Rajiv Ðulvk'paaya of the Yazabai
Machti Rajiv Ðulvk'paaya of the Yazabai (a.k.a. Raj)
Rajiv is an earnest, curious, and idealistic young man. He's made mistakes and knows more will come after them, but he believes the pursuit of living knowledge is worth any cost. He has come aboard the Great Endeavor chasing any chance at reclaiming the dead stories it has whispered to Itihaaza.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
He has a slender build with the lean muscle of manual labor barely retained after two years as a student, leaving him with a lanky, gawky build.
Body Features
He has soft shoulders, slight curves, and long legs. He bears the horizontal 'stripes' of his top surgery scars, though they're covered most of the time. He's long and lanky, taller than most Kǫ.
Facial Features
His antlers are many-pointed and sharp, but uneven and slightly asymmetrical. His similarly lopsided smile comes on mostly without his notice, when he's swept up in the wonder of something new and incredible.
Physical quirks
When his emotion is piqued, he has a tendency to touch forearms or shoulders and make more eye contact than some are comfortable with.
Apparel & Accessories
He wears a well-worn sherwani with frayed edges and around his neck he bears a wooden ring with a silver inlay beside his seaglass-set talisman. On his belt is a colorful feathered mask resting next to his fishbone quill.
Mental characteristics
Gender Identity
He identifies by the pronouns he/they as a trans man.
Sexuality
Straight
Education
On a lucky admission through a scholarship, Rajiv has finished his Machti in History at Cerulean Bay Academy in Necen Acal. The two-year program doesn't make him a proper historian, nor an engineer, but it's given him an array of useful skills. Once he's saved up enough money, he'd like to return to pursue his Qualla in History (which would require two more years without scholarship).
Employment
Rajiv is currently employed in a flex position as a Guard/Medic for Zayolon Corps, assigned to protect their expedition aboard The Great Endeavor.
Relationships
Son of Sanjay and Anjali Ðulvk'paaya and a member of the Yazabai tribe, Rajiv recently earned his Machti in History at Cerulean Bay Academy in Necen Acal. He now works as a Guard/Medic for Zayolon Corps.
View Character Profile
Current Location
Currently Boarded Vehicle
Species
Birthplace
Yazabai tribe
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
The Great Endeavor
Pronouns
He/They
Gender
Male
Presentation
Masculine
Eyes
Brown
Hair
Black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Brown
Height
6'10"
Weight
210 lbs.
Aligned Organization
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Enigmas Lost, Serpents Found
Begin writing Again a good day for discovery makes for a bad day for Pet. Or Anu, maybe. We found a letter that might have part of his name on it. But that's starting at the end.
It's our first day back exploring the temple undercroft, and it began fruitlessly. We learned how not to be ambushed by a horned serpentling, and set off to check the spiraling tunnels. I really thought they'd have to lead somewhere, but I'm far out of my depth. This magic is beyond me.
It was pointless, and Pet had to hide his limp too- I don't think he should be walking on it this much so soon. It wasn't a dead end, no that would at least feel final. We just got far enough to see a message inscribed to say we were wasting our time. If only it hadn't taken us T W E L V E H O U R S to see it! By that point, we were all a little weary, and took a break before heading back. You could feel the dejection in that room.
But the day had many more turns left for us. The only person here who reads others' diaries is Ily, and he already knows we bungled this. It took us a few more tries being dumb and bumping into each other in the pool before we figured it out. The answer, so obvious now, is to not try to find a pattern and just go blindly. The walls fall away (or something) and we break through.
There it was. I was frozen stock still, and didn't even THINK to talk to it. It probably can't speak Cuezali anyway, but imagine what it could've told us if it could...
The true Serpent had been down here waiting so very long, since before Patlāna evolved, and the loneliness and sorrow in those eyes tells me it was the very same one, sustained by some magic of immortality as of yet unknown to me.
I thought I was so clever, that we should wait to unlock the second diadem until we'd explored more of the ship. Found a place for all the boxes, at least.
But someone, maybe Niyol, asked what triggered it last time, since the diadem had already been stolen. And I remembered, it was the ancient presence, maybe the serpent itself, the vision I was granted was the only novelty we introduced to people who already had, already used the diadem. Thinking it must be triggered by contact with remnant zodiac, we boltd back to the ship and grabbed the diadem on the way. We made it as it was taking off. Looking back, I'm not sure what caused it to take off. It doesn't always do it at the same speed, after all.
History looked me in the eyes and I turned away, ready to fly off and never see it again. But Pet finally turned back to tell us something so obvious I'll be beating myself up over it for weeks. The Serpent and the Enigma could bond. We needed to tell the Enigma. So I rushed us both back there and Pet communed with Enigma to share all it needed, then turned us into thunderbirds to get back.
I almost lost the ring, the way it bounced off the stone platform. That would've, well... She told me to keep it and I intend to.
Grabbing what we could, we headed up to the Endeavor and rejoined the group mid flight. I thought that would be the hard part. Flying, and so near a storm. Pet does it, but I assumed it took him months of practice to flap right. Last time he transformed me, I didn't have to move anywhere. I didn't realize how simple it all feels. How effortless. I wonder if he turned me into a baby bird, would I then have to learn to fly...
Anyway, I couldn't pass up the chance to look higher, now I had wings. And good thing, too. Pet needed the company. We stepped through the corpses of his once-tribe, may Sabheza keep their tales.
I found a note, and thanks to the transformation, had just enough mana left to reconstruct what it once said. It was incomplete, but I think it's from Pet's mother. She was sicker than she let on, and knew why. If we can find the rest of the note, or others they kept, surely...
It was in Reoko, so Pet and I have started practicing our Reoko together. Nymiria would be proud. I should send her a message, next time we get to civilization...
And I need a better way to store the ring, too. I'll talk to Ily, see if he has any ideas.
The day Pet nearly died
I messed up.
I thought I could protect them. Protect him. But
I messed up.
We were in the undercroft beneath a colony of an unknown species, guarded by a myth and a legend, at the heart of the uncrossable sea. I think it all got so much that I stopped thinking things through. I rushed in. I tried to get to the front and Pet, I didn't even see anything out there before he was meters ahead, in the thick of it, wearing his own skin and hardly any armor besides. The horned serpent- what a dumb name, to not mention the teeth, just horns and tail. Whoever named it didn't see it up close. The toothtwister. No, that sounds stupid too. Whatever, you get the idea. If I hadn't called for Illy to turn his back to it and leave Pet alone up there, everything would've gone okay. We would've been safe. Safer, at least. Dangerjaw. Eh, a little better. I'll think of something.
At least the temple was safe. Just a little lightning, some mild curses, nothing we can't handle. When I have more mana, I need to wipe Pet of curses, shit, that's definitely what caused this. That fulgurite amulet made him a lightning rod for danger. Or dangermaws, at least. It came out of nowhere, I feel so blind.
I'm getting off track.
Today we met a new friend(s?), Buddy. "We who speak for the vast enigma beyond color's shape." They're so sweet, always following along, asking questions. Illy said they got scared of the rain! How cute is that! I would've loved to show them around the Endeavor, but I was stuck on guard duty to make up for sending my friends into a trap.
Some medic I am.
I took a closer look a few minutes ago and I think we can stop infection, but I don't think Pet'll ever get full mobility back, with his knee mangled like that. It's a sorry sight, and he knows it. Everything I know about medicine, he taught me. He knows what I'm checking for, sees it on my face.
Pet did manage a partial transformation today. We'd talked about it a few days ago, thought it was possible, but he really hasn't pushed his powers to see what he can do. I wonder what else he's capable of.
I know Illy said they didn't want to be a diplomat, but they're doing great with Buddy, and always seem to know what to say to Zuni too. Maybe he just needs a cause to be a diplomat for. Something that matters, to drive him.
There's no shortage of that here. This morning I would've given anything to keep flying until the storm broke again, but now that we've landed, I'm not sure I'll ever feel right leaving. There are so many secrets here to uncover. A shaky balance between two gods. A worshipful preservation of people before people even existed. Or were meant to. Then the Vast Enigma, and well-named at that.
Shit, I almost forgot they can speak Akhelic too, what the hell's that about? Who came here before, at the start of their node? How long ago even was that? Did they come here knowing what it was, or were they just dragged here by the Endeavor before we started calling it that?
On that note, the Endeavor lost the lower hodgepodge, and with it, my scribing quill. I've fashioned a new quill from the violet horn of the murdermaw. Serves it right.
P.S. There was also that weird statue that knelt or whatever that was- what was that about?
P.P.S. Wasn't there a cursed orb too? What happened to that?
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