Nox Echiiscuan / Kasumar'ii-Men / Freelance Mercenary

Overview

-Name- Nox Echiiscuan
-Gender- Female
-Age- 28

-Race- Human
-Tribe- Kasumarii Men (Kar'ii)
-- the Echiilianni Order
-Title- Dashing Darling

-Occupation- Freelance Mercenary

Her past is brutal and full of bloodshed, and it left its marks on her clear for all to see. After the left side of her face was horribly maimed, she finally decided to leave her homeland of Cyhalloi. She sailed to Sarvonia to put the pain and past firmly behind her. But here, in this strange land, she found it difficult to become accustomed to the easy and laid back lifestyle that was now possible. Not to move is to die in her homeland, so in constant motion she shall persist with her handsome Zephyrian hound, Prur, by her side.

(picture coming soon)
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for reference only
` Know how sublime a thing it is to suffer and be strong `
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

Appearance

-Hair- Cyhallonian Snow
-Eye- Light Cerubell
-Height- 1 Ped, 2 Fores, 3 Nailsbreadths (5'6"/ 167.64cm)
-Weight- 1 Pygge, 1 Heb, 1 Hafeb, 2 Ods, 10 Mut (130lbs / 58.5kg)

Considering the amount of damage that Nox has endured throughout her life already, she's still mostly handsome. Being of average height for someone of her tribe, she maintains a rather androgynous and youthful appearance, making sure never to correct anyone when she is mistaken for a man. Instead, she tends to play the part of her countenance, especially to flirt with young ladies who stop to gabble-at and dandle her dog.

Nox's very thick hair is kept short, being nearly shaved in the back and sides, while the top is just long enough that it can reach past her eyes just a little. Her hair is the tint of dirty snow, being mostly white in color with streaks of rekjin clay and parchment dusted throughout it. Being blessed with pin-straight hair that is spilky soft, she is hardly ever plagued with knots.

Her face has wonderful bone structure; with a short forehead, pronounced cheekbones and an angular jawline. Her nose is straight and somewhat thin, and could be described as a button. While her mouth is full lipped, it doesn't take away from her male countenance as it is usually drawn into a relaxed, wolffish grin. Nox's teeth are straight and well cared for, but her front tooth second to the left is chipped at the corner, making it look like a second canine. On the right hand corner of her top lip is a small, crescent shaped scar that generally tends to go unnoticed by most people, but that she occasionally licks when she is deep in thought.

If someone were to notice her tongue for whatever reason, they would see a discoloured scar running down its length. The damaged tissue runs in a messy curve along the left side of the pink muscle, starting near the back of her tongue and ending just to the right of the tip, where it splits ever-so-slightly into two. And an almost identical, though slightly thicker scar arcs across the underside of her tongue as well.

Her almond-shaped eye on the right side of her face is a light cerubell blue shade, and is framed with dark rekjin clay colored lashes which stand out against her alabaster skin. The brow situated above is straight and no thicker than her pinky. Her other eye, however, is a defining mark that sits in stark contrast against the smoothness of her face, ragged with hard lines. Her left eye is little more than a mound of white and pink scar tissue, a downward crescent of periodically interrupted eyelashes sticking out from the old massive wound illustrating where her eye is. A particularly heavy knot of damaged flesh clings to the outer corner of her eye, and indents as it sprawls out across her cheekbone. Some of the damage spreads up onto the side of her nose, though stops just short of the other side. The scar trails away in obvious nail-marks in three fat lines, which sliced down her cheek nearly to her jawline, like vicious tears.

While the eyeball itself is still very much in working condition beneath the surface, Nox only knows that her lid healed itself shut, effectively blinding her in that eye, and it's been that way ever since. While she's never had any compelling urge to change that, on days that she's having particular trouble with her handicapped depth perception, she idly wonders how cutting the her eyelid open would go and whether or not she'd be able to see with it again.

Nox's skin is the stereotypical pigment of her tribe, a pallid peach stretched smoothly over her tightly muscled frame. Although her frame is on the slender side, she is extremely sturdy and surprisingly strong for her size. Over her years of training, she built up a considerable about of very dense, wiry muscle that is more for agility and unparalleled endurance rather than sheer brute strength.

She sports quaint little breasts that she keeps bound down with bandages as to keep them out of her way, and to further her gender deception. She has strong shoulders and strong, lean arms, the cuts of her muscles showing even when fully relaxed. Along with her calloused hands, which have square palms and long fingers, tell of her dubious years of weapons training.

Small scars litter Nox's muscled back, tending to be anywhere between two nailsbreadths to five nailsbreadths in length. Flat and toned with damn near a perfect six-pack of abs, her stomach belies, best of all, the years of rigorous training that she went through. Her waist is slender and does not flare outward, the line of her narrow hips staying mostly straight and true down to her thighs only the slightest bump defining where her hips begin. Like the rest of her body, her legs are densely muscled and, along with her swiftly agile feet, provide her with the ability to sprint longish distances if the need should arise.

Clothing

Despite her dislike of eye patches, she tends to wear one whenever she finds herself in populated areas, as she has found that the mangled half of her visage tends to if not deeply disturb, at least make uneasy the people around her. And quite the fine eyepatch it is, made of the softest and spilkiest material that can be bought in southern Sarvonia and dyed a dusky cerubell blue as to match her eye.

A faded nor'sidian cloth hat sits lopsidedly on her head, the left side pulled down to cover the upper-half of that side of her face as to hide her very fancy eyepatch. Draped over her strong shoulders is a white loosely-fitted, long sleeved shirt that gathers loosely at the wrist and was obviously made for a young man. The collar of the shirt plunges down in a deep v-shape to just above her diaphragm, and the bronze eyelets along the front neckline are left unused, revealing an upside-down triangle of her flat chest. She usually keeps her shirt tucked into the top of her pants, which are a soft pair of faded nor'sidian deerskin breeches, for a more well-put-together look.

Comfortably worn low on her hips, her loosely fitted breeches lace up the front with a short leather string, and are tucked into the tops of her boots. Her nor'sidian leather boots, while looking worn and not at all expensive, are very comfortable and very durable. About the top of her pants are two belts, a nor'sidian and a dark thergeroune; the black strung through belt loops and solely for holding up her pants, and the brown has her coin pouch and whatever else she decides to tether to it.

She also has a dark adlemirene brown woolen cloak with a hood, that has an almost-white cerubell lining so that it is reversible, with a simple silver clasp at the neck.

Nox likes to be prepared for the unexpected, so she tends to keep a few nightooths handy at all times. The first is tucked in the back of the waistband of her pants, hidden from view by the fold of her shirt and her belts. She also keeps one tucked away in either boot, as she had a small sheath built into each boot just for them.

For times where she knows that she will be thrust into a combat situation, she has useful accessories that she can wear. The main one is a sturdy nor'sidian X-shaped bandoleer that holds all ten of her nightclothes across the front, and has straps in the back for attaching a sword sheath. However, this isn't a part of her normal attire and is kept in her bag along with her seven nightooths that she doesn't usually keep equipt.

Personality

Nox is truly a scarred woman, inside and out. Despite all of the physical and psychological damage done to her throughout her life, she is of incredibly sound mind. Instead of producing an erratic, unstable personality; it resulted in... well, in Nox as she is today.

She is a die-hard realist that is ever vigilant of her surroundings, as is customary of her people. Very little gets by without her notice, as she tends to play the part of the observer until action is required of her. However, this does sometimes prove difficult when she becomes distracted with pretty ladies that occasionally stop to squee at her adorable dog.

While she is quick to simply accept anyone as they are, she is even slower to trust them. But it is this accepting nature that puts others at such ease around her, and she finds it easy to acquire information. She has a casual air and easy-going disposition about her that makes it feel as though she could become fast friends. Since she prefers to remain silent most of the time, she proves to be an exceptional listener and she often finds people freely confiding in her, especially drunks. It's her comfortable body language and how she seems perfectly okay with anything said to her that makes her seem more trustworthy than the next guy. Perhaps she seems unassuming, so people tend to offer up information to her that they would not normally give out to anyone else.When she isn't trying to blend-in for whatever reason, she has an almost impeccable face game.

This maimed Kasumarii woman has a warrior's respect for her weapons, as the people of her tribe are taught to have, and beyond that she is very fond of everything about her blades. On sunny days, she enjoys sitting out in the shade and tending to the maintenance of her weapons. In light of her difficult history, it is understandable as to why she would feel compelled to be 'armed to the teeth', so to speak. However, the warmth of the land and the less-dangerous people that live on this continent had done well to soothe her paranoid mind and, subsequently, significantly lightened the arsenal that she keeps hidden on-hand.

She is very reserved in her own emotions, however, and there are a number of emotional barriers between herself and everyone else. Even those that have caught her eye and she has taken a particular interest in, are held carefully at an arm's length. Just making an honest-friend is usually hard for her. In light of the abusive and unfortunate relationships of her past, her difficulty with romance is completely reasonable. And while she is perfectly content with being a solitary individual, there are times when she becomes lonely and pines for the comforting touch of another person's company. Though, the companionship that her hound, Prur, provides her with is all that she feels she requires on a usual day-to-day basis.

The closest thing to this Kasumarii's heart is her hound and her freedom to roam. Truth be told, Nox feels no real need to purchase anything that would require a great deal of money, such as a big house or shiny trinkets. She has no taste for all the elaborate bells and whistles of high class living, instead preferring her own rustic ways. As such, greed plays little to no part in her life. Money holds no sway over her or any of the decisions that she makes, only working for it as a necessity of living and the occasional pampering of her hound. Because of this she usually has ample coin to spend when she needs it, and she will sometimes take on jobs that have no promise of payment as a means of passing time.

Strengths

-Plays Well With Others- Nox doesn't like just anyone, but that doesn't stop her from being civil with even the lowest scum. Due to the nature of her career, or maybe lack-thereof, she has learned to get-on smashingly with anyone and everyone regardless of her opinion of them. Though this Kar'ii woman isn't the biggest social butterfly one might meet, she still thinks that she does admirably well when thrust into practically any kind of social situation. Though she's the quiet-type, she can be witty and charming where it matters, especially when the audience is an attractive one. She finds it exceedingly difficult to be offended by anything that anyone may do or say to her, though she won't let people just trample all over her.

-Energizer Kar'ii- While Nox does not possess the sheer physical strength of most warriors in general, she has the endurance and perseverance with which to make up for it. Her rigorous training in what most would consider a very trying environment certainly helped provide her with this hard earned skill. And years of working her body hard and long in an attempt to compensate for her lack of bronze-prowess has definitely paid off. Sitting in tight spots for extended periods of time, just waiting for your mark to show up, is not nearly as easy as some would think. Or, should she need to, she can run longer distances than average, and longer still if she paces herself correctly. This helps her a lot when in a physical confrontation with another person, who could probably overpower her pretty easily with a little effort, as long as she can mostly stay out of their reach.

-Small but Scrappy- Though you would not go so far as to say that she has 'brute strength', or even that she is even lacking in that category, she is certainly not weak. Now, she wouldn't go so far as to say that she would win any arm wrestling matches against other warriors, but she is surprisingly strong for her size. She might be slender, but she is scrappy and full of muscle. Maybe it comes hand-in-hand with all of the endurance she's worked up over the years, or maybe it's from all the physical abuse she's been through? Whatever the case may be, Nox certainly knows how to handle an extra large helping of punishment. She might go down, but she isn't done- not until the lights go out.

-Dancing with Death- Training with the Moonblade, and the Twin Moonblade, especially, is an art form to the Kasumarii. Their swordsmanship is as beautiful as any dance. Their moves are based on fluidity and continuous motion, as their swords aren't truly meant for stabbing or blocking with. As such, they must be able to avoid being hit while making their own attack in one fell swoop. No amount of momentum is left unutilized, so even the subpar swordsman by Kar'ii standards has an incredible amount of agility, speed and grace. This is something that Nox excelles at, as she was being taught sword form from a young age, and she finds it to be child's play to twirl out of the way of a blade while slicing away with her own, or launching a surprise nightooth.

-MoonBlade Exceptionality- Nox spent a good bit of her life in Guldor being trained with the MoonBlade. When she was young, her father taught her a fair deal between the ages of six and ten, before he died. After his death, she kept his sword and continued to train rigorously with it out of respect for his memory, as he had been quite the exceptional swordsman. When she joined a sect, she chose the Echiilianni because of their focus on training with the blade.

-Nightooth Proficiency- While she had given the majority of her unwavering attention and focus to perfecting her skills with her sword, she did take the time to learn how to use her tribe's nightooth. While she's not going to be performing any amazing feats with these large throwing knives, she is good for tossing out one or two of them with efficient and deadly accuracy.

Weaknesses

-One Eyed Monster- Early in Nox's life she lost half of one of her crucial senses from a physical fight with a crazed Echiliiani. Not the smartest thing to do, and she paid in full for her decision by having the left side of her face ravaged to shreds. To show for her misstep, there is a large, ugly scar marring her boyishly handsome face. Having such a horrible scar is something that she has slowly grown accustomed to over the years and she is, most of the time, able to work with her limited vision. However, only retaining the ability to see out of one eye, her depth perception is often very much askew and, as a side effect of such, she will sometimes think that things are farther away than they actually are and vice-versa. Speaking, as well, sometimes presents its own problem. Talking makes the scars near her mouth to stretch and pull, causing her to a sharp pain through the flesh on that side of her face which occasionally results in the whole scar to throb. Also, periodically, her left eye will begin to ache and, as such, she is susceptible to debilitating migraines.

-R- Nox's abilities rely heavily upon her speed and agility, as she simply isn't as strong as a male her size and is often overestimated. While she isn't physically weak in any sense, all of her abilities rely almost completely on her skills in speed and agility. Being of a somewhat smaller stature, she is a bit on the weak side despite that she has such great endurance. Being stronger than she looks, as she keeps herself in extremely good shape, isn't of much use to her beyond catching people off guard by being underestimated. However, this doesn't work twice, nor does it work toGetting into any physical confrontation tends to simply be out of the question and, as such, she avoids doing just that as much as she possibly can. A physical fight between herself and anyone else, unless it is with someone about the same size as herself, and she is more than likely to lose. Though she can be fierce, this "young lad" simply doesn't have a lot of weight to put behind her punch.

-It's Getting Hot In Here!- Accustomed to the freezing tundra of Guldor island, she often finds herself being weighed down by the heat of the day. However, she helps to fix this problem by wearing thinner clothing as to provide for better air flow. Despite this she finds that the warm temperatures are sometimes almost too much for her to bare. The heat strikes up her fatigue level, dragging her down and slowing her reaction time. Her vast amount of endurance can easily be cut in half at times by the heat of the day. Uncomfortable in humid and/or hot places, she may be prone to feeling claustrophobic and irritable when in warmer climates. As such, she is prone to getting dehydrated quickly and even heatstroke.

-Paranoia- Even though Nox can be a very amiable person to be around, easy going and friendly, she still can't bring herself to really trust anyone. This problem is so deeply rooted that she not only distrusts everyone, but she also suspects them being of cruel intent towards her and/or her hound. No one is to be trusted, is what she would say. It sometimes causes issues when she is dealing with people when she can't keep her suspicions at bay, no matter how absurd it may be. Paranoia is a constant little nagging voice in the back of her head telling her how much the world all around her wants to hurt her. Though it is very rare that it would happen, she may even go so far as to make absurd accusations of those around her, especially when they're just trying to be friendly. One of her small solutions that help her deal with this problem is simply being "armed to the teeth" almost at all times, the weapons making her feel safe and keeping her calm.

-Her Sweet Prur- Though it has been said earlier that this little Kar'ii woman is nearly impossible to offend or to rile up, it is to be mentioned that she does have a breaking point for such things. Whereas threats involving herself are hardly to affect her in any way as she believes that she can take care of herself and others directed at innocent bystanders, even children won't do to send even a rather soft breeze to stir the fallen leaves somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. But should one pose a threat to her most beloved friend and companion, she can be a bit fast to jump headlong into action as to stay the taunter's vile hand permanently. Nothing pulls at Nox's heartstrings like intending harm upon her hound, Prur. Despite often considering the cowardly dog to be a waste of space and air when in sticky situations where she could use a helping hand, she loves the hound to no end and simply won't tolerate others who even jokingly speak ill words or intentions towards the dog.

Belongings

In a medium-sized, beat up leather pack that she carries:

The extra clothing described in her clothing section
A small leather pouch containing a bit of saved up money used only in emergencies.
Five Nightooth
Three days' rations of meat jerky meat jerky and waybread.
A leather canteen of water.
A small wooden box containing flint and tinder.
Bandages and, needle and thread in a small box.
Some medicinal herbs for mild wounds.[/color][/font]
Icemilk scented soap and some Icemilk leaves.
A handful of Tooth Cabbage.

Hanging from the dark thergeroune leather belt:

A small leather belt pouch used to carry her currency.
A small hunting knife.
A black cloth used for cleaning her weapons.

Weapons

Nox tends to go against the trend of the most popular weapon among the Kasumarii, her weapon of choice being the Nightooth. In all, eighteen of these sleek, deadly throwing blades are in Nox's possession. She keeps four of them strapped to her person nearly at all times, save for when she's asleep, whereas the remainder of them sit peacefully inside her bag, waiting to be used. She keeps these blades in prime condition, often seen cleaning one when she's not busy jabbing the pointy end at someone.
Though she is not a huge fan of the sword, she does have her MoonBlade with her as well. However, she tends to keep the sword wrapped up and in her travel pack the majority of the time.

Familiar

-Name- Prur (pronounced: Pure)
-Gender- Female
-Age- Approx. 3 ½ years old

-Fur- Nor'sidian
-Eyes- Cinnabrown
-Height- 2 Fores, 5 Nailsbreadths
-Weight- 1 Hafeb, 3 Ods, 2 Mut

-Species- Canine
-Breed- Zeiphyrian
-- Hunting Hound
-Title- Skirt Snuffler

-Occupation- Fiercely furry sidekick and loyal companion, also professional Chick-Magnet

(picture coming soon)

Description

Large cinnabrown eyes are framed with thick, short lashes are set into a cute little furry face. A little wet nose is perched almost precariously at the end of her slender, pointed snout which also contains a set of cared for (by Nox) teeth. Two perfectly triangular ears swivel curiously atop her head, the ends of which flop down slightly, the right more so than the left. Her neck and body are both lean, muscles built for endurance flex and stretch beneath the hound's slick nor'sidian fur. Four long, slender legs supply a long reach and retain enough muscle power to provide for a quick get away. Her tail, covered with a slightly fluffy layer of fur, is long and thin and curls upwards toward her hindquarters. A splotch of white fur covers her belly and chest, her paws also are tipped with white, as if someone had dipped the ends of her toes in paint.

Personality

A playful and high spirited little pooch, when in the company of people that she is comfortable with Vosh can be extremely hyper and somewhat impressionable. When surrounded by a new-found group of people, she will frequently leave Nox's side and avoids interaction with people that she is unfamiliar with. Though, should you add another animal into the equation, she would have no hesitation in an attempt to inspect the animal- whatever it may be. She is highly curious, but horribly weary of other humans. Though, should she think that her owner, Nox, is getting along splendidly with her human counterparts then she will periodically attempt to interact with them.

Periodically, Nox suspects her hound of thinking that she is human. The dog has been caught on several occasions attempting to perform tasks that usually only humanoids perform. Tasks such as opening and closing doors behind herself and attempting to pick up smaller objects with her paws.

Prur tends to be a bit on the useless side in a fight. Sure, she'll be quick to raise her hackles, have her fur stand on end, and bare some pretty pointy teeth at someone whom seems to be threatening to Nox, but should a fight breakout she tends to stay out of the way. Simply put, Prur has a tendency to be all bark and no bite.

Strengths

Pointy! Pointy! Sharp, pointy teeth. Yes. Pretty much all canines are blessed with a good set of these, which prove to be rather useful for multiple things. Angel has these nifty sharp teeth which she uses to her advantage for such things as eating and baring them threateningly at strangers. She will defend herself whenever she should feel so inclined, but that inclination is not often. She uses this mostly for intimidation rather than actual weapons. Unless in a situation that she cannot escape it, she tends not to attack humans or anything else for that matter.

Quick Like A Bunny! She is certainly a fast little bugger. Her long, slender legs provide for a good reach and she has relatively good balance which, you know, tends to help. Running happens to be one of this hound's favorite pastimes and she excels at it. She is great at making a clean break and a speedy get away.

Weaknesses

All Bark, No Bite Prur was not raised to be a fighter dog. She cowers at the sight or sound of a fight. Loud, harsh voices frighten the hound. While she may be a bit quick to raise her hackles and growl at what she may think of as a threat, the moment she gets even the slightest inkling that the threat may actually attack her, she's off to hide somewhere safe. Frankly, Prur makes an alright guard dog and a horrible attack dog- which is okay because that isn't the reason why Nox keeps her around.

Background

Supposed Place of Birth Zephyrian Forest
Approximate Day of Birth Second week in the month of Efér'ypheró
Time Owned 3 years

Born and presumably abandoned early in her life by her mother, Aeiko was lost and very much alone wandering around the Zeiphyrian Forest. The hungry pup stumbled upon Nox while she was resting at the foot of a tree. So, she decided to give the unfortunate pup a little bit of meat jerky. Since then the hound, which Nox eventually named Angel, has followed her owner wherever the crazy woman may go. They both provide each other with love and loyalty and coming between the two is something that is not recommended. Often, when on the road, Nox can be seen carrying Aeiko piggyback style in the evenings.

History

-Birth Place- the Island of Guldor
-Birth Day- 18th day of Smól'evathón

Three years old, Nox sat in her messy bedding in an almost perfectly white carryhome, a hot fire raging outside the door flap and a small metal bowl in the middle of the tent sparkling with subdued flames nibbling at the sticks inside. Sweat beaded along her hairline and across her nose and cheeks, her big cerubell blue eyes examining the tattered edges of her blankets. Her father sat in the tent next to her, smiling softly and trying to think of what to say next to his daughter. The ruggedly handsome StormSon had been back with his family for nearly a month, but his reprieve from the mother sea had come to an end and now he was leaving yet again. He could see the unhappiness on his daughter's face and struggled for something to say that would make her feel better.

“I won’t be gone too long,” He tried and put his hand on her blanket covered knee, “I promise.”

The young Kar’ii girl looked up at her father and forced a smile, “I know, father. I’ll miss you.”

He leaned forward and kissed his child on the forehead before mussing her hair a little. “I’ll miss you too. Keep your mother company for me, you know how she is.”

It was just a couple hours before noon when her father departed from the small encampment, and she watched him trek through the snow and disappear over the crest of a hill in the distance. Shortly thereafter the small ‘village’, a group of five or so families, packed up and began their own journey to find a new location to live in for a little while.

Even being ill of the time, Nox pulled her weight like everyone else in the town. She helped pack up and carried her own things, and pulled the food sled with all of the other kids in their group. Her father didn't know, but she became even sicker whenever he left and her mother became crazier the longer he was gone. She would always tell her daughter that the girl was never to leave her, and that they would stay together forever- even it meant throwing herself into the arms of Qu'prur.

Her father always came home, and when he did things got better. She was no longer as sick, and she could go hunting with him and bring the kill home to mother, who would always wait for them even when the town had moved on. Yet, the sea would always call her father back. And off he would go, to brave the icy waters for months at a time. One day, he simply did not come back. They let the town they had joined move on without them, after five months of waiting for him, and ventured north to the forest. There, they found a shanty with a poorly built dock not too far away. It was there that her father would leave from to go to Waning Island, to Winking Moon Port on the little sliver of island not too far from the coast.

Nox's mother spoke with the person in the crudely built hut, and she wondered at the wooden structure- she hadn't seen anything like it before. The carryhomes, she decided, she liked much better. After a while of conversing where she couldn't hear, her mother let out a keening wail and dropped to the ground sobbing. It was there that her mother learned of her father's death, him and the ship and all the other crew lost to the frigid ocean lapping at the shores. She was five years old, and she tried to grasp the concept of never seeing her father again. It was hard to do. They left the forest and headed south until they reached the coast just south of Dieing Ice Ridge. There, her mother wept and mourned her father, but strangely Nox felt healthier than she ever had before.

One day, as they were moving along the coast, she mentioned that to her grief-stricken mother. Enraged, she beat Nox until she couldn't stand and then demanded that she put up the carryhomes while she went to hunt. She came back with an Elk five hours later and sent her daughter inside to wait for dinner. The five year old did as she was told. The next day, her illness was back upon her. Nox's mother cooed and cradled her daughter's feverish head, petting her hair and promising that she'd be alright. She seemed less sad than she had the day before, no longer bursting out into tears randomly.

For years, Nox lived like this, passing in and out of terrible illness where she could barely stand or stay conscious and was constantly in and out of feverish states. At the beginning of her illness, her mother would have her drinking bitter tasting drinks that only served to make her feel sicker. Later, she would move on to give her strange treatments that were both painful and tiring, and never seemed to cure Nox for long. The methods were strange and cruel, making her walk naked, only her feet wrapped in cloth, through the snow around the carryhome to cool her fever. She would bleed Nox from her back, telling her daughter that she was 'draining the vile from her'. She would have her daughter ingest small amounts of poison, which would cause her to spew from both ends horribly for hours. Occasionally, she would even wake her up in the middle of the night and force her to do taxing physical exercises, depriving her of much needed sleep. Yet, the girl would still help her mother all she could on a day to day basis despite the debilitating sickness that racked her poor little body.

When she wasn't ill, her mother would have them join a village to travel with for a time, and it made living easier. But soon the 'illness' would grip her again, and they'd leave the other families to go off on their own. "The other children will get your illness," Her mother would tell her whenever Nox would ask why they had to go.

These brutal rituals lasted the length of Nox's childhood, and she knew no better than to love the woman for her kindness of spending years taking care of her and treating her incurable illness. It wasn't until the middle of her tenth year that she separated from herself from her mother, although it was admittedly an accident.

The two of them had set up their carryhomes a few days ago on the edge of the forest, waiting to see a village of carryhomes passing by to join. She was feeling much better than she ever had before, the illness had passed the previous night and life had a new air of fullness to it that she couldn't quite understand but embraced all the same. Perhaps it was because her mother had finally given in to her daughter's pleas for her very own personal carryhome, though she had promised to not pitch it until they were settled in with a group. The sun was sinking in the sky, the moon teasing the sky with its brilliance, and her mother was still not back from the hunt she had left on the previous morning. It wasn't unusual for it to take such a long time, but Nox was feeling impatient.

The young girl picked up her carryhome, shouldered the bag, and ventured into the forest to find her mother. She didn't want to be without a place to sleep should she grow too tired to venture back to campsite at the edge of the wood. Nox looked endlessly for her mother in those woods, until clouds passed over the moon that hung pregnant in the sky, and she grew too frightened to continue. She put up her carryhome to rest for the night, and in the morning she packed up and continued on her search. The girl looked for the entirety of the next day, and each hour that she searched and found nothing she grew more regretful of venturing off alone. She should have stayed where her mother had left her, she told herself. Silly girl. Stupid girl.

Tired and hungry, she happened upon a little shanty leaned up against a large tree near the coast. It looked so familiar as she approached it. It took a while, but by the time she was rounding the structure, looking for a way in, it clicked. This was the place she went with her mother to hear news of her father's death. Animal pelts hung heavy from the top of a hole in on side of the little shack. Nox called in with a light voice, "Hello? Anyone there?"

A shuffling noise reached her ears from inside, muffled by the hanging pelts which were jerked to the side by a thin, pale hand. Fierce blue eyes as cold as the snow and bright as the summer sky bore a hole into her. So captivated by the gaze was she, that she couldn't even see the soft, pretty face that it was set into as they pointed down at her.

"Oh," said a woman's voice, "Get in, you're letting in cold." and the hand that had pulled the pelt to the side reached out and pulled the young girl inside. A little wooden bowl sat in the middle of the hut with a pile of dirt surrounding it, a tiny fire eating up sticks inside it. The woman did not give her a chance to speak, instead pulled her pack from her shoulders and set it down against a wall before urging her toward a pile of animal pelts on the floor of the little hut. "Lay, sleep, it is late and I must wake early to travel. You can tell me of things in the dawn."

The Kar'ii had no choice but to obey, and did as the woman bade her. It didn't take long for her to fall into a slumber, as she was exhausted from searching through the woods for her mother. When the sun rose, Nox could not tell. Usually she would wake with the sun, but there were no windows in the wooden tent and the animal pelt door blocked any light that may have come in through the doorway. But the woman woke her and fed her rabbit and fish that she had caught the night before.

"I am searching for my mother, she disappeared so I left our spot to find her. But I think I am lost now," Nox told the woman as they ate their breakfast.

She smiled at the girl, and said "I am Kaeliin. We will go together to Kasumar's Peak, you are old enough for this."

"What is there?" She asked her.

"The Orders of our people, we will train and become real Kasumarii." Kaeliin said between chewing a large bite of rabbit, "What has mother taught you?"

"I can hunt pretty well, I think. I can skin and gut animals. I can make fires and pitch carryhomes." Nox said quietly.

"Is that all you are learned at?" The woman was frowning now.

"Yes. Mother kept me in our carryhome mostly. I am ill."

"You do not look ill to me."

The woman went quiet, her brows furrowed in thought as she finished her food. She stood and began putting together her things to leave. After a long time of silence she suddenly said, "You will come with me and learn. I do not know a lot, but what I know I will teach until we reach Kasumar's Peak."

"What about my mother?" Nox asked.

Kaeliin shook her head and sighed, "Girl, mother do not stay with child until Qu'prur take her. Child must learn to fend on its own. Grow strong without a breast to nuzzle." The Kar'ii girl certainly couldn't think of anything to say to that, so she remained quiet, nibbling on her food. The woman smiled then, "What do I call you?"

"Nox," the girl said, trying to keep the smile off of her face, "My name is Nox."

"Come. We already have wasted daylight, and there is no time for that." Kaeliin hung a leather bag filled with frozen meats on Nox's shoulder and turned to leave. Eagerly, and ready for the big world laid out before her, Nox followed on the woman's heels.

Together, they travelled from the forest across the tundra, slowly making their way to the southern peninsula of Guldor. They stopped often, and along the way Kaeliin taught Nox the basics of how to use a nightooth. The woman would set up little wooden targets for Nox to throw the blades at, and would reward her improvements with stories of Qu'prur and of strange places on the islands that her own mother had told her when she was a little girl. One day, a month after leaving the forest, Kaelin began heading west.

"Where are we going?" Nox asked and pointed off to the south, "Isn't Kasumar's Peak that way?"

"Yes, we will not go there yet. I think you need to learn more. At the foot of Evathryón Ecúan, here, father stays. We will stay too. He will teach much to you and I both." Kaeliin explained, pulling her pack higher onto her shoulder. "Father is called Jyrcaru."

It was there that the two of them stayed for the following two years, living with Kaeliin's father. He taught them many things, how to survive in the snowy land by themselves and as much hand-to-hand combat as he could. Nox grew strong there, and never fell ill again. She thought this to be a curiosity, but didn't spend much time dwelling on the matter as she tended to be preoccupied. She was becoming stronger every week and excelled in all that she did as she held a determination that not all children have, due to her sheltered beginnings.

One evening, after a long day of training, Kaeliin asked Nox to come speak to her next to the fire when her father had already gone into his carryhome for the night. "Girl," she said, "You are more than old enough for your first blood. Has it come yet?"

Nox shook her head, "No."

"This is strange," Kaeliin said with a frown, "You are girl, yes?"

Nox only nodded in response, not bothering to be taken back by the comment. The woman and her father said many strange things to the young Kar'ii girl, and she had been with them for long enough that not much from their mouths surprised her anymore.

"You said, after first meeting, that you are ill." Kaeliin furrowed her brows in thought, "How are you ill? Since you have been here to learn, I have not seen this illness that you said."

"It is strange... You are right. Thought I was always so ill before, and weak." Nox frowned, trying to think up reasons for this in her head. She hadn't thought too deeply into the matter of her sickness that had just mysteriously disappeared since she joined the woman. And especially not since she began her training with the woman's father.

Kaeliin asked her again, "How were you ill, when you were?"

"I was weak, feeble..." Nox answered, haltingly, trying to remember all the aspects of her illness, "Tired all of the time... I would spew vilely from every end when it was at its worse. Sometimes..." Kaeliin remained quiet as the girl sat and thought for a moment, taking in all that she was hearing. "Sometimes I would vomit blood... or," Nox stuttered in the middle of thought, "or, and... sometimes I would have such a fever that my mother would send me out into the snow bare of all but my boots..."

The woman frowned at the last thing and turned her gaze from the young Kar'ii before her, looking instead into the fire crackling away. Something about all of what the girl had said just didn't add up. Something was wrong there. "Mother gave medicine for this illness?"

"Yes. Green water that tasted foul. And always after I would begin to get better the following days." Nox smiled, remembering her mother's face. She missed the woman, and she missed what she remembered of her father even more-so.

They sat in silence for a long time before Kaeliin stood suddenly and began kicking snow onto the fire to put it out. When she did this, Nox followed suit and helped to kick out the small blaze. At that, they both nodded to each other and went into their separate carryhomes to sleep. Tomorrow was another day of heavy training, and their rest would be sorely needed to keep up with Jyrcaru's heavy pace.

For a little over two years, Nox had trained tirelessly under Jyrcaru's watch, advancing her skills with nightooths and hand-to-hand combat. Because she was so small, and didn't seem to be growing much, he had the Kar'ii girl focusing mainly on evasive maneuvers. They trained constantly, it was in everything that they did. When they went hunting for food or to collect firewood, there was some lesson to be learned, some maneuver to be practiced. Her stature limited her hand-to-hand, but she had a strong back and very strong legs that she could deliver a strong kick with. Kaeliin taught her to move next to silently, and they would spend hours playing hide-and-seek in the mountains where Nox would wedge herself into small crannies and wait out her friend.

Then came the day that Jyrcaru felt that he could teach her no more, and all that Nox could do was practice what she had learned in her time with him. So he sent them both south, to their original destination when Nox's journey with the woman had first begun. They travelled to Kasumar's Peak, using the trek as a short and well-deserved reprieve from training.

Upon arriving at the mountain fortress, they were asked their intentions for coming. "To become part of Orders of Citadel, be strong like those before," Kaeliin answered for both of them, voice full of eager determination.

From there, they were taken into the cave at the foot of the mountain where many other young Kar'ii were gathered, most of which turned their faces to see two new people that came in to join them. They didn't speak to any of the others, instead leaning against the closest cavern wall as they waited. Few others joined them in the hours that they were there, and someone had come to make a small fire with a spit that had an Elk haunch speared on it. Once it was well into the night, a tall man with a shaved head came in, his steely blue eyes regarding the recruits standing before him. He seemed wholly unimpressed with the lot, chewing on bits of meat as they looked upon him wide-eyed.

"Tomorrow each of you will be evaluated and placed where best suits your skills," He said, "We do not care if you want to be placed in the same Order as your brother, sister, lover, friend. The Order you are in is where best fits you. We will provide for you, train you, equip you." A pause, as he looked around, "In return you will serve us for the following years, and you may die. If this is not something you feel you can risk, then leave now."

He waited for a response. The recruits shifted and looked around from one to another, but no one left.

The man smiled, "Very good. Know that regardless of Order or rank, we are all brethren. Once you have finished with your time of service, you may leave of your own accord." He then instructed them to put up their carryhomes if they so wished, as they were going to sleep there tonight and begin fresh and bright in the morning.

Years passed, yet Nox never grew any taller, never bled as a woman does. The things that her mother had done to her throughout her childhood had taken its toll on the girl, and it became more apparent that perhaps her supposed illness had done permanent damage. Her growth was stunted before she ever completed her 'blooming years'. A flower trapped in a physical perpetual limbo, frozen in the midst of bloom, betwixt being a girl and a woman, while her mind continued to mature with age. Her face still held the childlike features it had before and her hips never widened, breasts never formed. However, despite her small frame, one that would never finish its transformation into a lady, she could still develop healthy and strong muscles. Though petite, she could be very sturdy.

Having essentially disowned the only family she had ever known, Kaelian became her best friend and her entire world. She was a beautiful woman. Tall, regal. Mostly Kasumarii with something.. darker in her blood. All long white hair with light brown eyes. It was a silly thing to do, to tie oneself to a person so closely that they are willing to believe anything that person says. She had done it once before and, without a second thought, she did it again. Her friend became her family and then, eventually, became her lover as well.

The couple went through initial training together, though they soon parted ways when they decided which Orders they were going to join. The little Kar'ii's lover had decided to join the Echiliian's Order while she found herself more fitted to be among the Korejaans. And the simple fact that they were in different orders did not change how often they tried to see each other. But the longer that they stayed together, the more possessive and controlling Kaelian became. Nox had plans to eventually leave the frostbitten island of Guldor, while her lover simply did not.

They spent weeks arguing about it until Nox simply gave up and had decided that she would leave regardless of whether or not Kaelian came with her. It didn't sit well with her lover, being the possessive and controlling Echiliiani that she was. In her eyes, Nox belonged to her and leaving was out of the question. Oh, and how absolutely out of the question it was. Lashing out verbally hadn't gotten her anywhere, so she kept a close eye on her childlike Korejaan lover.

A few days after Nox's twentieth year, Kaelian accused her of cheating with a man that she had seen the petite Kar'ii looking at.

Snow sighed, she could hear the footsteps before the beautiful feminine hand shoved her forward, sending her to her knees on the icy ground. She twisted around so that she was on her back, looking up at the obviously enraged Echiliian with bright cerubelle eyes. The upturned face was the perfect image of a frightened child, the child that her body had failed to bloom past.

"You bitch!" Harsh words spilled forth from pouted lips, her voice arguably colder than the snowy ground that she had just shoved her lover down upon. "You cheating whore!"

The small Korejaan was vaguely aware that the rump of her pants were slowly soaking from the snow. "Kaelian?" she said, her voice a cautiously soft whisper, as if she were to speak too loud the vibrations of her voice would cause the air to shatter into jagged shards around them. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you!" The woman snapped, her beautiful face twisted into a mask of sheer rage, "I saw you looking at him!"

"You're not making sense," Nox quietly insisted as she slowly and carefully got to her feet. She felt that dealing with an enraged Echiliian was like dealing with a hungry wild animal. No sudden movements. "Looking at who? Kastin?"

"Is that the name of that boy?" She said, in an almost offhand manner. Lifting her narrow shoulders in a small shrug, she continued, "Doesn't matter, Nox, I'm not letting you go. You're staying with me. You're mine."

The little Kar'ii took half a step back, her thoughts inanely falling from her mouth. "What?" she said, "What?"

Then Kaelian was upon her and she instinctively attempted to shove her away. Of course, the woman was nearly two peds tall, whereas Nox was barely over half that height. The obvious victor of a hand-to-hand fight was, of course, going to be Kaelian. Before she knew it, their backwards shuffle tilted and she found herself on her back with the insane Echiliiani on top of her. A sharp pain exploded in her mouth barely seconds after she accidentally bit into her own tongue as her back made impact with the ground. Blood filled her mouth and she coughed, half choking and spitting out blood onto herself. There was nothing that the small Korejaan could do to defend herself- not really. Slapping and punching wasn't doing enough damage for Kaelian, so she began tearing at the small woman's face.

Nox screamed as her lover's nails tore into her flesh, scrambling at her left eye. Faintly she realized that the woman was saying something, over and over again. Desperately, she threw her small hands up in front of herself as if it would protect her. The motion proved to be useless and she turned her head, burying the right side of her face against the snow. Blood was smeared across her face, down her neck. It stained the front of her white shirt. The snow was melting against her back and soaking her in icy water.

"Kaelian!" the name came out in as a hoarse shriek, helplessly trying to stop the larger woman from attacking her. "Stop! Stop!"

Bony feminine hands wrapped about her thin neck and squeezed. She could feel her face tense, her heartbeat thumping in her head. It resounded in her ears, muffling the sounds of her lover yelling at[/list]