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Channary Braon
Topic Started: Dec 20 2010, 02:15 PM (117 Views)
Channary Braon
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CHANNARY BRAON

You walk into the altar, your body relaxed and your mind focused. The large, oversized doors close as the sun dips below the horizon. The darkness creeps around you and for a moment, you feel as though you are completely alone when a warm and elderly voice comes from the center of the altar.

“Welcome my child and may the Darkness bless you. You are here to prove your worthiness to enter the realms beyond this world. Let us begin. Please, tell me about yourself. What is your name? How old are you and what is your caste?”

My name is Channary Braon. I am a 23 year old Healer.

“Yes yes. I was wondering when the Darkness would send you to me. What jewels has the Darkness gifted you with my child?”

White

“A beautiful set of jewels are they not? Where do you come from and where are you going?”

I was born in and live in Dea al Mon.

“Now, let us begin with the real information. My eye sight has begun to fail me so please, what do you look like?”

I'm rather plane looking to be honest. I look like every other Dea al Mon woman. My hair is long, straight and very pale blonde. I like it long because then I can hide in it. I know it seems silly but that has been able to help me keep myself safe in dangerous situations. I dress simply, very rarely do I wear any patterns at all. I always wear dresses because that is what I am used too. I only wear my jewel and the necklace that I am wearing right now. I never take it off. Never ever. Its just too important to me to let go of.

I have pale skin, even for a child of the woods. Some people think I am always sick and, I supposed in some ways, I am. You see, I don't hold my food well at night. But that's another story. I am very thin as a result. My fingers are a bit long and have been called elegant but they're usually dry. I forget to take care of them sometimes. I have very pale blue eyes and only the slightest touch of pink in my cheeks. My lips are large but are pale pink. You see? Nothing special.

“And your personality? What is that like?”

I try to be nice to everyone. Even those people who are mean to me. I spend most of my time around children because even though they can be brutally honest, they are not intentionally mean. I like to tell them stories and listen to their stories. I do have a problem when they want to play with dolls. I don't really know how to do that. It seems very strange and I get awkward. Apparently I do not have a very good imagination and normally the dolls I was given to play with are quickly taken away.

I have come to have a very strong support system of friends and neighbors but I do still keep myself guarded. I do not want to get very close to anyone. Even though I seem to be very young, I have been through a great deal of pain and I have lost everyone who has ever been important to me. I do not keep my distance only to protect myself but also to protect the people around me. If I let anyone get to close to me, if I let them care and love me, then they will be destroyed.

There is something about me that makes people very aggressive. I do not know what it is about me but people like to fight a lot when I'm around. Sometimes its something I accidentally do and sometimes, its people trying to get my attention. I don't know why. Maybe it is because they like hearing my stories but usually, I think its something in me that attracts a lot of bad people. I've had so many horrible people in my life that it has been what I come to expect.

Oh, and I love to tell stories. Story telling has saved my life and made my life less miserable. I'm not sure if I'm very good at it but I do try.

“Is there anything you particularly enjoy or dislike?”

I like story telling because it brings me comfort. I like healing people and making people smile. I enjoy listening to music but I'm not an expert or anything. I also like the people I work with, they're almost like my family.

I despise violence. I do not like people who will take advantage of those weaker then them. I do not like the night because it brings on more violence and sleep and I do not like sleep. I hate when I wake up from my dreams and have to run to the bathroom to clear my stomach. I do not like kitchens one bit but I think you'll understand why.

“An aimless wonderer is hardly a good thing. What are your goals?”

I just want to help people. Heal them when I can and make sure that they have what they need.

I want to get rid of these memories that make me feel horrible. Not the good ones, just the ones that make me sick.

“Ah yes, I see. Before you tell me your story, who are some important people in your life?”

Well, you see, I don't have any family alive any longer. They all have returned to the Darkness. Except in my dreams. Then my brothers live daily. They listen and hug me but that isn't enough.

A candle is lifted, revealing a priestess on a lounging couch just off of the altar. She is elderly but still very refined and coherent. She moves to one end of the couch.

“Come and sit next to me and tell me about your story. I want to know about your history.”

My parents, Chorna Braon and Jett Krishna had never had romantic feelings for each other. They had been typical blood members who had simply found comfort in each other’s beds on occasion. They met at the court of Alena Gain and had both started in the tenth circle. Alena was a hopeless romantic. She had never had one permanent consort, having always found someone new to love every week. Whenever a member of her court seemed to be in love though, she gushed and cooed over them. So when she found Jett and Chorna in a very compromising position, she moved them up in the courts and the duo got an idea.

They pretended that they were starting a relationship, a serious one. Every time they were in court, they walked around holding hands and cuddling but in reality, they were far from friendly. Usually, they argued and fought and basically hated each other but they were power hungry and greedy and were willing to do anything to move up. Even when it came to children. Neither of them had ever wanted children and Chorna had actually always loathed the idea. When my oldest brother was born, Midir, Chorna took one look at him and scoffed while Jett went to go get congratulations on their child.

And another upgrade in courtly status for both of them.

The same thing happened with my other brother, Saone. One look and they were gone, leaving both sons to basically fend for themselves. Whenever Alena came to visit, the family was full of smiles, especially as Saone’s birth had bought them seventh circle placements. They decided that moving in together would be a bad idea but living next door was acceptable. Using the added funds from their position moves and the money each were making in various business deals, they bought two relatively large houses in Orterra.

While my brothers had been a big disappointment, it was me who brought them the most disgruntled outcome. A healer of the second circle had given birth for the first time two days before I was born and so the court was far more taken with the brand new parents and their little one than they were with the third child of the seventh circle. There was no promotion for my parents and so, in their eyes, no cause for celebration. If it hadn’t been for the few, measly presents from the court, they would have found a way to make their young child die, accidently of course. But they couldn’t do that. They could however leave me to be taken care of by my brothers.

Midir was almost seven and, while they hadn’t told him to take care of his younger siblings, he always had. He was the one to help us when we fell and scraped our knees. He taught us how to read as he learned. He was incredibly serious from a young age, cooking and protecting us when things became bad with our parents. He took the brunt of the beatings and, as a result, made parts of his torso and legs ugly with scars from the beatings and poor rehealings.

Saone was the jokester and the one who was more likely to go and hug Midir and I when we were sad. He would crack jokes even as his bones were being slipped back into place. He simply had one of those smiles that made everyone around him smile and he would hide every sad emotion to help his cause. He was a lover, not a fighter but he did what he could for us.

Every day, I had chores to do, even when I was little. I would scuttle around the kitchen, putting things away in the low cabinet. When I would drag the heavy pots, I almost always got into trouble. My brothers would sneak in and help me when they could but my mother was almost always in the kitchen with me. All my brothers could do was hug me when my mother got tired of my tears and beat me. Most of my beatings happened in the kitchen. Even though my parents couldn’t see it, all I wanted to do was make them happy.

It was rare if I could go one day without being hit and at least once a month, there was a pretty bad beating. Sometimes it was only aimed at one of us and other times it was aimed at all of us. When we had good healers, they tried to show me little things I could do to help my brothers. My parents didn't believe in that my white jewel could be worth anything but the healers didn't seem to care. They insisted that I should learn and my parents insisted I would be worth nothing. Sometimes I think they're right but I learned a few things. I'm not sure how much it helped on those bad days but sometimes, the healers said I made it possible for the bigger healers to our house in time.

As we grew older, the beatings grew worse. I told my brothers stories when it was necessary to help pass time after a healing or distract them from pain. Once in a while, they would sneak out at night and meet their friends but I was always too afraid of what would happen if we got caught. I didn't have friends, just my brothers so I became very used to being alone. I was forced to clean the kitchen, even though my jewels specialty wasn't in cleaning. It didn't matter. My mother hated cleaning and she didn't want to do it. I guess that is why I am so organized now. I worry about what she would think still to this day.

One day, when I was fourteen, news came that there was an opening in a higher circle but only for a male. My parents had always moved together, never leaving the other behind in that regard. My father was offered the higher position and took it. My mother was angry. So angry. I don't remember ever seeing anyone as angry as she had been that day. I'm still not sure she saw me as she beat me. She took off her necklace, a long, thin silver chain, and whipped me with it. I blacked out before anyone came home but when I woke up at the healer's Midir was sitting by my bed with a broken leg and a yellowing bruised face. Saone was laying in bed with me, refusing to leave until I woke up and he looked just as bad as Midir. They told me that my parents destroyed each other. Or rather, my mom stepped too far into the twisted kingdom and killed my father and disappeared. They were just hoping she was dead.

My back was especially bad. The skin had to regrow and even with a healer's touch, it took months for me to finish my recovery. It was very hard. I couldn't take care of my brothers and we were staying in the district queen's hall until I was well enough to leave. We almost ran out of there. Midir had sold our father's house and we had no desire to go back to our mother's house so we used the money and bought a small house in the capital city. Midir and Saone found jobs at a construction company and began a tough apprenticeship there. Even as I was healing, I was mending their wounds from their jobs.

When I was sixteen, the boys gave me the best birthday present I could have ever dreamed of: a proper training program with a real, good healer. I was so nervous and afraid that I wouldn't be good enough but Efig was amazing. She showed me everything and said she was impressed with what I had already known. I didn't think it was much, especially once we got going. She showed me how to heal without using my jewel so I could save my jewel for those more dire situations. Slowly, I broke out of my shell, especially when children were around. I started telling them my stories and they seemed to be distracted enough to work on them easily.

For a little while, things seemed to be going well. Saone and Midir were fitting in at work and they would bring friends home with them. I didn't cook and the boys didn't either. The kitchen was just sort of a storage place for plates and silverware so they would always order in. Channary listened mostly to the boys talk and would drink water while they would drink various alcoholic beverages. Once she had tried a little something but she found herself very drunk after just one drink and her brothers apparently did not like her flirting with all of their friends. Maybe if their friends hadn't liked it so much it wouldn't have mattered but the headache the next day kept Channary from drinking again.

It was one of those friend nights where the greatest thing in Channary's life ever happened. They had brought a new fellow with them that night and the moment Channary saw him, she felt flustered and giddy inside and this was something she had never felt before. Midir saw it first and immediately gave Mog an evil look because Mog couldn't keep his eyes off her. The entire night, she had short conversations with him and when she told her story, she was sure his eyes never strayed from her. It made her nervous and so excited. Her heart was racing and she couldn't help but smile. She didn't even mind sitting in the kitchen with him until the early morning hours, just talking the night away. As she walked with him to the door, she couldn't wait to see him again. When he kissed her, she was surprised by his action and by how naturally she responded to it. But as he walked away and Saone snuck into the kitchen, she couldn't help the big smile on her face.

Of course her brother's gave her a hard time but this was new water for everyone. The courtship between the two went quickly and within three months, Mog was moving in with Midir and Saone's blessings. Of course Mog walked her through her virgin night successfully and they were planning their future. Channary wanted a dozen babies but somehow, Mog talked her down to six. They were going to be the happiest family, no matter what kind of money they had. Mog took care of her and made Channary feel special. Channary loved him with everything she was.

Then came the day. Channary was sitting at the clinic with Efig, drinking tea when a call for healers came. They immediately rushed to the address with all of their supplies in tow and separated. There had been a building collapse. Improper safety measures were taken and the entire thing came crashing down on the workers and community members. Survivors and other community members were already separating the people into lines of severe, less critical and dead. Channary's training told her to go for the less critical and let the darker jeweled healers take care of those with more serious wounds. But first, she checked the dead to make sure they had all really returned to the Darkness.

That was when she found them. Midir was laying on his back, a plank of wood sticking clear through his chest, a terrified grimace on his face. Channary froze in her place as the memories of the last time she had seen that look flashed before her eyes. Not since their parents were alive. She could feel the pressure of pain begin to seize her heart as she looked to the person next to her. Saone's beautiful face was barely attached to the rest of his body, the shirt that had been blue now nothing more than a deep, blood red nightmare. The very foundation of Channary's world was crumbling and she fell to her knees a moment, apologizing to both of her brothers for not being there before she was up and running.

Part of her wanted to run away but she knew there was something far more precious than her sanity on these grounds. She dashed through the bodies until she found him. Mog was struggling for breath and someone tried to keep her away from him, saying it was a wasted effort. Channary didn't care. She fell to her knees at Mog's side, assessing the damage. A tool or a metal rod was piercing through his upper abdomen and probably his lower chest. Channary pleaded with him to let her use her white to finish her inspection but he wouldn't let her. Even as the tears streamed down her face and the panic rose in her chest, he wouldn't let her. There was something more important.

To Channary, she simply couldn't understand what could be more important than healing him. She was on the verge of panic as he wouldn't allow her to heal him. Her tears became worse as he called in a pendant box. She didn't want to open it but Mog insisted. As she tilted the top back, her hand came up to her mouth as she gave into the fact that her love was dying. Gingerly, she put the pendant on, a white topaz orb with thin pieces of silver encircling it on a silver chain. She took Mog's hand, kissing it gently thanking him and reminding him over and over again that he loved her. As he struggled for breath, Channary couldn't help but lean down and hug his shoulders gently. He whispered a few words in her ears and returned to the Darkness.

Channary took but one more moment, kissing his forehead and whipping her tears before she stood, shakily, and whipped her knees off. She turned, feeling numb and so alone and went to the line of people to be healed. she still felt that call even as her heart disintegrated into nothingness. Everyone told her to go home and kept a very close eye on her. She worked until she was exhausted and worked beyond that, not wanting to feel anything. If she kept working, she wouldn't have to deal with what had happened.

Eventually though, someone picked her up and carried her away from the accident. They took her to Efig's. They were buried, all of them together. Channary became dead to the world for a month until Eroll came to her house one day with flowers. He was still nothing more than a child but he gave her the biggest puppydog eyes and told her that he missed having her at the clinic. He had drawn and colored her pictures and brought them all with. That was the moment when Channary began venturing out again.

She started slow, going to the clinic for one day then to the nearest eatery, The Grizzly Weasle, one different evening instead of having food delivered. It was difficult for her but on a slow evening, Channary began telling stories at the Weasle. Slowly, she became more comfortable there and slowly, she started going out to dinner at the Weasle more and more. Some people even came to think that she was a played employee. The staff and the regulars came to protect her when she needed it and stopped by the clinic just to be healed there.

Everyday is a bit of a struggle for the healer. It is a regular occurance when she wakes up, feeling sick enough to find herself wound around the toilet. The dreams are still fresh and painful. As the memory of the accident fades from people's minds though, she find they become more and more, normal and for that, she is eternally thankful.

The old priestess nods her head as you finish. She is clearly thinking and weighing the information that you have just given her.

“Perhaps I need just a little more. Could you give me an example of how you plan to play in the world?”

see Calla Efion

The old priestess narrows her eyes and tilts her head to the side, looking behind you.

“And you, behind this wonderful member of our story, who are you?”

Siren - Calla Efion, Tylar Everett, Drayk Kamden

“And have you read and agreed to the rules of this place?”

YES

Again, she pauses and thinks. The air is beginning to lighten as the morning light comes around. The Priestess rises and approaches the altar. She begins lighting the candles in a practiced and comfortable order. There is movement beyond the candles as the altar opens to a new world.

“Thank you for your time and stories. You are free to proceed. Please have fun but remember, everything has a price.”
Edited by Channary Braon, Feb 2 2011, 10:20 AM.
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