S H O R T S U M M A R Y } an ever budding enthusiast to history and magic, kehda is no native to la noscea and its surrounding areas but moved their in her youth with her family. curious to learn, and easily fascinated by the world around her, she found an interest in thaumaturgy despite the taboo views on such, and the calamity that was connected to the war of the mages.
her family owned a carpentry shop in eorzea, outside the limits of limsa. while she could never truly do deliveries alone while young, she would accompany her father or older brother. of the three major cities, kehda was always captivated by ul’ dah if only for the thaumaturges guild. her father would give her gil to visit the sapphire exchange to buy herself something, but she would find herself drawn to the guild instead and peek in, but never daring to venture in. after all, such a place was not for children and even less, she knew her family’s views on thaumaturgy. while the calamity had been long before their time, it was enough to not want the practice around their home or associated with their name. yet never did this dissuade kehda. she wasn’t wanting to learn it to harm others, after all.
the desire to know and learn such magicks became too much and she soon began to try and practice in secrecy as she grew older. it started with a small flame, to bits of ice and even a bit of lightning. she found a dedication to it. yet no matter the amount of practice, unless one truly learns to control the arts properly it will only end in disaster -- and disaster, it did as she had caught fire to the family’s home ( and thus ; business ) one night. the damage was immense, and the family could not afford to pay for such repairs when gil was scarce enough and they were hanging by a thread. forced to leave, they moved a little farther out, into a smaller home.
still, the nightmare was not over as it seemed the family could not escape from the horrors of what kehda had began. while not rightfully black magic and simple thaumaturgy, the fire had been enough to stir curiosity and fear in the hearts of those who had lived nearby. whispers reached many ears and the tales grew more warped with each passing day until people showed up at their doorstep, none too friendly. the tale had twisted and soon it was being said that kehda’s mother was practicing black magic -- a practice long outlawed and punishable by death. try as he might, kehda’s father was not able to convince them otherwise. the thought of there being a chance of letting someone dangerous free was not a chance they were willing to take. watching her mother be taken away, tears blurring her vision was the last that kehda ever seen of her mother as she had shouted and screamed.
the incident was ever, if rarely, brought up but kehda knew more than ever that she had been the cause. what had been meant as an innocent interest had changed so much in a short matter of time. the atmosphere felt different and she slowly grew distant as her father and siblings had seemingly turned cold toward her-- she was to be blamed for the loss of a loving mother and wife. it was a nightmare of the past. something that would never happen again. they kept a close eye on kehda, never letting her roam too far and even bringing her to feel like a villain of sorts with their vigilant gaze.
it was by chance one day while she was exploring that she had come across a puk, much too heavy to even fly a short distance, caught in a trap. freeing the small, pudgy creature, it had managed to catch an interest in her if only as it caught the scent of food. she tried to shoo it, and even shared a morsel of her meal that she planned to eat and yet .. it never left her alone. thus became her closest companion, ‘ basil ‘ the clingy and spoiled pudgy puk.
she refused to touch thaumaturgy for a long time. the sight of fire was unsettling, and thinking of what she caused with her prior dabbling, kehda never thought to touch it again. things grew quiet .. lonely, until she was the age of twenty - two .. during the calamity. there was uncertainty in the air as she watched people leave to fight, never to return .. one of those many were her older brother that was part of the grand company and had only just recently followed through with the ceremony of eternal bonding.
she had lost a brother, and her mother. she was alone. she felt alone. aside from basil, she had no one and had to learn to cope. she swallowed down her pain. she forced herself to put on a facade, to pretend to be alright and be happy -- this became the core of the image of who she seemingly is.
kehda had felt fear, but not quite like this. not like the fear she now knew as the calamity was taking shape and happening. it was only through the efforts of brave warriors that it seemed some of the survivors could start anew .. scarred and no longer whole, but picking up what pieces that they could. kehda herself struggled to come to grips with all the losses and the chaos and madness that surrounded the land even as people tried to rebuild.
she had to figure out where to go in her own life. while she felt lost, she had to find her way and decided to begin her life as an adventurer. she was afraid .. terrified even, of what could come. she was afraid of dying but even more than that she didn’t want to ever know the pain of loss again. she didn’t wish to stand by, waiting and doing nothing as pain would weave itself into everyone’s hearts and break their spirits. she traveled with basil to ul’dah .. to not only fight and help, but to get over her own fears.
she, after all, no longer had no one to live for but herself. she didn’t wish to be where she wasn’t wanted and so had left her home. her home would be within herself.
kehda stood in front of the thaumaturges guild once more, clad in a cloak to keep her face and form from curious and wandering eyes ; the large doors a sight she hadn’t seen in so long and had not visited in many years since the loss of her home. she was prepared to face her fears and become stronger -- to protect that which she held dear.
P E R S O N A L I T Y } spunky. playful. mischievous. some words are often related to kehda when she’s brought up. a far contrast to the miqo’te that feared fire and magicks around the time of the calamity, she’s learned to build a strong wall to not let others know how timid she can truly be and to hide away all the scars. always with a smirk or a smile, she almost has the image of warmth and cunning upon her features and a glint of wit shining in her odd colored eyes.
a black mage, she’s quick on her feet and just as quick to think of a plan. while she can seem flighty and a little empty headed, kehda is smarter and quite cunning and is an avid fan of history. she takes an interest in learning about the calamities and what brought each about, no matter how little information is known. it is her belief that the best way to arm oneself is with knowledge. taking on thaumaturgy at first she learned that it is not a blade, nor an axe or a gun which is her weapon but her own mind and will. to learn to control and weave her spells and not allow them to burn and destroy her.