✮Directory / Updates ✮Kaimana ✮Relationships ✮RP & Adventures ✮Inventory & Art ✮Growth Reqs ✮Old Journal ✮ The Story So Far
✮ Updates ✮
Sabra Knight
Feral Galaxy
Offline
Sabra Knight
Feral Galaxy
Offline
Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 3:32 pm
✮Kaimana✮
Nicknames: Kai, Mana, Fish Stage: 4 - Rider Race: Matori Gender: Male Appearance Lean and muscled with a bit of a wild look to him. He wears light leather armor and wears his brilliant teal hair mostly loose.
Base Traits: Loving, Energetic, Wild Personality: A boy full of love for the world Kaimana has taken to looking on the bright side of life despite losing his parents early on. The way he acts is more like he has instead decided to pour all of his love for the family he has left as he showers his sister and grandmother in adoration. In a way it can be seen that his love and optimism were created to help out his sister. He didn’t want to see her cry any longer and so the boy was determined to become the best brother than he could for his twin. It meant shoving away his own frustrations with the world and just instead embracing what they had – the jungle, their grandmother, and the small community that acted as cousins and parents for them as they grew.
Kaimana is also loving in the fact that he tries his best for most. In times of crisis he would be the guy running about comforting others and even trying to joke to lighten the mood while trying to resolve things. He is also very charitable to those in need and is constantly offering a helping hand to others – especially to the elderly and weak. In a way he feels that it is his responsibility to help those that for the past decade have helped to raise him and his sister.
His energetic nature keeps him on the go and so if anyone ever needs a favor or an errand run then Kaimana is the boy to ask – especially if it requires going into the ocean. Swimming after all is his forte and he enjoys every moment in the waves. The only downside to his eagerness is the fact that sometimes he will pile on too much work and be mistaken for forgetful when in fact he simply gets caught up doing more errands -before he finishes the first- for others along the way. It may get him a smack on the back of the head, especially from his grandmother, but the boy will just laugh it off before promising to do better next time as he would much rather save his excuses and spend time moving onto the next thing. Leading to another thing – sometimes he can be a bit annoying in how light hearted he seems. That does not mean, however, that he is immune to negative emotions. It’s just that he has worked hard to hide them as to not worry his family. Whenever he does feel down or frustrated Kai will go swimming for long hours or take a walk somewhere secluded.
He does also have a bit of a wild side. The boy loves to adventure around the coast and in the jungles. If there’s dangerous tasks he’s willing to go towards them so that he can be the one to tango with a snaptrotter. His desire to go cliff diving into the ocean or to even swim out further than others may worry those that care about him, but for Kaimana it’s exciting. Anything that makes his heart race will get his interest and he’s never turned down a challenge. This of course has obviously gotten him in trouble before for those that do worry and care about him while losing a challenge among peers has led to various results. Some were simple losses leading to giving up a unique looking shell, a trinket, or even just making him do their chores. Others were a bit more embarrassing, such as having to sing a ballad about his loss or to go wear a friend’s dress, but the boy takes it all with a light heart. History Kaimana and his sister were born towards the end of the Oban war. While things were reaching a conclusion there still were calls for help. This call reached all the way through the area and sought out two Matori. This couple had lived further inland and had lived freely by evading the Obans for some time. Yet they were not immune from the dangers of slavery – in fact Kaimana’s mother had lived as a slave for several years before running away with her own mother, Orkai. Both women had slipped away during a party, where their master’s defense had lowered and it was easy enough to slip out with cloaks in the flurry of guests coming and going from the manor, and had continued running through the deserts of Oba until finally arriving in Matori. There in Matori they were led to find a sanctuary hidden deep in the jungles.
This sanctuary was a place created by a few refugee Matori who had escaped slavery themselves. Decades ago there had been a village in between Sald and Arota which had existed with a small community of fishers. But when Obans began to raid Baun and other villages the Matori there grew fearful. Those that ran away from Baun had told stories that warned of slavers coming further and further into their islands. The decision then was settled – the village would relocate in a place that was seemingly inhospitable.
Fishermen, all strong swimmers, took to the coast and cliffs. They explored many paths and ways that could lead to potential homes. Eventually they found an opening beneath a waterfall. This opening would lead to a series of caverns and would cut a path, through the underground, that would eventually emerge further inland. This area would slowly be cleared out by those bold enough to venture into the caves and the jungle beyond. Structures were built around what was already there, ruins from others who perhaps had once years ago lived in the jungle before moving back out towards the shore, and slowly as a few years passed families were brought into the hidden village. It was here that the Matori thrived away from the eyes of slavers while leaving ways for those that could to find this place, a sanctuary to offer protection for runaway slaves and those who did not dare risk becoming slaves in the first place. As years passed rumors simply became of the village and many forgot about it save as a hopeful story to tell younglings at night.
Their grandmother, Orkai, had been born in that sanctuary and it had been by her own folly that she had been caught as an apprentice. The Matori woman had ventured out and away with a few other bold friends that swam through the passages and came out along the beach. They had been tired of living without seeing the great Ocean and had dared to go against their parents by venturing out. What they had not expected was for a band of slavers to be coming up that shore the same day. Out of all four apprentices only one had managed to not be seen. It was his fate to go back to the village and spread the sad news that three of his friends had been taken by the Obans.
Orkai then was branded as slave and knowing the danger to her family kept her mouth closed about her true home. Not that the slavers wished to question them – all they cared about was getting paid for catching some young and fine specimens. Years passed and Orkai grew – she was treated well by her master who admired her beauty and her cooking. Her master, however, lost his gentle tone when she refused him and then came out that she was pregnant with another slave’s child. Not one to kill a child, especially one that could be raised to help out around the house in the future, the Oban man instead just lowered Orkai’s rank and kept her to the kitchens. No longer was she brought around to serve guests and to be offered food from the higher tables.
As her daughter, Mika, was born the woman decided that she could not bear to leave her child in slavery – especially when she knew that they had a home back in the jungles. A place that her child could be free of the Obans. So when the youngling was old enough Orkai took the chance at a grand banquet to slip some strong herbs in the food. While the crowds were lax she slipped herself and her daughter out of the manor and ran.
While others may have only imagined finding the hidden village, Orkai knew it as her destination. She had saved gold and had smugglers help smuggle both her and her child back up the coast and towards where she knew the familiar paths. Soon enough they would arrive at the caves and Orkai would carry her child through the maze of tunnels and into Artale.
There Mika would grow up and fall in love with a boy named Yoah. They were two similar spirits who adored each other and just wished for a simple life – a free life. Mika had unfortunately inherited her mother’s love for the ocean and against the woman’s best wishes both lovers ventured back out into Matori to live. Thankfully they managed to go further out towards Besaji and lived simply in their own little hut by the ocean. While the fear of the Obans was still present both had taken precautions by not being exactly near a village, but by also hiding their home within the cliffs. Anyone looking for slaves would have to search hard for the small hidden hut by the sea. Here they lived freely and even began to raise their two young ones, Devika and Kaimana.
Their desire for freedom, however, was dangerous as they believed all Matori should live freely. So when they heard about the Oban war it was no surprise that both Mika, a trident wielding warrior, and Yoah, a healer, would venture out to help with the cause. Both felt that it was their duty to help out their kind and hearing about how the rest of Tendaji was warring against Oba inspired them. If foreigners could fight for the Matori why couldn’t they? If the foreigners won wouldn’t having the aid of Matori make them more indebted towards them? They could then have a stronger plea for their freedom.
But they could not simply abandon their children, nor would they take them to a war. Rather than living them with strangers the couple decided to venture back towards the jungle where Mika’s mother lived. The grandmother of the younglings would become their guardian because they knew that despite her anger the woman loved her family deeply. She would never deny their younglings a home. Since time was of the essence the family opted for the water way into the village (taking the cavern would have taken days of twists and turns, something that Mika and Yoah were not confident with doing) and climbing through the jungle would have been even harsher on the younglings along with taking too long as well.
Kaimana’s memories of this time are dark. All he knew was that his parents had taken him and his sibling away from their happy little place and was leading them into dark waters. At first he had struggled against it before his father had finally convinced him that they were going on a fun adventure to see ‘gramma’. Taking a step into the waters the boy held onto his father’s back as the Matori dove. Unlike Devika he was better in the water and managed fairly well. Though he does remember the urgency in which his father blew air into his sister’s mouth and also worked healing magic to help clear her lungs. It had been a scary mistake and one that he would never forget as he tightly grabbed his sister’s hand. Never again would he let her do such a scary thing alone.
From there on they met their grandmother who after some harsh words with their parents, a lot of yelling behind the closed doors and then tears, took them in. Their parents kissed them and promised that they would be back soon to take the children back to their simple home again. They just had to fight for the betterment of the world first, they claimed. Kaimana held onto every word. Days passed, then weeks, and eventually months even turned into years. At first he had kept praying and kept saying that they would come back.
But even reality has to hit eventually.
Kaimana would never forget the night that the reality sunk in. He had tried so hard for his sister’s sake to be happy and to positive, but as an apprentice he knew – the war was over. If his parents were coming home, then they would have come back years ago. This sparked a rather erratic nature in him where his cliff diving days and jungle venturing would truly take off. Around his family he would joke and laugh, but when frustrations truly got to him he would go find ways to burn those feelings. The last thing he ever wanted was for Devika to worry about him when he was supposed to be protecting her and grandmother.
Meanwhile the freedom of the Matori meant change in the village. Fishing was taken back up and families left the jungles to start setting up new homes. These homes grew into its own village that began to secretly trade with those who stayed in the jungle. Crops and fish were passed through the tunnels and the paths became more well-known to families who took to walking through the main paths with goods for back home. It was here that the siblings began to venture out towards as even their grandmother couldn’t’ stop them from staying with close friends and others who had spent years watching them in the hidden village.
It was bitter sweet knowing that they could live freely by the ocean again. Kaimana would smile though his heart ached – if only their parents could be here to see the village forming back to its old ways. Fishing and trade was flourishing again and he was personally becoming one of those active swimmers who helped with nets and also carried back belongings to those who decided to stay in the jungle.
This included their grandmother who still did not trust the Obans. She had grown tired and preferred living in the shade of the great trees. So while she allowed Kaimana and Devika to venture out as they were ready the woman opted to stay. She would continue to plant her garden and harvest herbs here for her people. Many of the elderly actually agreed to stay here while those that had mastered farming and had some livestock stayed under the promise that trade would flourish between both the hidden village and those along the shoreline.
In a way Kaimana feels like he gets the best of both worlds – both he and his sister have their own small hut along the shore while anytime they need they can go back to stay with their grandmother in the jungles. At least three times a week the boy will visit her and bring her fresh fish and other things from the ocean while traveling back to the shore with her herbs and other goods taken from the jungle. It’s a free and easy life one that Kaimana is proud of as he goes back and forth between the two different places.
He doesn’t really know what the future has in store for him, but he is content. For now he just wants to help fish, help his grandmother with her errands, and take care of his sister until she feels more prepared to face the world (and water). For his family and community the boy is determined that he will stay brave and reliable.
Notes: -He is quite the looker but totally unaware of it so beware anyone trying to flirt
-He enjoys swimming and finding things along the shore and in the ocean (shells, starfish, pearls, etc)
-Is prone to goofy grinning and very open about his amusement to others
Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 3:35 pm
✮Relationships ✮
✮ Devika - His dear sister who he lives with and helps take care of in his own way. Most of his time is spent as a goofball around her while trying to entice her into trying new things and getting into the water. She's even traveled with him to Kahi and Belrea before returning home for the time being.
✮ Kieran - A Yaeli man who introduced Kaimana to traveling. Kaimana works with him to help document new lands and has become close to the older scholar.
✮ Sriina - A Matori woman who Kaimana invited on his journeys to explore and map the world, after an initial awkward encounter in Oba the pair have gotten closer over the years and have developed a relationship.
Character Name: Kaimana Class Promotion: [4 - Rider] Current Location: Around Matori Journal:[X] Growth Point Links: 75/75 [Rough Encounters] - w/Eliazer - 5 pnts [WE honoring those who are gone] -w/Devika- 5 pnts [Wild encounter] w/Sriina - 5 pnts [Take on the Beast] w/Mako - 5 pnts [WE] Crossing Paths - Lioe x Kaimana - 5 pnts Letter Solo [1500 wc - 5 pnts] [Stop those smugglers!] - Mina x Kaimana - 5 pnts [Undwater Cavern of Treasure] - w/Kieran, Ami & Noelani - 15 pnts Adventures Magical Fire - 15 pnts Underwater Adventure - 10 pnts Growth Blurb: Kaimana has explored the world and grown more as an adventurer. He's tagged along with crazy adventures, even recruited other treasure hunters for one that he led the charge on, found love and is even planning on building his own home in Matori. Physical Description: Feel free to keep inspiration from his previous stage along with this for body type and outfit, etc. 2nd outfit and expression inspiration Hair is similar to last stage with similar accessories. trident 1trident 2] - if wanted. He is also an artist so a sketchbook or a satchel of art supplies works as well. Exact design up to artist! Body Type: Muscular, similar to the inspiration picture. Preferred Artists: Kana or Scar [full/collab] WIPs: Sure!
Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 3:37 pm
✮ Extra ✮
Sabra Knight
Feral Galaxy
Offline
Sabra Knight
Feral Galaxy
Offline
Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 3:40 pm
✮ The Story So Far ✮
Kaimana was raised with his twin sister, Devika. Their guardian was their grandmother who took the two under her care after both of their parents were lost during the Oban war. Their village was secluded from the world for the most part, hidden deep in the jungles, and Kaimana spent his whole childhood there. When he became older and with peace being through the land, the villagers slowly started to reemerge and rebuild the village around the Matori ocean. He spent the next few years sharing a small fishing hut with his sister, Devi.
An offer came from a Yaeli man who saw Kaimana's sketches. He wanted Kaimana to travel to the new continent of Belrea with him and after much debate Kaimana eventually accepted. Now he is back in Matori but the eagerness to travel some more is still prominent in the young man who wishes to persuade his twin to join him.
The sudden question startled Kaimana and he found himself looking up at one of the merchants who was hovering nearby. The Matori was sitting on one of the many crates decorating the upper deck of the merchant ship and had been lazily sketching out a scene of the crowd walking along the pier. He had gotten into the habit of trying to sketch people, rather than just animals and plants, and while Kaimana had the time to relax he had started practicing once more. Honestly he hadn’t expected anything good to come of it and rather just found it a relaxing way to pass the time while he waited for them to start traveling again. After all he was just a ruffian, a troublemaker from a village who had taken up the lance and had managed to find his way as a fighter into this trip. So it definitely surprised him to see that one of the more uppity merchants from their caravan was actually reaching out to him like this, especially when he had just called him the hired muscle that was good for nothing other than fighting the other night. “Excuse me?” He found himself asking with a frown as he glanced over the Oban as if in disbelief.
“Your drawing.” The man nodded towards the charcoal drawing that Kaimana was holding. “It’s actually fairly decent.” He admitted almost as if he wanted to be dismissive of it but had other thoughts. “At least decent enough for me to send back a sketch to my family in my next letter since they’ve been asking after me.” The merchant had been in Belrea for a couple of months now, his presence necessary as he was trying to set up a good deal with another Belrean merchant before returning to Oba. The man was a friend of another traveling with their actual crew and had been lingering around when he spotted Kaimana drawing, the actual details catching his attention while the Matori man had been absorbed in his practice.
“I mean I’m really not that capable…” Kaimana started to protest before the other merchant, Othari, actually came above deck and joined his friend.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m trying to get one of your guards to do a drawing for me.” The Oban gestured towards the drawing and Kaimana who was still sitting there almost as if in shock. “He’s trying to reject my offer though.”
“A drawing?” Othari took a few steps forward so that he could get a better view of the image that Kaimana was loosely holding. “That’s really good actually. I think it’d be great to send something home like that, myself. I didn’t know you could draw!”
“I uh…” Kaimana found himself blinking in confusion. “It was a hobby of mine, but I’m mostly here to guard and to maybe help with the maps on occasion if something needs sketched like a plant or some strange animal.” He never thought much of that save for Kieran maybe needing someone who was bold enough to travel with them. Artists were normally more delicate, right? Kaimana was a lancer who had always been getting into dangerous situations without worrying too much about the consequences so he had been perfect for a daring adventure overseas. If anything this was one of the times he felt actually worried about something. Did they really think he was a good artist or was he being messed with? And why was he so nervous?! Still, Kaimana found himself doing a couple of quick sketches for the pair of merchants and was amazed to find himself being paid and complimented for his actual work. Soon enough some of the others heard about what he had done and he found himself gaining more requests and coin in return for portraits to send home to families.
By the time the week was over the man found his fingers aching from something other than fighting and the thought amazed him. “Imagine that.” He mused as he reached over to tuck his earnings away into a chest hidden in his room. Was it actually possible to transition away from a life of just running errands for his home village and from fighting? His whole life up until this point had been about fighting and just going with the flow, picking up guard jobs and the like so that he could get some earnings to care for himself and his twin. Now Kaimana was seriously pondering the option of being more artistic and doing life in a completely different way from his warrior family. Not that he would give up the lance, he could never do such a thing since he had trained for so many years with it but it was nice to know that perhaps there could be another path for him that would allow him to settle and not worry his family quite so much by risking himself in dangerous situations all of the time. To think that he had gone from the teen who had taken any small job from a villager to earn some dinner for the night with no dreams of leaving Matori and towards something like this, to someone who actually dared to travel the world and show the art he once hid out of shyness to others. Not only was he more stable by acting as a helper for Kieran but now he was finding that perhaps he did have a chance of doing something with his art. It seemed that traveling to Belrea had simply just been the first step in his journey of self discovery after all.
[944]
Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 8:37 pm
It was rare for Kaimana to write a letter, but tonight he actually sat down at the small desk in the little hut he had rented out for the season to do so. While his writing was not as elegant as others, the penmanship was legible and surprisingly good for someone raised in a fishing village in Matori. There were admittedly splotches of ink and several drawings alongside of some of the words, little doodles of boredom as he took breaks in between words but eventually a finished letter did form which he would send out in the morning towards Yael where Kieran lived.
So you see it all began when I started back home with Sriina and Devika. I was hoping for an enjoyable vacation just being back in Matori after going all across the world to first Belrea and then Kahi and then finally back to the main continent, but then I found a posting at a local tavern asking for adventurers willing to help with an excursion. You know me, I really hate saying no whenever someone is asking for help and so of course I convinced my sister and Sriina to tag along on this little side journey. Why not use it as a way to make some coin since we’re finally home, right? I was not expecting a Belrean to lead it though! Talk about a surprise considering we had just left Belrea and returned back home after over a year away! I did not even have Peni with me since I was not expecting any fights, just a casual beach day while letting my snaptrotter and some of the others rest up after traveling all over the place together. Peni, of course, was devastated to be left behind but then the enticement of a bucket of fresh fish and mussels had her easily changing her mind as she spent the time relaxing in a lagoon while I somehow got caught up in going into another treasure hunt! This time though unlike the excursions in Kahi or Oba I was actually going underwater to find a ship abandoned far beneath the ocean. Crazy, right? Anyways I thought it was an interesting story so I hope that you can enjoy it as I write down everything that we saw. First of all did you know about these potions that allow you to breathe underwater? Of course you do because we tried it together back in Belrea! How could I forget? Those coastal days were really nice, I hope Tai doesn’t get jealous if she finds out about our lovely moments in that cove! Kidding! Anyways, this Belrean woman who called herself Remse had a bunch of them that were modified to last longer than the normal brew that we’ve tried before. So there was no worries about having to rush up for air after an hour and instead it could last most of the afternoon! Thankfully the exact length of the potion did not need to be tested since the ship that we found was somehow protected from the ocean water like it was in a bubble of its own. Could you believe that, Kieran? I sure couldn’t! The ship itself wasn’t spectacular, just a sunken vessel similar to the one that we had taken that one time I went to Yael with you and came back to Matori before we took our own trip all the way to Belrea for the second time. I honestly think the craziest thing that happened was finding a rabid rat hiding out in the captain’s old desk. I’m so glad you taught me to always have a bag handy just in case there is something dangerous inside, especially when you hear rustling or just have a weird feeling about something closed like that! I would much rather not find out what happens if a rabid beast bites an earthling, thank you very much. If that ever happens please try to find a way to cure me or at least do something to keep me from spreading such a crazy disease. Anyways! So other than a musty ship we thought that was everything but going below deck is when the fun truly started. A pile of crates and belongings had been the den of some snaptrotters and well…the encounter did not go exactly the way I would have enjoyed, especially based on my past experience with snaptrotters but I did my best. The creatures were just determined to kill us for entering their territory and we were stuck on the ship with no way but moving forward before we could leave, especially since one had snagged Remse right at the very beginning! Talk about getting some serious scars for her treasure. I truly hope it was worth it! Though I do have to admit it was quite a nice haul of gemstones and gold with a few interesting objects that you would have loved! I actually have two which I would gladly show you next time you come over. On the bright side I did forget to tell you that we played around with some zanteer at the very beginning of this journey! We set up in a cove right before going out into the ocean to find the ship and the zanteer thought it would be fun to play around with our belongings. Thankfully, being the genius that I am (we know its a bit of a stretch, but let me have this one time) I had gathered some shells beforehand and used them as bartering chips with the adorable creatures. I always did have a weakness for zanteer, hence why I used to have one as a familiar who I will always cherish in my heart since she grew up with me until time tore us apart. Either way that was a fun snippet unlike the fight with the snaptrotters. I felt horrible, Kieran, but I did manage to save a young snaptrotter who survived the fight with a few scars. He’ll be tagging along with me for now and I named him Koa since he has the spirit of a strong warrior despite everything. Peni has taken to him and she basically acts like his mother, the little guy is completely spoiled by this giant crimson snaptrotter who refuses to let any of the other creatures in the area bother him. They’re definitely a pair though with him being such a deep teal with black stripes while she’s so bright with her crimson and white coloring! Total opposites, heh. I was hoping that when you return from Yael this spring that you could look over him? He seems to be doing alright, but it would make me feel a lot more confident if I had a second opinion especially since you are familiar with snaptrotters thanks to Hapuno. Then you could also look over this strange bronze amulet and dragon statue that we found in the treasure hidden within the sunken ship. I have a couple of other things, Devika as well if I can borrow them from her, that you would like as I mentioned before. I enclosed a sketch of the amulet and dragon statue so you could research them in advance before you visit in the spring and we prepare for any more excursions. I also may have picked up yet another map so I was hoping that perhaps you could speak with Noelani and Nanami about taking a trip along the coast to find the spot marked in the map. Noelani always listens more to you since she feels that I’m a bit too reckless for actual trip planning even though I’m useful as an artist and fighter while adventuring. Loves to drag me along onto excursions but hates to trust me with finding a location, does that even make sense? Thank goodness that Ami is so sweet to make up for that sassy hardhead! So I’m asking for your help once more oh lord of wisdom and patience who can convince the most stubborn of treasure hunters to trust even reckless and wild me for a new adventure. Noelani adores you so she’ll probably go along with it once we present the map. I'll also show the map to you when you return from Yael. I’m too wary of outside eyes to send a copy over with this letter so I’ll keep it secure in a safe place while I take the time to figure out other things and help the ladies with an excursion in Oba before you return in spring. Hopefully the map won’t be a bust and I’ll soon be able to claim more treasure to help me build my own home here in Matori to settle down in. Did you know lyari can be bought and brought over from Belrea? Sriina saw them with me when we were overseas and I think she would be happy if we could get a couple for a small herd over here in Matori…though I’m worried I may be too restless to stay put in Matori for too long. There’s just too much world to see, after all! Though you made it work with Taijana so maybe there’s hope for me yet, hehe. Either way I hope you enjoy your time back home in Yael and let me know if anything crazy happens over there while I’ll be pacing the beaches of Matori and deserts of Oba waiting upon your return! Take care, Kieran!
Reply
