Calder Selm
| Calder Selm | |
|---|---|
| K-alder selm | |
| Created by | Dan |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Dedicated |
| Affiliation | The Grey Tower |
| Nationality | Tairen |
| Attributes | |
| Talents | |
| Weapon Skills |
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| Masteries |
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Calder Selm is a Tairen Dedicated of the Grey Tower.
Description
Calder is a short man (5,8) with a medium build. He has rather plain brown eyes, who look both focused, and distracted most of the time. In contradiction to his brown eyes, he has a bright red beard, and a shaved head. He is definitely not considered the most handsome of men.
His clothes tend to be on the disheveled side, not usually caring overly about his appearance.
Biography
Beneath the northern sky, dust blew from the dry, hot wind. The blue above grew more grey every day, the ground grew more tan and red. As the villagers of a small town struggled to survive, the blight grew, taking more and more of the borderlands. Plants were ruined, roots and fungus rotted. Animals grew sick and died, and the remaining of food grew stale. Maggots ate dried salted meats. Jarred vegetables and fruits grew rancid. Even water grew stale, and was often filled with dead insects.
It was a town dying, with intimidating cliffs facing from three sides, and a southern crevice facing the last. There was but one road leading here, but that road was death to all who used it. The walls alongside the road were crumbling, often stones from the cliff side would break off and crash tot he ground. If not for the falling debris, it was from rabid animals, or poisonous insects and reptiles.
It was a small forgotten place, a village of miners too sick and tired to chip away at the stones. A town of sheep herders, whose flocks were too ill to stand. A town of tailors, whose cloth rotten faster then they could sow. For the world, Tarmon Gaidon would come one day. But for this town, it was here. At night, the shades of their ancestors walked the lands. During the day, the villagers huddled in their homes, scared, dying, without hope.
Entering the village were seven people, men and women of different origin. Each had been tasked, to follow was to live another day, to rebel was to die. Some entered town on dying horses, every single one dying on their feet before reaching the towns only stables. The remaining of the seven walked through portals made of the One Power, stepping through on unsteady feet. It was a strange gathering, one foretold, a meeting signifying the end.
One by one, they arrived at a single small house in the middle of town. One by one, they arrived, and entered. Through the door was an empty room, with a crevice within the ground, leading to a chamber far below. Crude stairs were carved within the earth. The first to come down was a man, wearing the black coat of a Black Tower Asha'man. In his hand, he held a jewelled dagger, the steel a strange green color, the grip made of leather that looked like fresh toiled dirt. The jewel in the pommel resembling a ruby filed with blood. Placing the dagger on a small table which also held an oil lamp. The Black Tower Asha'man bowed to a crippled old man, and stood to the side.
Next was a woman dressed in the clothing of an Andoran servant, her clothing was made of fine material, a hint at the brunettes high ranks amongst the servants. On the table she placed a book, bound by a strange gold band, with a ruby where a small lock should be. She stood to the side, standing beside the first, and bowing to the cloaked man behind the table.
One after another others came, a borderlander with a golden ring, with a blood ruby shining darkly. Another Andoran, the man clearly a lesser lord, placed a different ring upon the table, the item similar to the other ring. As two more arrived, a golden tiara and a bracelet were placed upon the small wooden table, both gracing a blood ruby. The first was an Aes Sedai from the White Tower's Red Ajah, and the other was an Indigo Aes Sedai from the Grey Tower.
Lastly, a bald men stepped up to the table, dressed in mottled greys, with a heavy pack strapped to his back. He pulled a leather cord from around his neck, the strangely warm material tied to a gold locket with the texture of a leaf. Upon the locket was a small, but bright ruby, the color of blood. The man took his position amongst the seven, choosing to live by fulfilling his contract. Looking upon the table, the seven quickly spotted the resemblance between the items, it was a set.
Reaching forward, the old man removed his hood, revealing an ancient face, the skin mottled with liver spots and moles. His eyes were dark, and clearly appeared unnatural. Quietly, he took one of the rings, and placed it around the gem on the book. Fitting perfectly, it clicked as the old man twisted, unlocking the book. As he gently opened the book, his wrinkled fingers shook and twitched. Every eye could see the first page the man looked at, it was a diagram of the village. Everyone remained quiet, as the man looked through the pages. Everyone within the room was, or had once been a darkfriend. They all knew the old man to be someone very high amongst the hierarchy, and all knew him to be ruthless, and powerful.
He exuded an aura that screamed obedience, that gave the silent threat to comply, or die. None dared move, nor speak. The intimidation was thick. But the last man had seen the elder darkfriends secret. Wearing the Ter'Angreal necklace, he had seen the intricate ward woven upon the ground, walls and ceiling. He had seen the second ward, the strangest design he had ever seen on the wall behind the man, thick, elaborate, and powerful.
As the older man flipped through the pages with wrinkled shaky fingers, the seven began to understand. Each and every one of the men and women glimpsed at the contents within. The illustrations were quite obvious. He was going to unleash some thing from the wall, something buried within, sealed from the world. As all were watching, the man placed the tiara upon his head. As he embraced Saidin, the ruby within the tiara began to glow, his eyes turning a think black. He then placed the bracelet, which began to sine, and lastly the ring. Calder and the Asha'man both briefly looked at each other, both sharing an understanding of what was going on. They both understood what the bracelet and ring were, the fact causing both to dread what was coming. As soon as both were placed upon the same arm, the man felt radiated a dark sinister sensation, the usual intimidation of a man holding Saidin grown tenfold. Together, the two items functioned as an Angreal.
Before either men could react, the two Aes Sedai did. The first attempted to block the dreadlord, rushing the man and attacking with a thin blade which appeared out of the folds of her dress. The second woman, the Indigo Aes Sedai reached for the dagger on the table, a frantic look on her face. As she reached the weapon, the leather and gold Ter'Angreal fell to the ground, near Calder's feet. With remarkable luck, the lamp ended up being pushed to the side, crashing to the ground and shattering against the earthen floor. The oil quickly spilled, catching fire from the dying wick.
As the fire moved onto the table, Calder saw the nobleman take advantage of the situation, take the book, and run out as if his life depended on it. As Calder reached below and took the leather cord, he saw what he beleived to be the Indigo Aes Sedai using the dagger to cut the wards woven within walls. Placing the leather cord around his neck, he saw what she was indeed trying to destroy them. She was trying to destroy the outer wards, and doing a careless job of it. He really did not understand what was going on, why all of these men and women were rebelling, but he knew death would be dealt soon. From the corner of his eye, he saw the Asha'man run out. Calder quickly followed. As they ran up the stairs, they heard the older man utter a dark, frightening chuckle, which was quickly followed by both of the women screaming in agony.
"Run faster!" The Asha'man said, running for his very life. Calder understood why, with the Ter'angreal around his neck, he could see the ward fluctuating, shifting, growing unstable. As they exited the small house, they stopped in their tracks. The nobleman lay on the ground, dead, arrows in his chest. The book was beside his body, snapped closed, but with the ring still around the ruby. Surrounding the house were the villagers, each and every single one of them holding a short bow, and drooling slightly, a dazed expression on their faces. Amongst the villagers were other men, dressed in black coats. More Asha'man, he guessed they were probably darkfriends from the Black tower.
Get the book!" The Asha'man at his side shouted, as he first wove a ward around himself and Calder. The weave had been tied in perfect timing with the oncoming rain of arrows. Leaping to the ground, Calder took the book in his hands, then rolled to his feet. Meeting the Asha'man's eyes, it did not take long for the younger to see the older weave a hole in the pattern, the travelling weave creating a doorway to what seemed like greener, lusher lands. "Go!" The man commanded! Calder did not waste time, he could see the weave falling apart. Standing, he ran and leaped through the doorway. He was quickly followed by a bright white light, which pushed him with such force he rolled a dozen feet away. Looking back, the portal was gone, and the dirt was scorched black.
The Asha'man was nowhere in sight.
Standing up, he felt so very bloody sore. He had no idea what had just happened, he was jsut so bloody confused. Why had those Aes Sedai attacked the Dreadlord? Why had that man tried to steal the book? And why did the Asha'man try to help?
"I need a bloody drink." Calder said sourly. Looking at his surroundings, he was too frustrated to laugh. He was not even a mile from the bloody sour wench! But should he go for a drink? Something was going on, something had changed in the way of things. Should he truly go on as he had been for the last several years, or should he return to Hama Valon, and try to find someone who could be trusted, who could understand the book and what was going on...
Career History
- Soldier (16 March 2010)
- Dedicated (18 March 2015)
