Atrius
Legacy Member
Veruca zei:Alright, m'n bio is af. Nu nog enkel m'n character sheet invullen en ik ben klaar.
Hierbij alvast m'n character background (warning: long).
This story begins in the city of Keth, City of the Heavens, capital of the desert land Qa'nn. It is a huge, bustling city, and best known as the trade center of the southeast. Keth is ruled by two Orders: the Blazing Sun (who revere the god Pelor, or Khor as he is known in that part of the world) and the Crescent Moon (who revere Sehanin, or Qamar). Both Orders are represented by 3 members in The Council of the Heavens. They are known as the Voice, the Scepter and the Shield. The Voice is the head of the order, the Scepter sees to the political and administrative tasks, and the Shield is responsible for the Order's militia (the Khorsed and the Qamar'i) and defense of the city. As is tradition, the Khorsed guard the city from sunrise until sunset and they exchange watch with the Qamar'i when the sun makes way for the moon.
It is easy to recognize a member of either Order, for the members of the Blazing Sun are always dressed in golden clothes and wear a pendant in the form of a red sun around their necks, while the Crescent Moon members are usually dressed in silver and their pendant is in the form of a small silver crescent moon. These pendants are considered to be Holy Symbols of the gods, and as such are used to give them strength in their hours of need.
Both the Khorsed and the Qamar'i are also equipped with their own distinctive weaponry. The Khorsed carry with them flails (representing the sun) while the Qamar'i arm themselves with Scimitars (representing a crescent moon).
People can not enlist in these Orders, instead they are chosen at birth to join an Order. Being chosen is considered to be a great honor, for both the child as for the family. As is the tradition of the city, when a child is born, it is visited by representatives of either the Order of the Blazing Sun or the Order of the Crescent Moon, depending on the time of the day the child is born. When a child is chosen, it is not taken away. Instead they remain with their parents until the day of their 6th birthday, when they are sent off to go live inside the Temples to be trained in the ways of the Order.
27 years ago, a girl was born during a lunar eclipse. The Scepter of Qamar did not know if this occurrence had any meaning, but he could not deny the connection this child seemed to have with the moon, and so decided to recruit her into the Order of the Crescent Moon.
Dimaer and Mirna, the girl's parents, were extremely happy with this, and decided to name their child Morae Na, meaning Moon's Chosen. Her skin was, just as that of her parents, of a slightly darker complexion (common for people in the land of Qa'nn).
On her 6th birthday, her parents brought her to the temple, where she was welcomed by the Scepter himself. She hugged her parents and little brother, Khalid, and with tears in her eyes she took the Scepter's hand and followed him inside. The Scepter smiled at her, and said: “Do not be sad, child, for you will bring honor to your family. I am Hazar al-Dim, and I welcome you to our glorious Order.”
Morae Na was a very open hearted child, so it did not take long for her to make new friends among the other children. Two in particular would become her best friends: a young Eladrin girl named Sylene, who was only about a year older than her, and Varos, a human boy, 4 years older than her. She would later meet a new recruit, a halfling named Oben, who she would also become very close with.
During her training, she showed great skill with a sword. She would even skip on her other studies just so she could improve her combat skills, although she would often receive a scolding by her teachers for her reckless behavior. It was during one of these secret training sessions with Sylene, that it was discovered that Morae Na had healing powers. When she was 14 years old, she and Sylene met in the temple's garden for some late night sparring. In the heat of battle, Morae Na pushed Sylene to the ground, where her friend accidentally hit her head on a rock. Blood came flowing out of the wound at the back of her head, and Morae Na quickly dropped her sword to put her hands on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Sylene was unconscious. With tears in her eyes, Morae Na cried out for help, all the while praying in her mind to Qamar, to help her save her friend and to forgive her for not listening to her teachers. Just when people arrived to see what the commotion was all about, Morae Na's hands suddenly started to glow with a bright silvery light. The bleeding stopped and the wound on Sylene's head stared to close. Morae Na stared in disbelief as her friend slowly opened her eyes and asked: “Did I win?” It took a few days, but Sylene made a full recovery. She held no ill feelings towards Morae Na for what had transpired that night. It was also during this time that Varos, who had been visiting Sylene regularly to make sure she was doing okay, and she grew closer to each other.
Morae Na, however, blamed herself for almost killing her friend, and vowed to never again act so foolishly. As punishment for her misconduct, she had to stay inside the dormitory for a week. By the end of the week, she was summoned to the office of the Praetaris, master cleric of the Order. He explained to her that the goddess Qamar had blessed her with the power of healing, and that it was her sacred duty to develop this power for the greater good of the Order and the people of Keth.
On her 17th birthday, while reading a book about the healing arts (one she had already read 8 times before), she was visited by the Voice, Scepter and Shield. They explained to her that she had completed her training, and that she was now a full-fledged member of the Order. As a graduation gift, she received her very own Scimitar, given to her by the Shield. “Give it a name,” she said, “and let Qamar guide your hand.”
Morae Na thought about it for a moment, and said: “I shall call it Sepehr, may it bring swift justice to those with ill intent.” (Sepehr means Swift)
The Shield smiled, and nodded approvingly.
“You have come a long way, child.” Hazar al-Dim said. “True, your path has not always been even, but the destination was.” He pulled a small crescent moon pendant from his pocket, and put it around Morae Na's neck. “Wear it proudly.”
With sword in hand and pendant around neck, Morae Na stood proud before the leaders of the Order. “Morae Na,” the Voice began, “Daughter of Dimaer and Mirna, you are hereby tasked to take up your duty as a Qamar'i, to always uphold justice, and to give your life to the defense of this great city, if so need be. Do you swear this?”
Morae Na brought her sword hand to her chest, holding Sepehr's blade in front of her face. “I so swear it!”
Today, Morae Na is considered a veteran of the Order, and she has the scars to prove it. 2 years ago, a violent attack was made on the city by the outlaw army of General Khunjai. During the battle, Morae Na was struck by an enemy soldier's blade, leaving a big wound across the right side of her face, effectively blinding her on that side. She did not have the time to heal herself back then, so today the wound has turned into a big scar. She was lucky to surive the encounter, for her enemy was just about to deliver the finishing flow when her friend Oben came to her aid and killed the assailant. She can still hear his words in her head. “Get up, Mo'! This ain't done, the day'll be ours yet!” It would be his last words, for his body would later be found among the dead in the city. She hates the scar, for it always reminds her of the loved ones she lost that day.. and of the people responsible for it.
For not long ago, it was revealed that the attack was orchestrated from within the city. By chance, a thief happened upon proof of treason, when he sneaked into the chambers of Hazar al-Dim. There he found a letter from General Khunjai, who had disappeared after the defeat of his forces, addressed to the Scepter himself. It seemed the plan was to eliminate the other members of the Council of the Heavens during the attack, so that Hazar al-Dim and his followers could take their place in the Council (with Hazar al-Dim becoming the new Voice) without anyone suspecting foul play. Khunjai blamed Hazar al-Dim for not living up to his side of the deal to open the western gates, forcing Khujai's forces to funnel through the northern and eastern gates, and thereby leading to their defeat. The letter ended with Khunjai describing the depravities he had done to the Scepter's mother.
The thief sought an audience with the council, and presented them with this unsettling information. Hazar al-Dim was promptly taken into custody. To make sure word did not leave the room, they also imprisoned the thief. They did not want to raise alarm among the people who were in on the plot. The would-be ruler of Keth was questioned for days, until he finally broke down and gave up the names of his accomplices. The city was in a state of chaos when arrests were being made. To Morae Na's shock, both Sylene and Varos were also arrested. She heard they were caught trying to flee the city. In total, 9 people were arrested: Hazar al-Dim, Sylene, Varos, 2 other Crescent Moon members and 4 members of the Order of the Blazing Sun.
They were all taken to the Celestial Plaza, which is the main square of the city. Both temples can be found on opposite sides of the Plaza, with the House of the Heavens (where the Council of the Heavens meets) at the end. In the middle of the Plaza, a huge statue of an Angel stands, watching over the city. In each hand she holds the symbol of the Orders: a flail in her right hand and a scimitar in her left. Upon her head, a golden helmet rests, with a solid visor covering her eyes. This represents her position of neutrality. The name of the angel is Amra, Scion of Balance, and though she represents both Orders, she does not interfere with their affairs. She was, is and always will be Keth's Justiciar, a neutral judge.
Amra herself resides inside the House of the Heaves, though she rarely ventures outside. On the occasions that she does appear in public, it is not because she is summoned, but it is because she knows she is needed. As was the case when the traitors were brought before all to see.
The former Scepter of Qamar and his allies were brought down on their knees, their hands shackled to rings in the floor, facing the crowd that had gathered at the Plaza. The crowd was outraged at the crimes these people were charged with, and cursed their names. Not much later, the doors of the House of the Heavens opened, and Amra appeared. The whole Plaza went completely silent. Amra glided through the air and gently touched ground before the accused. She walked to each prisoner and they could not resist looking at her, some with tears in their eyes.
After she had confronted all of them, she turned towards the people of the city and said in a melodic yet stern voice: "Noble people of Keth, once again I stand before you to pass judgement on those who would bring harm to this city. I have seen into their hearts, and know their transgressions. I have judged, and found each of them guilty of plotting against Keth and its people. How shall they be punished?" At this point, both the Voices of Khor and Qamar approached the angel and passed their verdict onto her. As they went to stand beside her, Amra spoke: "It has been decided. Their punishment shall be death by purifying fire."
With these words, the crowd exploded in cheers. Amra's wings lifted her off the ground, and she flew back to the House, disappearing once again from sight.
Some traitors started to beg for mercy, while others could not utter a word. Sylene noticed Morae Na in the crowd. With tears in her eyes, her lips formed the words “I'm sorry.” She and Varos then exchanged one last look, before they were set on fire.
Some days after the executions, Morae Na decided she could not stay within the city. Even though she was innocent, she did feel guilty for not seeing through the lies of her so called friends. She could not believe that Sylene and Varos, people she once considered to be as close to her as real family, could betray their city. Their Order. Their friend.
Morae Na left the Order, but was allowed to keep her sword and pendant, as tokens of appreciation for her service. She was also made a promise that, if she ever chose to return, she would always have a place within the Order of the Crescent Moon.
She visited the graves of her parents one last time (her father had died of sickness when Morae Na was 11 and her mother was killed during General Khunjai's attack on the city), and said her goodbyes to them. She begged their forgiveness for not being there when they needed her the most.
She then stopped by the house of her brother Khalid and his wife Suni, who was 7 months pregnant with their first child. She did not really know what to say to them other than bless them and wish them best of luck, hoping that their child would be healthy and strong. She said she hoped to one day see them and their child again.
She left the next morning with a trade caravan through the desert of Qa'nn. They reached the nearest village of Pankat, a small fishermen settlement on the outer reaches of the desert, where she was able to board a fishing boat to sail further northwest, towards her new destiny. She now travels the world, offering her sword in defense of those who cannot fend for themselves. And while she is no longer of the Order of the Crescent Moon, she still believes in the ways of Qamar, since it's the only thing she has not yet lost faith in.
Aangezien ik niet pretendeer om perfect Engels te kunnen, zijn opmerkingen altijd welkom.
Time for a drink now! Jawadde! Bangelijk man
