| Name Kenopsia | |
| Age Seems to be in her 30s | |
| Appearance Kenopsia has beautiful features. She has pale, creamy skin, soft and shiny dark hair, strong eyebrows, hooded eyes with long lashes and a body that is supple and slender. She is, if you look at her features individually, the sum of many beautiful parts. But look at her all together and there is something that is not quite right. Her face is too strong, her eyes too dark, her hands too large. Something just rubs most people the wrong way when they see her, and they can’t quite put a finger on why. | |
| Personality Kenopsia is quiet and withdrawn. She does not speak up, and rarely has anything to say. In fact, this is the preferred base setting for Kenopsia. When she speaks, it is often sly and haunting and she just has a way of rubbing you the wrong way. “I just don’t like her” is a very common and mystified response that people often give in her presence. | |
| Ability Kenopsia is karma personified, but Shy hasn’t figured out how her magic works. Does she take all the accrued positive and negative karmic points that a person have weaponize it with her words? Or do her words simply prompt an event that was going to happen anyway? Is she a magic user or a seer? She is his favorite monster, but the one he wants to spend the least amount of time with. |
There is a woman who creates monsters. Shy knows she exists because he has come across her monsters, Ravi the Blade, who hunted down those who had wronged her, pulling souls from bodies and punishing the wicked. He sent the Blade to Dawn Watch Weyr. He found Nana the Balm, who consumed emotions, blunting ‘her’ pain and soothing ‘her’ anger. There was Amina, who snuck into the dreams of the little ones and gave Shy’s little imperial prince time to grief, to relieve the good memories (and only the good ones). Devraj is a little bit of a disappointment, because Shy does not know what his power is (although he gives good hugs).
Shy knows there is a woman who dreams of monsters, and he is looking for her. Because maybe she can help turn the tide on his war with the Death Court.
Karma and the Balechild – the story
From the hatching
Krum had kept a sharp eye on Kenopsia during her stay aboard the Heimdall. It wasn’t only Krum’s luck was was being dashed by her presence, but a great deal of her soldiers and scientists as well. The few blooms of unusual success seemed paltry in comparison.
Krum did not care for her – but she understood Shy’s fascination with her. Regardless, she’d be happiest when Kenopsia was off her station.
Several burstlings disagreed with Krum’s assessment.
Though she stood still and quiet in the chaos, few xenomorphs approached or bothered Kenopsia. They didn’t avoid her, it wasn’t anything so obvious as that. Kenopsia’s path was always clear and no harm had come to her.
Eventually, a little silver burstling slithered toward her, cocking its head as if puzzling a troublesome riddle.
:: Karma :: it hissed, flicking its tail in a lazy, comfortable manner. It bowed. :: I’m your Dipsacaless, for good or ill. ::
A much larger burstling sporting wing stubs and a distinct buckskin coloration approached more directly, with a slow, loping pace.
:: Alyssus :: it greeted. :: At your service, forever and always. ::
:: What a fuss! :: another spat, this one predominantly white with bold spots of blue and black. It snapped at its siblings and wound around Kenopsia’s feet. :: I’m Strobuss, and I’m much less boring than those two. ::
Name: Alyssuss
Gender: Male
Caste: Warrior
Color: Buckskin
Adult Height: 8’8″ at shoulder
Alignment: True Neutral
Personality: conscientious, uncompromising, lazy, polite
Gift: Evolution
Abilities at Birth: acid immunity, acid blood, mindstream communication, resin secretion, telepathy, wall-climbing
Abilities at Maturity:
Amphibious: the ability to develop functional gills when underwater and return to functional lungs when on land
Mimicry: the ability to warp one’s appearance and voice to match the environment or an organism currently within sight of the user
Adaptation: the ability to alter one’s physical structure for a short period of time to increase their ability to survive harsh environments
Name: Dipsacaless
Gender: Female
Caste: Drone
Color: Brown-Orange
Adult Height: 4’5″ at shoulder
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Personality: amicable, yielding, moody, polite
Gift: Vivify
Abilities at Birth: acid immunity, acid blood, mindstream communication, resin secretion, telepathy, wall-climbing
Abilities at Maturity:
Detect Life: the user enters a state of meditation, the vision in their mind’s eye turns dark and illuminates living things, allowing the user to detect nearby signs of animal life
Cure: the user banishes a disease from an individual
Resurrect: the user can resurrect a single deceased creature using a fragment of its corpse (eg. a bone, tooth, or feathers)
Name: Strobuss
Gender: Female
Caste: Drone
Color: Black-Blue Leopard Appaloosa
Adult Height: 5’9″ at shoulder
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Personality: warmongering, admirable, hubristic, self-destructive
Gift: Aqua
Abilities at Birth: acid immunity, acid blood, mindstream communication, resin secretion, telepathy, wall-climbing
Abilities at Maturity:
Douse: The user can find sources of water, even if they are deep underground
Well: The user can summon a large, collected well of clean, fresh, drinkable water
Tide: The user can change the direction and force of the tide, summoning storms or calming them to stillness
