Japheeth's page

Born to a prosperous family in a village somewhere along the coast south of Sargava, Japheeth was marked at an early age for his poor health. Unlike his many brothers and sisters who were tall and robust, he was small, thin, weak and sickly. He was a baby prone to crying and fussing. As he got older his disposition improved, but his health was poor. Despite all the food he was able to eat, he remained skinny with a slightly distended belly. He complained of pains in his stomach and constant hunger. His mother took him to see a local healer who pronounced Japheeth possessed by a spirit of famine. The Witch attempted to banish the spirit with a drugged drink and her magic, which caused the boy's eyes to burn with a green light. A symbol appeared on Japheeth's forehead and emerging from his belly came a tiny serpentine creature bearing the same symbol. It was foetal in appearance, but small green feathers were visible along its sides along with snake-like scales. The Witch then grasped the creature and cut its belly open with her knife. It faded into motes of green light and Japheeth screamed and fainted. The green light in his eyes faded and the Witch declared him exorcised of the spirit. Shaken by the experience, Japheeth's mother took her unconscious son back to the village and never spoke of it. Japheeth himself had no memory of the experience, and though he never attained the size and strength of his brothers, he seemed better for it. His health improved and he found himself able to continue with his childhood unaffected.

Japheeth's father was a slaver who was often away from home. He had a large family and three wives who he left mostly to their own devices. When he was home, he spent time with each of them, resulting in the many siblings Japheeth had. He was a cruel man, fitted well to his profession. As his brothers grew older he took them on as members of his crew but Japheeth was left our of this consideration, as his father considered the small boy unworthy. He took to joining other villagers on hunting expeditions, learning about the jungles of the Expanse and its inhabitants. On one of these trips Japheeth contracted a disease that weakened him terribly. He was carried back to the village where he lay delerious. His recovery was slow, and though his mother tended to him as best she could, he came near to death more than once. He did eventually grow well enough to rise from his sickbed, but he never regained full strength. He seemed to slip back into his childhood ailment, his limbs becoming emaciated while his belly grew distended. His mother, horrified at the thought that her son's possession had returned, called upon that same Witch that had saved him before. Now a frail old woman, the Witch came, and attempted to banish the creature in the same way as before. Only this time when the creature emerged, it was mature and conscious. It attacked the Witch, killing her with its bite. Japheeth's mother fled, calling on the other villagers to come kill the beast. When they returned they found Japheeth conscious, and the creature was coiled around his neck. His eyes glowed with a green light that matched the creature's green feathers and the glowing symbols over both their brows marked Japheeth as a Summoner. Horrified, the villagers overpowered Japheeth and his Eidolon and set them adrift on a boat to be claimed by the sea, banishing him forever from his home.

Some time later, he was discovered by a passing fishing boat from Port Freedom. He was taken aboard and nursed back to health. When Japheeth awoke, his memory was hazy, a side-effect of the drugs he was given, but he remembered vividly the words of his village elder banishing him. His Eidolon was nowhere to be found. But when he was alone he learned he could tap into its memories and feelings. He could feel it inside of his belly, coiling around and around. It was no spirit of famine, he decided. Its mind was alien to him, but he was able to understand it. It wanted to protect him and help him find freedom, and in return Japheeth would nurture it and help it grow in power. He came to call her Ameen'Ashava, a word that meant Emerald Serpent, Meena for short. He lived in Port Freedom for a while, serving on the riverboats until he was able to gain a measure of control over the spellcasting power he had awakened when he accepted his Eidolon. He practiced in secret, never summoning Meena when there were others around due to the superstitions associated with Summoners in the Expanse. When he had saved some money, he decided to purchase passage on a ship so that he might explore beyond his homeland and gain in experience and power.

Japheeth is humble and soft-spoken. He prefers to let others take the lead, and is willing to take orders. He is helpful and polite, but chafes under unjust leadership. He has a number of useful domestic skills that he picked up living in a house full of sisters and mothers, and steps in to mend canvas, nets, and cook when required. He is comfortable in the wilderness and understands how to avoid many of common dangers of travel in the jungle, learned when he hunted with his village's men.

Japheeth is a Bekyar Mwangi, but he is smaller than his countrymen due to Meena's influence when he was a child. He has dark brown skin and brown eyes which glow green when he casts spells or calls his Eidolon. He wears his hair long and tied up in a ponytail held together with leather straps and pins made of bone, wood and shell. He dresses in colourful, flowing tunics and pants, under which he wears leather armor when in the wilderness or situations of danger. He often goes barefoot, or when forced to, wears sandals. He has a number of necklaces, bracelets and anklets that he carves himself and gives to those he considers friends. He underwent ritual scarring on his cheeks as a child that marks him as a Bekyar and identifies his home village. He tries to hide these when dealing with other Mwangi due to the associations of the Bekyar with slaving.

Meena is a snake-like Eidolon with rust-coloured scales on her back, bands of emerald feathers along her sides, and sandy-coloured scales on her belly. Her head is arrow-shaped, and despite her snake-like appearance she has a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth. Her eyes are a shocking green and glitter like a many-faceted cut gem. Atop her head are two crests of longer feathers that alternate between green and purple. Her tail is long and whip-like, with fins that run along its length. She is fond of swimming. She hunts in the water when able, catching small fish and crustaceans, though Crabs and Crayfish are her favourites. She also enjoys eating birds but is not above hunting rodents, small lizards and snakes. She hates the sound of flutes, but is almost entranced by the sound of harp music.