![[Verified by Astator]](./images/checkmark.png "[Verified by Astator]")
Name: Kaitanu
Race: Kelvic (horse, mixed breed, components unknown.)
Birthday: The year 509 on the 30th day of Spring. His true birth date is unknown to him. As far as he can tell, he's between 5 and 7 (in human terms, that's mid to late-twenties).
Gender: Male
Physical Description: Kai has pale blonde hair and even paler skin, and startling blue eyes, with a slight warm-green tinge. He's 5'9" as a human, slim and muscular, but somewhat chronically underweight. His original slave brand is still visible on the top of his right hand, indicating that he was once a Ravok slave. He also bears the more recent brand of the Morealis Dynasty on his cheek.
As a horse, he has a white coat, with a pale blond mane and tail. He weighs in at about 900 lbs. and is about 13 hands high. His breed origins are unsure- he could have Windrunner in his blood, given his speed and endurance, but his eye color might indicate Denusk. Kaitanu doesn't know either way. He's quite versatile in what work he can be put to. In terms of size, he tends to be a bit smaller than the average male mixed-blood horse, but he's still strong enough to carry his burden. He's actually a lot stronger than his looks or build would indicate. There are more than a few scars on his body, mostly his shoulders and back and rear.
Personality: Kaitanu is quiet, retiring, reserved, obedient, apparently unfeeling, and rather emotionally stunted. He is easily startled, though his calm facade won't show as much, and utterly mistrustful of the motivations of others. Therefore, dealing with people is not something he likes, but he has no choice in the matter. If given the chance he would rather spend his time with animals or on his own. Kaitanu does as he's told without question because that has been his whole life; any inner questionings of why he should do this or that either never existed or are long-buried. His numb compliance is such that others would be forgiven for thinking he has no emotions at all. Kaitanu can seem rather doll-like in that respect, heightened by his slender frame and somewhat androgynous beauty.
On the other hand, he can be surprisingly quick-witted and brave when necessary. Most of that comes out in the interest of self-preservation, as he hasn't yet learned to think of others in an empathetic way. The closest he gets to such feelings is with children. However, he's also cynically practical and resigned to his life as a slave. That life, and the abuse he suffered, have colored every aspect of his world-view. He does not trust anyone, or anything, and never seems to relax his guard. In spite of his kindness to little children, he believes that the world is essentially a dark and cruel place, and that the dark and cruel are always on top. He expects to always be abused by those around him, even by other higher-ranking slaves, because that is how things are. That has been his outlook for as long as his shattered mind can remember. It does not occur to him that life can be anything different because he has never been given any reason to think otherwise.
Though Kaitanu is a Kelvic, he never bonded with anyone, so he's gained more intelligence than his long servitude would have otherwise allowed. He may even show surprising knowledge in random areas because of what he had to pick up out of necessity. By contrast he is woefully ignorant in what some might consider 'basic knowledge'. Usually, this has to do with geography, cultures he's never met, magic, interpersonal relationships, languages other than Common, and religion. In other words, anything he wouldn't have been allowed to learn, or weren't necessary for survival as a slave. There is also knowledge he's blocked out purposely, like anything he might know of Rhysol and his dark religion, or information regarding past masters.
So far, Kaitanu hasn't been allowed to show too much of his real self because of his past, but one can see glimpses when he's around children, or those smaller and weaker than himself. Then, he is as gentle and helpful as he dares to be under the watchful eyes of his betters. Otherwise, he would seem to observers to have no opinions, no ambition, no sense of his own worth, and no will to fight back or escape. In truth, he has nowhere to go and no one he would go to. After a lifetime of slavery, he doesn't believe he deserves to be anything other than he is. Freedom wouldn't occur to him as an option. If set free as he is, he would likely end up back on the slave market because he cannot yet fend for himself.
In spite of this, he has survived much more as a slave than the average being would suspect. Kaitanu has a very high tolerance for pain and abuse, both as a horse and as a human. His stamina would be legendary if, as a slave, it wasn't just taken for granted. Used to going for long hours without food, and extended periods with no rest, he can still run after others have collapsed. In the past he had no other choice and now it is the norm.
One of the driving forces in his life is the desire to escape as much pain and punishment as possible. Kaitanu knows he can't get away from every instance, but he's learned to navigate around the abuse fairly well. When being punished or abused he sends his mind away, usually by thinking of a song, which helps him to stay numb and somewhat sane. Even more than the need to escape is an unaccountable thirst for life, not because there is any real happiness in it, but because death terrifies Kaitanu. He doesn't know why this is, whether some hope for a better life is deeply hidden, or if it's simply a matter of the 'devil you know'. Therefore, though death would be the perfect escape from suffering he shuns it like the plague. He also shuns anything mind-altering- drugs, alcohol, whatever. Even at the worst of times he craves control over himself on the inside. It's his one point of power and he will not give it up, not even to ease his pain (this doesn't include pain-killing medicines that still leave one aware.)
Ethics: Whatever he really thinks of things, he's learned to hide it and do as he's told. Yet, in spite of himself and his Ravok origins, he has fairly clear sight about what's right and wrong, even in the actions of his own masters. Though usually powerless to do anything, he has been known to comfort or help others in secret, if he is able. Oddly, he has not extended this to himself, and doesn't expect anyone to help or comfort him in return. In fact, showing him pity or kindness would likely confuse him, and seem like mind games. Even his own kind acts are viewed by himself as an act in futility. Perhaps his true self shows through in them because there are times when he cannot seem to help himself.
Likes: Quiet places full of birdsong, forests, meadows, clear water, the beauty of nature. He also loves listening to stories, and being around children and animals. The one thing he retains from his past with his own family is his singing voice, though he has no memory of them. He loves music more than almost anything else. It's the only thing that keeps him sane, sometimes.
Dislikes: Noise, crowds, too much information/too many demands at once, calculations, cruelty, especially when the victim is particularly unable to defend themselves. Being a slave, he doesn't really believe he personally has a right to really hate anything or anyone, but he has a secret hatred for Rhysol and anything that has to do with him. He also has an intense hatred for masters, including and especially his own, though these feelings are repressed for his own survival. Just as it would not occur to him to escape, he would also not consider killing or harming those who abuse him. He has a complicated set of feelings for his own servitude; unhappy to numbness as a slave, terrified of not having a master.
Character history: In spite of the relative shortness of his life, Kaitanu remembers little of it. He only has the vaguest of memories from before he was a slave, or of his own parents, and usually he's not even sure they're real. Such memories are mostly hidden and only come out in rare dreams.
As far as his years as a slave, those memories have been partly repressed, so he will often have spurts of random memory here and there without meaning to. However, he will not talk about these things because he's not expected to, and even if he was, he wouldn't want to. In addition to the usual PTSD and other effects of slavery, he still suffers from the natural effects of those who have been systematically denied any kind of affection or kindness. Kaitanu has had the misfortune to have a succession of exceedingly cruel masters, so he thinks that no one good or kind can ever be in power.
In spite of being smaller than usual, as a horse and a human, he's filled a lot of different jobs. These include: a pack horse, a messenger, a lookout, a breeder, a research subject (while at the Kelvic Research Institute in Ravok), all-work slave, and just for whatever sick pleasure his masters wanted to get out of him. As a human, and a horse, he's considered quite beautiful. When he was younger, he was even sometimes used as a living ornament.
Kaitanu pushed, in his own way, to learn other skills in order to escape as much of the constant sexual abuse as he could. Finding that he had an aptitude for following exact and complicated instructions, and also for organization, he was taught to read and write so he could keep ledgers. As he grew older, he was used as a messenger and personal slave, in addition to being used for pleasure.
His last master in Kenash, Edmund Morealis, was the first who did not treat him cruelly or use him for sexual gratification. Given Kaitanu's history he was expecting that side to come out at any moment, so he worked harder than ever in order to postpone the "inevitable shift". Though Kaitanu's impeccable service would have looked like devotion to an outsider it was merely an effort to avoid pain. He never considered that Edmund might just be a mild-mannered man who had a distaste for mistreating his own slaves.
Kaitanu wasn't there long enough to find out otherwise. On the 7th day of Fall, 515, while on an errand for his master in horse form, he was unexpectedly carried off by a Wind Eagle. The saddlebag containing the clothes bought for him by his master, and the products of his days' work, was ripped from his back. He could no more prevent its fall than he could his own inexplicable kidnapping. Deposited, or accidentally dropped, in the Sea of Grass, he was left with no clothing, no food, and no explanation.
Masters in Ravok:
(To be filled in later)
Master in Kenash:
Edmund Morealis Fall 514 - Fall 515
Starting Training and Skill Points:
Endurance: 12
Singing: 18
Swimming: 5
Organization: 10
Cooking: 5
Racial Bonus: +10 foraging
Languages:
Common (fluent)
Lores:
Ravok plants good for consumption
Ravok plants good for basic first-aid
Equipment/Possessions: As a slave, Kaitanu had nothing to call his own, only what his masters provide for him.
His one personal 'possession' is his ability to sing, which he has so far kept from his masters. It's the one thing that reminds him of a time before, and helps him survive. He knows if they find out about his private 'music', it could be taken away like everything else.
Ledger: See below for chart.
Race: Kelvic (horse, mixed breed, components unknown.)
Birthday: The year 509 on the 30th day of Spring. His true birth date is unknown to him. As far as he can tell, he's between 5 and 7 (in human terms, that's mid to late-twenties).
Gender: Male
Physical Description: Kai has pale blonde hair and even paler skin, and startling blue eyes, with a slight warm-green tinge. He's 5'9" as a human, slim and muscular, but somewhat chronically underweight. His original slave brand is still visible on the top of his right hand, indicating that he was once a Ravok slave. He also bears the more recent brand of the Morealis Dynasty on his cheek.
As a horse, he has a white coat, with a pale blond mane and tail. He weighs in at about 900 lbs. and is about 13 hands high. His breed origins are unsure- he could have Windrunner in his blood, given his speed and endurance, but his eye color might indicate Denusk. Kaitanu doesn't know either way. He's quite versatile in what work he can be put to. In terms of size, he tends to be a bit smaller than the average male mixed-blood horse, but he's still strong enough to carry his burden. He's actually a lot stronger than his looks or build would indicate. There are more than a few scars on his body, mostly his shoulders and back and rear.
Personality: Kaitanu is quiet, retiring, reserved, obedient, apparently unfeeling, and rather emotionally stunted. He is easily startled, though his calm facade won't show as much, and utterly mistrustful of the motivations of others. Therefore, dealing with people is not something he likes, but he has no choice in the matter. If given the chance he would rather spend his time with animals or on his own. Kaitanu does as he's told without question because that has been his whole life; any inner questionings of why he should do this or that either never existed or are long-buried. His numb compliance is such that others would be forgiven for thinking he has no emotions at all. Kaitanu can seem rather doll-like in that respect, heightened by his slender frame and somewhat androgynous beauty.
On the other hand, he can be surprisingly quick-witted and brave when necessary. Most of that comes out in the interest of self-preservation, as he hasn't yet learned to think of others in an empathetic way. The closest he gets to such feelings is with children. However, he's also cynically practical and resigned to his life as a slave. That life, and the abuse he suffered, have colored every aspect of his world-view. He does not trust anyone, or anything, and never seems to relax his guard. In spite of his kindness to little children, he believes that the world is essentially a dark and cruel place, and that the dark and cruel are always on top. He expects to always be abused by those around him, even by other higher-ranking slaves, because that is how things are. That has been his outlook for as long as his shattered mind can remember. It does not occur to him that life can be anything different because he has never been given any reason to think otherwise.
Though Kaitanu is a Kelvic, he never bonded with anyone, so he's gained more intelligence than his long servitude would have otherwise allowed. He may even show surprising knowledge in random areas because of what he had to pick up out of necessity. By contrast he is woefully ignorant in what some might consider 'basic knowledge'. Usually, this has to do with geography, cultures he's never met, magic, interpersonal relationships, languages other than Common, and religion. In other words, anything he wouldn't have been allowed to learn, or weren't necessary for survival as a slave. There is also knowledge he's blocked out purposely, like anything he might know of Rhysol and his dark religion, or information regarding past masters.
So far, Kaitanu hasn't been allowed to show too much of his real self because of his past, but one can see glimpses when he's around children, or those smaller and weaker than himself. Then, he is as gentle and helpful as he dares to be under the watchful eyes of his betters. Otherwise, he would seem to observers to have no opinions, no ambition, no sense of his own worth, and no will to fight back or escape. In truth, he has nowhere to go and no one he would go to. After a lifetime of slavery, he doesn't believe he deserves to be anything other than he is. Freedom wouldn't occur to him as an option. If set free as he is, he would likely end up back on the slave market because he cannot yet fend for himself.
In spite of this, he has survived much more as a slave than the average being would suspect. Kaitanu has a very high tolerance for pain and abuse, both as a horse and as a human. His stamina would be legendary if, as a slave, it wasn't just taken for granted. Used to going for long hours without food, and extended periods with no rest, he can still run after others have collapsed. In the past he had no other choice and now it is the norm.
One of the driving forces in his life is the desire to escape as much pain and punishment as possible. Kaitanu knows he can't get away from every instance, but he's learned to navigate around the abuse fairly well. When being punished or abused he sends his mind away, usually by thinking of a song, which helps him to stay numb and somewhat sane. Even more than the need to escape is an unaccountable thirst for life, not because there is any real happiness in it, but because death terrifies Kaitanu. He doesn't know why this is, whether some hope for a better life is deeply hidden, or if it's simply a matter of the 'devil you know'. Therefore, though death would be the perfect escape from suffering he shuns it like the plague. He also shuns anything mind-altering- drugs, alcohol, whatever. Even at the worst of times he craves control over himself on the inside. It's his one point of power and he will not give it up, not even to ease his pain (this doesn't include pain-killing medicines that still leave one aware.)
Ethics: Whatever he really thinks of things, he's learned to hide it and do as he's told. Yet, in spite of himself and his Ravok origins, he has fairly clear sight about what's right and wrong, even in the actions of his own masters. Though usually powerless to do anything, he has been known to comfort or help others in secret, if he is able. Oddly, he has not extended this to himself, and doesn't expect anyone to help or comfort him in return. In fact, showing him pity or kindness would likely confuse him, and seem like mind games. Even his own kind acts are viewed by himself as an act in futility. Perhaps his true self shows through in them because there are times when he cannot seem to help himself.
Likes: Quiet places full of birdsong, forests, meadows, clear water, the beauty of nature. He also loves listening to stories, and being around children and animals. The one thing he retains from his past with his own family is his singing voice, though he has no memory of them. He loves music more than almost anything else. It's the only thing that keeps him sane, sometimes.
Dislikes: Noise, crowds, too much information/too many demands at once, calculations, cruelty, especially when the victim is particularly unable to defend themselves. Being a slave, he doesn't really believe he personally has a right to really hate anything or anyone, but he has a secret hatred for Rhysol and anything that has to do with him. He also has an intense hatred for masters, including and especially his own, though these feelings are repressed for his own survival. Just as it would not occur to him to escape, he would also not consider killing or harming those who abuse him. He has a complicated set of feelings for his own servitude; unhappy to numbness as a slave, terrified of not having a master.
Character history: In spite of the relative shortness of his life, Kaitanu remembers little of it. He only has the vaguest of memories from before he was a slave, or of his own parents, and usually he's not even sure they're real. Such memories are mostly hidden and only come out in rare dreams.
As far as his years as a slave, those memories have been partly repressed, so he will often have spurts of random memory here and there without meaning to. However, he will not talk about these things because he's not expected to, and even if he was, he wouldn't want to. In addition to the usual PTSD and other effects of slavery, he still suffers from the natural effects of those who have been systematically denied any kind of affection or kindness. Kaitanu has had the misfortune to have a succession of exceedingly cruel masters, so he thinks that no one good or kind can ever be in power.
In spite of being smaller than usual, as a horse and a human, he's filled a lot of different jobs. These include: a pack horse, a messenger, a lookout, a breeder, a research subject (while at the Kelvic Research Institute in Ravok), all-work slave, and just for whatever sick pleasure his masters wanted to get out of him. As a human, and a horse, he's considered quite beautiful. When he was younger, he was even sometimes used as a living ornament.
Kaitanu pushed, in his own way, to learn other skills in order to escape as much of the constant sexual abuse as he could. Finding that he had an aptitude for following exact and complicated instructions, and also for organization, he was taught to read and write so he could keep ledgers. As he grew older, he was used as a messenger and personal slave, in addition to being used for pleasure.
His last master in Kenash, Edmund Morealis, was the first who did not treat him cruelly or use him for sexual gratification. Given Kaitanu's history he was expecting that side to come out at any moment, so he worked harder than ever in order to postpone the "inevitable shift". Though Kaitanu's impeccable service would have looked like devotion to an outsider it was merely an effort to avoid pain. He never considered that Edmund might just be a mild-mannered man who had a distaste for mistreating his own slaves.
Kaitanu wasn't there long enough to find out otherwise. On the 7th day of Fall, 515, while on an errand for his master in horse form, he was unexpectedly carried off by a Wind Eagle. The saddlebag containing the clothes bought for him by his master, and the products of his days' work, was ripped from his back. He could no more prevent its fall than he could his own inexplicable kidnapping. Deposited, or accidentally dropped, in the Sea of Grass, he was left with no clothing, no food, and no explanation.
Masters in Ravok:
(To be filled in later)
Master in Kenash:
Edmund Morealis Fall 514 - Fall 515
Starting Training and Skill Points:
Endurance: 12
Singing: 18
Swimming: 5
Organization: 10
Cooking: 5
Racial Bonus: +10 foraging
Languages:
Common (fluent)
Lores:
Ravok plants good for consumption
Ravok plants good for basic first-aid
Equipment/Possessions: As a slave, Kaitanu had nothing to call his own, only what his masters provide for him.
His one personal 'possession' is his ability to sing, which he has so far kept from his masters. It's the one thing that reminds him of a time before, and helps him survive. He knows if they find out about his private 'music', it could be taken away like everything else.
Ledger: See below for chart.
