[PC Plotnotes] Khida

[Khida]

Index

• Khida's Religion
• The Bond and Mirroring
• Khida and Magic

• Past Lives
• Relationships to Others

• Training Goals
• Job Thread Log
• Language Thread Log

• Season Goals and Calendar

[Khida]

Religion

Khida is not generally given to religion, mostly because she hasn't been inculcated with the concept. She's only just three years old as of this writing (Spring 513). Her parents were both Kelvics; her dam young and still unbonded, her sire older and previously bonded but not so given to those conversations. Khida knows the gods exist, and if pressed, she could even name some of them -- but it hasn't occurred to her that she should take an interest in them, or that they might take an interest in her.

I think this should change.

I would particularly like to see Khida earn the Phylonura gnosis. For one, the idea of it suits her... far better than I had thought when I first created her. (I surveyed all the gnosis marks back then, and didn't think any really fit. But now...!) She is a wild thing, a creature of open skies and wide horizons, more at home in the cycle of predator and prey than the machinations of commerce and politics. It wouldn't be much of a stretch for her to become a custodian of a region, because she's already invested in the relationships of predator and prey, and of animals and plants as well -- just by extension of being a hunter herself, of seeing herself as part of that web.

I had thought about aiming for Stormwarden, as that seems to go along with her being a bird, but... Phylonura does something for Khida that I think no other gnosis would: it will make her look outside of herself and her own personal needs.

Caiyha's witches are required to learn skills. Thus, even though witches are apt to reside alone in the wilderness, Phylonura may also be the only gnosis which would actually make Khida get more involved with civilization. Because she'd need to learn those skills in order to fulfill her tasks. Witches are also required to think about the big picture, to consider how all things in their area are interrelated and balanced; right now, Khida is pretty self-centered in her way. She'll have to take an interest in many things. And I think that as a Phylonurist, she would eventually become more intimately involved with the Drykas -- they live on the land and with the land in ways more settled cultures do not, and I imagine any management of any region in Cyphrus would require coordination with the Drykas. If not, to some degree, management of the Drykas as well.

It would be a beautiful character arc to work through. In some sense, I look at this as Khida growing up -- going from being self-centered to gaining responsibility for others. To coming into her own as a person -- not just a feral Kelvic, not just someone's bondmate, but a power and authority in her own independent right. It's a good thing to strive for, and I see a lot of revelations happening to her along this road. Even better, what I don't see from here is the end of the road -- Phylonura is a portal to more development, not an end in and of itself.

Trick is, how do I get her out on that path in the first place? Going from no religion to devoted enough to earn Caiyha's attention and blessing... I'll have to think about that one a while.

____________________

Worshiping Caiyha

prayer thread

• Tiny and... Fascinating - Summer 41, 513
  introduction to Caiyha as goddess of the wild
• Seeing with New Eyes - Summer 45, 513
  considering interactions beyond simple predator and prey
• Predator and Prey - Fall 90, 513
  reflections on the Drykas Great Hunt and balance in the ecosystem; in progress
• A Nod to Courtesy - Fall 72, 514
  giving thanks for the fruits of a hunt
• The Wind Not Passing Through - Spring 4, 515
  gods take on a new degree of reality
• Kindred Spirits - Spring 65, 515
  hoping for permission in the interruption of someone else's hunt
• An Unaccustomed Concern - Spring 66, 515
  an act of contrition for events of the day before; in progress

[Khida]

The Bond and Mirroring

Courtesy of Praetorian:

|Khida gained a perk!| The Bond - Khida finally feels satisfied with her life, complete and whole as both herself and as a bonded Kelvic. Though she now shares Sharar's wants and wishes and even some flickers of emotion, she developed enough before the bond to be distinguishable as her own entity. She finds comfort in Shahar's presence and is likely to feel ill at ease when he is away; when alone in her falcon form, she is likely to preen incessantly and unconsciously.

|Shahar gained a perk!| The Bond - After so long being alone, Shahar has a true sense of home and of family. Khida's presence brings him comfort, courage, and confidence. When away from Khida, Shahar develops a habit of looking upwards, searching unconsciously for his bondmate.

The Drykas

As Khida settles into her bond, she will absorb Shahar's self-identification with the Drykas. That's not to say she'll claim them as her own race or people (at least, not for the foreseeable future...); Khida is and will always be Kelvic first, and for her, 'my people' will always map to Shahar and his family group. But she will come to see the Drykas as her community, the people she belongs among. They're not, can never be, as important as Shahar... but at the same time, they're more than just the faceless ranks of humanity. She will over time adopt as much of Drykas identity and culture as she can, by direct question, by observation, and by plain osmosis, because that is what a mimic does: it becomes.

This may mean I have to grow Khida's hair out and have her start braiding it... eventually.

Horses and Striders

While Khida's lived with a horse for the past year, to date she hasn't has much more to do with him directly than any raptor might. What is a horse to a falcon? Too large to be prey, definitely not a predator, and not something apt to see a small raptor as a threat to itself either; it's a great big lump of mobile mass that sometimes flushes out things the falcon can eat but is otherwise just part of the landscape. Throughout her time with Shahar, Akaidras has had import only in a vague and unfocused way, extrapolated from his obvious importance to the hunter. But as she mirrors Shahar, Khida will begin to adopt a more Drykas perception of horses, and come to distinguish just as readily between Striders and other breeds. Khida won't have the weight of belief and culture behind her regard, but she will have that regard all the same. Where the falcon could once disregard horses as part of the backdrop of her life, now she will come to be truly interested in their nature and well-being, learning what a horse is and does (i.e. natural history, habits, etc.) and interacting with them more as human than as falcon (i.e. grooming, riding, etc.).

The Sea of Grass

Khida is equally accustomed to the arid landscapes around Ahnatep and the Sea of Grass. She has had little preference between them -- food and shelter can be had in both, with effort, and both offer her an extensive field of view, with virtually no trees to break her line of sight. But to the Drykas, the Sea of Grass is The Place To Be, bar none. Shahar, I think, has never been elsewhere and can't much imagine wanting to go elsewhere, unless it were to one of the cities on the Sea's fringe. So it's coming to be with Khida as well: the Sea is her home. Come hell or high water, I don't see her leaving it again, pretty much no matter what happens.

[Khida]

Incarnations

Tavika Moondown

• Human (Drykas), female
• daughter of Livati and Vyash Moondown
• niece of Kasb'el Sunsinger
• born 14-15 years pre-Valterrian
• died in/soon after/before(?) the Valterrian

The Moondown Pavilion were breeders of hunting cats and devoted to Leth. Tavika was a daughter of her family and a daughter of her people, blood and bone, with her whole life still ahead of her -- beginning with the all-important deliberation of her marriage prospects. Then the Valterrian happened, and everything changed.

Raised by a priest of Leth, Tavika most likely shared his worship during her life. It seems something about how this life ended changed the focus of her devotion, turning her away from the moon god and more towards the goddess of the wilds.

Renata Grassrunner

• Human (Drykas), female
• born 33 AV of the Sunfeather Pavilion, Emerald Clan
• bonded 42 AV to the Strider mare Greyling
• married 49 AV into the Grassrunner Pavilion, Amethyst Clan
• had two children (daughters?)
• died ca. 95 AV

Renata was of a generation which lived their lives entirely underground, but whose elders still had firsthand experience of the pre-Valterrian world. She grew up among reminiscences of wide plains and expansive heavens, of that time when a horse could run for bells on end without ever reaching the horizon. Her favorite places were the largest caverns, where she could imagine the walls didn't exist and wonder at what it would be like to live without physical boundaries.

Renata's fascination with the open world she never knew laid down the framework for later lives, culminating (to date) in Khida's incarnation as falcon Kelvic.

Roisin Sunstrike

• Human (Drykas), female
• born Summer 1, 281 AV
• bonded Strider ???
• third wife of Eachann Sunstrike, Ruby Clan
• co-wife of Siobhan and Diaval
• mother of two (daughter, son)
• died Autumn 19, 304 av, in childbirth

More details forthcoming. Roisin's death in childbirth foreshadows the fate of her later incarnation Miu, and her short lifespan has resonance in Khida's current Kelvic existence.

Ophaelin Riverthorn

• Human (Drykas), male
• lived and died in the 300s AV
• bonded Strider mare Kariennis
• captured by slavers and sold in Ahnatep

Ophaelin was a hunter of the Emerald Clan, a follower of Caiyha, and a stubbornly independent soul. He loved hunting, riding, the grasslands, and making his own way. Unfortunately, these tendencies set the stage for his capture and sale into slavery. Ophaelin lived out his last years in Ahnatep; he died beyond the reach of the Web, and thus did not reincarnate as Drykas.

The common personality elements should be obvious. Due to his severance from the Web, Ophaelin's life (or rather, his death) begins a period of searching for home and community which spans subsequent incarnations up to Khida. Khida's journey from Ahnatep to Endrykas is a poetic reversal of Ophaelin's earlier departure.

Miu

• Human (Inarta), female
• born ca. 455 AV
• Harvested by Symenestra
• died in childbirth ca. 473 AV, aged ~18

Miu was an Inarta hunter and falconer of Avora caste, a follower of both Caiyha and Eywaat. Her hope to one day bond a Wind Eagle and become Endal was preempted by a Symenestra Harvest, ending in Miu's confinement within the dark depths of Kalinor and her death in childbirth.

While earlier incarnations set the stage, Miu's life anchored a love of birds in general and raptors in particular into Khida's soul. Her experiences are partially echoed in the desire for freedom and flight that precipitated Khida's current incarnation, in Khida's general dislike of enclosed spaces, and in her opinion of childbirth as an overly messy business.

[Khida]

Relationships

Shahar Dawnwhisper

race: human, Drykas
relationship: bondmate

To the Drykas, the most important aspects of Shahar's relationship with Khida are likely his position as head of household and her status as his wife. To Khida, Shahar is the single greatest constant in her life. He is her partner, the person she trusts at her side in the hunt, the person she trusts to watch her back in crisis. He is the only person whose welfare Khida puts before her own -- not in terms of doing what he wants, but in the interests of his safety and well-being. Above all else, he is her bondmate -- her other half, the center of her world, the reference point by which all else is put into perspective.

Sephra

race: horse, Strider
relationship: bonded Strider

Khida walked into Sephra's life one day, and afterwards Sephra refused to let her leave. The buckskin mare is a solid pillar of support for Khida, but one with a decided mind of her own. She is as patient as the day is long with the Kelvic's idiosyncracies, seeming to understand that Khida is not as the Drykas; but she also has expectations of her rider, and does not hesitate to 'herd' said rider into conforming to them when she feels the need. Exasperating though Khida may sometimes find the mare, she has no doubts in their mutual commitment to one another; everything beyond that is a matter of coming to an understanding.

Akaidras

race: horse, Strider
relationship: bonded to her bondmate

Akaidras is a horse. Once upon a time, that said all what needed to be said -- not prey, not predator, not anything a falcon need be concerned with. But Akaidras is part of Shahar's family, and by extension, has become part of Khida's as well; she knows that they are linked in some way that isn't a Kelvic bond, but goes by the same word. While she still isn't sure what that means, it all does make Akaidras more than just a horse. The falcon and the Strider have a fairly cordial relationship, but nothing much closer than that, not least because their concerns tend to be quite different -- save for their connections to Shahar.

Naiya Dawnwhisper

race: human, Drykas
relationship: wife

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Seirei Dawnwhisper

race: human, Drykas
relationship: family by adoption

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archived :

Slither

race: dhani, constrictor
relationship: family by adoption

Slither was the first stray Shahar brought home. Though he was brought back from a slaver's caravan, has a long history of slavehood behind him, and has largely treated his relationship with Shahar as one of service, it hasn't occurred to Khida to think of the dhani as a slave. Like Akaidras, she considers him family in a sense, though more distant a relation.

Hope

race: human
relationship: family by adoption

Another of Shahar's foundings, the woman Shahar named 'Hope' joined them in Fall 513 after her capture by the Drykas. Though technically 'purchased' at auction, Khida doesn't consider her a slave either... even if that is Hope's self-image. The girl's withdrawn, apathetic, and subservient behavior grates against the falcon Kelvic's own attitudes and expectations, in a way that Slither before her never did. It has become something of a goal for Khida to teach Hope a more 'proper' outlook on life -- hand in glove with her bondmate's intention to raise Hope up into a full member of the Drykas.

[Khida]

Note: these tables are overdue for a revamp... take all objectives with a grain of salt.

Survival Skills

Skill	Current	Target	FB?	Starting	Earned
Hunting	L2	L4	Y	20	19
Observation	maxed	L4	---	13	87
Wilderness Survival	L1	L4	Y	15	7
Investigation	L1	L3	Y	---	14
Land Navigation	L1	L3	Y	12	3
Tracking	L1	L2	Y	---	9
Trapping	L1	L2	N	---	11
Cooking	---	L2	??	---	1
Fishing	L1	L2	Y/N	---	3
Swimming	L1	L2	Y	---	3

Physical Skills

Skill	Current	Target	FB?	Starting	Earned
Unarmed Combat	L1	L2	Y	---	9
Acrobatics	L1	L2	Y	---	4
Endurance	L1	L2	Y	---	5
Weapon: Shortbow	L1	L4	N	---	7

Craft and Knowledge

Skill	Current	Target	FB?	Starting	Earned
Horsemanship	---	L3	N	---	2
Animal Husbandry	L1	L2	N	---	9
Ecology	---	L3	Y	---
Medicine	---	L2	??	---	1
Riding	---	L2	N	---	2
Sewing	---	L2	N	---

[Khida]

Season Goals - Spring 517

Checklist

- job threads
- language threads
- spear training
- bow training (x)
- Webbing practice
- horse training

Plot Points and Events

- meeting Quzon (1st) (x)
- "roving marks" bow challenge (8th) (x)
- coast thread with Naiya (12th)
- discussing mutual faith and support with Naiya
- eagle training with Azmere

Skill Goals

Competent Riding (7 pts)

• Something in the Air (2) - W 516
  
• Hollow Venture (1?) - W 516
  
• Dem Bones (1?) - W 516
  
• Wrong Side of Anywhere (1?) - W 516

Competent Tracking (5 pts)

• Monstrous Surprises II (1?) - F 516
  
• Hollow Venture (2?) - W 516

Competent Weapon: Bow (16 pts)

• A Confusion of Arrows (4?) - Sp 515
  
• Monstrous Surprises II (5?) - W 516

Competent Weapon: Spear (26 pts)

• Practice Makes... Something (5?) - W 516
  
• Can You Feel it Coming? (1?) - W 516

Competent Webbing (26 pts)

• Dem Bones (5?) - W 516

Summer 515 :

Checklist

- finish an old solo
- job threads (?,?)
- religion/ecology thread
- bow threads
- horsemanship, riding threads

Plot Points

- develop pavilion brand-cord with Naiya and Kahtra
- get herded by the horse
- train the filly
- meet a hunting dog
- further acquaintance with Lian
- further acquaintance with Dravite / the Watch
- meet Mayra

Spring 515 :

Character Progression

- job threads (x,x)
- worship thread (x, x)
- bow experience (x)
- horsemanship, riding

Events

See calendar here.

Summer 516 :

Checklist

* finish an old solo (x)
- job threads (?,?)
- language improvement threads (?,?)
- religion/ecology thread
- horsemanship, riding threads (x)
- bow threads

- evening thread with Naiya (x)
- hunt thread with Naiya
- midnight confidences with Naiya
- carving education with Seirei

Plot Points

- Khida's return home (x)
- get herded by the horse (x)
- train the filly
- woodcarving? woodcarving!
- meet a hunting dog
- learn (about?) Webbing
- fish and gifts!
- preening vs. braiding

Winter 516 :

Checklist

- job threads (x, x)
- hunter's prayer
- language threads
- family chores (x, x)
- pick up bolas (x)
- pick up a melee weapon shortspear (x)

Plot Points and Events

- hallucinatory fog solo (20th) (x)
- fishing thread (39th-45th 41st) (x)
- Stardown bones expedition (49th) (x)
- stranded on the wrong side of weather (53-56 or 77-78) (x)
- religion quandaries and Pridesun's "Dual-God" (x)

Skill Goals

- Competent Riding (21 pts) - (2, x, x, 3, 3, 3)
- Competent Weapon: Bow (18 pts) - (1, x, g, 2, p, p)
- Competent Investigation (4 pts) - (2, 1)
- Competent Tracking (10 pts) - (x, 2, g, 2)
- Animal Husbandry (x)
- Weapon: Bolas (x)
- Weapon: Shortspear (x)

x - Winter thread, g - grandfathered, p - placeholdered

[Khida]

Job Thread Log

For easy identification and reference.

Fall 513

Hunter, selling to the Emerald Clan

• Included by Association (hiring thread)
• Fitting In
• Signal and Noise

wage: 364 gm (3 gm base + 1 skill bonus, competent Hunting)
seasonal xp: +4 Trapping

note: wage low by arrangement

Fall 514

Hunter, selling to the Emerald Clan

• A Day of Gloom
• A Nod to Courtesy

wage: 364 gm (3 gm base + 1 skill bonus, competent Hunting)
seasonal xp: n/a

note: wage low by arrangement

Summer 516

Hunter

• Same Task, Different Method
• Horses are for Carrying

wage: not yet claimed (5 gm base, novice Trapping)
seasonal xp: n/a

Fall 516

Hunter

• A Study in Stealth (placeholdered)
• Try and Try Again (placeholdered)
• The Fool and the Falcon
• History Repeats (placeholdered)

wage: not yet claimed (5 gm base, novice Trapping)
seasonal xp: n/a

Winter 516

Hunter

• Opportunity Knocks
• Hollow Venture

wage: 455 gm (5 gm base, novice Trapping)
seasonal xp: n/a

[Khida]

Language Thread Log

A record of Khida's language education.

Pavi

Poor - awarded Summer 513

• A Wintry Marvel (W 512)
• A Sense of Horses (Sp 513)
• Behind the Strangeness of Your Eyes (Sp 513)
• Like and Unlike (Sp 513)
• Weaver's Morning (Sp 513)

Basic - in progress

• An Afternoon at Home (F 514)
  in which Khida and Rue share a casual afternoon
• A Day of Gloom (F 514)
  in which Khida and Dinah discuss predators and ambush plans
• Out of the Ordinary Way (W 514; partial)
  in which Khida and Lian make plans to hunt
• Camaraderie and Competition (W 514)
  in which Khida and Caelum converse

Note: As of Spring 516, the guidelines for leveling fluency have changed. Requirements for Basic fluency are now:

To learn a language to BASIC --> A PC must spend two seasons with EVERY thread having a PC mentioning the language struggle and learning and with two threads exclusively dedicated to learning the language. Those two dedicated threads must include practicing a PCs ability to gain vocabulary and work on putting those vocabulary words together into a reasonable understandable spoken communication. The two threads exclusively used for language cannot be combined with other types of threads like job threads or skill gains in other aspects.

[Khida]

Concerning Magic

Khida doesn't have a lot of exposure to magic. Her understanding of magic in general is nebulous -- it's that thing that doesn't behave like normal things, and had something to do with the Valterrian once upon a very long-ago time. She has a strong caution towards fire Reimancers, courtesy of Sama'el nearly singeing her feathers back when, but for the most part, Khida doesn't care about magic. It's irrelevant to her everyday life.

Enter Webbing.

Khida has been told about the Web, for all that she shouldn't have been. Always by strangers, funnily enough, on their first encounters with her. But she doesn't really understand what it is -- and again, doesn't think much of it, because of that lack of understanding. I'm not sure she's even made the mental leap to Web == magic, quiet yet.

That said, I want her to bond a Strider in time, and after that, I want her to be introduced to Webbing. Once Khida realizes what she can do with it -- the observational aspects of the magic -- she will take a strong interest. In falcon form, she can fly up and see a good long ways, but with Webbing, she can see even farther -- and see more. Webbing will also connect her to the rest of their family in a way she would appreciate. Right now, she has the bond with Shahar, and that's all in the way of exceptional ties. Webbing would give her a connection to everyone else she cares about, and while it wouldn't have the depth and intensity of the bond, it would be that little step closer, allow her to be that much more aware of their states.

It seems a bit of a juxtaposition. When I started playing Khida, she was utterly alone -- a solitary Kelvic passing through the Sea of Grass. Also, she is a falcon, a raptor, which are often considered to be aloof and proud and fiercely independent. Yet in many ways, Khida thinks in community -- her and Shahar, them and their family -- and if she had (when she has) the opportunity to connect herself to that community more strongly, she would take it without a moment's hesitation.

What about other magics? Well... ultimately, I don't think Khida is scholarly enough to be attracted to them. Auristics is another sort of perception magic, and the one I think she might be most likely to take interest in, if it ever came up. I could also see Spiritism, if they ever had a run-in with a ghost, solely out of an interest in self-defense. But neither of these are goals I have, and they're nowhere on her own radar. The other magics all take too much study, require an interest in craftsmanship, or just plain don't fit with Khida's lifestyle.

Except divine magic. But I've already written about that.