Kheja'a Akhabila

Kheja'a Akhabila
Logic, first and foremost.
Gender	Male
Race	Miqo'te
Clan	Keeper of the Moon
Citizenship	Limsan
Age	22
Nameday	28th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon
Guardian	Menphina, the Lover
Occupation	Scholar of thaumaturgy
Alignment	Lawful Neutral

General

Overview

Full name:  Kheja'a Akhabila - (Kay-jah-ah Ack-hah-bee-lah)

Nicknames:

Geya: Used exclusively by Xivrez'to Ithaka. It appears to be a mannerism of his to shorten and change all kinds of words, most often names.

Other Grey: Given to him by Miir Raj'ar. Refers to Thya Kahzuun as the "original" Grey, as they are somewhat similar both in terms of skin color and general attitude.

Robes: Also used by Miir Raj'ar. Refers to Kheja'a's preference for robes.

Current residence: A house located in Mist, owned by the Jackal & Hide company, more commonly known as Sunny Seas Salvage.

Likes	Dislikes
Studying, preferably alone Quiet places, like at night The thrill of discovery Planning far in advance	Politics People who can't appreciate the theoretical side of things Ul'Dahn thaumaturges (with exceptions) Surprises

Appearance

Body: Kheja'a was born with a relatively slender, weak physique. Standing at just over 5 fulms and 4 ilms (164 cm), he isn't very tall for a male of his kind either. His skin is greyish, like many Keepers originating from the Twelveswood, and his hair and fuzzy tail a slightly dark tint of white.

Face: A somewhat gentle-looking face, not as sharply defined as others of his kind. His large, round irises, typical of Keepers' nocturnal way of life, are a remarkably deep purple. As he doesn't care too much about his appearance, his white hair generally looks a bit ruffled.

Attire: When it comes to clothing, Kheja'a priotizes function over form, though he can still appreciate the latter. In his line of work, that often means wearing robes, hence the nickname given to him by Miir Raj'ar. Though he isn't the type to wear jewelry, he does wear what looks like a plain, bone bracelet.

Behaviour

Speech: Sophisticated and refined, one can tell right away he is a man of learning. No specific accent, which makes it difficult to tell where he's from.

Outward Attitude: Often quiet, Kheja'a isn't as outgoing and social as most of his colleagues. He might seem distanced at times, and that used to be true for the most part. He has grown to care for his newfound friends, however. Still, he won't often drop his usual attitude, and emotional outbursts are a rarity except perhaps to his closest friends. He takes great care to preserve his composure and will not lose it unless highly distressed.

Inner Life: Mostly the same as his outward attitude. He doesn't really get close with other people; other people get close with him. That is when his true self shines through a little more: a slightly awkward young man, ambitious but caring. He is easily embarrassed by the actions of those around him, especially when it comes to love and romance, at which he is woefully inexperienced. Regarding this, intelligent and learned as he is, he often misses suble hints unless explicitly told.

Education and Intelligence: Fiercely intelligent, Kheja'a is a born scholar. After years of study and hard work at Ul'Dah's Arrzaneth Ossuary, he considers himself somewhat of an expert on thaumaturgy's more theoretical aspects (unlike most of his colleagues there, who never cared much for theory), as well as being quite skilled at the more practical applications of the art.

Religion: Raised traditionally, Kheja'a might occasionally turn to the Twelve for guidance, though he isn't as devout.

Combat

Thaumaturgy

Kheja'a is a highly skilled thaumaturge, highly devoted to furthering his grasp of the art. Blessed with a large aetherial pool, his body and soul are inherently well suited to thaumaturgy, taxing as it is. As such, provided with a sufficiently powerful casting focus, he can unleash devastating strikes. Being forced into combat unprepared or up close puts him at a significant disadvantage.

Unarmed

One of the very first and most important lessons an apprentice thaumaturge is taught at the Thaumaturges' Guild is a chapter from the Yawning Abyss, appropriately titled "The Threat of Intimacy". However powerful thaumaturges might be, when an opponent gets close, they are quite defenseless. Kheja'a is no exception. Furthermore, without a staff to focus his flow of aether, he can produce little more than sparks. Pretty, but woefully ineffective. He isn't trained in hand-to-hand combat or any other martial art, and doesn't really have the necessary strength to begin with. He prefers to keep his distance instead.

Relationships

♥ Romantic Love    ♥ Platonic Love    ★ Trusted    ● Liked    ● Indifferent    ● Disliked    ● Hated

Family

♥ Kheja Akhabila: Kheja'a's mother. One of the leaders of the tribe Kheja'a was born to.

♥ Doyah'to Moui: A male from another tribe, who had found his home with Kheja Akhabila in the Twelveswood. He fathered two daughters and a son, and loved them all unconditionally.

♥ Rhuja Akhabila: Kheja'a's eldest sister. A skilled hunter, she was ever the image of what Kheja'a failed to achieve in physical prowess. Rather than resent her for it, though, Kheja'a looked up to her with admiration.

★♥ Senah Akhabila: The younger of Kheja'a's two sisters, and the kindest person he has ever known. She disliked the tribe's tradition of hunting, though not for lack of skill; she would rather spend her time with her younger brother, who was much less fit for a life like that. Bells on end they would lie in the grass and simply talk, and she'd marvel at her brother's endlessly vivid imagination, and the stories the elders had told him of a world full of wonders beyond the forest.

Close Friends

★ ♥ Ivory Tal'viera: A pale-skinned Keeper with hair and fur white as snow. Though not as highly educated, she is every bit as smart and well-spoken as Kheja'a, a quality he appreciates greatly. Also much like him, she doesn't speak much, and is generally rather shy among those she isn't very, very close with.

★ ● J'inarah Marad: Co-owner of the Jackals, wife to J'kilid Tia and someone Kheja'a thinks of a as gentle soul worth trusting. In his darker moments, he has told her his life's story and his regrets, and to a lesser extent, so has she. Though Kheja'a fully trusts her as a capable leader, some of her actions have worried him in the past.

★ ● Miir Raj'ar: Kheja'a's first true friend, the tan Miqo'te has always seemed a most outgoing person to him. Embarassingly so, oftentimes, though she never seems to have any problems with it. Annoying as she may be at times, though, she has proven a valuable, trustworthy friend to him, with many and more to teach Kheja'a about a life beyond the books.

● Xivrez'to Ithaka: Though Kheja'a found his rather quirky nature slightly annoying at first, he has come to greatly appreciate the ever-cheerful Keeper's willingness to help others. He has helped Kheja'a through difficult times, always ready to share another bit of wisdom in the form of quotes from his mysterious "Old Man".

Colleagues

● Cassandra Lachance: One of the very few other magic users employed by the company and one who uses some kind of summoning technique at that, she has certainly piqued Kheja'a's interest. More importantly, she selflessly offered to help him with his personal problems, and, though neither told the other the specifics, both have a painful past in the Twelveswood, and sharing just that was of some comfort to him.

● J'kilid Tia: WIP

History

Please do not use this information unless known IC. Spoiler alert!

Pre-Calamity

Show text

Kheja'a Akhabila was born to Kheja Akhabila and Doyah'to Moui in the year 1557 of the Sixth Astral era, in a small Keeper community in the Twelveswood. Together with his two older sisters Rhuja and Senah, he enjoyed a mostly carefree youth in a loving family. He lived as so many generations before him had; as a hunter. He just wasn't very good at it. With his slight frame and lacking musculature, he was exceptionally ill-suited to this kind of life, and he knew it. What he did have that others did not, was a kind nature, a sharp mind and an amazing eagerness to learn. Day after day, after his work was done, he would sit with the elders and learn, listen to their tales, philosophize even, later on. The years went by steadily, and although it was a happy time, to him, it was an empty existence. As his coming of age approached, he grew restless. The idea that he would be doing this for the rest of his days, that he would not leave anything new, no legacy of his own, consumed him.

All that changed, however, when one day he was prowling the woods, hunting with his sisters, when he happened upon a man, one like the Gridanians he'd been taught to fear, but at the same time nothing alike in attire. While Kheja'a quietly watched the man, a group of hungry ochus jumped from the bushes, eager for a quick meal. Kheja'a thought the traveler was done for; he didn't appear to have any kind of weapon on him. It was then that he drew a staff, which Kheja'a hadn't recognized as a weapon, and incinerated his assailants in the blink of an eye. Never before had Kheja'a seen anything like it, and he could only stare at the flames in awe. He had witnessed the conjurers of Gridania throw rocks around on occasion, but that paled in comparison to the destruction unfolding before his eyes. Revealing himself, the young Keeper approached the traveller, and after a most fascinating concersation, learned of thaumaurgy and its associated guild in the city of Ul'Dah. In that moment, Kheja'a knew he had found his calling.

Knowing his family would not simply let him leave, he planned his journey to Thanalan in secret. A few moons later, Kheja'a came of age in the eyes of his village. Through some turn of fate, he passed with flying colors, and celebrations continued until well after sunrise. Then, when all were tired and least expected anything of the sort, he left, leaving nothing but a note to explain his disappearance. It wasn't discovered until hours later, as none came to pursue, or more accurately, none caught up with him.

Traveling on foot, Kheja'a journey was long and full of hardships. Kind as he was, many didn't trust his people, and he struggled to make his way to the desert. Once there, though, life got a little easier. Ul'Dahns didn't share the Gridanians' distrust for outsiders, and would let him work for coin. Most days he at least had a roof to sleep under. This way he journeyed from one town to rhe next, staying a while to save up coin before moving on. When at last he arrived at the gates of Ul'Dah, for the first time in his life he felt like he had accomplished something significant. The master of the Thaumaturges' Guild at that time, Mumuepo, admired Kheja'a's sense of purpose and perseverance, and by the next sun, he was an apprentice thaumaturge.

Less than a moon later, Bahamut ravaged Eorzea in what came to be known as the Calamity.

Post-Calamity

Immediately following the Calamity

Show text

A rain of fire devastated the realm, but Kheja'a, in the Ossuary at the time, was spared. The order's hierarchy did not make it through the night unchanged, however, and nightfall, the five Lalafellin brothers declared themselves the new masters of the Ossuary and the guild it housed ((See also: http://gg.gg/TheCalamity)). As friends and former colleagues, they granted Kheja’a leave to use the city’s aetheryte so he could go and see his family in these troubling times.

Carried over the Lifestream for the first time in his life, the brief journey to the Twelveswood was a rough one, uneventful as it was. He ran, and ran, till his legs burned as bright as the flames streaking across the sky, then further still. When he finally burst through the dense forest into the clearing where his village had been, he froze, horrified. No more than ((TIJD HIER)) had he been gone, but his home was changed beyond recognition. A large, gaping impact crater stretched across the village, and where once there was a tiny, bustling village, naught but scattered, smoldering remains of tents, charred grass and creeping silence remained, disturbed only by the occasional thundering sound of Bahamut’s flames falling to the surface in the far distance. There was not a single soul to be found, alive or otherwise. Kheja’a slowly walked over to what had been his own family’s tent, but it was no different. Half of the tent had collapsed, and the occupants’ belongings lay strewn across the ground. Naught was left save for a small bone necklace, one his sister Senah had made him for his coming of age. He took it, and set off to search the forest surrounding the ravaged settlement.

When morning came, and the sun rose over a scarred realm, Kheja’a lay down in the grass amid still-smoldering trees, defeated. There was no one, nothing to be found.

Leaving Ul'Dah

Show text

Five years passed. Kheja’a was but an empty husk. Day and night, he focused entirely on his thaumaturgical studies, to the neglect of all else. He would surround himself with books, hardly ever speaking unless spoken to. With nothing else to think of, his talents in thaumaturgy developed rapidly, and he grew to be a knowledgeable but unsociable young man. A fully fledged scholar, he began research of his own, yielding most promising results. Unfortunately, jealous eyes followed his every move. A rich Lalafell by the name of Yuyusere, a high-ranking member of the Ossuary, took interest in Kheja’a’s research, wanting it for himself.

He paid off a number of Brass Blades to retrieve the research notes from the Keeper’s small home at night, and not leave any loose ends. Under the cover of darkness, the men kicked down the door, expecting to find their charge sleeping. Kheja’a, fortunately, never really lost his old nocturnal sleeping habits, and managed to ready an immobilizing spell as the intruders entered. A brief flash pierced the inky-black night. Carefully making his way past the unconscious Blades, he took only his staff, the robe he was wearing, and his modest savings before leaving the city with all haste.

Kheja'a fled to the west, taking a ferry to Vylbrand in hopes of finding safety and anonimity in the city of pirates he'd heard and read about; Limsa Lominsa. Alone yet again, he went looking for employment, that he might continue his research even without the wealth of knowledge kept in the Ossuary. After numerous talks in seedy taverns, he settled on the Jackal & Hide company, a less-that-legal organization posing as a salvaging business.

Rumours

Common Rumours

• "Strange, that one. Doesn't seem like he has any friends at the guild. Or anywhere else, for that matter." -Ul'Dahn thaumaturge
• "Akhabila? I don't think I've ever seen him not buried in some dusty old tome. It's like he doesn't even sleep." -Ul'Dahn thaumaturge

Moderate Rumours

• "That grey-skinned Miqo'te scholar? Met him on the road a few years ago. Traveled here all the way from the Shroud, he did." -Ul'Dahn merchant
• "One a' them Keeper types passed through 'ere a while back, yeah. Dressed all fancy like, wore a robe 'a sumthin' like tha'. Don't see many 'a those 'round 'ere, 'specially not comin' from the Thanalan ferries." -Lominsan sailor

Rare Rumours

• "I know you won't believe it but I'll tell you anyway. One night a couple weeks back I woke up 'cause of some ruckus next door. Saw a bright flash through the windows, and when I rushed outside, found half a dozen Blades lying there, fast asleep! Noticed some Miqo'te fellow running away too, but I didn't chase. No way am I getting caught up in whatever mess he's in." -Quicksand patron
• "Ah'm tellin' ye, Ah know what Ah saw! Some Miqo'te lad, skin grey as ash, an' an Elezen, standing around on the beach. Dunno wha' happened 'tween those two, but when Ah looked back a minute later Ah heard this massive thundercrack, sounded real close. Damn near dropped me ale, y'know! An' when Ah looked over, a huge chunk 'a rock 's missin' from the cliffs! Th' ones on the left side of the bay, ye know 'em." -Mist resident

PC Rumours

• "Kheja'a is a refreshingly polite and intelligent young man. He has formidable skills; I only hope he will accept his limits and not endanger himself again." - Yvaine Lescieux
• "Kheja? 'e seems a nice lad, an' ah reckon ah owe 'im me life. Aye, 'e 'sploded th'bastard who were gonna gut me." - J'inarah Marad
• "Geya? I like him! He's a very nice guy, although I think he tries a little too hard. Maybe a little less logic and a little more alcohol would make him more balanced, yeah?" - Xivrez'to Ithaka
• "I don't know that much about this grey mage. He seems to be able to handle his own during a fight, but he scares me a little" - Z'thara Dhen
• "Cannae say I know him all too well, currently. But there is... how do I put this? I think there's more goin' on in that head of his than he lets on. I saw it most recently; his reaction to my song of loss for the Celebration of Autumn Stars. I would nae deign t'state any more on something I know little of in his regard." - Odette Saoirse

Footnotes

TV Tropes: Squishy Wizard, Full-Contact Magic, Glass Cannon