The Keeper sat before the fire in the Forgotten Knight, warming herself up after being out in the cold of Coerthas.
She breathes out, watching the fire crackling before her. She didn’t pay attention to the chatter of the patrons behind her, simply letting herself get lost in her own thoughts.
“Did you hear about the Keeper clan that lived in Western Coerthas?”
That question caught the Keeper’s attention as she turns her head towards the the sound of the conversation.
There were two elezen speaking behind her, her ears flicking towards them.
“You mean the Foxclaw clan? Don’t they trade with Ishgard?”
“Yes. Well - they did - the Temple Knights found the entire clan slaughtered a few days ago.”
“Slaughtered? You mean they’re all dead? Who would do such a thing?”
“No one knows. But they still haven’t found one of the clansisters yet.”
“The Matriarch’s youngest daughter.”
The Keeper’s fingers dig into the stone under her. She suddenly gets to her feet, walking towards the stairs.
She’d heard enough. The memory of what happened then was still fresh to her, and she’d rather not remember it if she could avoid. She walked up the stairs, opening the door and stepping out into the cold night air.
She only takes a few steps away from the tavern when pain suddenly courses through her head, making her collapse onto the stone, the keeper on her hands and knees.
“Revenge...” A voice snarls in her mind as she clutches her head. “Blood will be paid with blood... They will all pay for their crimes!”
“No!” The Keeper snaps. “No! We’re still too weak! We don’t even know who...” She digs her fingers into her head. “We need to be patient! They’ll... They’ll get their payment in due time...”
The pain slowly subsided, the Keeper shakily getting to her feet. She shakes her head, tail fluffing out for a moment as she shakes her head before letting her hands drop to her sides.
She shivers in the cold, ignoring the odd stares the Temple Knights were giving her as she walks through the falling snow. She stops however, beside the broken statue that once stood proudly before the tavern.
The Keeper stares at what remained of the statue, letting her mind wander.
For the first time since she could remember, she was alone. She had no family, she had no clan...
She was scared. She knew the spirit within would not rest until her clan had been avenged. While she was able to keep it pacified for now, she still couldn’t control the power the spirit had granted her.
The Keeper breathes out, turning and exiting toward the Aetheryte Plaza, heading for the Gates of Judgement.
She was the only member of her clan left. The last remaining remnants of Foxclaw.
She was Kheni Lanbatal, the Keeper who merged with the guardian spirit of her clan.