Keema Aul'Tuma
Guardian Keema Arla Aul'Tuma
"She is a good fighter and an okay soldier. I knew her in the Steel Legion: strong and capable but lacking discipline. It looks like she found it after she left. Some don't take well to the Legion life, while others flourish. It seems that she flourished when she was fighting on her own terms rather than another's."Keema Aul'Tuma ranks among one the most recognized of Ezria Ul'Patricia and Xelthia Al'Patricia's personal guards and escorts, alongside Akkal Aul'Kainus. She is second in command of the Maroon Palace guard, and answers only to Akkal or Lord Ignacio Al'Ganz.
Biography
Born to a mother and father who lived simple, rural lives as farmers on the outskirts of Kroth, Keema was the youngest sibling of three. She possessed a streak of rambunctiousness which frequently drew her into trouble. Her rebelliousness quickly became a source of conflict with her father, who attempted to train her with a blade from a young age. Keema instead discovered her exceptional skills with spears, pikes, and other long-reaching weaponry. When she entered her early adolescence, she, like most children growing up within the Dominion of Torment, bid farewell to her parents and joined her brother and older sister in the crèches of Steel Legion. She quickly grew confident with spears and shields, outshining her siblings and many of her crèche-mates.A Second Chance
Despite her martial prowess, Keema had trouble following direct orders and continuously sought to prove both her capabilities and independence. While Keema's combat skill continued to outshine her streaks of self-reliance and bravado, one Legionnaire, Korvask Aul'Yauvna, sought to whip her into shape through a trial by fire. Korvask took Keema into her company and promoted her to the rank of Officer—second only to Korvask herself. Korvask put the young Mountainfolk through rigorous training drills, and through careful practice, Korvask shaped Keema into a capable Lieutenant, and Keema's confidence complimented it. Keema grew to see Korvask as an older sister.Mistakes & Loss
One battle humbled Keema forever. During a routine patrol of the Dead Wastes, Korvask's company encountered a warband of blue dragonborn. Unfamiliar with these entities once thought to be creatures of legend, Korvask's patrol was caught off-guard in an ambush. Instead of following direct orders to retreat and hold the line until others could get to a more advantageous position, Keema, in the heat of battle, singled out a dragonborn shaman—a dangerous spellcaster—and put it to the spear. It was a split-second decision that cost the life of Korvask, who was vaporized by a powerful lightning bolt—the last dying incantation of the shaman, leaving Keema in command. While the Dragonborn warband was decimated quickly thereafter, Keema was devastated, and exiled herself from the Steel Legion. She was not worthy to be a leader or a soldier. In her hubris, she failed to protect the closest person she considered a dear friend.A New Path
Over the next ten years, she became a wanderer and a hermit, unable to forgive herself for the death of Korvask. While travelling the Koruna Hinterlands, she found an old mountainfolk sage who saw within her doubt and grief, but also great potential, though she lacked discipline. A wild, yet even-tempered recluse of incalculable age and even greater physical strength, he was as much a friend to Keema as he was to the surrounding bear populations. The sage took the lost mountainfolk under his care and spoke to her of the wisdom given to him by Mother Bear through dreams and trances. 'The strength to protect your allies,' he said 'is meaningless without the wisdom to use it.' Keema learned harsh lessons during her time with the sage, and through deep communion with the surrounding wilderness, she saw visions of a great dire bear. While this she-bear spoke little, Keema learned to humble herself before it and learned to respect and survive in the harsh wilderness. Through her years living with the sage, she learned to communicate with the great brown bears native to the hinterlands, and with her final rite of passage, Keema and the sage forged for her a set of armor that paid tribute to the lessons she had learned. She swore an oath to Bear, to balance her power with clear judgement, and to protect those who aren't able to protect themselves. With this new oath taken, the sage gifted Keema with the Wild Speaker's Ward, a massive octagonal shield that, so long as she keeps to her oath, is hers to wield—a symbol of her journey to becoming a Wild Speaker.The Tournament
With little hope to face her past shame, she journeyed south across the Behemoth's Back Mountains to the Dominion of Indulgence where she sought part-time work as a bodyguard, however many of her clients she found were involved in corrupt schemes and organized crime, and guard work soon left a sour taste in her mouth. She desired to prove herself worthy of the new oath she had taken. Her calls were soon answered—a tournament hosted in Ambrosia, in the Crimson Theatre, to find the best of the best to fill a position as a guardian and escort for the Twin Consorts, Ezria Ul'Patricia and Xelthia Al'Patricia. Keema signed up and flew through qualifiers unmatched. She faced many fighters from the Dominion of Torment, most of which were Steel Legion soldiers. While she skillfully out-manoeuvred and out-matched each combatant, she found her truest challenge at the finals, facing down Liska Aul'Luma, the 'Blue Dragon of the Wastes'—a title earned after slaying a young blue dragon. The fight lasted for an hour. For a mountain-folk, Keema was dextrous and comparatively lighter on her feet than Liska, and possessed the divine might of Bear spirit, but with each swing of her glaive, the ten-foot giantess of a mountain-folk proved herself to be far stronger and more calculating. With both combatants growing wearier by the moment, Keema called upon divine powers. With a spark of frost and lightning, Keema deflected a near-debilitating slash from Liska's glaive with the Wild Speaker's Ward and, in one swift move, Keema jabbed her pike with a divinely guided strike through a gap in Liska's plated armour, causing the enormous woman to collapse to one knee, defeated and exhausted. Keema claimed a narrow victory that day and moved on to become one of the Twin Consort's personal guards.Today
Keema has been with the Twin Consorts now only for a few years, but in that time, she has nurtured an invaluable friendship with Ezria and Xelthia. Keema will frequently accompany Ezria and Xelthia on their outings throughout Ambrosia's innumerable high-class markets. Keema also has a close kinship with Tuli Ul'Verda, as both share a common faith in the Pantheon of the Wild, and frequently confide in one-another about matters of spirituality, which Keema views as a therapeutic respite from the trials and tribulations of guard work. Once every few years, Keema and Tuli will journey north to the Behemoth's Back Mountains to its highest peaks in order to renew their oaths to Bear spirit and Owl spirit through deep communion.Personality & Hobbies
Keema has been described by those closest to her as someone who revels in adversity, challenge and any form of competition. While her boisterous behaviour still lingers with her, she has long learned to tame it, especially if it interferes with her duties as a personal guard.Slow to Anger, Quick to Socialize
Keema is slow to anger, and outwardly presents herself with the severe professionalism warranted of her station, but behind closed doors, especially among Ezria and Xelthia, she is openly jovial, high-spirited and irreverent. As much as Keema would not wish to admit it, the playful and naive influence of Xelthia has certainly rubbed off on her, and when not on guard duty, Keema is prone to becoming as much of a chatterbox and gossip as her. Keema has accepted that she is not fit for military life, and wants nothing more than to remain by the side of the Twin Consorts as their protector. An unabashedly blunt woman, Keema prefers to speak her mind and tends to avoid flowery language. She tends not to see the value in poetry and philosophy, which will often put her at odds with some of Xelthia's creative ventures. However, Keema is not one to turn down good food, a good drink, and a vibrant crowd, though her inclination towards competition will often lead to lively drinking or eating contests, much to the chagrin of more polite company.Instinctive Combatant
Keema is known to be able to revert to her Torment training at a moment's notice, snapping to defensive stances and well-rehearsed tactics in an instant. Should Keema lose her temper, the social pressures of the Mountain-folk people, and her training in the wilderness of Koruna have taught her to channel her anger into a serene fury. To a limited degree, she is also a capable huntress and survivalist, able to hold out for months in the harshest wilds.Honor Above All
Keema tends to live by a code of honour, both in everyday life and on the field of battle. To her, a fight with an unarmed combatant is a dishonourable one, and a promise made is to be considered an unbreakable oath. This clashes frequently with the betrayal and treachery of the Dominion of Induulgence's political world, and so Keema more often than not prefers to stay away from politics altogether. Keema is also incredibly loyal to those she considers friends and those that have earned her trust, though this is to a fault. She is loyal to her employer, Ignacio Al'Ganz, but she is less than fond of his political machinations and manoeuvring and sees them as suspect. However, over time Keema has come to understand that, in his grander scheme of creating a fairer society for the less than fortunate, these are the unfortunate and necessary ways of politics.Past Tragedies & Spirituality
Keema has always held on to her past mistakes and has never truly forgiven herself for the death of Korvask. She affirms that the only way she is able to redeem the sins of her past is to keep to her oath. Ever since her time in Koruna, Keema has been a very spiritual person by nature and sees her role as a guardian of the Twin Consorts as both a professional and spiritual duty. To Keema, giving up or faltering in her duty is akin to breaking her oath—an unthinkable act. While Keema is certainly an extrovert, sometimes she loves nothing more than to venture beyond the tumult of civilization that is Ambrosia, to isolate herself and sit by a cliff's edge or in a forest clearing and meditate on the nature of the Wild Spirts and the wilderness.In recent months, Keema has been receiving visions of the far-off frozen tundras of Vaskyr, and has heard the call of Bear once more.
Mental characteristics
Gender Identity
Female
Sexuality
Bisexual
Alignment
Neutral Good
Current Location
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Bodyguard of the Consorts, Faithful of Bear Spirit
Age
140
Date of Birth
12th Juldus, NC. 412
Birthplace
Children
Current Residence
Gender
Female
Eyes
Blue
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Hazel-Brown
Height
9 feet
Weight
600 lb.
- Closest Friends: Vathran Al'Kazma, Eda Ul'Naireem , Xelthia Al'Patricia, Ezria Ul'Patricia, Akkal Aul'Kainus, Tuli Ul'Verda
- Friends: Ignacio Al'Ganz, Moira Rubyeye, Sha'an Majeer, Ignis Ul'Ashbane
- Acquaintances: Trixxi
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