Kailitha d'ra Din
| Kailitha d'ra Din | |
|---|---|
 | |
| ki (like kite) lith ah dr ah din | |
| Created by | Melonie Walther |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Gaidin |
| Affiliation | The Grey Tower |
| Nationality | Altaran |
| Attributes | |
| Weapon Skills |
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| Masteries | |
Kailitha d'ra Din is an Altaran Gaidin of the Grey Tower.
Description
Kailitha is about 5'9"-5'10" with deep brown eyes and her long black hair is in a single braid that goes down her back to rest on her lower back. She is about 19-20 years old. She has a scar that is above her left eyebrow that gives it a slightly raised look. On her right cheek is another scar a thin line that heads straight to her ear. She has a temper that she mostly keeps in check though it is not as furious as it was when she first came to the Tower, it still burns. She's general nice to all but has mischievous side to her so you don't want to get on her bad side.
Kailitha now has a scar running between her eyes going left to right. And a white streak starting at right temple and running the entire length of her hair.
Biography
The sun shone brightly that morning when my life changed. I had sneaked out to watch the shopkeepers open their stores. I loved the way that they moved to get everything ready for their customers to start arriving. I thought that one day I would be one of them. I even knew the type of shop I would open. A flower shop. I would have the best and prettiest flowers around.
It's funny how that all changed with my last duel. A couple of the shop boys spotted me. I should have known there would be trouble but I was daydreaming about my little shop and didn't notice that they were pointing and snickering.
My mistake. The biggest of them came over to me challenged me on the spot. It took a minute for it to sink in what he said.
I didn't have a weapon with me. I had foolishly left my quarterstaff at home. It's a lot harder to sneak out of the house with it for starters. But I knew what tradition dictated, I could not turn him down.
"I accept. Let me return home and get my quarterstaff and return within the hour," I replied as I stood up. At this they laughed outright. I didn't understand. They were suppose to to let me get it, weren't they?
One of the others tossed this strange weapon at my feet. It was a pole arm but not the kind that Altara used. It had a long curved blade on top and a weighted short spike on the bottom. It was not well made however and appeared very old. I looked up at them and then back at the strange weapon.
Then with something I did not understand I picked up. I was shocked to find that though it had appeared a shabby worn out thing, the balance was prefect. I had no idea if it worked even remotely close to the quarterstaff that I knew but I didn't have any option here. If this is what they wanted me to use, use it I would.
Gripping it like a quarterstaff and turned and faced my opponent. He pulled out a strange curved blade and pointed it my direction. I knew I was in trouble. He knew how to handle his sword and I didn't know how to handle mine. This was about to end quickly.
He brought his sword around to slash at my side. I tried to bring the pole arm around to block but it didn't have the same speed as my quarterstaff and his blade grazed my side. I could feel the heat of what he had done and sweat began to bead on my brow. I had to take the offensive or I could end up with more then a scratch. Or two.
I swung it down and jabbed forward but he jumped out of the way as if it was nothing at all. I still wasn't used to the weight but I made the block in time as he swung at me again. My hands were beginning to slip and I was losing my grip on the pole arm. I swung the end of the pole arm towards him and smiled in satisfaction as a trail of blood welled up across his cheek. He stopped to wipe it off and then roared in anger. He came at me full force. It was the least that I could to keep him from killing me. With every blow I could feel the weapon buckle a little more.
It could take no more and broke in half. I stumbled to the ground leaving me weapon less and the shop boy the winner. He took a step toward me and my heart began to race. He was going to kill me. I tried to scoot back but my feet got entangled in the hem of my skirt and I couldn't move. A gasp escaped my mouth as he took another step toward me.
He looked surprised and then looked at the sword still in his hands. He sheathed his sword and extended his hand to me. I looked at it for a second and then accepted it. He hadn't realized it was still out. It had become an extension of his body.
"Sorry about that," he said as he bent to pick the two pieces of the pole arm. He took them over to the boy that had thrown it at my feet. "I didn't mean to break your grandfather's ashandarei." He wasn't talking to me when he said sorry he was talking to the other boy. And what was a ashandarei? Was the weapon that I used? I wanted to know more.
They turned to walk away.
"Wait!" I called out to them. The leader boy turned around and the others stopped. "What was that all about anyway?" He just smiled and turned walking away. He waved his hand and called behind him, "I'll tell when you grown up, girl." And with that they disappeared into the crowds. I cursed loudly and long until the pain in my side told me that I should go and get that fixed. And explain to mama that I lost another one.
I went and got it bandaged up and looked down at the blood covered side of my dress. There was no covering that up. And besides it would be all over town that Liana d'ra Din's daughter had lost again. The best duelist in town had a failure for a daughter. I tried not to cry as I walked slowly home.
My mother was waiting for me at the door, hands on her hips.
"You never learn, do you?" she said, as she led me inside the house.
"I just want to be as good as you," I told as I went to go sit down at the breakfast she had laid out on the table. Looking around, I turned to her and asked, "Where's dad?"
"He went looking for you." My heart sunk. If dad was out looking for me then I was in real trouble.
"Just tell me you didn't do the challenging," mama pleaded.
"It wasn't me," I didn't want to tell why I was out there and why I didn't notice the trouble. But the look she gave me made it clear that if I didn't give her the full story... it would not be good.
"I went to watch the shopkeepers again," I started.
"For heaven's sake! You're a carpenter's daughter! Why do you want to be a money grubbing shopkeeper? Why not keep to honest work?"
"Mama," I told her trying to get her to calm down, "I'm no good as a carpenter. Dad even said so himself. At least a shopkeeper is respectable. Well anyway, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings and a bunch of shop boys spotted me and thought that they'd have some pre-work fun.
"The leader challenged me and got me good. I managed to scratch his cheek though." I said in my defense.
Mama sighed, and just then my dad walked through the door. He shook his head and turned to mama.
"You get the whole tale out of her?" mama nodded. "Good, I'll get it from you later."
"Kailitha..."he started. "You can't sneak out of the house like that. Look at all the trouble it caused." I winced for the blow that I knew was coming. "Therefor you are grounded from leaving the house for a whole month." The blow had fallen. It was as expected. No better than what I deserved.
After the month had past every free moment I had was spent looking for a ashandarei. And when I found a shop that sold them I spent every moment looking at them.
I will never forget the day my father found out.
Another bright morning. But on this occasion I very much wanted to sleep in. My father had other ideas.
He opened the drapes in my room letting in the sun. I rolled over in an attempt to go back to the sleep I desperately wanted. He snuck up on pulling off the blankets and rolling me off on to the floor. I landed with a thud. I jumped and dived over the bed to grab my quarterstaff. But my father being on the other side of the bed grabbed it first.
"You know you really shouldn't try," he smiled. And then he looked more closely at the shaft.
"When was the last time this was used, much less taken care of? Weeks? Months?" his voiced raised to a squeak.
"I've been busy dad. And besides if I don't carry it around I get into less duels that way and mama doesn't get disappointed."
"Your mother...." he said.
"I know dad. I want to be better but I'm not." I hung my head. My father rubbed his chin a moment before he said, "there is a way for you to learn all sorts of fighting skills and weapons..."
"Like the ashandarei?!" I squealed.
"The what?"
Oops. I shouldn't have said that. He might not send me to this place now.
"That's like a spear right?" he voice seemed guarded. Again I bowed my head.
"Yes, dad."
"Where did you see one of those?" his brow furrowed.
"My last duel," I mumbled.
"Your opponent used one?" he had asked the most dreaded question. I knew I shouldn't lie but the truth was painful.
"No he used a ka-katana or something like that," my voice dropped further.
"So one of the other boys had one?" Well...
"Sorta."
"Sorta?" I could tell where this was going. "You mean that you fought with one if those?!"
"Well, you knew I didn't have my quarterstaff even if mama didn't. Did you think that it was a fist fight?" my temper was raising. "How could I get cut it in a fist fight?!"
"All right, all right. Calm down. So you got a taste of a blood weapon and want to know how to use it, right?" he said walking around the bed to stand directly in front of me.
"Yes. I want to make you and mama proud."
"Ever heard of a place called the Grey Tower?" he asked. I actually hadn't. I had heard of the White Tower. I mean who hadn't.
"It is a place where they accept both male and female, channelers and warders a like."
"W-warder...?" the term was both alien and familiar.
"A non-channeler warrior sworn to protect a channeler. Do you want to become one, someone that can protect everyone, someone who would make your mother proud?"
With every fiber in my being I shouted, "yes!"
"Alright then, let's go talk to your mother." We did and that is how I got to standing here in front of the Grey Tower about to take that final step into a much larger world. And sun is brightly shining this morning.
When Kailitha left the Grey Tower eight years ago, she and Zander decided that the Tower seemed darker, more sinister. It didn't seem the sanctuary it once was. Being on the run with two toddlers was hard but they endured. They traveled far to a place where no one knew their names. Eight years passed in peace. About a month ago that peace was shattered by the smell of fire, the sounds of men and horses, and the feelings of fear. The men attacked as the screams of the horses echoed in their ears. Zander rushed the children out the back door and placed them on a horse, telling them to ride for the town and bring back help. Once the children were out of the way, he nodded grimly to his warder. Kailitha already had in her hands her ashandari. Zander pulled out his sword. Screaming of the horses now mingled with the screams of men. Zander and Kailitha's bodies moved in time. Their years of working together expressed in a fluid motion. Soon the battle was over and the children were once again safe.
She interrogated one of the dying men and he choked out through the blood spilling from his mouth that the Dark Ajah had taken the Grey Tower and wished her and her kin dead. Kailitha fearing for the life of her children sent Zander into the wilds to protect them until they were old enough to join the ranks of drin and channelers. Kailitha made her way back to the place she never thought to see again. The Grey Tower.
Career History
- Drin
- Ji'val (6 March 2008)
- Gaidin (25 November 2008)
- Gaidin Captain (16 November 2011)
