App: vertiline_rpg V. 1.0 :: Zhaneel // Heralds of Valdemar
Name: Alma
Age: 30
Username: almalthia
Email: almalthia80@yahoo.com
IM: almalthia80
Character name: Zhaneel
Series: Heralds of Valdemar
Timeline: After the death of Urtho and Ma'ar, while waiting for Skan to reappear through the gate following Aubri and Kechara. (End of 'The Black Gryphon' pre-epilogue)
Background:
::The Mage Wars::
The war between Great Mages Urtho and Ma'ar resulted in the Cataclysm and its aftermath, and the exile of the Kaled'a'in (some of whose clans supported Ma'ar during the Wars). The Cataclysm followed the destruction of the two powerful mages, Urtho and Ma'ar, and the magic that was sent loose upon their deaths. The Cataclysm will lead to mage storms that cause magic to be unstable, meaning that many that have the mage ability will lose their powers, or will be seriously weakened.
~A History~
Before Foundation (B.F.) there was a time that magic was not nearly so controlled by the land of Valdemar, nor its denizens within. A year tentatively marked as 1000 B.F. brings the start of the history that includes within it a gryphon by the name of Zhaneel; although her part in the tale is less marked than that of her future mate, Skandranon Rashkae.
Even in the prehistory of Valdemar there was magic. The land was made of it, its creatures born and formed from it, its people becoming masters of it. Nearly 1800 years before Herald Mage Vanyel made his mark and 2300 years before Tarma and the Mage Storms that would follow nearly 100 further years later is the time of gryphons.
****
Since the gathering of Ma'ar's evil forces drove away High King Leodhan, Urtho, the Mage of Silence, has been forced into becoming the leader of those opposed to Ma'ar. Among Urtho's subjects are the Kaled'a'in, including the kestra'chern Amberdrake, the magnificent gryphons and other non-human races.
As Ma'ar's power continues to grow, Urtho and his forces struggle to keep him from destroying all that is good in the world. Should Ma'ar succeed in overthrowing Urtho and his people, he will begin to bend magic further than he has yet and it will lead to an unknown, yet terrifying future for those under his rule.
Urtho, Mage of Silence, known by that name for his ability to create enchantments undetectable by other mages, is probably the best there ever was; he was at least the best of his time. And, while he was the creator of many other magical creatures, the Gryphons were his masterpiece, and the key to the war against Ma'ar. However, the war is not going well for Urtho and his people, and everyone, from the soldiers and generals to those who heal mind, body, or heart, is working themselves to exhaustion.
The gryphons are magically constructed beings, created by Urtho during the Mage Wars, with the hope of being his great chess piece. Intelligent, fierce, magical and loyal to a fault, there could be no better a soldier than the creatures that called him 'Father'.
Non-humans (including not just the gryphons, but the hertasi, tervardi and many others) were respected by Urtho and many amongst his armies, but not by all. By a good number they were considered simply cannon fodder and treated as such; never mind that they were not simply sentient, but intelligent creatures, capable of far more than they were given credit. And although respected by their Father, they were also held in his service is a most unkind manner; their ability to pro-create was unknown to them and controlled by Urtho. The Mages' fear was that if the gryphons, his most loved children, knew the secret to pro-creating, that they would not feel the desire to remain with Urtho and fight for him. He also did not want them bringing young into the world, so rife with magic and warfare, unless they were prepared for it (although this is not learned until after his death).
Already understandably upset at being treated like second rate chattel, this with-holding of information causes great strife amongst the gryphons and they stage a coup, sending Skandranon (Urtho's favorite amongst the gryphons) into Urtho's tower to find answers for them all. After finding out the secret to free-breeding, instead of fleeing as Urtho feared, the gryphons remain with their Father to defend and fight for their army. They prove not only to their Father that they are so much more than he thought, but also those humans that thought them no more than breathing cannon fodder. They are viewed with a new level of respect and treated with better dignity than they have been since their creation. During the final battle, those that cannot fight help evacuate the encampments and the flee to safer grounds by way of Gates, taking with them books and information of import that will prove vital to starting a new colony. It is not until after the simultaneous deaths of Urtho and Ma'ar that any of the gryphons begin striking out on their own, though most remain to help start the city of White Gryphon.
Zhaneel was born to an average gryphon pair that were in service to the Wing and Urtho's forces. While they were both broadwings (hawk or eagle based in shape), Zhaneel herself was born a gyrfalcon (falcon based and slimmer in shape and wing form). Shortly after her birth both of her parents died while on a scouting mission for the Wing and Zhaneel was left in the care of her Wing and the Wings' Trondi'irn, Winterheart. It was from this point that the little gryphlet's life went to hell.
Though loved by her parents, she was treated completely in the opposite by her fellow Wing mates and the humans in charge of her Wing. Taunted with jibes of being misborn and useless, Zhaneel grew to believe this of herself and took advantage of any patrol that would keep her away; even if the patrols were the most demeaning possible. She didn't care that they were patrols made for fledglings to teach them the lay of the land, preferring to take them as her own and enjoy the solitude of a long patrol circuit. At no point did those responsible for her ever make her feel like she was more than a stupid beast meant to serve at the commanders' will.
All the while, she was treated as a cull and mis-shaped gryphon by those around her. She grew to believe this of herself, not seeing that the differences between she and her fellow gryphons was not a fault, but the next step in gryphon evolution.
It was not until she made a chance encounter with three makaar (warped and evil gryphons) that her life began to make a change in the positive. In defeating the makaar, Zhaneel earned herself a special token that she is told she may use with the kestra'chern for special treatments and pampering. It was through his (Amberdrake's) gentle guidance and consolation that Zhaneel began to find faith in herself once again, not misborn, but instead .. something new. Urtho would not have made it possible for his prize creation to be anything less than perfect, so why would she consider herself such? He helps her see her differences as positive, rather than negative. Her forefeet were more human than her Wing mates, which would allow her a dexterity that they did not have, and the usage of tools that they could not manage.
It's with Amberdrake's assistance (and that of Skandranon and Tamsin) that Zhaneel designs and creates an obstacle course. She proves, through the use of the course, that she is a valuable asset to the Wing, and so begins to prove it to herself. Not many are able to manage the course on first go, but Zhaneel has various traps and triggers placed that she does not know about, and manages to escape unscathed and victorious. She also manages to catch the eye and attention of a certain gryphon she fancies.
She and Skandranon become mated through some very fancy mating flights after Skan learns of the little Kechara, a gryphlet that is simple of mind, but strong of Mind-Gifts. The pair take in the gryphlet as their own adopted daughter just before the final battle with Ma'ar kicks off.
Zhaneel remains behind to help evacuate the camp while her mate, along with several others, goes off to deliver a magical box that will explode on the death of Urtho. Urtho, gravely wounded, sends his children (the gryphons) and friends across a magical Gate that will take them safely from the explosion that will rid them of their enemy.
Unfortunately, as the Gate flares to life in what should be the appearance of her mate and friend, Zhaneel is snatched away and brought to the Wood, the state of her beloved Skan and the rest of those close to her unknown.
Personality:
Years of emotional abuse has taken it's toll on the young gryphon, Zhaneel. Losing both parents at a very young age, her care was entrusted to the Trondi-irn (non-human healer) of the Sixth Wing. Most unfortunately for the gryphlet, Winterheart (said Trondi'irn), was amongst many that believed gryphons to be no more than unintelligent beasts not worth her time and certainly worth no more concern than she would show an injured war-horse. Had some care been shown, it is likely Zhaneel would not be half the emotional wreck that she is.
Zhaneel believes herself misborn and an improper gryphon, this due to constantly hearing such throughout her fledgling stage. She is shaped differently from her Wing mates, and unfortunately different means bad. She is taunted and teased so much and made to think so lowly of herself during these first few years, that she believes her parents deliberately flew themselves into the path of death to escape their embarrassment and humiliation over having given birth to a cull. These taunts and vicious words become reality to Zhaneel until she herself believes that she is clearly misborn because she does not look they way they believe she should.
A head too big and wings too long and thin, ear tufts that are barely visible even when at their most erect. Who could love such an ugly, misborn creature?
So becomes her mantra, pushing her to the point of suicide right under the nose of those that should be most attentive to her well-being and self-esteem.
She takes patrols that are meant to teach fledglings basic flight and procedure; a demoralizing and demeaning set of patrols that would only be assigned to a gryphon her age if they were being punished. Still, she believes herself worth no better a patrol Circuit and takes advantage of the several hour long flights to allow even a brief respite from the taunts that always greet her upon her return.
She believes, literally, after having been so abysmally brow-beaten, that the army would be better off without her and wishes desperately to be worth something. When she attacks the makaar, she goes in with the hope that she will die and in that death, finally mean something; finally prove herself worthwhile in some aspect to those that have never seen worth in her.
It's amazing to her, then, that she succeeds in taking out not one of the misshapen gryphons, but all three that she moved in against. She had expected the move to lead to her death, but instead she survives and finds herself receiving praise and a prize token from Urtho himself. She is flabbergasted, not knowing what to make heads or tails of, finally going because she is told that the kestra'chern can bring her pleasure and make her feel well.
She wants nothing more than to feel acceptance and love, so the notion that she can receive this from someone, even if paying with her prize token, is acceptable to her. Amberdrake's refusal of her confused advance leads her back into a loop of self-loathing and self-deprecation. Not even he, someone that lives to heal and make gryphons lovely, sees her as anything more than ugly and misshapen. When 'Drake begins to show her that her differences are an advancement and not a hindrance, she does not believe him at first.
However, when asked if Urtho would deliberately make her anything less than perfect, her denial is absolute and instantaneous. Their Father would never create something less than perfect in his eyes, something that his children believe to the very core of their being. This point, though, had never been brought up to the heart-sick gyrfalcon before. She begins to look at her differences in a whole new way, taking a certain degree of pride in that she can fly Circuits faster and higher than any others in the Wing; even if those Circuits are just for fledglings.
Zhaneel begins to think, to hope, that there is a very deliberate reason that she looks the way she looks.
What is Zhaneel?: A desire to not only survive, but to excel. When Amberdrake reads Zhaneels emotions and finds her suicidal, he also notes in her a desire to be recognized and to make her death count for something. It's not that she wants to make an impression on those around her (though she does seek to impress the attractive Skan), but that she wishes to prove she's better than she is thought of.
No matter that she's been beaten down emotional for years, Zhaneel still has an inner fire burning within her; a will to not simply live, but to thrive. She wants to do well and prove that she can do anything and everything thrown at her. And though she does not believe herself worthy of praise when completing a task, it's her own personal victory that she did succeed. She wants to see gryphons given the respect they are do and to see them treated as the sentient and brave creatures that they are.
She sets out to make her obstacle course to prove her worth to others (and herself), that she was made different because she is special, not because she was a mistake or a cull. Though it was Amberdrake that instilled these thoughts in her originally, it is she that is ingenious enough to design the course; a course that only she is able to maneuver without injuring herself. Her self-worth begins to improve drastically, though she finds praise difficult and embarrassing to take. She is not accustomed to being recognized in any fashion, let alone by those of rank.
Zhaneel believes that the gryphons should be treated as any other participant in Urtho's forces and, as she gains her courage, takes it upon herself to voice these opinion when confronted. The lioness part of Zhaneel is made apparent and she fights for her beliefs, showing a backbone that none had believed her capable of.
Though wary of meeting new people, when she befriends you there could be no less loyal a companion or friend. She is a fiercesome creature, willing to fight to the death in defense of hearth, home, and those she loves or calls friend. If she sets herself on a mission or cause, she will see it done; one way or another. She will never stand by and watch a bully in action, having had to take this for years herself. She will step in to the defense of the underdog and take them (possibly literally) under her wing. She cannot stomach senseless violence, or people that cannot see worth in things around them (be those things people, creatures, plants, etc).
She is not one to carry a grudge against someone that has admitted their fault in something, but she damn well will remember it. Let it happen again and consequences might prove a little heavier than you anticipated.
Every day is a new day of emotional growth for the gryphoness, though some days are harder than others. She pushes with the notion that she was made the way she is because she is special and so much more is expected of her. She lives each day to prove this to herself and those that helped get her to this point in her life. She is grateful to those that have helped her see herself as beautiful and the thought of letting them down is unacceptable to her. She can only hope to repay them for all that they have done for her, even if most of the work has been her own.
Flaws/Fears/Insecurities: Though she is beginning to find a place for herself and come into her own, Zhaneel is still very prone to bouts of self-doubt and self-deprecation. The opinion of others has been hammered into her since her birth, and so she sought it for many, many years. It's a habit hard lost and she still finds herself caring about the opinion of others far more than she should; she worries about such too much, in truth, but can't help herself.
She was bullied physically and emotionally for years, so she also has a tendency to shrink back from altercations, though this was beginning to improve after her public dressing down of Winterheart.
She fears failing, and will run herself to the ground to see a task done and done as well as she believes it should be. A failure will result in her withdrawing and closing off to those around her.
Appearance:
Zhaneel is a gyrfalcon, namely a gryphon with falcon shape and coloring. Her wings are longer and slimmer, allowing her to fly higher/faster than her brethren. Her coloring is that of her namesake.
She is approximately three times the size of an adult human male, which is approximately horse sized in comparison. She can hold up to 150lbs in flight without the aid of magic to lighten to load. (ie: average adult, packs, etc etc)
Skills/Abilities:
Human-like forefeet - She can do pretty much anything a human can with their own hands, save it's with taloned feet so she has to be a bit careful.
Crossbow - Self taught and talented with the use of a crossbow due to her human-like forefeet.
Basic healing - Can wrap and otherwise treat general level wounds/injuries
Fast/Agile flight - Gryphons as a whole can out pace all species save for the Cold Drake. Zhaneel is better than all those of her generation due to being the first of her sub-species, the gryfalcon. She can fly a circuit 1/3 faster than any others in the Wing
Mind-speech - allows those who possess it (and the companion Gift of Thought-sensing) to send words and images to each other silently and across long distances.
Magical Immunity - natural ability due to gryphons of this world being 'created' creatures
Magic channeling - natural ability to channel magic, or have magic channeled, through or from themselves (much like a focus stone). This is due to gryphons being magical constructs at their creation, and not of natural birth. ((It was not until years past their creation that they are able to breed on their own. By the time Zhaneel is brought to the Wood, the trick to pro-creating has been learned and spread amongst the gryphons.))
Spoken/Written languages: Common (english)
Items: Neck pouch for carrying items, inside a gold reward chit. She would have had her crossbow/bolts and war-claws, but those will go bye-bye.
Third person sample:
The smells were one of the first things that alerted the gryphoness that something drastic had changed. The smells and the way the sun sat in the sky, its light cutting through the thick foliage of trees that shouldn't have been there. Slowly Zhaneel comes around, inner lids sweeping across her yellow eyes several times as she lifts her head from the leaf covered ground. She shakes her head several times, remembering only the intense feeling of free-fall, although she had been on the ground at the time the Gate engaged.
However, as her gaze settles on the area around her, she becomes astutely aware that she is not where she believes herself to be. This is no place she remembers scouting, even taking into effect the wild magic of the surrounding Pelagirs or how the land might have changed due to those magics. She could not recall a single area with such a canopy of trees, nor the lingering sense of being watched that was already crawling down her spine.
Fur and feather both begin to bristle as she sweeps the area with a sharp glance, moving to reclaim her footing. She shakes herself out, eyes widening as she notes that her crossbow is missing from its rightful place between her wings.
It's only after a moment, that lingering feeling of eyes still remaining on her, that she realizes that she is frightfully alone.
"Ssskan?!? 'Drrrake??" She feels her chest constrict, fear beginning to coil tightly in her stomach. "Fatherrr????"
The last thing the gryphon could remember was the Gate being held open by Vikteren to give Skan a chance to make it through. However, she could not recall if he had successfully made it or not before the magic went bad and sent her here .. wherever here was.
First person sample:
[Audio]
[There is a rustling sound, as if something of substantial size is shifting amongst the leaf covered ground.]
Ssskan?!? 'Drrrake?? [A soft groan and a few quick breaths. The individual on the other side of the communicator doesn't sound pleased. They sound, actually, just a touch panicked.] Fatherrr???? [The last is accompanied by a soft keen that is clearly strained.]
Wherrre am I? Thisss iss not my home .. the sssmellss arrre differrent..
[There is another pause in the soft voice. Oh, my .. it seems that the communicator has been noticed, secured around one foreleg much like a bracelet. A moment of fiddling and then her voice continues.]
I am familiarrr with magical devicess, but thiss iss unlike any I have ssseen beforre. I do not know how I came to thisss place, but I mussst go back .. I muss-
[The last escapes as a breathy keen, clearly distressed, before the feed cuts off entirely on the nerve-wracked gryphon.]