Custom: Custom Adult, Full
Character Name: Malta
Race: Feral Khehora
Gender: Female
Clan: Ysali
Path: Civilian → Herbalist/Potionmaker
Appearance: Old, outdated IdeaDetailed, Current ReferencePaletteMalta is a normal-breed (scales and wings only, nothing mer or ali about her) khehora. She is on the round/filled out side, and she is very unlikely to lose that extra padding. Her pudginess is an edit that I would really like on her art, but it is optional if the artist really doesn't want to do it.
Her eyes are black-sclera'd and appear to be pupil-less, with glowing blue irises, showing her Diabi ancestry on her mother's side.
Her base color is a dark, forest green, and she is countershaded, with a lighter tone along her underbelly, the bottom of her tail, and the underside of her wings.
Her horns are black or a dark slate.
Malta has dark brown 'point' markings: a splotch or blaze on her nose and the front of her face, and similar splotches or blazes at her feet and at the tip of her tail, a lot like socks or boots. These blend smoothly into the rest of her coat.
She also has dark blue-grey markings along her top surfaces, starting gradually at the base of her neck and ending near the end of her tail. These markings are no present on her underside or similar areas, but can be found on her forlegs, hindlegs (fading away before the socks) , the top of her tail, and the tops of her wings. These markings are very stripe like, but are not as delineated as, say, tiger stripes. They are more like
Camouflage (
X) in the way that they break up her base coloration.
Personality: Malta is the sort of Khehora who would be loathe to use her claws to hurt things. She is of the opinion that it would be really, really nice if everybody just got along. She knows, however, that this is likely a pipe dream and, as she has gotten older, she has learned to just accept that people are mean to each other and are going to get hurt. She, personally, wants no part of that.
She isn't sure if she is a pacifist or just a coward, but the idea of killing intelligent creatures (that is, not prey – she's been inured to the killing of prey, though even that took a while) makes her queasy and she will happily turn tail, run, and hide at the first sign of danger.
She is fairly civilized (for a khehora), and she likes creature comforts and stability. In other words, she is not a Khehora that does well in spartan or wild conditions. Fortunately, her clan was large enough that her life wasn't a rough and tumble wilderness existence. It wasn't perfect, but she was happy in it. Even during her time with her mother's less-civilized tribe, she did all right. In unstable conditions such as travel, Malta ends up miserable. Although her dragon blood prevents her from being a complete failure of a wimp, she is definitely not the fittest or most in shape Khehora, and has to struggle to keep up with more able partners.
She does not ever want to think of herself as spoiled. Its a matter of pride, of a sort, with her: instead of asking for help all the time, she would rather try to power through any issues relating to her size or stamina. Although she does complain on occasion, she tries hard not to whine. She is highly – perhaps overly so - aware that she is often a burden to her travel companions. She knows that her complaining would increase that burden, thus she tries – very hard – to keep it down to a timid minimum. She does not hide her misery and very obvious discomfort, but she will try to be quiet about it.
She has a very considerate nature- others always come first. Even if she is tired, hungry, or injured, she will be generous and helpful to her fellows. She never expects anything in return- the act of giving is reward enough- but she is suitably grateful when more tangible rewards are forthcoming. She understands the concept of trade and currency and her clan has experience with merchants, so she knows she could sell or trade her services if she desired, but when she sees someone in need she simply must help them, even if they betray her later. She likes to use her healing magics to help out whenever possible, and is most likely to get over her crippling fears if someone is in need of assistance.
Malta is generally friendly, if timid. She rarely initiates contact, especially if she is alone and unsupported by guardians or family, preferring to hide in a scary situation and hope it goes away. Obvious injuries can draw her out, as can being cornered, but she is slightly less timid when she isn't alone. Either way, strangers (and friends alike) will be met with both a helpful attitude and shyness. This applies to Khehora and Magescan alike. She believes that everybody, even the enigmatic and dangerous Magescans and the more ferocious of her kind, has some good in them. Her hope is that if they are met with generousity and kindness, she will not be hurt. Or, even better – she might make a friend. Malta loves to make friends – its fun on its own, but its also an assurance of protection and safety.
Although her friendship is freely given, she is insecure about the other's feelings and feels that she must constantly maintain a friendship with favors and gifts. She is a very sensitive person, and it is not hard to make her upset enough to whimper and cower. She is perhaps too sensitive where friends are concerned, panicking if they seem even slightly displeased with her and the like.
She is also quite guile less and, consequently, gullible. She will not lie and believes the same of others. She knows that lies and liars exist, but they are like fables to her. Why would anybody lie? What she says is as true as she knows it to be, and she will take what you say at face value. If she discovers that something she was told was untrue, she prefers to believe that it was a mistake, or a one-off occurrence, and will not happen again. This makes her very forgiving, and also prone to being cheated or otherwise tricked.
For Malta, teasing cuts deeper than mere words ought to. Remarks about her appearance, build, and lack of fitness are particularly painful to her. She knows shes sort of chunky and clumsy and gets short of breath sometimes, and she doesn't need people reminding her about it. Oddly, she has come to terms with her cowardice and isn't as harmed by references to it. The same goes for remarks about her clan: she likes being a Ysali, and is very happy to be what she is.
She finds a great joy in her magic and the life it represents, which the crafting of potions, the growing of gardens, and the healing of wounds. She loves plants in all forms, celebrating her connection with them, and especially loves to see plants she's never seen before. There is, to her, a wonder in the sheer variety of life that plants come in, and sharing that awe is a great way to break the ice for her.
She isn't so happy about the damaging aspects of her clan, however, and would be very unwilling to call plants to her aid or poison an enemy, though she will in desperate conditions. It upsets her to use her magic for destructive purposes, and she feels awful afterward, almost dirty in a way. In short, she would much rather heal a wound than cause one.
Biography/Background: Malta was hatched in a large Khehoran settlement in the brushlands of the Terra expanse. It was large and stable, staying in one place and subsisting on fairly advanced (for Khehora) agriculture. It had a good mix of clan affiliations, which allowed it to survive- even thrive- in the harsh lands. Ysali and Peisio Khehora made the fields grow what they needed, Kiandri Khehora hunted the brushlands and deserts beyond for communal food supplies, Gaili worked the ground into sturdy homes to protect against harsh sandstorms. There were also herd animals and other such things. Being stable and able to support themselves in a single place without raiding, the population had turned inwards and had a healthy crafting culture, producing utility and luxury items alike. It's Khehoraians, disguised, traded with Magescan caravans and other Khehora clans in the area. Outsiders (such as Malta's Soldulian Diabi dam) seeking a new group to join found surprising welcome among the settlement- their talents and new blood were appreciated. It was a richly dynamic village, and as civilized as Khehorian culture can get.
Which is why Malta was lucky to be born into it. Malta always knew she was not fit for the raw life of a warrior, or even the rough and wild life of a tribe khehora. When her siblings and clanmates were excited over a group dragon battle (done, as in the magescan cultures, as much for recreation as protection) Malta had been worried instead. She would always wonder who would be injured, or who wouldn't come back. The thought of violence- especially doing it with her own claws- made her queasy and horrified, and she had known it from the first moment her parents taught her to hunt on her own. It was clear that she would never be a ferocious warrior Khehora like her mother.
Early on, her thoughts and magic turned towards more peaceful and utilitarian goals, but her low stamina made her a poor choice to labor in the fields. Fortunately, the settlement was strong and had plenty of food, so she had the luxury of pursuing a more mental and crafting-oriented life. She started training under her clan's alchemist, but found her interest lay in many things (just not violence). Crafting is difficult for a Khehora, but she had some aptitude for figuring out how to do it despite the hurdles of claws, and had teachers willing to help her. Though she found passions in other crafts, she eventually gravitated back to alchemy.
She had just learned the basics and begun on the path to more advanced alchemical studies when her mother grew tired of civilized life. Having had two clutches and no real fighting or roughness in her life, Malta's mother had had enough. She wanted to return home to her tribe in Soldul. Not wanting to go alone, she asked her offspring to come with her. All of them refused, being tired of their mother's complaining. Malta saw this and felt very sorry for her lonely mother. She said yes.
Although her mother was not happy about having to travel with the chubby ysali weakling runt of her litters, she preferred it to traveling alone, and so they set off across the ocean. Malta was, of course, miserable most of the way, but the young orakoir was curious about her family and another land, and found that she liked bonding with her mother, twisted though it may be. She found Soldul a pleasant enough place on its own, dark and glowing and mysterious and beautiful.
Her new family was a tribe with a heavy warrior culture. The elders, however, did not mind her pacifism, as her potion craft – though in its infancy – would provide their tribe with an edge against other tribes in the region – and perhaps in the Great Engagement themselves, where they sided with the forces of Darkness. They let her set up, and even assigned young warriors to assist her and guard her in her gatherings.
The young warriors did not appreciate this. She was younger than many, pudgier, and clearly not in shape, yet she somehow was more respected than they, who had worked and fought very hard to be where they were. All she did was pick flowers and mix them in a pot with some water, yet their elders gave her special treatment and even wasted their (the young warrior's) time with her. These cousins of hers resented her and began to bully her. At first, it was a snide comment here or there, out of earshot of the elders. But once they learned that she was too timid to report anything, it got worse.
They would do things like n** at her legs to make her go faster, or chase her through the woods, or say terrible things about her, her clan, and her usefulness to the tribe. On several occasions, they, acting as her bodyguards, abandoned her in dangerous parts of the forest to 'toughen her up', leaving her to find her way back on her own.
She was too wary of the elders to tell on the young louts – though she had been treated well, they were still strangers to her and she did not feel confident or comfortable talking to them without her mother present. Her mother, however, had grown distant, immersing herself into the warrior ways of the tribe and leaving her child to her own devices. Malta wasn't sure what to do, and the bullying continued...
Thoughts on the Great Engagement: Malta was not built for war. War is a very scary thing. She doesn't understand it, and doesn't know what to do about it. She's planning on staying as far away from it as possible.
Thoughts on the Dragons: Dragons are terrifying to Malta, in a very physical way. They are big, and have claws and teeth and magic. She doesn't ever want to meet one on her own, and she wishes that her friends would find a safer pasttime than hunting them. Still, she'd prefer a dead dragon to a live one.
Thoughts on Khehora:Khehora are her own kind. Though they can be scary too, she is comfortable with their scariness – its tangible and unambiguous and she can deal with that.
Thoughts on Magescans: Malta has never seen one up close. She's glimpsed them from afar, she's smelled their scent on trade goods and has seen the wonders they can accomplish with their hand-paw-things.
Shes heard lots of things about them, though. She knows they are two-leggers like Khehorians, but they were born that way. She knows most Magescans do not have tails, but that they do have wings, sometimes more than one pair.
She's heard that they live in amazing warrens called Cities, and that they have the hopes of gods running through their veins with their blood.
She knows that, though they have no real scales, teeth, or claws like a khehora, they can take down dragons and beasts of all kinds, including khehora themselves.
She knows, also, that her brothers and their fellow traders deal with them peacefully, bringing back wonders in solid wooden crates. She knows, also, that Magescans will attack Khehora and raid nests and steal away eggs.
She knows what bonded are, and how Magescans have the power to bind khehora to their will and enslave them.
Though she has become slightly more familiar with oblivionites in the time she's spent with her mother's tribe, Magescans are still strange to her. With what she knows, she thinks of them as thus:
They are inscrutiable, unpredictable, alien, and dangerous fae. They have abilities she cannot comprehend, power she could never attain, and an appearance that is incongruous with the laws of nature that she understands (how can they stand on two legs without a tail? How can they survive without fangs and claws?). She knows only stories and rumors, doesn't understand a lot about them. She fears that ambiguity more than any definite she knows.
Should she meet one, she would likely fear them, and treat them with respect and wariness, if she didn't run and hide.
Notes on SettlementMalta's settlement in the Terra Expanse is an example of what Khehora can accomplish with teamwork. Although primarily Ysali, Gaili, and Firani, members of just about every magical clan can be found here, and are accepted for their strengths, though are noticably fewer Ayrala and Aedaun Khehora than the other clans, and only two Aiskalans at current – migrants from the cold lands. It has a large population, with several tribes worth of families living together, making it nearly impossible for any one khehora to know all the other khehora in the village.
Because of the variety of khehora magics and personalities, complicated tasks can be completed even without hands. Ysali and Gaili tend fields – keeping them fertile and green. They even have a few farm animals stolen and bred from magescans, though most meat comes from organized hunts. Homes vary – from caves carved or naturally formed in the mountainside, to wooden homes built into trees, to clay and brick huts formed from Gaili magic, to simple hide tents or mats. Some Khehora families even prefer to sleep with no 'home' at all, just out in the elements on the hard ground.
One of their main features is their advanced pottery craft. Pottery, made from clay mined from the mountains, coasts, and traded from other tribes and magescans, is the main utility equipment. Gaili magic (and Peisio, but its a bit more difficult for them) shapes the clay, which dries. There are kilns, built and run by specific families (usually containing Firani members), and there is some knowledge of glazes, using sand and chemical mixes from Kiandri and Gaili whose families hailed from (or once hailed from) the desert. This allows them to make cups, tools, jars, and other useful items out of clay, that can last for a while. It is controlled by specific families in the settlement, and different families have different pottery craft traditions. These are used for utilitarian and crafting purposes, and take the place of vials and magescan glassware.
This is because Glasscraft, though done, is a very labor-intensive craft for the settlement, requiring a gaili to manipulate the sand, a firani to heat the sand carefully and assist with the shaping, a peisio to cool the sand, and sometimes a kiandri to 'shock' the molten sand and give it interesting internal structures. They must be able to work together seamlessly as a team, and require special training, rites and traditions. Because of this, glass is not used for crafting, but is instead a luxury art item. This teamwork produces glass objects that are beautiful, varied in form, sometimes colored, sometimes simply internally faceted. Common applications include symbols for houses, gifts, accessories, windchimes, and other small arts that would do well from the specially treated glass.
As for metalcraft, they are only just getting around to really using the metals of the Terra expanse. The best they can do as yet is shape it into small bands, and are in the process of figuring out how Magescans do what they do.
There has also been some progress in spinning and weaving, though not much. They have, however, managed to figure out how to use ysali magic to make simple hemp rope, and have discovered some elements of sewing, allowing simple hide or imported cloth pillows to be crafted and stuffed with wool trimmed from farm animals. It is difficult, however, and so any cushions are likely extremely simple or imported.
Trade can be alive and well due to the large and stable population and food supply. Their primary imports are crafting materials, fish, stones, scales, and cloth, as well as magescan tools and jewelery. Their primary exports are food (as they have a surplus) Dragon orbs (because those are always good currency), pottery (which tends to be sturdy and useful for a variety of things), and their unique art glass, which magescan and tribal khehora both seem to like. They trade with magescan caravans travelling through Eowyn, some factions in Tukyere, and khehora tribes in the area.
In addition to farmers and dedicated crafters, including whole families, they also have hunters, who travel into the wilds either on their own or in small bands to take in game meat. Though they have a comfortable food surplus, Eowyn's turbulent weather makes it necessary to be prepared. They preserve a good deal of their food, with very basic smoking and pickling (using their pottery), and export what they feel they can afford. The hunters act also as scouts, keeping track of khehora, magescan, dragon, Ordon, and Darvithri movements.
They have an organized militia, of a sort, with warriors and a primitive sort of command structure. Since they are prosperous, they don't need to raid. When they attack, it is usually for preemptive purposes – against Ordon and Darvithri or dragons, for example. Primarily, though, the settlement's militia is used for defense. They defend against raids by Ordon, Darvithri, the occasional magescan marauder, and dragons. They also defend against khehora raiders, who see their prosperity and stability as making them equivalent to magescans, or see their civilization as a stain on the wild nature of the khehora, or see them as a plump target ripe for the picking, or are simply hungry and desperate. The militia has well-trained members of just about every magic clan, and presents a formidable and flexible obstacle to anybody seeking to raid their lands.
As a sizable settlement, they have three khehorians in residence:
Akoroi, a Ysali, acts as the 'Mayor', the second since the founding of the settlement from disparate members of tribes seeking refuge in the mountains after serious natural disasters scattered them from their homelands. He manages the day-to-day internal disputes and the general town-running businesses.
Togamun, a Peisio, manages the militia and the hunting and defensive aspects of the settlement. He joined the settlement during a merger with his tribe and has devoted his efforts to it since.
Lirhao, a Kiandri, manages the education of the youth and mediates between crafters. He also advises Akoroi on trade matters.
The settlement is happy to accept outsiders, and hopes to grow in knowledge, technical ability, and population. Its territory is expansive, but the tolerance of other tribes or nomads is accepted as long as they do not take aggressive action.
Notes on FamilyKatangi: Mother, Diabi clan
Kata was originally from a Soldulan Diabi clan with a heavy emphasis on warrior tradition. She suffered in a defeat and, in an attempt to atone for her 'weakness', travelled to Eowyn to kill one of the large beasts there. While there, she came across the settlement and met Ikormi. On an impulse she didn't quite understand, she became his mate and lived with him, clutching twice before she became bored with the settlement and returned home.
Ikormi: Father, Ysali clan
Ikormi is a farmer of the settlement, using his magic in concert with the magic of his gaili sister to till and farm a patch of land for the settlement. He is also one of the few farmers that keeps animals, though he has to be careful not to let his mate or his children near, as they frighten the beasts.
First Clutch:
Maike (Male), Ysali
Sorai (Female), Diabi
Raichi (Male), Ysali
Peraphel (Female), Diabi
Soki (Male), Diabi
Maike and Sorai are a brother sister team of traders, making contact with magescan caravans in the desert and trading goods. When they are older, they will be trusted with making contact with Tukyere. They are aloof to magescans, but not aggressive. Of the siblings, Maike and Sorai have the closest relationship with Malta. Maike even managed to get her some magescan equipment.
Raichi is a teacher, teaching young hatchlings the important things they must know about the world. He likes to learn new things from fellow khehora, but doesn't believe magescans can teach them much, and can be set in his ways if approached the wrong way.
Peraphel is a hunter, and is rarely around. When she is, though, she loves to tell stories about her adventures and the dangerous things she's done. She's a huge braggart, too, exaggerating her exploits.
In contrast, her brother Soki is very quiet about what he does. He's seen too many comerades hurt in defense of his settlement in his short life, and doesn't like to brag about anything at all. He is humble, stoic, and silent. He is willing to listen to the troubles of his family, but judges them. Silently.
Second Clutch (Includes Malta):
Baayo (Male), Ysali
Samudi (Female), Diabi
Madjen (Female), Diabi
And Malta (Female), Ysali
This clutch is younger, just leaving their orakoir years and figuring out what to do with their lives. Malta figured it out fairly early on, learning alchemy.
However, her brother Baayo is having trouble and is occilating between the steady life of a farmer, the solitary heroism of a hunter, or the neccessity of a warrior. He is having a lot of trouble figuring things out, and has reacted by becoming fairly lazy, lying about the field, watching their father work.
Samudi and Madjen are having an easier time of things, and are receiving training to become hunters. They are very similar in marking, body shape, and personality, and are very close to each other, at the exclusion of anybody else. In fact, they are very aloof, as if they have a secret nobody else has. The rest of the family lets them be.
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