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"Wild animals never kill for sport. Soft-skins are the only ones for whom the torture and death of fellow creatures is amusing for its own sake."
Race: Blackscale Skarlak, Basilisk tribe
Age: 28
Home: Vulshik, Southern Peninsula
Pillar: Vulsh
Titles: Siathshik; The Survivor; Usurper's Binder; Shul'garoth's Terror; Destroyer's End; She Who Has Consumed the Heart of Destruction; That Which Preys on Dragons; The Great Predator
Notable features
Unlike most other Skarlak, Haas' eyes are bright blue. They contrast sharply with her jet-black scales.
The scales on the bottom half of her right arm are not black, but white. They are slightly discolored and stained, but the contrast with the rest of her scales is unmistakable when the arm is viable. (She makes no attempt to hide it.)
She has a fairly large and quite conspicuous brand on her left shoulder: the sigil of Vulsh.
Generally wears little in the way of clothing (as a coldblood, it serves no practical purpose for her.) Generally she wears a shin-length leather kilt, and sleeveless leather vest. She also wears a cloak made of undetermined material (looks like some sort of exotic cloth), as well as a shoulder-drape made of some sort of silver-colored reptile scales (much larger than her own scales.)
On ceremonial occasions, will wear a full wrap/robe made of a combination of leather, scales and furs, as well as a feathered head dress. The main color of this ensemble is black, though there are many brightly colored highlights of many hues woven throughout.
Background
Haaszander ("Haas" to her friends--who are few and far between) was born in the marshes of Southern Vulshik, and fought her way out of the Claw of Vulsh at age four, earning her place among the Blackscale Skarlak. She was fierce, rash, and above all, supremely confident in her own strength. Anyone who acknowledged her superiority were beneath her notice; any who claimed superiority were enemies to be humbled or destroyed at the earliest and most public opportunity. Her strength and absolute refusal--or inability--to yield, regardless of odds, set her apart from her peers in the eyes of the Elders.
As a member of the Basilisk tribe of Blackscales, whose duty it is to protect the Claw of Vulsh, Haas spent her early years in the marshes in the Southernmost reaches of the Peninsula near the Claw itself. While on her First Hunt on the eve of her fourth hatchday, she was ganged up on and attacked by five members of her clutch, also attempting their First Hunt. They stole her First Kill, and brought it back to the tribe and claimed it for themselves, preemptively spreading the story that it was she who had attempted (and failed) to steal it from them.
Though her story was not exactly disbelieved, it was her word against the other hatchlings, and she quickly grew tired of the having to constantly fight over the snide remarks and sidelong glances and questions. So Haas left the Basilisks, and integrated with another Blackscale tribe for several years. Her time with the Bloodsucker tribe was unremarkable until, in her thirteenth year of life, a meeting of all the tribes was called by the Old Ones.
At this meeting, it was revealed to all of the Blackscales that the pillar of Mercayen, far to the North, had been destroyed. The eldest shaman asked for volunteers to leave the marsh and go out into the lands of the soft-skins, and to learn what happened. These volunteers were also charged with learning of the other pillars, what they stood for, and which might be allies to Vulsh should someone or something attempt an attack on the Blackscale pillar.
Many volunteered, but it was not until the Elder shaman met Haaszander's eyes in the crowd that she stepped forward as a volunteer herself. She set off that day to the North, leaving the warm waters of home to seek the truth about what happened to Mercayen, and to learn of the other dragons and pillars of the world.
Though much has changed in the twelve years she has been searching--including her own ascension to become the Archon of Vulsh, and singular speaker of the dragon's will to her people--her mission ultimately has not changed. Though wars will be fought and her responsibility to her own people has grown enormously, ultimately, she continues searching: both to fulfill Vulsh's mission set out for her over a decade ago, and to satisfy her own voracious curiosity.
Notable Adventures
Surviving the eight-month trip through the Siathssyithmis of the Southern Peninsula
Delving in the heart of the Clutch of Theruk, and losing an arm to his followers. (She got better.)
Helping Tor outright one-shot the great crime lord Kovius
Staying on the deck of a ship as it crossed the waters leading to The Rift
Breaking into a Koshalth prison to free Sovelus
Discovering the hidden pillar of Esseldi
Fighting alongside King Cyax and Duke Okmark in the battle(s) to bring down Mikloth
Almost being killed by Mikloth on four different occasions in two days
Making her way to the center of the Ruined Lands, and actually setting eyes on what is left of the Pillar of Mercayen
Receiving a visit from Silmung, Archon of Vulsh
Telling an Archon (Leshrac of Equinos) to go fuck himself, in front of his own pillar, and surviving.
Killing Leshrac straight-up a few months later
Witnessing Chracio's return, and the ascension of a new Sentinel
Negotiating peace between Irik and Vulsh
Ascending as the new Speaker (Archon) of Vulsh
Being brought back from death by Vulsh himself (granted it was Vulsh that killed her, BUT STILL!) and being imbued with dragon blood
Personality
Haaszander came out of her egg an incorrigible hothead, and something of a bully--convinced of her own complete superiority, she was more than willing to fight or challenge anyone or anything. Several incidents, as well as simple age, have mellowed her greatly as she has learned through difficult experience that control and cold anger are far more effective in a fight than simple, mindless fury. Flashes of this old temper can occasionally be seen if someone or something startles her with a particularly personal insult, or she feels truly trapped and threatened, but these moments are now very few and far between for her.
She does not trust easily, between the betrayal of her own tribe mates and the fact that she has been traveling, usually alone, for over twelve years. But she is also fiercely loyal, almost fanatically so, once her trust is earned and solidified. This inherent capacity for loyalty is also what makes her such a devoted acolyte of Vulsh. It is nearly impossible for any Basilisk tribesman who hatched in the shadow of the Great Father's claw not to devote their lives to the black dragon--but Haas has found that the strength of her belief in him, and what she was tasked by him to do, has only grown the farther away from home she has gotten.
For her, seeing other pillars has only strengthened her conviction that, while other belief systems may be valid, there are none as great or as strong as Vulsh's Way of Tooth and Claw. As she sees it, all soft-skins (with the possible exception of the followers of Theruk), are obsessed with status, land and wealth, and will gladly kill for such things. This is foolish. While she herself has certainly accepted gold to act as a thief or assassin, it is her employers for such jobs who disgust her. She feels no remorse or personal responsibility in acting as the hand of one soft-skin that is being used to steal from or kill another, if it is the only way to secure the coin that will allow her to continue to do Vulsh's will. The soft-skins who kill or harm each other for status or land or sport have their own dragons they will have to answer to; Haas remains secure in the knowledge that, when she kills, it is only ever as a predator preserving the natural order of the word. Taking coin to enable soft-skins to kill each other, as long as the coin is used to further Vulsh's mission, is of no moral consequence.
Her singular goal now--in addition to simply repelling the Western attack and dealing with the fallout--is to unite all of Vulsh's children, as well as all the inhabitants of the Southern Peninsula, under a single banner.
Notable Powers and Abilities
As far as she knows, she is one of the continent's--if not the world's--foremost Spiritwalkers, able to move in, and affect, the spirit world that binds all quasith-related things together. She is powerful enough that she can actually move through the spirit world physically, allowing her to transport herself anywhere on the continent very quickly. Additionally, she is able to make sense of and detect quasith and spiritual energy from all pillars, not just her own.
Extremely powerful wielder of body magic, used primarily as a source of potent self-healing, toxin creation and resistance, and shapeshifting. Though she is powerful enough to assume nearly any form she wishes, her most common are a small lizard (used for hiding and infiltration), and a gigantic black dragon almost twice the size of an airship.
Deadly close-quarters combatant. Though she is not physically strong at all, her agility, as well as her very uncommon weapon combination of trident and net, leave most of her enemies reeling and confused.
Though she rarely calls on the skillset anymore, has a strong knowledge of thievery, assassination tactics, and general unsavory underworld doings.
Feelings Towards PCs
Glad: Although his decisions often seem snap, foolish, and likely to get the group killed, the more Haas learns about Chracio, the more she understands why he is this way, and how it serves him. As a Sentinel, he now acts directly on behalf of his dragon and this gives his actions and opinions even more weight than the personal respect Haas has grown for him does.
Red: Noble, to a fault. Although this has the potential to get them into great trouble, Haas can respect someone with a strong belief system that will not compromise. He is also one of the few people she has met that is nearly as dedicated to his pillar as she is. That makes him a worthy companion if nothing else. Although they may not always see eye to eye, she is always willing to listen to one whose true convictions run so deep.
Phraxinus: A strange creature, as most Silverstri are. He seems wise and noble however, and dedicated to Esseldi and his people. This is worthy of trust, as is the thoughtful presence and good judgement he brings to the group.
Mouse: Skilled, but often untrustworthy. Perhaps alone among her companions, she is not sure what his personal stake in their travels is, or what his ultimate goals may be. Combined with Vormyll's superiority complex, this could well prove to be a big problem, someday.
Feelings Towards NPCs
Elias: The closest companion Haas has ever had. While she respects him greatly as a warrior, it was his concern in following her to the very heart of the Ruined Lands that truly showed her his heart. She is still unsure why he chose to follow her, but is grateful he did so. Perhaps the only non-Blackscale in the world she would willingly lay down her life for. His death has left a void in her that she still does not know how to properly deal with.
Phrixus: Fascinating. Whiny and obnoxious at first, but watching the process of his pillar changing has been quite educational--and the confidence boost that came with it has made him far less insufferable.
Tilly: Absurd, but useful. Why she is following a group like this into battle, instead of setting up a potion shop, Haas has no clue.
Ra'jira: Although she would never, ever admit it, Haas cares for the furry little troublemaker, and finds his incurable curiosity both understandable and endearing. he has done well for himself, surviving this long on his own--and Haas intends to look out for him, and give him the tools to continue to survive. He has recently shown himself to be an apt fighter despite his size, and his cunning, as well as his common sense, is something that Haas could not be prouder to watch blossom.
Akani: Haas is very grateful to the skilled green scale merchant and enchanter, though the true motives for her generosity still seem cloudy. Either way, she has proven time and time again to be a good friend and valuable ally.
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