Ka’chadras-trin of the Ch’gythtek Ka’chadras-trin of the Ch’gythtek
Appearance: Ka’cha is a young githyanki (about 28). She is tall; thin to the point of being gaunt; angular; deep-set black eyes; yellow, rough skin with the equivalent of a githyanki permanent tan; and deep black hair. Her features are roughened even further by long exposure to intense sun and sand (desert conditions). Although lean, she is well muscled, looking capable of running a marathon throughout the day (while not something she particularly enjoys, she has done it and still can). She has a rough, poorly healed scar going from the edge of her right eyebrow to the corner of her mouth then down to her chin, a multitude of scars (whips and worse) on her back, and an old brand of a stylized bird of some sort on her upper arms (slave mark). Ka’cha usually wears clothes appropriate for a desert setting: yellows, browns, and grays in durable material, easy to fight and run in. She tends to wear a poncho-like garment, will ALWAYS have at least one water bottle on hand (“So this is the elemental plane of water. Yes, I know I don’t need this now, but we’ll be leaving sometime”). She has an obsidian knife in a leg sheath and her chatkcha hanging from her belt constantly as well. Jewelry is a minimum of hemp choker with beads and multiple earrings; left ear has a bone hoop and line of gold and silver studs, right ear is a small jeweled insect head then several steel hoops.
History: You can go read True Name and get the same info in a more entertaining manner straight from Ka’cha if you’d prefer.
Ka’cha was born Toralana Tilvander to Neela and Kelvix Tilvander on the prime world Athas (hey, if people build vacation homes in Miami and Los Angeles, why not a dying desert world low on water and metals? ;). When Tora was eight, the house was attacked (they had water AND steel, of course they’d be attacked!), almost everyone killed, and any survivors were taken to the city of Glug as slaves. Tora was sold at auction to a Templer (priest/official of the dragon-king) named Streg, who used her as a pleasure slave/harem girl/concubine/whatever-you-want-to-call-it until she scarred herself. As punishment, she was sent to work in the fields. Instead of dying as she was expected to, Tora survived. She found leniency in some of her overseers (the turnover rate tends to be high) by sleeping with them, until the mul (half human, half dwarf) Orrin was put in charge. Although brutal, she slept with him until he became careless. She killed him with his own knife and escaped the pens, letting several others loose at the same time.
Tora fled with a thri-kreen (think a 6 foot intelligent talking mantis) called Klik to his pack. She was accepted as Klik’s clutchmate and given the choice to go or stay with the pack. She chose to stay. After three (an important number to the thri-kreen) years, due to some plotting on Klik’s part, Tora participated in the pack’s chatkcha ceremony with the children of the pack. She passed, was accepted as a full member of the pack, and took the name Ka’chadras-trin (Ka’cha for everyday use).
Soon after, the githyanki launched an attack on the world (no, I don’t know why, but it’s a recorded part of Dark Sun© history). During the battle, Ka’cha’s pack died at the hand of troops led by one Ruslan Potanka. At the time, Ka’cha was off enjoying herself at one of her rare visits to an oasis. When she returned and found her pack dead, she gave them what rites she could before setting off on her own. She soon encountered the githyanki, now retreating to their home on the Astral plane. Since there was no reason for her to stick around and every reason to find out about who and what she was, she joined them.
On the Astral Plane (More at True Nature!), Ka’cha found that ‘her people’ weren’t to her liking. When she was finally pressed to either kill a githzeri (old racial enemy) or be declared a traitor to an entire race, Ka’cha chose to help the githzeri escape. The two managed to make it to Sigil without killing each other, then parted ways. Since then, Ka’cha has discreetly joined the Indeps and quasi-permanently rented a room near the marketplace, setting up a reputation as a bodyguard and general bruiser for hire. So far, she’s been relatively successful.
After all, she’s survived.
Personality: While little more than a child by her people’s standards, Ka’cha has been forced to grow up quickly in the slave pens. She had very little in the way of a childhood, so is generally quiet and solemn. Once she trusts a person, she will follow orders quickly and to the best of her ability, but until they gain her trust, she digs her heels in and demands to know the reasoning behind every decision.
Although she is a githyanki, she is more comfortable with the mentality and world views of the thri-kreen. She’s happiest when out hunting or simply relaxing with her clutchmates (none yet). The idea of a hobby (or even spare time) is new and still odd to her, but she is trying to learn juggling from her bariaur friend Jax – try being the key word – and the pan pipes from his mate Kala. It has been noted that although Ka’cha tries hard enough, her music skills at anything other than providing a beat are even worse than her juggling.
Ka’cha finds her race’s hatred of githzeri sadly small minded, as well the githzeri response. She couldn’t care less; she’s just as happy sharing a mug or tale with a deva as a tifeling. In most circumstances, she’s willing to give a being a chance to accept them as themselves. She’s a moderator and peacekeeper, although happy to employ force should the situation call for it. However, she has a raging hatred for slavers or slave owners of any race. While she (usually) won’t attack on sight, she becomes cold and formal and will do anything in her power to rectify the situation. Because of this, she shares the racial hate of mind flayers.
She views the various factions with bemused suspicion. She sees the devotion to a single belief admirable but still rather silly, but with the thri-kreen’s need to belong to the clutch, she quietly joined the free-thinking Indeps (she views them in terms of her new pack). She doesn’t want her thinking trapped in one perspective to be found in the other factions, but that’s no real reason to not hear out others. If they want to believe that, fine. Active recruiting, on the other hand, is simply annoying.
She’s almost viciously pragmatic. Mercy is defined by how quickly the pray dies. If something needs to be accomplished by killing someone/thing, she’ll kill them. No quibbling about right and wrong, just get it done and over with. This attitude shows in her speech and posture: she says what needs to be said and no more, while she content to let someone more charismatic and better suited to the job lead. If she can’t do something as well as another, she’ll ask them to do it.
Strengths: Ka’cha is physically imposing. She is strong, fast, and very hardy; she’s able to live in a desert with giant bugs that don’t need sleep or need much water. After years of being a slave, she’s strong willed to the point of stupidly stubborn. She can easily survive in conditions that would kill most others. After three years with thri-kreen, she’s picked up leaping and dodging that are most definitely not human yet rather effective. Also, she is a light sleeper.
Weaknesses: Ka’cha has severe claustrophobia: she hates small, dark, enclosed spaces. They are a reminder of the slave pens she detests. Too long in a place like that will give her disturbing flashbacks, a case of the shakes, and eventually overwhelming need to run away and out no matter what’s in the way. Crowds – so long as the space is relatively open – are unsettling, but not that bad. The same goes for well-lit but small rooms.
Large social functions are utterly beyond her. She can happily chat with anyone, but “formal” and “group gatherings” aren’t in her vocabulary.
Not that she’s likely to get invited to any parties any time soon. Her scars make her less than attractive. During an interrogation, she’s the one that’s going to be found in the corner looming menacingly and generally looking imposing.
She’s also not exactly the brightest crayon in the box. Her hatred of slavers can easily get the better of her common sense. Not to mention that she’s being hunted by most loyal githyanki.
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