Kesrel Kesrel gazes at you curiously, ears forward and pricked as she contemplates your request. Eventually, she grins, sparkle lighting in her crystal green eyes as she gives a slow nod, deep in thought. "I was but a kit when the migration really took over, but I remember. The terror, the uncertainty. But most of all, the sense of loss. Scattered be we about our Hubs, but community is there. Or was. I never knew the Hub my parents hailed from, for it was one of the first to be destroyed by the Undead. Taking my brother and sisters my parents had escaped and headed east with the tide, stopping briefly at other Hubs before they too had to move on. During one of these stops came I, and so I was born into what had become a truly transient race. "My parents were careful, but the day came when they caught up with us. The warriors were brave, and the pyres soared their heat into the sky in the attempt to release the souls of the vanquished, but the attack had been too sudden for any sustained defense and so everyone dispersed in haste once again. In the ensuing chaos we lost my siblings to the throng and were separated. After days of searching my parents had to hand their fate to the Three, and we pressed on and away once again. "They were nae the same after that day. They obsessed over me, paranoid I would be taken and lost to the Wheel despite not knowing their fate. They trained me hard in all manner of survival. Lost to me also were the teachings of our priests, but they tried to educate me in Eu and did so admirably so I say. And thus I grew in the woods and the fields, the hills and the valleys, always moving. "I was in my 11th cycle when we happened upon Shard. With our travels we had encountered Elotheans and Elves before, but not on such a grand scale, and never in such architecture. Although uncomfortable in such confines my parents decided we should stay. The people were welcoming and the walls secure, but the culture was strange indeed." Kesrel shifts uncomfortably, her tail flicking constantly down by her side as she continues, ears sagging. "We had not been there but a couple of cycles when my parents
were taken from me in a hunting accident. A creature much stronger
than they had wandered into a normally tranquil hunting ground and
took them by surprise. I performed my duty as Prydaen and sang the
Wheel Song for my parents as their souls were released through the
fire I had built. I remained there until the flames were gone, their
dance "I carried little with me so I moved quickly; spurred by memories I would rather fade. Eventually I reached a mountain range. Never having seen snow before I was unaware of the dangers, the cold, and thus proceeded to climb through the trails. Unprepared as I was, the cold and lack of food became my undoing and I collapsed somewhere along the way. "Days later I woke in fever, a Human face marked with worry
watching me. And a little fear, for I was the first of my kind she
had encountered having only heard rumors previously. She was a bard
of small but well regarded stature and had found me in the mountains
and brought me to a port town now known to me as The Crossing, and
my home for the next 10 years. When my time came to leave she pointed
me to a mansion in the northern parts of the town where I might find
a Mentor. Following her advice I arrived on its front lawn and a mentor
by the Kesrel chuckles softly to herself, a low rumbling sound with a vague purr-like quality. "I was too desperate to want to fit in and build a life for myself, and soon became very disillusioned with my chosen path in magic. I found myself drawn to the town's Temple, and spent much of my free time there chanting and singing with the priests in honor of the Thirteen, Eu never far from my mind. After much consideration I left the Guild and took up home in the Temple, cleaning for my keep as I quietly took in the Holy ways. "It wasn't until around my 18th cycle that I realize though
that my new life was not complete. On the sound of a crier I made
my way back to the mansion and came across a lady by the name of Lluna,
a Mentor and Paladin. Enthralled by her I listened for hours, and
when her duty was done she took me to her home where her partner and
fellow mentor Cavryn waited. I grew to become part of their lives,
and after much thought and deliberation they adopted me into their
family. "As my time with the Paladin's grew I knew I had made the right choice. My desire to serve the Gods was alive and through the Guild I was taught to fight and protect for them also. And I flourished. They have taught me honor and valor, and I can only hope to one day serve as an example to those who think themselves lost that there is always hope, and the Gods. "As my training progressed I fell in love and took Bryn as my wife, a Human Moon Mage and Seer. For years we were happy in each other and our lives, until one day her duty called her away from me. She had to leave, and to this day I mourn her loss, though I understand. I moved my station to the islands of Ratha and Aesry to start a new life, but I soon returned mainland, moving further north again to the walls of Theren where I eventually settled, and to this day call home. "With the Outcast War I took my sword and pledged my loyalty to the Baron of Therengia, and joined one of his regiments known as the Black Orchids. To him and they I still give my life in service and will do so as long as I walk these lands, all under the watch of the Gods." Kesrel gently plays with a silver armband that rests snugly on her upper arm, tracing the lines of the jade glaysker flowers with a claw. "In time I traveled back to The Crossing and applied to become a member of the Mentor Society at the mansion. The day I was accepted will always be a fine memory. So now I split my time between my stays at Jadewater Mansion and my home in Theren. And sometimes, when my blood takes hold, in the wild country of Elanthia living as only a Prydaen can know how." Kesrel smiles mischievously before she stands and winks at you, gracefully moving away. |
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Last Revised: 4/22/05 |