Appearance

Physical Description

Ky is a 6'5" humanoid with a lanky build. The Old Man isn't overtly muscular, but it's clear he's got the body of a being well-traveled, with a weathered gaze to boot.

Body Features

The most striking of the Old Man's features are likely his horns, 2 that shoot upwards upon the crown, two that slide over the ear and away from the temple, four in total. While the how and why are unknown, these horns superheat anything they come into contact with short of the atmosphere itself, sublimating even the most dense materials with a blinding aquamarine flame. This does not appear to be by design, and they've come to be more of a nuisance than anything useful to the rest of Ky's physiology. His skin is tough and leathery to the touch, and yet either soft or bristly in certain areas, including his ears and forearms. His body is marked all over by deep, black scars that indicate myriad injuries— bites, bullets, cuts, and other wounds that have closed or begun to fade with time.

Facial Features

At first glance, the Old Man appears very humanoid in facial structure save an extremely stubby snout which opens into two oversized nostrils, the use of which have yet to be clearly identified. He has notable wrinkles and bags, but it's unclear if this is due to age, temperament, or just a crippling lack of sleep. Like the rest of his body, Ky's face is marked with a number of scars: a cut upon the right side of the forehead, a slash across the nose, one more across the right cheek, and what is unclear to be a bullet wound or a blunted edge on the left side of the jawbone.

However, a look past the surface reveals more interesting morphology. Inside of his mouth, Ky bears an impressive row of canine-esque molars in the lower back, with unusually thick incisors to match in the front. His jawbone seems capable of snapping shut with unusual force, though he rarely seems privy to bite in such a manner. While the teeth are a gleaming alabaster, the rest of his gums are pitch black, as though his very blood has been charred in some respect. His tongue is seemingly elastic, stretching a little less than a foot at will, longer if stressed, and notably smooth in texture. An unusual teal spike hangs on either side of what seems to be a uvula, and the inside of his lips are pitch black.

The Old Man also seems to carry hair and fur both, but for what biological purpose is unknown, with both bristly and smooth fur on different regions of his outer ears. Between the long hair tied into a whale tail ponytail with sidelocks and oversized horns, however, this detail is scarcely noticed.

Identifying Characteristics

Should the scarred and withered face of an angry immortal not cue one to the Old Bastard's identity, the horns are always a dead giveaway. That and the peculiar Capellan fashion sense on a far smaller frame.

Physical quirks

Aside from Ky's "unique headdress", the Old Man seems to be capable of speaking an inordinate number of languages, including those of species with morphologies far removed from his own. He possesses no known dietary restrictions short of metal and other seemingly indigestible non-organic matter, yet is also capable of preparing an array of cuisine so staggering that one might believe him a walking chef's compendium.

Apparel & Accessories

Ky takes a peculiar interest in Capellan fashion, often wearing oversized windbreakers, trench coats, and military vests. His homewear is often a form-fitting long-sleeved shirt alongside baggy sweatpants or husky trousers, making him seemingly fond of large and comfortable clothing.

Specialized Equipment

Ky bears a very unusual weapon on his person— a 0.45 caliber sidearm made with unusual metals that shine silver and black, engraved and treated with an aquamarine gilding. This weapon seems keyed to his person, and the engraving would appear similar to some magical rune, though it is not known of what manner. This, alongside Ky himself, seems to have been consecrated against against some manner of "tyranny", though said tyranny remains loosely defined.

Special abilities

Ky is an old and experienced being, but has expended no small deal of effort into limiting what powers he might possess. Nonetheless, Ky is privy to the ability to shapeshift, both unconsciously over time as a means of adaptation as well as in earnest as a utility. He also appears to know how to wield a form of war magic based around the martial arts and a dizzying manipulation of physics, thus holding an unusually deep understanding of its laws. He's also a stellar sharpshooter, though he seems more comfortable with a handgun or some other archaic mode of fighting then he does a rifle.

Mentality

Personal history

Ky is a wanderer of no small distance, hailing from an unknown area of the sector where almost all life would be situated upon a string planets that could only be classified as arid wastelands. "Born" in a city called Kestral, Ky, originally named Kyrin-Yu, came up an orphan under the rule of the 6th dynasty of the Aljon Khanate. In a world where water is scarce, and thus food scarcer, the young outdweller was once saved from the brink of starvation by an escaped convict who taught him how to boil leather with water from trapped condensation. The convict bore no name, as it was customary for those who'd been damned by the Khan's imperial rule that the will to speak their own names be beaten out of them, lest they attempt to claim the personhood the Khanate would seize from them. A chef in the imperial capital in her previous life, she instilled a strong desire within Kyrin to save others the same way she had— with water and food.

Thus began a rigorous self-taught education in the culinary arts with Kyrin's one true possession: an ornate, white and black knife, engraved with a rune and gilded in aquamarine, an item all his own since birth that seemed incapable of leaving his side. With naught but this, his wits, and raw determination, he would come into a practice of botany, engineering, and gastronomy that would stand equal to his peers within the Khanate's great walls, and he would earn a reputation among the outdwellers for his skill, as well as his generosity in an otherwise unforgiving climate and society. Naturally, this would not be allowed to stand.

Within the great Aljon Khanate, those who lived within the imperial walls held great privilege and power, as they reside within close proximity to the great terraforming machines of the Forgotten Empire. Those who would dwell outside the great imperium's walls were known as "outdwellers", those who might only gain the scraps of the imperium's great bounty. Naturally, this gave way to a kind of discrimination between those of highblood who would live upon the Khanate's great mountain, and those outdwellers who would reside in the barren valley. Outdwellers became to be understood as inferior stock, and thus, were oft the subject of highblood ridicule and rancor. Should a young upstart hawker born in the Outrealms come into both skill and acclaim only further stoke their ire. In time, the young Kyrin would be jumped by assassins sent by a highblood culinary guild with ties to the Khanate, with the intention of putting down a source of local pride so that the outdwellers might not lose sight of their inferiority. It was at this time did two things happen.

The first: the ambush was intercepted by a small handful of outdweller rebels sworn to the cause of tearing down the imperium's flag. Having caught wind of the move to kill one of the few symbols of hope outside the Imperial Walls, the organization known as the Garden Winds would come to assist Kyrin in his great hour of need, and would thus bind him to their cause. The second: Kyrin would learn of his fate and the truth of his blade— for he was the Gardener's chosen, incarnate of the God of Life's will. Hardy in nature, skilled in magic, forever reborn amongst those with not the power to raise themselves from oppression— it would be his duty to restore the Great Steppe to its former glory as a garden world and lead its people to prosperity.

And so, from the age of 21 under the Raologh Dynasty Calendar, would Ky spend his next 13 years fighting to bring a great revolution. Blessed with the Flames of the Eternal Garden, the great spellsword of Earth and Sky would become central to the bloody effort. Upon the 289th day of the 80th year of the Raologh Dynasty Calendar, this conflict would finally end, marked by the death of the last recognized member of the royal family and the annihilation of the Khan's Guard. And yet, the tale of the Gardener's chosen would not.

In the time of his ascent to one of the Garden Wind's most notorious saboteurs, Kyrin would become a staunch friend and ever-dependent ally of one revolutionary sellsword turned Khan's Guard Captain, Sev'ra. Tasked with either her capture or demise upon the final operation that would fell the Khanate for good, Kyrin would swear to his closest confidants that he would bring back their friend, if not to free her from her imperial duty, then at least so that she may answer from her treachery. For however grave the blow she'd dealt against the revolution, her comrades still believed in her. They believed that there may be more to her actions, and ultimately a path to her redemption. Rather than bring her whole, however, Kyrin would instead bring his friends her ashes. In a bout not remembered by the man himself, the people of the Great Steppe would witness an epic battle between the two most adept spellswords in known history, and watch as ultimately, the Gardener's Chosen would summon a great blade, born of the Flames of the Eternal Garden, and thus expunge the Khan's Guard from the realm of the living as naught but ash.

This would mark the turn of the path of the Gardener's Chosen— into a long future of uncertainty, suicide idealization, and deep, deep guilt.

* * *

An unknown number of years would pass before a wayward Chosen would be come upon by an ever-curious Traveler. Seeking a finality to his life and thus the reclamation of his fate from a controlling hand, he would beg the cosmic being for death. He would be denied this, however, and would be forced to continue to his endless march across the cosmos, forever in search of his final death. Or, at the very least, a peace, that he may never raise his arms in violence and fury ever again.

Perhaps, one day, the Gardener's Chosen may walk a path his own, unchained by his past and free of a greater force's hand...

Education

Ky is a self-taught chef, linguist, and explorer. Having wandered for an incredible time, he has learned to adapt both mind and body to his ever-changing surroundings as he searches for a way to seize his own autonomy, whether in life or death. The only teacher he knows are the Sky, the Earth, and the Stars, and his long past friends who melded him into the person he is today.
 
...though it should be noted that he's basically a human calculator and bares an incredible grasp on the laws of physics. Par for the course with certain schools of magic where he comes from, but, it should definitely be noted, because he will never bring it up, and thus shock many with his terrifyingly complex understanding of the mechanics of existence, should any ever decide to ask the warrior-chef a math problem.

Employment

In his early life, Ky was a workaholic, bouncing between his day job as a deliveryman and his midnight calling as a hawker and chef. Eventually becoming a saboteur and assassin in the revolutionary army of the Garden Wind, he would keep to this duty until his mid-thirties, when the war was finally won.
 
Though he has held many a position over his long travels, his most recent jobs would likely be his time as a postal worker in the outer territories of the Capellan Blood Empire, and his eventual joining of the old Hedron Crew as domestic and custodial cabin boy.

Accomplishments & Achievements

While Ky's initial exploits made him a savior in his homeworld, he has performed similar actions on a number of planets, though he's sooner to remember all those whom he has failed than all that survived to lead happy lives on his efforts.

Failures & Embarrassments

The presence of Ky's previous iterations haunt him, spurring his deep-seated fear that he may not possess true autonomy or sentience. He carries the guilt of a thousand dead worlds and all those that would die in the futile struggle to see their homes become gardens, like he once did himself.

Mental Trauma

Ky sits upon uncountable years worth of guilt, suicide idealization, desperation, and self-hatred. This has resulted in reclusive behaviour, bouts of extreme anxiety, mood swings, and at the worst of times, explosive, uncontrollable rage. He carries many triggers and yet would attempt not to be a burden, and thus often ostracizes himself, almost instinctively.

Intellectual Characteristics

By his rough speech, absolute unfamiliarity with almost all computer interfaces, and his own self-flagellation, one would think Ky a hick with no real understanding of his surroundings. However, as one will discover upon asking him almost anything related to mathematics or physics, Ky is actually terrifyingly smart, to the point that he can complete complex equations faster than some computers. A lifetime of wandering has made him an impeccable linguist, a better diplomat, and a better still navigator, and this would all be to say nothing of his skills in the kitchen.

Morality & Philosophy

Bound by a handful of rules, some of which he has come to perceive, others he has not, Ky cannot infringe upon the autonomy of others without the rightful cause of his own autonomy or someone else's being at risk or having been disregarded outright. In conjunction with this, Ky has been observed to smite those who act or have acted in fascist or otherwise tyrannous behavior with powers that he would otherwise seemingly have no access to. Fearful of his own lack of ability to control how he navigates such situations and the power which he is capable of wielding over others, Ky has long sought to commit suicide by some means, believing that he will both protect those who might otherwise be harmed by his lack of true accountability and decide the matter of his own autonomy in one fell swoop. The Old Man otherwise would believe it his personal responsibility to look after those he comes into close contact with, whether sentimental due his age or still bound by his habits as a hawker-turned-revolutionary. He always skirts towards the use of more passive methods and diplomacy to resolve a situation first, but as demonstrated, possess more than enough capability to commit crimes, murders, and even atrocities when given cause.

person.sexuality

Bisexual

person.gender_identity

he/him

Taboos

-Thou shalt not impend upon the will of others save should they impend upon the will of thine self or the will of others still
 
-Thou shall kill with impunity those who would impede upon the right of the innocent to live with dignity
 
-?????
 
-?????

Known Languages

Think of a language, and the old man is fluent, even when he can't actually speak the tongue.

Personality

Motivation

Ky is driven by an ever-burning desire to shake off his own shackles and thus, relinquish himself from the possibility of bringing incredible harm to others without choice or consideration. Historically, this has meant successfully committing suicide, a feat which Ky has not managed even after flinging himself into the event horizon of a black hole.

Likes & Dislikes

Ky loves cooking, and is ever excited to explore other recipes and foreign cuisine. He enjoys unorthodox cooking methods, and will cook and eat to feel better when at his lowest. Hailing from a sector of desert worlds, Ky also adores places teeming with arboreal growth, rivers, oceans, and other natural phenomena on habitable worlds. He'll often forget all his previous problems at the drop of a hat should he find his way into a forest or meadow, though yet still this has not dissuaded his ultimate goals.
 
Ky loathes higher powers. His ire for saviours, kings, gods, and all other manner of unjust hierarchies burns deeply, though this is also a manifestation of his own self-loathing. He can't stand self-righteous people, and takes great frustration to those too stubborn to listen to his advice.
 
More than anything, however, Ky despises, completely and utterly, those who desecrate something as sacred as a fresh, good meal. While there is also his absolute insistence on table manners and the like, Ky does not forgive wastefulness, especially in the wake of those who would otherwise be hungry.

Virtues & Personality perks

When not in his usual dour mood, Ky is generally very amicable and caring, and he takes great joy in cooking for people. He likes hearing their stories and having them speak of their lives and their struggles as he would prepare their meal, as the rite bears some manner of spiritual importance in his homeland.

Vices & Personality flaws

Ky is a crotchety old man with the mouth a sailor, the temperament of a young child, the trauma of one who has born witness to all the sins of man, and the stubbornness of one completely and utterly possessed.

Personality Quirks

As per his age, Ky often fails to remember all the varying details of his life. In addition, he'll often speak of rites important to his people and his homeland, though may not stop to provide much context for them.

Social

Birthplace

Kestral

Current Residence

The Hedron

Contacts & Relations

Ilos

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Gardener's Chosen

Religious Views

Ky prays to no god, but despite his long separation from his homeland, has remained true to many of its animistic traditions. These would include a fascination with spiders, a deference to the visually impaired, especially those with only one eye or those born blind, and a strong belief in the sacredness of life.
 
However, being born in a realm where certain courtship roles were common, this also means that Ky is generally surprised when he meets those in monogamous relationships, as he came from a largely matriarchal society in which it was common for a single woman to take multiple husbands, and for the husbands to then form unions amongst one another as they did with their wife. It was also not uncommon for the husbands to only play a part of a woman's romantic and sexual life, and for the woman to still have an additional feminine partner. Monogamy itself was rare, and between a masculine and feminine partner even rarer.

Speech

Typically, Ky has a rough manner in which he speaks, but is known to become a wildly different person in matters of diplomacy.