"I would never die for my beliefs, I may be wrong." - Bertrand Russell
E'kalani Malha
Priestess of Nald'thal
Displaced Eft
Self-important Stargazer
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 apple of Kalani's wandering eye and recipient of frequent vocal support. In the wake of his loss, she 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.
Updated 12/2/18
In the ever-changing world of the Eft, the dynamics have shifted yet again. E'tyi Nunh has vanished, along with his favored huntress of choice, rumored by some to have died during a hunt, by others to have abandoned his duties. E'kalani is not so certain.
In E'tyi's place, E'vahn Tia — now E'vahn Nunh — has stepped up to unite a tribe facing untold uncertainty, with a young and ambitious E'lohai Tia the favorite to be his eventual successor. For now, E'lohai is too young, too unwieldy with his weapons and his words, and so the Eft tentatively follow E'vahn, once the subject of their scorn.
Meanwhile, E'kalani has remained in Ul'dah for the duration of her pregnancy, giving birth to a healthy girl named E'kya. For a year she has toiled away in the Ossuary, and at her second job under the thumb of one Destry Barlow and his associates. Due to her status as something of a math savant, she is eventually given access to the company's ledgers, as the current bookkeeper — Destry's second ex-wife and well-known slacker — is happy to pass off the work.
But through several incidents, Kalani becomes suspicious. Numbers sometimes don't quite add up; the gil sometimes flows from sources with a limited paper trail, no physical location; these names aren't ones she can find anywhere else. It becomes undeniable there's more to this company than once thought, but Kalani temporizes for a full two moons, checking and rechecking, trying to prove herself wrong.
Faced with the reality being what it is, she makes a decision and, in secrecy, tips the authorities of Ul'dah off as to the unscrupulous going-ons — but. But before she does, Kalani coincidentally loses certain documents, finds herself foggy on certain details. No, she insists, it was only Destry Barlow involved. No one else was any the wiser.
Not a soul.
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.
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.'
Since the birth of her daughter, Kalani has become notably more cautious, more choosy with what tasks and jobs she takes on. She is also, for the first time, faced with true uncertainty about herself and her decisions. Is she a bad mother for occasionally not wanting to be a mother? Is she going to ruin her daughter's development if she reads this book instead of that book, says this instead of that? The sleepless nights at times make her more ornery than usual, and the paranoia she'll ruin her child sometimes leave her defensive.
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
As always, IC is IC, and opinions this character has of others do not reflect my OOC opinions of these characters. If you would like your character removed, just let me know.
Color Key
♥ In A Relationship
♥ Romantic Attraction
♥ Sexual Attraction
♥ Platonic Love
♦ Friend
♦ Friendly Acquaintance:
● Good Standing
● 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 Yarel ● ♥
Kalani's mother, whom 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 former nunh of Eft. He was, objectively, not a poor candidate for the role for those who could stomach the choices he made after stepping into leadership — primarily his call for mass termination of any pregnancies sired by the nunh before him, E'zayi. E'tyi eventually vanished, reported to either have died or run off. A few, though, question the validity of these claims and await E'tyi's return, some eagerly, some very much not.
PC
E'zayi Tia ♥ ?
A former Nunh with whom Kalani has given birth to a daughter, E'kya. Despite that and their current joint living arrangements, they bounce back and forth between glorified roommates to actual couple and back again. While things seemed to have been looking up for the pair for a few moons, things are at odds again due to Zayi's continued feelings for his former lover and Kalani's increasing uncertainty with the prospect of returning to Eft, no matter how determined Zayi is to reclaim his Nunh title.
E'vahn Nunh ?
As a girl, Kalani was Vahn's most vocal supporter. After he lost to her father for the title of Nunh, Kalani turned her back on him (as did most everyone), and would not see him again until she ended up working for the same Free Company within Ul'dah. Their relationship was further strained by E'vahn falling for the very Keeper E'zayi had left Eft for.
A number of experiences and new insights left Kalani regretting her treatment of this man. As is, she makes sporadic visits to Eft for so long as Vahn is the standing Nunh, and to say their dynamic is complicated is a vast understatement.
E'marho Tia ♦ ✖
E'kalani and E'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, but they remained friends until his death, Marho occasionally visiting Ul'dah to update her on the going-ons in Eft. Kalani has made the decision to name a son after him, should she ever have one.
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's visceral negativity there. Salt in the wound is her later going on to fall in love with E'vahn and then, of all things, becoming a beloved friend to E'marho. She doesn't even go here!!1
In the wake of Marho's death, in the aftermath of becoming a mother, and as her respect and genuine care for E'vahn begins to rebuild itself, Kalani's hostility towards this woman becomes more hesitant. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Tahla was one of two people Kalani intentionally destroyed incriminating evidence of before turning in Destry Barlow.
Obnoxious Roach ♥
An unlikely and perhaps unorthodox friendship few could hope to fully understand. Roach makes no secret of his physical attraction to Kalani, and Kalani makes no secret of thinking he is too old and too wrinkly and too much a Roegadyn. They insult each other frequently, cruelly, and in public, more than once mistaken as mortal enemies rather than close friends. And yet they are. Close enough, in fact, that Kalani erased and altered details regarding his incriminating activities from her Free Company's ledgers and records before secretly submitting them to the authorities in order to launch an investigation against Destry Barlow.
Destry Barlow ♠
Destry initially hired Kalani to appease a demand from his right-hand man and long-time friend, Obnoxious Roach. In doing so, he gave Kalani access to things she hadn't had before, primarily an income. For this, she was willing to suffer his attitude, even admired the man in some respects.
During a night out drinking things took a turn for the violent, two of Destry's employees, E'zayi Tia and E'vahn Tia, coming to blows. The combination of liquor, an increasing discontent with E'zayi due to his performance as Destry's sponsored gladiator, and Destry's not-so-secret favoritism of E'vahn led the man to threaten Kalani and her then-unborn baby, sired by E'zayi. Later, Obnoxious Roach apologized on his behalf, Destry cited the alcohol as the reason for his loss of temper, and Kalani remained with the Free Company, going on to become its bookkeeper.
Several curious incidents had Kalani digging deeper into the Company's means of profit, and what she unearthed ultimately led to Destry Barlow's arrest, a fact that is known by only Kalani herself. For now.
Fallen Peak ●
Presumably got his name from falling off a peak and hitting his head, which would explain why he's such an insufferable idiot. Paired with being one of Barlow's primary henchmen, Kalani thinks very little of him.
Odette Barlow ♠
An annoyingly pretty and pretty annoying hyuran woman Kalani was forced to share a working space with for far too long. The poster girls of petty office drama, they were known to speak cheerily to each other's faces and then tear into the other as soon as their back was turned. Now that the Free Company is disbanded, they don't see much of each other. "I miss her," Kalani says.
Ekhram Almasi ♥ ♥
A gentle giant of a highlander who has, unexpectedly, become one of Kalani's nearest and dearest. He is the primary babysitter of her daughter, E'kya, and Kalani's slight girl-crush on the man is often the subject of ribbing between their mutual friends.
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. Although he seems to have vanished, events gone by continues to make Kalani rethink her knee-jerk aggression towards those like him.
Wyra'to Coeurlkin ♠
"A histrionic man-child," according to Kalani. After bashing E'zayi's head into the ground during a gladiator match, Wyra'to was officially on Kalani's radar — and, of course, her shit list.
J'ahtol Tia ●
A craftsman from whom Kalani purchased a custom gun. She lied to him several times and they argued through half the negotiations. Although they haven't seen each other since the commission, Kalani keeps the gun has one of many layers of defense should E'tyi decide to reappear and make trouble. For that, she owes J'ahtol a debt of gratitude (even if it's going to go unpaid forever on the actual gratitude front).
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!'"
• "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!"
• "I don't know why she gets all this sourness. She was the priestess for my father's funeral and she couldn't have been more professional."
RP HOOKS
• E'kalani is a trained Priestess of Nald'thal, sanctioned to conduct burial rites for the deceased within Ul'dah.
• A continually dedicated and naturally skilled Thaumaturge, skilled enough to teach those starting out to the moderately talented, but green enough herself to still learn a thing or two from the old hats.
• Avid Triple Triad player, known to take part in all the tournaments available.
• Could use fellow mothers with whom she can discuss the pitfalls and progresses of parenthood.
RP LIMITS AND 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.
