Dorchadas/TheGameDreamsoftheFirstAgeNineLives
Nine Lives, Chosen of Luna =
Nine Lives was born in the deserts south of Chiaroscuro to a family of merchants. The custom of his people was not to give a child a name until it had survived to its fifth year of age. By that time, Nine Lives had survived so many deadly experiences that at the naming ceremony, one family member joked at they should have named him Ten Lives, because he had surely survived far better than a cat. Little did they know how true their naming practices were, but Nine Lives himself was not surprised at either his Exaltation or his totem--a rock cat of the mountains.
At his trials, Nine Lives showed an obvious aptitude for mental tasks, and the choice of No Moon was almost not a choice. He took to the study of sorcery with a zeal rarely seen in Lunars, and he mastered the power of the Celestial Circle before his first century was up. His power with sorcery drew the interest of a Solar who was equally as interested as he, and he and Shining Star hit it off almost immediately. Most of the people he knew did not understand what he saw in her, but Nine Lives knew that they were wrong. She was an honorable woman, and dedicated, and in her plainness lay strength. She wasn't beautiful like Ashraielle, or even pretty like Ruby, but Nine Lives knew that she could have modified her appearance at any time. She did not need to, and she knew it. As a Lunar, Nine Lives knew the temptation of smoothing away the imperfections in one's appearance, and he greatly admired the mental fortitude she displayed in resisting the temptation.
Despite this, their marriage was not entirely free of disturbances. Both of them had a rather free attitude towards monogamy, which caused quite a bit of tension in their relationship. It was never enough to tear his attention away from Shining Star, though, and he always returned to her and she to him.
He spent most of his life following Shining Star in her various tasks, though he made occasional forays into the Wyld with his friend Sun's Setting. He greatly admired the dedication Sun's Setting showed in the tasks that he performed for the Deliberative, though he knew that the work he did with Shining Star was just as important. He provided the understanding of the protean energy of the Wyld that allowed Shining Star to make several of her most important breakthroughs. He himself contributed much to simple, day-to-day items that made the lives of mortals in the First Age much easier. He spent some time working on war machines at the request of the Deliberative, but his primary work was on weather control, architechture, food preservation, Essence storage, and sundry other small conveniences. His efforts did not gain him great glory, but he was well loved among the mortals who knew of his work.
Nine Lives, like Sun's Setting, abandoned his mate to the Usurpation. He also felt guilty for it, and he refused to hide the scar that his wedding band seared into his flesh when she died. He spent most of his time in the Wyld alone, and by the time the Lunars realized the effects the Wyld was having on them, it was too late for Nine Lives. He was last seen by Alaethis from a distance, his war-form a nightmarish mishmash of cat, hawk, octopus, and river dragon. Alaethis knew from his studies of Sun's Setting that confronting Nine Lives would be suicide, and so he left. Nine Lives was never seen again.
Death
Nine Lives never died. His power grew as his mind and body degenerated, and now he roams the Wyld as a monstrous chimaera.
Theme Song
Placebo - Pure Morning
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