Kaja Nowak Volkova

[Kaja Nowak Volkova]

KAJA NOWAK VOLKOVA
Pronounced “Kah-yah No-vahk Vol-kova” – known as “The Blood Of The Two Sins”

Age: 738

Religion and Language: Follows the Draken religion, worshipping the god of darkness and she speaks fluent Dheynorian

Race: Rajegh

Magic: Sorceresses in shadow magic

Alignment: The Ajurah

Profession: Leader of the Ajurah

Appearance:
Human Form –
Standing at 5’8 she doesn’t look the right size to be someone that strikes fear into a humans heart. But a look at her torn face shows the marks of the battles she’s endured and often beaten. On the right side of her face are two large scars from where she was mauled by a dragon rider’s dragon during a siege on a nearby Bervenhall castle during the rise of her power. Typically she’ll keep her hair fairly short, often cut crudely with whatever blade is available at the time to keep up a fierce appearance. She takes after her father Urjasz Volkova physically and is able to use her own skin for clothes when she changes. This allows her to transform slightly quicker but more important not have to worry about finding clothes every time.

Her clothing style is leather based armour on her daily basis with a sword on either side of her waist. Like her mother Halina Nowicki her fighting style is quick and brutal and her weapons are designed for speed and damage. As you glance over her body, other scars are scattered about yet none catch the eye quite like those on her face. Due to a long life of training and wars, she is physically fit and has a strong yet feminine body.

Dragon Form –



Kaja in her dragon form is huge, taking after her father once more. His size and power has been mixed with the speed and brutality of Halina’s form. This means that whilst she’s not the quickest in the sky she is still one of the quicker. Her skin is black as the night and her back is lined with razor sharp spikes. Often when weather is bad she will almost be a smoke effect within the cloud, using her shadow powers to become part of the cloud’s darkness. As she flies there is a slight trail behind her like smoke behind a moving fire. When she changes this power is used as well, masking her change in a small cloud of twirling black smoke.

Personality:
Kaja is cold, calculated and impatient, especially when it comes to the human races and those like them. With her own kind she is friendlier but it still wouldn't be confused for kindness. She grew up being taught that she is better than the lower races and that one day she'll have enough strength to conquer them all. With her own clan she is the most friendly as she knows they're her path to this future. Often when dealing with other leaders she'll treat them like a child trying to get sweets from her and will make conditions to ensure she gets more out of the deal.

In a battle you'll be sure to see her in the midst of it all getting all bloodied. Her attitude to war is to make sure there is none left to oppose after the battle and she will still be fighting well after the battle is won. It has led her enemies to hate her even more though they know the longer she lives the harder she'll be to kill. Kaja is overly confident and does not take kindly to being made a fool of. A few men have lost their lives trying to trick her into a trap. To Kaja it's all about the reputation and to send a message to anyone thinking of fighting her she will often burn a village to the ground and torture the locals. If a fight does happen, she'll make sure they die slowly if possible.

History:
To understand Kaja's history you must first take yourself back a thousand years to the olden days of war, treachery and deceit. Kaja's parents Urjasz Volkova and Halina Nowicki were on separate sides of a many sided war and the whole kingdom looked set to collapse on itself. Halina had managed to take a kingdom in the south from its old king and executed the royal family on the spot. Urjasz at this time was neutral to wars and was simply travelling on the road. The other kingdoms protested Halina's rule and civil war tore into the already fragile south. A few kingdoms fell to her and she grew more powerful with each taken over. Unfortunately plague hit during one siege and soon the expansion was halted. Morale hit an all time low. Urjasz came across some of his old men and soon joined the fight, having been convinced by Halina to raise the morale of his old men who had already seen many of their number fall.

With the morale heightened, they set about taking more lands. A few kingdoms to the north a king had the same idea and soon the two met on the battlefield. Knowing that heavy losses to both sides were certain, an alliance was established between the two factions. With the help of a few other kings, the south fell and a small group of them ran it, their eyes to the north. However by now other nations had been established and a senate was in full power of the north. In a one off meeting between the senate and the couple, peace was arranged. The south would stay theirs so long as they didn't go north. There was some anger within the south about the peace especially from their original ally within the south.

After several years rule, the couple was called to the capital to meet with the king and he told them how he was going to rule the south. It had been expected for him to betray them and the only surprise was how long it'd taken. Their men surrendered the lands and heading north. The couple were kept in a castle prison for a few weeks. In the west the former soldiers of the crouching tiger had revolted and turned on their leader. By the time of this betrayal, they had established themselves on the western grasslands. A secret agreement had been arranged between them and the Volkova couple, now officially wed, that would see them rule a set of castles spread across the mountains just like Urjasz used to in the north. When news of everything being ready in the west, the pair simply used their magic to escape. The whole time they'd been setting up their own betrayal against the king and they knew that they could not hope to keep the south theirs without a large army.

A few years passed and the west grew stronger whilst the south was uneasy. The king had grown powerful but weak and many circled him to take his place. Over the next few centuries many would replace him yet none really stuck in the couple's memory. In the west a rival clan had sprung up on the grounds below the mountains as many of the ground based species felt discriminated against by the rajegh mentality and so a thousand years of war began. It was during some of the more bloody years that Kaja was born.

Born during one of the stronger years for the Ajurah clan, a mix of Novosi and Tiger's men, Kaja was a strong child and Halina, who until now had an infamous blood lust took to mothering her instead of fighting wars. Urjasz enjoyed the role of being a father yet he still went to war, knowing if he didn't his leadership would be pulled into question. A few years later her brother Cezar Boguslaw Volkova was born and whilst he was young Kaja took it upon herself to raise and protect him, even though both her parents were keen to do this too. Unlike Kaja Cezar grew to be a large man in human form and soon it was he who protected her, despite growing complaints from Kaja. A bond grew between the pair and to this day they have never fallen out completely.

As the clan reached similar numbers to that of the Novosi golden era, though richer in trade and power, the siblings were entrusted with their own castle to the north of the main castle. The area was a known Bervenhall recruitment zone and it felt right to take a castle from them. Reave castle was within a few miles of their nearest allied castle and it was a small force of them that flew in on it under the cover of darkness. With the intent of keeping the castle after, they had to change their tactics to the normal bomb with fire until most things were dead. Instead, they landed on the walls in pairs, killing any guards that were about. These days their tactics had to be varied as no battle was ever the same. Halina's time running the eastern army had come to serve her later on. Some changed to their human forms whilst those that remained in their true form landed after, positioning themselves by the doors to the main areas. Inside the cheers of laughter filled the great hall and Kaja moved to the door with Cezar at her side, both in their true form. When the doors were pulled open by their own men, they both exhaled large lungfuls of fire into the crowded hall.

With many dead in the initial attack, they were wrong to assume it had been won so easily. As they set about claiming the castle as theirs, Bervenhall troops turned up in a small force of a few hundred. In the skies were a few dragon riders who had refused to join Ajurah. The ground troops were easy enough to fight off. A few Ajurahn rajeghs took to the sky raining fire down upon them. As Kaja came running out into the court yard to change back to her true form, a dragon came crashing down on her, slashing at her face as it did so. Turning to fight the dragon, Kaja yelled at the beast before driving both her swords down into its skull. Running across its neck as it fell, blood pouring from her face, she shifted into her true form and grabbed the rider from his seat, breaking his leg as it caught in the saddle as she pulled him from it. Flying straight up through jets of fire between the two sides and spinning to avoid collisions, she came to a high point in the sky and holding the rider to her face, snarled and let go of him.

The two siblings had done their parents proud and Kaja kept the scars exposed in order to keep them as a mark of war. A few weeks passed and the castle had slowly begun to function as one of their own. To the surrounding towns and villages it was a change that would take some time to adjust to however they were so used to the land changing hands they got on with it. For Urjasz it was a chance to truly live his life long dream of a well established castle in the mountains were he could quietly live with his family yet live well due to income. The Bervenhall clan was intent on making this a dream and attacks on Ajurah owned towns became more frequent. Knowing it would not end soon, a show of force from the entire Ajurah took on the Bervenhall capital. This time the tactic was raining fire. Sweeping in one after the other in lines of dozens, fire poured down upon the large town, reducing the town to burning ashes within moments.

With their heads low and curses muttered under their breaths, the survivors agreed to a peace with the Ajurah. Both sides knew it wouldn't last but they knew the one who held it the longest would be better off for it. Years went by and their numbers rose slightly whilst they maintained the same land. By now they claimed the entire mountains and the castles scattered across them ruled their own small lands. The grasslands were considered western land, meaning the truce was held on them. The Bervenhall clan moved further north from the mountains allowing for distance between the two and they both soon took to running the grasslands. It was a peace that served them both well financially however honour would eventually see to it that they went to war once more.

It was a cold winter when the war was sparked once more. Urjasz had gone west to trade with the coastal towns so that they would have a comfortable winter and the rest of the family remained in the mountains. Kaja and Cezar had been playing some local dice games in the main hall when some of the men came running in to get them. Reports had come in of attacks on the trade group with some reports of death. Racing out to see who had returned, they were horrified to see their father laid out on a thrown together stretcher. Alive but only just. Bervenhall had made the first move just like they'd expected and they'd used tactics not seen before. It had caught them off guard and despite putting up a good fight, they'd suffered a loss. Over the next week he gained a fever and calling them to his bed, he ordered that they do not retaliate against the Bervenhall as it was a set up for a trap. It took several men to restrain Halina from going to kill them right then, tears streaming down her face. One by one, he asked for them all to come in alone and talk to him. It would be some time before she learnt what he said to Cezar and she never did learn what he told her mother.

After her brother came out, it was her turn. Giving her a talk on her to be strong, clever and most importantly, the winner in life, he gave her a kiss on the forehead and called in her mother. Watching from the door, her and Cezar watched Halina help him climb to his feet and head for the balcony. Looking out to the dusk, he held onto the wall along the balcony and took a moment to take the sight in. Lowering his head, his breath stopped and his body turned to ashes, the fire inside him no more. A lone passing wind picked up the ashes and the family watched as his remains floated out into the darkening skies. The Ajurah held a service for him and created a grave for them to mourn at. Many from the old Novosi ranks struggled to move on as you really did know other rajeghs for a few centuries. Months passed and Halina was finding it harder to not attack the Bervenhall clan. In the dead of night, she made her way to Urjasz's tombstone and placed her hand upon it. With a kiss to her fingers, she placed her other hand on the tombstone and used the last of her energy to turn to stone. They found her the next morning holding onto the tombstone, a smile on her face. She had gone to find her husband in the afterlife.

With both the two leaders passing within months of each other, there was concern for who would take over. It was then that Urjasz's final words made more sense and Kaja stepped forward to take control. Word was spreading of the deaths and Bervenhall were expected to make a move on their lands soon. It was then that Cezar explained to Kaja what Urjasz had said to him. Grow strong. There had been more with it yet it was that part that puzzled him. He was extremely strong and quite feared for it. Now it made sense. He would head east to Chreina, where the once feared nation had fallen back into its separate kingdoms and clans. There he would gather an army to add to their own and they would take the grasslands for good. Until then, Kaja was to keep the peace.

His departure with some of the old Novosi troops was the first time she'd really been separated from her brother and her mood changed because of it. She grew cold and although she was to keep the peace she knew she could not do so through smiles and nice words. When some of Bervenhall arrived on the edge of the mountains, she personally landed in the camp and cut down many soldiers before they had the chance to react. Shifting from shadow to human form, she glided between soldiers, cutting their throats with a slash. Some ran whilst other stood their ground. With venom in her voice, she commanded that the Bervenhall keep to their lands, which would include the grasslands so long as the Ajurah had safe passage. The Bervenhall clan thought it to be a trap and it was a few days before they accepted the terms.

Everyone knew eventually the war would kick off once more like it always did but they got on with life as they knew it. To the humans and species like them, some of them would even get to live a full life not knowing the true scale of war, only the threat of it. In the mountains there was less towns than the grasslands however there was plenty to keep them strong. The mines provided good trade with the surrounding lands and Kaja made sure to enforce any laws made. Now she rules in the same manner, with the peace held by a fragile promise and her brother long since gone to the east. War would surely come soon but she was not to know if it would come before her brother returned. Or if he would at all.

Your OOC name:
Dark

[The Storyteller]

Most stories came from wars.

Others came from sadness.

Many came from despair, passion, love and family.

This story had everything.

This was the story of Kaja, a story that the storyteller knew by heart. The people in front of him didn't. They would learn soon enough.

Her people were already marching on their land.