[b]42. MALZI[/b] (Orignially for CCC: The Island of Delselva (Urstyle)) CS: https://urstyle.com/topic/2145033/t%E1%95%BCe-%E1%91%8Eig%E1%95%BCt-is-%E1%97%AA%E1%97%A9%E1%96%87k-%E1%97%A9%E1%91%8E%E1%97%AA-%E1%96%B4%E1%91%8C%E1%92%AA%E1%92%AA-o%E1%96%B4-te%E1%96%87%E1%96%87o%E1%96%87s [hider=Malzi] 𝑴𝑨𝑳𝒁𝑰, 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑵𝑨𝑯𝑼𝑨𝑻𝒀𝑳 𝑬𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑵𝑰𝑪𝑲𝑵𝑨𝑴𝑬(𝑺) Mal, but only with some of the priests/priestesses that she is closer to, and only in informal settings 𝑴𝑰𝑫𝑫𝑳𝑬 𝑵𝑨𝑴𝑬 𝑶𝑹𝑰𝑮𝑰𝑵 N/A 𝑨𝑮𝑬 30 𝑺𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑰𝑻 𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑴𝑨𝑳 N/A 𝑲𝑵𝑶𝑾𝑵 𝑨𝑩𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑻𝑰𝑬𝑺 As a priestess of Sanzol, Malzi is faster and stronger than a normal human, and she is capable of drawing energy from the sun. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 𝑳𝑰𝑽𝑬𝑺 𝑰𝑵 Nahuatyl Empire 𝑶𝑪𝑪𝑼𝑷𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 Malzi is a priestess of the Nahuan goddess of war and the sun, Sanzol. She has dedicated her life to serving Sanzol, and is currently a middle to high-ranking priestess. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 𝑩𝑰𝑶𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑯𝒀 Like many priests and priestesses of Sanzol, Malzi was taken from a crowded orphanage and given a chance to make her life mean something. A chance to serve a divine purpose, a higher power. And Malzi will forever be grateful for the Supreme Priestess who chose her to serve. From the moment she stepped foot into the temple of the sun, the temple of Sanzol, Malzi was told that she would not be allowed the luxury of worldly attachments. She was taught that she had no family, except for her fellow priests and priestesses. She was taught that she would take no lovers, bear no children, for those were mere distractions from the higher power she had been chosen to serve. And Malzi wholeheartedly threw herself into her studies and worship of Sanzol. For the greater part of her childhood, Malzi, for all intents and purposes, belonged to Sanzol. And for the most part, Malzi was....okay with it. Why would she not be? It was the life that she was meant for. Or that's what she thought, anyway. But the thing was, she had a friend. Her name was...her name was... Azaya. Aza, for short. Yes, that was her name. Malzi had been commanded to forget her name. And for years, she thought that she did. Sanzol is not a goddess who will accept anything less than the utmost devotion from her followers. Sanzol is not a forgiving goddess. So Malzi tried to forget, and she always thinks she's forgotten until it's the middle of the night, when Sanzol cannot see her, and she dreams of Aza instead of her goddess. What she and Aza had was the love that friendship brings, in its purest form. Aza was nine years older than Malzi, and already a full priestess when the Supreme Priestess learned of her crimes. Her "crimes". At the time, Malzi had wondered how believing in kindness and compassion was a "crime", but now-now she doesn't think about it, doesn't think about Aza, doesn't want to remember. Can't let herself remember, otherwise Sanzol will be displeased. But how does she simply forget the person who taught her the first prayers that had ever left her lips, or the person who taught her how to throw a spear and how to build the ceremonial fire; the only person who showed her something akin to kindness when she first arrived at the temple, straight out of an orphanage? Because Malzi knows, deep down, that the only crime that Aza was guilty of was kindness. They all said that Aza had too soft of a heart to be a priestess, but Malzi knows that this selflessness of hers was what precisely what made her perfect for it. Aza, Malzi knew, was capable of walking into Sanzol's scorching rays without so much as a hesitation, because she believed so ardently in Sanzol's kindness, her benevolence. Because despite it all, Aza could see the good in everyone, even their bloodthirsty goddess of war. "You forget that she is the sun, too, my friend," she would say to Malzi, when Malzi asked how Aza could trust Sanzol that easily. "And why else would the sun be in the sky, if not for Sanzol? She brings the light." Was Aza too naive, too soft-hearted, too kind to be a priestess? Goddess above, Malzi doesn't know. She doesn't know. In any case, Aza was exposed as belonging to the remnants of the revolutionary movement that killed the empress, many years ago, and when she was tried, her less-than-orthodox views were made clear. Aza was executed. And even thinking about the execution makes something raw and jagged within Malzi hurt, because she knew that Aza would have accepted her death, had it been on the steps of one of Sanzol's golden temples. She would have been content to go, if it meant that her blood would be spilled in the name of Sanzol. Instead, she was sentenced to die alone, in the darkness. Malzi doesn't know what Aza felt, in those final days. All Malzi knows is that she cried and fought, kicking and screaming, when they wouldn't let her see her friend one last time. All she knows is what everyone else says-that Aza was a traitor, that she was not faithful to Sanzol, that she would have killed the emperor, given half the chance, and that nothing made any sense anymore. Everything that they said about Aza was wrong, wrong, wrong, but who would listen to a thirteen-year-old initiate, besides Aza? And Aza was dead. For her open rebellion, Malzi was forced to go through a year of "re-education". She doesn't remember much of it, except the complete, total darkness. They forced her to live without light for a year, told her to "reflect" and "meditate" and to "reach out" for Sanzol...and most importantly, they told her to forget about Aza, about the hearsay she preached. It wasn't a pleasant time. Malzi doesn't like to remember it. But she came out of that year more devoted than she ever had been. After a year without light, without sunshine, Malzi knew with an utmost certainty that nothing on this earth mattered, save for appeasing Sanzol and staying the eternal night. And so when Malzi performed her first blood sacrifice, when she was formally initiated as a priestess, it seemed like her faith burned more brightly than Sanzol herself. And when she went into battle for the first time, under Sanzol's blazing rays, the smell of blood and death all around her had seemed like the most glorious form of prayer. In that moment, there was nothing holier than the blood of the dead enemy, spilled in the name of her goddess. For ten years, Malzi believed that she would be content to be nothing more than an unquestioning follower of Sanzol. She fought and killed and prayed, following the lead of the higher-ranking priests and priestesses without so much as a second thought. Eventually, her devotion was awarded with a higher rank, and Malzi thought that she had forgotten Aza entirely. And then....and then, the leader of a small band of revolutionaries from one of the border provinces was captured. He was brought to the capital, to be offered as the ultimate sacrifice to Sanzol. Malzi and two other priestesses were charged with guarding him, and throughout the entire time, he said nothing murmured prayers. Light-bringer, life-giver, grant me strength. Light-bringer. Life-giver. The words brought back memories of prayer and meditation with the woman she had been told to forget, and Malzi's world fell apart all over again. She'd spoken to the man, in private. He was at least fifty, haggard and exhausted, but there had been a simple peace in his eyes that would haunt Malzi's dreams. "Do you know who Azaya is," Malzi had demanded, more of an order than a question, and the man had simply smiled serenely at her. "If you know of Azaya, then there is hope for you yet, little one," he'd answered, and that was that. Malzi had desperately wanted to know more. And through the next two or three months, she wavered. Back and forth, round and round in circles. Would she try to learn about the revolutionaries Aza had been a part of? Or would she remain loyal to Sanzol? Knowledge and answers, or Sanzol? Aza? Or Sanzol? In any case, Malzi wasn't given the chance to decide. After an attack on the Selva region of Delselva went awry, she was sent along with the next hunting expedition in order to make sure that everything went smoothly. And there in the jungles of the island to the south, in the depths of what Malzi imagined to be hell on earth, Malzi thought that she experienced true fear for the first time. She'd felt tiny, alone, helpless. Suffocating in the humid air, beneath the thick canopy of leaves that blocked out Sanzol. And then the jungle had attacked, and Malzi told the others to run while she bought them time to get away. Malzi had expected to die in the open battlefield, under the unforgiving heat of Sanzol's breath, the air filled with the smell of blood and the screams of the dead and the dying. A glorious death, with Sanzol's glare beating down on her, embracing her. Instead, the only screams she heard were her own, drowned out by the cries and caws of all the strange, deadly animals around her, and the only thing she could smell was the hunger that flashed between those powerful jaws, and worst of all, Sanzol was far away, so far away, beyond the impossibly tall trees and their lush canopies. No, Malzi had expected to die under Sanzol's light, but instead she would die in the emerald-speckled darkness. But somehow, in some way, she had survived. The girl who had almost killed her and then nursed her back to health was scarcely three years younger than she was, but Malzi thought that they were as different as night and day. In any case, she's grateful for the fact that Verlaya seems to be fascinated with her blades and spears. She's grateful that she's still here. Malzi thought that she was ready to die, when she threw herself into the jungle's wrath. She thought that she was, but now, more than ever, Malzi wants to discover everything that Aza could have taught her. And in order to do that, she'll need to stay alive. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀 Very loyal. Almost stupidly so|Very, very patient as well. Knows that good things take time|Hard-working and diligent; has never been afraid of putting in effort|Confident in her own abilities as a soldier|Calm and collected, no matter the situation. Good in a crisis.|Doesn't get stressed or distracted easily. Doesn't get too excited about anything that easily, either|Level-headed; keeps her wits about her under pressure and in emergency situations.|Dutiful, which makes her "brave". This courage and bravery is, above all, driven by her sense of purpose and responsibility, and truth be told, if Malzi didn't have something to fight for or believe in, she'd come off as a lot less courageous than she does right now|Respects/revers Sanzol, but at the crux of that reverence is fear...and Malzi doesn't know if this is how it should be. Malzi suspects that this aspect of the Nahuan religious system was what Aza was questioning, and she's determined to learn more Quiet and reserved; doesn't say much.|Her devotion to Sanzol is absolute, and supersedes her devotion and/or beliefs in anything else. At least, that's what she thinks|Rather stern, most of the time. She doesn't laugh all that often, and has a rather severe demeanor.| Doesn't trust easily. Malzi thinks that all her trust is vested in Sanzol, and that's how it should be. She is, of course, wrong. | A bit of the strong, silent type | Uses her stoic demeanor as a way of masking her true feelings |Unsure and uncertain about where she stands regarding Sanzol and her fellow priests/priestesses, as well as the Nahuan emperor. She doesn't want to betray Sanzol and her friends and everything that she has stood for and fought for all these years, but at the same time, she can't help but be convinced that she is going down the wrong path, that she should learn more about Aza's legacy Not very good at talking about her feelings | Not very good at talking about feelings in general | Will drive herself to exhaustion if not stopped | Hates being viewed as weak or vulnerable | Tends to play by the rules, no matter what | Kind of indecisive, because she doesn't know how to do the "right thing" or what the right thing really is, at this point | A bit on the blunt side; has never been one for manners and wordplay when a straight-forward answer will do. But at the same time, she knows how to word her criticisms and advice without offending anyone | As mentioned before, Malzi really isn't very good at talking about feelings/emotions; she tends to bottle everything up because it's "not important" (at least, in her eyes), and she can already feel herself cracking | Has no idea what the hell she's doing, only that she must do what's right for the world. But what's "right" is only becoming more and more ambiguous as time goes on. It was once serving Sanzol, giving up her life for Sanzol, in order to make sure that the goddess was not displeased and did not send the world plunging into eternal night...but now, Malzi's not so sure that this is the way to go ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑴𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑻𝒀 𝑹𝑶𝑳𝑬 As a priestess of Sanzol, Malzi's duties include helping with ceremonial rituals, keeping the temples clean, helping with blood sacrifices, and fighting for the Empire as needed. She is prepared to give her life to Sanzol, if needed. At least, that's what she thinks 𝑭𝑨𝑪𝑬𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑰𝑴 Rasika Navare ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 𝑬𝑿𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑺 (𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍) 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 N/A. Her "family" consists of her fellow priests and priestesses, and above all, Sanzol. 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 The current Supreme Priestess 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑨 𝑫𝑬𝑳 𝑺𝑶𝑳 | The Delselvan "princess" who discovered Malzi and the other warriors sent to poach the animals that the Delselvans drew power from. She attacked Malzi, and almost killed her, but for some reason ended up keeping her alive. Malzi doesn't know why, and she hasn't asked yet. All she knows is that Vera's fricking annoying, y'all. The girl has way too much energy. It's exhausting. 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 & 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "𝒥𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝐼 𝑔𝑜 𝐼'𝓁𝓁 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝐼'𝓋𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝒻𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝒲𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝓃'𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒩𝑜𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓂𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓌, 𝓃𝑜 𝒩𝑜𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓂𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓌" -"𝑩𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬 𝑪𝑹𝒀" (𝙄𝙈𝘼𝙂𝙄𝙉𝙀 𝘿𝙍𝘼𝙂𝙊𝙉𝙎) [/hider]