Mädder
Madaresh Chíma (a.k.a. Mädder Tälai)
A man who went from a tiny cottage in the far north to the highest ring of the King's Guard.
At the age of 39, he's become one of the most well-known soldiers in Kaleina after playing a leading role in two separate sensational incidents. In addition, he has notability for being the only Manashin person to be accepted into the King's Guard, let alone the first Manashin to achieve the rank of commander in the Border Rangers.
Name
His true name is Madaresh, a Manashinian name meaning 'guardian'. Although a common name in Manashina, the /sh/ sound is not used in Veiamic. After immigrating to Kaleina, he found that most people who met had difficulty saying his name, or refused to even try. In an effort to fit in, he adapted his name to suit Veiamic - dropping the final syllable and starting to spell it with an ä to make the pronunciation clear to Veiamic people. Manashin people do not generally use surnames. Their population is too small, and historically too widely dispersed, for there to be any need. When it is necessary, they use their clan name as a family name. As a member of the loon clan, Mädder arrived in Kaleina using the family name Chíma (the Manashin word for loon). However, Veiamic people had the same problem with the /ch/ sound, so he simply translated it to the Veiamic word for the same bird - Talai. Sometimes people still get confused and assume it is meant to be Taleinha (as all Veiamic last names have this ending), but since he doesn't even know his paternal father's name to make a name from it, he hasn't bothered changing his family name any further.Shapeshifting
One of Mädder's most notable skills is his ability to take on the form of a bear by using the chant Finding a New Shape. This chant is exceptionally challenging and those who can use it are considered quite skilled.Mental characteristics
Personal history
Mädder was born in a small village in Manashina. He was raised by his grandmother, a priestess and devout follower of Manashin spirituality. He spent his childhood tending caribou, hunting with his uncles, and exploring the island.
He never knew either of his biological parents. His father was a merchant who only passed through their village briefly and had a fling with his mother. When he was still an infant, his mother left him with her mother in order to seek out a teacher to learn Bone Writing. She never returned.
He left home when he was 16. After attempting to cross Falla without a passport or entry visa, he was arrested and sent to a labour camp in the heart of Falla. There, he received military training between agricultural work. After three years, he perfected the chant Finding a New Shape and escaped in the form of a bear.
Mädder fled to Kaleina, which had always been his intended destination. There, he joined the Border Rangers and was stationed in Far North Olla, at Fort Reim. At the fort, he met Kaleinen nobleman Kaino ta Sillan, who went on to become his closest friend.
He rose through the ranks and became the first Manashin person to achieve the rank of Commander in the Border Rangers. Later, he gained national fame for slaying a Reaper in one-on-one combat to protect a village, in an event known as the Kamivesi Incident.
The fame he received from that incident led to him being chosen to lead the Tusaari Expedition
a few years later. Although the mission was a success, only two men returned alive. After the mission, Mädder was promoted to the King's Guard, where he currently serves as a Lieutenant in the Red Tower
Social
Family Ties
Manashin ideas of kinship are very different than Veiamic, and assign different roles and names than what would be typical in a Veiamic family. Other than the lack of biological parents, Mäddar's uprbringing and relationships were very normal for a Manashin family.
His household growing up consisted of his maternal grandmother, his aunt (whom he calls mother), his aunt's husband (whom he calls uncle), and four cousins (whom he called brother and sisters). The youngest of his cousins is 8 years his senior, so he grew up as the baby of the family. The man he calls father is his mother's brother, who lived with his wife's family elsewhere in the village. He was a more distant part of Mäddar's life, and was the one chiefly responsible for discipline.
Mäddar hasn't seen any of his family since he left home at 16. He did, however, send a letter once he made it to Kaleina to tell them that he was alive and doing well. He exchanges letter with them every few years, though hasn't contacted them since the incident in the Forest.
Speech
He's worked hard to eliminate his Manashin accent, believing (rightly) that he would be taken more seriously without it. It still shows up around the edges of his speech sometimes, and becomes more pronounced when he's drunk or angry. He also occasionally uses Fallan dialect words, since that was the first dialect he learned, although his hatred of Falla pushes him to eliminate those from his speech whenever its pointed out.
After befriending Kaino, he studied and eventually became fluent in Räänkian Sign Language. When he was younger, he tended to use large, exaggerated signs. These days, he signs faster and closer to his body.
Conditions
Ethnicity
Date of Birth
Dance 18
Year of Birth
696 AK
39 Years old
Birthplace
Manashina
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Eyes
Dark brown
Hair
Black, lanky mess
Height
5'8"
Belief/Deity
Atheist
Aligned Organization