Latest revision as of 08:08, 5 April 2010

History

I was born to Cynis Belar Efer around 20 years or so ago. I would say the name of my father, but I deeply suspect I am not blood-related to him at all. My parents were, nonetheless, strangers to me. I grew up surrounded by tutors and slaves, and pampered to be a princess of earth. My mother and my father both had excellent lines, and my two older brothers had already exalted, so I suppose the same thing was expected of me... and it was something I expected to be.

It was not to be... I spent my school life doing much of the rituals children make in order to have a hope of Exalting. I like to believe I was a good student, although in the later years... well, I got desperate. As the years passed and I didn't Exalt, I'll admit I became awfully moody. I felt I had been lied to, all those years, and I got increasingly angry at myself and my family. When I returned home, it was probably expected of me to simply be quiet and not get in the way... it was how I understood my mother's words of disappointment.

I snapped an angry reply at her and left, condemning her and just about any other member of my family and of their own families. I felt I didn't need any of them... who cares if I hadn't Exalted? Foolish thoughts from a foolish girl, I suspect.

I cannot say what my fate would have been, if I had not run Ledaal Safar, a wood-aspected physician. My appearance must have been horrible, because he took me in and listened to my angry story. After considering a bit, he offered me a job... I would be his assistant, and in exchange he would provide from me. Only a day had passed since I left home, but I already felt faint and knew I wouldn't last much longer out there... so I accepted.

Imagine my surprise when he told me that I had good hands to be a doctor. Also, I knew quite a bit about herbs... mostly about their use in drugs, but he quickly taught me how to use some of said herbs as medicine.

And... for the first time in my life, I felt well and good about what I was doing. Oh, it was hard work, be certain of that, but there was no nagging pressure from my family (whom I remained distant from) or from other annoying people. Safar is a kind man, and his instruction aided me in controlling my temper and focusing on better things. Sigh, if he wasn't faithfully married...

Well, either way, a few years later I set out to make my own name as a doctor in Nishimo, but I kept contact with Safar. He is, after all, a much better doctor than I was, and had access to things I did not. I didn't do too badly.

Exaltation

One day, they brought in a soldier that had been horribly hurt... no details were given, but a house had apparently collapsed on him. He was in -terrible- shape... with no dragon-blooded healer around, I could tell he would lose his arm and a leg, if he lived through this at all. Still, I began working, as I knew I had to do.

And... the strangest thing happened. Suddenly, I knew just how I should set each bone, how and which wounds were vital to be closed first, and I had the ability to do so just right. Something that should have taken... an hour or more, maybe, I did in 10 minutes. When I was done, the man was heavily bandaged, but... his breath was calm, and I could see that his leg and arm would be just fine...

And -then- I noticed the glow that surrounded me. I was terrified when I found a mirror and stared at the mark of the Unclean in my forehead, and I knew what was coming next... the Wyld Hunt would not be long in finding me. I had no time to consider just how strong or how -well- I felt... I panicked, took whatever I could with me, and fled. I reached my horse just to hear how the front door of my house had been smashed in...

I left Nishimo as fast as possible and moved south, to Arjuf... I knew I didn't have a chance if I stayed in the Island.

on Solars

My horse was not too tough... not certainly the kind used to the kind of running I subjected him to in my mad dash. However, I was -still- glowing... not as much as I had been not long ago, but still enough to be easily seen. The Wyld Hunt was quickly closing up on me... and when my horse collapsed, I thought it was all over, I could not outrun horses.

And then... they appeared the ones that would become my circle mates. They must have noticed me as well... Nilla stepped in and roared, scaring the horses and most riders of the Hunt. Some of them even fled and some others fell. Then, the others came through... the Hunt must have had... 3, 4 Dragon blooded, but I saw then that a Dragon-blood is no real match for a Solar.

Oh, I didn't understand then... I thought they were demons, there to complete my transformation. Rio calmed me though... and explained. Of course, now I wonder... why me? Why a Dynast? I guess that is a thought that has crossed their minds more than once. Nilla, our Dawn, for example; she and I are as different as we could possibly be. A barbarian from the North, like the ones that destroyed the Tepet legions, as I understand it. We mostly try to avoid each other, and I'm content with that. She -is- a fearsome warrior, and I'd rather not be in the wrong end of that axe.

Our Night, Silent Light... is somewhat afraid of me, not because I'm a Dynast but because I'm a Cynis. I have tried to break through this difference, and I'm hoping for some success soon... I have also promised to try and find a way to restore her voice, which she has taken well. Other than that, she's a fairly good fighter... and the only one around here than can actually cook anything.

Tal'na is the Eclipse of the group. She's probably the most learned person around, so I have an easy time talking with her. She also doesn't care whether I am a Dynast or not... her only flaw might be that she's a bit too eager to explore things she doesn't know about. On the other hand, she -does- know about a lot of things, if most of them are in the South... which means we won't be going there anytime soon as long as Nilla's about; she reacts badly to heat.

And finally, our Zenith... Rio is a good, strong leader. I have taken to calling her Lady Rio in respect. I can easily see that she's the one that keeps this odd circle together. She is also the one that has accepted me the most, even if she's... er... a bit too eager to prove it. Still, I don't believe I'll be leaving her side anytime soon if I can help it.

on the Realm

... how to best describe it... its decadent, horrible, a shadow of its former glory. I suspect things might have been better for the world at large if the Empress was still around, but I suspect things wouldn't change all that much... not to mention, I would probably be dead right now. Anyway, when you have families like... well, like mine... what good could you honestly expect?

Not that there aren't some good Dynasts around, even Cynis. Have you heard about Avuku? I understand he's quite a soldier, and an honest man. Safar is a good example as well. Silent Light herself swear that her former masters were the kindest people she can think of, but the girl seems to have a love for Dragon-blooded (except for the Cynis) that just escapes me.

Personality

Byanka usually appears to other people as a serious and stoic figure. Her patients often see her being rather temperamental, especially if they don't do what she says, but Byanka only does this because she honestly has their best interests in mind. Byanka -does- possess a somewhat fierce temper, however. While she does her best to keep calm, she often fails at this.

Finally, Byanka has some feelings of inadequacy... not Exalting as a Dragon-blooded all those years ago left her rather bitter, even if she's something even better now, in her opinion. She's very afraid of failing her duty to her circle mates, and is doing her best to amend with those that don't like her... although Nilla has been resistant, at best.

Appearance

Byanka is a beautiful, buxom young woman, with fair skin and beautiful, straight black hair and emerald green eyes. This is not surprising, considering her mother and most of her immediate relative are quite beautiful as well. Unlike them, however, Byanka chooses to wear as much as possible, and her robes are often quite conservative. Also, Byanka wears small, glass spectacles over her eyes, as she, quite frankly, has plenty of trouble seeing without them.

When she's expecting trouble, Byanka will have her bow and arrows on her back. She also wears a belt with pouches filled with bandages and herbal medicine, since she cannot rely on her charms for everything.

Character Sheet

Name: Cynis Belar Byanka
Concept: Solar Dynast
Nature: Savant
Caste: Twilight
Anima: A great tree, with runes around it

PHYSICAL
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 3
Stamina: 2

SOCIAL
Charisma: 3
Manipulation: 4
Appearance: 4

MENTAL
Perception: 3
Intelligence: 4
Wits: 3

DAWN
(x)Archery: 2
Martial Arts: 1

ZENITH
Endurance: 1
(x)Performance: 2

TWILIGHT
(x)Lore: 2
(x)Medicine: 4
(x)Occult: 3

NIGHT
Athletics: 1
(x)Awareness: 2
Dodge: 1

ECLIPSE
(x)Bureaucracy: 2
Linguistics: 2
Ride: 1
(x)Socialize: 2

BACKGROUNDS
Artifact: 2
Contact: 1
Resources: 3
Mentor: 1

CHARMS

Name | Cost

1. Wise Arrow | 1 mote/die (Archery)
2. Ox-Body Technique (-1x2) | - (Endurance)
3. Essence-Lending Method | 3 motes (Lore)
4. Body-Mending Meditation | 10 motes (Medicine)
5. Flawless Diagnosis Technique | 1 mote
6. Touch of Blissful Release | 5 motes
7. Grievous Injury Recovery Method | 10 motes
8. Wound-Mending Care Technique | 10 motes
9. Terrestrial Circle Sorcery | 1 WP (Occult)
10. - Emerald Countermagic | 10 or 20 motes

Willpower: 6

VIRTUES
Compassion: 3
Temperance: 2
Conviction: 3
Valor: 2

VIRTUE FLAW: Heart of Flint

Essence: 3
Personal 15|15
Peripheral 37|37

Health: 0x1, -1x4, -2x2, -4, I

Soak (BTiffa/CynisBelarByanka/L): 2/1

Linguistics: High Realm, Low Realm, Old Realm

Merits:

Terrestrial Bloodline (1): Byanka's mother and father -are- strong Dragon-blooded, and if Byanka has children before her Essence gets too high, this will be evident.

Flaws:

Known Anathema (2): The Wyld Hunt nearly caught Byanka after she Exalted, and they have a good idea of who she is. Thankfully enough, they don't know her current location, thanks to her circle's nomadic nature. Of course, this has forced her to attempt to hide herself in places where the Realm has a strong presence.

Damaged Artifact (1): Byanka's powerbow is old and in a poor condition. It's not terribly apparent (and probably won't be until the bow breaks) since Byanka's a rather poor archer. It loses one point in Accuracy (thus negating its Orihalcum bonus).

Diminished Sense (eyesight) (2): Byanka's eyesight in rather poor, decaying in school. She didn't admit this to herself until she found it really hard to read, and this was only when she was under Safar's custody. Thankfully, her mentor provided her with her glass spectacles, so she's able to correct this.

Expanded Backgrounds

Artifact: 2

Byanka owns a short powerbow, given to her by Safar. It is, unfortunately, somewhat damaged, something that Byanka hasn't quite realized yet. It may shatter even further some time soon.

Short Powerbow: Accuracy +2, Damage +3, rate 2, Range 300, Commit: 4 motes

Contact: 1

Iron River is a small-time merchant in Arjuf, who owns a couple of salt-water ships (and a number of coastal ships). Byanka saved the life of his son a couple of years ago, when she stopped by the city to get some provisions she couldn't find in Nishimo. The young man had been seriously hurt in an accident in the port, and Byanka managed to stop the bleeding and set the broken bones, saving the young man's life. As such, Iron River firmly believes he owes Byanka a few favors... she used one of such to ensure a passage out of the Isle once she Exalted, something Iron River doesn't actually know.

Resources: 3

Byanka used to have much more to her name before she had to flee the Blessed Isle. However, she has a great business sense and is well aware in how to handle money, so she (and Tal'na) are probably the only ones that handle the basic needs of the Circle (Rio is saving up for a ship of her own, which they all know; Silent Light barely has anything, and most of Nilla's goods aren't in the form of money)

Mentor: 1

Ledaal Safar is an old Wood-aspected Dynasts who has taken the life of a Doctor, leaving much of his family's intrigue behind. He took Byanka in when he found the angry and depressed girl wandering the streets.

He has since learned that she has become Anathema, but... doesn't seem to care much. He learned that she apparently changed when saving the life of a man hurt in a way even he would have deemed hopeless.

They have since met once again, and he presented her with a golden bow he had acquired from a merchant (under the threat of revealing that the man was dealing with demon gold). Their meeting went over well, and Safar is even more convinced that there is something wrong with history as he knows it.

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