#khadan

Vital Statistics Name: Khadan Arulaq Race: Au Ra, Xaela Ethnicity: Othardian Gender: Male Age: 29

Brief Description Khadan is average height for a Xaela of the Steppes; perhaps even a little shorter. His dusky skin tone and dark blue hair might be somewhat normal on the Steppes but anywhere else it tends to stand out. Often wearing simple but serviceable clothing when not on duty he maintains a reputation as a hunter of sorts, enjoying the act of living off the land and providing for himself and family as an outdoorsman. Despite that, his reptuation as a fierce warrior is well known.

Despite his long history of participating in warfare and battle, he strives for inner peace and to balance the negativity of his chosen profession with positive pursuits, as well. On top of that he is a stickler for manners and will not suffer prolonged rudeness to himself or those he cares about for long. Preferring a katana or uchigatana as his preferred weapon Khadan strives for excellence in his craft. Though not wanting to be too reliant his martial prowess extends to unarmed martial arts, spears, and even a large axe at times though his preference for the Eastern sword is clear.

*Khadan sips a cup of tea and stares pointedly over the rim, obviously using the move to organize his thoughts* When he did speak it was clear but clipped Eorzean, accented heavily from his Othardian homeland.

“If one were to ask me ‘What are your thoughts on Cerina’ a cycle ago, I would have to reply that she is a distant woman who wears an icy exterior both to keep herself safe from others and to keep others safe from her… She walks a line on a blade’s edge and if you look closely enough you can see a part of her wishing to both continue walking it and to simply let go and fall to whatever fate will have of her. She is tragic in that way, perhaps, but she is strong like the season of winter is strong; imagine a force that you know will always come and there is nothing you can do to stop it. You may complain or try to ignore it at your own peril or you can prepare for it like a reasonable person should. That is what it is like to be around Cerina, do not try to halt her in her course, simply prepare for it and allow it to do what the season wills.”

“If you ask me now my thoughts on her, though, I will say that she is far less troubled than she was before. We were strangers when we met on that ship coming to Eorzea and the Dusk Mother saw fit to cross our paths many times. Each time she remained a stranger though a familiar one. These last few moons spent in and around her company have made me see her as a friend, instead. I admire her ability to fit in with the Eorzeans where I have struggled to do so for fear of forgetting who and what I am or where I come from… She has become both an Eorzean and a Xaela of the steps and for that I admire her greatly.”

“The biggest observation I have made of my friend, Cerina, is that the cloak of ice she wears to protect herself and others shields a warm heart that seeks to protect and care for others. She would deny this, of course. But it is, there. Winter may be harsh for some but if you see past the chill you will find the beauty and tranquility that it brings and appreciate it for the peace it can instill in your heart. This is what it is like to call Cerina ‘friend’ and I have come to respect and cherish that friendship.”

*Translated from the Xaela tongue*

He smiled as if in defiance of both the question and his upcoming answer, “I feel guilty every single day. Every day that I am alive is a reminder that my people are not. It is a source of continual punishment to wake up every day and be reminded that all of what I had known is gone. It is not that I do not have anything to live for; I do, truly. I have a good life in Eorzea, a home, and a wife... 

But having these things does not erase the guilt of losing one’s entire people, either. It’s small comfort in the twilight hours when you cannot help but wonder why it is that they died and I lived. It doesn’t stop the sounds of the screams of my people dying as they fought to the last in the twilight hours of the night. I am a conflicted man, I’ve found. On one hand it would be easy to forget it all and live my life peacefully with what I have now and it would not be a wasted life. On the other hand I would be forever haunted by the people who died for me and have not been avenged. 

गुवा : गुवा सेल खदान क्षेत्र में स्थानीय युवाओं की बहाली की मांग को लेकर जारी अनिश्चितकालीन चक्का जाम आंदोलन के बीच बुधवार को सेल प्रबंधन ने सभी ठेकेदारों के साथ अहम बैठक की। बैठक में प्रबंधन ने स्पष्ट निर्देश दिया कि आंदोलन समाप्त होने तक किसी भी ठेका मजदूर को कार्य पर नहीं लगाया जाए। प्रबंधन के इस फैसले के बाद खदान क्षेत्र के ठेका मजदूरों में चिंता और असमंजस का माहौल बन गया है। मजदूरों को अपने…

*Translated from the Xaela tongue*

“It is hard to say ‘just one’ when everyone you knew growing up and loving in your village and tribe is now gone... In truth I miss them all, brave Jagun who taught me how to serve in the mountains protecting our people, clever Sarana who helped me learn how to do more than just kill, and Tugan who was my brother in deed if not in blood.”

Leaning back in his chair and tilting his head up towards the sky, “Instead I will tell you about my actual sister, Altani. She was kind hearted but born frail of body; her mind was strong in its place, though. She wanted to be a warrior like the Samurai of old and as her older brother I allowed her these fantasies, I even tried to teach her to fight despite our parents and guardians forbidding it. I was beaten more than once for disobeying and they would ask me ‘Why do you disobey, Khadan? Why do you put her in danger?’. I always told them after they had given me a thorough bruising, ‘It is because I love her so; that I would do anything to protect her as I would any other in this village. But she loves everyone in the tribe, as well, and what kind of brother would I be if I did not help her do what she loved?’ They seemed to accept this answer but not like it all the same.

He let out a long sigh and simply stared quietly at the stars as firelight danced along his scales and horns for several minutes before continuing as if he hadn’t stopped, “She became a woman as all women do, and slowly she came to accept that her frailty was not something that would change. She still fought, though, just in other ways. She became an Oracle, of sorts, not unlike the Astrologians that Eorzeans have; reading the stars as well as omens in every day life. She would say that the way a cherry blossom falls to land on one side of a path or another can mean different things for the person who walks it. I never truly understood, to be honest, the workings of fate are beyond me though she tried to teach me many times.

“It was she who warned us of the Imperials who came. Though the words for ‘airship’ didn’t exist at that time. The closest we came was ‘armored eagle’ which means something entirely different. So when the Garleans came in their airships seeking the treasure we all guarded in the valley it was a shock. But it was Altani who stood and confronted them, it was Altani who showed us the strength to fight even when it seemed all was lost.”