Asherna Ky'aelri

Name: Asherna Ky'aelri (Asha for short; but you better be absolutely certain she likes you before using it in character or be prepared to suffer the consequences)
Pronunciation: Aah-sheer-na Kye-el-ree (Aah-sha)
Gender: Female
Type: Western Dragon
Species: Sand-Winder
Age: 642 years of age [Mental/human maturity equivalent of 40ish]
Date of Birth: June 21st

Personality: Asherna is very much a no-nonsense type of dragon and will not take any sort of perceived threat, insult, or disobedience lightly. In her eyes, there is always room for improvement, and any time wasted could have been used to further improve either yourself, or your nation. Having grown up immersed in the rigid Ki'shan society, Asha firmly believes that one must prove their worth every day, or suffer the consequences of your own inadequacy. Although seemingly harsh at times, Asherna tries to be a fair ruler; one who is fiercely proud of her people and as such will go to great lengths to both protect and preserve their way of life. Some of the older Ki'sha may consider Asha to be reckless, instituting new policies, beginning the process of mending relations with other tribes and therefore somewhat loosening the stranglehold on the borders; but Asherna views herself as a visionary: someone taking precautions to ensure the survival of the Ki'sha in the many years to come.

Hobbies: When Asha has free time, which isn't often, she enjoys sparring with the Ugaan and Aliugaan, swimming in the royal oasis, keeping herself looking impeccably beautiful & deadly, and studying with the Syaan as well as praying to E'coran and Scaier for guidance in choosing the best path for her people. Additionally, should Asha have a whole afternoon of free time, she enjoys venturing into the city proper to see the fruits of her labor first-hand.

Likes: Honesty & bravery (especially in the face of danger), efficiency, discipline, sand, neatness, preparation, cleanliness and sweet foods.

Dislikes: Slacking, wasting time, cowards, lawyers, rainy weather, needless suffering, delays/stalling, politics, liars, sloppiness, mud, and sour foods.

Fears: Failing her tribe, forever ruining the Ki'sha of her youth instead of improving it, and dishonoring her ancestors as well as her gods.

Quote: "The blood of my people runs hot; hotter than a thousand fires, as hot as the flames of Mis'nu herself. We are as old as the sands and as unrelenting as the winds. Next to that? You are nothing U’mavii. The blood of your kind has been spilt upon this land millennia after millennia. You think you are different? You wish to join us? Hmmpf- Prove. Your. Worth." #ffcc00



Place of Origin: Verula, the Kishan capital of Al'yaek
Tribe: Ki'sha
Position: Kuz'a
Language: Kishin, Universal and Ga'ar.
Kishin is Asha's native language so she speaks with a slight accent; it's mostly just noticeable when she rolls her R's.
Home: The desert city of Al'yaek.
Parents: Y'savel (Deceased, Father) and Za'fin (Alive, Mother) Ky'aelri; close relatives of the original royal family.
Siblings: Kanarik (Alive, Brother) and S'oyev (Deceased, Brother) Ky'aelri.
Relatives: The remaining members of the original ruling family.
Mate: She has not publicly taken a mate, but privately... She has found herself besieged with emotions quite unbefitting of a Kuz'a, and towards a shemscaluri of all things.
Offspring: N/A
History: Asherna was one of three hatchlings born to Y'savel and Za'fin Ky'aelri, members of an offshoot branch of the Linfae family; the rightful rulers of the Ki'shan dynasty. Asherna grew up under Kuz'a Scortia's reign, and while she was never one of the Lekuz'a, she always aspired to reach that level of respect and military prowess. That's not to say that she looked up to Scortia; no, Asherna more so frowned upon the, in her eyes, unnecessary suffering caused by some of the present Kuz'a's decisions.

Asha's mother, Za'fin, must have sensed Asha's apprehension because within a year she had been recruited by the current Safy'za, a crotchety old female lindwurm named Kyilia, at the impressionable age of 22. She was to go to the Stormcallers, under the guise of a wandering Rogue, and learn about their physical and magical defenses, as well as their social and economical structure. Anything that could potentially be useful to the Kuz'a. The plan was executed perfectly. Asherna was introduced to the Stormcallers as a young rogue by the name of Saalia, her parents abandoned her at a young age and had told her to go out and seek her fortune. And that fortune, she hoped, was with the Stormcallers. After a short interrogation period, she was in! Saalia quickly became apprenticed to an elderly Archivist by the name of Elledan, and was one of his most promising pupils.

She was eager to learn, took wonderful notes, and made sure to take care of him as best she possibly could. This arrangement continued for roughly 50 years, with Asherna growing fond of the old man no matter how hard she tried to stay detached. He was more of a parental figure than her blood parents had ever been. During that time Kuz'a Scotia disappeared, and Athena ascended the throne. Once Athena established an alliance with the Stormcallers, it was only natural for the spies to be recalled. Asha didn't want to go. She really didn't. But when she found that Elledan had died of old age in the middle of the night, she packed her bag and fled. Looking for all the world like a distraught apprentice, tragically lost to the wilds after the loss of her surrogate father.

So, Asherna returned to Al'yaek for 50 years of "peace" and to help decode and decipher the notes she'd brought back from her journey. After returning to Al'yaek, Asha's mother Za'fin was disappointed in the changes Asha's time with the Stormcallers had wrought. Za'fin thought that compassion was weakness, and that anyone who was not of the Ki'sha was worth less than the sand beneath their feet. She said as much, when Asherna tried to explain about Elledan. That would be the first and last time Asha struck her mother.

Shortly after that, Za'fin left for one of the border towns, and Asherna was transferred to the border and demoted to Ugaafei; a great dishonor. There, she stayed for nearly 150 years; guarding the borders, scaring off rogues, and routinely fending off marauding monsters that threatened the safety of her people. When first she arrived, she was apprenticed to the outpost commander, a hard yet fair Aliguaan by the name of Zakiris. After all, even though Za'fin thought Asha was troublesome, she was still of an ancient and respected bloodline and required a mentor of the highest caliber. Under Zakiris' wing, Asha grew into a fearsome warrior and strategist, earning the rank of Ugaan in the record time of 7 years.

For roughly 175 years after that, Asherna continued to prove her worth. Every day was fraught with new challenges, but Asha faced them with the strength, cunning, and honor of a true Ki'shan warrior. Asha's most notable moment of fame, however, came during a raid on a nearby nest of monsters. A scout had reported the nest earlier that week and, as was standard protocol, Zakiris' outpost was expected to eliminate it. Zakiris, Asherna, and a troop of roughly 45 other Ugaan were dispatched to take out the nest almost immediately. What the scout didn't know, however, was the type of monster lurking there in the dark. As such, the troop was utterly unprepared when the poisonous spines that began to bombard them from the ceiling of the sandstone cavern.

Skiveshrath, or spined sand-devils as they are known as in Universal, are a rare sight in the desert; they are 20 foot long armored snake-like creatures, covered in poisonous spines, and capable of burrowing through the sands at an extremely rapid pace. Needless to say, it was a bloodbath. Plumes of fire erupted from the sides of the formation as some soldiers began torching the creatures as they shot out of the ground, only to have the creatures immediately dart back into the ground and disappear from sight. Asha, recognizing the creatures hit and run tactic, broke off from the main troop with a squad of 15 to make for the eggs of the sand-devils. Once the first of the eggs was charbroiled, the wyrms truly began to attack in force.

Asherna's squad were soon cut off from the main force amidst the chaos, so all Asha could do was try to forge a path back. After several intense minutes, they made it back to find the troop in utter chaos. Making a split second decision, Asherna took control of the remaining Ugaan and pressed back against the monsters, commanding them to keep their shields lifted high and interlocked like some sort of giant tortoise of death. Eventually, through flame and blade, enough of the sand-devils were slain that the few remaining creatures fled into the sands. The Ugaan suffered heavy losses that day, but it could have been much, much worse. Zakiris had been cut off from the main body as well, and his squad had been almost completely wiped out; Zakiris himself had lost one of his back legs to the sand-devil broodmother. Yet he still, almost single handedly, managed to slay the creature before passing out from blood loss.

Needless to say, a crippled Aliguaan, no matter how valiant, cannot be expected to remain on duty. So, after Zakiris was sent to the capital to rest and heal, Asherna was named Aliguaan and given control of the outpost. She went on to serve there for another 70 years, and became a sort of war hero; fearlessly wiping out over 30 more nests in that time, keeping the border secure, and earning both the respect and admiration of her legion. Wherever she went, there were always whispered titles like "Serpent-Bane," "The Desert Bastion," and "Daughter of the Raging Sun". Of course she did her best to quell that nonsense, but of course the more she downplayed it the bigger the stories got. Eventually, she became this almost mythic folk hero figure; to the point where many Ki'shan didn't believe she existed at all.

At this point, Athena was replaced by Saiya as Kuz'a. And, keen to take advantage of such a respected figure's reputation, Saiya soon transferred Asherna back into Al'yaek as part of the Kuz'a's royal guard. She served there for a mere 20 years before being promoted to the Captain of the royal guard, and for an additional 43 years served Saiya faithfully. It was only during the last 30 years of Saiya's reign that the riots and protests started. Asha's fame hadn't diminished over the years, and the people began to put her forth as a possible new Kuz'a. However, though Saiya didn't mind stepping aside, the elders demanded that tradition be followed and the two dragonesses were to fight for the throne. The fight was long, hard, and tense (although mostly staged as Asha didn't want to kill Saiya anymore than Saiya wanted to kill her). Eventually, Asherna stood victorious. But in direct opposition to tradition, Asherna refused to kill Saiya and instead created the rank of Irezu, special advisors to the Kuz'a so that years of experience wouldn't needlessly bleed out onto the sands.

And thus began the reign of Asherna Ky'aelri, born through courage, blood, and sacrifice. She hopes to make her ancestors proud.



Height: 20ft tall
Length: 45ft long
Wingspan: 60ft wide
Scale/Fur/Feathers: Asherna is a lithe, sandy colored dragoness, mostly covered in smooth snake-like scales; the exception being along her spine (See Horns/Spikes).
Eyes: A brilliant verdant green, speckled with flecks of gold throughout the iris

Accessories: A copper breastplate and a bronze armband, both signifying her rank as Kuz'a. The breastplate has a minor deflective enchantment, meant to help turn away projectiles and other attacks, but it's really only a minor annoyance for a determined attacker.

Horns/Spikes: Asha has a single pair of short, slightly upward curving horns extending from her temples. She also has many, many barbs along her back' stretching all the way from the base of her skull to the end of her tail, which lends her a particularly intimidating appearance when she's angry. The barbs, however, usually lay flat against Asha's scales and as such are mostly invisible until raised; the only indicators of their presence being the overall, slightly choppy, "wave-like" appearance of the "scales" on her back.

Overall Appearance: Asha's coloration has hints of maroon in the darker brown stripes along her wing-joints as well as the stripes along her spine. The rest of her body is a combination of dusty browns and sandy yellows, the two colors combining to form a somewhat mottled pattern that comes in quite handy for blending in with the desert sands. The browns then fade to a nice pale yellow color for her underbelly. Like most Ki'sha, Asha has larger than normal wings as well as a longer than normal tail to aid in the long flights across the desert; but her wings in particular have an extra knuckle on the wing knuckle to enable Asherna to use them to support herself should she need to. Additionally, Asha has several sets of webbed frills along her body: at the very end of her tail, where her tail attaches to her body, and one stretching from about the middle of her neck to about the middle of her tail.




Abilities:

~Advanced Camouflage: Asherna already has rather dusty coloration, so she can blend in with the desert terrain quite easily. She's not impossible to see by any means, but if you're not looking carefully you'll probably miss her. But to make it even harder, when she's trying to hide she can concentrate and shift the color of her scales to that of the terrain around her. She doesn't turn invisible or anything like that, her colors just change to accommodate her new surroundings (sort of like an advanced chameleon). In essence, she can willingly change her colors to practically any color she can imagine, but she can't change her shape. After a moment of concentration and relaxation, 1 post, Asha can activate her camouflage ability and become practically invisible. After the initial activation, she doesn't need to concentrate and can act normally. Her shadow would still be visible unless she pressed herself directly to the ground, as it's only the color of her body that changes.

~Venom: Asha is a venomous dragon, both literally and metaphorically, but this part is about the physical venom. The delivery method for this venom can be either via bite, or via "spitting". Either way, the venom will immediately catch fire upon contact with air and acts as a sort of superheated napalm: it's both really hard to put out with any normal method, and it sticks to things like some sort of jelly. The maximum temperature that the venom can burn at is roughly 2,000°F, and it will continue to burn underwater for about 2-5 minutes before succumbing to the lack of oxygen. Additionally, the maximum range for the spitting is 40ft, any farther than that and the venom will have mostly burned up in the air. However, should it come backinto contact with oxygen, it can easily re-ignite. It won't immediately re-light, but any sort of spark or heat source will set it ablaze again unless it's removed.

The easiest way to put out the fire is to smother it somehow, usually by rolling in sand or some other gritty material as that would scrape off the venom at the same time. If bitten, or injected through her spiked barbs, the venom is injected into the subject, and though it's not usually deadly, it can cause some pretty serious side effects: nausea, muscle spasms, painful burning sensations, hallucinations, partial paralysis, sudden weakness, difficulty breathing and, should the dragon have an extreme reaction to the venom, sometimes even death. Asha must chose to inject venom, so she could bite something and choose not to use her venom; the same goes for her barbs.
* Asha is immune to the effects of her own venom

Strengths:

~Tireless: Like many members of her tribe, Asherna has a large reserve of stamina she can call upon to help her fly, walk, fight, or perhaps even swim, longer and farther than normal.

~Highly Trained: Asherna had one of the best mentors the Ki'sha had to offer; and it shows. To this day, Asha keeps both a rigorous physical fitness regimen to keep herself in shape and a strict studying routine of all sorts of useful subjects; leaving her physically stronger, usually smarter, and almost always more trained than the majority of normal dragons. She has a knack for picking apart someone's strategy, be it in social arrangements or military engagements, and as such is a hard person to surprise.

~Charismatic: Although Asha is one who appreciates actions more than works, she's not someone to dismiss negotiation right off the bat. Asha can be a silver-tongued devil when she needs to be; and oh boy does she need that skill. It's not easy to convince the rest of the world of your good intentions; and it's even less easy to convince a tribe used to isolation to accept new changes. The older Ki'shans may grumble behind her back somewhat, but this trait in particular has gained Asha favor with the vast majority of the tribe.

Weaknesses:

~Impatient: Asha is a creature of action; there's always something else you could be doing or somewhere else you could be going. If someone is purposely stalling? Asherna may rush into the situation without being fully prepared and have to improvise until she regains control of the situation. This may apply to combat as well, if her opponent just stands back and taunts Asha, she's more than likely to jump into the fray headfirst.

~Cold: Being the desert dwelling dragon she is, Asha does not do well in the cold. Not only will Asha be more easily affected by cold weather effects, and as such upping the risk of dying of exposure, but she may be slowed down by extreme and/or rapid-fire cold-based attacks.

~Blunt Force: Any attacks that focus a lot of force in a small area tend to knock the breath out of Asha; she is a rather lithe creature after all. She's just not built to withstand that type of abuse.

~Paranoid: Asha doesn't trust easily, and even then she never really trusts anyone completely. This trait has earned her a couple enemies over the years, and it's broken several friendships as well. You need to work hard to get through to her on any emotional level.

Fighting Style: Asherna is one who prefers to fight up close and get a chance to sink her claws in. Specifically, she'll spit fire at an opponent, and follow that up with a series of devastating strikes. Although she will use long-ranged tactics such as a bow and arrow if the need arises, she much more prefers to be directly involved in the fray. She'll use any and all advantages she can get her claws on, but she'll only "stoop" to fighting dirtily if her life is truly in danger.

Magic: N/A

1/2 approved

~~2/2 Approved~~

Out for edits.

Still out for edits?

Yep! Waiting on a final commission/edit to her current art, and I still want to touch up her history and description before I'm done with her

Bump! Finished edits and got the commission in >:)

Changelog:
- Added mental / human age equivalent
- Polished up her backstory a lil to make it flow better
- Added the art
- Added her relationship with Andromeda <33

Oooo.
Reapproved!