Kestrel Apricity
| Kestrel | |
|---|---|
| |
| IC Information | |
| Full Name: | Kestrel Apricity |
| Hometown: | Spectorate Conclave, Aquvy |
| Gender: | Female |
| Age (Birthdate): | ? |
| Height: | 5'6" |
| Race: | Elven |
| Hair Colour: | Red and gold |
| Eye Colour: | Silver |
| Class: | Oath-bound Chronographer |
| Role: | Antagonist |
| Bounty: | 0 |
| OOC Information | |
| Theme: | Original Character |
| Groups: | The Spectorate |
| Player: | soph |
Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see. -- C.S. Lewis
Kestrel is one of those rare souls who seems to have an eternal flame secreted away somewhere deep inside of her, something that causes her to exude a warm, radiant energy, vital and infectious. Rarer still, she appears to be predisposed to have more interest in others than in herself. Perhaps it's those qualities that made her a candidate for her life's work: she is an oath-bound chronographer for an order called the Spectorate, a collective of individuals charged with documenting the twilight of Filgaia. It emerged nearly five hundred years ago in the wake of the Collapse and has devotedly pursued its aims by sending its acolytes out into the world to witness history as it's made and fill volume after volume with important events, names, and the stories of even the lowliest citizen of that dying planet. Her passion for her work is all-consuming, her fascination with others genuine.
Easily approachable and ever ready to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger, she doesn't much resemble the countless hardened Drifters floating about the continent of Ignas. She seems unlikely to be able to survive in that rough-and-tumble world for long, but thus far she seems to have done well enough. Maybe something to do with the runes occasionally visible on bared, fair skin.
History
Kestrel was born in Aquvy to more or less human parents, though she'd be the first to say she isn't sure quite how long ago that was as she was foisted into the care of the Spectorate not long afterward -- just that she's certain she's older than she looks by several decades. So, to understand Kestrel, an explanation of the Spectorate is needed.
The Spectorate is known to be a somewhat antiquated body of historians and scholars that formed in the time just following the Collapse. The sect claims that so much was lost during that period of upheaval that it is the responsibility, even the duty, of like-minded individuals to document and preserve the state of the world for future generations, to safeguard against any further devastation on that scale -- both in preserving historical record against it, and in the hopes that such a record will guide the people of Filgaia on a path away from utter devastation. As it became more and more clear that Filgaia may not ever recover from the Collapse, the expressed goal of the Spectorate evolved, becoming a mad rush to document the death of the world as impartially and thoroughly as possible. Chronographers belonging to the sect are sent out into the world to document what they can, not merely events and the profiles of highly public figures but also the interior lives of even the most common and low-born sentient being. They seek to document the essence of Filgaia in all things, examining the fabric of its existence to the most minute detail.
This is the organization in which Kestrel was raised, somewhere in the archipelagos of Aquvy, on an island in the Great Sea. The parents she was born to had little role in her life, trading her for a life of comfort and the assurance that their child would be given the best possible education and opportunities. An essentially scholarly pursuit, the Spectorate invests a great deal of time, energy, and resources in preparing its agents for the roles they'll play. All of them are gifted scribes outfitted with the necessary skills to document the death of a world. They learn calligraphy, how to mix pigments from natural ingredients for inks, illustration and illumination, how to press paper and other mundane things, but they're also heavily trained for social purposes: how to be charming, inviting, and how to engage others, build them up and coax them into opening up about themselves and their lives; how to tell if they're lying; how to remain as unbiased as it's possible to be within the constraints of necessarily caring about their purpose. Pursuant to many of these things they must also take an oath of solitude. They are not allowed to do what they do and also engage in any serious romantic relationships, as it's believed that depth of attachment is compromising and would hinder clear judgement.
Kestrel excelled in two areas of her training particularly. She has a warm and curious personality by nature, fearless in her willingness to engage strangers in conversation and genuinely fascinated with the stories they have to tell, so her gift for interviewing others and putting them at ease was evident almost from the start. Where her knack for symbology came from is less obvious, but she took to it quickly and advanced enough that she's capable of applying runes and symbols to various items to create magitech. Her strongest school is far and away that of Illusion.
With her training complete she's only just been turned loose into the world of Filgaia, sent first to the area of Eastern Ignas to begin her work. She travels alone and to all appearances seems perhaps a little delicate to be abroad in solitude on such an unforgiving continent, but her survival skills are excellent and she appears to have avoided most serious trouble, still bright-eyed and eager.
Abilities
- Just Scribe Things: Calligraphy, ink-making, paper-pressing, book binding, illumination, illustration, laundering inkstains out of clothes -- the material necessities of life as a traveling scribe.
- Just Documentarian Things: Kestrel is an excellent listener, a thoughtful interviewer, and a willing participant in the give-and-take of getting to know someone -- and sometimes she gives more than she takes. Whatever is necessary, in the end.
- Wilderness Survival: She spends most of her time on the move, and is fully capable of navigating the wastes, setting up and striking camp, and hunting for her own food. One might even get the feeling she's more comfortable that way than trying to negotiate rates for rooms in cities.
- Symbologist: She's good at this. Great at this, even. She specializes in illusion.
- Dual-wielding daggers: This isn't her favorite way to pass the time, but anybody who travels the breadth of Filgaia is well-served to know at least a little bit about self-defense.
- Light-footed: Kestrel is exceptionally acrobatic. Flexible, quiet, agile, and capable of moving at high rates of speed over all sorts of terrain -- the Filgaian equivalent of freerunning, more or less.
Trivia
- She's older than she looks (and she looks like she might be in her twenties).
- Kestrel is incredibly competent in the areas she was trained in, but beyond those areas there are large, sometimes glaring gaps in her knowledge about the world, having lived for so long in the Spectorate Conclave on a remote island in the archipelagos of Aquvy.
OOC Note:
Without getting too specific, since SPOILER ALERT, there's more to Kestrel than just an interest in learning about the people around her (though that part of her is absolutely genuine). Anyone willing to engage with her on a deeper level is likely to become part of something bigger. People who like character development wanted! Not sure? Page me! I don't bite!
Relationships
| Source | Name | Nature | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Ellyicon.jpg | Elly | Geologist (?) | Capable of compassion. Estranged by her own hair. Less fear than she should have: but why? |
|
? | ? | We both know I escaped with more than just your sword that day. |
|
Miang | Historian (?) | Knows things. She probably missed her calling as a scribe for the Spectorate.
Then again, maybe she didn't. |
Gallery
Faceless
| Playlist | ||
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Flyleaf - Justice & Mercy (Violent Love Version)
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| Dedications |
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Chapter 1 Logs
- 2017-05-11: Malevolence 101
- 2017-05-16: To Build A Future
- 2017-08-06: Labyrinths
- 2017-09-23: Connections