Jip's characters
Written by Jip, Oct 28, 2001
Elayne Crant'za: She's definitely gotten more screen time than anyone else in the East/West plotline. Though she held a relatively minor role throughout the OmniSent Conflict, she has found herself as the leader of the dying Glory Tower, the most powerful magic user in recorded history, and the last hope of a free Aryth. Unfortunately, it's a role she never really wanted, and she found herself filling the shoes of a messiah only by the pressures of others, namely her mother and Rudra. At one time innocent and girlish, her last three years in Aryth have transformed her into something darker, a woman cynical beyond her years who is terribly frustrated and is tired of being pushed around. She continues to be pushed into her fate, and has suffered a number of grevious losses, beginning with her brother at the end of the OmniSent conflict and her lover on the day of the Tower's destruction. She is almost always in a dark mood now, and the only ones that can seem to lift her out of her state, if only for a few moments, are her still nameless son, her mother, and the thought of the man she loves, now so far away.
Faith Weist: The third character I introduced into the story, Faith has found herself playing a key role throughout all my Kupopolis endeavors without ever stealing the spotlight. She thought life was finally going her way when she recovered Kix Brooks from the Bloodbane Mountains and the two agreed to try living a simple life together. Shortly thereafter, she was locked in a Grand Army staying house for an obsene amount of time while she waited for her judgement, and after that judgement she suddenly found herself shunned and unemployed. She tried to take a job making hotel reservations, but when Rudra suggested she return to Aryth and try again at a life of purpose, she reluctantly accepted the opportunity.
Faith no longer feels she has much to live for, and feels she's just going through the motions in Aryth. Once a firey (and at times, surprisingly immature) woman, she is more indifferent than anything now. Not quite beaten, she still searches for some joy, but her search is not an enthusiastic one. She has an odd relationship with Sliver, who she is annoyed by but will still confide in from time to time. She always carries a moodstone ring, a tacky looking ornament of her mother's, on the ring finger of her left hand. Though it is never addressed directly, it would seem that Faith and Kix had something of a falling out, most likely due to Faith's dramatic changes since her sentence was delivered.
Rachela Deren: The High Fire Tane, she finds herself in a role of increasing responsibility in the absence of all other High Tanes. When Elayne disappeared, Rachela found herself acting as the unofficial Verund for some time. With the Tower gone, no other person has moved so steadily and unshakeably towards the goal of defeating the empire as Rachela Deren. A stubborn woman of great conviction, she was even willing to admit to herself she was wrong, and to disappear into Esper to beg Rhodes Palmerston for help. She was successful, but now awaits for a new gateway from Aryth to Nikeah to be built so she can bring the help home.
Roslyn-nu: The leader of the Phyrex has chased both Elayne and the Empire back across the Bloodbane Mountains, fully aware that the last chance to defeat the Empire will be in the West. She has brought the other high ranking members of the Phyrex, called the Ascended, and also her adoptive daughter Pollen along with her.
Roslyn is a cold and cruel woman who has worked towards the goal of establishing a world where the magic-users, clearly superior to plain mortal, rule over all others. She has a painful past, marked by torture from her peers when it was discovered she was a magic user, which resulted in rape and then pregnancy. Some time later, Marwa-nu Byine tracked down young Roslyn and aborted the baby while it was still inside her. After this, Roslyn went Spectral for the first time in anyone's memory and escaped capture, only to be awaken by the one eyed giant Chaos, also a wandering outcast. The two later resurrected the Phyrex, the band of mages who in the past tried to take over Gnall.
Legin Trakad: The late Surlent Trakad's brother, whereas Surlent abandoned the Dark Wrath to follow Rudra in her pursuit of justice, Legin continued to play both sides of the war like a chess board in hopes that he could raise a simple, backwater nation into a great power. The man doesn't seem so much evil as he seems a man who is playing a game, the nations and powers of the world being his chess pieces. He loves a challenge, and so tries to politically infiltrate simple nations and turn them into super powers.
His latest project is Marabon. By manipulating the manaphobic nation into an alliance with the DeLaykrinn Empire, Legin hopes to see the Empire through to a win, and then capitalize on the new dominance in Aryth to arrange powerful trade with outside nations and eventually establish Marabon as the most powerful force in Aryth, and eventually a power on web-wide standards. Helping in his corner is a beautiful and amazingly crafty woman, La' Sanya, who may be the first person since his brother that Legin has had feelings for.
Vonkrick-no DeLaykrinn: The ruler of the Eastern Empire, DeLaykrinn is the direct descendant of Viashinn Laykrinn. The man has masterminded the elimiantion of magic users not only from Aryth, but if his ambitions fall through, the entire Web of Worlds. Surprisingly, the man is compassionate, and even realizes what he's doing is morally wrong. The mistreatment of Runals is not so much his ideal, but the natural progression of a culture that has learned to fear and hate magic users. He plants to discover a means of eliminating the ability to use magic in humans all together, thus making the cruel treatment of humans by humans unnecessary.
However, Vonkrick is not without his closet skeletons. Though surprisingly compassionate, he is equally mysterious. He is rarely seen out his throne, and he has been known to go through terrible mood swings, at times becoming a cold and distant man. He has tried to bargain with Faith in the past, but Faith has stood strong on her dedication to save the magic users of Aryth.
Marwa-nu Byine: The yin to Vonkrick's yang, Marwa actually does live up to the shady image the Empire seems to project. Cruel, cold, and unshakeable, Marwa was responsible for seducing Mykul Tester and turning the High Tane of Air against Elayne, and in turn capturing Elayne. Marwa also enjoys her high status in the Empire, as it has allowed her to pick and choose her slave Runals. She enjoys power coupled with beauy, and so tries to get the most beautiful Tanes from both sexes, and to prim them up like life size barbie dolls. Rumors also state that she engages in sexual activity with her pets from time to time, though this is still only suspect.
Despite her cruel way of acting, and her history of using sometimes unreasonable means to reach her goals, Marwa remains a valued member of Vonkrick's staff because, quite frankly, she is nearly failproof in her endeavors. Marwa is also the only person within the Empire who will talk to Vonkrick directly, openly, and sometimes almost condescendingly. Vonkrick never chastises the woman, which leads us to wonder if the two have some kind of history?
Not Quite Main Characters
Sliver: The sexually promiscious, everwhere at once Celpo agent was reintroduced when Rudra asked for her help to save Elayne. On the return journey the Arythian Gate was destroyed and the Celpo Agent found herself stuck in Aryth. She has since latched on to Faith and is doing what she can to help the cause against the East. She has also made an odd relationship with Faith, trying to provide the Lord General with some amount of moral support but still happily teasing her the entire time.
Rudra Tairen: Though virtually nonexistant in the storyline now, Rudra helped arrange the meeting that decided the Arythian Decree and was also responsible for arranging Elayne's rescue team. She gave the "tour" to Celiose and Shana, and later returned to Esper to focus on running the OmniNet. However, most of the story focusing on Rudra existed outside the main East/West storyline, so I consider her chapters more of a sidestory.
Vyslin Rodan: The Queen of Rodan, Vyslin is far and away one of my favorite minor characters. She finds herself the ruler of a nation under martial law by the Easterners. Historically a great supporter for the Glory Tower, she finds her patience tested to its limits by the newest invaders. Her son has been imprisoned for standing up against the Empire. Now to help him, Vyslin finds herself planning to bail out the Water Tane who once served as her advisor, but later seduced her son.
Shasha: The ass kicking magic fencer who just happens to be a flaming gay, or maybe just a closet bisexual. Shasha risked life and limb (leaving a boyfriend behind) to try and rescue Elayne after a vision in the River Tyme made it clear to him that she would bring him untold happiness. However, the River Tyme reflects what might have been, not what is inevitable truth, and Shasha was met with disappointment when it turned out the Verund was already quite in love. Shasha ended up delivering the baby, though the Verund was barely herself. Shasha later retreated without a trace, and hasn't been seen since. (OR HAS HE!??!?)
Marien Othlan: Elayne's mother. The One time Verund Cenrum lost her ability to do magic after Roland used her abilities to escape capture by the Grand Army. However, she has still been using her former experience to teach her daughter how to kick ass and take names. However, despite her best eachings, her daughter still thinks she can go off and destroy lots of stuff, much to Marien's disappointment.
Purely Support
La' Sanya: This Marabon native is gorgeous. You shouldn't even call this woman hot, she's just beautiful. Just the sight of her eyes is enough to pur any of you horny college types into tears! That, and she's sharp as a knife and as seductive as any homebrew Marabon girl. La' Sanya saw through pathetic Marabon politics long enough to know that Legin Trakad was the one who would be holding the reins, despite his somewhat lacklust position now.
De' Terrance: The current Panarch of Marabon actually loves his country very much, and whats to see his people bettered by the benefits of modern technology only available through trade, trade that the tower is trying to restrict. Unfortunately, Terrance's good poitns are countered by his less romantic ones, like his huge bias against the Tower and Magic Users. This blind hatred has allowed him to be easily manipulated into an alliance with the East Empire.
Deloko-no Arna: With stringy hair and an ever present pair of spectacles, Deloko-no looks a lot like a medieval geek, except that his somewhat broader build gives him some trace of reasonable looks. Deloko is a member of Vonkrick's staff, and is a complete manaphobe. His entire family was swept away in an attack by the Phyrex, and since then his passion to destroy all magic users has brought him up the ladder so far as to be one of Vonkrick's most trusted advisors. He works mostly behind the scenes, preferring not to get his hands dirty. He also refuses flatly to take up any Runals. Deloko-no might have found himself falling for the wrong woman, however -- after a couple of charming conversations, Deloko has developed quite a crush on everyone's favorite Lord General, which is the source of no end of teasing from Marwa.
Machu-no Yander: The former military commander for the Empire. Roslyn killed him when he tried to recapture Elayne.
Jenwell-nu Tara: If I had more time, I'd develop this lass a bit more, as I like her character design. A "duty above all" kinda girl who believes everyone has their place in life, she has become the new military commander in Aryth since Machu's death. She is a relatively friendly and approachable General, but is very hard on failures, especially her own. She is currently stationed just outside of Truklan, where Vonkrick and the bulk of the Empire's most important people are.
Vivandiere: Short, spunky, mischevious little member of the colporteurs, she befriended Ross while he travelled with the gypsy like crew. She loves to trade and has a fascination with all rare things from Aryth. Curious to a fault and loves to make trouble. A more charming support character I have yet to design.
Cadger: Vivandiere's brother shares her devilish look but is far more reserved. He, too, befriended Ross, and taught him how to play the bundurria. Gave Ross one such instrument as a parting gift.
Sypha-nu: Where as Roslyn has dark hair and dark armor, Sypha's is a blinding blonde adorned in white. She could pass for an inverted twin of Roslyn, and acts similar in many respects. However, where Roslyn's psychological scars voice themselves in the sometimes bizarre moral decisions the Phyrex leader takes, Sypha's past troubles come through in her attitudes and actions. She is tight lipped about her history, but she seems to share a common thread with Marwa somewhere in her past as well. Sypha is an extreme sadist -- she enjoys inflicting pain on others to a disturbing degree. She also has an inferiority complex, and is deeply bothered by the fact that Roslyn can go Spectral and she cannot.
Disk-no: The big, stupid, lumpering ox of a man who just happens to have ridiculous magic power when it comes to starting things on fire. He is one of the Ascended, though he is generally regarded as more of a bodyguard than an intellectual member. He is jointly loyal to Sypha and Roslyn, but seems unable to speak.
Chaos: The one eyed brute. This fellow trained Roslyn after he found her outside DeLaykrinn, exhausted from her first trip through Spectral Mode. Despite his disfigured looks, Chaos is an intelligent member of the Phyrex, and is probably the most reasonable.
Pollen: The almost-but-not-quite creepy adoptive daughter of Roslyn. Roslyn picked her up after an attack on one of the sectors of the city, and due to one of her strange complexes, decided that though the girl seemed dumb she would let her live, and indeed try to take care of her. Roslyn is actually fiercely protective of Pollen, though the young girl has done nothing positive in return. At one time Vonkrick seemed insistent about recovering Pollen, who he called "The Child," but with the discovery of Elayne soon forgot about her.
Ahrak Toasen: The Premiere of Truklan. He's old but immensely respected. He has promised to help Faith as much as possible, to the limit of his abilities.
Joannas Toasen: Trade Ambassador of Truklan and Ahrak's sister, Joannas covers the more political movements in Truklan. Perhaps even more than Ahrak, Joannas has always acted with the interests of Truklan as a whole in mind. She is frightened by the concept of the modernization of Aryth, as she thinks Truklan, which has always been a protector of sorts of the dimension, will become dated. She has joined the Arythian Army with her brother, and although she has few useful skills to add to the war effort, she hopes to offer her support where she can.
Aria: (whose last name I forget and don't feel like looking up) The Water Tane that once served Queen Vyslin. Despite being twice the age of Prince Melsh (Vyslin's Son), the two hit it off grandly and had a little relationship behind the Queenie's back. They had a lot of dirty sex, too. Freaky sex, like only Tanes can do. I'm sure Moggie can back me up on this one. ::ahem:: Anyways, Aria got captured when the Easterners came a knockin. Oh well.
Rogges Barren: This is the guy running the Georgethor Institute of Magic these days. He loves learning. He loves teaching. He's probably the most well learned Tane ever, and he enjoys running the school if only because he gets as much out of the school as he gives.
Mykul Tester: He was the High Tane of Air, before he got killed. He was seduced by Marwa into turning against Elayne, almost killing her once and then commiting to a Question of Authority at a later date. Marwa killed him.
Toman Gaidin: The Panarch of Camoore was once opposed to the Tower rule, but now that it's gone, he's sympathetic to the plight of the Tanes and has been trying to help them. However, he's not willing to put his people and his country at risk for the sake of the remaining Tanes, and he proved that when he ushered Marien and Elayne out of his country just last post!
Ra' Croama: Ra' Croama is the kindly old lady who has been tutoring Ross Payvern. She is an Earth Tane, and quite established at that. currently she's hanging out with the Arythan Army, scaring small children and still tutoring Ross.
Oun' Biatasta: Guildsmen of Carpentry in Marabon. He made friends with Celiose Cole during his short stay in Truklan. Since then, he has been a vocal women's rights advocate in Marabon. His task will become more important shortly.
Len' Lecrau: This hawknose bastard is the Guildsman of Trade. He likes scoring with chicks.
Se' Regnold: The Other (advisor) to De' Terrance, Se' Regnold is a stupid stupid man who really liked big boobies. Legin Trakad has been manipulating Regnold more than Terrance to get his work done, and actually both Regnold and Legin are planning the downfall of the current Panarch. Regnold, however, will most likely end up a puppet of Legin. Regnold is currently under fire for allegedly raping Len' Lecrau's wife who goes by the name of...
Lo' Nayya: The wife of Len' Lecrau. She has big boobs. Apparantly, she was raped by Se' Regnold. We have yet to see if the surly Guildsman of Trade will seek revenge for this atrocity. Maybe it's just an elaborate set up?
Ocksmark: He's a big guy who didn't say a whole lot. A Tane who went with Sliver and Derik on their mission to rescue Elayne, Ocksmark actually supported the Question of Authority against Elayne. Though he appeared in a great many posts, he was a the quiet type, and only said three lines total. He didn't have any great bearing on the story, except that he was the only person on the trip level headed enough to actually help Sliver rescue our fair Verund.
Konni-no: Jenwell's Third, a commander of some import in the Eastern Army. He's only appeared in two posts so far. He seems to be stricken with a pretty slip of a girl from Truklan who goes by the name of...
Sarha: Named after the wonderful fabric of Aryth (The touch.. the feel of sarha! THE FABRIC OF OUR LIVES!), sarha gives kick ass back rubs and is really tall. A truklan native, it seems she has wordlessly fallen in love with the Third Commander Konni-no.
