Kali and Cip - Ask Them Anything!

Kal'istae Miurani was a Warrior of Light before the Seventh Umbral Calamity. Hailing from the Steppe, she was only a child when her parents were caught between home and the invading Garleans and chose to flee rather than fight and risk their young, untried daughter. They fled to Carteneau with several other Xaela families, only to be slaughtered by the Ishgardians who saw their scales and horns and thought 'dragon' and 'heretic'. Kal'istae survived only because she was hidden in the wreckage of her family's tent, and may well have died of starvation and exposure but for a group of hunters who chanced upon the site not long after the knights had moved on.

For the next several years, she found herself raised among the rough-and-tumble world of the hunters of the Dravanian Hinterlands. She was passed from group to group; even at a young age, she had a knack for seeing solutions where no one else did, and she was considered something of a good luck charm to be passed around to those going out to try their luck at one of the distant camps - especially once her magic began to manifest and proved itself to be mostly healing-sided. It was in Sharlayan's colony in the Hinterlands that she first met Thancred and Louisoix, and the latter brokered a deal with the hunters who were her caretakers to arrange for the services of the colony's healers in exchange for allowing him to take Kal'istae back to old Sharlayan with him.

From the age of ten until she was eighteen, Kal'istae lived and studied in Sharlayan. She was adopted by an elezen family, the Miuranis, who both nurtured her healing gift and offered their own in return - focused mainly on healing a mind and heart broken by past tragedies. She eventually left Sharlayan at Louisoix's side when he went to Eorzea, where she fought alongside her fellow Warriors of Light to stymie the Meteor project and prevent Garlemald's attempts to invade and take over Eorzea.

Like her fellow Warriors of Light, she was sent into the Rift to prevent her death from Bahamut's hatching, and spent five years in stasis (which is why there's a debate as to whether she's twenty-nine or twenty-four at the beginning of ARR). She emerged in Carteneau and made her way to Ul'dah, drawn on by an incessant tugging at her very soul that led her to the gates of the Jewel of the Desert and beyond.

Kali's main jobs are Dancer and White Mage. She is also canonically a trained Paladin, Gunbreaker, Dark Knight, Summoner, Scholar, Astrologian, Sage, Samurai, Ninja, and Reaper, omni-crafter, and omni-gatherer. She has also trained as a Warrior, Monk, Bard, Machinist, Red Mage, and Blue Mage, and has at least a passing understanding of Black Magery. She likes to learn, and she gets around when she's bored.

Though she is both soulbound to and in an exclusive relationship with Thancred now, she has taken a number of lovers over the years, including Owyne, Jacke, Leofard, and Brithael.



Ciprys is a Warrior of Light from Radz-at-Han who came to Eorzea when she tired of tagging along with her parents as they roamed through the jungles and plains of Thavnair, teaching and tending to many of the small, myriad villages and encampments that dotted the landscape. Eager to travel as she had all of her life, but wanting more adventure and to see beyond the bounds of her homeland, she traveled to Limsa Lominsa in Eorzea to begin a new life. There she met a fellow adventurer named Cirdan Takechi and became so much more than she ever meant to be.

Hi Kali. What brought you all the way to Eorzea from the Steppe?

OrionAllthoughts wrote:

Hi Kali. What brought you all the way to Eorzea from the Steppe?

Kal'istae draws her legs up beneath her, leaning into the curving arm of the chair as she gazes at you with lavender-edged eyes. "Well, the truth is, I only know what bits and pieces the Echo has been showing me since... since." Her eyes jerk slightly, her tail-tip flicking with discomfort. "But as I gather it, my parents left Othard just ahead of that final, crushing defeat of Doma. I myself was only a child; that much I know for certain, as I was four when Doma finally fell. Why my parents were not sealed upon the Steppe with the others, I do not know. Why they did not take up arms, I cannot guess, except to say that perhaps not even the Dotharl would be so willing to throw themselves into the jaws of death with a child in tow."

She pauses, frowning. "If you want reasons, I'm afraid those died with them amongst the snows of Coerthas. But I'll wager that they, as with others such as Sidurgu's kin, were cut off from their own people by the Garlean advance, and chose to take their chances in Eorzea." Her eyes tightened. "I wonder, had they known what fate awaited them at Ishgardian hands, would they have made the same choice?" She sighs and shrugs. "'Tis a moot point now. But that is how I came to leave the Steppe, at least."

She regards you steadily. "As for coming to Eorzea, well - that is another story - or four, or five, stories that wind their meandering way through Ishgard and Sharlayan before finally coming to roost in Ul'dah."

Kal'istae's parents, members of the Dotharl tribe, were not on the Steppe when Garlemald finally broke through the defense of Yanxia and began its march on the capital of Doma. They were cut off from returning to the Steppe both by the Garlean advance and the magics their own people used to seal the Steppe off from ground entrance. Rather than fight their way through the iron men, they chose instead to join some of the refugees searching for lands untouched by the ongoing struggles - namely, Coerthas. Unfortunately for them, although the Garleans posed no threat amongst the pine forests of the Coerthan wilderness, the Ishgardians did; their draconic appearance spurred the knights to slaughter entire encampments, sparing only those who were saved by others, like Sidurgu, or hidden away amongst the wreckage, like Kal'istae.

Ciprys, what is your favorite aspect of your homeland?

angel_dlatu wrote:

Ciprys, what is your favorite aspect of your homeland?

Ciprys laughs. "The food! There's nothing quite like Thavnairian food, no matter how much the Bismarck tries to copy it. The spices, the textures, the tastes - all unique, in my opinion." She crosses her legs, resting her hands on her knees as she grins broadly. "Don't get me wrong, I've developed a taste for Steppe food in keeping my lug of a husband fed, and Eorzean food isn't all bland - but nothing says home like a rich curry or a well-spiced kabob that takes the top off of your head." Her eyes go dreamy. "I know what's for dinner tonight."

At her side, Cirdan heaves a sigh.

Coming through Ul'dah, how quickly did you meet Thancred? How did things evolve from that first meeting, especially with all the ups and downs and chaos of being the Warrior of Light.

heavensw4rd wrote:

Coming through Ul'dah, how quickly did you meet Thancred? How did things evolve from that first meeting, especially with all the ups and downs and chaos of being the Warrior of Light.

Kal'istae wrinkles her nose. "Life thrust him at me pretty quickly; I'd barely had a chance to get my feet under me before he was accosting me under the Sultantree."

"To be fair," Thancred drawls, "I was accosting Lady Lilira. You just happened to be there - and a lucky happenstance it was, as I'm not certain how things would have turned out had I not had backup to deal with those voidsent."

"And so," Kal'istae's voice rises, rolling over his, "every time I turned around, he kept popping up, always with that smarmy smile on his face."

"Smarmy!"

Kal'istae permits herself a tiny smirk. "And those trite lines. 'I'm rather taken with you'," she mimics, then laughs as he reached out and grabs a hold of her braid, yanking gently. "Well, it was a line, and a tired one! It's not like you actually had any interest in me back then."

An awkward silence springs up, and Kal'istae falters. "You didn't, right?"

Leaning down, Thancred presses a kiss against her horn. "You keep telling yourself that, my lady."

Silence stretches on again, broken by her soft, "Oh. Well," she adds, clearing her throat. "He didn't actually make a move on me until the night..." She trails off, grimacing. "The night before the Bloody Banquet."

Thancred hisses through his teeth. "You would think that would have taught me to say my piece in the moment. How many more catastrophes were spawned by our refusal to speak when the moment was ripe, rather than right?"

Kal'istae gives a soft huff of breath. "I refuse to believe that just because we would say 'We'll talk afterwards' that that's why everything kept going tits up."

Once more, Thancred kisses her horn. "You keep telling yourself that, my love," he repeats, and she sighs.

Hello, Kali. Maybe this is looking a little too far into the future, but-- do you have names picked out for your potential future children? If so, what are they?

WanderersWay wrote:

Hello, Kali. Maybe this is looking a little too far into the future, but-- do you have names picked out for your potential future children? If so, what are they?

Kal'istae looks startled. "Children! In this world?" Then she glances sidelong at Thancred, who looks a bit wistful. "I admit," she murmurs, lowering her gaze, "I've considered them. But not seriously enough to even think of a name."

Thancred grows still, then reaches out for Kal'istae's hand. "I don't want to name one Minfilia," he says, his voice low, "but I would not object to a daughter whose name reflects hers." When Kal'istae's head jerks up and she stares at him, he gives her a half-hearted smile. "I've thought about it, some."

Her expression softens and she squeezes his hand. "We'll think about it some more, together."

Sometime after the way to the First opens, Kal'istae and Thancred will probably at least semi-settle down and consider raising a brood, especially with Ryne and Gaia around to help provide some support. Their first daughter will be named Minyda (Mina), and though she won't share her mother's aether issues, she will share her love of magic, and mother and daughter will be close. Their second daughter, Xarise (Xari), will very much be the apple of her father's eye, with a knack for his roguish ways and a desperate desire to wield her own Lionheart someday.

Kali! Do you have anything from your younger years in Sharlayan that you remember fondly? Maybe some funny stories about trying Archon Loaf for the first time?

For Cip: Thavnair is such a colorful place rife with just as colorful people and delicious foods. What are some of your favorite fun facts about Thavnair that you like sharing with others?

PaintedScales wrote:

Kali! Do you have anything from your younger years in Sharlayan that you remember fondly? Maybe some funny stories about trying Archon Loaf for the first time?

For Cip: Thavnair is such a colorful place rife with just as colorful people and delicious foods. What are some of your favorite fun facts about Thavnair that you like sharing with others?

Kal'istae hesitates, glancing at Thancred before shaking her head. "I have yet to experience many memories from Sharlayan - a glance here, a scent there, but no more than a handful have yet returned to me."

Thancred scoots his chair closer, sliding his arm around her. "I have more," he admits, ignoring the shocked noise from his companion. "I remember the first time we discovered that she generates aether faster than she can expend it naturally; we were in class with the tutor - her, me, Urianger and Moenbryda, a few of the others - and abruptly every mage-light in the ceiling exploded. It caught half the papers on the tutor's desk on fire - but he put them out quickly and no one was hurt." Despite himself, he smirked. "He thought it was a prank at first - then we realized Kali was glowing. Every freckle on her face and body were ablaze in light. That was the day that they realized that she needed a way to bleed off her aether or it would find a way."

Kal'istae stared at him. "I don't remember that. How do you remember that?"

Thancred didn't meet her eyes. "You're not the only one who's died."

She winced. "Oh."



Ciprys thinks long and hard. "They really like dodos in Thavnair. Like super like." She sighs. "Dodo steaks, dodo chops, dodo breast. They ride dodos. They keep dodos as pet. They have entire farms dedicated to dodos. I think we even have a dodo god, though I could be wrong. I didn't really follow religion much; my parents had much more interesting things to teach me." She kicked her feet thoughtfully. "Also, they have this powder called gulal, and they throw it at you, and it's supposed to make you feel better. Mostly, it just makes me sneeze."

For both: what did you think of the Naadam?

I have updated my original post with more information on Kali. (Not so much more on Cip. XD)

Skaar wrote:

For both: what did you think of the Naadam?

Kal'istae shrugs her shoulders. "It seemed a rather... unique way to select a ruler. Then again," she adds with a wry smile, "I'm not really sure the khagan is really much of a ruler. Certainly, the few times I've had to use my authority as such, it's been a case of herding cats with fireballs. It was fun, though I could have lived without the Garleans invading at the end, but it was really just a means to an end. And I'm hoping the next time it comes around, I can be conspicuously absent and not need to take the win just to herd my cats."

Ciprys grins toothily. "I liked beating up on Magnai. I can't wait to do it again."