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 Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 2:50 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:18 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:19 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:20 am
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 Name: Zariah Rutace
Blood colour: #cb3e20
Gender: Male
Symbol: Double triangles
Personality: A bit of a coward, Zariah isn't the brave sibling, not at all. While Keionx enjoys adventure and excitement, Zariah would much rather read about it. His twin's harrowing tales of heroics incited him to become enthralled in adventures in his own way, taking to writing about them rather than living them. He isn't too keen on running headlong into danger, so the fact that his twin does and brings him back stories is enough for him. Zariah handles the house warming, while Keionx is out he takes care of the house. Tending to their hive was at first a troublesome feat, for while he lives there he has to make the trek up and down the steep, traitorous mountain alone, rather than simply ride the back of his lusus. Eventually after doing it often enough he becomes accustomed to the trek up the mountain, though there are trails around the house still insurmountable. Zariah takes it upon himself to clean their hive, gather food, cook it, feed their lusus, and wash their clothing. There are times he feels resentful for always handling the chores, but with a seemingly endless supply of stories he often forgets his indignation.
Back when Zariah was on his own with his own lusus in Old Hemisect he used to live in an old amphitheater. Like every old building in the area he was the resident of a haunted hive, and like all other haunted hives it had its own lore. The story of his hive was that it was haunted by a curse and the tortured ghosts that were killed by it. Legend has it that during a certain, unnamed play that was very popular for performances, should anyone utter the name of the play disaster would strike (*coughs*Macbeth*coughs*). It was claimed that many people had died over the course of the play before it was finally shut down, never to be used again. That made it the perfect hive for little Zariah, once the city became abandoned Zariah and his lusus made themselves a happy little home. The stories never bothered him, Zariah was never terribly superstitious and instead the stories (As well as any other abandoned building's ghost lore) simply made for fuel for wonderful ghost stories.
Zariah's lusus (Unlike Kei's) was far more docile and relaxed, while Kei's lusus would cart her around for adventures, his own would curl up with him at home or putter around the house doing small chores...something Zari himself was more partial to. Because of this rather lax nature in both troll and lusus, the quiet Old Hemisect suited them just fine, not only that, but whenever the two went for walks (Something his lusus demanded to keep Zariah at least somewhat moving) they occasionally found books or plays in abandoned book stores, libraries, or theaters. These were much easier for Zariah to get his hands on than any more modern game other kids played. Perhaps it was his early introduction to literature that spawned his fondness of fiction.
While he first began his writing and story-telling (Often telling these over campfires with any other small children of Old Hemisect) with horror, he later moved on to adventure. When he moved to Busthind Mountain he found himself needing to meet an entirely new group of friends, leaving the trolls he knew from Old Hemisect behind with the rest of his old life. Most of Zariah's new friends are fans of FLARPing, however, he does still hold campfires to tell horror stories to any that'll listen.
Strengths:
Clever
"Ohhh, so true. See, I'm pretty quick on the uptake. Well...at least when I have my head on straight. I'll admit that sometimes in times of mental anguish I can be a bit of a blockhead, but for the most part I'm pretty damn sharp. Just like how I depend on Kei's strength, she depends on my wits. Sometimes there's a hard case and....well she isn't much of a detective. Honestly, it's the only time she really actually asks for help is when she needs some kind of answer she can't work out. Like her FLARPing group too, no one else could keep up with a changing storyline of a game so they couldn't get a good DM.....but well, she convinced me to take over."
Something Zariah takes great pride in is his wit. While he may not be the smartest wiggler, he still knows that he's pretty damn keen, he would obviously make a much better sleuth than his sister. Zari's sharpness is best shown when he is presented with an actual problem, in those cases he eagerly puts his mind towards a solution for those sorts of problems...usually aiming for solutions that require little to no physical exertion. Though, as he isn't the best read troll, it isn't unheard of for him to come across difficult situations. However, a great deal of any books he found as a wiggler were purely recreational, leaving him with little knowledge about the real world and even less experience dealing with it.
Resilient
"After beast-dad died I felt like a piece of myself died along with him....and I mean....I know it's weird, but I was really going to miss my lusus. I knew I should've worried more for myself than about my lusus....but still, I mean, the rate of a wiggler's survival after his lusus dies is staggeringly low, but I was still going to miss him. For the rest of my obviously short life that is....until I met Kei. At first I missed beast-dad really bad and was terrified that either I or Kei's lu-...our lusus would be the next to snuff it, but I realized Kei was stronger than that....okay, maybe she's kind of hot-headed, but she's strong. I guess I kind of realized you don't need to have blue blood to be strong, and even though my blood is low on the spectrum I realize I could be stronger....better! And I will. I'm going to grow up big and strong and kick all the butts of jerks like the Empress!"
Zariah has had his fair shares of low points, being born as a lower blood caste he's frequently been treated to the short end of the stick, his lusus being taken from him certainly being one of the lowest moments in his young life. However, from all these lows he still picks himself back up. Though he's aware he isn't the strongest, smartest, or in any way best (Or even close to) troll he refuses to stay down when hit with adversity or pressure from above. With all his plans for his future (All a very rough idea so far) he knows he won't be able to make a difference if he doesn't fight harder to stubbornly get where he needs to be.
Creative
"Wow, you don't even know how right this is, see, I LOVE writing. It's like....my passion. Okay, so I had a really bad writers block when beast-dad died.....but Kei made for some pretty interesting ideas for stories. For a while I would just write down ideas when they came to my mind, but now that I've got my mojo back I've been turning a lot of my story ideas into FLARPing scenarios. It isn't my favorite method of story-telling....but it's the only way of getting Kei to actually read my friggen stories...."
Not only is it a passion of his, but it is also a talent. Though Zariah may seem to be rather boastful about his stories, it is in part because they're fairly decent. But, to no surprise of his, most don't like to read a wriggler's stories. Though they have good ideas his writing is still a little childish, something he can improve with age. For not though, he spends most of his time plotting for FLARPing campaigns.
Well Spoken
"Well, my career as a writer (Okay, so maybe my books were never published, but they're good! You should read them!) I've acquired quite the way with words. I mean, one of the things about being a good writing is having a good vocabulary, another is being able to make an interesting character, and another is knowing how characters would react to different situations. Now, I will admit I'm sometimes at a loss for words....but when that happens I just pretend to be one of my characters and I can always find the words."
Perhaps it's simply his vernacular, perhaps it's inspiration from characters he writes, or perhaps it's just a silver tongue. One way or another, Zariah is quite good with words. He can often find the right words for the right situation, which in his mind will be how he can help rebel against the Empress. Maybe some day he can use his skill with words to help gather more to take down the empress.
Flaws:
Cowardly
"RUDE! Okay, so maybe I'm not as 'brave' as Kei, but I'm also not as gullible or brash. She leaps before looking and well....I just....look before leaping. A lot...and usually I decide not to leap....."
When given the option to stand and fight or run like a coward....Zariah will book it, no questions. He likes to think it's because he knows there's no fist-fight he can win (Unless maybe he was fighting someone without fists....that could work), however it's highly likely it's just because he's such a natural chicken. With all his big talk about wanting to be stronger and wanting to go against the Empress, it's entirely possible it's just because he doesn't want to be scared of virtually everything any more. Zariah finds himself easily scared off by other trolls (And so many other things) and deals with it by either hiding behind his lusus or twin until they seem less threatening.
Free-Thinker
"Haa haa! Now this is one I will never contest; yes, I am VERY free-minded. I mean, when you look at the inequality in our species it makes no sense. You see, the 'highbloods' are strong, live long, and are more powerful than us, right? WRONG! You see those of the lower hemospectrum have powers that highbloods are far less likely to have. So when there are lowbloods that can fly or control fire....how does that make us the weak ones? In addition to that; their strength comes from a certain level of aggression, but they still NEED lowbloods, we lowbloods make far better moirails to strong fools. They need us to keep them in check, you see? Besides, they never know true hardship, how can they be truly strong when they never know the fear and difficulty of having to climb up from the bottom?"
Such an individual mind as his isn't something welcome to a hive-mind, when everyone is supposed to believe a very firm set of rules it isn't normal for someone like him who wants to go against the grain. While he hates how things are run and wants change, he's clever enough to know better. Zariah knows to keep his mouth shut about how malcontent his is in his lot in life. However, sometimes his mouth moves faster than his brain, in those cases he just hopes it isn't a highblood he's lipping off to.
Dependant
"I....guess this is sort of true....between being coddled by my previous lusus and being sheltered by Kei I don't really wind up having to do a lot for myself. My lusus always encouraged me to do things that I'd be safe with like reading, and Kei....well I think she just wants to protect me from everything so I guess....I've never really had to protect myself or do anything I never really wanted."
While Zariah may be clever, he isn't well versed in the ways of the world, Zari is still a young troll and any difficulties he's ever encountered would often be solved by his lusus (While he was alive) or Kei. This could be a reason behind his cowardice, afraid to take on problems on his own when his sister or lusus would usually never make him. Unfortunately, Zariah isn't exactly keen on learning new things anyway, much more comfortable letting others protect and take care of them.
Weak
"Well that's a little harsh....I mean, okay so I have about all the physical strength of a soggy towel, and okay, so maybe my sister could easily kick my a**, and okay, maybe most trolls could.....but....er....actually I've got nothing. Harsh or not, I suppose it's true. My physical strength is nothing impressive, I have a hard time opening the doors to our hive....which, oh, did Kei forget to mention this to you? Because she sure did to me! Our doors are all weighted! All the doors are about 50 lbs! Fair? I think not..."
Zariah isn't the most durable troll, though he one day dreams to fight the empire he doesn't have the body for it. He likes to think that maybe one day he'll get big and strong....but he isn't terribly fond of working out, half the time he even leaves stoppers in the door so he doesn't have to open them. Of course, when she's home Keionx removes them and forces him to work out his muscles. When not forced to work out, however, he avoids it like the plague. He would much rather exercise his brain than his body. |
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:21 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:22 am
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[Lusus]
Pre-attack
His original lusus was very calm and relaxed, quite likely an older hoofbeast to take on a troll. This lusus tended to steer Zari away from trouble and difficulty, protecting him in his own way. Because of this Zari took up hobbies that didn't require anything too active, things like reading, writing, story-telling, walks, or playing dress-up with the old outfits at the amphitheater (Which NEVER HAPPENED).
Post-attack
Kei's lusus seemed far younger, much more active and ready to run around with Keionx. This lusus would also try to pamper Zariah, but with two trolls it was a much harder feat, especially with Keionx loving to go out on adventures. Although this hoofbeast loved Zariah like his own trolls....Zariah didn't have as close a relationship with him. Kei was far closer to this lusus, while Zari still kept to old hobbies trained in him with his old lusus. |
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:23 am
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[Hive]
Old Hemisect - Pre attack
His old home in Old Hemisect was an abandoned amphitheater, it was a very spacious 'hive' where he lived alone with his lusus. He was relatively popular with other wigglers that lived near him, campfires being an often past time for them. Of course with his hive being so spacious he would often let others stay over....if they didn't mind the lack of recoopercoon. Zari's own recoopercoon was in the old dressing rooms, choosing the biggest for his bedroom....not only was there space there were often old props he could play with or use as props for his stories.
Busthind Mountain - Post attack
When he moved to Busthind Mountain his hive was vastly different. All the doors were weighted with detachable weights (Which were too heavy for him to lift off), making it hard for him to open doors. If he had to push a door open he wouldn't be able to open it, but pulling it he could get leverage to pry it open enough to slip through. Because of his difficulty with the doors he had to invest in a lot of door stops to hold them open. Though...Kei would often remove them. The front hall in the house was made to be a treadmill, turning on automatically whenever the front door opened, thus anyone that wanted to enter would have to run to the end of the treadmill first....this makes Zari very uneager to leave the house. As for the halls, all the halls had motion sensors, set to release traps around the house. Sometimes it's as small as an urn being pushed off a bookcase...other times a tripwire being pulled taut ahead of the walker.....and sometimes to floors pulling away to leave only a narrow path to balance on. Zari often winds up bruised by urns and falling on his face....and thankfully the floors pulling away don't lead that far down, only dropping to the first floor or several feet underground. |
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:24 am
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[History]
It was so wrong! All wrong....
Zariah's lusus had taken him out for an innocent little walk.....neither had seen the elder troll coming, nor could either fight him off, he was too strong....too big. Zariah was merely a wiggler....he couldn't possibly hope to hold his own against someone so much bigger, with a prompting from his lusus' muzzle Zaraiah scurried into the brush, hiding in bushes and plants, keeping low to the ground as he watched his lusus be pulled away.
Closed eyes hid him from seeing the blood, but nothing could protect him from the shrill cry of his lusus in agony, the sounds of blood sloshing onto the ground, and a cruel laugh. Zariah's tiny hands clamped over his ears as he buried his face into his legs, doubled over to try to block out everything he heard.....everything he saw....and that smell. But that cry from his lusus reverberated in his skull, tormenting him over and over even when both lusus and troll had left, even after he heard the troll take his lusus below water to feed to the Empress' Gl'bgolyb it wouldn't leave him. Just that....screaming plea for help. Just as his lusus couldn't protect him....Zariah couldn't look after him either.
The tiny wiggler curled up in the bushes, no longer protected from the dangers of the wild, no longer aware of the dangers.
Keionx was out riding on her lusus, a rare orangeblooded musclebeast, when she heard screaming. On a world like alternia, screams and violence were commonplace.
To Kei, however, a scream was a call to adventure, a call she couldn't refuse. And she would not refuse it.
"Hark, Beastdad, cries of danger!" she wheeled her lusus around, drawing her sword. Well, actually, her Lusus turned on its own as she pulled at it's strong shoulders. "Let us be off!" she said, booting her lusus into a gallop in the correct direction.
At last she came onto the scene of blood. Orange blood, much like her and her lusus. She was a bit dissappointed, actually, that there was no monster to fight. The scene was long over.
"Where is mine enemy?!" she muttered to her lusus, frustrated... and scared. She didn't know why she was scared, but she was.
Beastdad leaned towards the bushes questioningly as she shifted uncomfortably on his back, still looking for what could have caused the carnage on the beach.
Zariah remained dead to the world until he felt a muzzle prod him for his attention. He gasped sharply, leaping back as fast as he could....except.....that white snout....it-it couldn't be, could it? His lusus had just been dragged to his death to be fed to Gl'bgolyb, that was something he couldn't even pretend to think was a dream. That sound was something that would never leave his ears. Of course....his feelings of concern for his lusus were still being weighed against his concern for himself, he knew full well that a lusus-less troll was a child that was unprotected, it was only so long until he himself was culled.
"B.....Beastdad?" he asked hesitantly, reaching out to place a hand on the offered muzzle, almost wondering if he was truly there. It could just be another lusus.....actually he was almost certain it was, but a ghost wasn't impossible right? But....his hand found solid flesh. Whomever it was, wasn't his lusus.
Slowly Zariah's eyes scored the beast, finally finding the troll upon its back. A troll with the same messy hair....the same freckles....the same blood colour....and the same symbol. He finally mopped up his orange tears to blink his eyes clear. The impossibility of that troll.....but....there she was. He didn't know who she was, but she was right in front of him.
"Beastdad, what are you...?" yelped Keionx as beastdad immediately snuffled foreward into the brush. And then she saw the wriggler.
She quickly regained composure (beastdad's rides were a bit bumpy)
"Are you in distress?" she asked, "Because I, Keionx Rutace, am here to rescue you!" she said, striking a heroic pose. She noted that the color on his symbol was the same as the blood outside the brush.
A poor lone orphan? A perfect candidate for her heroism! She felt a great and idiotic sense of pride fill her from her feet to her auditory orofices!
It took her a while longer to realize that the symbol seemed familiar...
She didn't pay it any more heed for the time being, he was in need.
"We came when we heard the scream. Was this you?" she held out a hand, "Is the nefarious creature that did this still around here?"
(She had just learned the word nefarious from her word-a-night Perigee-counter and was very proud of how heroic it sounded)
Part of her hoped yes. Part of her hoped no. Her lusus... didn't mind either way, he was more concerned with the same-blooded young troll looking very vulnerable in the mud, a troll that he very much wanted to pick up and hug.
"I--" Zariah broke off. There were no words for it. This.....this troll with his blood colour, his symbol, his lusus.....even his face! How could she....who...? Maybe that was why he had been spared, to meet his doppelganger. But...why couldn't she get there in time to save his lusus? Why couldn't she and her lusus have been like a real hero and protected him? She was the worst wannabe hero ever....then again....if she had been there her lusus would've met the same fate and chances were she would just add to the pool of orange being soaked into the ground.
Zariah curled up, pulling away from her. "Uh....I'm...not r-really in distress....I mean....you're already too late. That scream was my lusus." And her name....he'd never met another troll with the same last name as him...something was weird and his mind couldn't wrap itself around it. There were too many other thoughts whizzing through his head, this clone of his would just have to be put on the back burner....at least....so he hoped. "I'm Zariah....Zariah Rutace..." he said rather hesitantly. He didn't know who she was, but it was a better alternative than to chase her off and be alone with more of his own terrible thoughts.
She was too late...?
TOO LATE...?
"No way!" she pouted unhappily, "I can't be too late! I'm a hero!" she punched beastdad in frustration.
Beastdad turned around and gave her a nuzzle briefly. He thought she still could be a strong hero. She just had to keep trying.
Her frustration mollified, he turned back to the strangely similar youngster and, giving in to his natural tendancies, pulled the wriggler into an inevitable hug. There really was no resisting Beastdad's hugs.
Her eyes widened as she noticed what Zariah had noticed a while before.
"Wait. Rutace. Thats my name." she blinked, "And you bear my standard" she could say clan symbol but why when standard sounded better?
She didn't notice the face similarities, but she had never really noticed her face.
She put down her lance to scurry up Beastdad's shoulders and look down on the wriggler.
"... he doesn't usually do that..." she found she was at a loss for words.
Zaraih choked up a little when the lusus hugged him so tightly. His own beastdad did that....held him so strong he could hardly breathe, made him feel like the tiniest grub on the planet....licked his hair into place. Oh god....he couldn't believe he was gone! It just didn't feel right! Especially not to see someone else that was just like him but with a living lusus...and a future. He knew that his chances of survival without a lusus was laughable at best.
"Yea.....and my lusus looks just the same as yours does....looked..." he said, absently correcting himself. He still felt rather numb to the whole idea, but the gears slowly worked, grasping at the situation before him. Well....it wasn't unheard of....but could they somehow be twins? He'd thought a lusus would take two of the same wiggler...? Maybe because they'd emerged from their trials at different times? Maybe each lusus only wanted one to look after? Maybe.....but he didn't really like the idea. She just seemed so.....weird. Too weird to be related to him, right? "You don't think.......I mean it's a weird idea but not unheard of....I mean it's possible that we might be....twins?" he said, scrunching his face at the thought. If that were the case the lusus would probably be willing to take him in too....but...a lusus with two trolls? None of his friends were like that...
"Twins...?" she blinked.
The word had never crossed her mind as possible. Kei wasn't the sharpest lance in the toolhive, so the thought of being related to another troll sort of... short circuited her brain.
"I... Uh..." She shook her head.
"Don't... know?"
Beastdad craned his neck, trying to look at Keionx, still squishing the other wriggler tightly to his chest.
Kei didn't need to see her lusus' soulful, pleading gaze. She was thinking the same thing... in the parts of her brain weren't floored by the concept of twin-ness.
The other wiggler didn't have a lusus, and in a dangerous world like Alternia, he wouldn't be able to survive long.
She was an odd troll. She couldn't, in good conscience, let this boy suffer like that. In addition, Beastdad liked him... Beastdad did not normally hug other wrigglers.
"Um." She frowned, looking at the wriggler. It was a bit odd, but... "Would you... like to come with us...?" she asked, pausing, as if startled by her own statement. She regained her composure, putting on a very self important face, "I will rescue you from the wilds, fair Zariah!"
Beastdad rumbled approvingly. She was growing up well. He gave Zariah a nuzzle. He smelled right, he smelled scared, and he was lost. What else was a self-respecting musclebeast to do?
"It seems crazy but....possible. I've never seen a troll with so many...similarities to me before," he said hessitantly. Did he really want to be related to her though? She seemed rather....weird and eccentric. But Beastdad safe and sound just made him able to forget that the real one had just been dragged to the briney deep. Well.....forget a little. He knew he'd never be able to get those screams out of his ears. It would haunt his dreams for a while yet.
He was thrown for a loop by her question. Two trolls? One Hive? One lusus? That was unheard of! But.....could it work? He knew full well how badly he would need a lusus to look after him, would it work when the lusus had two to look after? Well....whatever the case he couldn't refuse, could he? It was the best chance for survival.
"Uh...then....I guess if you don't mind it...." |
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:25 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:26 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:28 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:29 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:30 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:31 am
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Reply
