Kotia Acosaphaura (Koh-TYAH Ah-KO-sah-FOW-rah)
Razakir-Shogu, First-Rank (Exemplar)
Kotia is a recently-graduated Razakir-Shogu initiate from Korzhûn, and Devatska Acosaphaura's teenage granddaughter. A talented and promising soldier and koza rider, she is set to continue her family's tradition of illustrious military careers even if she has not precisely inherited the full extent of her grandmother's mental acuity. Largely ignorant of the shadows of her family history she is nonetheless beginning to cast a critical eye on her sheltered and eccentric upbringing, while a recent nonsensical attack on her local Shogu Holding leading to the death of the majority of the 215th graduating class has been a rude awakening into the realities of their world.
Kotia was raised by her grandmother since she was four following the disappearance of her koza-rider parents, Andras and Amathara, who were members of the Hidden Company. Devatska's parenting could be described as having been "lackluster at best and negligent at worst", but she seems to have emerged relatively unscathed despite the codependent relationship they have both developed without fully realizing. As soon as she was old enough to fend for herself and Devatska sank back into old habits, Kotia was largely responsible for ensuring their wellbeing, such as nutrition and hygiene and social mores.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Very muscular for someone her age and so petite. Physically very fit.
Body Features
Hourglass shape if you squint.
Facial Features
Overall her facial structure is very cattish, with high cheekbones and an angular shape. She's not pretty exactly -- it'll take some time to grow into her features -- so much as 'striking' to look at, in the way that unusual faces are. Very much her grandmother's younger Doppelganger.
Identifying Characteristics
Tiny indent of a birthmark below left eyebrow.
Physical quirks
Left-handed. Habit of chewing the inside of her bottom lip.
Apparel & Accessories
Typically sports a rust-colored sleeveless blouse under her uniform, but when not in uniform often wears a lot of hand-me-downs from her grandmother paired with ever-present flat-soled brown riding boots.
Specialized Equipment
For koza-riding, her fifteen-year tall-belly is made of dark brown leather and is without a garnery attachment.
Her Razakir-issued weapon is a standard-issue northern glaive.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Kotia was born to Amathara and Andras among the Etir of Kiva; she had been difficult to conceive despite her parents wanting several children before their involvement with the Hidden Company. As the first child/grandchild of the immediate Acosaphaura family she was doted on in her early years, including by the Hidden when the occasion arose. She and her parents went with her grandparents and the majority of the Etir when they relocated to Ustraria following the kega; her childhood home would thus become the small farmhouse the family occupied in the hamlet of Crau-Dainis east of Korzhûn.
During the War of the Six Kotia was raised by whoever was home at the time -- usually her parents or grandmother -- but had few lasting playmates. With the deaths of her uncles and grandfather and then her parents' disappearance at the end of the war, this trend continued when Devatska moved them into Korzhûn proper in the Season of Ripening, 989AC, and insisted on Kotia never revealing her surname and never leaving Devatska's sight. With her grandmother tight-lipped about the fate of her uncles, grandfather, and parents, Kotia had little choice but to assume they had either died in the war or to the Plague of the Bitter Hand that'd followed, and in the same way that Devatska became incredibly invested in Kotia's wellbeing, so too did Kotia become incredibly dependent on Devatska -- and later, invested in Devatska's wellbeing.
Nevertheless, Kotia would be drawn to the prospect of military life, and though Devatska tried to delay it as much as she could, she would ultimately concede and even help prepare her for it -- even if she didn't like it. Kotia's upbringing meant that when she enlisted with Devatska's blessing in the local Shogu Holding in the Season of Opening, 1000AC, she brought with her several atypical skills and a precociousness wrought in her by the equally-feisty and -irreverent Devatska. Suspicions over the significance of the Acosaphaura name began early, drawing strange looks from adults and peers alike; further confusion arose when unlike most prospective Razakir, she was not allowed to bring her own koza from home and instead provided with a standard issue. Her first real friend came in the form of the equally-aloof Fhalz Lathor, where friendly competition and a similar confusion over how to make friends would form a strong bond and bring them out of their shells. They would become best friends and for Kotia in particular, an exception to her otherwise superficial bonds. During training she developed a reputation as strangely compelling despite being rough around the edges (and despite her surname), as an 'upstart' by the Wardens, and as a formidable opponent in both the training field and the classroom; she was frequently regarded by peers and superiors as ‘the leader that could be’, if only she would stop trusting her own judgement so much. Throughout, unbeknownst to her Aramastus Danig, as one of the Wardens and an old family friend, kept an eye on her in case of anti-Acosaphaura sentiments returning.
Kotia blossomed in the Holding and toward the end of their six-season training those that remained of her graduating class were incredibly tight-knit. Much of this was made possible by the 'tough-love' tactics employed by their Chief Warden, Orihne Basania -- erstwhile Jal-Nalir during the war and mother of the late Scedal Basania. Unfortunately tragedy would strike in the Season of Waiting, 1000AC, when the 215th Holding was attacked by a group of unknown individuals just before their graduation ceremony in what was ostensibly a terrorist attack, and all but eleven of the thirty-two-strong class were killed. It left Kotia as not only their highest-ranked surviving graduate (at Third, followed by Fhalz at Sixth) but also rudely awakened into the realities of the post-war world and suspicious of herself.
Sexuality
Heterosexual
Education
Homeschooled by Devatska until her enlistment with the Korzhûn Shogu Holding in 1000AC. From this point her formal education was that provided by the Shogu Holding.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Graduated First-Rank, numbering Third among the top twelve (Exemplar).
Failures & Embarrassments
Survivor's guilt from the Massacre of the 215th Holding; in general, a sort of unconscious quasi-embarrassment over being an Acosaphaura, without knowing exactly why.
Mental Trauma
The struggle for survival during the Massacre of the 215th Holding, in which she witnessed many of her friends and peers die despite her best efforts.
Intellectual Characteristics
Meyers-Briggs Type: ENFJ/ENTJ
Incredibly hardworking, observant, direct, and rational. Can be stubborn, but rarely hot-headed. Almost insatiably curious. Invested in teamwork.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
She has no precise aspirations yet other than protecting her grandmother and (she supposes) by association anyone else the Itoqir serve; however, nagging suspicions as to the fate of her parents, uncles, and grandfather may eventually beg for her attention. In the short-term, she's interested in pursuing her talents in the Razakir and her military career generally.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Smart and powerful where she lacks in speed -– one of the most physically gifted Shogu, with great mental and emotional fortitude. The group’s ‘spine’ -- break her and the group is broken. However, deliberately hides the extent of her abilities out of distrust of others and/or feeling that they or the situation is unworthy.
Likes & Dislikes
Likes -- Physical activities
Dislikes -- Tea
Dislikes -- Tea
Virtues & Personality perks
- Physically and mentally strong, high endurance; a strong weapon-user and hand-to-hand fighter
- Discerning and observant
- Tenacious
- Unusual variety of practical skills, such as koza-riding, marksmanship, and general engineering principles courtesy of her grandmother
- Generally calm in a crisis
Vices & Personality flaws
- Most of her actions serve herself or people she's close to; she will readily disobey authority if she thinks she knows better
- Can sometimes come off as 'holier-than-thou'
- Hard time delegating / truly trusting others / not regarding them as means to an end
- On occasion can misread someone or a situation, but can rarely admit she's wrong
- Incredibly defensive of her grandmother, though she hardly needs to be
- If someone were to pick at her deep-rooted suspicions about what happened to the rest of her family, she'd probably lose her cool
Hygiene
Average to high. Her one vanity is her hair, for which Devatska makes a special conditioner for them both.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Graduate of the 215th Holding; had she remained in Korzhun she would have been assigned to the Keening Blade Claw of the Wing of Bright Dalliance after formal graduation.
Family Ties
Extremely close to her grandmother, and fond -- if faint -- memories of her parents, grandfather, and uncles. Has a tendency to form non-blood familial connections quickly and place a lot of stock in them.
Religious Views
Spiritually curious now that she is away from Devatska's relentless skepticism/cynicism, but no true draw to one particular faith.
Social Aptitude
Practically oozes charisma without realizing it. Compelling, a charmer when she wants to be. Seen as a leader by peers, but often arrogant and precocious by adults when it turns out her discipline is only self-serving. To overcome imposed isolation as a young child she has become a quick, intense study of other people, and as such is incredibly good at reading them and, if she were so inclined, to sway them. However, she tends to prefer to trust only an incredibly small number of people -- a cynicism wrought in her by her grandmother -- and prefers to take her own direction rather than follow. Very loyal to those she respects and/or grows genuinely attached; indeed, she is contradictory in that as much as she claims not to need others, she craves a sense of belonging and acceptance and thrives on others' admiration.
Mannerisms
Often has a languid smile on her face that is more of a carefully-constructed front to others and, when paired with her notably 'honeyed' voice, is a deadly combination.
Hobbies & Pets
Saraphne
Her personal koza from childhood is an eleven year-old ebony wash queen with dagger-type horns named Saraphne, after the bloodsinger member of the Hidden Company who left a strong impression on her as a young child (and who also had black hair). Fieron notes her Ega as teal and gold with the texture of hundreds of ribbons and the sound of a light timpani. Unusually, she was not allowed to bring Saraphne with her when she began specialization as a prospective member of the Razakir. Aensati
The koza she was issued as a Razakir initiate is Aensati, a nine year-old male gray and ebony storm. Hobbies
Most of her hobbies are physical and usually centered around keeping herself fit for military service; she is only just beginning to explore other hobbies. Her fellow shogu Xiersa taught her some small sleight-of-hand tricks at which she is mildly skilled.
Her personal koza from childhood is an eleven year-old ebony wash queen with dagger-type horns named Saraphne, after the bloodsinger member of the Hidden Company who left a strong impression on her as a young child (and who also had black hair). Fieron notes her Ega as teal and gold with the texture of hundreds of ribbons and the sound of a light timpani. Unusually, she was not allowed to bring Saraphne with her when she began specialization as a prospective member of the Razakir. Aensati
The koza she was issued as a Razakir initiate is Aensati, a nine year-old male gray and ebony storm. Hobbies
Most of her hobbies are physical and usually centered around keeping herself fit for military service; she is only just beginning to explore other hobbies. Her fellow shogu Xiersa taught her some small sleight-of-hand tricks at which she is mildly skilled.
Speech
Swears almost as copiously as her grandmother; exclamations/empeachments tend to have a secular, Ustrarian flavor, such as "by the Drake". Makes use of an affected, 'honeyed' drawl if she feels it's useful.
Calls Devatska 'Granna' in more sentimental/vulnerable moments; called Eraleon 'Grandi'. Called her parents Mama and Da.
Relationships
History
Eccentric, codependent.
Nicknames & Petnames
Atypical in that they largely address one another on a first-name basis; in more sentimental moments Kotia will call Devatska "Granna" ('grandma')
History
Began in the local Shogu Holding at the First Dismissal.
Nicknames & Petnames
Fhalz, like most of their peers, calls Kotia "Ko".
Relationship Reasoning
The first dismissal of unfit shogu drove home to them both that they were not good at making true friends; a respect for the other's dedication to their training and their skill developed into friendly competition and greater reliance as a something more than a superficial bond formed.
Nicknames & Petnames
Andras often called Kotia 'little cat' or 'kit'.
Wealth & Financial state
Low due to age and just starting her career.
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Date of Birth
1st Day of the Season of Opening, 985AC
Year of Birth
985 AC
16 Years old
Birthplace
Family
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Pronouns
She/Her
Sex
Female
Eyes
Warm brown
Hair
Dark brown (black), wavy, long to middle of back, thick. Usually worn in single braid.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Tanned Caucasian
Height
5'4 / 162cm
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Appears in...
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