Karrigan'Xalda
Daughter of the Karishzar
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Sub a Drow Paladin. Expand on the Xioquo a bit. Give Xalda a foil and Liavondra and Phylis a friend.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Member of the Banishers of Night, an order of Xioquo paladins. Their purpose is to shepherd, protect and inspire the Xioquo people.
Links: Twilight of the Goddess, Qadiri, Qual'Zyanya, Firemane.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Age: 75
Force Sensitivity: Knight.
Species: Xioquo.
Appearance: Xiarda is slightly taller than average for a Xioquo, but also well-built and toned. Her days as a slave and her vocation as a soldier have left their mark on her. She has the dark grey skin that is typical for her kind, along with pointed ears. Her hair is white and shoulder-length. Her body is marred by several scars. After she was captured by the Qadiri, a cruel mistress branded her to make sure she never forgot her place. The brand was eventually removed after she gained her freedom, but scarring remains. Xiarda usually wears armour. When she is off duty she wears a pair of concealing grey robes combined with a hood. Her kind is averse to bright lights, so she has to wear covering attire and Steampunk-like sunglasses when she goes out into the sun and has not donned sealed armour. She dislikes fancy attire.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Name: Naxi'Xiarda. In Xioquo culture, the clan name comes first. So Xiarda is in fact her given name.
Loyalties: Liavondra, Xioquo, Naul'Zixasa, Banishers of the Night, Seekers of the Sky.
Wealth: Xiarda has not sworn a vow of poverty, but is not rich. She has a frugal life style and donates a lot to charities.
Notable Possessions:
- Force Imbued Blade
- Meditation Band.
- Cylix Bolt Pistol.
- Qadiri religious talisman given to her by her mentor.
- A necklace displaying the symbol of the Seekers.
- RSIC-11 "Suncrusher" Blaster Pistol (permission here)
She has classical telekinetic abilities, can summon Force barriers to protect her self and use the Force for basic physical augmentation to say run faster, leap higher, boost her endurance and reflexes. Like most Xioquo Force-users, she has an affinity for elemental abilities. In her case, these elements are that of ice and water as well as earth.
Xiarda has military experience and is skilled in small unit leadership and tactics. However, she is a tactical instead of a strategic leader. Aside from her combat skills and Force abilities, she is knowledgeable about medicine and patient care, good at forging (as in smithing). Lately she's also become skilled with ciphers and codes.
Personality: Naxi'Xiarda is a most unusual Xioquo. Rather than embrace the Dark Side like many of her people, she has made the conscious decision to walk the path of the Light. Ironically, it was a Qadiri priestess, a member of a race that are her people's avowed foes, who influenced her to make this choice. Today, followers of the Light are no longer persecuted among the Xioquo. Indeed, their Queen is a Lightsider. However, they are still a minority and even many Xioquo who do not wish to turn the clock back to the old days of slavocracy and despotism see them as tainted, regarding them as having been corrupted by alien influences.
Nonetheless, Xiarda is steadfast in her beliefs. She is a very principled woman and strives to uphold a code of justice and honour. However, good is not nice. At least not always. Nor is it soft. Certainly not meek. Xiarda regards herself as a warrior and has a strong martial ethos. She despises the cruel and sadistic and believes she must use her gifts as a means of justice. Striving to be a good person doesn't extend to giving free passes to the truly vile and horrific among their enemies. She is a soldier and thus does not adhere to thou shalt not kill. To her, following a never-kill creed would be selfish.
Honour compels her to intervene when she sees an injustice being perpetrated. However, things get murky in situation where there is no clear right and wrong and where acting in pursuit of what appears to be a greater good might produce an even greater evil in the long run. This is something Xiarda struggles with, as she tries to live by her code in a society that has been defined by oppression, bloodshed and corruption for centuries.
She is not blind to shades of grey, but strives to do the right thing nonetheless. Xiarda can be headstrong and judgemental, but she is also just, loyal and determined. She is very curious about the outside world and eager to learn. Exposure to other cultures has mellowed her views on gender policies a bit, but she is still somewhat sexist, albeit in a patronising rather than malicious way.
Her rather cruel childhood and experiences as a soldier who captured and enslaved by the Qadiri, until she was freed by her mentor, have shaped her. Thus she is slow to give her trust to others. It taught her that she had to harden up, or else she would not survive. As a result she is a rather aloof, distant and emotionally guarded woman. Xiarda has learned about Jedi since her people were opened up to the rest of the Galaxy.
At first, she was fascinated by the idea of a chivalrous order of knights who served as guardians of peace and justice. She acquired a rather romantic view of them and wished to meet these warriors of the Light and learn their ways so that she could help show her people a different path. However, when she actually crossed paths with a Jedi, she was deeply disappointed. From her point of view, they seemed irresolute and wishy-washy, lacking in warrior spirit. Moreover, they appeared to be extremely prone to schisms. This disheartened her quite a bit.
It should be noted that Xiarda grew up in a society where Force-users wielding power was the norm. This also applies to the other Tygaran natives. Thus while Xiardas does not desire power for herself, she also does not see much of a contradiction between a Force-user following the Light and being in a position of political authority. After all, that is the way her Queen does it. Thus the objections some - though by no means all - Jedi have to getting involved in politics seem strange to her.
Xiarda does not follow a code of chastity, though in all fairness many Jedi do not either. To the Paladin, the idea that one has to be chaste to be in the Light is an alien concept. Why would it be a good or compassionate thing to abstain from normal physical and mental stimulus. "Is not attachment what one in the Light must seek? For without attachment, what can one protect?" Xiarda is quite mystified by common Jedi beliefs about forgiveness and redemption. She rejects the old Jedi order's belief in nonattachment. She believes in redemption, but only within reason. It requires recognition of one's sins and restitution, instead of simply walking through the revolving alignment door.
Xiarda has turned away from the worship of Mystra or, as her people call her, Myrou. To her people, she was their creator, which was technically true, but she was also a tyrant. Minor deities are also worshipped, but all were subordinate to the Dark Mother. Xiarda is still a very spiritual person and venerates the old Xioquo deities that are not too tainted by association with Mystra and whose tenants do not contradict her values. Her personal patron goddess is Myrkash. Ironically, this is a Qadiri not a Xioquo goddess. Myrkash is a goddess of healing and medicine. She is also the deity Zamari Jai Myrkash, Xiadra's Qadiri benefactor and teacher, is pledged to. This leads to the strange sight of a Xioquo warrior visiting a Qadiri temple to pray and make offerings to the goddess.
Xiarda is devoted to Queen Lia and her progressive beliefs, believing they are the best way for the Xioquo to achieve freedom, dignity and progress. Unsurprisingly given her beliefs, she has a low opinion of the Daughters of the Destroyer. They are an established part of Xioquo society, so she will not attack the Daughters on sight or try to cleanse them, but she is guarded in her dealings with them. Xiarda and Xalda do not get on too well. Xiarda considers Xalrda to be too prone to her emotions, lacking discipline and restraint. She also disapproves of Xalda's cruel streak and the way she idolises Lady Kerrigan. On the other side, Xalda feels the paladin is naive and unrealistic.
Xiarda is a member of the Seekers of the Sky, a lightside sect led by Lia. The Seekers strive to promote peace between the Xioquo and the other elf races, but are adamantly opposed to conditions that leave their people at the mercy of others. Light does not mean meek, after all. Peace is to be sought, but not at any cost, and there are some wars that must be fought. In that regard Xiarda is a Xioquo patriot, believing that her people must attain the best possible position.
She just believes there are better ways to achieve this than performing blood sacrifices, murdering the 'defective' and disabled, gaining power through murder and invading others to enslave them. In short, she thoroughly rejects the methods and principles of the old oligarchy that once ruled over her people. She believes the path of the Light is a better, healthier way to draw upon the power of the spirits, which is what the Xioquo call the Force.
COMBAT INFORMATION
Weapon of Choice: Xiarda carries a Xioquo Force-Imbued Blade, sometimes paired with a battle shield. She also normally carries a small vibrodagger and a sidearm. As discussed below she is skilled in melee combat and with Force abilities typical for a Paladin or Jedi Guardian type.
Combat Function: Xiarda has the build and skill set of a Guardian or Paladin type. She is a soldier and has been trained to fight, best and slay her enemies. However, she does not murder in cold blood. If an opponent surrenders, she will spare their lives. Naturally she will make sure that they are properly restrained so that they cannot escape or stab her in the back when she turns around. Her form of restraining will definitely involve cuffs and possibly a stun bolt, depending on the prisoner. Being a Xioquo, she is extremely agile, quick and has excellent coordination.
However, living in the darkness so long has made the sun and other bright lights painful for her people. In daylight Xioquo must wear concealing attire to shield themselves, and often wear steampunk-like sunglasses on long operations. Her skins can blister in the sun if left exposed. While faster than a human, she is on average physically weaker, relying more on finesse and skill than brute strength in melee. She employs the Force a lot in combat, utilising a combination of Xioquo elemental abilities and more classical Light Side powers.
She has a strong Force connection, keen senses, can see much further in the darkness than a human or Eldorai would be able to and is a proficient duellist. However, her sensitive hearing is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows her to pick up on noises others might miss and thus helps spot concealed enemies by sound. But on the other it also leaves more vulnerable to high-pitch frequencies such as those emitted by sonic weapons.
She only has limited skill as a pilot. While Xiarda knows about lightsabres, so far she has not been trained in their use. She's used to weapons with actual weight behind them, so if she found a lightsabre on a battlefield and picked it up, she would be clumsy and awkward. Thus she would require training first before she could use one effectively.
Strengths:
- Paladin. Xiarda combines strength in the Force with martial prowess and soldierly discipline. She has a gift for elemental abilities and is a proficient duellist.
- Xioquo racial strengths. She is agile and has excellent nightvision, enabling her to see much further in the darkness than a human or Eldorai.
- Skilled in small unit leadership.
- Not trained in the use of a lightsabre. Limited skill with galactic technology or piloting.
- Sensitive hearing makes her more vulnerable to high-pitch frequencies. Bright lights are also painful for her if exposed.
- Lacks experience in leading larger units. She is good at leading small teams to attain a specific objective, but not someone who is good at big picture leadership.
Similar to Lia, Xiarda was born into a noble family, though her house was of lesser status than the Vondras. She was recognised as the daughter of the Matriarch Jezzara, though she was not the biological daughter of her. Rather, she is the biological daughter of the Matriarch’s mate and a servant woman, a common practice by the more traditional Xioquo who prefer not to interact with males at all and outsource the rigours of pregnancy and childbirth.
The Matriarch's five daughters were born to three mothers, with Xiarda being the second youngest. Matriarch Jezzara was a very ambitious woman and a bit of a social climber. Her family was rich, but junior in status. They were vassals of House Qual, one of the families with a seat on the Council of Ten. Jezzara dreamed of one day ascending to that position herself.
Thus the matriarch expected her children to be strong, for otherwise they would not survive in the cutthroat world of the Xioquo. As she was fond of saying, they must have a heart of iron and steel should flow through their veins. Growing up in this world was both dangerous and intimidating. While the clan possessed vassals, slaves and wealth, they could not trust anyone fully. Even within the clan there were many who would conspire to advance themselves either through deceit or murder.
With her official matriarch preoccupied with plotting her ascent, much of Xiarda's education and raising was left to servants and slaves. She was raised in the lap of luxury, so the circumstances of her upbringing were privileged. Here and there, a tutor was appointed to bring her to up to speed when needed. As one of the matriarch's younger children she was not expected to play a major role. It would also be unwise to teach her too much in case she plotted against her family.
However, her mother soon took more of an interest in her. The catalyst was when Xiarda got a new sibling, Faeryl. As with the others, Faeryl was not actually her biological sister, but born to a servant. But Xiarda loved her nonetheless and cared for her. However, the child had been born sickly. In the eyes of conservative Xioquo society, it was 'defective'. Having a weak child was regarded as a curse of the Goddess and lowered a family's prestige.
Thus Matriarch Jezzara ordered the child to be killed. Shaken, Xiarda pleaded with her, but her mother would not be swayed and had the child seized, reprimanding her daughter for being 'weak'. The 'unworthy' infant was tossed off a precipitous cliff to its death. She made Xiarda and the other daughters watch, then gave a speech about how it was their duty to the Goddess Myrou and their house to weed out the weak. Concerned that her daughter needed further correction, Jezzara brought in a a strict conservative tutor who tried to instill proper conservative values into her. This largely consisted of sadistic punishments. One lesson involved giving Xiarda a small lizard creature to raise and nurture. Then, she was forced to kill it. This was supposed to teach her how she had to harden herself.
Still young, she found herself rebelling against the harshness imposed on her. Sensing her rebelliousness, the tutor once had her hands burnt with hot irons. Her resentment built - as intended for only then could a Xioquo gain their full induction into the Dark Side. She channelled her frustrations into studying combat. Training with the guards and janissaries of her mother gave her an outlet. Finally, she snapped and attacked her teacher. Her tutor was strong in the Dark Side and more experienced, but Xiarda was powered by her rage and managed to kill her. She tried to cover it up, but her mother learned of her deed. Surprisingly, the matriarch was pleased, for Xiarda had tasted the liberating power of the Dark Side. However, she reprimanded her daughter for being so sloppy.
Finally pleased that her daughter was showing 'proper breeding', Jezzara gave her a supervisory role in one of the clan's construction projects, supervising the slaves. Xiarda talked with the slaves, and whilst she was still as arrogant and forceful as any other, she learned everything she could from her slaves. Any who tried to use this to their advantage though swiftly suffered punishment from her. Though kinder than her sisters, Xiarda was no abolitionist. She had been raised in a society where slavery was seen as natural. But she was less cruel and arbitrary than most of her social class. She made sure they were fed and received treatment when they got sick, working them at a less back-breaking pace.
Her - comparatively - benign methods paid off, as the project made good progress. However, her sister Haelra resented her and used her agents to spy on her. They discovered that Xiarda had grown close to a slave called Miz'ri, a Xioquo who had been enslaved as punishment for heresy. Xiarda tried to protect her friend and probable lover, but edged by Haelra, Jezzara had her put in irons, tortured and murdered before her eyes. She also removed Xiarda from the project and put one of her more brutal siblings in charge. Ironically, the project went poorly from that moment on.
Jezzara was unsure what to do with her disappointing daughter, but possessed enough maternal instinct not to kill her. Moreover, her eldest daughter Sabrae had died in a battle with the Qadiri. Xiarda, fearful of her own family, volunteered to join the army because it would give her something to do outside of Byzantine house politics. There she honed her skills, displaying a strong work ethic and commitment. However, her reputation had preceded her. During a manoeuvre, a fellow Xioquo tried to kill her. Xiarda was able to survive the attempt and beat her attempted killer, but the assassin swallowed poison. Xiarda suspected, but could not prove that the attacker had been paid by Haelra.
She was probably expected to die in her first campaign, but she showed unexpected strength and tenacity. She was a warrior and so she would kill. The same applied to taking slaves. This was Tygara after all, where slavery was part of every culture. She displayed leadership skills during a skirmish with the Vashyada, a race of wood elves. When her commanding officer was struck through the eye by the arrow of a Vashyada archer, Xiarda took control, rallying her comrades. The dark elves used fire to burn down a part of the forest. Fire and bright lights were the bane of the Xioquo, but as Xiarda expected in this circumstance it hurt the wood elves even more because it deprived them of their cover, allowing her to use the Xioquo's musquets as a force multiplier.
During the battle she engaged a Vashyada druid in mortal combat. The wood elf was proficient with her Force imbued staff and elemental abilities, but though badly wounded Xiarda was able to overpower her. Unleashing the power of the Dark Side, she drained her of her life force. As she suffered, the wood elf touched her mind. Momentarily Xiarda's offence faltered as she was pulled back to the painful memories she had sought to leave behind her. As the druid called upon the plants to seize her, Xiarda flew into a rage and struck her down.
The Xioquo burnt down the village and took several Vashyada as slaves. However, they were forced to retreat as enemy reinforcements were incoming. Pursued by Vashyada rangers, they nonetheless made it back. However, though the fight had been a victory on paper, Xiarda did not feel exultant. Bad dreams and the reawakened ghosts of the past haunted her. At the celebrations she appeared morose and took little interest in claiming slaves. When her mother sent her a letter congratulating her on having finally become a proper Xioquo, she felt little happiness. She tried to bury herself in her work, focusing on her new role as an officer.
After a number of minor skirmishes with Qadiri and Xioquo rebels, she was sent on a campaign that would change her life forever. The target was the Qadiri city of Krolis. To the Qadiri, this was not a city like any other. Rather it was the most important city spiritually and second largest city. It was the residence of the Saoshyant, the high priestess of the Goddess Kashara, the most important deity in the Qadiri pantheon.
The timing for a raid appeared fortunate. The Amikarese Empire, the most powerful Qadiri state, was embroiled in a civil war over the royal succession, so no aid could be expected from them. Moreover, the Saoshyant's position was uncertain, for she had antagonised some rulers by claiming that she alone possessed the right to invest Kashari clerics. Sacking Krolis would send a powerful message - and elevate the position of the houses that had backed it. Thus a large force equipped with some of the finest weapons the Xioquo knew was assembled for this undertaking. After deploying scouts in advance, the Xioquo traversed the seas in steamships. Their priestesses drew upon the Dark Side to blacken the skies, allowing their comrades to fight without fear of the sun.
However, in the face of the dark legions, the Saoshyant did not give in to despair. Instead she rallied the defenders of Krolis. One of those who answered her plea for aid were the Sistren of the Eternal Flame, a Qadiri fire cult. Their high mistress happened to be in Krolis by chance. Seeing the invaders approach, she took command of the Krolis forces with the blessings of the high priestess. When the Xioquo steamships approached, the Qadiri sent out improved ramming ships loaded with Grash, a type of napalm liquid fire. The explosion caused high casualties among the drows, but they still managed to land. Using their gunpowder artillery, they bombarded Krolis. Xiarda fought at the side of her soldiers, facing Qadiri sorties when they attacked the siegecraft.
After the Qadiri pyromancers had taken several cannons out of commission, Xiarda led a group of sappers. She was suffered nasty burns and was struck by an arrow fired from the wall, but the sappers were able to lay their charges and light the blasting powder. Xioquo forces charged through the hole, while others ascended the city walls with ladders. Storming the city, they slew anyone they found. However, the Qadiri did not falter. The Saoshyant herself, though advanced in age, mounted a Yazgid to lead her troops. Even civilians armed themselves and confronted the attackers. Moreover, the Sistren unleashed a storm of fire upon the attacker, burning or blinding many. At the climactic moment, Qadiri priestesses summoned a ritual to overturn the unnatural darkness, exposing the Xioquo to the sun.
Moreover, a number of Xioquo forces broke off to leave the battle after looting, for their leaders were unwilling to risk their strength. A determined cavalry charge shattered Xiarda's line. She tried to pull off an organised retreat. Blade in hand, she joined the rearguard, but the fight quickly became a rout with the sun rising. Burnt by its light, Xiarda was captured. She was lucky that the Yazgid that ran her down did not devour her. Ironically, the attack had profound consequences for Qadiri politics. It greatly enhanced the prestige of Krolis and the Saoshyant. When Shahbânu Semiramis, ruler of the Amikarese Empire, tried to expand her domain over the Qadiri and bring the holy city into the fold, her enemies countered this with the formation of the League of Krolis.
When the battle was over, she was a prisoner. Unsurprisingly, the Qadiri were extremely angry about the attack on their holy city. Moreover, the two races had been blood enemies for centuries. So her captores beat her rather viciously. Xiarda was tied to a tree and left to be burnt by the sun until she had to give in and beg for mercy. She was eventually taken down. However, things did not get easier. The Xioquo prisoners were paraded through the streets of Krolis for the good people of the city. As was custom for prisoners of war, they were enslaved. To make sure she did not forget her place, a Qadiri officer branded Xiarda. Then she was put to work as a labourer to help repair the damage the Xioquo had caused. Naturally she had to work in the sunlight and received little food and water. When she faltered, she was beaten. Nonetheless, she tried to organise her fellow slaves and share what little they had to increase their chances of survival, but this proved extremely difficult.
She would have probably collapsed and died at some point, if a Qadiri priestess had not taken pity on her. This was the moment Zamari Jai Myrkash came into her life. Zamari was a priestess of the Godess Myrkash. Like all Qadiri clerics, she had taken up the name of her patron as a sign of giving up her family. Unlike the Xioquo priestesses, Zamari was a lightsider. While not the norm, this was not unusual among the Qadiri either, especially if the cleric served one of the fringe deities. On the whole Qadiri had no inherent preference for either side, both light and dark could be found among them. It helped that their society was rather decentralised.
There was something in Xiarda's eyes that drew Zamari to her and so she asked the Xioquo's mistress if she could buy her. It helped that she had coin and the Temple of Myrkash had helped heal many of the wounded Qadiri soldiers. Unsurprisingly, Xiarda was deeply suspicious of her new owner. After all, she had been raised to see the Qadiri as enemies. But once they were alone Zamari ordered her slave's shackles to be removed. Much to Xiarda's surprise, the Qadiri treated her with compassion. She was commanding, but kind, taking care of her injuries and giving her a decent meal. Not trusting her captor and feeling ashamed about being captured, Xiarda tried to escape. However, she did not get far before soldiers caught up with her. Her tribulations had taken a toll on her body and so she was overpowered.
However, Zamari intervened and ordered the soldiers to leave. She told Xiarda that she could run if she wanted, but the Qadiri would catch up with her. And even if she managed to flee the city, she would be in a land covered by deserts and far away from home. Reaching into the Xioquo's mind, she asked her if she really wanted go home. Then she extended her hand. After some hesitation, Xiarda took it. The two returned to the Temple. Officially, Xiarda was still Zamari's slave. However, over time her status changed. Zamari kept her around as a servant, but did not beat her. Sensing the conflict inside Xiarda and the trauma the young Xioquo had endured, she taught her about the Light. Eventually she set her free.
In contrast to the Xioquo, manumission was not unheard of in Qadiri society, though few slaves ever experienced it. The Qadiri were not as wedded to slavery as their cousins. Slavery did not carry racial tones to it. Slaves could buy their own freedom, had acknowledged rights as property and could be freed by their owners easily. However, they were still property and most died as slaves. Abolitionists were few and generally regarded as quacks. Even Zamari was not one of them. The cleric was a product of her environment and accepted slavery as a fact of life, though she was disgusted by many of the cruel practices associated with it.
For the first time in her life Xiarda learned that there was another way to call upon the power of the spirits, without giving in to darkness, anger and hatred. It was something she had not thought possible. She developed a bond with Zamari, who was now more of a teacher than an owner. Her mentor taught her the Qadiri language and gave her religious texts to read. However, while Zamari treated her kindly, many Qadiri rejected her due to her past and her race.
To them, she was irredeemably evil. While slavery was not race based among the Qadiri, the hostility between their races had deep roots and she had been part of the attack on their holy city. The patronising attitude of some Qadiri, who regarded her as a savage who had accepted the 'superior' Qadiri culture upset her. Once Zamari had to keep her from striking a Qadiri who mocked her, as this would have only produced negative consequences for her. Instead, Zamari asked the arrogant Qadiri where she had been when the Xioquo legions descended upon Krolis, mocking her for pretending to be a patriot despite not having stood up against the invaders.
Zamari encouraged Xiarda to accompany her when she visited the orphanages and almhouses sponsored by the Temple of Myrkash. Xiarda was at first deeply unnerved and many orphans responded to her presence with fear, but she managed to bond with some of them. Zamari taught her basic healing skills and some traditional medicine, enabling Xiarda to help her when she tended to the sick.
However, she soon noticed how cutthroat Qadiri politics could be. All too often, accusations of heresy or lèse-majesté were a wonderful way to get a rival out of the way. Even her mistress had made enemies. One cleric had conceived an enmity to Zamari and plotted to get rid of her - and frame her Xioquo mamluk for the deed. Unlike Zamari, this priestess was a highborn and resented being the subordinate of a commoner. So the subordinate used a non-lethal poison to make Zamari sick but not die, placing the blame on Xiarda. To make it seem more plausible, she used a Xioquo poison that was meant give its victims a slow, painful death while they wasted away. She wanted to break the Xioquo's spirit by having her benefactor turn her.
However, even though the evidence pointed towards her charge, Zamari believed her friend's story. Rallying herself despite her sickness, she compelled the truth from the real poisoner with the Force. Xiarda wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine, but was dissuaded. Zamari left her judgement to the Xioquo since she had been the one whose life the Qadiri had tried to destroy. Realising what her benefactor had been trying to teach her, Xiarda understood that there was strength in mercy. However, mercy was not always pleasant. It did not mean forgive and forget. So the poisoner was sentenced to become a common labourer, put to work collecting antidotes and components to make them. Xiarda watched over Zamari while she recovered from her sickness, taking care of her.
When Zamari and a few pilgrims visited a distant shrine, Xiarda was confronted with her past when a group of Xioquo raiders assaulted the group. Taking up arms, she fought against her former comrades, who called her a race traitor. They wore the colours of House Naxi. She suffered a relapse during the fight, calling upon the Dark Side. However, overpowering a young, frightened Xioquo soldier triggered her past trauma, as she realised the soldier was in a similar situation she had once been in. She let the warrior go, not wanting her to be enslaved. It was around this time that Xiarda developed her own moral code. She was a warrior and she would defend herself and others. But while she would kill in hot blood, she would not murder a defenceless opponent. She would strive to be just and forthright.
It was around this time that the sky people arrived. First the Qadiri were menaced by pirates with spaceships and blaster weapons. Then Firemane and the Eldorai arrived, defeating the corsairs. It soon became clear that the strangers were here to settle. Shahbânu Semiramis made a pact with Firemane, realising she could use their coming to her advantage if she played her cards right. While fearful, Zamari was curious about the sky people and Xiarda accompanied her when she inspected their settlements. She was there when a Firemane delegation was granted the honour of visiting the holy city of Krolis.
It soon became clear that the outsiders would make common cause with the Qadiri against their Xioquo foes. Though a Xioquo herself, Xiarda volunteered. What attracted her were rumours that the outsiders had managed to free a Xioquo aristocrat who followed the Light during an attack on a Xioquo slave base. These rumours turned out to be fact. Her name was Liavondra. Moreover, she knew that she needed to face her demons again to move on from her past. She hoped that the outsiders spoke true when they claimed they did not wish to enslave or eradicate her people. She saw evidence of this when Xioquo who had been captured during border skirmishes received decent treatment. It baffled her a bit when she heard that the sky people seemed to abhorr slavery.
When she heard that Lady Lia was trying to recruit freed Xioquo slaves and POWs for a Xioquo Volunteer Corps, Xiarda reported to her. She was made an officer and given a small unit to command. However, she was disappointed when she learned that the 'Free Xioquo Legion' would not be deployed to the frontlines for the assault on the Underealm. Instead they would be deployed in the rear operational zone, responsible for guarding areas that had already been cleared by the Firemane, Qadiri and Eldorai forces, and guarding suppy lines. She was also disheartened by the racist sentiments of many foreign soldiers. Zamari decided to accompany her out of solidarity.
Thus the Xioquo volunteers followed in the wake of the allied invasion force when the Xioquo's subterranean lair came under attack. From afar Xiarda saw the great fortresses of House Qual, which had repelled attack after attack, be torn down and conquered. Even the greatest Xioquo war engines and a colossus could not stem the advance. It drove home how much things had changed and how much her people had to adjust if they wanted to survive. However, she ended up seeing action after all, for her troops came under assault from Xioquo militants and abominations such as undead. There was some fierce fighting in the caverns. Mystra had awoken from her slumber and this spurred the believers to fight the invaders.
Leading her soldiers, Xiarda fought bravely. Though uneasy about serving foreigners, she believed she was doing her part to ensure her people had a better future, so that they could live in dignity, without being ruled by the sky people or their own tyrants. She intervened when some of her soldiers abused prisoners or indulged in looting. Following her code, she treated the captured common soldiers strictly but kindly. The officers and priestesses, on the other hand, were put to work as menial labourers. As the fighting wound down, she learned of the fate that had befallen her family.
Matriarch Jezzara was dead. House Qual, her liege, had tried to prevent Mystra from awakening, rightly fearing that the primeval Xioquo would be just as much of a threat to her people as she would to the foreigners, perhaps even more so. However, after the Qual sisters blew up the Council before they could carry out the ritual, Mystra arose nonetheless, having fed on all the deaths. Haelra had bent the knee to the 'dark goddess', while Jezzara perished in the purge. Mystra's rampage came to an end when she was slain by Siobhan Kerrigan and her allies.
After word of Mystra's demise spread, House Naxi and most of the other Xioquo noble families surrendered. There was nothing to be gained from continued resistance, though partisans would continue to plague the occupying forces. House Naxi executed a smart 90 degree pivot to position themselves as loyal servants of the new regime. All of a sudden, they had never supported Mystra or wars of aggression. Or so they said. Many of the big players had been wiped out, and so they tried to make an oily transition into the new leadership circle.
Xiarda, who knew her sister well, was contemptuous. When she met Haelra again, her sister acted as if she had never plotted against her, laying all the blame at the feet of their wicked mother. Xiarda had loathed her mother and regarded her as an evil woman, but at the same time acknowledged that Jezzara was a product of her environment. From Jezzara's perspective, she had been doing what she needed to make her house flourish. Thus such craven self-interest repulsed her and she brushed her sister off.
However, Lia had taken notice of her bravery in battle and her commitment to the Light. Thus she shared some of her plans with her. Lia was queen in name, but owed her throne to Firemane, and many regarded her as a foreign stooge. While she wore the crown, her freedom of action was rather circumscribed by the presence of a Firemane 'adviser'. Moreover, to keep the peace, she also had to accept several matriarchs from the old régime into her council. But slavery was abolished and the old patronage networks were broken up, emancipating the under classes.
The new queen e did not want her people to be lackeys of others, be they sky people or Qadiri. What she wanted was for the Xioquo to be proud of themselves, independent in their rule and prosperous in their lives. However, to this they needed to earn the respect of the other races. Centuries of bloodletting would not be forgotten overnight, so they needed to show that they could be productive, trustworthy partners. They also needed to overcome their petty struggles. For the time being, they would need help from Firemane to rebuild their economy, infrastructure and military.
One of Lia's projects was the creation of an order of lightside adepts who could serve as an inspiration for the rest of the Xioquo and show them another way. Xiarda became a founding member of this order, the Banishers of the Night. They would be a shield to the innocent, punish the wicked and defend the Xioquo people. They would also protect the Queen from the very real risk of assassination or coups. It was not an easy start. Most Xioquo still followed the dark path. Faith in Mystra had been shattered, but several of the drows decided to worship her killer Siobhan Kerrigan instead. Xiarda regarded those who did so as foreign flunkeys. Moreover, many old families remained in power.
Many of the early missions of the Banishers were related to freeing slaves. While slavery had been abolished at Firemane's behest, many matriarchs found creative ways to get around the ban by declaring that they did not have slaves, just domestic servants and labourers serving a 'contract'. The paladins also fought insurgents who had refused to lay down their arms after Mystra's defeat. Ironically, the Daughters of the Destroyer cult often had the same targets as the paladins, as they recruited their members from those who had been oppressed by the ancien régime. Thus Xiarda had to work with them at times, despite her personal distaste.
She earned herself a commendation after fighting bravely against a Kraal raiding force. Much to her annoyance, this fight also increased the prestige of the Daughters, as took up arms as well. Moreover, it marked a comeback for House Qual, as Qual'Zyanya returned from exile to help repulse the invaders. Xiarda - rightly - regarded her with distrust, for the matriarch had become a servant of the Sith Lady Sumiko Tanaka. However, nothing came of the Sith's schemes, for she was murdered by her apprentice Illyria. Zyanya would start working with groups that secretly opposed the new order though. Xiarda distinguished herself fighting the Blood Wraiths, a necromancer cult that sought to raise Mystra from the dead. Xiarda fought bravely against the sorceresses and their abominations, doing her part to foil their scheme.
The paladins struggled a bit with finding suitable trainers and guides. The Order of Fire, Firemane's force-using branch, had many Masters and Knights, but only a few followed the Light. Moreover, they were representatives of the occupation authority. The Vashyada were firmly anchored in the Light, but regarded the Xioquo with distrust. So they tried to get help from beyond Tygara. Xiarda had heard about the Jedi from talks with foreigners and was fascinated by them. She believed the 'guardians of peace and justice' could be a good model to follow.
Sadly, she would end up being disappointed. For starters, it turned out that the Jedi were extremely disunited. They were split into a myriad of orders. Some Jedi did not even belong to one. Admittedly the Xioquo could not judge too harshly because they were hardly a bastion of solidarity and unity, but it disappointed Xiarda nonetheless. It also made it very difficult to ascertain what was the correct Jedi way, as each group seemed to have a divergent interpretation. Some Jedi were crusaders, others were pacifists. Some allowed their members to have romantic relationships and children, others preached nonattachment and expected their members to be chaste. Some believed Jedi had no place in government, others ruled as Jedi Lords.
Finally the paladins were able to arrange for a delegation from a Jedi enclave to visit the Underealm. However, the Jedi were very patronising, lecturing the Xioquo about how it was wrong to wear armour and carry weapons. They also tried to take over classes and teach them the True Jedi Code because, as unenlightened 'natives', the Xioquo could not do without their guidance. In the end Xiarda had enough and gave their leader a verbal dressing-down and the Jedi missionaries were sent back home. After that the Banishers decided to simply do it their own way. They would accept help from foreign teachers, but only if they were respectful of them and their people.
Xiarda struck up a friendship with Colonel Leonina Varkathras. The Cathar Force Master had once been a Jedi and was one of the Order of Fire's more lightsided members. She would introduce Xiarda to the Jedi Consular [member="Phylis Alince"], an unaffiliated Jedi Master. When the elves moved into the stars, Xiarda took her first step into a larger world. She remained close to Zamari, who was rising in the Qadiri clergy. The prospect of seeking out a new life in the stars filled her with anxiety, but she was determined to continue her course and become a strong protector of the Xioquo people.
