app for expiation
Oct. 15th, 2023 03:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Player: FoxTrott
Contact: msfoxtrott on plurk, foxtrott on discord
Age: 20s
Current Characters: None
Character Name: Xayah of Lhotlan
Character Canon: League of Legends
Canon Point: "Current day", post-"A Piece of Shadow Cake"
Age: 240ish, appears to be early 20s in human years
Crime: Domestic terrorism
Xayah whispered in awe. [After destroying the quinlon, she] had not expected the magic here to be so strong. She turned to where Rakan had been, but found him missing.
She spotted him at the forest edge, his cape glowing like the afternoon sun. He was looking outward.
“Mieli?” she asked as she approached, using the ancient word for lover.
“We destroyed it,” Rakan said solemnly.
“Yes. We are free—that quinlon is no more.”
“No, their town.” He indicated the temple and the human settlement around it.
Vines larger than wagons churned the earth. They ran like massive waves from the forest, smashing a dozen houses into flinders.
The other woodwoven houses in the town were growing uncontrollably, folding in on themselves and crushing all inside, as they transformed into colossal trees.
A mortal woman, clutching a small child, ran from her home to a horse cart. Behind her, a man barely escaped being squashed by a huge vine that fell and crumbled his house.
He was carrying an armful of their possessions. He threw them into the cart, but as the wave of powerful freed magic overtook them, the vehicle burst to life, reforming itself as the plants from which it had been fashioned. Xayah watched as it changed into a giant insect-like creature made of wood and vines. The man slashed at the creature with a walking stick, before fleeing from it with the woman and child.
An old man with a long braid struggled on the undulating earth. He scrambled for a few paces before a pair of glowing forest spirits, shaped like ghostly butterflies, grabbed him. The spirits dragged him into the air. Then, growing tired of his struggles, they dropped him as they rose over a tree. He landed with a thud. His soul shuddered against the confines of his body, seeking to escape its own shell and join the forest.
Other mortals were running past him. Xayah could see their souls buffeting against the confines of their bodies too. An old woman grabbed the old man with the braid, lifting him to his feet, and together, limping, they fled… as the earth and spirits churned around them.
“The humans’ greed brought this to them,” Xayah said finally.
Rakan’s said nothing in reply. Xayah followed his gaze back to the destruction her plan had wrought.
- A Piece of Shadow Cake
Background:
Born to a dying people, Xayah of Lhotlan grew up in a village at the base of the mountains of Qaelin. She was raised on the tales of her people: how the vastaya had defended the land from monstrous Titans, how the spirits were the source of their wild magic, how one's form was infinitely malleable yet intrinsically tied to family and tribe. Humans, she had learned, treated magic like fire; but to vastaya, it was water and air.
Recent pressure from those humans had forced not just the Lhotlan, but all vastaya tribes to withdraw from their ancestral homelands. They lived in villages and territories that were crumbling shadows of their former glory. The worst of it was in areas near quinlons. The magic of the lands was unstable--perfect for vastaya, but not so much for humans; to prevent the land from swallowing them in sudden floods or floorboards returning to tree trunks, humans constructed enormous structures, quinlons, to filter out the "bad" wild magic, and allow them to live in these new places. They did not care the vastaya needed such magic to survive. Human expansion continued. Vastaya territories shrank. Lacking the necessary magics, many vastaya tribes have not seen children in several human lifetimes.
Xayah was determined to see her people thrive. She rebelled against old-fashioned, pacifistic vastaya elders and all of humanity. She and her handful of allies did everything from prison breaks to fortress assaults to destroying quinlons, unleashing cataclysmic wild magic upon human lives and reclaiming territories for vastaya. As a young adult, she tended to work alone, preferring the company of her feather-daggers to even her own allies. This preference persisted in spite of the persecution and dangers she faced as a vastaya woman traveling solo. (Vastaya feathers, in particular, were valued for their beauty.)
And then she saw him: Rakan, a Lhotlan entertainer. He performed the songs and ballads of their people from his very spirit for a crowd of humans who heard no more than its melodies. To them, he was a novelty. To her? He was mu'takl--a traitor to their blood for choosing to walk with humans instead of his own. And, honestly, a damn good distraction, because he made her mission easier to get done.
After finishing her work, Rakan tailed her. She seemed to be the one person, human or vastaya, who saw past his charms. His attempts at courtship failed between (and during) further missions for the rebellion. She saw him as useful, if vapid, until one day he asked what had happened to their tribe, and she had to tell him the truth: their lands were no more. The Lhotlan tribe was displaced. His plumage darkened with the depths of his rage.
Maybe he wasn't so feather-brained after all.
The two quickly became inseparable. Xayah, the brains of the operation, and Rakan, thedistractionheart. She was not completely immune to his charms, either; she found herself falling for his golden feathers and glittering smile as much as she did for his ability to roundhouse kick someone twenty feet into the air. They pledged themselves to each other in the middle of a tavern brawl.
Now, in the wake of the Noxain invasion into their homelands, they are a symbol of a better future for vastaya. While the rebellion lacks any formal system of guidance, the two of them have become de facto leaders, gathering other vastaya for the cause. Rakan has softened Xayah to what could be; Xayah has hardened Rakan to what it is. Time will tell if their efforts find a new home for the Lhotlan or if the lovers will burn out before then.
Personality:
Tactical: Serving as the tactical mind to the rebellion, she always has a plan. She has been known to pour over blueprints, notes, and battle maps up until the moments before a mission, ensuring every step is just right, even if her company only remembers the gist. Her improvisational planning skills have only improved since traveling with him.
Rakan: "Alright, let's go! This way or that way?"
Xayah: "Stick to the plan."
Rakan: "We have a plan?"
Xayah: "We always have a plan."
Rakan: "Huh. Really?"
Morbid: Being part of a dying race constantly subjected to discrimination and the inherent violence of colonialism kinda sucks. She has become well-acquainted with death since the day she, as an adolescent thirty-something, peered around the mourning forms of the adults to see what humans had done to her uncle. The only difference is, now, she tends to cause death rather than just witness it. Though no one would expect a Lhotlan to have a particularly cheery attitude, Xayah takes it a step further with her dark humor, often remarking dryly about violence, her feathers, and which body parts she would like to put on jewelry.
"I almost reach the dungeon door, when I see another guard climb the parapet and take deadly aim with his rifle. Nobody aims anything at my Rakan. I’ll have the still-beating heart of anyone who dares to harm as much as one of his feathers. It’ll make a cute beating-heart necklace." - Puboe Prison Break
Prickly: Always assumes the worst of others, low patience for shenanigans, even lower patience for mortals--she's not aggressive, but she definitely isn't nice. She doesn't waste time with social niceties when the straightforward response could do the trick. Xayah would be the type of person to say something completely negative and clarify it with, "I'm just being honest", as if that makes up for it.
"I really hate anyone who's not me... or Rakan."
"Talking to anybody about anything is never on my to-do list."
Committed: When Xayah puts her mind to something, she dedicates herself to it. Over the past hundred years, her cause has been the rebellion, restoring vastaya to their former glory. Now that she's separated from home, what cause will she take up next?
"They say I don't know when to quit. Like that's a weakness."
"I'll do whatever needs to be done... twice, just to be sure."
Courageous: If she thinks it's the right thing, she'll do it, others and their opinions be damned. Taking down a quinlon, causing humans to lose their lives? Conducting a two-man invasion on a fortress to rescue vastaya? Facing the leader of the Order of Shadows one-on-one, keeping him busy, as long as it means she can destroy their temple and free her people? Xayah never doubts. She will face the situation with grim determination. (She might just bend, a little, for her lover, Rakan.)
"Victors are the sole authors of history. Time to write our chapter."
"Compromise. It's a pain."
Romantic: Xayah is deeply, completely, entirely in love with her partner. Her idea of romance may be a bit, well, unorthodox, but it's still romance.
"If love is feeling so deeply for another that you want to chew your way under their skin, then I love Rakan."
"We pledged ourselves to each other in the middle of a tavern brawl. The whole place reeked of vomit, sweat and blood. It was so romantic!"
Abilities:
Magic: Most of Xayah's abilities are derived from her spirit magic, a type of magic tied to the Spirit Realm. She has a finite amount she can restore by spending time in areas of wild magic (canonically, out in nature; in the world of expiation, will also be more natural areas).
Feather-Blades: Her primary form of combat is throwing her feather-blades. Formed out of magic, they can grow to the size of a falchion or shrink to the size of a throwing knife, and are just as deadly as one. When thrown, Xayah can call them back to her hand. They are not actually her feathers, they just look like them.
Magic Manipulation: She can use her magic to turn her blades into bindings, effectively rooting those struck in place. She can also propel herself up into the air, like a greatly empowered jump with notable hang time, but the technique takes a lot of magical energy.
Magic Detection: Like most vastaya, Xayah can "hear" magic. She is instinctively drawn to areas that are strong in it, and is able to discern if it's more natural, wild magic or something else.
(Limited) Shapeshifting: Xayah's cloak isn't actually a cloak; it's a wing, shapeshifted to resemble a feathered cloak so humans don't freak out when they see her. All vastaya are capable of shapechanging to some degree. In her case, she can change the shape of her wing, change her hair, or go through minor cosmetic changes elsewhere on her body, but all of these take anywhere from an hour to days to complete, and don't last long unless she expends substantial effort. She is comfortable in her form and very rarely changes her shape.
Natural Athleticism: As a Lhotlan, Xayah is naturally suited to life in the woods and mountains. She is an excellent runner, climber, and acrobat.
Lhotlan Physiology: Lhotlan take inspiration for their forms from the cunning Lhotl (the first Lhotlan) and fox-griffins. In addition to a wing that aids in gliding, Xayah has two tall fox-like ears, avian feet with talons, claws, sharp teeth, and feline eyes. Her senses are closer to an animal's than a human's in strength.
Inventory:
The clothes on her back, and her lover's golden mirror compact. She needs to get it back to him ASAP, for the sake of his poor, poor hair.
Samples: here and here!
Questions: Just a heads-up: between placing the reserve and writing the application, word of god (developer Q&A) stated that Arcane and League of Legends exist within the same canon. There are still a bunch of inconsistencies between the two so it’s up to the mods how you want to put that on the canon list.