Kazage -The Ambitious Exile!

:: OOC ::
Moniker:
JQ
How did you hear about us?:
CoFounder


:: Character Information ::
Name:
Kazage

Pronunciation:
ka-za-gay

Title:
Steward

Honourific:
N/A

Age/ Turn of Birth:
33/ 469 AL

Gender:
Male

Place of Birth:
Exile/ Holdless Camp of Southern Telgar

Place of Residence:
Telgar River Hold

Craft:
N/A

Occupation/ Role:
Steward of the Holdless Settlement of Telgar River Hold

Character Aspirations:
He would be happy simply being re-instated as a member of the Telgar holding family and living the rest of his life out as Holder somewhere, or perhaps even as a Cotholder or Steward. He just wants to appreciate a life lived in peace..with power.. after he achieves his goals of restoring the rightful place of the Exiled. He does hope to be married and surprisingly perhaps, desires many children. He wants to make a happy home for them as well as his extended family, and find a place for those loyal to him to reside.


Family:
✣Father: Gin (442 AL-late 448 AL) [D]
✣Mother: Cheyne (446 AL-late 448 AL) [D]
✣Siblings: Little sister who passed away when she was seven (485 AL-492 AL)
✣Children:
✣Other Significant: Cousin Senna (475 AL); At least two other confidants who are his eyes and ears and assist him for mutual benefit. One of those is Shiranui (PNPC)


Appearance:
Voice: Kenjiro Tsuda-fast forward to 12 minutes.


✣Face: Takizawa Hideaki
✣Hair: Medium brown with almost reddish blonde highlights under direct sun. His hair is cut at a medium length with short bangs that frame his face and then lengthen a bit where they come together at a V over the bridge of his nose.
✣Eyes: Near black, reflecting a innate cunning and at times, even a dangerous nature.
✣Height: 6’1”
✣Build: The diet of an exile and a high metabolism left him always very thin and somewhat lacking as far as muscular development though he did grow fairly tall -which lends to the long muscles he developed. It would seem that height becomes his only physically imposing feature. Swordplay keeps him well-toned and lean.
✣Other Notable Traits: Narrow chin and eyes
✣Style of Dress: A clean, white robe wrapped to fit snugly around his hips where it is fitted with a wide black belt overlapped by a narrower yellow sash. The garment is (similar to the long men’s robes popular of Fort and Telgar), being a little more than knee-length with cuts up the sides, worn over a pair of medium to lightweight slim-fit pants tucked into boots or worn with more casual slip-on shoes. His particular robe is patterned with a loose neckline that crosses left over right, being long and loose sleeved, and no shirt worn underneath. The collar is checkered in black and red, sometimes left open enough to reveal his bare chest. A long black overcoat is worn without any closures over the robe, its own collar being trimmed contrastingly in yellow and red. Noticably, deviating from any popular fashion, Kazage also wears a black and yellow band around his neck, similar to a collar, the closure at his throat being an intricate knot of crimson ties.
✣Possessions usually found on persona:
✣A pouch holding a few Cinnamon sticks -many assume it is a purse containing marks. Just don’t take this little pouch; he’d probably be more pissed you took his cinnamon than if you took his marks.
✣old Telgar Signet ring.
✣Yellow hand fan, almost feminine in design with a white floral pattern painted on its face.



History:
✣Three generations past, a man of  noble upbringing became the leader of a group of exiles.  He was the eldest son of the Lord Holder of Telgar at that point in history, but his status was stripped for a crime he’d committed and he was sent into exile. A few men who were loyal followed after him, going to lead their lives in relative silence and humility as far as the rest of Pern was concerned. Their existence having thereby been almost completely erased from hold records and mention of them long ago forbiden in order to preserve the reputation of the Holding Family, these descendants of Telgar are now far enough removed from any memory that they have become more or less...completely forgotten.


✣Maintaining a relatively meager existence in a cave system located a good distance up river of Southern Telgar Hold, this is where Kazage grew up. Their exiled band having originated from a small host of well-educated and skilled folks, their group absorbed some smaller holdless bands into their ranks and remained well organized and highly resourceful given their situation. The family has moved periodically to escape any unwelcome notice or interference by the large hold located south west of them. Due to the nature of their origins, they have maintained hierarchical ranks and have shunned any who refuse to follow their hierarchy. In part, this and other ‘holder-like’ traditions have been maintained in the expectation that one day they will no longer be exiles, and return to their proper way of life. This is something that has been drilled into the teachings of their children in hopes that after long turns of preparation and missed opportunities, some door will open for them and allow them the chance to once again be recognized.


✣ Childhood was dominated by nurturing parents and an exceptionally loving mother, who cherished him for many turns as their only child. They were glad to have a male as it was their hope that he would be the one to restore the family’s status. When he was fifteen turns of age, Kazage’s little sister came into the world. It was an illness that took her during the winter months, but had been something her small, immature body struggled with for almost a turn before it took her life. His little sister had been a person he adored and looked after constantly, and it wounded him deeply when she passed away. To him, she resembled the innocence of the world and all of the precious things held within it. The bells entwined by string at the base of the hilt of his sword come from her. In Kazage’s mind, when his sister left from this world, much of what was sweet and good left with her, so the bells have come to resemble his sadness over her loss, and all of the emotions that follow closely after such grief, reside within them.

Throughout Kazage’s teenage years, reclaiming his family’s right to power, or at least being re-initiated as members of the Telgar Holding Family and as a proper holder, has been something that he fantasized about. Even from his early adulthood all of his ambitions have been crafted around attaining that goal. To prove his lineage, he is in possession of the Telgar Signet ring that belonged to the original Exile of their family; he also is in possession of a longsword passed down to him by his father, a crest of Telgar and a crimson tassel adorning its hilt. These were amoungst the things that his great grandfa managed to leave Telgar with, unbeknownst to those who’d stripped his rank. The ring and the sword have therefore, become the symbol of authority for the Exiles, as it is by the ring and sword alone that their hopes all lie to be able to one day return to a proper holding. Believing that previous generations have wrongfully taken the holding that is “rightfully his”, Kazage is unwavering in his determination to achieve such ends as securing a holding for himself and those who have been loyal to his family. It is ultimately his hope that even without the use of devious designs to secure their rightful authority and land, he might be able to sway someone of influence to be “on his side”  to help him bring that dream to fruition. He is well aware that gaining the trust and respect of present, or attaining some sense of indebtedness to him, is necessary to reach his goals.


✣ ”Due to their circumstances”, Kazage’s family have always been involved in some sort of underhanded dealings with shady or dangerous characters in the ‘underworld’ so to speak. Kazage was never bothered by this and he never questioned the methodology of such dealings. In all honesty, he never found a reason to question such a thing. He truly did experience the world from a different, if not very interesting vantage point given his family’s rather unique situation.


✣ Since they have always been holdless, even if they do not consider themselves on the same level as other holdless troupes, they have always had interactions with various others in similar situations and managed to survive by...unique means. Reaching outside of their circle in a truly significant way for the first time in living memory, it was no more than a couple of turns ago, Kazage began working in league with the captain of a well-known smuggling vessel, previously in the employ of Fort Hold as privateers. Fort cast off the Captain of the smuggling vessel off for being too free in his wiles; very shortly after, finding out they were no longer in the service to the Lord Holder of Fort, Kazage approached the Captain with a few interesting propositions of his own. Having worked out an agreeable partnership with the Captain, Kazage has been able to use the smugglers to help him gain more wealth and influence to achieve his goals.


✣Backtracking a bit, it was over the past few turns that the eyes and ears of the Exiles have been more and more aware of the growing sentiments surrounding the Anti-Weyr rebels. Their activities were not yet overt, but their covert operations were well under way. Kazage and his family had never shared a liking or disliking for any of the group, as never before had they acted on any of their audacious talk. The Exiles had remained neutral in all their dealings. With the current political climate however, over the increase in searches and tithes and the talk of restoring Igen Weyr, the rebels have begun to grow restless.  Kazage saw their unrest as a great opportunity to work things to his family’s advantage and approached them about ‘partnering’ with them for the cause.

It was easy to convince the Anti Weyr rebels, giving them his story about exiled heritage, that he abhors the Weyrs and the Holds and anything to do with those of any significant power in the region.  Who wouldn't harbour hatred in their heart after that? Of course, it was a partial lie, given to them in order to utilize their own resources to his advantage and serve his own purposes in secret. Having a significant cotholding to call ‘home’ was still moving up in the world to him; even if he did not always remain there. From this location he would also be able to better keep in contact with his smuggling allies. He and his exiles will also be less suspicious, posing as cotholders, if anyone were to approach them about their being in the area.

When Kazage confronted the Anti-Weyr rebels with the proposition that he would assist them in their cause, it was under the stipulation that he and a handful of his fellow Exiles be given permanent residence at the cotholds which supported most of the rebel activity. For providing a hub for all their activities as it were, and many of their meals, in return, Kazage would help supply them with more men and more weapons or other ill-gotten goods they needed to achieve their own goals. Since that is something that Kazage knew how to come by more easily than the cotholders did, they had a hard time refusing the offer. Kazage found it amusing how the cotholder rebels like to pretend being underhanded, disreputable sorts in their efforts, but he inherently knew how to play that game better than they did. He continues to indulge them.

It was in Kazage’s interest to arrange in his dealings with the Anti Weyr rebels also, that he command his own men according to his own will. Their loyalty was to him, and there were clearly enough mutual benefits being exchanged that none should have to question his fealty to the cause. With what little shared information he finds useful from them, he has been able to further his own plans recently. Talk amoungst the top members has trickled down about organizing a kidnapping and murder, framing the young Lord of Telgar in order to cause conflict between two territories, thereby off-putting the progress of the Weyrs.

As this was his family and not just the Weyrs they were planning on interfering with, Kazage found great reason to disapprove of their ends, but will decidedly allow them to carry out their mission -to a point. And at that point, he intends on sacrificing the rebel’s second in command to gain the debt and hopefully some trust from Telgar and Igen Lords. With the death of the second in command, he also fully intends to take the open position within the rebel group, allowing him even greater room to exert his own influence over them. Then, one day, perhaps he would end all of their lives or use them all as his scape goat.


✣ Late in the turn of 498, it was in an unsuspecting, sleepy morning, where the sun had barely lifted the top of its head over the horizon, that the caverns inhabited by the Exiles were attacked by another ambitious and well-known holdless group. The particular holdless who attacked them were hoping to acquire the caves they’d furnished for their own use; the leader of the band was not agreeable to joining with them for the purpose. The conflict took the lives of both of his parents and a handful of others on both sides. The loss of both parents of course did not sit well with him, and after that time, he became a bit more cynical of the world. He is more relentless now, in his efforts to make some claim on power.


✣ Since then, Kazage betrayed the villains he’d been allied with briefly. He used them to attain the favour of Lord Holder Rihan, and in achieving some great amount of owed debt for his part played in the rescue of the Telgar River Hold’s Lady Holder, was finally able to make his identity known, and achieve at least the rank of Steward. The stewardship however, remains shared, and for now, he is only allowed to reside over the Holdless Settlement created there at TRH. Through this probationary period, however, he is determined to prove himself to the Holdless who seek refuge there, as well as to those who will inevitably determine his fate.



Personality:
✣ Ambitious: Very much driven by this, he is a man who knows what he wants and is cunning enough to know how to get it.
✣Particular about his friends: Has a small circle of close confidants and then a slightly broader circle of those he partners with for ‘business ventures’.
✣Manipulative & Persuasive: Ok with enticing others by whatever means to achieve his goals, though he steers clear of involving himself with too many people/ allies/ cronies at once, and would prefer to have none at all. That’s what irks him about his business. Other than that, he typically knows what to do or say to get things to go his way, even if his plans don’t always work out the first time around.
✣Gracious and Forgiving: Though he can be rather cold, he’s not completely unkind nor unfeeling. Often, he can be very forgiving of others’ faults or wrong doings, showing that he can indeed be more kind than most expect of him.
✣Patient: Kazage is surprisingly patient with others and with biding his time to achieve his own ends. This goes well hand in hand with his ‘forgiving nature’. Perhaps the extent of his patience is why is can be as forgiving as he is.
✣Charming: In truth, Kazage could probably not be considered wholly suave or debonair, but he is certainly capable of displaying any measure of great charm, whether it be out of honest intention or to be manipulative.
✣Cynical: Has always tended to be a bit cynical in his views about the world and about other people.
✣Quiet: Not in the sense that he never speaks or is not social rather, Kazage does nothing ‘loudly’. His entire manner and demeanor and his voice are all very quiet. His movements can also be almost completely unheard if he desires it. This is fitting of him since he dislikes ‘disruptive’ things. So, likewise, he does not exert the sense of his ‘presence’ frequently. It is in his eyes that one finds cause to be wary of him.
✣Cautious: Relatively true of him since violence doesn’t much interest him. His conflicts are chosen carefully and he goes out of his way to avoid it for the most part.
en known to test those boundaries.
✣Greedy: In a materialistic way, he is not. Kazage is not greedy for money or an abundance of luxuriant goods. In fact, he’s rather content on the road many times, but he knows that the open road will not achieve his goals, and so to acehive his goals, he is greedy for the things that will restore his rightful place as a member of the Holding Family of Telgar. This quest of his however, causes most to believe that he is driven only by such a thing as insatiable materialistic greed.
✣Wants to be acknowledged: Somewhat power hungry in the task, he simply wants to have his branch of the family revered once more for the heritage they have. His life would be fulfilled if he could see some measure of power restored to his family, restoring the hopes and dreams of his father and his father’s father.. and so on, ever since the Exile. In his mind, an exile was doled out unfairly, but he does not resent current generations of Telgar for that past. He simply wants to see recognition restored.  
✣Traditional: Due to his family heritage, his family, regardless of their living situation, have always done their best to uphold a certain sense of manners, propriety, honour and tradition valued by most Holding families. In their eyes, they have never allowed themselves to sink to the levels of tru holdless bands.
✣Commands respect: The level of respect he commands seems rather disproportionate to his appearance and the way he assumes command. Being that he is relatively reserved and does not exercise force in a loud and violent way as could be expected of most ‘underworld’ characters, many who do not know his lineage are left with many questions after meeting him.
✣Social: Moderately social, he enjoys listening to other people talk, because he is curious about other people. But only to a point. He himself will talk casually with others, but he does not like discussing himself as often. Not because he feels as though he has anything to hide, but because he sees his own story as rather irrelevant and would rather focus on more important things or .. more amusing thigs.
✣Observant: Ever curious about the people around him, Kazage’s eyes are ever observant of his surroundings, but especially of other people. More than simply curious however, he is often looking to find others who might in some way prove useful to him.


Shortcomings:
✣Ultimately Inconsiderate of others if it achieves his goals. This does not typically mean that he is unkind to others or shows an outward dislike of others, because generally he goes out of his way to avoid conflict however, his goals in life do not include the better interest of others and if others get in his way, he will find a way to remove them from his path. Perhaps that also means he is Selfish.
✣Selfish.
✣Arrogant.
✣Goes along with underhanded methods...if it achieves his goals. He has little conscience regarding such things.


Mannerisms/ Habits:
✣Chews on cinnamon sticks.
✣”Hmmmm?” is a common interjection on his part, while acknowledging others.

Skills/ Likes:
✣[Cinnamon]: Chewing on sticks of cinnamon is a bit of a habit of his, though he usually does this when he is at rest, being thoughtful, or otherwise not in public.
✣[Peace and Quiet]:  Pretty self explanatory; Kazage
✣[Good wine]: Though he doesn’t get to indulge himself as much as he would like, this is one of the great pleasures of life, in his eyes.


Unskilled at/ Dislikes:
✣[Disruptive people]: Disruptive things/ people are disruptive. They are uncouth and tactless, therefore, not in his interest.
✣[Excessive fighting]: Fighting is not biologically ideal for the sake of preservation of a species. Though he may use a brief duel as a challenge to measure a man’s skill, dominance, will or intentions, he sees fighting as something that only less civilized people too frequently rely on. Those who are of more civilized blood understand that there is little reason or practicality in resorting to needless violence.

Fighting Style/ Weapon of Choice:
His words. His long sword.
A little unorthodox perhaps, in comparison to a man of ‘official’ training, but his technique is actually pretty accurate. He never had a true master to learn his swordsmanship style, so much of his technique is self-discovered. That being the case, regardless of his actual ‘level’ of skill so to speak, for the capability he does possess, he is a true master of the long sword, being that his understanding of swordsmanship is more inherent and less academically structured. The long sword is pretty much the only weapon he’s ever dealt much with, being as it’s the only weapon in his possession, so he is a bit limited outside of that. He does have one interesting advantage though: He is Left Handed.

:: Distinguished Persons' Information ::
Character Views on Thread:
It doesn’t matter, because whatever happens, the weyrs are still taking tithes. As long as tithes are being given, one might as well agree that thread will return.


Character Views on Hold/ Weyr Relationships:
Dragonriders take tithes as long as the holds are agreeable about giving them and in Pern’s long history, this has been the tradition; who is he to disregard long standing traditions? As long as they are serving some purpose, then let the weyrs continue as they are.

Experience in Hold Management:
Having lived as an Exile all of his life, he has had no traditional managerial tasks of a Hold given to him, save for education which has remained intact through the strict teachings of his mother and father. Outside of traditional teachings however, Kazage was given certain authorities early on within their band of Exiles and allowed to assist his father in seeing to the usually underhanded business that he ran.

Present however, he is garnering some good experience as Steward of the TRH Settlement.