Kinion the fool
Description
Fool? Wise man? Idiot? Savant? Liar? Prophet? All these words have been used to describe Kinion in his time. Maybe they are all right or maybe they are all wrong but he isn't telling. For time out of mind, Kinion has been the joker in the playing cards of the Children, the fool in the tarot deck of fate. Others had agendas to pursue and empires to raise but Kinion seemed content to merely meddle with the plans of others, nudging here and overturning there, always appearing at just the right moment to tip the balance one way or the other. To trace his path through ancient history is simply to follow the pattern of mayhem and chaos his actions almost invariably caused.
In his manner, Kinion is capricious and irreverent as only an immortal can be. He might ignore and Emperor to talk to a pauper but is just as likely to kick a beggar down the steps in front of a holy man. As a favoured form, he looks like a young man with pale skin, often wearing flowing robes and a mask of some sort. More often than not he forgoes shoes or any clothes other than a mask and robe. He laughs easily and jokes often, taking the time to try and bring a smile to the faces of even the most solemn of his siblings, though he feels it is more for his benefit than theirs. It is sometimes hard to tell but the wiser Children know that Kinion is not purely random. He acts according to a personal code or reason, a method to his madness, but even Eyra knows not what it might be.
Powers
They say that a good fool should be able to go where the wise cannot. Kinion can go everywhere and anywhere, no lock barring him and no portal holding him, with one notable exception. His ability is as mysterious as the rest of him but when he approaches somewhere others would rather he not, like a locked door or fortified castle, he will simply appear past whatever barriers were erected with a roguish chuckle and continue to do as he pleases. Similarly, locks click open at his touch and knots untie themselves in his presence. Distance is no more of an obstacle to Kinion than a locked door, the fool seeming to be able to cover miles at an impossible rate. He does not disappear and then reappear, rather he seems to wander, meander and travel by ignoring distance until he arrives. He has been known to traverse the entire continent in a day. Apart from these powers, however, he is as fragile as any mortal and can be killed quite simply, if he hangs around long enough for others to try. Kinion has never been one to stay dead for long, however, usually reappearing within a few years.
Original tribe
In days long past, Kinion's people were called the Kabrics. They were a nomadic people who wandered from place to place, exchanging fortune tellings for provisions and songs for suppers or occasionally simply taking what they wanted and leaving at speed. They never had any armies and didn't engage in the wars that oft consumed the continent, preferring to hold themselves aloft as separate and independent. When Kinion was there to keep them out of harms way, they tended to escape retribution for most of their less than lawful actions. With him imprisoned, they were wiped out within a few generations, either settling down and mixing with the other tribes or being hung as thieves.
Faction
Kinion was an independent in the war, choosing neither to declare himself for the angelic or demonic sides. But he was seen as too chaotic to be allowed to continue to meddle in the affairs of man by many of the angels and was forcibly imprisoned in the Pit towards the end of the war, some 1200 years ago. For all the children in the Pit, this fate was perhaps the cruellest for Kinion, his very essence and soul being that of a free and unfettered soul.
Anecdotes
In the dawn times, Kinion would often lead one faction to believe he was fighting for them, only disappear just when he was most needed, or unlock the gates of a fortress and leave. As infuriating and unhelpful as his exploits were, he could equally be a most effective ally, slipping into the fortifications of the enemy to eavesdrop, steal or importune. The only difficulty lay in ensuring he would not simply go straight to whichever Child of Aton controlled the opposition and tell all he knew of the other's plans. More pragmatic leaders preferred not to risk his fickle allegiances but those with a more romantic or risk loving turn of mind generally chose to see the positives of recruiting him rather than the risks.
So many are the tales of skullduggery and trickery that it would take an age to recite them all. Some of his most well known, however, revolve around the parable of the wise fool. Kinion famously came to a land (the details of where have been lost to antiquity) where two kings were often at war, as had their fathers been and their father's fathers. Each king begged than Kinion end the fighting by helping him destroy the other's city state. Instead, Kinion stole away the sons of both kings and took them beyond the reach of their royal parents. For many years, nothing was heard of him or the boys, Kinion having taken them to the wilderness to train and teach together, but when they were grown men each returned to their native land and were embraced by their parents. And when they ascended to the throne, they promised never to make war on each other, not wishing to undo the long years of friendship they'd had during their upbringing. But just as it seemed that Kinion had brought peace to the land, he returned and told the people of each city that he had fooled them, switching the boy's names when he took them. Each one was ruled over by the spawn of their hated enemy. In a rage, mobs tore down the ruling districts of each city state, murdered the kings in their beds and from it a republic that incorporated both cities was born.
Philosophers have often argued about what the meaning or moral of this 'fable' is, some saying is is 'change never comes easily', others that it's 'hate is more powerful than love' but all can agree on one; never trust a Child of Aton.
Opinions
Eyra"When angel fought demon and the earth was hell, Eyra looked forward and made many a cell."
"She chained up the children and locked us away, if she meant to release us no one can say."
"But she ruled the earth well, that we all can see. But now the Children are once again free..."
"So bring on the chaos and bring on the pain, for we will never be locked up again."Before being imprisoned in the Pit, Kinion bore no particular ill will towards his siter Eyra. She was just another planner to him, someone who constructed where he would prefer to pull down. But after being denied the freedom that he so requires to be himself for over a thousand years, he now holds something of a grudge. The sort of grudge that might cause someone to burn cities to the ground and dance amongst the flames.
Wu Dan"Wise man, wise man, what should I do?"
"Young man, young man, that's up to you."Wisdom, order, serenity. These are the domains of Grandmaster Wu-Dan, none of which are much to the liking of Kinion the fool. If ever there were two opposites amongst the children, here they stand.
Nod"A fist is his hand and there's rage in his heart"
"But heaven forfend, he knows not of art."The singleminded determination that is personified by Nod is both amusing and irritating to Kinion. On the one hand, it represents eveything that is contrary to Kinion's way of life. On the other, it is most humorous to see one who has, from the point of view of a fool, misunderstood things so badly.
Kozz"The giant makes his swords and armour, for lord knows he'll never charm her."Slow and steady types are targets for chaos but not very satisfying ones.
Azoth"Lies and mischief though in purpose pure,
loses its once gaudy allure."The fundamental difference between Azoth and Kinion is that one uses chaos to further a goal and for the other chaos is the goal.
Therelon"Who flies in the cold and records your words?"
"He's high in the sky, that lord of the birds."The Tower was long one of Kinion's favourite stops to raise a little hell and pass on a few scraps of information. In so far as Kinion can be surprised (being surprised requires one to have plans and expectations of what the future holds) he was surprised when Therelon did nothing to prevent his imprisonment in the pit.
Chinasa"Where have all the colours gone and where are all the hues?"
"The palid man walks and a pale light soon ensues."In the days of Dawn, Kinion thought little of Chinasa but times have changed. Here is another who would see the empire of Eyra fall about her ear's.
Tarthus"The child said, why fight a fight I know I just can't win?"
"The warrior said, it's all going to end, why shouldn't I sin?"
"The grandmother said, for that's where life doth truly begin."Death is nothing to a Child of Aton, an inconvenient obstacle overcome with patience. Death is for mortals, time is for the undying.
Aylin"Calm, slow and all alone."
"A huntress without a home."A solitary huntress is of little interest to a jester beloved of intrigue though all will have a part to play in the games to come.
Ash"Many faces, changing places, never one to last."Of all the Children, Ash and Kinion as perhaps the most similar. Change, chaos, a double edged sword.
Zhystkrexas"Gifts and deals, bargains and trades"
"Ash, dust, satisfaction fades."Kinion makes no bargains and heeds no deals though he appreciates the sad irony in giving someone what they want, only for it to destroy them.
Kilgarrah" To roar, to rip, to smash, to scream, it does not take an mind too keen."The Dargon's anger and frustration at Kinion's nature has long been one of the Fool's favourite sources of amusement.
Kalikmalo"Yes, no? I don't think so."
"Let language fool the ear, never be far, never be near."Speaking a language almost no one else can is a fine jest, to be sure, but does rather limit the interaction a child of Aton can have with their siblings.
Nefas Sen"Blood does seep and mothers weep as sons go gladly to the deep."
"The monsters howl and slaughters, turning red the sunken waters."
"Queen of the sea, now you too are free.To tweak the tail (or monstrous legs) of the Queen of the depths was a rare pleasure in the times of old. Now both Kinion and Nefas have other things on their minds.
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