Siwatu Kalejaiye (See-wah-too Kah-leh-jai-yeh)
The stoic, resolute master of the Qushu League of Free Cities, champion of his people
Rais Siwatu Kalejaiye (a.k.a. The Minotaur of Manzibuta)
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Siwatu is in mostly perfect physical condition - though he has some lingering health issues as a byproduct of his decades spent imprisoned in the Manzibutan Labyrinth, those are private affairs that he nor his wife have disclosed to the public.
Otherwise, the atrophy of his wing muscles are his only other ailment - an ailment which he is recieving therapy and training to overcome in time.
Body Features
Though not toweringly massive, Siwatu is a man who is not so much lithe as he is stocky - his body is lean and in its physical prime from decades of life lived underground scrounging to get by(Making him seem somewhat anemic to many), as well as a life lived fighting for his very survival day in and day out.
True to his nature as a Sanctor, he has a set of wings that are attached to his back - though unlike most Sanctor, he has four wings, each lined with a soft blue glow and made of the finest angelic feathers as his eyes occasionally shine a soft blue glow similar to his wings under cover of night.
Facial Features
Siwatu's face is often described as "brutish and savage" - scars and veins are constantly visible on his face, and the many piercings in his ears and face do him little favors in appearance. He has a thick and full pitch-black beard and thick facial hair and eyebrows overall, though the top of his head is shiny and bald.
However, when viewed when he is at peace, his face often appears in such a way that many often describe him as "Statuesque and Regal", cutting an almost royal jawline and facial structure complete with an almost uncanny level of symmetry and mathmatical perfection, visible even beneath the deformations on his skin.
Identifying Characteristics
Siwatu's most identifying features are his four beautiful marble-white feathered wings, each feather rimmed by a soft blue glow - as well as his eyes that, when viewed at night, can sometimes be seen giving off a similar soft blue light.
Physical quirks
His only true physical quirk(Aside from his many deformations, scars, veins, and such) is his muscular atrophy surrounding his wing muscles - a quirk developed thanks to decades lived as a slave in the underground Manzibutan Labyrinth which he is slowly recovering from with therapy and muscle training.
Special abilities
His special abilities are mostly unknown - though he is assumed to have special abilities due to his time spent in the Manzibutan Labyrinth struggling to survive, especially since he outsmarted the legendary beast which dwells at the Labyrinth's center and escaped with his life intact, laden with riches once hoarded by the Labyrinth beast.
Above all else, many covet the many special abilities they assume him to have after his likely discovery and conquest of the fabled "Tomb of the Forgotten Hero" that is long rumored to have dwelled somewhere in the deepest and darkest reaches of the Manzibutan Labyrinth - though he himself has made no attempts to correct those who spread rumors of the "ancient and mysterious" powers gained from the tomb(Which has been rumored to be anything from a Tomb to a Forgotten Tribal Chieftain, some ancient King, or even in some cases a legendary hero who came to the Xiaosha Sands to flee some great injustice or peril).
Apparel & Accessories
Siwatu most commonly wears the formal white dress uniform of the office of Rais of the Qushu League alongside a Bandanna of some kind to mask his bald head, with a weapon or two at his hip in a sheath. When not on duty or when on his personal time, he tends to wear little more than simple sack cloth trousers and a pair of bracelets he treasures, as he found them during his time in the Manzibutan Labyrinth.
Specialized Equipment
He has little specialized equipment to speak of - even the weapons he tends to wield are of notable make, but are not quite enough to be "specialized". The only such "specialized" equipment he has are the twin bracelets he wears around his wrists - relics of his time in the Manzibutan Labyrinth that are believed to be highly magical items of unknown power, each with a glowing green and perfectly spherical emerald embedded in the top-center of their golden metal.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born in the back of a wagon caravan deep in the depths of the Xiaosha Sands many decades before the modern day, Siwatu was born as one of Qushu's many "Wagonbabies" - orphans born to destitute parents who, unable to provide properly for a child, give birth to children during long wagon caravan rides so they can quickly sell the baby off to slavers or others in the caravan...or in the worst case, simply toss the baby out the back of the caravan into the desert dunes to die.
However, it was not in Siwatu's fate to die - instead, he was abandoned by his parents without even so much as a single world, found crying in the back of a wagon by a member of the faith of Nieri-Jou the Shackler and given the name "Siwatu"(Meaning 'Buffalo' in the Qushani tongue) for his fat appearance and loud nature. Taken in by this wandering member of the then-widespread and powerful faith of Nieri-Jou the Shackler, Siwatu was soon put to work in the fabled dungeon at the time, "The Labyrinth of Manzibuta", which was said to be home to an ancient tomb of some hero whose name has long since been lost time as well as the home of a powerful beast whose hoard at the center of the Labyrinth was richer and bigger than any king's vault.
Put to work in this dungeon by the faith of Nieri-Jou the Shackler after being deemed useless for anything but manual labor, Siwatu spent much of his childhood essentially enslaved by the church of the Shackler - it was not until nearly 11 years had passed and the faithful of Nieri-Jou the Shackler were forced to abandon their operations in the Labyrinth after the beast in Labyrinth's center went on a rampage and destroyed nearly 3/4 of their operations that Siwatu truly experienced hardship in the world. Left alone with the few other members of the faithful and their 'workforce', Siwatu went on to survive even as all other survivors died around him in the subsequent years spent underground, the entrance made by the faithful of the Shackler sealed and collapsed by the rampage of the Labyrinth Beast - in time he would come to find companionship in his honorable friend and loyal compatriot Sefu, the Blink Dog.
Siwatu would go on to survive for 25 more years in those labyrinth depths - all alone and going nearly feral after nearly four decades spent underground, Siwatu would not escape until he grew cunning and strong enough to outsmart the beast(Likely by finding and conquering the lost tomb rumored to exist in the depths of the labyrinth), forcing it to lead him to the Labyrinth's exit and to freedom. Emerging from the underground a fabulously wealthy man of 36 years of age, Siwatu spent the next five years of his life exploring the world he stumbled out into and soon ended up running for the seat of Rais of the Qushu League as a sort of public celebrity("The man who escaped the sealed labyrinth") - a race which he not only won thanks to leveraging his popularity in the public eye, but won in a landslide, deposing the previous Rais who had long been decried as borderline autocratic.
Ever since, he has held the seat of Rais and been exploring both the world he never got a chance to explore as well as leading a people he saw in dire need of strong leadership and salvation - taking the last name "Kalejaiye" after marrying his wife as a way to show off his love for her.
Sexuality
Heterosexual
Education
Siwatu grew up without any sort of education - he is shockingly unlearned, despite the intellectual air he presents now after a few years of eager studying all aspects of the world.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Outsmarted the beast that dwells in the heart of the Manzibutan Labyrinth.
Replaced the last Rais of the Qushu League in a landslide election.
Failures & Embarrassments
Unknown. He does not talk about his past much except to those he trusts.
Mental Trauma
His traumas are many - having lived his life alone for nearly all four decades of his life, surviving in the deadly and dark Manzibutan Labyrinth, his mental issues are assumed to be many, though he never cares to discuss his traumas and issues with strangers.
Intellectual Characteristics
Despite growing up for most of his life as an unlearned man, Siwatu has dived headfirst into studying the world and its histories and libraries with the appetite of a voracious beast - he has not only learned one language but over a dozen, astounding many by becoming quite the scholarly master in only the short half a decade he has been free from the Labyrinth and even less that he has been ruling the Qushu League.
Morality & Philosophy
His morality and philosophy is not entirely known - but from what is known it is best likened to that of a child: He believes in standing up for others wherever he sees them in need(Regardless of circumstances), hates compromising his morals for any reason, and is a man of incredible passion and pure willpower whose innocent desire to see the evils of the world cast out and rectified makes him incredibly likable by many.
He is not averse to killing others, but never believes in doing so by striking first, or out of wrath. Beyond this, details about either his morality or his philosophy is unknown.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
To provide for himself, his wife, his companion Sefu, and the people of Qushu.
To live a happy life and experience all the things he couldn't as a child.
To drive back and expunge the faith of Nieri-Jou the Shackler from the Qushu League.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Good at surviving and subsisting on his own, speaking passionately, handling money, caring for animals, surface-level social contact, remaining motionless for long periods of time, playing dead, knitting/quilting, learning new things, killing, ???
Inept at lying, having an internal monologue(He has a habit of speaking his thoughts aloud), deep or prolonged social contact, combat, flying with his wings, ???
Likes & Dislikes
Likes: Freedom, Dogs, The feeling of wind hitting his face, Seeing others take a stand against evil, flying, wandering, Inspiring others to action, Bandannas, His Wife, Traveling, Being Alone, Speaking to a crowd, Being open with one's feelings
Dislikes: Being Underground, Monarchs, Autocratic Rulers/Systems of Government, Nieri-Jou the Shackler, Cruel or Unjust acts that are tolerated or encouraged for the sake of 'efficiency' or 'order', Compromising one's ideals, Being in public for extended periods of time
Virtues & Personality perks
Moreso than anyone gives him credit for, Siwatu is a deeply emotional man - to a degree that many call him "The Woman's Man", for how sensitive he often is. His massive and physically imposing appearance belies his truly gentle heart, and how in touch with his own emotions and those of the people around him he is, picking up on subtle cues and body language that many others would miss. However, this does not mean he is helpless - his years spent all alone in the Manzibutan Labyrinth turned him into a highly lethal and insanely effective killer, making him quite a feared opponent and foe.
Despite this personal power he wields, however, he is the last one to jump to violence - always preferring to find other solutions before resorting to violence while simultaneously always making an effort to not only stand up for others wherever he thinks he is needed, but to more importantly teach others to stand up for those around them. He is always an advocate for enacting change through mass movements and protests over the power of a single individual, and while he is often more than happy to help others with their problems he also consistently displays the kindness and care to help them learn to not only solve their own problems, but to stand up for themselves and speak out wherever their voice is needed.
Vices & Personality flaws
Despite his many virtues, Siwatu is a man haunted by his upbringing as a slave who was thrown into the vicious depths of the Manzibutan Labyrinth and forced to survive with nothing but his wits and personal abilities, working as manual labor for and eventually abandoned by the Nieri-Jou the Shackler in the Labyrinth, fetching materials and mining out new tunnels as needed.
Despite his preternatural talent for the act of killing and murder, he is altogether a poor combatant - his methods and techniques developed to help him survive in the mind-breakingly lethal and terrifying depths of the Labyrinth where he spent his childhood and teenage years instilled in him methods of fighting that are wholly unsuitable for straightforward combats or confrontations - meaning that he has a hard time defending himself in more normal combats. In addition to this, he even now has a hard time existing in social situations for long periods of time, as well as stopping his habit of talking to himself aloud constantly(As a habit from his younger days, when he lived alone in the labyrinth depths with only himself as company) - though he can and even enjoys speaking before others and engaging in social situations, he still finds himself shutting down and becoming somewhat fearful if he is unable to exist alone or around only those he trusts in regular intervals.
He is also a notorious walkabout - many are the times when he has wandered out of his royal palace only to be found many villages away, sampling local delicacies - though such tendencies seem to be more a product of his childlike wonder and curiosity to see the world he was left out of for all of his childhood and teenage years, rather than any wily or malicious desire to evade his duties as a regent.
Personality Quirks
Despite his nature as a Sanctor, Siwatu is rather notoriously terrible at using his wings - decades spent underground in the Manzibutan Labyrinth dulled the muscles in his wings to the point of almost complete atrophy, which he is only just now beginning to take strides to undo in small but simple steps.
In addition to the childlike wonder that crosses his face at almost every concievable opportunity everytime he glimpses a new experience, item, or thing he has otherwise not seen before, he is also quite a skilled knitter and quilter - which are talents he uses to fuel his well-known obsessions with the Bandannas he wears to hide his shiny bald head almost constantly.
Hygiene
Though as a child and teenage he was quite filthy since he had no way to upkeep his hygiene in the depths of the Manzibutan Labyrinth, Siwatu is now quite the clean freak - though mostly out of the sheer but simple enjoyment he gets out of being in running water, much like the dogs he loves so much.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Though he is a well-known and well-acquainted man within the Qushu League that he rules, he is, like the country he rules, mostly an unknown entity outside the borders of his homeland - meaning that his contacts and affiliations are mostly limited to those within the borders of Qushu League itself(Where his network is extensive and nearly omnipresent). Outside the country, however, his network of contacts suffers immensely for his own personality as much as it does the inward, reclusive nature of the Qushu League itself - only the League's neighbor, the Dharan Alliance, and the nearby country of the Ustanan Concord, regularly interact or fraternize with the League or its itinerant ruler.
Family Ties
Born in the back of a wagon caravan as one of the Qushu League's countless "Wagonbabies"(Orphans concieved in the backs of wagons and left unclaimed by any parent or group), Siwatu grew up without any real knowledge of his family at all - and even now, though he has a wife which he loves dearly, he has no family of his own in any sense of the word.
Religious Views
Siwatu is an outspoken and verbal member of the faith of Zalika the Mirthful, whose church he happily supports and espouses the virtues of for reasons both moral and personal, as he has claimed on many times to have been "saved" by a member of Zalika's church as a young adult who rescued him from the labyrinth he was abandoned in as a child and brought him out into the wider world to become an adult.
In contrast, he despises the faith of Nieri-Jou the Shackler - the faith which he claims left him as a child to fend for himself in the Manzibutan Labyrinth for no other reason beside the simple fact of "it was where his life was best put to use in the cogs of society". The faith of the shackler, which the last Rais of the Qushu League was a large patron and support of, has likewise declined greatly and seen vastly reduced influence in Qushu since he has taken the reigns of the country from his predecessor.
Social Aptitude
Siwatu's social aptitude stems not from a great font of overflowing and powerful charisma, but instead from his infectious passion and incorruptible sense of justice with which he speaks - he is a man who feels more keenly than many and who has suffered more than a dozen men, and the sheer emotion he charges into his words and public speeches may not be as strictly charismatic or moving as those of other rulers, but is done so directly from his heart with no lies or falsehoods. This fact does much to endear him to the free-willed and spirited Qushani people, whose various ethnic backgrounds and diverse origins lend them well to Siwatu's down to earth, passionate way of speech and societal aptitude.
All told, he is a confident, passionate man whose opinions and words come from his heart of hearts with no lies or falsehoods attempted to decieve those he speaks to - he treats those he speaks to as equals rather than lessers, and while not overly extroverted is able to speak elegantly and eloquently by channeling his raw emotion and letting himself get swept away in the words and feelings he experiences, letting the world fall away as he bears his heart for all to see.
Mannerisms
To a degree that borders on the ridiculous, Siwatu is a man who gesticulates wildly and with great passion as he speaks - arms moving frantically and with great force alongside his passionate words - such that he is sometimes mocked by his detractors for having arm spasms or attempting to swat insects as he speaks. However, he has claimed many times that such empassioned motions are second-nature to him, and hard for him to stop in the heat of the moment while speaking.
Hobbies & Pets
Rather uniquely, Siwatu has a pet that he has kept ever since he was trapped in the Manzibutan Labyrinth as a young child - a Blink Dog that has since matured into an Elder Blink Dog(Also referred to as a Blink Dog Sage) whose true name is known only to Siwatu himself, but is publically known as "Sefu". This dog is reportedly a father-esque figure to him who fought alongside Siwatu during his years spent as a young boy trapped in the bowels of the deadly Manzibutan Labyrinth, the two fighting for their lives against the hordes of monstrous beasts that inhabit the labyrinth's foul depths. Deeply honorable and fiercly loyal, the Blink Dog Sage known as Sefu has served as a faithful companion for Siwatu for many years, and is so beloved by Siwatu many jokingly claim he loves the dog more than his own wife - a claim which none dare to make in his presence, lest they face his wrath.
Speech
Siwatu's voice is deep and rich, with a thick Qushani accent that makes him hard to understand for many not native to the Qushu League.
Wealth & Financial state
Unlike some of his predecessors, Siwatu is not an overtly rich man - though he is paid a handsome salary for his position as Rais of the Qushu League, it is not as extraordinary a sum as many would imagine. Siwatu, as a result, has a level of wealth that would best be described as "well-off but not wealthy" - he spends a significant amount of his money either on his wife or his country, as he himself has relatively inexpensive tastes, making it hard for him to spend his wealth on himself quick enough to prevent himself from becoming fantastically wealthy - something he seems to prefer to avoid if possible.
Even the large sum of money he found deep in the bowels of the Manzibutan Labyrinth where he spent all of his childhood and teenage years, gained after outsmarting the legendary beast which dwelled in the heart of the maze, has since been spent on various public works projects across the Qushu League and to secure the wellbeing of Siwatu and his Wife for as long as they remain alive.
He is not believed to have any debts, and in fact is reputed to be a man with many investments - such that most of his wealth is tied up in investments across the country he rules which slowly pay out returns which were done to ensure he, his wife, and any future dependents they may have can live comfortably even after he loses his position and salary as Rais of the Qushu league.
We must not close our eyes to suffering and pain - cannot allow ourselves to acclimate to it. With eyes wide open, we must face the evils of the world and accept them - only then can things truly change. I am but one man, bringing change the best way I know. But when many rise up and refuse to stay silent, change is inevitable - there is nothing evil fears more than being cast out and scorned.
Current Status
Leading the people of the Qushu League into their next Golden Age
Species
Ethnicity
Honorary & Occupational Titles
The Minotaur of Manzibuta, Ra's al Abd, The Labyrinth Child, Lord of the Forgotten Tomb, The Lost Hero's Inheritor, The Ox King, Siwatu the Shackled, The Itinerant
Year of Birth
4522 ASK
41 Years old
Circumstances of Birth
Born into slavery as a young boy in Qushu and forced to participate in bloodsport battles to survive.
Birthplace
The back of a wagon in a nameless slave caravan.
Children
Current Residence
Currently resides in his presidential palace in the city of Manzibuta.
Pronouns
He/Him
Gender
Male
Eyes
Heterochromatic(One Pale Yellow, One Dark Purple)
Hair
Bald
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Dark Brown
Height
5'10ft (1.77m)
Weight
172lbs (78.01kg), not counting wing weight
Belief/Deity
Comments