Sahal Jai Azal
Dawn of Fire
Ashkala Jai Banaar
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Another area Ashkala is skilled in is in Instinctive Astrogation, the ability to use the Force to guide a ship through hyperspace. This allows her to direct the Shadow Knights into uncharted areas and to avoid phenomena which would be dangerous for most other pilots.
Finally, like a Miraluka, she can see through the Force, discerning the actions of those around her through the Force. She cannot see details easily, and especially not on non-living objects, but it allows her to function.
Ashkala is skilled in the use of telekinesis and elemental lightning to give herself some more offensive abilities, especially at a distance.
Ashkala has started to work with Alchemy, specifically the more Sith aligned variants. She is still at the start of her path here, but seeks out all knowledge she can on the matter.
Even without the Force, Ashkala is a persuasive speaker and a very good organiser. Her detached personality allows her to astutely analyse risks and opportunities without ‘worrying’ about morality.
Finally, Ashkala is well learned, and always seeks more information. For starting with nothing, she has compiled a very good understanding of galactic matters.
Betrayals and disappointments mean that Ashkala trusts no one, serves no one, and though she might work for the advancement of a group it is always with an eye on her own advantage.
Ashkala, partly due to her injuries, but also her general inclination, is less likely to want to charge personally into combat. She will try to organise a situation so that she is the one with the advantage, use others to fight for her, or turn an enemy upon themselves.
In person Ashkala is charming, humble and polite, gifted with an ability for small talk and humour which can put others at ease.
COMBAT INFORMATION
If combat with herself is unavoidable, she will stay back to let her allies fight. She will bolster said allies where she can whilst weakening an enemy by implanting fears and mistrust in their mind. She will follow this up with blasts of lightning and telekinesis whilst keeping distance between her and the enemy.
Her weaknesses as a combatant are many though. For an enemy either with strong mental resistances or Force Dead the majority of her assaults would be wasted. She is also not physically strong in combat and lacks in defensive powers other than telekinesis. The simplest way to defeat Ashkala would be to keep pressing closer, prevent her slipping away and exploit her physical limitations. She is not proficient in firearms or explosives beyond pistols. Enemies using Ysalimiri or being Force dead are a significant obstacle to her. Indeed, if brought inside a Ysalimiri field she is rendered blind and nearly completely helpless.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Ashkala Jai Banaar was born into the ruling family of the small city of Miran on Tygara. Unfortunately, her birth was not celebrated as she was the product of an unmarried union between the Mirza’s daughter and her lover. This introduction of a bastard into the royal family was most unwelcome as it confused the succession plans of her mother, the Mirza. Ashkala’s mother, Lamaya, was kept under house arrest for years and her paramour was first beaten and then exiled. It was only her pleading which prevented the unfortunate man being castrated. Either way, Lamaya never saw him again, and Ashkala never met her father.
Ashkala grew up and was given a good education and lifestyle, but from her earliest days she was aware of the disapproval of those ‘legitimate’ family members around her. Problems were greatest with her older half-sister Asaye who was born before Ashkala’s mother eloped. Resentment stoked by Asaye’s father and a generally unpleasant personality meant she made Ashkala’s early life hell, even having her bastard sister’s servants arrested and beaten for real or imagined sins.
Ashkala reacted to this persecution by withdrawing into herself and by devoting her time to her studies. She learned all she could from the tutors and libraries she could be provided. As a protective measure, Ashkala became adept at hiding her feelings and being able to present a neutral tone. However, her sister was determined to provoke her, and after a particularly long session of insults, Ashkala seized Asaye and held her feet first from the window of their palace until she apologised. Said apology was as insincere as they came, and Asaye reported (and exaggerated the affair) so that Ashkala was beaten and then locked away for a full week by herself, her only contact being food and water passed into her room. Time passed, and Ashkala was moved to a lesser residence as her grandmother could see that the squabbling between half-sisters was not helpful.
Ashkala might have found outlet in the military, but she showed little interest in warfare, unlike Asaye who was an enthusiastic (though mediocre) commander. Rather, she continued to learn, and was given permission to travel to Krolis for studies. The timing was fortunate for her, as whilst she was away enjoying a pleasant time of isolation an enemy had come.
The Xioquo, a cousin race of the Qadiri, came to Miran. The Xioquo were fearsome slavers and raiders, and though they had not troubled Miran for many years, they struck the city ferociously. Miran’s army was mostly away dealing with a rebellion, so the farms nearby were sacked and the city was attacked. Miran’s walls were tall and strong, but they could not resist the power of the new Xioquo artillery, which included rifled cannons and mortars mounted on ships firing flaming shells. The walls were breached, the defenders retreating to the keep, leaving the main city to be sacked. The Xioquo attempted to take the keep, but their good haul and word of the Miran army returning made them retreat back to sea.
Casualties of the battle were many, but most important for Ashkala was her mother who vanished in the fighting. She never would discover if Lamaya had been killed, enslaved or what her fate was. The siege had also been the final straw for her grandmother, who died soon after, leaving her half-sister Asaye as Mirza.
Asaye had a difficult job, rebuilding after the raid, and from neighbouring Qadiri eager to take advantage of their weakness. Militarily she was able to recover the situation, but her personality let her down. Arrogant, arbitrary and excessively cruel, she alienated many important persons from her. Some started to look to Ashkala as a possible replacement, bastard or not, she was of the royal bloodline.
Ashkala had little interest in such intrigues, but Asaye was suspicious and ordered her watched. Sure her bastard sister was plotting, Asaye decided upon entrapment, sending an agent in to say seditious things in order for listening spies to be able to condemn her. Ashkala suspected a trap and said nothing controversial. She cared little about her sister’s reign, so long as it did not impact her. Asaye grew angry after several attempts did not yield the desired results and so decided to simply skip the need for evidence and arrested her half-sister.
As so often in despotic rulerships the notion of a ‘fair trial’ was laughable. Sycophants and spies lined up to report conversations and plots. Angrily, Ashkala defended herself, shooting down several of the accusations based on the fact she was either not there or were in locations she could not have been at. She further excoriated the watching members of the court for their falsehoods, making some very uncomfortable moments. Sadly, innocence and truth were insufficient and she was ruled a traitor. However, the Mirza ‘generously’ allowed her half-sister to live under house arrest after she had been marked ‘ineligible’. To this end, she had her sister cruelly blinded and the tips of her ears severed, and then dumped her under guard in a distant tower, hoping she would die.
Ashkala however did not die, instead she seethed in anger, fear and pain, attended by a single slave who was as much a prisoner as her. It was at this time that her Zari (Force abilities) manifested, though Ashkala was able to conceal them for such a revelation would have certainly seen her killed as a threat. Thus began Ashkala’s nearly ten year exile in the Tower of Ravens, with no company but the slave Dami and no escape. However, her Force gifts was something she could practice, and since she had nothing else to do, she trained constantly learned to see, after a fashion.
Ashkala was motivated by a need for revenge and for an urge to leave her home’s short-sighted cruelty behind. Over time Ashkala discovered she was exceptionally skilled at the arts of manipulating others with the Force. After several years she had managed to charm and dominate the minds of her jailors, and had bound Dami to her. The slave had been placed there as an informant, but soon was reporting what she wanted to her handler. Bored with just the Force and her spirit sight, Ashkala managed to entrance one of her guards to bring her books for her. Unable to read them conventionally, she had her slave use animal blood to copy the characters on clay, the living material visible to her Force Sight.
Outside, Asaye’s tyranny continued, and though she’d repaired the city she was no more popular. With her guards now completely in her thrall, Ashkala had them deliver messages to the most discontented nobles. She could not rule, and did not want to, but she could adopt a daughter who could. To the Qadiri adoption was just as valid as blood descendants, and this enticing bait made several high nobles agree to back her under the command of Emiri Baltaana, an ambitious woman with a daughter of perfect adopting age.
The plan was set, and Ashkala awoke one day to find an army at her tower. She approached the army and displayed her power so they knew she was not to be taken lightly, and then accompanied the march to Maran. Asaye finding the Emiri’s army and clients against her, rallied her support and encamped beneath the city walls. This was Ashkala’s moment, and she moved through the night unhindered and passed like a shadow to her half-sister’s tent. There she used the power of the Force to control and dominate Asaye’s guards and consorts to seize her. With a fair amount of satisfaction she had her half-sister blinded, the knife moving by an invisible hand whilst pressure kept her mouth shut. After this was done she struck down Asaye with her own sword and then departed, escaping in the uproar as those in the tent awoke from their stupor.
The next day Asaye’s army found their leader was dead, and so they defected en masse to her. With this done, Ashkala adopted Baltaana’s daughter, investing her as Mirza, and then left the city. She had no interest in being there, and likely her adoptive daughter’s family would likely consider her a threat. Leaving with just her loyal slave, Ashkala headed north. As she did though she found the world had changed.
In her ten years of exile much had happened. People from beyond the stars had come, encroaching on Tygara. Others both like and unlike the Qadiri had come, and Ashkala headed north to investigate these ‘sky people’. Taking a ship across the sea should have been easy, but they hit a storm which almost foundered the craft. Taking the helm though, something guided Ashkala through the storm, directing her around rocks and sandbars and past the worst of the storm. When they pulled into port the crew believed she was blessed as she slipped away into the crowds.
Concealing her Force skills was not easy as it meant she had to rely on Dami to see for her, but a blind woman and her servant attracted no attention in the streets of New Santaissa. Using gold she had acquired she purchased a basic droid to aid her before taking residence in a cave near to the Star Fortress. The Droid told her much, and though Dami was afraid of the ‘metal demon’, Ashkala saw it for what it was – a machine.
Ashkala learned of worlds beyond number in the stars beyond Tygara and she sought a means to reach them. First though she wanted to know everything she could, so she spent several years near New Saintaissa, interacting with Eldorai, humans and others, learning all she could. She learned of the downfall of the Xioquo to Firemane’s armies and was pleased that at last justice for her mother had come. Finally, she was ready to make her move. When a human piloted freighter came in to land, Ashkala approached the captain and ‘persuaded’ him to take her and Dami along.
Space and the wonders of it were lost on Ashkala, though certainly not Dami who described their home rapidly vanishing as the ship sped away. It was as Ashkala focused and meditated though that she found she had another talent. Like when she was at sea space stretched out before Ashkala, and with focus and practice she found she could guide the ship safely along new pathways. Obviously this was of great use for smugglers, and she rapidly found work as a navigator, with her other skills helping to ‘dissuade’ customs from looking too closely at her cargo.
Ashkala never stopped wanting to learn though, and set out to make herself as ‘modern’ as possible. For her Tygara was in the past and she had skills for this new galaxy. Dami stayed with her, partly out of loyalty…partly out of the deep seated control Ashkala had over her. Loyalty was good, but subtle control was even better.
Time passed and Ashkala remained largely aloof from her fellow Qadiri and the other Eldorai kin. However, she did hear of a group which were something of a rogue organisation opposing the Eldorai and Firemane. She had never felt much loyalty to groups or causes, but joining this collection of people had advantages. For one it would allow her to network those of her own kin, build up alliances whilst offering her protection and freedom to continue her research.
Therefore, a meeting was arranged on Mon Calamari and she was introduced to the head of the three largest groups within the Shadow Knights. Having conducted as careful research as possible before the meeting, she was able to go in forewarned. For the Aspirants – the most devotedly religious group – she mentioned her faith in Kashara, the Qadiri aspect of Ashira. For the Rationalists – the most progressive group – she displayed her skills in Astrogation and her knowledge from beyond Tygara. Finally for the Harbingers – the group concerned about the Force – she claimed her powers over the Force were limited and that she felt no love for the Angelii or similar groups. If any of them seemed unconvinced they made no sign of it though likely they were still suspicious.
However, Ashkala was able to display her skills when a ship from the Shadow Knights was lost in an area of dangerous pulsars. Calling on her gifts she was able to navigate a rescue ship into the dangerous maelstrom and then escape. The example went a long way to convincing those around her that her gifts were useful.
After this rescue she received a meeting with the Archon of the Shadow Knights, the overall leader of the group, though elected for a fixed term. The meeting was cordial but guarded on both sides. Naesala could see the usefulness of the Qadiri woman, but was not prone to trusting easily. For her part Ashkala wanted to give away as little as possible. In the end she reassured the Archon she wished only to stay as a navigator, and so an accord was made.
Ashkala had little interest in the petty politics of the Shadow Knights. To her fighting over scraps of leading a rebel band was not interesting. What was interesting was the access and movement the group had. She reconnected with some other Qadiri and swiftly started training them in Instinctive Astrogation. Qadiri naturally had a sense for this on land, and a handful in the Shadow Knights could have that trained and enhanced for spaceflight too.
Ashkala currently holds the position of Grand Hierophant of the Eternal Void: a preposterous title which she rather enjoys in an ironic way. The Hierophants act as navigators and pilots on key ships in the Shadow Knights and use their abilities to safely guide the fleet around the galaxy. This position has an unexpectedly high amount of power as being able to subtly influence the course of the fleet gives one considerable latitude in where to go. It suits Ashkala now, but she is neither wedded to the group nor especially concerned about the internal divisions. For now they suit her purposes, but in time she might find it necessary to depart. When she does, many of the Hierophants will join her, a potent following.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To add an interesting character to the Shadow Knights who has some different skills and offers an alternative perspective. Though a Master her skills are non-combat and rather esoteric.
- Image Credit: Here. Q’Anilia from the Knights of the Old Republic comics.
- Role: Resident astrogator, sorceress, seer and alchemist for the Shadow Knights.
- Links: N/a
- Age: 74, about 36 in human terms.
- Force Sensitivity: Master.
- Species: Qadiri.
- Appearance: Ashkala is of average height and build for a Qadiri. She is by most standards quite pretty, and were it not for the bandage over her eyes she would not be noticeable or stand out amongst her peers. This bandage which covers her eyes are an indication of her lack of sight due to being blinded during one of the endless internecine squabbles amongst the Qadiri. She favours modest, concealing clothes and tends to have a veil and hood covering her face.
- Name: Lady Ashkala Jai Banaar
- Loyalties: Herself, the Shadow Knights (officially), the Qadiri and all Eldorai with their offshoots (theoretically).
- Wealth: Ashkala is careful to show that she is merely one amongst many, the first amongst equals. She does not flaunt excessive wealth, and to be fair she does not have a huge amount. She has more than she lets on however! She has enough scattered across various investments to feed her projects, but not enough to be considered wealthy.
- Notable Possessions: Some minor alchemy items she has made, a Force Imbued spear.
- Skills: Ashkala does not have great personal combat skills. Rather, her strength comes through the manipulation and direction of others, as well as non-combat skills.
Another area Ashkala is skilled in is in Instinctive Astrogation, the ability to use the Force to guide a ship through hyperspace. This allows her to direct the Shadow Knights into uncharted areas and to avoid phenomena which would be dangerous for most other pilots.
Finally, like a Miraluka, she can see through the Force, discerning the actions of those around her through the Force. She cannot see details easily, and especially not on non-living objects, but it allows her to function.
Ashkala is skilled in the use of telekinesis and elemental lightning to give herself some more offensive abilities, especially at a distance.
Ashkala has started to work with Alchemy, specifically the more Sith aligned variants. She is still at the start of her path here, but seeks out all knowledge she can on the matter.
Even without the Force, Ashkala is a persuasive speaker and a very good organiser. Her detached personality allows her to astutely analyse risks and opportunities without ‘worrying’ about morality.
Finally, Ashkala is well learned, and always seeks more information. For starting with nothing, she has compiled a very good understanding of galactic matters.
- Personality: Ashkala is a supremely confident and detached individual. She has a sociopathic lack of empathy for anyone around her, but the intelligence and abilities to use it to her advantage. Though capable of cruelty and violence, she would rather turn a situation to her own advantage.
Betrayals and disappointments mean that Ashkala trusts no one, serves no one, and though she might work for the advancement of a group it is always with an eye on her own advantage.
Ashkala, partly due to her injuries, but also her general inclination, is less likely to want to charge personally into combat. She will try to organise a situation so that she is the one with the advantage, use others to fight for her, or turn an enemy upon themselves.
In person Ashkala is charming, humble and polite, gifted with an ability for small talk and humour which can put others at ease.
COMBAT INFORMATION
- Weapon of Choice: When made to fight in person, Ashkala relies mostly on her Force abilities. However, she has a Force imbued blade and is capable as a duellist, using a style similar to Form II adapted to physical weapons. Due to her sight issues and lack of use she carries a blaster pistol, but is not an especially good shot.
- Combat Function: Ashkala’s main strength lies in avoiding personal combat and using her abilities to weaken an enemy, turn them on one another or to use allies to attack.
If combat with herself is unavoidable, she will stay back to let her allies fight. She will bolster said allies where she can whilst weakening an enemy by implanting fears and mistrust in their mind. She will follow this up with blasts of lightning and telekinesis whilst keeping distance between her and the enemy.
Her weaknesses as a combatant are many though. For an enemy either with strong mental resistances or Force Dead the majority of her assaults would be wasted. She is also not physically strong in combat and lacks in defensive powers other than telekinesis. The simplest way to defeat Ashkala would be to keep pressing closer, prevent her slipping away and exploit her physical limitations. She is not proficient in firearms or explosives beyond pistols. Enemies using Ysalimiri or being Force dead are a significant obstacle to her. Indeed, if brought inside a Ysalimiri field she is rendered blind and nearly completely helpless.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Ashkala Jai Banaar was born into the ruling family of the small city of Miran on Tygara. Unfortunately, her birth was not celebrated as she was the product of an unmarried union between the Mirza’s daughter and her lover. This introduction of a bastard into the royal family was most unwelcome as it confused the succession plans of her mother, the Mirza. Ashkala’s mother, Lamaya, was kept under house arrest for years and her paramour was first beaten and then exiled. It was only her pleading which prevented the unfortunate man being castrated. Either way, Lamaya never saw him again, and Ashkala never met her father.
Ashkala grew up and was given a good education and lifestyle, but from her earliest days she was aware of the disapproval of those ‘legitimate’ family members around her. Problems were greatest with her older half-sister Asaye who was born before Ashkala’s mother eloped. Resentment stoked by Asaye’s father and a generally unpleasant personality meant she made Ashkala’s early life hell, even having her bastard sister’s servants arrested and beaten for real or imagined sins.
Ashkala reacted to this persecution by withdrawing into herself and by devoting her time to her studies. She learned all she could from the tutors and libraries she could be provided. As a protective measure, Ashkala became adept at hiding her feelings and being able to present a neutral tone. However, her sister was determined to provoke her, and after a particularly long session of insults, Ashkala seized Asaye and held her feet first from the window of their palace until she apologised. Said apology was as insincere as they came, and Asaye reported (and exaggerated the affair) so that Ashkala was beaten and then locked away for a full week by herself, her only contact being food and water passed into her room. Time passed, and Ashkala was moved to a lesser residence as her grandmother could see that the squabbling between half-sisters was not helpful.
Ashkala might have found outlet in the military, but she showed little interest in warfare, unlike Asaye who was an enthusiastic (though mediocre) commander. Rather, she continued to learn, and was given permission to travel to Krolis for studies. The timing was fortunate for her, as whilst she was away enjoying a pleasant time of isolation an enemy had come.
The Xioquo, a cousin race of the Qadiri, came to Miran. The Xioquo were fearsome slavers and raiders, and though they had not troubled Miran for many years, they struck the city ferociously. Miran’s army was mostly away dealing with a rebellion, so the farms nearby were sacked and the city was attacked. Miran’s walls were tall and strong, but they could not resist the power of the new Xioquo artillery, which included rifled cannons and mortars mounted on ships firing flaming shells. The walls were breached, the defenders retreating to the keep, leaving the main city to be sacked. The Xioquo attempted to take the keep, but their good haul and word of the Miran army returning made them retreat back to sea.
Casualties of the battle were many, but most important for Ashkala was her mother who vanished in the fighting. She never would discover if Lamaya had been killed, enslaved or what her fate was. The siege had also been the final straw for her grandmother, who died soon after, leaving her half-sister Asaye as Mirza.
Asaye had a difficult job, rebuilding after the raid, and from neighbouring Qadiri eager to take advantage of their weakness. Militarily she was able to recover the situation, but her personality let her down. Arrogant, arbitrary and excessively cruel, she alienated many important persons from her. Some started to look to Ashkala as a possible replacement, bastard or not, she was of the royal bloodline.
Ashkala had little interest in such intrigues, but Asaye was suspicious and ordered her watched. Sure her bastard sister was plotting, Asaye decided upon entrapment, sending an agent in to say seditious things in order for listening spies to be able to condemn her. Ashkala suspected a trap and said nothing controversial. She cared little about her sister’s reign, so long as it did not impact her. Asaye grew angry after several attempts did not yield the desired results and so decided to simply skip the need for evidence and arrested her half-sister.
As so often in despotic rulerships the notion of a ‘fair trial’ was laughable. Sycophants and spies lined up to report conversations and plots. Angrily, Ashkala defended herself, shooting down several of the accusations based on the fact she was either not there or were in locations she could not have been at. She further excoriated the watching members of the court for their falsehoods, making some very uncomfortable moments. Sadly, innocence and truth were insufficient and she was ruled a traitor. However, the Mirza ‘generously’ allowed her half-sister to live under house arrest after she had been marked ‘ineligible’. To this end, she had her sister cruelly blinded and the tips of her ears severed, and then dumped her under guard in a distant tower, hoping she would die.
Ashkala however did not die, instead she seethed in anger, fear and pain, attended by a single slave who was as much a prisoner as her. It was at this time that her Zari (Force abilities) manifested, though Ashkala was able to conceal them for such a revelation would have certainly seen her killed as a threat. Thus began Ashkala’s nearly ten year exile in the Tower of Ravens, with no company but the slave Dami and no escape. However, her Force gifts was something she could practice, and since she had nothing else to do, she trained constantly learned to see, after a fashion.
Ashkala was motivated by a need for revenge and for an urge to leave her home’s short-sighted cruelty behind. Over time Ashkala discovered she was exceptionally skilled at the arts of manipulating others with the Force. After several years she had managed to charm and dominate the minds of her jailors, and had bound Dami to her. The slave had been placed there as an informant, but soon was reporting what she wanted to her handler. Bored with just the Force and her spirit sight, Ashkala managed to entrance one of her guards to bring her books for her. Unable to read them conventionally, she had her slave use animal blood to copy the characters on clay, the living material visible to her Force Sight.
Outside, Asaye’s tyranny continued, and though she’d repaired the city she was no more popular. With her guards now completely in her thrall, Ashkala had them deliver messages to the most discontented nobles. She could not rule, and did not want to, but she could adopt a daughter who could. To the Qadiri adoption was just as valid as blood descendants, and this enticing bait made several high nobles agree to back her under the command of Emiri Baltaana, an ambitious woman with a daughter of perfect adopting age.
The plan was set, and Ashkala awoke one day to find an army at her tower. She approached the army and displayed her power so they knew she was not to be taken lightly, and then accompanied the march to Maran. Asaye finding the Emiri’s army and clients against her, rallied her support and encamped beneath the city walls. This was Ashkala’s moment, and she moved through the night unhindered and passed like a shadow to her half-sister’s tent. There she used the power of the Force to control and dominate Asaye’s guards and consorts to seize her. With a fair amount of satisfaction she had her half-sister blinded, the knife moving by an invisible hand whilst pressure kept her mouth shut. After this was done she struck down Asaye with her own sword and then departed, escaping in the uproar as those in the tent awoke from their stupor.
The next day Asaye’s army found their leader was dead, and so they defected en masse to her. With this done, Ashkala adopted Baltaana’s daughter, investing her as Mirza, and then left the city. She had no interest in being there, and likely her adoptive daughter’s family would likely consider her a threat. Leaving with just her loyal slave, Ashkala headed north. As she did though she found the world had changed.
In her ten years of exile much had happened. People from beyond the stars had come, encroaching on Tygara. Others both like and unlike the Qadiri had come, and Ashkala headed north to investigate these ‘sky people’. Taking a ship across the sea should have been easy, but they hit a storm which almost foundered the craft. Taking the helm though, something guided Ashkala through the storm, directing her around rocks and sandbars and past the worst of the storm. When they pulled into port the crew believed she was blessed as she slipped away into the crowds.
Concealing her Force skills was not easy as it meant she had to rely on Dami to see for her, but a blind woman and her servant attracted no attention in the streets of New Santaissa. Using gold she had acquired she purchased a basic droid to aid her before taking residence in a cave near to the Star Fortress. The Droid told her much, and though Dami was afraid of the ‘metal demon’, Ashkala saw it for what it was – a machine.
Ashkala learned of worlds beyond number in the stars beyond Tygara and she sought a means to reach them. First though she wanted to know everything she could, so she spent several years near New Saintaissa, interacting with Eldorai, humans and others, learning all she could. She learned of the downfall of the Xioquo to Firemane’s armies and was pleased that at last justice for her mother had come. Finally, she was ready to make her move. When a human piloted freighter came in to land, Ashkala approached the captain and ‘persuaded’ him to take her and Dami along.
Space and the wonders of it were lost on Ashkala, though certainly not Dami who described their home rapidly vanishing as the ship sped away. It was as Ashkala focused and meditated though that she found she had another talent. Like when she was at sea space stretched out before Ashkala, and with focus and practice she found she could guide the ship safely along new pathways. Obviously this was of great use for smugglers, and she rapidly found work as a navigator, with her other skills helping to ‘dissuade’ customs from looking too closely at her cargo.
Ashkala never stopped wanting to learn though, and set out to make herself as ‘modern’ as possible. For her Tygara was in the past and she had skills for this new galaxy. Dami stayed with her, partly out of loyalty…partly out of the deep seated control Ashkala had over her. Loyalty was good, but subtle control was even better.
Time passed and Ashkala remained largely aloof from her fellow Qadiri and the other Eldorai kin. However, she did hear of a group which were something of a rogue organisation opposing the Eldorai and Firemane. She had never felt much loyalty to groups or causes, but joining this collection of people had advantages. For one it would allow her to network those of her own kin, build up alliances whilst offering her protection and freedom to continue her research.
Therefore, a meeting was arranged on Mon Calamari and she was introduced to the head of the three largest groups within the Shadow Knights. Having conducted as careful research as possible before the meeting, she was able to go in forewarned. For the Aspirants – the most devotedly religious group – she mentioned her faith in Kashara, the Qadiri aspect of Ashira. For the Rationalists – the most progressive group – she displayed her skills in Astrogation and her knowledge from beyond Tygara. Finally for the Harbingers – the group concerned about the Force – she claimed her powers over the Force were limited and that she felt no love for the Angelii or similar groups. If any of them seemed unconvinced they made no sign of it though likely they were still suspicious.
However, Ashkala was able to display her skills when a ship from the Shadow Knights was lost in an area of dangerous pulsars. Calling on her gifts she was able to navigate a rescue ship into the dangerous maelstrom and then escape. The example went a long way to convincing those around her that her gifts were useful.
After this rescue she received a meeting with the Archon of the Shadow Knights, the overall leader of the group, though elected for a fixed term. The meeting was cordial but guarded on both sides. Naesala could see the usefulness of the Qadiri woman, but was not prone to trusting easily. For her part Ashkala wanted to give away as little as possible. In the end she reassured the Archon she wished only to stay as a navigator, and so an accord was made.
Ashkala had little interest in the petty politics of the Shadow Knights. To her fighting over scraps of leading a rebel band was not interesting. What was interesting was the access and movement the group had. She reconnected with some other Qadiri and swiftly started training them in Instinctive Astrogation. Qadiri naturally had a sense for this on land, and a handful in the Shadow Knights could have that trained and enhanced for spaceflight too.
Ashkala currently holds the position of Grand Hierophant of the Eternal Void: a preposterous title which she rather enjoys in an ironic way. The Hierophants act as navigators and pilots on key ships in the Shadow Knights and use their abilities to safely guide the fleet around the galaxy. This position has an unexpectedly high amount of power as being able to subtly influence the course of the fleet gives one considerable latitude in where to go. It suits Ashkala now, but she is neither wedded to the group nor especially concerned about the internal divisions. For now they suit her purposes, but in time she might find it necessary to depart. When she does, many of the Hierophants will join her, a potent following.
