Tarkhan Khatayin
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THE LIFE AND TIMES
Tarkhan was a conundrum of a child, prone to bouts of mischief and showboating, yet just as inclined to his filial duties. Some elders of the tribe accuse his parents of knowingly letting him run wild; others that they were simply too disengaged with their firstborn; while others still, no small number at that, found his antics a great source of amusement, a tally that was especially high among his direct peers.
In time he would find himself in the company of brother and sister alike. Although there were undoubtedly instances of sibling rivalry, jealousy, and bickering, overall Tarkhan seemed not only willing but insistent he behave more as a third caretaker than anything, ever prepared to be the peacemaking middleman between sibling and parent. His status as the eldest, the big brother, would come to all but define him and would be met with no resistance.
Once he stepped out of range of his blood kin, however, that was another matter. Surrounded by his friends, Tarkhan was known to be a source of excitement on the dullest of days, ever on the prowl for some new mountain to climb -- proverbially, and sometimes literally. He was on the brink of his later formative years when he made his boldest claim yet: "I could get one of them to fight," Tarkhan said, eyeing the newest batch of fated ones as they were marched through Khatayin territory.
The fated, slaves as it were:
They were lodged together in a dirty yurt, bound on hands and feet to tall poles that had been carved out from the mountain itself. They were fed once a week, and only given a minimum of water each day so as to keep them alive. The idea was to break their will, their identity - sometimes at the cost of their sanity, and then re-introduce them to a life at the very bottom rung of Khatayin society. Once they were deemed ready, they would be allotted to any yurt that would lay claim to them, in a ritual that branded them forever as property.
The selections were held three moons after the first arriving slave since the last selection. The Khatayin did not descend often from the mountain range they called their own, but when they did, they would not shy away from taking every opportunity that came their way. Smaller hunting parties from other tribes, or young Xaela who had irresponsibly strayed too far from their tribe. - MeanderingMind, Khatayin
The slaves of the Khatayin were afforded the choice to fight for their freedom, an opportunity rarely seized as the odds were grim at best, the captive made to fight numerous tribesmen consecutively. Tarkhan was not to be daunted by something as sorry as details, though. He proclaimed that not only could he goad one into combat with him, but that it would be quite the fight to behold. The first challenge was choosing a captive who looked promising, but not so fierce that someone of higher station would seek to lay claim to them. The second was finding the means to sneak into the captives' yurt to supply them extra food and adequate water. After all, he had promised a good fight.
His first two attempts were foiled: for attempt number one, a Khatayin of greater esteem chose his potential combatant as their own; next cycle, the fated in question opted out of combat when the time came, leading Tarkhan to revoke his claim.
As the adage goes, the third time's a charm. The Khatayin had captured a Kha, a man too curious for his own good, who had come looking for the elusive goat herders of his own accord. He was tall, strong, and Tarkhan did his best to keep him that way, speaking to him promises of the best life he could possibly hope to have should he play his part accordingly.
Play it he did. After four bouts of combat, the Kha yielded, and was officially claimed as Tarkhan's own, made to be a servant.
In the wake of this incident, an elder of great wisdom recognized Tarkhan as a young man of charisma. He sought to harness his potential and mold him into a respectable mentor and teacher to the tribe's youth, a feat made all the easier by Tarkhan's natural fondness for children. Next, he was wed to a beautiful Khatayin woman. To this day, it has never been admitted this nuptial agreement was made independent of tradition or love, decided upon based on his age, rumors he was becoming too "close" with his slave (and indeed, they were but rumors), and the fact his siblings seemed to show no interest in marriage themselves. Lead by example.
A FAMILY ASUNDER
He had led by example, all right, but that which his brother had followed was not the one intended. Akhutai's behavior became increasingly strange to Tarkhan, who at its peak opted to ignore the issue, claiming to any who asked this was a phase, and this too would pass. Quite contrarily, Akhutai fled the tribe with a slave had fallen in love with, having fed her throughout her isolation the same manner Tarkhan once had his servant.
Tarkhan was then made to contend not only with his parents' and sister's grief on the matter, but renewed and burgeoning rumors perhaps there was something amiss with Tarkhan and his own slave. If one of them was to do something so foolish and absurd, who was to say the other siblings weren't as guilty? In truth, Tarkhan had grown close to the Kha, but as one would a brother. With his actual brother long gone, it made his efforts to compensate even more trying a task. To overcompensate and prove himself, Tarkhan began berating his servant to an extreme, and their bond quickly deteriorated even behind closed doors.
Years would pass. Moons would rise and fall. On a day that could well have been same as any other, Tarkhan's sister and father did not return home. After ample searching with nary a hint of their whereabouts, they were declared dead, fallen off the mountain like as not. Further requests for assistance were refused, cited as wasted resources.
Tarkhan's mother, by then, was becoming old and feeble, helped none by the anguish of losing a life-mate and second child. It was then Tarkhan made his next bold promise...
TO LANDS UNKNOWN
Tarkhan searched for his sister and father for two cycles, ignoring all the scathing criticism of his wasted time, of which there was plenty to be had. To the chagrin of his fed-up wife, he had vowed to his mother he would find them before beginning a family of his own. His efforts garnered no results, until unexpectedly, he sighted a child too familiar to ignore among the Kahkol visiting Reunion. This would provide the thinnest thread of hope Akhutai, at least, may well be alive, a thread Tarkhan reached to pull with the last effort he had to spare.
Information brokers, detectives - Any and all people who are in the business of finding other people. I would love to play out some ultimately futile leads before he actually does manage to find his brother.
Employers, past or current - While capable, the odd-jobs/mercenary bracket is certainly an over-saturated one in some parts of the world, and often Tarkhan is jobless and hungry and willing to take what he can get. This opens him up to having been places and having done work he ordinarily wouldn't. He knowns of weaponry with a specialization in the axe and bow. He has experience as a teacher/mentor and is good with children and teenagers. He is a polyglot, able to communicate with Xaela, Hingans, Eorzeans albeit heavily accented at times.
Blasts from the past - I would be open to someone willing to play Tarkhan's former Kha servant and (quite possibly former as well) wife. Note that the rumors of him and the Kha were in fact rumors; there was nothing romantic or physical between them, simply a strong sense of brotherhood with arguably some Stockholm Syndrome undertones. Likewise, there was never at least a mutual romantic love with his wife, though he may have been convincing about it for a time (as he certainly spared no effort trying to convince himself.
Former paramours - Yes, he has "betrayed" his wife a time or two in his travels.
Geiko - Tarkhan became a swift and avid fan of theater, music, general performance arts not long after he first encountered them. In particular he has an intrigue with the geiko that may have forged some noteworthy though no doubt fleeting ties.
General meetings - Random encounters. Walk-ups. Maybe your character hands him a loaf of bread on one of his bad (read: poorer) days. Maybe they do the opposite and bitch about foreigners and spit on him. I'm open to near anything that's sensible for the character!
