Description
You notice, or perhaps experience, the vibrant explosion of colors of the
arial here before you. Claw to head, she stretches barely 6 feet tall,
noticeably shorter than most of the males of her species. Her head,
shoulders, tail, and breast plumage all flare a brilliant, deep ruby red.
Golden yellow flight feathers accent her expansive wings, but her wingtips
provide a stark contrast to the whole effect with midnight blue hues. Her
large beak takes up nearly her entire face, protruding outward and bending
downward. You can see that it's bony white in color at the base and fading
into a gleaming, onyx-tinged tip, matching the color of her beaked jaw. Two
thin, stick-like legs end in deadly talons beneath her. She shows off her
whimsical sense of style with fine and flowy creamy-white silks, gaudy gold
jewelry, and bejeweled piercings. Her beady eyes gleam with mischief and
humor.
Role
The Child and the Sky Night
Added Sun Jan 26 17:27:54 2020 at level 21:
When Cushixicci was still an egg, her father, Retikkin, was called to serve
in the fight against the Empire as a supply flyer for the Fortress of Light.
Food had been scarce and he had been starving himself so that his wife,
Niateka, was able to hatch their egg in the healthiest possible condition.
Feeling guilty for being so well-fed and unwilling to send her husband out in
the fight when he could barely fly, Niateka went in his place. The Empire,
however, lived up to its reputation as a ruthless and merciless foe. On her
fourth mission as a member of the Ayr Trinil 10th Volunteer Supply Brigade,
Niateka and the rest of her company were shot down by a barrage ballista
fire. When word reached Retikkin, his grief knew no bottom. He lost half of
his feathers wallowing in the sadness of his loss. The world had no meaning
or color anymore. Just when everything seemed its grayest, the egg cracked
and a resplendent rainbow of fuzzy baby bird burst forth. Retikkin's heart
skipped a beat when he first laid eyes upon his daughter. He and his wife had
argued over what to name the chick if it was a girl or a boy. It didn't
matter now. The only name for his daughter would be the one that his wife had
picked out. So, he named his only offspring Cushixicci.
As she grew, it was quite obvious that Cushixicci had a personality far
larger than any three arials combined. She was loud, cheerful, thoughtful,
and on very rare occasion, humble, often singing and chirping at the top of
her avian lungs and sharing a laugh with a friend. She danced and sang with
her siblings and father whenever she got the chance. Cushixicci also had a
natural curiosity that her father fed by regaling her with epic tales of her
mother's heroism. Tales of her mother valiantly leading the charge of sky
knights on the battlefield. Dashing tales of her attempts to deliver secrets
to military leaders. It was Retikkin's wish for his daughter to know her
mother as a fearless, conquering hero.
When Cushixicci was young, she dreamed of becoming a bard at the Inn of the
Eternal Star. People would come from all over to hear her sing the cheerful
melodies her people. Cushixicci was happy. A bright, starry eyed young girl,
her father did his best to ensure that she never felt the sting of the
poverty in which they lived. Retikkin often went without eating to ensure
his daughter was fed. Then a famine hit because the local gangs cut off the
supply of food to the neighborhood and Retkkin was faced with either stealing
to feed his child or allowing them to starve.
Like Father Like Daughter
Added Sun Jan 26 17:30:29 2020 at level 21:
It started with a single favor for one of the local gangs in exchange for a
few loaves of bread, but after that first favor the gang demanded more.In
no time, he was paying for meals with what he could steal. The gang demanded
more and more favors. He knew he shouldn't oblige, but his work kept his
daughter fed. He'd sacrifice anything for her. She was getting old enough
that he could teach her how to take care of herself. He taught her how to
avoid conflict, but also how to swing a solid punch when necessary. He also
taught her how to set "traps", too. Being smarter than your enemy and
striking them down without laying a hand on them was the easiest way to win.
A well-placed crate could balance a stack of other crates that would topple
onto an enemy's head with the smallest kick. Cushixicci was a fast learner.
Cushixicci picked up the basics of thievery quickly, always with a song and a
smile. She was a precocious rascal, finding trouble far too often. One day,
Cushixicci was captured trying to steal from a powerful avian noble.
Ignoring her please for mercy, the noble demanded that she be executed by
drowning with no trial.As the executioner lifted the stone tied to her
feet, preparing to throw it into the well where she'd be drown, Cushixicci's
father rushed forward. The Captain's eyes went wide and he halted the
executuion. To the chagrin of the nobleman, the testimony of Cushixicci's
father was far more valuable than the death of a child thief. A bargain was
made. Cushixicci was roughly untied, unshackled, and freed while her father
was escorted away. She tried to go after him but was blocked by the guards
irritated that they were robbed of the chance to witness of an execution. Not
knowing what else to do, she went home.
The next day, a worried Cushixicci was staring at the doorway when her father
flew in. It took a moment for her eyes to register the blood pooling below
him and the dark stain on his tunic. He reached for her and collapsed in a
pale heap. Cushixicci screamed.She darted towards him, kneeling down and
cradling his head in her feathers. "What's wrong, father? What happened??"
she screeched in panic.
Father's Last Words
Added Sun Jan 26 17:32:37 2020 at level 21:
"I... I heard about your arrest through the gang's information network. They
keep track of your movements to keep me... in line," her father spluttered,
some blood trickling out from his beak. He took a breath and steeled himself
to continue. "I came right away and gave them the only thing I had of value
that they'd want. I gave them information on the entire gang in exchange for
your freedom. So, I told them everything I knew. Of course, one of the wrong
people overheard. It was a guard paid off by the gang, I think. When I left
the guard station, the gang was waiting for me and, well..." Retikkin choked
out as he coughed up some more blood.
"Not long after you were born, I made a terrible choice. Rather than live my
life with goodly intent, as someone caring for those in my community and
helping arials in need, I chose selfishness and greed. My skills, our skills,
can be used to help those in need if we choose. We can also strike down the
thugs and bullies who terrorize this place. I am not proud of my mistakes,
but I die now to atone for my sins. This isn't a sacrifice. I squandered what
chance I had to live a goodly life. Your mother would be so disappointed in
me. You have a chance to walk in the light of your mother's footsteps. Live
your life in song and make your mother truly proud of what you do,
Cushixicci. You have to get away now. Go, and know that I love you with all
of my heart."
Cushixicci watched as the light in her father's eyes faded away. She laid her
head on his lifeless body and wept her sorrow. Minutes or hours later, she
came back to the world with the sound of the gang's thugs outside. They came
for her father, but they probably also wanted her. They didn't like to lose
members of the gang and were often in the habit of conscripting children of
fallen members. Thinking quickly, she dodged into the shadows as they entered
and then slipped out behind them. She didn't know where she was going, but
she couldn't stay here. The city wasn't safe. The world wasn't safe. Yet,
maybe it was time that she started learning how to make it a better. She
tried living her father's way and it served her for a time, but it was like
living half a life. She realized now that there was a better example to
follow. It didn't mean giving up the only skills she knew, but maybe she
could put them to better use.
The Child in the Trash
Added Fri Jan 31 13:11:11 2020 at level 29:
With the death of Cushixicci's father, she was now an orphan. She cried over
the loss of her father most days. Living in a place as destitute and
dangerous as the slums of Ayr'Trinil, he was the one beam of light in her
otherwise dark world, but now, he was gone. For a long time, she didn't know
how to cope or what to do with herself. She tried making her way to Galadon
to study thievery in the academy there, but it did little to fill the missing
piece of her heart. After graduating from the academy as a full-fledged
thief, she put her newfound skills to good use and tried to build a life as a
mostly reputable thief. She made her early career as a junker. She'd often
sweep through dungeons and towers very quietly and pick up all of the dented,
blood-stained armor and broken weapons to sell to local merchants for scrap.
One day, after selling a particularly large haul of goods for a sizable
profit, she came across an arial child covered in tattered rags on the
streets crying in a heap. It was like a lance into Cushixicci's heart and she
felt her stromach drop because the scene looked so familiar. Landing beside
her and folding her wings, she knelt down and tried to engage the little
girl. Through pitiful sobs the child was able to tell Cushixicci about her
mother dying to the plague that morning. She still had her grandfather, but
said that he was a mean and grouchy sort who probably didn't care enough to
keep her around after her mother's passing. It was all the grown arial could
do not to break down in tears as her heart melted for the newly ophaned girl.
She asked the little girl where she lived and if she could take Cushixicci
there. The young arial sullenly obliged while wiping dribbles of snot from
her beak. Cushixicci hugged the child and told her she'd be back. Going to
the market, she picked out a new dress, a doll, some blankets, and enough
food to keep her fed for a month. She returned to the child sitting in the
streets just outside her front door.
"Hello again, honeyfeathers," Cushixicci cooed gently. "I have some gifts for
you." The child's face brightened for a moment before falling as she
continued, "I know that these are just things and nothing can heal the hurt
that you're feeling right now, but I wanted to let you know that I see you
and I care about you."
A Song of Purpose
Added Fri Jan 31 13:12:31 2020 at level 29:
Tears flooded the child's eyes again as they intensely bored into the ground.
She said nothing, but Cushixicci winced at her own words. Regardless, she
pressed on, "I know your grandfather is mean, but he's family and he's
probably missing your mom as much as you are right now. He's someone you can
lean on when this pain you feel starts getting too intense.
I lost my own father not long ago and my mother died before I was born. It's
so hard to feel what you're feeling right now. Nothing else is like it. I'm
sorry that you have to go through it, too. Here, these things are for you,"
Cushixicci said as she handed over the dress and doll and then wrapped a
blanket over her wings. She embraced the child as only one who faced such a
loss could. In that moment, she felt something mend a little within her. It
was the first note of a melody that came out as a single bright hiccuped
chirp. The child in her arms started at the sudden exclamation and then
laughed. She wrapped her arms around Cushixicci a little tigher before
pulling away and telling her thank you. She took the doll, dress, and blanket
to her door and went inside. Not wanting to bother them further, Cushixicci
left the food at the door and gave a loud knock before flying away. She
learned a lot that day about charity, compassion, and emotional honesty, but
more than that, she found a purpose. Comforting that child was what she
wished someone would have done for her after she lost her own father. Maybe
this could become a habit. It felt like a way to honor the memory of her
father and just the idea of doing it more often filled her heart with a
glorious song.
The Not-Quite-A-Sky Knight
Added Fri Jan 31 13:13:09 2020 at level 29:
"I'd like to pledge my services to the Fortress!" Cushixicci proudly declared
to the Tara'bal guarding the entrance. With those words, she sealed her fate.
Up to this point, even with her charity work, she felt lost in life. Selling
junk and then taking time to care for the less fortunate was fine for awhile,
but it didn't feel like she was living up to her fullest potential. She had
no father, no mother, no home, no family, and few skills outside of petty
thuggery and thievery since running from Ayr'Trinil. However, she was
determined to live up to her father's last wishes, to be more like her mother
and live less selfishly. For her entire life, she had been living to survive
instead of trying to thrive. Now she could finally join the Fortress and be a
Sky Knight like her mother, mirroring the stories her father told her when
she was younger. What she didn't know was that her father never got to tell
her that those stories were exaggerated and that Sky Knights didn't actually
exist. Time would only tell how this collision course with fate would
eventually play out.
PK Wins
Feb 22, 2020|Lv 42|Eaststride Road|Darlof vs 2: [51] Lorente (62%, divine anger), [42] Cushixicci (37%)
Feb 24, 2020|Lv 43|Galadon|Adrea vs 1: [43] Cushixicci (100%, searing cut)
Feb 24, 2020|Lv 43|Hamsah Mu'tazz|Lyrentia vs 3: [40] Ziviriz (74%, claw), [43] Cushixicci (25%), [51] Nossos (0%)
Feb 29, 2020|Lv 43|Fortress of Light|Darlof vs 2: [51] Scalterion (16%), [43] Cushixicci (83%, knifing)