Keshta Maric

[Keshta Maric]

Keshta Maric

[Keshta Maric]

Basic Info: Race: Human Birthday: Fall 67th, 497 AV Age: 14 going on 15 Gender: Female Physical Description Keshta is a pretty girl with delicate features and a face just beginning to lose the roundness of youth. Her hair is dark blonde and in the shadows of Syliras’s halls appears almost brown. Though it falls to the middle of her back Keshta most often pulls it into a loose braid lest it distract her from her meditations. Her eyes are a light brown and look very somber beneath her dark, thick eye brows. Her body is not stocky and heavy, nor is she slight as delicate. She is still small, still a child only just beginning to earn her adult body. For now she appears a thin, but relatively sturdy, and shows signs that she is starting to flesh out more. She prefers modest hues and clothing, a simple cotton dress with a leather belt or loose slacks and a tunic. Her left hand may be the most remarkable thing about her appearance. On the back shines a small Lormar mark, a blessing from Eyris, lovely and simple. The rest of her hand is not so beautiful. Her pinky and middle finger are both crooked and the skin itself is lumpy with scars newly healed, several of which have cousins farther up her arm. It was this arm that was injured during the riots of the Djed storm. Concept Keshta is pious and stubborn, well-meaning, bright and inquisitive. Once the maid has decided on a course of action, no one, including herself, can persuade her otherwise. Doubt is one of her greatest fears, and one she battles with daily, though she would scarcely admit it. Keshta questions herself and her decisions often, she is constantly filled with the desire to back away from the unpleasant or the terrifying. But, strangely, she very seldom does. She would thank her faith, but her father said it was her own ironwill that plowed the girl’s path through life. Perhaps her conviction is something to be admired. Hopefully it is, for the rough edges it has given her would be poorly justified if not. As mentioned before Cauldor Maric often described his daughter’s will as plowing her way through life. Paving is too delicate of a verb to be applied to Keshta’s mannerisms. The girl is stubborn as a mule and as disapproving as a boarding school matron. She understands right from wrong, she knows what is good from what is bad, and she will not bend in her judgements. It can make her come off a little harsh at times. In Keshta’s mind it is good to be pious. The pantheon has crafted this world as a gift for humans, and others, to live in. Imbalances in power make the universe imperfect, chaotic, and it is the duty of any good person to strengthen the gods of decency, preserve their legacies and spread their word. Lying is shameful, cowardice and laziness must not be tolerated, malice, cruelty and excessive indulgence as repulsive. To be good one must be devout, simple and eager to listen to the gods, prepared to do their bidding to help others and bring peace to the world and ever ready to learn from them. Keshta might find it easier to learn if she was not so closed-minded and set in her beliefs, but the budding woman is certainly intelligent. She has a passion for history, particularly of the Syliran knights, and a fascination with law and languages. She can be very kind to those dear to her (if stern in her opinions) and even charitable if she feels the gods’ will be served by an act. History Adeni and Cauldor Maric felt blessed with one another. The couple was young, and their life together looked bright. Cauldor had returned from his quest for knighthood alive and in one piece, for the most part, and Adeni was working successfully as a tutor for several Squires who had fallen behind in their studies. The couple had taken their vows before Cheva the winter of 496. In the fall of 497 they were blessed once again. This time their joy came in the form of a lovely little girl. Her eyes were bright like her mother’s and her golden like her father’s, though it would darken with age. The young parents were delighted and loving, and gave their little girl a good home and a safe place to grow up in. Keshta was raised around books, education and the values of the knights. Both of her parents made a very strong impression of the young girl’s personality, though neither could entirely explain the direction it took. Adeni and Cauldor were both loyal servants to their gods, as loyal as any average citizen of Syliras. But their daughter was fanatical and when she was not working with her mother (often babysitting the younger siblings of students), she was at the Temple of All Gods, praying, daydreaming, trying to sneak a peak at Glav Navik. They weren’t entirely sure what she was doing, but she seemed to have her values in the right place, and though Cauldor could not help but feel a slight disappointment that his daughter had no interest in martial arts or knighthood they both encouraged her passion. After all, a devout worshipper of Eyris and Yahal could only make a loyal and wise citizen. Though the couple tried for many years it seemed that Keshta would be an only child until her brother, Brennac, was born in the Summer of 504. Keshta never quite understood him, this child who played a knighthood before he was completely toilet trained. Nonetheless, she loved him dearly, for all of her bossing and scolding might make one believe otherwise. The family was a happy one and remained so as long as they were together. Unfortunately fate cannot be stopped, nor the forces of nature halted. Ivak was released, and the ensuing Djed Storm brought chaos into Keshta’s life. Her father and aunt, Eida Falkird, were both mages sent to protect the Mythrin outpost from the impending destruction. Eida returned to her family on a stretcher, her mind shattered and her body twisted. Cauldor did not return at all. And perhaps, in some way, that is a mercy, for the knight’s heart would have been broken by the loss of his sister and wife. The family inside the walls was not to escape unharmed either. Though Keshta, Adeni, Brennac and Eida’s husband, Noran and her infant daughter Melian would all survive the initial wave of djed the disorder that followed afterward would not be so forgiving to the family. Because of his young child Noran had been placed in a relatively safe location in the caverns early on and his young daughter made it through the crisis. Adeni and her children were not as lucky, and were caught in many of the heavy riots. This would be the end of the patient school teacher, trampled to death beneath the boots of the hungry city. Her children survived however, with relatively minimal injuries. Brennac made it through with an injury to his hip, which, miraculously, has left him with only a slight stiffness to his gait. Keshta, however, had her arm nearly crushed. Though her hand has returned to almost full mobility her wrist still pains her often and her grip is not yet very strong, nor can her shoulder rotate completely behind her, stopping painfully when her elbow reaches her eye. Her wounds became infected after the population re-emerged, and she spent most of Spring recovering from a series of fevers and illnesses under the care of her uncle. After healing her body Keshta had to begin healing her soul. The young woman had lost both of her parents and, in all practical senses, a dear aunt. Her uncle had taken her in, but he was preoccupied with his young daughter, her younger brother and his disabled wife, and the effort it took to feed them all. So Keshta retreated to her favorite places, her books and prayers. As summer reached its peak the child was still struggling to understand how her gods could fail her in such a way. It went against everything she had put her faith in to be so thoroughly abandoned, she could not accept that as reality. Eventually she decided abandonment was not her reality. The gods were testing her, guiding her to her true place. It was not enough to serve them in her heart and mind. She had been made to suffer, and feel the agony of loss that chaos could bring about. And at the same time she had watched many of her friends and their families survive the disaster and return to the surface nearly unscathed. This was what Syliras did, it protected and defended and gave people a place to hope and weather any type of storm. Her gods had sent her this sign so that she might know what the world would be without peace and order, so that she could join the efforts to maintain those highest of virtues. Keshta had never been interested in battle or bloodshed, or even magic, but the knights were the path she was being pointed toward. She had received her punishment for turning from destiny for so long, and never again would she shirk.

[Keshta Maric]

Skills   Education Teaching - 15 SP   Knightly Riding - 15 RB   Social Storytelling - 10 SP   Religion Meditation - 25 SP   Other Lores   Education   Knightly History of Syliras (SP)   Social   Religion Eyris (SP)   Other Languages: Common - Fluent Symenos - Basic Pavi - Broken Gnosis : Lykata, 1st mark Keshta was marked by the goddess Eyris near the end of Winter, 510 AV. The back of her left hand has a faintly glowing Lomar symbol, which allows her to glimpse the contributions made to an item. Possessions A rough fabric, light brown dress, floor length (SP) A dark brown undershirt and shift (SP) Sturdy leather shoes (SP) Red hair ribbon, cotton (SP) Wool cloak (Purchased) 5 sm Loose tan slacks (Purchased) 1 sm Plain cotton tunic (Purchased) 5 sm Waterskin (SP) Backpack & Contents: Brush, comb, soap, 1 week’s worth of food, eating knife, flint and steel (SP) Suit of plate mail (Loan) Broadsword (Loan) Buckler (Loan) Recurve bow and quiver of twenty arrows (Loan) Penita Scrolls (Heirloom) Ledger 100 gm Starting Pack -1 gm & 1 sm Clothing Purchases 98 gm & 9 sm Total Threads, Fall 512 AV : 16th of Fall, 512 AV - Hey baby! (Orion) Incomplete 21st of Fall, 512 AV - The Paths We All Must Walk (Alistair) Incomplete 56th of Fall, 512 AV - Worshipping in your own way (Clyde Sullins) Incomplete Flashbacks : 31st of Spring, 512 AVA Meddling Knight in Shining Armor (Imass) Incomplete Midsummer, 510 AV Dare You Tread Into My Temple (Guest Mod - Laszlo) Incomplete

[Keshta Maric]

Family Adeni Maric 45th of Spring, 478 AV – 10th of Spring, 512 AV Adeni was a lady full of quiet laughter, burning curiosity and strong convictions when she married Cauldor on the 4th of Winter, 496, replacing the name Geftan with Maric. She delighted in children and dedicated herself to educating Syliran youths, believing only the well informed citizen could be a good citizen. Her students were fond of her. She was bright, cheerful and a moderate disciplinarian, but beyond that, she had a knack for telling stories. Her history students as eagerly to their lessons as her own children to their bedtime stories. Beyond her passion for storytelling Adeni was a believer in Eyris and Qayala, and though she was never especially religious herself, she admired her daughter’s conviction. And though she was occasionally concerned by the harsh opinion Keshta seemed to have for others, Adeni was patient and believed in trusting in the good sense of children. She died during the riots beneath the city after being trampled to death. Skills Teaching – 20 Storytelling – 20 Psychology – 10 Cauldor Maric 12th of Winter, 473 AV – 1st of Spring, 512 AV Cauldor was rather sterner than his wife, perhaps the appropriate word would be more disciplined. He was quiet and rather shy, though very friendly and welcoming to all. The Syliran knights were the young man’s life, and his wife often chuckled to herself, saying she was only second in her husband’s heart. But Cauldor was a faithful man, and as devoted to his family as he was to his service. Though he could not deny being disappointed in his daughter’s complete lack of interest for riding, swordsmanship or the knighthood itself, he enjoyed her company. Father and daughter would often stroll through the Stone Garden, discussing the sacrifice of knights long dead, and what they had died for. Cauldor was a firm believer that courage was not the lack of fear, but the ability to overcome that which you feared most. He often suffered from nightmares after returning from his quest, and would pray to Wysar and Yahal to guide him through his uncertainties. A mage-knight in the White Company of the 4th Regiment, Gold Quadron, Cauldor was crushed under a falling tree at the Mythrin Outpost during the Great Djed Storm. Skills Riding – 20 Longsword – 15 Reimancy – 15 Brennac Maric 86th of Summer, 504 AV – Present While Keshta inheirited the solemnness and focus of her father and the bookishness of her mother, Brennac was a loud, rambunctious boy who delighted in the physical world. It has been his dream since he could walk to become a member of the Knighthood, though now he walks with a slight limp. Brennac was injured during the riots, but has made a full recovery and his passion for horse-riding, sword play and heroic fantasy remains undiminished. Skills Short sword – 15 Riding – 15 Shortbow – 10 Wilderness Survival - 10 Eida Falkird 12th of Winter, 473 AV – Present Eida Falkird was a brilliant strategist and powerful magician. She was once as stubborn and strong-willed as Keshta has become and as devoted to the Knights as Keshta is to her gods. Of all of Keshta’s relatives, Eida resembles her most. Unfortunately, there is little left of the powerful woman Eida once was. She was in the same Company as her twin, Cauldor, and though she survived the Djed storm it may have been easier for her family if Eida had followed her brother to Lhex’s antechamber. Eida was overwhelmed by the massive forces of the Djed storm, and her body and mind were left broken. Eida can no longer ride a horse, handle her sword or easily carry a glass of water without spilling. Her gait is swaying and uneven and her hands shake as though she has palsy now. But her mind was unbalanced as well as her body. The woman lost the flexibility and intelligence that had made her flourish in her early life. She is slower to comprehend new information and unable to adapt to changes and becomes quickly frustrated and upset, lashing out at her husband in a childish manner. She does simple manual labor for the knights now. Skills Shielding – 20 Longbow – 20 Riding – 10 Noran Falkird 73th of Winter, 475 AV – Present Noran Falkird is a soft, sweet and gentle soul and an excellent cook in the employ of the Knights of Syliras. He was once a very cheerful young man, full of creative energy, happy songs and good food. He was a rather doting uncle, sometimes to Adeni and Cauldor’s distress, but never completely spoiled his nephew and niece, though he may have been responsible for their baby fat hanging around an extra year or so. Eida’s theory for the attention he lavished on the two children was that they had none of their own, but Noran became no less affectionate with the arrival of his own daughter. Rather he became more joyful and eager to spend time with the children. But the aftermath of the Djed storm has had a sobering effect on Noran. He is still the same kind soul he was before, but the burden of caring for his toddler, nephew and his healing niece in addition to his crippled wife has been a serious strain. He does not smile quite a widely as before, or hum songs with the same bouncy rhythm, though he does insist that he’s just fine. He lives in the Roshin district with the two younger children and Eida, and still works as a cook for the knights. Skills Cooking – 25 Singing – 15 Sewing – 10 Melian Falkird 38th of Spring, 511 AV - Present Melian enjoys climbing stairs, banging pots and pans and listening to her father sing. She is generally uncooperative when Brennac needs a victim to rescue during his knightly quests. Skills As mentioned before Melian has a knack for banging pots and pans and Noran is certain she will grow to be a fine musician