Kota Skaoi

Kota Skaoi the Priestess of Grey

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The story of Kota begins with her parents. More specifically, it begins with her mother. Before the collapse of the continent, a young woman by the name of Luta lived in a small village located in the colder reaches of the northern provinces, close to the edge of an expansive sea. This woman was known for one thing and one thing alone; warfare. Despite its relatively diminutive size, the clan of Skaoi continued its existence in the face of Nordic invaders. Many within the clan attributed this existence to Luta. A neighbouring clan of frost encrusted elves thought the same, and as such sought an alliance between the two villages. An emissary was dispatched without escort. This man, as it so happens, would become Kota's father. His name was Boreas, and unlike her mother, Boreas was no warrior. He spent his days reading books imported from the warmer kingdoms, learning whatever he could from the texts. This predisposition for bookishness made him a natural choice for the brokering of an alliance. Unfortunately, upon his arrival, Luta had very little reason to speak with him. In her eyes, her people were perfectly safe, and accepting another group into the fold would do little but expand the range of territory her and her warriors had to protect. For months Boreas pleaded with the woman, oft spending the night outside of her cabin so as to be the first person to meet with her in the morning. Then, as they always did every few months like clockwork, Nordic raiders attempted to take the village. Despite being a relatively poor target for raids on account of its small amount of material wealth, the village of the Skaoi did contain one noticeable asset the raiders wished to take control of; a shipyard. The raiders, in their frustration, chose to employ more advanced tactics during this raid; namely, they employed a trio beastmasters. Alongside their shieldmaidens and axemen stood three massive polar bears, strapped down with crude armor & the requisite saddles with which to carry their masters. This addition proved devastating, charging in and out of Skaoi lines, trimming the fat of their resistance. The situation looked bleak, until a bookish man from a neighbouring village stepped onto the battlefield. With a flick of his wrist and a flash of his eyes, the bears began to shake, throwing their riders out of their saddles. They began to writhe in the snow, roaring in despair. Soon they began to dissolve, blood-matted hair being thrown in all directions. Where once were bears now lay piles of disintegrating meat. This feat shook the raiders to their core, causing a complete rout of their lines. Boreas had saved the village from a raze. Finally, after many months of pleading and begging, Luta had decided to give the man a proper audience. Long into the night the lights inside of Luta's cabin blazed as the two discussed terms. As they emerged from the structure the following morning, Luta announced that not only would the two groups join together, the pact would be sealed through Luta's marriage to Boreas. Shortly after came the demon invasion. As the fighting crept towards the northern provinces, Boreas made one more proposition to Luta. Use their ships and sail, sail as far away from the conflict as possible. Luta, despite her stubbornness, was not stupid. She knew this was an enemy she could not face, and as such agreed to the suggestion. As they set sail, they began to spot ships dotted on the horizon. More refugees fleeing the continent, they surmised. They followed this group, assuming they might actually have a plan as to where to go. It was a long and strenuous voyage, eventually leaving the tribe on the shores of the Drow provinces. Shortly after they had landed, Luta keeled over, vomiting on the sands of the beach. Morning sickness. Luta was pregnant.

Luckily enough for Luta, the master of the house had a policy of accepting those born into the household as slaves. Thus began Kota's life, in the pit that would be called her home for the next sixteen years. Despite the depressing circumstance of her existence, Kota managed to be quite happy. Many of the master of the houses' drow children played in the yard with her during the years that she was too young to work. This established a bond between her and the children. One of these friendships blossomed into an intensely secret relationship. This gave her preferential treatment as the years went on, eventually allowing her to obtain a position as the hand maid to the son she had grown so fond of. All in all, life couldn't have been much sweeter for Kota given the cards she was dealt. In private the man she loved whispered sweet nothings in her ear. He was the eldest son, and as such was to inherit all of his father's holdings. He promised that after his aging father finally closed his eyes for good that he would marry her. In secret, of course. Publicly he would take a Drow wife to further his standings. But Kota was content with knowing his heart would lie with her. Unfortunately, this was not to last. Many of the slaves of the estate grew jealous of Kota's treatment, with a few going so far as to learn why. As all things did, the Master of the Estate learned the news of this secret coupling, and could absolutely not stand for it. He began his work to get rid of Kota legally, so as to avoid any backlash over his son laying with a lesser breed of elf. Kota was to be sent far away. To his surprise and pleasure, the farthest point he could send her was to the arena. Luta caught wind of this by word of mouth, storming into her quarters and warning her daughter mere moments before the estate guards did the same. Kota was promptly seized and hauled into the back of a carriage. A ruckus was being raised outside, the high wilting voice of the master of the estate echoing in her ears. It seemed that the man had one last order for Kota to perform. The carriage door swung open. Outside the door stood the master of the estate with a piece of metal in his hands. Rough hands seized at Kota, dragging her from her seat and throwing her down into the muck. Face down in the dirt, Kota heard a soft click coming from above her. Her collar fell from her neck, dropping into the mud. Kota, confused, dared to look upwards. As she did, she began to recognize the thing in the man's hands. The scratches, the dings, the gouges... it was her mothers collar, the top of the thing covered in gore and blood. The master bent over, quickly clasping the thing around Kota's neck. Another soft click. "Away with her", the man muttered. Almost immediately the same rough hands that had thrown her down were tossing her back into the carriage. She was on her way now. On her way to a death sentence.

Kota is true neutral, adhering to the philosophy of balance. Despite this, she does make some attempt at self preservation & the preservation of her friends. She also tends to be somewhat naïve, and tends to assume that those she speaks to are speaking the truth. She tends to be generally shy and soft spoken, rarely doing anything to intentionally offend someone. In a combat situation, this attitude is completely flipped on its head. Kota is violent in the extreme when it comes to combat, often times brutalizing the corpses of her fallen foes.