Post by Jael Yzvn on Nov 2, 2009 22:38:18 GMT -5
Name:
Jael Yzvn
Age:
20
Gender:
F
Alignment:
True Neutral
Eyes:
Red
Hair:
Silver/White
Personality:
Jael is of a calm demeanor. It takes much to get past her threshold of tolerance for irritation. Not that she doesn't have limits, but her limits are quite high. She exudes an air of elegance about her, an appreciation for the beauty of all things, not just of things lustrous to the eye. A creeping, grotesque flower, so long as it smells good, will be something beautiful for her. When at peace, Jael might as well be the quintessential lady, who values friendship above pretty much everything else.
During times of danger, she becomes more down-to-earth and realistic. Jael ceases to mince words, and gets straight to the point. Sometimes to the level of almost cursing. Gritty and 'darker', you may say. In such instances, the Dragon Slayer will prioritize what is practical, doing what she perceives to be the most efficient option, which will bring the most desirable results. Even if it means sacrificing some things, or some ones. What matters most is the goal.
When pressured into fighting, Jael releases all inhibitions and becomes arrogant, bombastic, and loud. She will not hesitate to trash talk her opponent as part of a psychological gambit, all the while exploiting the flaws that become evident once the enemy loses focus thanks to anger. One of her favorite taunting lines is "You fight like a cow!" She becomes rough and personal, having no particular preference of weapon for combat, though she is best when using her own body, if it comes to that point.
Which of these is the true Jael? They all are, to an extent. She is a follower of Kochava's principles of balance, integrating different, separate sub-personalities into their respective situations. This ensures that she does not become overwhelmed by a single, specific attitude, but a unique mixture of types, which she has split up into different sections. When there isn't much fighting or trouble, she tends to slip into her... ruder... personae to compensate, much as an angry person vents out steam to keep himself from going nuts.
The core, however, is a personality that cares only about equilibrium and nothing else. As such, she probably won't care if your reason for recruiting her is that thing on her head, or if you asked her out on a date and told her the restaurant had bad food. Of course, she would then try to balance the bad food by ordering good drinks from outside or something, but you get the idea. She also won't care if she kills somebody, as long as it's for the greater balance, and as long as there are no witnesses. A registered mage would have some problems with the Council, after all.
Physical Description:
Have book, will travel
Something less scanty
Yes, she has wings sticking out of her head
Occupation:
Rank-S Dragon Slayer
Guild:
Echidna Sororitas
Location of Guild Tattoo:
Left Backhand
Specialty:
But Not Too Balanced - Though trained by Kochava to be balanced with regards to the use of weapons in self-defense, she was also smart enough to tell Jael to choose a style to excel in. Because while being a jack-of-all-trades is balanced, she is 'too' balanced, as she is after all, a 'master of none'. In this sense then, a meta-balanced warrior is in fact, a little good at everything, and very good at something.
Compare to Lancelot, who could use any weapon with flexibility, while being generally better with a sword, against another knight who was exceptionally skilled with one weapon, and sucked with every other kind, or a knight who was good at everything, but better at nothing. Jael's 'better than the others' proficiency can be found in hand-to-hand combat, with which she can stand toe-to-toe with some of the better fighters out there. Some of the 'best' would give her a pretty hard time, though, if she didn't make use of her Slayer abilities, that is.
Aether Transmutation - Aether is a rare, and precious substance. How does somebody go about having enough of it to eat for those special occasions when a boost is needed? Simple. By making it. And by that, we don't mean the kind that you create via Dragon Slayer magic. We mean using a non-magical means to cook it up. Aether doesn't come from nothing, though. There are specific ingredients, which, while easier to find than the finished product, are themselves quite uncommon, and not something you'd find on the shelf of every town store. To get the ingredients requires either a lot of money, a lot of connections, or the willingness to venture out into dangerous places to get them. But even having all the ingredients is only part of it.
The knowledge of the transmutation technique and the identity of the ingredients can be found in that book she keeps with her all the time, Sephirot. The book is written in an ancient dead language that only the Aether Dragon Kochava understands. She has taught Jael to read this language. As such, Jael can transmute raw materials into Aether for personal use, limited by how much of it is available. And as stated above, the ingredients are by no means easy to come by.
Weighing the Odds - If there's one thing Kochava ever taught well, it is the ability to discern the chances of, well, anything, be it survival, victory, defeat, death, an arrow hitting the bullseye, whatever, with deadly accuracy and speed. Because of this extreme probability calculation, Jael is quite gifted when it comes to games of chance and measuring the odds of winning in a fight.
There are a lot of possible applications outside combat, and the accuracy depends on how much information is known. Once everything there is to know about a situation is known, then the chances of a probability-based prediction coming true lies between 90 and 99 percent. Its primary purpose, however, is to help her in decision making, specifically, when it becomes more efficient in maintaining the balance to betray somebody than to stick around with them.
That being said, her most common practical use of this skill is to win at gambling. She has already used this to drain several casinos' coffers to the point of near bankruptcy. As she can calculate when the casino will start rigging the game she's playing, Jael always quits to count her earnings just before they can cheat her. Before joining a guild, this was her main source of income.
History:
"Puff, the Magic Dragon, lived by the sea,
And frolicked in the autumn mists in a land called Honalee."
- PPM
Kochava was no Puff. But she certainly frolicked in the autumn, as well as the spring. And so too did she live by the sea. Why? Because spring and autumn are the seasons that are neither too hot nor too cold, and living by the sea is the threshold between wet and dry, land and water, but not quite in both. Kochava, like the other dragons, is an ancient, ageless being, who has assumedly been around for a pretty long time. She was around during the age of a now long-dead language that was used to write down a text that at the very least, teaches one how to create Aether using certain ingredients. Perhaps only she truly knows the name, nature, and ultimate fate of the author of this book, and is likely the only person capable of reading the whole thing.
It can be assumed, however, that Kochava has been guarding this book for at least as long as the age when this language still existed. A staunch believer in the principle of neutrality and balance, Kochava has an almost strictly observational attitude. For this dragon, intervention only becomes necessary when the scales fall into an imbalance. But a merely observational stance will not do, if intervention becomes a necessity. Especially since she was well aware of the inevitability that should a particular time come, the dragons would have to remove themselves from humanity's affairs.
This would mean, of course, that if such a time came, she would not be able to intervene. At least, not directly, and not without an agent. It is a tendency for a dragon to take care of humans who happen to get orphaned. It is also a tendency for dragons to teach their foster children a magical art known as Dragon Slayer, in order to make these adopted children more like them. If the Dragon King said she could not intervene in human affairs, that would be acceptable... as long as she had a child to do the intervening for her. Kochava set out on a personal quest: find an orphaned child and groom her to become the device of balancing influence.
Seven weeks into this search, and her quest began to look dim. There were no orphaned humans within the wide area she had searched. Normally, a dragon would be relieved at this fact, as it meant that these children would be able to live with their parents. But Kochava was not happy. After all, her objectives were in jeopardy. The dragon sat in her cove and pondered for many hours, until the solution, simple as the light of day, hit her like a brick. "If I cannot find an orphan, then I shall create one."
Kochava set out once again, this time, with a different intent. The search was much quicker now. In less than a week, the dragon spotted from above a merry young couple having a picnic in a meadow. Accompanying them was their beautiful baby girl, who they pampered with the loving care that only parents could impart. Without second thought, the mighty Aether Dragon Kochava swooped down upon the unsuspecting picnickers and crushed them underneath her claws. Before the young couple even knew what was happening, they were dead, leaving behind the crying baby.
Kochava took this baby under her wing and raised her as her own. More importantly, she trained her and molded her beliefs to become the executor of her will amongst humans. This baby, who grew into a white haired, crimson-eyed maiden, was given a name taken from the ancient dead language that the dragon was the last speaker of. From that day forward, the girl in the mirror was known as 'Jael Yzvn', "To Ascend to Equilibrium". That was the goal. And so far, Kochava was doing a very good job.
Jael Yzvn, that girl in the mirror, was raised with enough affection that was more than enough to replace what her true parents would have given her. At the same time, she was indoctrinated with everything that Kochava believed in, taught to command the rare and destructive element of Aether, trained to understand the fundamental basics of the dead language, that she become capable of creating her own Aether when needed. Jael was further taught a balanced regimen in combat, for Kochava knew that with this goal in mind, combat was a not a question of 'if', but 'when'.
Jael became skilled in multiple weapons, but above them all, gained a greater mastery of the only weapon she would ever have all of the time: her body. As her knowledge and skill with the Dragon Slayer art grew, so too was she taught to come up with balanced purposes, create one method that was suitable for both offense and defense as a means of support. Jael learned to fly. To help in decision making, Kochava trained her to collect information and mathematically calculate the odds of an event happening, that she would know when to switch sides, or when to pull off a gambit. Jael learned to determine probabilities and accurately weigh odds.
This training continued for nearly ten long years. At last, one final test was had of her. "What would you do, if you met the murderer of your parents?"
"I would thank him," said Jael Yzvn, the girl in the mirror. "I never knew my parents, so I wouldn't know if I might have been better off with them. I never would have met you."
"And what would you do, if I told you that I murdered your parents?"
"Thank you."
Kochava only smiled. Her plan was complete. Most intriguingly, however, during this time, she observed having grown an attachment to this child. But that was no problem for her. She enjoyed it. After all, a balanced life needs even the slightest bit of love. And indeed, any guilt that had been there from the murder of this girl's parents, immediately dissipated at the conclusion of this discussion.
In the final year of her training, Jael was sent out to find the ingredients for, and create, her first personal cache of Aether. This was relatively challenging. For one, it lasted for several months. Furthermore, Jael Yzvn, the girl in the mirror, had to fight through, and in most cases kill, anything that got in her way, be it animal, mineral, or vegetable. The first person she ever killed was a mage who she was competing with for a certain uncommon plant, in a forest. He wouldn't even share a tiny bit of it with her. In the end, they fought, and she emerged victorious.
The mage tried to kill her while she was distracted by the plant, however, forcing young Jael to take her first life before her tenth birthday. There was no remorse. After all, either he got the plant, or she did. Upon returning to Kochava's cove in July 3, 777, she was met with applause from her surrogate mother/mentor, who congratulated her for going through what had to be done to accomplish the given task. She was told that as a reward, she may spend the next few days off in a town nearby before they were to move on the last segment of her training, which Kochava said, was of the utmost importance.
And so, Jael took her mentor's suggestion to heart, going out and enjoying herself in the nearby town, using the hefty sum that had been given to her. When she came back four days later, Kochava was nowhere to be found. Instead, on one of her favorite perches - a single favorite perch was considered imbalanced, and so multiple perches were necessary - Jael found a strange necklace, two notes, and the book. The first note was pinned under the weight of the necklace, and was a simple enough label, "Sliwo-Ma'agál". In the ancient language taught to Jael Yzvn, the girl in the mirror, it meant 'Circle Cross'. And on the book, known as Sephirot, was another note. "Maintain the balance."
Jael set out from the cove, to perform her disappeared master's last wish. It began with small works, setting out to meet other people, and correct the imbalances she perceived on the small scale, while ensuring that it had an overall neutralizing effect on the large scale. When she found a place in equilibrium, though it seemed to be overrun with evil, she would merely watch, and discuss with a person nearby. No intervention was necessary, from her perspective. At best, she would use this new connection to hear of other places that could use a little work. Whether his life was in danger or not? That was none of her concern.
Along the way, she collected raw materials for the transmutation of additional Aether. Jael had already used her stockpile on a few occasions, which, while not particularly regular, would quickly deplete the stuff, since there was so little of it to begin with. It was during one such trip some three years ago that she encountered one Adam Arkblade, who practically dragged her into his guild. Not that she would protest, anyway. There was nothing wrong with that. When asked for his reasons, the most inexplicable explanation came forth, that is, because of the strange, persistent lock of hair that protruded from the left side of her head. The answer didn't make much sense to her, but that was fine too.
Jael Yzvn, that girl in the mirror, operates out of Echidna Sororitas, using leads from various rumors and mission contacts she meets to seek out and balance other places that she finds. Since joining the guild, she has at most only casually thrown obstacles out of the way, rather than killing them. It's against the law, which may be inconvenient at times, but it's a worthy compromise. Better to be somewhat restrained in killing people, rather than locked up in a jail cell somewhere and incapable of balancing the world order. She just hopes that throughout all this, she might find Kochava once again.
Likes:
- Seeing things in balance
- The seaside, which reminds her of her childhood
- Adventuring
- High places
- Sparring
- Putting things in equilibrium
- 'Beautiful' things
- Gambling
Dislikes:
- Seeing things in a state of imbalance
- People who screw up the balance
- Bad odds
Positive Traits:
Jael won't disturb you if she doesn't feel the need to, which is a good thing. Because when she does disturb you, you'll know she has something important to say. She is quite reliable, in a predictable sort of way. As long as you're the underdog in any way, expect her to help you as best she can. Jael is also rather friendly, when you approach her first, that is.
Negative Traits:
This same predictability can make her quite the wild card. While she won't outright betray somebody in the guild, due to specific conditions she has set for herself, if it looks like a guildmate can win something without her assistance, don't expect any help at all. Worse, if a guildmate is dominating a fight, expect her to tell said guildmate to 'go easier' on the enemy. Apparently, she likes seeing close fights, but this is actually because of her personal beliefs. In the end, you can only trust Jael to be predictable as an enforcer of equilibrium. Though a member of the guild, she is technically a neutral force that hangs around to balance things out when they appear to be imbalanced.
Skills:
Dragon Slayer (Aether)
Aether Dragon's Wings
We have liftoff.
Passive support. Generates three pairs of Aether wings to facilitate speed buff while on the ground or limited flight capability while airborne. While activated, Jael's agility on the ground is doubled from the additional force provided by wing flapping. Additionally, these can be used to fly to a limited altitude of 60 feet. Speed is not enhanced during flight due to non-aerodynamic shape of the human body.
As opposed to a ground-based speed buff, which uses the wings as a supplement to her body's movement, flight is the wings acting alone. Falling from higher than the limit can be countered by gliding until the usable altitude is reached. Gliding isn't flying, though. At the present rate, wings may be sustained for up to a full two hours if used alone. When activated in conjunction with other skills, varies in length depending on the intensity of additional skills. Naturally, less than two hours.
Aether Dragon's Tail Barb
Not the actual 'basic' color. Aether is an idea, after all.
Ranged attack. Creates a ball of Aether that Jael can manipulate like an actual ball. She prefers to launch it with a volleyball style jump serve, though a baseball pitch or bowling roll are not unheard of. A balanced warrior must be skilled in using many different styles, after all. The Jump serve may be combined with Aether Dragon's Wings to allow for a stronger serve, with lots of topspin. Size can vary from "pinhead" to "volleyball". The former, she can launch by flicking her fingers, but don't really go that far. They're not bullets.
Aether Dragon's Claw
Incoming sucker punch
Melee attack. Jael coats her striking hand or foot with Aether to enhance damage dealt. Damage is additionally increased when used in conjunction with Aether Dragon's Wings, due to the increased momentum/velocity of the impact.
Accessories:
Sephirot
Insert Ominous Latin Chanting here.
According to the Aether Dragon Kochava, the title of the book, Sephirot, comes from the ancient dead language that it was written in. Kochava, the only remaining speaker of the said language, translates it to "Enumeration". In that context, the Sephirot is an enumeration, a list, of the ingredients necessary to create Aether, and the steps and techniques used in the transmutation process. The actual recipe and instructions, however, are restricted to merely the first 21 pages of the book, and are apparently written in the most basic form of the language, which Kochava had taught to Jael.
Apparently, the later pages, written in a more advanced form, contain knowledge that may upset the balance that Kochava wishes to maintain. Thus, she has limited Jael's lessons to the basics. Jael believes that Kochava was meaning to begin teaching her the more advanced form, having deemed her worthy of keeping the latter knowledge, and that this was the reason she called for the two of them to meet, just before the dragons disappeared ten years ago. Sephirot has 666 pages, and thus, has 645 other pages that are unreadable to anybody except Kochava.
Sliwo-Ma'agál
"Something to remember me by."
"Circle Cross". A memento left to Jael by Kochava before the disappearance ten years ago. Since it doesn't do anything, it can be assumed that the significance of this final gift is symbolic in nature. Kochava loves to give her student puzzles. As such, it is quite likely that she intentionally left no explanation for the meaning of the necklace. Jael's present guess is that the circle stands for everything, while the hole at the center of the cross stands for one thing. Yes, Kochava is so eccentric that a symbolism like that is indeed a rather valid guess.
Jael Yzvn
Age:
20
Gender:
F
Alignment:
True Neutral
Eyes:
Red
Hair:
Silver/White
Personality:
Jael is of a calm demeanor. It takes much to get past her threshold of tolerance for irritation. Not that she doesn't have limits, but her limits are quite high. She exudes an air of elegance about her, an appreciation for the beauty of all things, not just of things lustrous to the eye. A creeping, grotesque flower, so long as it smells good, will be something beautiful for her. When at peace, Jael might as well be the quintessential lady, who values friendship above pretty much everything else.
During times of danger, she becomes more down-to-earth and realistic. Jael ceases to mince words, and gets straight to the point. Sometimes to the level of almost cursing. Gritty and 'darker', you may say. In such instances, the Dragon Slayer will prioritize what is practical, doing what she perceives to be the most efficient option, which will bring the most desirable results. Even if it means sacrificing some things, or some ones. What matters most is the goal.
When pressured into fighting, Jael releases all inhibitions and becomes arrogant, bombastic, and loud. She will not hesitate to trash talk her opponent as part of a psychological gambit, all the while exploiting the flaws that become evident once the enemy loses focus thanks to anger. One of her favorite taunting lines is "You fight like a cow!" She becomes rough and personal, having no particular preference of weapon for combat, though she is best when using her own body, if it comes to that point.
Which of these is the true Jael? They all are, to an extent. She is a follower of Kochava's principles of balance, integrating different, separate sub-personalities into their respective situations. This ensures that she does not become overwhelmed by a single, specific attitude, but a unique mixture of types, which she has split up into different sections. When there isn't much fighting or trouble, she tends to slip into her... ruder... personae to compensate, much as an angry person vents out steam to keep himself from going nuts.
The core, however, is a personality that cares only about equilibrium and nothing else. As such, she probably won't care if your reason for recruiting her is that thing on her head, or if you asked her out on a date and told her the restaurant had bad food. Of course, she would then try to balance the bad food by ordering good drinks from outside or something, but you get the idea. She also won't care if she kills somebody, as long as it's for the greater balance, and as long as there are no witnesses. A registered mage would have some problems with the Council, after all.
Physical Description:
Have book, will travel
Something less scanty
Yes, she has wings sticking out of her head
Occupation:
Rank-S Dragon Slayer
Guild:
Echidna Sororitas
Location of Guild Tattoo:
Left Backhand
Specialty:
But Not Too Balanced - Though trained by Kochava to be balanced with regards to the use of weapons in self-defense, she was also smart enough to tell Jael to choose a style to excel in. Because while being a jack-of-all-trades is balanced, she is 'too' balanced, as she is after all, a 'master of none'. In this sense then, a meta-balanced warrior is in fact, a little good at everything, and very good at something.
Compare to Lancelot, who could use any weapon with flexibility, while being generally better with a sword, against another knight who was exceptionally skilled with one weapon, and sucked with every other kind, or a knight who was good at everything, but better at nothing. Jael's 'better than the others' proficiency can be found in hand-to-hand combat, with which she can stand toe-to-toe with some of the better fighters out there. Some of the 'best' would give her a pretty hard time, though, if she didn't make use of her Slayer abilities, that is.
Aether Transmutation - Aether is a rare, and precious substance. How does somebody go about having enough of it to eat for those special occasions when a boost is needed? Simple. By making it. And by that, we don't mean the kind that you create via Dragon Slayer magic. We mean using a non-magical means to cook it up. Aether doesn't come from nothing, though. There are specific ingredients, which, while easier to find than the finished product, are themselves quite uncommon, and not something you'd find on the shelf of every town store. To get the ingredients requires either a lot of money, a lot of connections, or the willingness to venture out into dangerous places to get them. But even having all the ingredients is only part of it.
The knowledge of the transmutation technique and the identity of the ingredients can be found in that book she keeps with her all the time, Sephirot. The book is written in an ancient dead language that only the Aether Dragon Kochava understands. She has taught Jael to read this language. As such, Jael can transmute raw materials into Aether for personal use, limited by how much of it is available. And as stated above, the ingredients are by no means easy to come by.
Weighing the Odds - If there's one thing Kochava ever taught well, it is the ability to discern the chances of, well, anything, be it survival, victory, defeat, death, an arrow hitting the bullseye, whatever, with deadly accuracy and speed. Because of this extreme probability calculation, Jael is quite gifted when it comes to games of chance and measuring the odds of winning in a fight.
There are a lot of possible applications outside combat, and the accuracy depends on how much information is known. Once everything there is to know about a situation is known, then the chances of a probability-based prediction coming true lies between 90 and 99 percent. Its primary purpose, however, is to help her in decision making, specifically, when it becomes more efficient in maintaining the balance to betray somebody than to stick around with them.
That being said, her most common practical use of this skill is to win at gambling. She has already used this to drain several casinos' coffers to the point of near bankruptcy. As she can calculate when the casino will start rigging the game she's playing, Jael always quits to count her earnings just before they can cheat her. Before joining a guild, this was her main source of income.
History:
"Puff, the Magic Dragon, lived by the sea,
And frolicked in the autumn mists in a land called Honalee."
- PPM
Kochava was no Puff. But she certainly frolicked in the autumn, as well as the spring. And so too did she live by the sea. Why? Because spring and autumn are the seasons that are neither too hot nor too cold, and living by the sea is the threshold between wet and dry, land and water, but not quite in both. Kochava, like the other dragons, is an ancient, ageless being, who has assumedly been around for a pretty long time. She was around during the age of a now long-dead language that was used to write down a text that at the very least, teaches one how to create Aether using certain ingredients. Perhaps only she truly knows the name, nature, and ultimate fate of the author of this book, and is likely the only person capable of reading the whole thing.
It can be assumed, however, that Kochava has been guarding this book for at least as long as the age when this language still existed. A staunch believer in the principle of neutrality and balance, Kochava has an almost strictly observational attitude. For this dragon, intervention only becomes necessary when the scales fall into an imbalance. But a merely observational stance will not do, if intervention becomes a necessity. Especially since she was well aware of the inevitability that should a particular time come, the dragons would have to remove themselves from humanity's affairs.
This would mean, of course, that if such a time came, she would not be able to intervene. At least, not directly, and not without an agent. It is a tendency for a dragon to take care of humans who happen to get orphaned. It is also a tendency for dragons to teach their foster children a magical art known as Dragon Slayer, in order to make these adopted children more like them. If the Dragon King said she could not intervene in human affairs, that would be acceptable... as long as she had a child to do the intervening for her. Kochava set out on a personal quest: find an orphaned child and groom her to become the device of balancing influence.
Seven weeks into this search, and her quest began to look dim. There were no orphaned humans within the wide area she had searched. Normally, a dragon would be relieved at this fact, as it meant that these children would be able to live with their parents. But Kochava was not happy. After all, her objectives were in jeopardy. The dragon sat in her cove and pondered for many hours, until the solution, simple as the light of day, hit her like a brick. "If I cannot find an orphan, then I shall create one."
Kochava set out once again, this time, with a different intent. The search was much quicker now. In less than a week, the dragon spotted from above a merry young couple having a picnic in a meadow. Accompanying them was their beautiful baby girl, who they pampered with the loving care that only parents could impart. Without second thought, the mighty Aether Dragon Kochava swooped down upon the unsuspecting picnickers and crushed them underneath her claws. Before the young couple even knew what was happening, they were dead, leaving behind the crying baby.
Kochava took this baby under her wing and raised her as her own. More importantly, she trained her and molded her beliefs to become the executor of her will amongst humans. This baby, who grew into a white haired, crimson-eyed maiden, was given a name taken from the ancient dead language that the dragon was the last speaker of. From that day forward, the girl in the mirror was known as 'Jael Yzvn', "To Ascend to Equilibrium". That was the goal. And so far, Kochava was doing a very good job.
Jael Yzvn, that girl in the mirror, was raised with enough affection that was more than enough to replace what her true parents would have given her. At the same time, she was indoctrinated with everything that Kochava believed in, taught to command the rare and destructive element of Aether, trained to understand the fundamental basics of the dead language, that she become capable of creating her own Aether when needed. Jael was further taught a balanced regimen in combat, for Kochava knew that with this goal in mind, combat was a not a question of 'if', but 'when'.
Jael became skilled in multiple weapons, but above them all, gained a greater mastery of the only weapon she would ever have all of the time: her body. As her knowledge and skill with the Dragon Slayer art grew, so too was she taught to come up with balanced purposes, create one method that was suitable for both offense and defense as a means of support. Jael learned to fly. To help in decision making, Kochava trained her to collect information and mathematically calculate the odds of an event happening, that she would know when to switch sides, or when to pull off a gambit. Jael learned to determine probabilities and accurately weigh odds.
This training continued for nearly ten long years. At last, one final test was had of her. "What would you do, if you met the murderer of your parents?"
"I would thank him," said Jael Yzvn, the girl in the mirror. "I never knew my parents, so I wouldn't know if I might have been better off with them. I never would have met you."
"And what would you do, if I told you that I murdered your parents?"
"Thank you."
Kochava only smiled. Her plan was complete. Most intriguingly, however, during this time, she observed having grown an attachment to this child. But that was no problem for her. She enjoyed it. After all, a balanced life needs even the slightest bit of love. And indeed, any guilt that had been there from the murder of this girl's parents, immediately dissipated at the conclusion of this discussion.
In the final year of her training, Jael was sent out to find the ingredients for, and create, her first personal cache of Aether. This was relatively challenging. For one, it lasted for several months. Furthermore, Jael Yzvn, the girl in the mirror, had to fight through, and in most cases kill, anything that got in her way, be it animal, mineral, or vegetable. The first person she ever killed was a mage who she was competing with for a certain uncommon plant, in a forest. He wouldn't even share a tiny bit of it with her. In the end, they fought, and she emerged victorious.
The mage tried to kill her while she was distracted by the plant, however, forcing young Jael to take her first life before her tenth birthday. There was no remorse. After all, either he got the plant, or she did. Upon returning to Kochava's cove in July 3, 777, she was met with applause from her surrogate mother/mentor, who congratulated her for going through what had to be done to accomplish the given task. She was told that as a reward, she may spend the next few days off in a town nearby before they were to move on the last segment of her training, which Kochava said, was of the utmost importance.
And so, Jael took her mentor's suggestion to heart, going out and enjoying herself in the nearby town, using the hefty sum that had been given to her. When she came back four days later, Kochava was nowhere to be found. Instead, on one of her favorite perches - a single favorite perch was considered imbalanced, and so multiple perches were necessary - Jael found a strange necklace, two notes, and the book. The first note was pinned under the weight of the necklace, and was a simple enough label, "Sliwo-Ma'agál". In the ancient language taught to Jael Yzvn, the girl in the mirror, it meant 'Circle Cross'. And on the book, known as Sephirot, was another note. "Maintain the balance."
Jael set out from the cove, to perform her disappeared master's last wish. It began with small works, setting out to meet other people, and correct the imbalances she perceived on the small scale, while ensuring that it had an overall neutralizing effect on the large scale. When she found a place in equilibrium, though it seemed to be overrun with evil, she would merely watch, and discuss with a person nearby. No intervention was necessary, from her perspective. At best, she would use this new connection to hear of other places that could use a little work. Whether his life was in danger or not? That was none of her concern.
Along the way, she collected raw materials for the transmutation of additional Aether. Jael had already used her stockpile on a few occasions, which, while not particularly regular, would quickly deplete the stuff, since there was so little of it to begin with. It was during one such trip some three years ago that she encountered one Adam Arkblade, who practically dragged her into his guild. Not that she would protest, anyway. There was nothing wrong with that. When asked for his reasons, the most inexplicable explanation came forth, that is, because of the strange, persistent lock of hair that protruded from the left side of her head. The answer didn't make much sense to her, but that was fine too.
Jael Yzvn, that girl in the mirror, operates out of Echidna Sororitas, using leads from various rumors and mission contacts she meets to seek out and balance other places that she finds. Since joining the guild, she has at most only casually thrown obstacles out of the way, rather than killing them. It's against the law, which may be inconvenient at times, but it's a worthy compromise. Better to be somewhat restrained in killing people, rather than locked up in a jail cell somewhere and incapable of balancing the world order. She just hopes that throughout all this, she might find Kochava once again.
Likes:
- Seeing things in balance
- The seaside, which reminds her of her childhood
- Adventuring
- High places
- Sparring
- Putting things in equilibrium
- 'Beautiful' things
- Gambling
Dislikes:
- Seeing things in a state of imbalance
- People who screw up the balance
- Bad odds
Positive Traits:
Jael won't disturb you if she doesn't feel the need to, which is a good thing. Because when she does disturb you, you'll know she has something important to say. She is quite reliable, in a predictable sort of way. As long as you're the underdog in any way, expect her to help you as best she can. Jael is also rather friendly, when you approach her first, that is.
Negative Traits:
This same predictability can make her quite the wild card. While she won't outright betray somebody in the guild, due to specific conditions she has set for herself, if it looks like a guildmate can win something without her assistance, don't expect any help at all. Worse, if a guildmate is dominating a fight, expect her to tell said guildmate to 'go easier' on the enemy. Apparently, she likes seeing close fights, but this is actually because of her personal beliefs. In the end, you can only trust Jael to be predictable as an enforcer of equilibrium. Though a member of the guild, she is technically a neutral force that hangs around to balance things out when they appear to be imbalanced.
Skills:
Dragon Slayer (Aether)
Aether Dragon's Wings
We have liftoff.
Passive support. Generates three pairs of Aether wings to facilitate speed buff while on the ground or limited flight capability while airborne. While activated, Jael's agility on the ground is doubled from the additional force provided by wing flapping. Additionally, these can be used to fly to a limited altitude of 60 feet. Speed is not enhanced during flight due to non-aerodynamic shape of the human body.
As opposed to a ground-based speed buff, which uses the wings as a supplement to her body's movement, flight is the wings acting alone. Falling from higher than the limit can be countered by gliding until the usable altitude is reached. Gliding isn't flying, though. At the present rate, wings may be sustained for up to a full two hours if used alone. When activated in conjunction with other skills, varies in length depending on the intensity of additional skills. Naturally, less than two hours.
Aether Dragon's Tail Barb
Not the actual 'basic' color. Aether is an idea, after all.
Ranged attack. Creates a ball of Aether that Jael can manipulate like an actual ball. She prefers to launch it with a volleyball style jump serve, though a baseball pitch or bowling roll are not unheard of. A balanced warrior must be skilled in using many different styles, after all. The Jump serve may be combined with Aether Dragon's Wings to allow for a stronger serve, with lots of topspin. Size can vary from "pinhead" to "volleyball". The former, she can launch by flicking her fingers, but don't really go that far. They're not bullets.
Aether Dragon's Claw
Incoming sucker punch
Melee attack. Jael coats her striking hand or foot with Aether to enhance damage dealt. Damage is additionally increased when used in conjunction with Aether Dragon's Wings, due to the increased momentum/velocity of the impact.
Accessories:
Sephirot
Insert Ominous Latin Chanting here.
According to the Aether Dragon Kochava, the title of the book, Sephirot, comes from the ancient dead language that it was written in. Kochava, the only remaining speaker of the said language, translates it to "Enumeration". In that context, the Sephirot is an enumeration, a list, of the ingredients necessary to create Aether, and the steps and techniques used in the transmutation process. The actual recipe and instructions, however, are restricted to merely the first 21 pages of the book, and are apparently written in the most basic form of the language, which Kochava had taught to Jael.
Apparently, the later pages, written in a more advanced form, contain knowledge that may upset the balance that Kochava wishes to maintain. Thus, she has limited Jael's lessons to the basics. Jael believes that Kochava was meaning to begin teaching her the more advanced form, having deemed her worthy of keeping the latter knowledge, and that this was the reason she called for the two of them to meet, just before the dragons disappeared ten years ago. Sephirot has 666 pages, and thus, has 645 other pages that are unreadable to anybody except Kochava.
Sliwo-Ma'agál
"Something to remember me by."
"Circle Cross". A memento left to Jael by Kochava before the disappearance ten years ago. Since it doesn't do anything, it can be assumed that the significance of this final gift is symbolic in nature. Kochava loves to give her student puzzles. As such, it is quite likely that she intentionally left no explanation for the meaning of the necklace. Jael's present guess is that the circle stands for everything, while the hole at the center of the cross stands for one thing. Yes, Kochava is so eccentric that a symbolism like that is indeed a rather valid guess.
