Samsara

[Samsara]

Samsara Appearance Nickname or Alias: Sam, Darius Hektor Race: Human Gender: Male Age: 64 Birthday: 82, Winter, 448 Birthplace: Syliras Appearance: Old eyes, old mind, and an old body. Samsara has walked the face of Mizahar for over 6 decades and he shows it. The man has skin the colour of copper, wrinkled and cracked like dry mud. Samsara’s age and great length of travel have given his eyes, black like pools of ink, a feeling of great age and experience but there is also a bright spark that betrays his great enthusiasm for life. As if the wrinkles and eyes weren’t enough to make Samsara feel old, time has bleach his hair of all colour making it white as a fresh snow though not robbed him of it (thankfully he can often be heard to say). Complementing his full head of hair is the grey-peppered beard that adorns Samsara’s face. Samsara is not a particularly towering individual, being of average height and weight taking into consideration his age. Time has robbed him of muscularity and healthy fat that he once had, reducing him to a man wrapped in a wiry layer of muscle. A particular aspect of note is the hands of the old storyteller. Cracked and covered with calluses, they betray the hard life of labor that the man was once forced to endure and the life of austerity that he lives in now. Rather uncharacteristic of his situation, Samsara always ensures that his hands are cleaned and groomed (a habit left over from the scolding of his wife). Additionally, Samsara constantly has a smile on his face and good cheer in his heart, willing to sit and talk with anyone if they need or just give them a good laugh. For a reason never quite known to Samsara people have normally found the deep earthy tone of his voice quite relaxing. Taking into account the simple life that he lives and the meager wages that he earns, Samsara forsake luxury in his clothes much preferring functionality. The old man typically can be found wearing a robe the colour of the forest or sand. Fastened around his waist is a simple cord belt and a pair of sandals normally adorns his feet (though Samsara will often wear boots in bad weather). Samsara also carries around with him a simple wooden staff that he uses to support himself while walking and as a prop during his stories. Character Concept There are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of beings that live in the world: beings from all walks of life, all creeds, all religions, all occupations. Each one with an existence all their own, a history that no other creature shares or will ever share and Samsara desires to hear them all. By definition a storyteller, Samsara sees himself as much more: a preserver of memory. For over three decades the man has traveled around Mizahar collecting the stories of those that dwell within it, weaving them together and writing them on the pages of his heart. There is no creature whose story is insignificant or any being whose tale shadows other. All are equal in the eyes of Samsara and each is worthy of remembering. This goal drives Samsara in his journeys, is fills his stomach when it is empty and warms his bones when he has no fire. It is this goal that allows the man to have the energy of one half his age and shake of the woes of the world. Samsara is a man who has dedicated his life to others and has forsaken his own selfish goals. Besides listening to the stories of others Samsara is generous with what little he has, often giving his food to those who have none and, on more than one occasion, even giving someone the clothes off of his back. While Samsara seeks to collect the lives of others that is not all that he does. Old man does not merely sit on them in silence, he shares them with the world so that other might hear and remember as well. Samsara knows that life in this world can short, violent, and cruel so he seeks to impart a little bit of joy into the world. Samsara shares the stories of happiness, joy, love, and life with all who are willing to listen. Everywhere he goes Samsara trades a story for a story, in this way he seeks to ensure the legacy of those who have entrusted them with their memory. By sharing these tales with others Samsara seek to preserve them so that even after he has gone others will remember. Character History Everyone’s story has a beginning, middle, and an end. Samsara’s story starts in the great city of Syliras during winter of the year 448. Born to a lowly laborer and his seamstress wife under the name Darius Hektor, Darius lived hard and simple but good life. When he was younger Darius labored away with his mother, assisting her in her work as a seamstress, but as he grew older Darius was gradually introduced to the work of his father. Soon the two of them were laboring alongside each other, the work hard and back breaking but made rewarding through the company of father and son. While Darius spent a large portion of his childhood an only child the love between his parents soon gave birth to two more: a brother and a sister (twins). 14 by the time they were born, Darius was expected to help out with his younger siblings and was often the one who watched over them. The work of their father was beginning to take a great toll on the man and he became weaker and weaker, leaving more and more of the caretaking to his wife and eldest son. Darius became their father figure, teaching them about the way of the world and ensuring they were looked after. All the while their father dwindled away and their mother became more and more preoccupied with nursing him. Finally, after years of suffering, their father passed away in Darius’s 20th year. His mother, always in love with Darius’s father, passed away two seasons later of a broken heart. Left to the care of two 6 year old on his own the young Darius doubled his work, earning as much money as he could in order to support his siblings. Though young and inexperienced, Darius tried to ensure that the lives of his siblings would not be as hard as his own. As soon as they were of an age to apprentice Darius began trying to find placement for them within Syliras in order to assure their fortune. To this day Darius believe that the Lhex intervened on his behalf in the securing of positions for his siblings for Darius was able to find good placement for both. Darius’s brother was apprenticed to one of the local blacksmiths who admired the build of the young mind and the steadiness of his hands. On the other hand, Darius’s sister was taken in by a local doctor or appreciated her infinite curiosity and her ability to retain information. Placement obtained, the two moved in with their master’s in order to insure their training went as smoothly as possible and, for the first time since the death of their father, Darius was able to take a breath. Now that he had done his parental and brotherly duty to ensure the future of his siblings, Darius was able to do something that he had never been able to: relax. The work he still did was backbreaking and took much from him but now there was no one at home that Darius needed to take care of. Oh, make no mistake, his siblings did come by to visit quite often but their stays were normally once every couple of days and then only for a few bells but Darius was free. The not quite as young a man as he used to be began to truly experience life and enjoying himself. Darius began to spend more and more time socializing with other people his age and hanging around taverns after work. He began to make friends and enemies, build his own stories and experiences outside of his family but more than all of these things, Darius began to love. If one were to ask Samsara now what it was that called him on his journey they would be hard pressed to get an answer from the old man, but deep down in his heart he knows why he journeys and is reminded every day. Delaviv was her name. A beautiful waitress at his favorite tavern, Delaviv was an earthy woman with a powerful aura and an earthy feel and Darius fell for her on sight. The courting was awkward at first, mostly due to the fact that Darius had no real experience with women, but soon found its gait. Quickly the two fell for each other hard and began spending every waking moment they could together. It was whirlwind romance of passion and devotion, culminating in a marriage after merely a year of courting. There were those who looked down on their union for whatever reason (the speed of the marriage, jealousy, etc) but Darius and Delaviv did not care; they were in love and nothing could over power them. Darius was finally happy and that was all that he wanted. He could foresee their lives together stretching out into the grave, having a family of their own and happiness to spare. For whatever reason, their time together was to be cut short. A year after they had married, Delaviv became pregnant with child. It was the happiest day of both their lives, that their love for each other would be made manifest in this being that would be born. The pregnancy proceeded smoothly with no issues and bumps, Delaviv received the best care that Darius could afford on his laborer’s pay. Despite the care given to both Delaviv and the child, there are things beyond the power of man to control or the scope of his site to see. The child came early. Born still in a fount of blood and water, the child that Darius was supposed to devote his life to returned to the cycle of souls. Unable to bear being separated from her child, Delaviv followed soon after. Darius could not take such a blow. Grief bound his tongue and dulled his mind, the losses laid against him too much to bear. The man fell into his drink in order to escape his sorrows, a place he would have drowned if the Gods had let him but they were not through with him. Broken in mind and body, Darius worked just enough to buy drink and he practically lived at the tavern. A fortunate occurrence as it were, for it placed Darius right where he needed to be. A storyteller had travelled to Syliras recently and had been going from tavern to tavern every night relating the great stories of old. It just so happened that on the night Darius was sitting in the Rearing Stallion, trying to kill himself with alcohol, the story teller arrived. Ignoring the man at first Darius continued to wallow in his misery, reminiscing about his wife, child, and parents: all the things the world had taken from him. But, as the man began to speak the cadence of his voice and the tone of his words cut through the haze of alcohol and grief forcing Darius to listen. The words gushed around him, lifting Darius up out of the darkness and showing him light. For the first time in three years Darius began to cry tears, tears not of grief but of joy. The tale told by the man was one of joy that bolstered the hearts of all that heard and restored the tiniest bit of life to a broken man. Darius did not know how long he sat there at the bar, crying as images flit through his mind: memories of him and his father working side by side, sitting at his mother’s feet helping her with her stitching, the moment of pride when his siblings were taken as apprentices, that instant when love pierced his heart as he laid eyes on Delaviv, and the overwhelming adoration he felt when Delaviv told him she was pregnant. Darius relieved each and every moment in his heart. When he finally came back to himself the tavern was mostly empty. A few of the most diehard drunks remained and a couple of waitresses as well. The story teller also remained, seated beside Darius at the bar as the man stared into the nearly empty room. With no invitation from Darius the man began to talk to him. They sat there for several bells, thinking back Darius was sure the storyteller must have given the tavern master a little extra mizas to not kick them out, the storyteller quietly speaking to the silent Darius. Every word the storyteller spoke Darius heard and engraved them on his heart, taking everything the man said and committing it to memory. Eventually there came a lapse in the conversation, one sided as it may have been, and the storyteller rose intending to part ways with Darius, but as he began to cross the threshold he stopped and turned back to the dumbfounded man to speak one sentence. “They are never truly gone so long as you remember.” With these parting words the storyteller disappeared into the night leaving Darius sitting alone. After a few chimes the tavern master came and gently lead Darius from his establishment, quietly telling him that he would not be allowed back (a favor to the storyteller). With lead feet and a mind a million miles away, Darius silently made his way back to his home and all the while the words of the storyteller swirled around in his head centering on his final words. They are never truly gone so long as you remember. For three days and three nights Darius secluded himself away from the world. He stopped going to work and all visitors were turned away with silence. In the darkness Darius was reborn. The storyteller had taken a broken and rusted man and forged him anew. The words began to seep into Darius’s bones. They began to give him purpose, a path to return to the way of the living. Darius would dedicate himself to the stories, to remembering. He would travel, collecting the tales of people’s lives and relating them to those that would listen. Darius would ensure that no one would ever be forgotten. On the fourth day Darius emerge red from his room in a flurry of activity. Sober for the first time in years, his mind was given back the edge it once possessed. Preparations were made and supplies gathered for Darius had decided to leave Syliras behind. Securing passage for himself on a merchant ship as a laborer (and a little bit of miza) Darius hurried to leave notes for his siblings to let them know he was leaving. For the last time under the name Darius, the man signed his name and wished them well. As he walked to the docks Darius slowly shed that name and all that it was, choosing a new name for himself to represent his new life: Samsara. Darius was dead, buried in memories alongside Delaviv and his parents. Samsara would always remember him, but that was not who he was any longer. And so the beginning came to an end. The middle chapter of Samsara’s life was one of travel. The man spent a great many years on the sea, travelling along the merchant routes of Zeltiva, before deciding to put roots down anywhere. Tired of travelling and needing some time to recoup from his travels, Samsara came to the city of Zeltiva. It was here that storyteller dwelt for several years, honing his craft and securing stories to be relayed to others. Despite the content that Samsara felt from his work, he always felt as if there was something missing: a chapter to a great story that simply wasn’t there. Despite his best attempts to shake such nagging sensation Samsara was unable to but he had no idea how to solve this problem. Believing that it might be a lacking in his craft Samsara sough to travel to the land of Avantahl where the great Vantha storytellers lived. Though only discovered in recent years tales of the skill of their storytellers had reached south to the city of Zeltiva and compelled to seek these people out, Samsara booked passage with a merchant ship and traveled to city of ice. For two years Samsara dwelt among the Vantha, learning from them what he could about the art of storytelling and picking up the basics of the language. While such time spent among them was well paid in the eyes of Samsara it did not assuage the sensation that something was lacking. Disheartened, the old man returned to Zeltiva where he decided to head further south to the city of Yahebah. Having only visited Yahebah once before, even then for a short amount of time, Samsara found it to be a wonderful place full of stories and histories never heard by those further North. Despite this, there was something about the city that made Samsara uncomfortable and the storyteller began to seek passage elsewhere. It was during this time that Samsara began to hear tales of a city far to the west, a city of great power and knowledge: the Glass City of Lhavit. Being a Sylirian from birth and having traveled a decent amount, Samsara knew the city existed and that it was a haven for magic users but little beyond that. The stories he heard in Yahebah gave more detail to the city and made it a place of great allure to Samsara. Travellers passing through the Yahebah told Samsara of the great library housed in the city, a place filled with lore and texts of ages gone by. The idea spoke to Samsara, a place where the memories of the old world still lived waiting to be remembered by any who would seek them out. This was the place he was meant to go; the place where Samsara would find what was missing. Excited and filled with a passion that had been absent from his work for several years, Samsara began to zealously seek out merchants who planned to travel to the great city and after nearly a year of searching Samsara found such a vessel. Booking passage with them (in return for an extra pair of hands, entertainment along the way, and some Miza) Samsara set out to the great city, to the place where he believed answers waited. Language Fluent Language: Common Basic Language: Vani Poor Language: Fratava Skills Skill EXP Total Proficiency Storytelling 11 SP, 15 RB 26 Competent Rhetoric 26 SP 26 Competent Writing 5 SP 5 Novice Wilderness Survival: Sea 8 SP 8 Novice Lores Lore: Storytelling - Using Gestures to Augment Storytelling Lore: Storytelling - Using Sage's Staff as a Prop Possessions 1 Set of Clothing -Simple Shirt -Simple Pants -Simple Undergarments -Simple Cloak -Simple Boots -2 Robes -1 Pair of Sandels 1 Waterskin 1 Sage's Staff 1 Backpack which contains: -Comb (Wood) -Brush (Wood) -Soap -Razor -Balanced Rations (1 Week's worth) -1 eating knife -Flint & Steel -1 Clay Pipe -3 Canisters of Swallobell Tobacco 10 Kina 7 Topaz Kina 27 Jade Kina Heirloom: A dried Delaviv flower that Samsara keeps in a small leather satchel around his neck. Housing Location: Lhavit House: Samsara lives in a simple room in Solar Wind Apartments. Furnishings for his room include a canopy bed, a chair, a simple desk, a couch, and a fire place. Purchase Cost Total Starting +100 GM 100 GM 2 Robes -2 GM 98 GM 1 Pair of Sandals -2 SM 97 GM, 8 SM 1 Clay Pipe -12 GM 85 GM, 8 SM 3 Cannisters of Swallowbell Tabaco -24 CM 85 GM, 7 SM, 27 CM 1 Sage's Staff -75 GM 10 GM, 7 SM, 27 CM Exchange: Mizas to Kina N/A 10 Kina, 7 Topaz Kina, 27 Jade Kina Thread List Link your current & past threads here!

[Samsara]

Samsara's 100 Questions Work In Progress! General Information : 1. What is your Name? I am known to many as Samsara, though I was born to a different name. 2. Do you go by a nickname or pet name? Those that I have met before and have cause to share history often call me Sam and few of the more matronly type call me Sammy. People also like to call me "that old man"! 3. How old are you? I have seen 64 years of life though my birthday is but a season away. 4. What is your height? I am a man of average height, never towering over my peers but never sitting below them either. I stand at a decent 5'8", 5'10" with proper posture! 5. What is your weight? Haven't you ever heard how rude it is to ask someone how much they weigh? But, if you must know, I weigh 122 lbs wet. Aesthetics : 1. Describe yourself as you see yourself. I see myself as a foolish old man who has dedicated his life to a task far outside of his means. I like to think I don't look my age but I know better, regardless I never like to act how I should. I am nothing more than an overgrown child truth be told! 2. Describe yourself as others typically see you. I have no idea how other manage to get this into their heads, but I've been told (on more than one occasion) that I am a wise old man. Pish posh! I simply have seen a lot of the world and like to talk about it! If you manage to get something worthwile out of my tales good for you! But, don't attribute any special knowledge to me! Others also tend to view me a rather poor individual due to way I dress and stale sea smell that always seems to cling to my clothes. 3. What is your favorite body feature? My hands. I was told long ago by someone very important to me that my hands were my most attractive feature. She said they showed all my life for those with the time and knowledge to read it. 4. How physically fit are you? I might not be as spry as the younglings now a days, but years working as a laborer have given me a wiry strength that has saved my life on more than one occasion. I may not be able to sprint anymore, but I can walk from dawn till dusk! 5. How do you typically dress and what is your style? I have found that a person with such a mission as mine has very little use for an abundance of wealth. The trappings of gold and gemstones have never held much allure to me, I prefer that simplicity and durability of flash any day. I typically dress to reflect that as well. Normally I can be found in one of my two robes or a set of simple clothing. The only extravagance I allow myself is my staff! Purchased from a master carpenter in Zeltiva, it is a thing of great beauty. I use it often in my stories as a prop and it is the focus of my devotions the Goddess Qalaya and the God Rhaus. Family : 1. Who are your parents and what are they like? My parents were named Decius and Hera Hektor. My father was a laborer in the great citadel city of Syliras where my mother worked as a seamstress. They were both kind but simple people, content with their lot in life and their love for each other. My parents were dedicated and hardworking folks, a trait they passed on to me and my siblings before they passed away. 2. Do you have any brothers or sisters? I have two siblings, a brother and a sister (fraternal twins). They both still live in Syliras as far as I know. I haven't seen either of them in well over 30 years now though I say a prayer for their health daily. 3. What is your extended family like? I am afraid that if I had extended family I never met them! Both of my parents were only children and at the time of my departure neither of my siblings had children of their own. 4. Do you consider close friends as important or more/less important than family? Certainly! Friends are the family away from family and are just as important as the bonds of blood! 5. Do you treat animals like family? I do indeed. My journey has been a long and often lonely one, many times have I took solace in the company of animals though I have never owned one myself. They are beings of intelligence with their own stories and memories, just like everyone else. Location : 1. Where were you born? I was born in Syliras though I have not been there in several decades. 2. Where do you live now? I recently arrived in the great city of Lhavit where I plan to stay at least a few seasons, perhaps more. 3. If you could live anywhere in Mizahar where would that be? The northern city of Avanthanl! I recently was very fortunate to spend a small handful of year among the Vanti and them to be a lively and interesting people! Their culture is rich and fraught with stories older than some other civilizations. Their talents in storytelling and woodwork are unrivaled anywhere else I have traveled! Unfortunately, the cold does little good for my old bones but it is still a beautiful place. If at all possible, its where I would like to spend the last years of my life. 4. Do you have a favorite place to vacation or spend leisure time? I find any place of quiet and sunlight to be a place well worth leisure. The warmth of the sun and quite comfort of the earth give great relaxation to this old man. 5. Where do you fear to be? Syliras, though that is a story for another time. Traits : 1. Do you have any physical weaknesses (disease, scars, and missing limbs?) 2. Are you right handed or left handed? 3. What languages do you speak? What do you sound like? Do you have an accent? 4. Do you have any odd mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics? 5. Do you have (or want to get) any tattoos or piercing? Why do you have them (or will get them) ? Occupations : 1. What is your occupation? 2. Do you like/dislike your work? Why? 3. If you could be anything you wanted to, what would you be? 4. What occupation do you admire the most? Why? 5. What occupation do you lest like? Why? Childhood : 1. What sort of child were you? 2. What is your favorite memory from childhood? 3. What is your worst memory from childhood? 4. What sort of relationship did you have with your parents? 5. Who was your most influential rolemodel? Education : 1. What sort of education do you have? 2. Do you like/dislike learning? 3. Where or how did you learn most of your skills/abilities? 4. How do you learn best? 5. What are your educational goals for the future? Relationships : 1. Do you form close bonds with people? Why? Why not? 2. Do you trust people easily? If not, why not? 3. Do you consider yourself straight, gay, bi, or something else? 4. Have you ever been kissed? If so, describe the first time. 5. Have you ever had sex? If so, describe the first time. Drugs and Alcohol : 1. Have you ever been drunk? If so, describe your first time. 2. Do you like to drink on a regular basis? 3. What sort of alcohol do you prefer? 4. Have you ever tried drugs (mood altering substances)? If so, which kinds and what did you think of them? 5. What do you think of drugs and alcohol? Be specific. Likes and Dislikes : 1. What are your hobbies? 2. Do you like to read? 3. What annoys you more than anything else? 4. What do you find the most relaxing activity to do? 5. What kinds of things embarrass you? Why? Favorites : 1. What is your favorite color or colors? 2. What is your favorite time of day? 3. What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? 4. What do you like to eat? What do you hate to eat? 5. What is your favorite type of weather? Does any kind scare you? Outlook : 1. Are you optimistic or pessimistic? 2. What are your religious views? 3. Would you be able to kill? 4. What are your views on sex? 5. What, in your opinion, makes a successful life? Actions : 1. What is the worst and best thing you’ve ever done? 2. What is your greatest regret? 3. What is your best/worst memory? 4. If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be and why? 5. What are you the most proud of doing in your life? Emotions : 1. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings with others? 2. Do you have any biases or prejudices? 3. What makes you happy? 4. Who or what, if anything, would you die for? 5. What makes you angry? Relationships : 1. In general, how do you treat others? 2. Who is the most important person in your life, and why? 3. Who is the person you respect the most, and why? 4. Do you have a spouse or significant other? If not, describe an ideal lover. 5. Do you trust anyone to protect you? Who, and why Group Situations : 1. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict? 2. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations? 3. Do you like interacting with large groups of people? Why or why not? 4. Do you care what others think of you? 5. What do you think of others, in general? Self Image : 1. What is your greatest strength as a person? 2. What is your greatest weakness? 3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? 4. Are you generally introverted or extroverted? 5. Are you generally organized or messy? Beliefs : 1. What God or Goddess do you find most appealing, if any? 2. Which God or Goddess do you fear, if any? 3. Do you have any Gnosis Marks? If so, how did you receive them? 4. What lengths would you go to to please your deity? 5. Where do you draw the line at pleasing your deity? What is too much? Life & Death : 1. What do you absolutely live for? 2. What is the best part of life? 3. What is the best part of death? 4. If you could choose, how would you want to die? 5. What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death?