"I would never die for my beliefs, I may be wrong." - Bertrand Russell
■ Name: E'kalani Malha
■ Alias/Sobriquet: Kalani
■ Age: 24
■ Gender: Female
■ Race: Miqo'te
■ Clan: Seeker of the Sun (Eft)
■ Orientation: Bisexual
■ Marital: 'Dating' E'zayi Tia
■ Deity: Publically Nald'thal (in Ul'dah) or Azeyma (in Eft); in actuality, Byregot
■ Nationality: N/A - Eft Tribe
■ Occupation: Priestess / Ossuary Worker
■ Alignment: Lawful to Chaotic Neutral
History
The Spire
In the third heaven rises an iron tower of spinning gears and taut springs constructed by the Builder himself. It is assailed without cease by the jealous Rhalgr, but the Destroyer's mighty levinbolts only serve to power the spire's clockwork soul. It is through the blessings of both creation and destruction that strength is granted to he who sees his stars rise under this sign.
Kalani was six summers old when an off-handed comment from one of her tribe's doula changed one thing, and so changed everything: "Look at that, Kala! The Spire. You were born beneath those stars." Seeing no distinction between one cluster of stars and the next, she borrowed (possibly without asking) a battered tome from one of the more scholarly Tia, thumbing through illustrations of celestial bodies, captivated. It was this budding intrigue that drove her to badger those able-minded to teach her read, a non-compulsory form of education in their particular variant of Eft.
Kalani learned all she could of the constellations — the Spire, the Spear, the Arrow and more — and in time, this voracious appetite for niche-fueled knowledge spread to other interests, the scope of which seemed to know no bounds. A notoriously argumentative child among her peers, she took great satisfaction in knowing things they did not, earning in addition a reputation for being a haughty know-it-all. Her immediate family had little more fondness to be spared, her father the long-standing Nunh with too many children to make time for; her mother, once the beauty of Eft, souring more with every wrinkle; her siblings prone to ignoring at each other at best, internecine contention at worst — helped none by Kalani, who like the Builder's tower in the stars, considered herself stronger with every slight against her, goading arguments for argument's sake.
There was no sibling rivalry more blatant and vicious than that of Kalani and her brother Tyi, who would, as expected of such a charismatic and capable boy, go on to challenge and defeat E'malha Nunh, father to both. But before that there would be another: E'vahn Tia, long the perhaps one-sided apple of Kalani's eye and recipient of frequent vocal support. In the wake of his loss, Kalani felt insulted a way that, for once, left her embittered rather than empowered. Tyi's eventual victory was salt poured in a still-open wound; inevitably, their relationship would only, could only, become more scathing.
Lo and behold, far too many summers later, a challenger appeared: E'zayi Tia, son of some nobody 'city cat' and a mother Kalani couldn't pick from a crowd. She gathered with the rest of the tribe to watch just how badly her brother would bloody the poor idiot... except that he didn't.
And Kalani wasted no time in getting to know their new Nunh, the first to re-introduce herself, the first to gain foothold, the first in his bed and subsequently the first with child, though no one could be certain of it at the time. With her brother gone and her unofficially sanctioned as the Nunh's favorite huntress, life was great until it wasn't.
A Keeper Zayi had mutually fallen for in his travels breached tribe borders to plead with him to return. She never had the chance, intercepted by Kalani herself, spared by an erring Kalani would later regret. The Eft herself would go on to lie to Zayi, however, claiming she had in fact killed his beloved, going so far as to plant decoy bones in a drake pit where she claimed to have hid the body, all in the hopes he would then have no reason to leave.
Coincidentally, it was none other than Vahn who would out her as a liar, during a visit to confirm for himself Zayi's victory. Upon hearing the Keeper was alive and well, Zayi left Eft once again, and in the chaos of too many Tia vying for their Nunh vacancy, Tyi would return and do as he always did: get his way eventually.
Appearance
Kalani has the tan complexion displayed by most of her tribe, with almond-shaped, green-yellow eyes. Her cheeks and, if you squint, the bridge of her nose are dappled with freckles that appear to stand out all the more after a day spent tarrying and toiling in the sun. Her hair and fur are a uniform brunette, sans the tip of her tail, of a slightly darker shade.
She dresses befitting her studies in the Thaumaturge's Guild and the Arrzaneth Ossuary when in attendance, wearing robes of subdued colors, often with modest adornments as one would see on a priestess. Outside this line of work is another matter entirely, Kalani favoring bold colors, primarily oranges, reds, and pinks, none more than rolanberry. She has a preference for dresses and skirts and is a friend to all accessories but earrings. Perish the thought of sticking anything metal in her ears, thank you very much.
Personality
Rarely does Kalani make it to high noon without having thought of several other things she could be doing with her time. She values an educated mind and sports an insatiable curiosity that bounds from one inquiry to the next, garnering knowledge, generating ideas, too little given pause enough to implement any of them. Likewise more interested in absorbing information than making decisions, she has a reputation for never finishing what she starts, or if she does, stalling several times to pursue afterthoughts along the way. The next challenge, the next question, the next of anything always seems more tantalizing than the foundation it sprouted from.
Her penchant for debating for the sake of debate leaves many with the impression she's overly-argumentative, and her inclination to play Devil's Advocate for the fun of it, verbally combating even her own opinions, at times comes off as hypocritical to those of more steadfast credence. Kindred spirits, however, will find a tireless friend for whom a night of sipping wine and discussing the War of the Sisters is considered a good time.
Perhaps surprisingly, Kalani does try to act within the confines of the law, but will push those boundaries as far as the realm of 'technically legal' allows, more apt to brandish it as justification for her decisions than any fervent desire to adhere to it out of righteousness; known to toe the line of subjectively unethical while, by law, technically doing nothing 'wrong.'
LIKES
- Rolanberry (Color)
- Triple Triad
- Astronomy
- Stuffed Animals
- Cultural Study (Sharlayan, Ishgard, Othard)
- Debating / lengthy discussions
- Working at the Ossuary
DISLIKES
- Keepers of the Moon (mostly subconscious)
- Overly emotional people
- Excessive people-pleasing
- Sour foods / drink
- Cold climates; being cold in general
- Micromanaging
- Unfounded superstitions
Relationships
Generally, any character Kalani has interacted with on three+ separation occasions is added here when I remember. If you would like your character removed for any reason (or no reason at all!), please just let me know! As always, IC is IC, and opinions this character has of others do not reflect my OOC opinions of these characters (spoilers: they're amazing).
Color Key
♥ In A Relationship
♥ Romantic Attraction
♥ Sexual Attraction
♥ Platonic Love
♦ Friend
♦ Friendly Acquaintance: Name considers this person mostly friendly, or as an ally.
● Good Standing: Name has no specific feelings about this character, however they left a good impression.
● Neutral
● Bad Standing
♠ Dislike
♠ Hate
♠ Fear
♠ Rivalry
♥ Family Member / Related by Blood
✔ Business
✖ Deceased
?Hidden Feelings/Unknown
NPC
E'malha Tia ● ♥
There is a common misconception Kalani dislikes her father. On the contrary, she respects the man for what he was: a Nunh who led them through tough times, including the Calamity, and always did what was best for the tribe, even if at times they didn't see eye-to-eye on what the goal should be, nor the means to reach it.
E'kara Rehjah ● ♥
Kalani's mother, who she loves but doesn't much like. While times weren't all bad, the woman handled the reality of aging poorly, and would often badger her daughters to uphold her standards of beauty while simultaneously resenting their youthfulness.
E'tyi Nunh : ♠ ♠ ♥
E'kalani's full brother and currently standing Nunh of their Eft. He is, objectively, not a poor choice for the role, although none claim him better suited than his father was so far; however, for Kalani herself, he was the worst candidate to take the mantle, to the point concern for backlash against her drove her from Eft.
E'nehcha Malha ● ♥
Technically a half-sister, sired by the same Nunh, though they were not raised as siblings, as is normal within Eft. Nehcha's fondness for Tyi translated to a dislike of Kalani and vice versa.
E'tani Malha ● ♥
Technically a half-sister, sired by the same Nunh, though they were not raised as siblings, as is normal within Eft. Tani is one of Malha's oldest child, several years older than Kalani, and incredibly popular within Eft for her kind nature and work ethic. Kalani, however, has never liked the woman, considers her a woman of fulsome flattery and excessive people-pleasing, and will often refer to others she sees the same as 'a Tani.'
PC
E'zayi Tia ♥
A former Nunh with whom Kalani will eventually have shared custody of a child, for better or worse. Despite that and their current joint living arrangements, they bounce back and forth between glorified roommates to actual couple and back again, trying to make it work. Recently, they have admitted their 'like' of each other.
E'nari Malha ♦ ♥
Technically a half-sister, sired by the same Nunh, though they were not raised as siblings, as is normal within Eft. Nari is several years older than Kalani, and in the past there was, at most, likely a mutual distaste there. After Kalani left Eft, she encountered Nari - who had herself left the tribe to help with the Ala Mhigan resistance - again, and the two hit it off much better, no doubt in part to mutual homesickness and a feeling of 'Eft against the world.'
E'vahn Tia ? ✔
Several years older than her, once subject to a crush and slated to be the Nunh following Malha, there was a time Kalani imagined a life with herself at E'vahn's Nunh side as his primary woman. When Vahn lost his fight to her father, Kalani walked away from him (as did the rest), those dreams shattered. In time, and with greater life experience and wisdom, Kalani came to regret her harsh treatment, but saying so is another matter, and so her relationship with Vahn remains strained even as they become co-workers. It is, of course, not helped by him pairing off with the very Keeper E'zayi left Eft for.
E'marho Tia ♥ ♦
In a perfect Eft, everyone would do what they were supposed to all the time. In the real one, Kalani and Marho had several trysts between the time E'vahn failed to beat E'malha and the time E'zayi became Nunh. There was never much emotional involvement between either, however, and today they stand as friends, Marho occasionally visiting Ul'dah to update her on the going-ons in Eft.
Tahla Jakkya ● ✔
The Keeper E'zayi left Eft for, thereby allowing Kalani's brother to rise as Nunh once again, so needless to say there are some visceral negative feelings here. Salt in the wound is her later going on to fall in love with E'vahn... and also become a beloved friend to E'marho. She doesn't even go here!!1
Obnoxious Roach ♦ ✔
The closest thing Kalani has to a 'work friend.' Their relationship consists of as many unapologetic insults as it does philosophical discussions. They share a fondness for Ishgardian culture and carbuncles as well. Futhermore, it pisses off their boss, Destry Barlow, which seems fine and dandy with both of them.
Kokegal Tumet ● ✔
Mostly known as the guy dating the boss, Kalani's had an unusual hard time getting a 'read' on Kokegal, chalking it up to her lack of understanding of Xaelic culture and behavior, of which it very well may be. While she has no desire to know him better than she does now, she's never in a hurry to leave a room with him in it either.
Destry Barlow ● ✔
It's no secret Destry hired Kalani to appease a request from his near-lifelong friend and co-leader, Obnoxious Roach, and in doing so he gave Kalani access to things she hadn't had before; primarily, a surplus of books and a reasonable sum of gil. During a street fight between E'vahn and E'zayi, Destry grew angry and threatened both Kalani and her child if the pair didn't stay in line. He went on to... sort of apologize, but not really. Anyroad, Kalani finds some joy in continuing to exist in his space and becoming even better friends with Roach in part to spite him.
Ekhram Almasi ● ✔
A good-looking Highlander insofar as Highlanders go, if you ask Kalani. His gentleness and sincerity won her over relatively quickly. She wouldn't go out of her way to spend time with the man, viewing him as a bit softer than she tends to look for in friends, but she wouldn't bemoan if they had to.
Raih'li Panipahr ●
A Keeper of intrigue who has endured with flying colors Kalani's aversion to his kind and made her question her own behavior more than once.
Rumors / RP Hooks
Some rumors are simply speculation, greatly exaggerated or not true in the slightest. Anything listed here is free use IC within reason.
RUMORS
- "E'kalani? A skilled practitioner of thaumaturgy, to be certain, but she's a bit of a layabout with the chores. I often have to 'remind' her to start sweeping two or three times before she 'remembers' to do so."
- "That woman could argue about the color of the sky."
- "Don't challenge her to Triple Triad. Win or lose, she'll keep you there for hours. Every game is 'one more game!'"
- "She keeps wearing bigger and bigger robes. If you ask me, it's to hide the pregnancy, but she's not fooling anybody!"
- "I heard her Nunh ran off after a Keeper of the Moon, so she tried to get him back by being knocked up. But my sister's seen 'em together. All they do is fight!"
RP HOOKS
- E'kalani is a trained Priestess of Nald'thal, sanctioned to conduct burial rites for the deceased within Ul'dah.
- A steadfast lab partner, teacher, or assistant, her role depending on what, how, and where they're studying. Including those whom she would normally be on bad terms with (whether mutual or not), as she is willing to set aside differences for the greatest pursuit of all.
- A regular patron among bookstores, libraries, and similar venues. Likely to an interest in the authors as well as the books themselves.
- Avid Triple Triad player, known to take part in all the tournaments available. Similar to her lab work/studies, the race, creed, general standing of her opponent seems not to matter. A good player is a good player, and a good player is always appreciated.
RP Limits & Info
■ Mature content and themes, up to and including coarse language, violence, sexuality, drugs / alcohol are all fine as long as they fit within the narrative. I do not do random ERP or godmoded fight scenes. Above all, the line between OOC and IC must be adhered to. I will discontinue any RP and cut ties with those who OOC bleed and/or godmode. Ain't nobody got time for that.
■ Any romances, with very few exceptions, must meet one of two requirements: the characters have known each other for at least a month, minimum, or the players have known each other for at least six months. Going on a casual date is one thing, but I will not tie characters down to anyone / anyone's character who doesn't meet this prerequisite.
