Rystari

Description:

Kalashtar female, Age 22, 5'2", 95 pounds, medium-length carrot-colored hair in a single simple braid, bright blue eyes, pale complexion, wears foreign-looking robes of ash-gray cloth voluminous sleeves, carries a simple dark wood staff that she occasionally leans on heavily

Background:

Born in Adar, in a monastery/fortress populated by a sect of the Path of Light. Her mother (Nytari) goas into labor prematurely, and she dies giving birth. Her father, Lorkhad, has difficulty accepting the loss of his wife and subconsciously blames Rystari for her death. His older brother, Rystari's uncle Samakhad, takes she and her older brother, Aliskhad under his protection while their father goes on a pilgrimmage seeking enlightenment. Samakhad is extremely protective of Rystari, given her generally poor health and small size, especially since nearly all the other kalashtar of the settlement are trained as soulknives.

Rystari and Aliskhad grow up extremely close, and he is one of the few people who is neither dismissive nor overly protective of her. Many in the community see her mother's death as a great loss, as the family line of the Quori spirit only has Rystari as a host. As far as they know, she is the last surviving kalashtar of that line. This leads to their trying their best to protect her so she can marry and hopefully extend the lineage, or whispering behind her back as to being such an unsuitable and non-militaristic scion.

Rystari does discover a natural gift in telepathy, finding it even easier than most kalashtar to establish contact with other minds and to exert a measure of control over them. As she attends school, she manages to make many 'friends' through her charming personality and through her abilities. When Aliskhad discovers this habit, he warns her not to use her mental controls lightly, or she will never know whether her friends are with her because of true companionship or only through her manipulation.

When she's 8 and on a picnic with Aliskhad into the mountains, an assassin of the Dreaming Dark infiltrates the fortress and manages to kill several of the residents, including her uncle and guardian, Samakhad. Their father is called back from his pilgrimage, but he is still at best a distant father-figure to her. He focuses most of his attention on Aliskhad, as he turns out to be a very powerful and capable warrior.

The intervening years mark lots of introspection and practice with her powers, learning a measure of control. She also takes over most of the domestic duties in the household, and becomes a de facto negotiator for disputes between neighbors which can't be resolved amicably. Her lack of real friends helps her in this role, because no one suspects her of favoritism.

When she turns 20, Aliskhad is chosen for an extended mission against the Dreaming Dark agents in Khorvaire. His departure leaves her virtually friendless, though she does continue with most of the domestic duties. A variest of prominent families send their sons to court, in hopes of renewing her line or extending their own, but their sons' general disinterest matches hers, and nothing much comes of it. Two years after Aliskhad's departure, Rystari receives a telepathic call for help from him. She presents it to the elders, but they discount her story, saying that she's merely lonesome and noting that if he needed assistance, Aliskhad was quite capable of contacting the elders more directly, and no other such message had been received.

Convinced that she must do something, Rystari sneaks out under cover of darkness and 'convinces' a human sea-captain that he should take her to Khorvaire. During he voyage, she gathers whatever information she can from the various sailors. The trip is arduous, but they eventually make port in Urthold before taking a coaster to Sharn.

Upon arriving in Sharn, she starts looking for potential clues to Aliskhad's location, and spends most of her time trying to reach him telepathically, so far unsuccessfully. Among the knowledge the sailors imparted was the prominence of House Sivis in the realms information and communication, and she frequents several stations in hopes of catching some leads. Through her contacts at the message stations, she met several people who might be able to help her, and whom she could assist in return.

Personality:

Rystari is cheerful and helpful, always willing to drop everything for a friend in need. She tends to be a little on the quiet side, feeling that being too forward will threaten any potential friends or allies. She sees her abilities as a gift and tries her best to use them responsibly. She is constantly self-analyzing to be sure she doesn't overreach with her abilities, doing her best to resort to more mundane means of persuasion. She does see her gift as a means of evening the playing field, as her ability to control others mentally can offset their ability to use physical force in the same manner. She also really dislikes undead, both because they are immune or indifferent to her powers, and because they are pretty nasty in general.

Goals: