Maqali Qulaan

Maqali Qulaan
Gender	Female
Race	Au Ra Xaela
Clan	Qulaan
Citizenship	None (Subject of Garlemald)
Age	14 cycles (she believes herself 17)
Nameday	1st Umbra 16

Character

General

Born a Xaela of the Qulaani tribe and raised a ward and subject of Garlean Empire, Maqali Qulaan is a child of diverse background and divided loyalties. She is blessed with a keen mind that was honed by strict tutelage during her fosterage and a curiosity - encouraged by her guardians - for all things magic. That curiosity extends well beyond the aetherial, however - Maqali also has a strong desire to learn of her origins which led her into hot water on more than one occasion. Though she was named Maqali at her birth, her guardians gave her the name Kaltia, which she used exclusively until she met her sister. She still slips up sometimes and uses her given name, much to Jaliqai's extreme displeasure.

At the behest of parties unknown within Garlemald, Maqali was sent to Eorzea to study magic as she wished, with the understanding that she should hide her Garlean upbringing. Maqali knows that Eorzeans generally have a strong dislike or even hatred for Garlemald, but an education filled with propaganda has her quite confused about why such hatred exists. Despite having been trained in 'unaccented' Eorzean to disguise her Garlean education, her habit of referring to events such as the destruction of Doma as 'difficulties' and Ala Mhigo as an Imperial province sometimes reveal her origin.

Despite her youth, Maqali is already reasonably well-traveled, at least around safer Eorzean lands. She's visited both Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa, but has yet to see Gridania as the overland journey is much harder (and more dangerous) than the ferry from Thanalan to Limsa Lominsa.

Appearance

Tall for a Xaela child at 60 ilms, Maqali's face yet has a roundness that betrays her youth. She has the dark skin common to Qulaani Xaela, and like her sister Jaliqai has bright yellow eyes. Her facial horns are delicate and curl back away from her face, which is mostly unobscured by scales. She has a thinness that is common among adolescents that recently experienced a growth spurt to go with an already-slight frame, and that factored with her height can make it quite difficult to accurately judge her age. While it's readily apparent that she's not yet an adult, the fifteen cycles she claims to be can be easily believed if one assumes she's simply rather small of build for her age.

Maqali often wears a pair of spectacles owing to weakened eyesight caused by reading in poor light. Her outfits are varied, as she has a stipend from her guardians that she sometimes spends frivolously. She has a marked preference for dresses and skirts, yet also prefers solid boots to lighter shoes and sandals. She carries a large, heavy satchel with her when she travels, inside of which are usually several tomes as well as a number of aetheric implements. She used to keep her planisphere in the satchel as well, but has taken recently to carrying it openly.

Personality

The most immediately notable aspect of her personality is her insatiable curiosity. She has a strong desire to learn as much as she can about magic, which is as much the result of her guardians' urging as it is her own interest. She also desires to know as much as she can about the Qulaan tribe, and Xaela as a whole. She's impetuous to a fault (as adolescents often are) and is often quite convinced of her own rightness, even when evidence exists to the contrary. Her interests tend towards the mercurial, and anything that catches her attention can become the focus of her intense scrutiny - at least until the next bauble or gossip draws her eye. On the other hand, she's also as loyal a friend as one could ask for, willing to sacrifice much for someone she values.

History

Born in the first month to the Qulaan Xaela under an auspicious moon, great things were expected of the younger sister of the already-talented Jaliqai. Unfortunately, that potential would go unrealized - the Qulaani came into conflict with the Garleans when Maqali was barely four cycles old. Their retribution annihilated the tribe, leaving few scattered survivors, many of which were rounded up and 'death marched' to a nearby Garlean settlement.

Maqali remembers almost none of this, save for some brief flashes of fire and hurt.

Instead, her childhood memories are of stern and unyielding (yet fair) Garlean foster parents who raised her to be an intelligent, inquisitive, and obedient child of the Empire. They had a limited tolerance for her questions regarding her origin, as they expressed that the past should be left to the past, and gave her a name better suited to a ward of Garlemald. She demonstrated a propensity for magic early on, but owing to the Empire's limited resources in that regard, a Sharlayan tutor was found and hired for her. This tutor left unexpectedly a cycle later without any explanation as to why, and her guardians found all of their inquiries for a new tutor to be denied without reason.

Eventually, her guardians decided - with help - to send her on something of a journey of discovery into Eorzea, where she might have the opportunity to study many forms of magic and potentially bring that knowledge back to Garlemald. It was considered to be a low risk (that risk being the life of a child taken from enemies of the Empire, which is to say, little value at all) and potentially high reward. Maqali - then known as Kaltia - was tutored extensively in Eorzean and taught much of the irrational hatred that Eorzeans hold for the enlightened Empire. She was prepared as extensively as she could be and sent on her way with a modest stipend.

None of her 'handlers' could have foreseen that she might encounter one of the last survivors of her old tribe, nor the consequences on their investment that might follow.

Combat

Though undeniably talented in aetheric manipulation, Maqali is still very much a child. She has no practical combat experience, and while she as a great deal of talent for magic, she has yet to gain the knowledge that even a journeyman might possess. This potential is further diluted by the fact that she's dabbled in several arts, rather than devoting her studies to just one. Thus, against a determined foe, she's almost certain to be outclassed, unless she can overwhelm them with raw, partly-unformed aether. She usually bears her Astrologian's planisphere on her person, and is thus likely to rely on astromancy as a first line of defense - it's the only arcane art she's studied for more than a couple of moons and thus the one she's most likely to be successful with.

Maqali does possess a passing knowledge of arcanima and an interest in learning more, but aside from a brief few moons in Limsa Lominsa learning the basics she has spent little time studying it. She has a crystal for summoning a carbuncle but has yet to be able to adequately control it. She is also familiar with the basics of thaumaturgy but has not begun to study or practice that art, and has no experience or knowledge of conjury.

She does carry a firearm for personal defense as well as her magical implements, and is far more likely to mount a successful defense with this weapon than her magic. Unlike the case with her (haphazard) magical training, her guardians were more than capable of ensuring that she knew how to use and maintain a firearm. Her sister is trying to encourage her to learn the bow or spear, but she has yet to make any progress with any sort of traditional weaponry.

Tendencies

Likes

• Learning and studying, especially magic
• Traveling (though not the hardships of the road)
• New clothes, especially skirts and dresses
• Meeting new people and learning of different cultures
• Open-mindedness
• Being treated as an adult/being given the opportunity to prove herself
• Learning restricted secrets, especially knowledge of lost and/or forbidden magics
• Pastries (and really most foods)

Dislikes

• Blind hatred of Garlemald
• Willful ignorance
• Being treated as a child (even though she is one)
• Physical hardship (which can vary depending on her mood - some days even rain is a 'hardship')
• Jaliqai pulling on her horns

Hobbies/Talents

• Aetherically gifted - she has both a keen mind and curiosity to help her exploit that gift
• Fishing - the one form of 'hunting' she thus far has demonstrable talent in
• Tinkering and engineering - she's very keen to learn more about machinery and gadgetry, though she has yet to learn anything beyond the rudiments of firearm care and modification
• Astromancy - the one form of magic that she has any real education in and likely the one she has the most aptitude for, as well

Relationships

Family

• Sister - Jaliqai Qulaan

Jaliqai is Maqali's older sister and has been instructing her in the ways and traditions of the Qulaan Xaela. Maqali was both surprised and pleased to encounter her sister in Ul'dah, though her initial exuberance was tempered quickly by Jaliqai's willingness to use physical means to enforce Maqali's compliance with her expectations, as well as her sister's utter hatred of Garlemald. She is rather dismayed to find that Jaliqai does not approve of her magic use nor her reliance on firearms, but the sisters eventually reached a compromise - Maqali would endeavor to learn traditional Qulaani hunting techniques and weaponry, and Jaliqai would try to keep an open mind regarding Maqali's magic and its usefulness for the Qulaani.

Friends

• Martial Mentor - Shilugei Ganbataar (a.k.a. Gan)

Shilugei 'Gan' Ganbataar is one of two new friends that Maqali met at The Coffer & Coffin following a less-than successful fishing trip. The two struck up a fast friendship over a shared love of tea and common Xaela heritage. Upon hearing of her lack of martial talent and sister's insistence on this changing, Gan volunteered to instruct Maqali in the spear. For her part, Maqali 'repays' him by trying to help him find love with the right Miqo'te.

• Arcane Mentor - Fandris Elestrian

Originally met as a friend of U'zamza Steelclaw and potential date for Gan, Fandris quickly became a friend in his own right. It was he who tested her knowledge of astromancy and encouraged Maqali to attend the Runestone competition, and though she lost in the first round, Fandris' tutelage in addition to her not-awful performance gave her a measure of confidence that she might be able to learn enough magic to make it useful to the tribe.

• Unfortunate Miqo'te - U'zamza Steelclaw

Maqali met U'zamza shortly after first encountering Gan at The Coffer & Coffin. He'd just had a 'discussion' with a Hyur woman that seemed near to violence, and after she'd departed Maqali and Gan approached to comfort U'zamza on his breakup. As it turned out, they'd completely misread the situation, but nonetheless a friendship was formed. Maqali cheered on U'zamza at the following eve's Grindstone tournament, where U'zamza was defeated (but not eaten) by what Maqali assumed was a cannibal. He in turn accompanied her to the Runestone to offer support in kind. Their initial encounter has her convinced that U'zamza is perpetually surrounded by bad luck, or perhaps even cursed, despite the fact that the only ill fortune was entirely imagined on her part. She is determined to find a way to use her astromancy to dispel his bad luck. She considers U'zamza to be like the older brother she never had, as he offers non-judgmental advice and encourages her to better herself.

• Restaurant Aficionado - C'laihn Venator (a.k.a. Lain)

C'laihn 'Lain' Venator is a Miqo'te that Maqali met at her sister's gala in Ul'dah. Like Maqali, he was avidly stalking the pastry tray, and the pair bonded over the demise of an entire platter of stuffed pastries. He accompanied Maqali and Gan to Jaliqai's tavern for the after-party, where he bore witness to Maqali's unfortunate encounter with 'Dragon's Breath' liquor. She's amused at his fondness for leaping onto high places, and considers him the easiest of all of her friends and family to talk to.

Enemies

• None

Rumors

Common Rumors

• The Au Ra kid, right? I saw her chasing a carbuncle around Thanalan - it had a huge fish in its mouth and she was shouting at it.
• You say her name's Maqali? I could've sworn she said Kaltia. What a little liar!
• She's so formal and well-spoken - it's hard to believe she's so young sometimes!

Moderate Rumors

• One of those Xaela refugees, right? No way - she doesn't sound anything like those Domans at all, and she's way too well-fed to be a refugee at all. There's something fishy there, mark my words!
• She's a smart kid, but she's got a smart mouth too. I won't be surprised at all if she comes to a bad end from not shutting up.
• I've never seen someone put away as much food as that kid. Scrawny little thing, but don't let it fool you - I offered to sell her enough to fill her up, thinking 'hey, tiny kid like this will pay a fortune and eat almost nothing.' Now I'm out of my entire stock of megalocrab and almost all of my apkallu eggs, too. If you're feeding her, charge by the meal.

Rare Rumors

• I'm pretty sure that fellow she was chatting oh-so cozily with is a Garlean spy. Don't believe me? Fine - but why does she visit him every week and always buy the same meal?
• I heard she's hooked up with some mercenary company. Or maybe she's a gardener? I'm not sure which - but I have concerns about mercenaries that'll take on a kid.
• She sure spends a lot of time with some unsavory folk. Questionable Miqo'te, that Xaela hunter woman, taverns hither and yon... whoever her parents are, they're doing an awful job keeping out of trouble.

History/Timeline

(Will be written... someday)
((Meeting with Jaliqai))
((First Runestone and the Gala))
((Disappearance))
((Return to Eorzea))
((Search for Jaliqai... and employment))

Annotations

This Template was created by Deirdre Ta'ea