[Vot-shem]
Race: Alkidike/Ice Hybrid
Gender: Male
Base Traits:
Harsh
Votzhem has not led an easy life. This comes out in his habits – scrimping, saving, and preserving food and resources for an uncertain future even in the relative prosperity of Jahuar – and in his way of thinking, which is pessimistic and dour. He has little patience for other attitudes, and can often be snappish if he feels that someone is wasting his time, resources, or is otherwise annoying.
Lonely
He longs to be a part of the world, and to interact with people, and to have relationships. But, after being reviled for many reasons: his Alkidike blood on one end, his Ice blood on the other, his gender, and his pessimism and defensive nature, Votzhem has never had many friends and retreats from others as a defense mechanism. It has become a self-sustaining cycle of loneliness, betrayal, and defensiveness that is hard to break through.
Sensitive
Votzhem, behind the protective wall he builds for himself, is actually an emotionally-attuned young man. His emotions rule him more than logic, and, if given the chance, he is is surprisingly empathetic. He loves not wisely but too well and, to his great dismay, it keeps happening.
Class: Blade (Dual blade) (Stage 2)
Personality:
Life in Sauti was not easy by virtue of the environment, and life in general is never easy for an Alkidike hybrid raised outside of the jungle. The rarity of his other half, and his great size and odd colors, made his life very difficult as a child, more difficult than even his Alkidike mother, who was considered more of a marvel than anything. He was a freak in a pitiless land, and – though he had two wonderful women to help him - he learned to take care of himself. Along with this, though, has come a grim and pessimistic 'realistic' view of the world, and an attitude that can only be described as 'nippy'. His treatment by the Alkidikes (as a male hybrid) has only reinforced his lack of trust.
He craves acceptance and meaningful relationships, but fears rejection. He often has found the latter, and has had to be careful with whom he interacts with. He is cautious, perhaps overly so, remaining reserved with strangers and acquaintances alike. His vulnerable heart has too often been broken and hurt before, and so he keeps up a guard of attitude and surliness, even though it, counter productively, keeps potential friends away from him.
In general, his lack of trust means he has few friends, and he bares his vulnerable heart only to very specific, special people. His ability to gauge trustworthiness is hopeful rather than rational, and it backfires frequently, letting the wrong people past his defenses. Even despite this he keeps trying, seeking a meaningful connection with somebody amidst the masses.
He had hoped to find a home among the alkidikes, but their lack of acceptance – frustrates him and is morphing into a deep despair that there may be no place for him in this world. He has, thus far, been fighting it, lashing out at his despair and – incidentally - at the world, but only time will tell what he will do when it becomes too much to handle...
Color: #002394, Lapis Blue
[color=#002394][/color]
History
Votzhem was born on the isles, a little blue hybrid baby with very strong lungs (and a unimpressed opinion of the outside world) freed from an orchid-purple lotus. His Alkidike mother, Lakshmi, quickly slipped away with her baby boy.
She carried him over the Tale and up through Sauti, to the town of Iory where her wife, Vennan, waited.
Vennan wept as she saw him, because she knew that she loved the little boy with all her heart, but also he would never find peace. She was right. The gangly, blue-and green antennaed child did not find happiness in Iory, full as it was with Wind earthlings and the occasional Ice tribesperson like Vennan. He did not fit in there, and they all knew it. He grew up scrappy and strong, and his fists and defensive nature earned him few, if any, friends.
As such, he was close to his mothers, especially Lakshmi. Vennan, though she loved him, became distant, his pain and loneliness among those who should be his peers keenly felt by her. She wondered, often, if it had been a mistake to let Lakshmi go back to her isles to plead for their son, because of the life he would have to face. This distance made it difficult for Votzhem to relate to her, but he managed to do so anyway to an extent, through sheer devotion and love to his mother.
Lakshmi herself understood Vennan's issues and made up the difference in maternal love. As the only person in all of Iory who looked like him (and being a frequent provider of hugs and affection) Votzhem became closest to her. Though she had chosen to live in Sauti, far away from her people and her homeland, Lakshmi was proud of her tribe, and told her son stories of Alkidike warriors and youths.
He became enamored with those stories. From those tales of bravery, he derived a sort of hero worship of the far-away warrior women, and became convinced that they – being of Aisha as well – would accept him as he had never been accepted before. He became obsessed with the idea, yearning for an elusive brand of peace that was not to be found in Iory.
When he came of age, he announced that he was going to Jahuar to join the Alkidikes. Vennan did not want her son to leave: she was certain that the Alkidikes would kill him. Lakshmi smiled and made her wife let him go, knowing that his soul, born of Aisha, needed to return home.
He traveled, alone, down the harsh mountains and through the unforgiving savannah and finally found himself in the hot, tepid murk of the jungle. Tenacious, he made his way through, all the way to Andile.
He was persistent, and eventually managed to gain an audience with a lesser elder. She heard his case, and passed it on, and soon – to his great surprise, he was told that he could be accepted into their tribe – to at least the extent owed to him as a child of Aisha – if he proved his loyalty to them.
His task, though, shocked him: he was to return to his homeland to find a substance called 'metal'. From this, they could craft weapons for the upcoming war. As if it wasn't enough to be essentially sent home, they set him an escort.
It soon became obvious that his escort, a prentice named Kaalnia, was greener (metaphorically) than him. They fought often on their journey, nearly dying as their boat capsized and left them in the cold waters off the coast of the Tale. He ended up saving her life, and so their strange relationship began.
His mothers were surprised and delighted to see him again. Though they suspected Kaalnia was there to kill him, they – with some resistance from Vennan – allowed her to stay with them. Lakshmi helped them find the elusive metal, and he left for Jahuar again with Kaalnia, determined to prove his worth to his tribe.
He arrived, and his success was rewarded with the elders words of proclamation, but it was not as he had thought. His 'sisters' did not accept him with open arms - they rejected him, as the earthlings in his village had, barely tolerating his very existence. He had gained their respect with effort, he became a Blade with effort, but all he truly gained was a small place in their lands.
Attracted to women, he became increasingly frustrated. Because of fear of reprisal by their sisters and his lesser status as a hybrid, he was often turned away, and those Alkidikes who showed an interest in him – either because they were curious about the male gender or were closeted, used him and threw him out, as if he was no more than a practice doll, a test run just to see what men were like, before moving on to other mates or interests.
He wanted more than to be a curiosity or a testing ground: he wanted a mate, a woman he could respect and be respected by... A woman he could love. As this became less and less likely, he started to close himself off to others, retreating behind a wall of surliness that protected his aching, yearning heart. Betrayal and cruelty were rampant: people he opened his heart to in the hope of becoming friends would use him, tease him, or drop him when it became convenient.
He never got used to it. Despite his outward attitude of apathy and strength, every new pain and betrayal hurt as much as the one before. He despaired, wondering if joining this tribe – his tribe – was a mistake, if he was cursed to be alone and miserable. His only friend, Kaalnia, could do nothing to help him except be supportive and listen as he cried to her in secret tears that would never be shown in public.
He felt he would have to face the truth soon: that he was a hybrid, and he was welcome nowhere...
Appearance:
Concept Art
Votzhem is a tall man, with a long face much like Ruelash's. His eyes are black and in the alkidike style, and he bears long antennae. His skin tone is primarily ice-tribe blue, fading to green at his hands, feet, and antennae tips.
Crystal placement is unknown or nonexistant, likely on areas he does not reveal, but his markings are the usual teal-green. Marking style is CC.
Clothes are in the Zenan style: warm and furred and covering. They include an overcoat, leggings, and boots. The overcoat is mostly just for sentimental value in the jungle, but he has maintained the hide leggings and boots (though they are thinned somewhat)
They are in the alkidike colors with the traditional alkidike triangle/diamond motif displayed prominently on them to show Votzhem's pride in his heritage.
His hair is short (shoulder blade length), dredded, thick, and mane like. It is a dark blue.
Connected to:
MAIN CONNECTION:
Iroia: Love interest! Votzhem is a man that can appreciate her in the ways she wants to be appreciated (which she won't be getting from Ruelash, haha), and, in our test rp, the chemistry is there. Duke and I don't have specific instances/episodes of plots, but this has great potential for several plot and story arcs for Iroia that will push her character in new ways.
AUXILARY CONNECTIONS:
Kaalnia: She met him during her Blade Class Quest, when she was to escort him to Sauti and retrieve some of the legendary metal found there. Considering her relationship to Ruelash, and his resemblance, it was rough going. Travelling together, however, made things easier. She has since become his trusted friend and confidant as he has navigated the nearly impossible world of being a male hybrid seeking acceptance among the Alkidikes. He has been a personal NPC of hers since the class quest, and has even appeared with her in a rp with Yelena. They are likely to have further adventures together and complicated emotional discussions. It is more likely that Kaalnia will be assisting Votzhem's plots than he hers, but, through his association with Iroia, Kaalnia will be coming into contact with Ruelash often. This means that Kaalnia will have to face that old nightmare, and it will lead to both vicious fighting and healing. We hope.
Ruelash: Unbeknownst to either of them, Votzhem is Ruelash's second cousin: Votzhem is the son of Ruelash's father's sister's estranged daughter, explaining the uncanny resemblance. Also, if Votzhem ends up in a relationship with Iroia, he will come into contact with his 'twin' often. Aside from plots with Kaalnia, contact with Votzhem will open the door to plots involving Ruelash's aunt – who he does not know – and his father – who he barely knows. Family has played an unusually large part in the feral man's life and it would be interesting to pursue those plots, with his sister in law and nieces of course, but also with his other family. If Jawaad returns to playable Tendaji, Votzhem's inclusion could also offer her and her player rich and interesting plots. As someone whos earliest rp experience included playing one of the offspring of the characters of two more experienced players (The Black Forest), I know how nice it is to have an established family and plots to work with. And, once Votzhem comes into contact with the vast animosity that Ruelash has sewn around himself – and thus the face that they mostly share – this could cause some interesting friction.
Dyakida: A passing aquaintence – Dyakida likes to pride herself on making things a little easier for hybrids born of Aisha, being of the belief that Aisha had very good – if unrevealed - reasons for creating them, as she did for creating her, and thus they should be cherished and not abused. She provides weapons to hybrids at a discount to her usual trades/requirements (Goods, services etc), sometimes giving it to friends/Hybrids she knows well for free (as with Yaholo, Samoset, and Kennet) She made Votzhem's blades, and they are good-quality blades for a hybrid of his rank, but she did not make them for free: he had to acquire the crystal for her, special oil for another project, and Zenan and Sautian materials. Kaalnia and Votzhem are likely to be customers of hers again, which may well bring Ruelash, Winta, and Iroia into contact with her – as well as possible children from Iroia and Votzhem. How that will play out, I don't know, but it is always good to bring more people into the lives of characters.
Winta: Contact with Ruelash will put Votzhem in contact with Winta, if that relationship goes through. If it does, I can see ways that the plots can interact.
Bhima: Also unofficial (and unconfirmed with cake), but Bhima is a known ally of hybrid alkidikes, and he looks an awful lot like the b*****d that defeated her in the tournament... Plotwise, Vosh won't do much for Bhima (or Hijil for that matter) but it could make for an amusing rp/battle, and could set up interesting things and thoughts later.
Yaholo: Actually, in the same vein, Votzhem might find a mixed friend in Yaholo. They share a blight, but Yaho is no friend to Ruelash and this might make for an interesting dynamic. I can see the issues that a male alkidike hybrid has to face being further illuminated between them, with the additional frustrations that Votzhem faces – being attracted to his tribe sisters – being a key point of difference? This has not been – as yet – discussed with Pidge, but it could be an interesting, short, psychological arc for both of them.
