, then distorted into nonexistence, as if it were a disturbed ripple in a pond. Something demanded his fully-focused attention, and so he promptly snapped-to as a curious sentience began to massage his mind.
Of a sudden, a Voice that was both soft and thunderous consumed him; reverberated within the confines of his skull. "Come."
He instantly, instinctively obeyed, striding forth in three paces to stand within touching-distance of the smooth, black Taesa.
"Kneel."
He dropped to both knees with a fluid, almost inhuman, and certainly possessed grace.
"Touch me."
Of a volition that was almost not his own, he placed both hands upon the unnaturally-smooth surface of the Taesa. A choking sound would have been heard, from behind, if his perception were not so wholly engaged by the overwhelming connection. If he had been aware, he might have realized that the elder Idaeo'suzei was witnessing something that had never before occured, in all of Paramnarma history, and was beside himself with shock.
Beneath his sensitive touch, the boy felt the stone begin to warm and vibrate, until it was thrumming so intensely that his vision had completely blurred. Outside of his awareness, he began to glow with a blindingly brilliant, deep-gold luminescence. This persisted for an entire hourglass' span of time. Then, without any warning, the Taesa flared with a great, violent heat, and the flesh of his fingers and hands was seared to blisters. The heat then invaded and coursed through his body, sending a debilitating, fiery pain to travel akin to every vein, nerve and capillary. The agony was so intense that he could not move, or cry out.
Then, as suddenly as it had flared into existence, it was completely gone. The boy's body was encompassed in debilitating shock. After a brief moment, he collapsed, unconscious.
There he reverently knelt, by the ancient Idaeo'suzei's deathbed, his fingers entwined with those of the old man's clammy, age-spotted hand. The Omonai had long-since slipped beyond the margins of coherency, and was now wavering on the thinnest margins of bodily existence. For those who had lived so long - fully 197 taokuneii - it was always the hardest to let go of their corporeal margins. Certainly, it was not for lack of wanting; the spirit was simply too familiar with the body.
Maokeisu gently, soothingly manipulated the Idaeo'suzei's Ikaoi, impressing comfort and peace upon it as it slowed its meandering path amid the frail, deteriorating flesh, blood, and bone. Under his breath, he hummed an old, nameless tune that he had been taught by his great-grandmother as a wee toddler. His deep, bass voice was soft, yet it vibrated through his entire body and channeled through his intertwined grasp.
Another hourglass would pass, as he tirelessly soothed his ancient guide amid his inevitable passing. Then, in half the span of an intaken breath, he felt the last ties sever and dissipate. He bowed his head as he bid the Omonai farewell and blessings upon his next existence. He unwove his fingers and placed a marbled agate carefully in the old man's palm. Then he placed that hand, the right, upon the man's chest - with the stone cupped carefully betwixt - and he folded the left hand over it.
Next, he uncorked a flask of imbued danaoi and began to sprinkle the substance over the now-spiritless corpse. Once the cleansing was complete, he summoned for the embalmers. They would wrap the body in mao layers of treated, softened bamboo-cloth, then mao more layers of the finest silk. His tightly-wrapped form would be further-treated with embalming herbs and oils. Then, like his predecessors before him, the body would be arranged upon a strong, bamboo-pole litter, and transported to the sacred, underground crypt. He would be lowered into a sarcophagus decorated with imageries of stories of his achievements and talents, bestowed with the few possessions he would have allowed himself to collect, and sealed away along with the ashes of those who - being most dear or invaluable to him - had passed on before him.
As one life ended, so another truly began. The mantle was invisible, yet absolute. He already knew that, unlike the Omonai, he would not wear it for the entirety of his existence. However, for the duration of his responsibility, he would wear it proudly, and well.
The young man - of only 36 taokuneii - exited the deathroom, already feeling the Mark etching itself, permanently, into the flesh of his forehead.:
Keiki Maokeisu is able to sense and manipulate:
- Standard Manipulations:
- Saear Daomasu - fully mastered; clan element
- D'aoi Daomasu - fully mastered
- Gaear Daomasu - fully mastered
- Ramnaear Daomasu - critically advanced; expert, qualified to teach
- Aenaoi Daomasu - fully mastered
- Saokei Daomasu - critically advanced; expert, qualified to teach
- Meilar Daomasu - critically advanced; expert, qualified to teach
- Meilaoi Daomasu - critically advanced; expert, qualified to teach
- Ikaoi Daomasu - fully mastered
- Keiar Daomasu - critically advanced; expert, qualified to teach
- Seitaoi Daomasu - critically advanced; expert, qualified to teach
- Seitaomar Daomasu - critically advanced; expert, qualified to teach
- Taomar Daomasu - critically advanced; expert, qualified to teach
- Special Enhancements/Abilities:
- When, as a young boy, Maokeisu was Claimed by the Maomu Gaearma Taesa, it permanently enhanced his natural, Primary control of Saear. If he focuses intently, he is able to heat the terra, even to the point of melting. Smaller swatches of terra generate, on average, less-potent consequences. Also, the distance of the affected terra to his own position affects the quality of the manipulation, as well as the consequences.
- Associated consequences typically involve: a headache that, very gradually, increases in intensity over the length of time that Maokeisu focuses upon this ability. An extended duration also generates "glitches" in his brain, that range from slight, temporary impairment to persistent debilitations. Thusfar, nothing has ever been permanent, though recovery has sometimes lasted several sukaoii.
It was a prosperous taokunei, and the old Param still wore the Living Ring of Ikaoi Taesa. Little had been required of tithes, and the surplus had induced a curious, complacent lull in the otherwise-familiar, clan warfare. Sensing foreboding in the unseen patterns, however, Idaeo'suzei Neisao Maokeisu - he, who, at only 37 taokuneii, was the soulbound guardian of the third shrine of the Terra - had left the sacred halls of his Monaznar to travel Paramnar for answers. Unfortunately, with no clues to help him find what he sought, he wandered well into the season of Gaeamnar's slumber.
As the season of slumber gradually expended itself, and sought to establish Gaeamnar's rebirth, so he found himself in the Clan of D'aoima Teisei. The feeling of foreboding had doggedly thickened during his travels - despite the balance of the seasons continuing, unhampered - to the point that he was physically affected, and now struggling to breathe properly. Shortly after his arrival, he unceremoniously collapsed into unconsciousness. Monaeram Teisei Saegao, fearing the worst, had their honored visitor brought to the home of their resident healer family: an Omonae, Teisei Ikaoima, his Beholden, Teisei Raemun, and their three children.
Teisei Ikaoima and Raemun plied their abilities upon the fallen Idaeo'suzei from the moment he was brought in, until the largest of the moons, Monaz, was at its peak. During this entire time, their youngest child - a girl of the tender age of 3 taokuneii - would absolutely not leave the healing room, no matter how they (halfheartedly) threatened grave consequences. The Idaeo'suzei was now breathing easier, though, and they were exhausted and physically shaking after such prolonged manipulation of the various energies that they'd needed to work with. So the Omonae and his Beholden made the unorthodox decision to allow their seemingly-tireless, young daughter, the honor and responsibility to keep watch over the recovering Monaznar master. As it was, however, she was already known to be a rather unusual, serious child, and she had already, undoubtedly displayed evidence of her parents' abilities.
Once her parents were confirmed to have turned-in, she had drug a stool over and used it to maneuver herself up, and onto Neisao Maokeisu's cot. She sat, boldly and quite unceremoniously, inbetween his spaced-apart feet, with her legs folded and crossed over each other. Having heard tales of monaznumos from her parents, and their acquaintances, she intertwined her fingers in her lap, closed her eyes, and began to pace her breathing. The light of Monaz, as She descended across the sky, invaded through the open doorway and glass-less holes in the walls. It rested, as a wreath of illumination, upon the small child, and a casual observer might have even claimed that she appeared to be channeling it. Seitaoi Daomasu, however, was an Idaeo'suzeima mastery. No child, let alone one from a simple Clan - whose Primary was the element of danaoi - should be able to sense something so advanced, and yet...
About an hourglass' turn into this child's vigilant guardianship, the Idaeo'suzei gently stirred, and then began to pull out of his recovering rest. An incredibly-curious sensation was whispering over his skin with the most feather-light of caresses. He blinked his eyes open, furrowing his brows as his sight adjusted to the intensity of Monaz' light. His first thought was to question why was he so sensitive to it, of a sudden. He vaguely remembered collapsing, and wondered if he had hit his head especially hard upon the ground. Then, that curious sensation revisited him, and tingled its way over his arms and shoulders, then up to the crown of his scalp before dissipating. He lips parted slightly, as he shivered in response, and he very slowly adjusted so that he could prop himself up and look around. In the next moment, his eyes came to rest upon the tiny, vigilant figure, appearing as something incomparable, yet breathtaking, as she sat there in her wreath of moonlight. Breathing shallowly through his mouth, he pushed himself into a sitting position and leant forward. Then, after a few moments longer, he reached out and, so very tentatively, touched his fingertips to her cheek and jaw.
For an amateur practicing only upon what she had heard, indirectly, from her elders, she had managed to discipline herself into a rather deep trance. So, when the fingertips of the Idaeo'suzei had touched her face, it was the first thing to break through to her awareness. She felt Monaz' embrace gently fall away, as if a mantle sliding from one's shoulders, and she rose out of her monaznumos to open her eyes. As soon as she did, and their eyes met, her little hands flew to her mouth, and she blinked a couple of times. The master nodded, in recognition of something unheard, and yet absolute. Very, very slowly, throwing away all the protocol that had been, so far, taught to her, she removed her hands from her mouth and extended them out to touch his cheeks and jaw. In the next instant, something jolted through their bodies, and inextricably meshed their essences together. Acknowledgement flashed between them, as they kept their eyes trained upon each other throughout this exchange and merging of natural, personal energies. Then, moments later, she pushed herself forward to crawl closer, curling against the master's torso as he brought his arms around to embrace her protectively. With this man, there was no protocol; he was her Idaeo'suzei, and she belonged to him.
One sukaoi later, the ancient Param - at 157 taokuneii - passed away and the Living Ring was placed upon the second finger of his eldest otaodar. It would not be long before the reason for the Idaeo'suzei's sense of foreboding became evident.
