Artemis glanced at Vaclav when Beneth spoke of the upheaval in Grayhaven. If Hyallians are running amok in Grayhaven killing anyone loyal to Queen Karlianne, then Dorothea was finally making her move in Dene Nehele. She touched her opal jewel hanging off the chain on her chest and muttered a small prayer. There was already so much turmoil in Terreille, Artemis didn’t want to see anymore despite her suspicions that it was going to draw near. “Come inside, dear.” She ushered Liran to one of the chairs in her healing room, motioning for Beneth to sit in the chair across the table from him. Before closing the door shut, she glanced outside to ensure there wasn’t anyone coming. Not that she would let them in; there had been enough visitors for the day.
Not wanting to look at the dead Hyallian anymore, Artemis went into the other room to grab a sheet. Before draping the sheet over the body, she pulled out the arrow sticking out of the dead Warlord’s body and chucked it out the window. With the door closed, shadows crept into the room. Artemis lit a few witchlights to brighten it up. She started boiling water for some tea. “And what of the Queen? Has anyone heard news of her?” If things were amok out here, Artemis couldn’t imagine what was happening in Grayhaven currently. She worried for Karlianne, who had been fighting a losing battle from the start.
Artemis had finished healing her friend’s shoulder wound by the time both archers reached her doorstep. She broke off the arrow lodged in Vaclav’s leg and willed her healing salve and a mesh cloth over to them. The salve was infused with calendula and lavender to help with infection and bleeding. Holding down his leg to prevent any sudden movement, Artemis applied the salve liberally to both sides of the wound. When she heard Vaclav hiss in pain, Artemis whispered a small spell to relieve this pain. “Shh, almost done.” After the salve was applied, she wrapped the wound with the cloth. When they were in a better position, Artemis would heal it properly.
Finally, Artemis turned around to face the scene behind her. She had been purposefully avoiding the men behind her to avoid provoking any of their rage further. Usually her clinic was calm and peaceful. Patients would walk in asking for help with a minor wound or sickness; then leave once they were treated. There was never any violence at her doorstep. What turned out to be a typical day has quickly gone downhill. It angered her but terrified her more, especially with Vaclav already wounded. “Explain yourselves. What are you doing showing up to my doorstep armed and shooting the people that are in my clinic?” Artemis hoped she sounded more assertive than she felt. Her eyes took in the countenance of the first boy- Liran. It didn’t seem like he would be standing for much longer but she fought the urge to surge forward to help him until she got some answers.
Artemis broke out of her healing trance when she heard her friend cries of pain. She gasped at the two arrows that had pierced Vaclav and rushed to him without bothering to finish healing the Warlord in the cot. Dragging her friend out of the way and to the back corner of the room, Artemis snapped the arrow in Vaclav’s shoulder in half to pull it out of him. Hastily, she began healing her friend, phasing through his flesh to heal the blood vessels that had been damaged underneath. She hoped that Vaclav would be able to move by the time the Dena Neheleans darkened her stoep. Artemis wondered what the Hyallian warlord did to warrant their anger; she regretted not asking what happened to him before giving in to her automatic instincts to heal.
Usually, Artemis would never stop a healing session once it started. However, she was more worried about Vaclav than a random warlord that showed up to her doorstep angrily demanding for treatment. Before she was startled out of her trance though, Artemis had healed the warlord some. While the deep gouge was still there, Artemis had been able to heal the nicked organ and staunch some of the bleeding.
Artemis startled at the voice shouting at her. She almost dropped the mortar she was using to crush some poppy seeds but caught it at the last minute. Setting the bowl aside, she rushed over to the Warlord, ushering over to the cot she used for her patients. “You’ll have to drop your shield.” Artemis made sure he was laid down properly before fetching a bowl of water and some towels.
Dipping the towels in the water, Artemis cleaned the Warlord’s wound as best as she could to assess the damage. The gouge was deep though it did not seem to have hit a major artery. That didn’t stop her from worrying though. Wounds like this often damaged muscle and organs. If the blood loss didn’t kill someone, something else will. Putting her now blood-soaked towel aside, Artemis placed both hands on the wound, readily herself. Slowly, she let them phase through the Warlord’s flesh and seek out what was damaged. At first, Artemis was overwhelmed with how deeply wounded the Hyallian man was; her instincts telling her to heal everything. However, she found the worst of his damages- a nicked intestine- and focused on it instead, slipping into a deeper trance.
Before Artemis slipped deeper into her healing trance, she felt Vaclav’s presence entering the room. He glanced at his friend to ensure her safety before striding over to the forsaken weapon at their doorstep. Vaclav picked up the sword, feeling out its heft. Then he scanned the area to see if trouble had follow the Warlord.
The sun was barely above the horizon when Artemis rose from bed. Quietly, as to not disturb her bed partner, she slipped out of her room. She made her way downstairs to grab a quick bite before heading to her garden.
Artemis’s garden had plentiful rows. She had a few rows for the vegetables she ate while the others were for different plants in her potions. Each row was categorized by their usage in her potions. Humming to herself, Artemis strolled over to the well to gather water for her plants. Her morning routine was always watering the garden, weeding, and pruning. Then she would check her supplies and pick what was needed to restock in her dealing room.
~
Vaclav woke to an empty bed. Not that he expected anything else; Artemis had always been an early riser, especially now that she had her garden. He smiled, picturing her tending to her plot. Artemis liked to treat each individual plant as if they were her own kids. He’s caught her multiple times talking to them, whispering words of encouragement for them to grow healthy and strong.
Stretching, Vaclav walked downstairs to start breakfast. It wasn’t high noon yet so he still had a bit before Artemis returned from her morning chores. He had just pulled the bread out of the oven when Artemis walked back into the house.
“Ah, look who’s finally awake.” She sat down at the table, accepting the plate of food that was passed to her.
“Oh hush. Someone’s got to feed you.” Vaclav prepared his own plate and joined Artemis at the table. “How’s the garden?”
“Good. I think the adder’s tongue finally got over its blight and the burdock that I planted is finally germinating…” From the trees lining the edge of the property to the newly planted herbs, Artemis went through almost all her plants and their health while she picked at her food. When she finished, Artemis saw Vaclav had an amused smile on his face. “Sorry, you probably didn’t need to know all of that…” Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. She had a habit of going off on tangents when it came to her plants.
Vaclav simply shook his head. “I’m glad your garden’s healthy.” He and Artemis had been friends since they were children in Dhelem. They both had been through many hardships so it made him happy that to see Artemis so enthused by her garden. Taking both their plates to the sink, Vaclav put a kettle on the stove to make tea. “Anyways, I’m going to be leaving in a few days. Ellyas should be back before then.”
“Alright. Just be safe.” She was used to her friends coming and going at this point, doing deeds that they believe right. All she asked was they came back to her in one piece or she could get to them in time should they need assistance. With all the stories she heard, Artemis continued to worry for her friends and for the Realm.
Artemis stepped into her healing room, adjacent to the kitchen. She tossed open the curtains to bring in sunlight and propped her door open to let other know they are welcome to enter. While she enjoyed gardening, running her clinic was Artemis’s favourite part of her day.
“Verification confirmed. Running DF1Z2.” Q, the head android of the Zdenko when Malkan was away, turned to his counterpart, R. “Go wake up the others. Malkan initialized DF1Z2.” R nodded and strolled downstairs to complete its orders. Q turn to the few customers that had showed up during his captain’s absence. “Hello. Unfortunately, we have to close the shop early today. Please make your way towards the exit.” Before the customers could even protest, Q herded them all towards the stairwell. As soon as he got to the main deck, he closed the door and locked it, preventing anyone from going back down.
Looking around, Q could see why Malkan wanted to run the protocol. Black gunships raced across the sky, firing down at the populous below. Those who could fight were defending what little they had against the invaders while most were running for their lives. In fact, there were a few who had taken refuge on the Zdenko and Q could see more coming in the distance. Swiftly, he walked over to the bridge of the ship only to find a group of Seeqs attempting to take it over. Upon seeing him, the group tried attacking Q but he ducked and dodged their attacks. He grabbed one by the arm to swing it into an approaching Seeq before kicking another one out of the room completely.
Once he got the group out of the room, Q locked the bridge down. He ran his hand over what appeared to be a wooden table to activate the ship’s control system. “Ready downstairs, R?” inquired Q. He could vaguely hear the Seeqs trying to enter the bridge again but paid them no mind.
“Ready,” replied R.
DF1Z2 was a typical defense protocol Malkan would run if there was trouble. Its main purpose was to create a shield around the ship that deflected low to medium powered attacked. The same shield also cloaked the ship. Those who were running towards the Zdenko would see the ship slowly disappear from sight and the Zdenko was nonexistent according to most other ships’ radar. Although it was mainly a defense program, it also powered up some of the Zdenko’s weaponry, which was manned by the other androids.
“Malkan, Z2’s complete. Our radar indicates one Reaver ship with Dominion ships following behind. I recommend you come back here as swiftly as possible. Also, would you like me to dispose of the freeloaders that have taken refuge on the ship?”
In the Marketplace…
Cursing as the cargo ship crashed, Malkan wrapped herself tighter in her cloak and ran as fast as she could away from the mess. She created a force field around herself to avoid any debris as she weaved through the market. As she was running, if Malkan found anything of interest that was left behind, she would grab it. Eventually, Malkan slid into an empty alley to catch her breath.
Who in Apti was invading Teresg, Malkan wondered as she examined what she had grabbed. There wasn’t anything of value on this planet to take. She began disassembling her right hand and reassembling it into a weapon. Malkan hadn’t anticipated an invasion today so she hadn’t brought much with her that would work against what looked like Reavers- by Apti, those things never die do they? As she worked, Malkan listened to the transmission that came in from the Captain Sardis. While she wasn’t fond of working with others, Malkan figured she didn’t really have much of a choice. The Zdenko wasn’t fast enough nor was it currently well-equipped enough to fight an air battle of this magnitude. The last thing she wanted was having the Zdenko end up like the cargo ship she saw get obliterated moments ago.
Malkan was almost done tinkering with her hand when a plasma beam almost took off her head. Looking up Malkan saw a group of Reavers approaching her. She quickly grabbed an orb from her belt, programmed it into a grenade and threw it at the group. Then she ran the other direction to get away from the explosion that happened five seconds later.
She was in the midst of shooting another Reaver that had come down the alley when Q’s report came in. “Just let them be if they’re not disruptive. They’ll be the Cerebus Gate’s problem later.” Malkan slid underneath another charging Reaver and fired from below. After artfully dodging the rest of the chaos, Malkan finally made it to her ship. Had anyone been watching, it would have appeared as though she disappeared into thin air once she passed the Zdenko’s shields. Ignoring everyone who took refuge on her ship, Malkan waltz over and unlocked her bridge. “Head over to the Cerebus Gate.”
Q began steering the ship towards the cruiser, avoiding other ships and gunfire to the best of his abilities.
"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another."
Character Summary:
Name: Artemis Fleur Aliases: Artie Age: 527 Birthday: December 1st Race/Species: Dhemlan Gender: Female Birthplace: Dhemlan, Terreille Jewel Color (Birthright and Offering): Rose and Opal Class/Caste: Healer Languages: Fluently: Dhemlan, Hyllian, and Eyrien. She’s slowly learning the other languages to better help those she heals. Occupation: Healer
Appearance
Height: 5’11” Weight: 170lbs Body Type: full body though slightly on the slimmer side. Eye Color: Blue eyes with gold Hair Color: Natural: Black Dyed: White Skin Tone: Tanned Olive Skinned
Character Psychology
Sexuality: Pansexual Relationship Status: Single Personality:
Artemis is kind-hearted. Despite all the atrocities that she’s seen, she still believes that there’s good in people somewhere. This also makes her a bit naïve as she’s quick to trust others. She’s a pacifist by heart but is quick to defend those who aren’t defend themselves. In addition, Artemis is very much a people please and will go out of her way to make everyone around her has happy as possible. However, she generally keeps emotions to herself, not wanting to burden anyone.
While most perceive Artemis to be a bit dumb and absent-minded, she is actually intelligent especially when it comes to ethnobotany and languages. Travelling throughout Terreille has allowed her to expand her knowledge on these topics from a variety of people.
Habits: Smoking Twisting her hair around her finger when nervous Singing
Hobbies: Gardening Learning Languages Healing People
Fears: Dorothea’s Rule Losing Loved Ones Not able to Heal People
Likes: Plants/Ethnobotany Helping those in Needs Loyalty
Dislikes: Mean-spirited people Liars Conflict
Skills
General Skills: Gardener Ethnobotany for potions Translator
Combat Skills: Dagger Hand to Hand (mostly grappling and disabling techniques)
Magical Skills: Skilled Healing Abilities
History
Background:
Artemis doesn’t remember a time her world was at peace. She was born when the Sa Diablo Hall of Terreille had already fallen. Her family and a group of their friends were constantly on the move from one place to another for their own safety. Despite the constant moving, Artemis remembers the adults of the group always tried to keep their children’s spirits uplifted by keeping to Dhemlan traditions despite where they were.
When Artemis turned seven, she received her birthright stone, a rose jewel. Artemis was excited to receive her stone and with help from her mother’s friend, she learned more of the healing craft. She trained and practiced enough with her mentor that she received the opal jewel as her offering jewel.
Eventually the group made it to Dene Nehele. However, the journey was difficult and Artemis lost a few of her friends and family to different events she’d rather not recount. In the remaining years, some of the group has seek asylum in Kaeleer while others, like her, have stayed to help where she can. Currently, she has a small clinic that she runs with her friends for those who need it.
Additional Information
Other: Theme Song:
Vaclav Domonkos
”Those who know everything know nothing at all.”
Character Summary:
Name: Vaclav Domonkos Aliases: Age: 531 Birthday: December 1st Race/Species: Dhemlan Gender: Male Birthplace: Dhemlan, Terreille Jewel Color (Birthright and Offering): Opal and Sapphire Class/Caste: Warlord Languages: Dhemlan, Hyallian, Shalador, Dene Nehele Occupation: Healer's escort/Spy
Appearance
Height: 6’ 1” Weight: 198lbs Body Type: Lean and Muscular Eye Color: Gold Hair Color: White (Dyed) / Dark Brown (Actual) Skin Tone: Tanned Olive Skinned
Character Psychology
Sexuality: Straight Relationship Status: Single Personality:
Vaclav’s general disposition is calm and easy-going. He has an air of flippancy around him, often joking that seriousness will cause wrinkles. He doesn’t see the point in focusing on the negatives in life when its led many people he knew down dark paths.
Vaclav is also a very loyal and protective person, especially to the group of friends he has kept since their days traveling from Dehmlan to Dena Nehele. Valuing trust over most everything else, he is not someone who should be double crossed and will dish out what he deems as the appropriate punishment.
Despite his genial demeanor, Vaclav can be rather cold and calculated when the situation calls. Once he’s set out a goal to accomplish something, Vaclav will stick with it to the end. Vaclav is quite bull-headed; he has built up a set of morals and ethics that he rarely strays from.
Habits: Fidgety – usually tapping his foot or finger Dressing haphazardly - his clothes never match Sleeping in very late Cracking his joints unnecessarily
Hobbies: Reading Observing People Shopping for new weapons
Fears: Losing his friends Tyrannical rule Not being able out those in need
Likes: Beautiful women Sparring Cooking for others Undermining Dorothea’s rule
Dislikes: Cold weather Muttonheads Formalities
Skills
General Skills: Cooking Acting/Assuming another identity Manipulation
Combat Skills: Hand to hand combat Double daggers Bow and Arrow
Magical Skills: Crafting his weapons to do more damage. (e.g. making his daggers’ edges sharper) Crafting his attacks so the damaged is mirrored – someone getting punched in their left arm also feels it in their right. Crafting shields
History
Background:
Vaclav was born into a family of farmers in Dhemlan, although he doesn’t remember much of his hometown. Ever since he was young, his family and their friends have been on the move to get away from one danger or another. Being one of the older kids in the group, Vaclav tended to look after the younger kids, namely Artemis.
Despite having a decently powerful jewel, Vaclav refrains from using it. He’s seen so many people rely on the craft and then died because of it. Thus, he focuses more on his hand to hand combat skills. Relying on craft, in his opinion, can be a crutch.
Throughout his time travelling from Dhemlan to Dene Nehele, Vaclav learned as much as he could about the different races and their politics. This often got him into trouble when he disagreed with how things were run especially amongst those who favored the way of Dorothea. And while he’s been lucky to get out of the situations he’s put himself into, some of his friends have not. This has only solidified Vaclav’s beliefs in a more peaceful and balanced world but has turned him a bit cynical towards it.
These days, Vaclav is Artemis’s escort. He also uses his skills to gather information about Dorothea’s plans and tries to sabotage them to the best of his abilities. Throughout his travels, he’s seen all the destruction that Dorothea and her queens have wrought. However, he’s also seen territories ruled by benevolent queens; his wish is to see Terrielle restored to the land that it once was.
Additional Information
Other: Vaclav and Artemis look similar enough that they are often mistaken as siblings. This has made for some hilarious misunderstandings when people speculate about their relationship. Theme Song:
A tall cloaked being stopped in front of a stern of a modest-sized wooden airship. He eyed the embellished bowsprit suspiciously, thinking it was a bit excessive for such a small ship, before making his way up the gangplank. The being was not impressed when he got up to the top deck and found there was no one in sight. He was told he could get good equipment from this ship. However, he was not impressed by the set up. It was like they didn’t want anyone to know this was a shop. Scanning the deck, he saw a small sign with the words “shop” and an arrow pointing downwards. Figuring he already made the trek to Terersg, the being headed downstairs to check out if this shop was really worth it.
When he reached the next floor, his impression of the shop changed. Unlike the exterior of the ship, the interior was more polished. Shelves lined the metal walls and display cases took up much of the floor space. Signs hung above each aisle while little notecards detailed what the items on the shelves were and their cost. When he glanced about the room some more, he noticed someone on the other side. Probably the owner, he concluded. She seemed to be immersed in her work so he decided to help himself.
Malkan finished soldering the wire onto the circuit board. She had noticed the customer walking in during the middle of her work but the last thing she wanted was to mess up this circuit board again. Setting down her tools, Malkan observed her new customer. He obviously wasn’t a Seeg nor was a regular which made her wonder why he was out here in the first place; most people would try to find her at another location. “If you have any questions, I can answer them,” she said when she noticed the customer looking at two different plasma guns. He glanced up at her and nodded before going back to his own decision making.
Eventually, he brought up a few items to her checkout counter- a few different guns, grenades infused with different essences, and a PDA. Up close, she could make out horns underneath his hood and a large snout underneath his scarf. The dark dull eyes that peeked out between his heavily wrapped face caused Mal to think her new customer was a minotaur. “That’ll be 56500 coins.” Her customer grunted and handed her the money. “If you ever need any help, the PDA has a help app. There’s also another one that lets you order things from me as well,” informed Mal as she rang the customer up. She pulled out a case from under her counter to package all the purchased items. “Enjoy dear.”
Malkan waited until her customer left before going over to a panel against the wall and typing in a code. The panel opened to reveal two deactivated androids. Waving her hands in front of their faces, Malkan brought them to life. “Hold down the fort for me boys. I’m going out for a bit. You know the protocols if there’s trouble.” She strode over to her coat rack to grab her cloak. Malkan didn’t think Terersg was a planet if not for its oppressive heat. Often, she found interesting items while going through the market; it was also a good place to get materials for her products from time to time. Briskly, she made her way to the densest part of the market. There were a few stalls Malkan liked to frequent before making her way through the rest of the ever changing market.
It wasn’t until the third stall that Malkan found something interesting enough to catch her attention. She was in the midst of negotiating a price for said item when she was almost ran over by a speeder car, but the stall owner pulled her away at the last minute. Malkan turned to see what all the commotion was about. The car was just a speck in the distance now but the atmosphere of the marketplace had turned from its regular controlled chaos to one that’s more panicked. Feeling uneasy, she apologized to the Seeg and dropped the item back to its originally location before slowly making her way back to her ship. She didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she had a feeling that whatever was about to transpire, she did not want to be a part of.
Malkan pinged the communication channel on her ship so the androids could have it ready by the time she got there. “Run protocol DF1Z2. Verification code: 400841.”
Culture: The Tekhsmis are a race of cyborgs believed to have been created by the god Apti, who wanted to gift the world with more technology. It is believed that Apti blesses each Tekhsmi child with their intelligence when they were born and give them each a specific role in society that they are supposed to carry out until their end. Because of this, the Tekhsmis have built a five-tiered caste system, each with a specific purpose to society. At the top of the caste system are a group of senators who rule over their society. The second caste system is a group of priests and priestess who presides over ceremonies and rituals to appease their god. The third caste are researchers whose drive is to invent and theorize how to better the world. The fourth caste are the engineers who take the ideas of the third caste and mass produce their ideas and the final caste is the group of skilled labours who create all the technology that the Tekhsmis use. Since it is believed that everyone has a certain role given to them by Apti, the Tekhsmis are very strict about knowing your place in society. Rules and rules and they were made for a reason. Those who break the rules are punished accordingly and shunned by society as it is understood that rulebreakers chose themselves over the benefit of their society. In addition, despite trading much of their tech to other races, they rarely talk to outsiders unless necessary. This is not because they want to stay out of conflict, rather they think other races are beneath them especially those who do not embrace technology like they do. Tekhsmis believe that one day, Apti will decide when to “upgrade” everyone to their standards and they can become rulers of a new age.
Racial features: At first glance, Tekhsmis look like normal human beings. However, upon further inspection, one will notice the blue circuitry right beneath their skin, following the patterns of the human nervous system. This circuitry allows them to collect and parse data almost instantaneously. It also allows them to communicate by touching one another and transferring data. Tekhsmis brain also allows them to store vast amounts of information. It helps them rule or invent or build but also, they can hold a mean grudge.
Occupation: Electronics and Weapons Merchant/Mechanic/Hacker/Anything anyone wants her to do so long as they name the right price.
Training: • Mechanical, Electrical and Computer Engineering • Forging weapons/Weapons Handling • Computer Programmer/Hacking • Martial Arts - Krav Maga Style
Powers: • Technomancy: Using her mind, Malkan has the ability to quickly create any technological item so long as she has the raw materials for them. She can also infuse essence into said items to reinforce them if she desires. Malkan can control other tech not created by her as well although the bigger the tech the more power it takes as they’re not “tuned to her frequency”. • Electromagnetic manipulation: Malkan can see different objects and beings in the world as electric fields. Because of this, she is able to manipulate these fields to form an attack such as an EM blast or a defensive shield. In addition, by putting herself in a trancelike state, she can extend her conscious into these fields and wreak havoc without leaving a trace.
Equipment: • Goggles/Glasses – Although she has perfect vision, Mal uses her goggles or glasses when the electric fields around her are too distracting or she wants to focus on the task at hand. • Cybernetic right arm – After the incident, Mal lost her right arm. Thus, she built herself a new one that helps her out. Like a swiss army knife, the arm houses many tools that Mal uses to build her tech. • Left gauntlet – Like her right arm, Mal’s left gauntlet also helps her build. It’s most notable purpose is to help her infuse essence into her tech. • Equipment belt – Mal equipment belt houses small orbs that can be quickly programmed into many things from flash grenades to small spy-bots • Boots – Mal’s boots ground her when she’s working to help her avoid electric shocks.
Airship: Malkan’s airship is named the Zdenko. The modest ship serves as her home, her lab and her weapons shop. After acquiring it from her previous owner, she upgraded the ship to have an interface that can be accessed by her by touching some part of the ship. Through that interface, Malkan can maintain and pilot the ship with a small android crew. Don’t be fooled by the wooden haul either; Mal reinforced the hull with heavy grade metal on the inside to protect it from damage if it were to be attacked. This ship is her baby. Malkan has a regular route she follows to sell her wares. When she is docked, Malkan will display her weapons out on the main deck. Otherwise, for customers picking up items while she’s on the move, the half upper deck will serve as a display room while the other half is her lab. The lower deck serves as her living quarters.
Motivation: Malkan was born to be an inventor and engineer. She likes taking tech and making it more efficient or creating new items that no one has ever thought about before. And if she can get money for her creations and free beta-testing, all the better.
Personality: To outsiders and new customers, Malkan keeps a cordial and professional disposition. She is very business-savvy and goes to great lengths to ensure customer satisfaction. However, for to her regulars, she’s prone to be more sarcastic and can often guess what they need before they even open their mouths. Being a cyborg, Malkan’s cybernetic components allow her to retain and parse data quickly, making her very sharp and intelligent. Unfortunately, because of this, Malkan is quick to judge based on her perceived intelligence level of a person. She is quick to dismiss a person if she deems them too simple to converse with her. In addition, Malkan is also very logical. The organic parts of her allow her to understand emotional thought to some extent, but she doesn’t understand why it drives as many people as it does.
Flaws: • Electricity – The circuitry in Mal’s own body can’t take high volumes of electricity or it’ll short out rendering herself simply human. She circumvents most shocks by modifying her boots to act as a ground. • Doesn’t know what to do when worlds don’t have a lick of tech. • Workaholic
Bio: Because intelligence is valued so much, young Tekhsmis are monitored very closely from the day they were born. The Tekhsmis have a centralized schooling system that all their children attend where the focus is engineering and math but also history and law. Upon completion, students take an aptitude test where they are placed in a caste. Then they are paired up with a mentor with the intent that they’ll replace said mentor upon their age of retirement.
Upon taking her aptitude test and scoring a decently high mark, Malkan was placed in the third caste of invents where she was paired with her mentor Tibor. Tibor was a renowned Tekhsmi who had created many inventions for his people. Star-struck, Malkan sought to learn as much as she could from Tibor, and Tibor, seeing the potential in his young student, took her under his wing. However, Tibor also had other plans. For years, Tibor wanted to see if he could capture a demon and harness its powers. Without telling her his true motivations, Tibor tasked Malkan to build a machine for the sake of “harnessing powers not familiar to the Tekhsmis”.
To this day, Malkan is not exactly sure what happens (although she assumes Tibor couldn’t control the demon as well as he thought he could). She remembers finishing her machine for Tibor and was working on another project when a loud explosion rocked the building she was in. Sensing that it was it was towards her mentor’s lab, Malkan ran over to check to find him battling a demon. She joined in, only to be quickly knocked out by one of its long tentacles.
When she came to, it was a week later. She was missing an arm and according to the doctors, the only reason why she survived was because she had exalted. Apparently, the demon had leveled a whole city before it could be disposed. It killed thousands of Tekhsmis, including Tibor. Enraged by the tragedy, the senators put her on trial as soon as she could walk again. Despite valuing the exalted for their rarity, the senators did not want to chance another fiasco like this. For her part in this event, Malkan was banished and erased from Tekhsmis history.
For years, Malkan wander the world aimlessly, unsure of what to do next while trying to figure out her own powers. She then fell into with a few pirates before she realised piracy wasn’t the life for her with all its constantly pillaging and stealing . One day, Malkan was given a ship. Slowly, she began making her wares and selling it to whomever she could. For commission work, Mal has set up her own network on her PDAs that she sells. People can request items through a form on the device and she’ll either approve or reject the commission. People can also request her more illegitimate items on these devices as well after cracking a few puzzles and encryptions, if they’re smart enough.
Extra Info: Malkan gets annoyed when asked if she sells Dragon Blooded; she does not have time to go dragon hunting.
