K'Pyn's History
K'Pyn
The sky was dark with heavy mist when his mother growled him into this world. His father took him into his arms and performed the ritual...eyes, ear flaps, fingers, toes. All there. And of course, the birthing ritual of cleansing was exacted with care and loving attention.
"Uh, it's a male child, Mhal'", he said, pride and joy cracking his voice.
"Then it be K as we agreed", came the response.
"K'Pyn", he whispered softly as he held his new son towards his wife. "I've a son finally. May he grow up in peace and have many blessings. Unto him I bequeath all I have."
His mother Mhal Pred ab'Pyn, loosely translated as minister to the seneschal and wife of 'Pyn, was healer to the castle of Lord Darrimoor. Although the lands controlled by her Lord were not great, she was well known and loved. Ghra'ok Eornd'Pyn, his father, was servant to the seneschal and tutor to the children of the keep. Although arrogant, he was well respected. Being well regarded they were allowed to raise their son as one of the children of royalty. Their own youth had not been so blessed.
In their youth, M'Aleynt and G'Pyn would be worlds apart and then some.
M (pronounced Mha), spent her early years apprenticed to her mother and gained the art of healing and in the naming became Mhal'Aleynt. Of her father, little is known. The unexpectedly sudden and early death of her mother sent her wandering. Sad and lonely she continued to study as she could the healing arts her mother had begun. As her empathy and skill grew, so grew her reputation. She began to be called on by Nobles in need of her ministrations.
G, on the other hand, spent his entire youth in poverty. His parents were slovenly illiterate outcasts, his father given to drink and his mother to bearing children. As soon as he was able, he clandestinely joined a caravan roaming the lands to begin his search of knowledge and in the naming pronounced himself Ghra'ok (seeker of knowledge, known of self). He happened upon the lands of Lord Darrimoor who he impressed and offered himself as tutor.
Throughout their young lives, each vainly longed for one who would be their most beloved, waiting and searching...until by chance, Lord Darrimoor needed a healer.
Their meeting was synonymous with the understanding that their search for joyous companionship had finally ended. They trothed each other and became both Eeng. Mhal Eeng'Aleynt and Ghra'ok Eeng'Pyn were wed in the gardens of the keep, under the dazzling night stars. The omen of flame in the sky was taken to be one of great blessing. It might have been taken otherwise, but the times were good.
The years passed rapidly as he grew. And grow he did! He grew stronger and larger than all others of his family. Indeed, such was his size that he impressed even the burly Zo guards of the keep. He spent much time in his youth watching and admiring their drills in the courtyard. He cared little what others thought of his interest in battle arts.
Though most looked upon him in disdain, as he was a child of mere servants, he was raised well and educated under the same methods and manners of royal children, conditioning that remains to this day. These royal children oft beset him with overt acts of terror and he soon learned his strengths lay in cunning and oratory. It was during this time that he developed a strangely powerful disdain of Nobility.
His favorite pastime became swordplay with Master Swordsman Graaf, trainer to the Lord's soldiers. Many noticed his odd devotion to his training. Hours spent with this rather jovial Zo, both in swordplay and conversation, brought with it ideals of honor and duty that became his own as a well worn robe.
His prowess with weapons in general caused his family no small discomfort (as a race, the Thoom had given up violence for the ideals of self-knowledge and teaching far into their past). Then at the time of naming, he compounded the shame by hiring himself to a merchant as a bodyguard. Still K, he knew the naming would have to wait. He hoped he could bring honor to his family by some heroic deed.
Years he spent wandering and honing his battle skills and cunning, until one day sad news arrived that the keep of Lord Darrimoor had been sacked. He began the long trek homeward. Once there he'd hoped to offer his name up for blessing by his father, knowing the shame it might bring on his family. For he'd chosen his own name: Ktlor'ok, sword wielder, known of self. He was to be severely disappointed.
Not only had the keep been sacked, the castle itself looked as if an entire army of siege engines had pounded it mercilessly days upon end. Tumbled ruin, stone and wood splintered beyond recognition. Was that the courtyard he remembered? Trembling with rage and fear, he grabbed anyone who would listen and asked of his family. And there were few of those. Mostly those squatting on the remains of the Lord's lands. He could only determine that a great force had come from the mainland bearing the herald of Mobius.
Mobius. He cursed the name and vowed forever to oppose such evil that could destroy all he had known. Grief stricken, he wandered for days vainly trying to discover the fate of his family. Absent a father, there could be no one to bless his naming and thus in honor he remained K.
Many months passed and he heard tales of Mobius rise to Emperor and how that self-same Mobius had created the Ascendancy and was exiling dissenters to the far off islands of Lok'Groton. As was his nature, K believed it his duty to oppose Mobius and to do so by attempting to use his skills to raise the forces on the islands sufficiently to defeat the vile ruler. Such was his arrogance; an arrogance that would soon meet its death.
Within moments of arriving with a small group of exiles stranded on the beach he realized he'd been had. The islands must have had some powerful magic that had nullified his strength and training. K was not to be so easily defeated. He began the arduous task of regaining his former ability only to discover that the island had small, random "chaos storms" which rendered his hard earned efforts worthless. He began to curse the islands and Mobius, feeling he'd never again regain the strength to help defeat this evil and perhaps never know his family's whereabouts.
His only solace during this time was a lovely human female who came into his life and to whom he became Eeng. Thus K Eeng'Pyn (often misspelled Kingpin) and Mystic Healer were promised each other. This was the finest time in his life. He could look forward to the chaos storms knowing his beloved would weather them with him. Gaia had given her permission and blessing to their relation (being as it was, odd). They were all set to create their very own Thooman children.
During this time the Zodiac Tribe was born of a vision given to Mystic Healer. Together they, among others, founded this tribe and it flourished. Many great exiles were among its ranks and they hoped to create a force that might begin to oppose Mobius.
Alas, this too passed.
Then there was Prue. Ah, but that story is yet another tale to be told.
Mystic Healer has been gone from the lands so very long, the Ripture wars have come and gone, and the new beginning too, without Eeng...K'Pyn, who would be Ktlor'ok'Pyn, may someday become Eeng once again...