Kordemiser Angari

## Early Life

Kordemiser Angari was born in the southern plains of the Azim Steppe on the 9th Sun of the 1st Astral Moon to clan Angari, a clan on the surface that seemed united despite the fact that there were those exiled from other clans that the leader of the Angari clan, Kordemiser's own father, that allowed them safe haven from the harshness of the Steppe. Kordemiser's family was the head of the clan, even while his father was beginning to approach the twilight of his prime. The natives of the clan (mostly) believed in the strength of their leader, but most who were accepted in after their own exiles from their own clans, began to question just how much longer the elder would truly be effective.

As Kordemiser grew older, and more capable, he began to undertake his first trials. Be it hunting down the most fearsome of animals the Steppe had to offer, the massive tigers in his youth and the like, to the daunting Bardam's Mettle and the claiming of his very own Yol, he managed to conquer it all. Initially wielding a large axe into these battles. Kordemiser's passion carried him far, and earned him the respect of all within his clan, even the exiles who questioned his father's leadership were impressed. However, his older brother Balasar Angari seemed far less impressed with these achievements, though he never outright voiced it. Balasar seemed the coldest of all the clan. The reality of the situation was, Balasar expected better for what all the Steppe had to offer to his younger brother. Balasar himself began to disappear from the clan for long periods of time, much to the questioning of his father and mother, the only response prompted from Balasar, was that he was preparing himself for the next Nhaadam, the first time in which they would be taking part.

As time went by, and Kordemiser's father became older, a coup was staged in order to overthrow him, unbeknownst to Kordemiser and his family. This coup would be led by a noteworthy exile, one who openly opposed the father of Kordemiser's leadership. Balasar himself happened to be home, while Kordemiser finished up his final trials. While Balasar slept rather unpeacefully, he was darted awake by the sounds of stabbing and muffled screaming. He bolted upright to witness his mother and father being assassinated by two xaela men. They never stood a chance to defend, blindsided by members of their own clan.

As Kordemiser came home from his final trial in the dead of night, he bore witness to the magnitude of Balasar's rage, the fires burning the entire clan to the ground, leaving him in a state of shock as he ventured further in. After not initially spotting his own brother until moving further into the ruins, he witnessed him unharmed by the attack. Initially thinking he was a survivor, he called out to him. It wasn't until he witnessed Balasar destroy the final survivor, a native of the clan that the pieces began to click. The emotionless look in Balasar's eyes as he finished the clan would be one that would take a long time, if ever, to forget. Balasar made one final look to his brother, his mask not slipping before he turned towards the fires and disappeared within them, leaving a dumbfounded and emotionally shattered Kordemiser behind him. With no explanation to Kordemiser, he came to the conclusion that Balasar turned his back on the entire clan, and that Balasar was a walking evil that needed to be eradicated.

## Ul'dahn Arrival, entering Jamarcus Groves

Of all the people Kordemiser expected to betray the clan, He did not expect it would be his own older brother. He knew Balasar could be a cold man, but with the current information he had, he accepted that his brother was lost to evil, apparently drunk on his own, evidently newly acquired powers. With a heavy heart, he managed to gain passage onto an airship headed for the bustling city of Ul'dah, unable to remain in the Steppe, a constant reminder of a shattered past. On his airship ride, he met Vyldur Hailspear, supposedly a knight-errant of Ishgard looking to help, in his own words, 'The Good People of Ul'dah'. Kordemiser, keeping his past hidden, simply stated that he was looking for work in the city. Their journey to Ul'dah, wasn't a quiet one as there was an incessantly crying child on the ride. At first, Kordemiser assumed it was perhaps one of the lalafell, but Vyldur corrected him, stating that it was likely an actual child.

Upon arriving in the city, their first stop was in the tavern of Ul'dah, the quicksand. Here they met the Ala Mhigan man known as Sylar West, an up and coming pugilist at the time who merely wanted to show the world what he could do. Sylar didn't come off as the most intelligent man, but his passion and courageousness earned Kordemiser's respect and trust over the course of their meeting. The three made plans to stick together and find whatever work they could in the city, keeping their optimism high for opportunity.

Searching for who could be a potential employer, at first the three had no luck until a tall, well dressed Ala Mhigan walked into the quicksand. Sylar was the first to approach him and strike up the conversation as the man captured his interest. Over the course of the conversation, the man revealed himself to be none other than Jamarcus Groves, a wealthy family man from Ala Mhigo. He entrusted the three with a job, the elimination of a wanted man, a traitor to his own kind. The man himself was indeed, the 'Hungering Hippo', also known as Ursus Arkouda. Upon finding that the man was a traitor to his own kind, Sylar West had the fire in him to bring this man to justice, and readily accepted the mission along with Kordemiser, as the whole ordeal reminded him of his own. After accepting the mission, Jamarcus took his leave after handing linkpearls to the three, allowing them all to update each other or call for emergencies when needed.

## A Crystal in the Dark

After some time of hunting the 'hungering hippo', and with little success, Kordemiser found himself in the Coerthas Highlands. Eventually, he stumbled across a tower and searched it, spotting the corpse of a fellow dead Xaela and his black armor. He then took his belongings for himself, feeling some guilt for the now departed Xaela, initially planning on selling it before realizing it was of excellent make and could very well still be put to good use. Upon having it fixed up by a blacksmith, he wore the armor for himself as well as a long katana. In the pocket however, he felt something off as he reached down into it and spotted a red, somewhat heart-shaped jagged crystal.

Initially, Kordemiser had no idea what to make of the item, simply believing that it could make a good price to sell before he began to hear is own thoughts. Unknowingly, his psyche had split into two when he bore the crystal. At this point, he was unaware of the existence of soul crystals or their benefits... or in this case their cons. At times, Kordemiser could hear an entity that sounded exactly like himself telling him to give in to his dark desires, most pointedly for him to get vengeance on his elusive brother, Balasar Angari, a man he now hadn't seen in quite some time.

Upon facing a now desperate situation, and his dark side gradually gaining power over him, he desperately made his way out of Coerthas and back towards Ul'dah, hoping to find someone who would be able to help him out of his now bleak predicament. He knew that if this strange new entity won, he would no longer be the same man he once was, but a twisted version of himself.

## Lederic Haragin, the Dark Knight

Kordemiser made his return to Ul'dah, having done his best to keep his dark side from winning out against him. He met up with Vyldur and Sylar as the resumed their hunt for the hungering hippo. Eventually, they would find their mark, encountering the mute man who responded only with grunts, and perhaps other noises resembling discomfort. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't seem to garner the large man's attention for longer than a minute, resulting in the three biding their time. As the three silently made fun of the man, a tall xaela man in black armor made his appearance, scanning his environment his eyes fell on Kordemiser.

Lederic approached the three, making idle banter for some time before he asked Kordemiser the inevitable question, asking him if he was a Dark Knight. Kordemiser had the strange initiative to answer in the affirmative, but seemed to have a hard time understanding why. Lederic responded with his signature 'ayup' upon confirming his suspicions. Kordemiser confided in the man, explaining the events that came to pass while he was in Coerthas. Lederic thought for a moment before he asked Kordemiser to show him his soul crystal. Upon further inspection, Lederic pointed out that the soul crystal had been compromised, as it had been cracked on one side thus causing Kordemiser's dark side to be much harder to keep in check, and why it was much more unstable than usual.

Lederic kept it simple with Kordemiser, he needed to get it fixed and he needed to do it quickly, otherwise his dark side would eventually win out for good, perhaps leaving him a fate worse than death. Seeing the potential in Kordemiser however, he took the fellow xaela under his wing, and wanted to show him what it truly meant to be a dark knight. After Kordemiser faced his reality, he agreed to meet him in a secluded spot in central Thanalan. For Kordemiser's first test, Lederic suddenly pulled out his gunblade, the weapon he had on him at the time and took him by surprise, shooting Kordemiser down. Upon not initally getting back up, Lederic unloaded a few more into him before Kordemiser's dark side fought back, bringing him back from the brink of death and assaulting the fellow dark knight. Lederic bringing up an aether shield, yet shattering under the strength of Kordemiser's blows. Kordemiser's sadistic dark side was out, but as the fight dragged on the more skilled dark knight came out on top, and subdued Kordemiser's dark side, concluding their training for that day... and perhaps a further indicator of what Kordemiser could expect upon completing his training and obtaining a fixed soul crystal.

## Jamarcus Funeral Arc

The demise of Jamarcus Groves came as a shock to Kordemiser, especially once the group found out who happened to do the deed. Balasar Angari himself finally appeared in Ul'dah, and began to make his mark in the city. His first act of evil upon appearing had already been committed as soon as he appeared. Believing that his brother hadn't changed, he resolved that he finally needed to pay not only for acts he committed long ago, but for the evil he began to infect the city of Ul'dah with. His conviction, along with Sylar's, had never been brighter. For now however, Sylar wished for the group to come to Jamarcus's funeral, and bring some closure to the family of Jamarcus. Sylar employed Vavagar Kakagar's services, a Prelate of the order of Nald'Thal, so that the funeral would go off without incident and the proper prayers wouldn't go unsaid.

After the service was carried out, Sylar promised to avenge Jamarcus Groves by taking down Balasar Angari, having Kordemiser's full support behind him despite it being his own brother, truly signaling that any kinship between them was likely now in the past. For a while however, Kordemiser would simply be one step behind his older brother, unable to gain so much as a sighting of him as he continued to wreak havoc on people of Ul'dah. It wasn't until Doctor Anardios, aware of Balasar's antics, decided to attack Kordemiser himself as a message to Balasar, a warning that if Balasar wasn't careful, he would have no one left. Balasar managed to find Kordemiser after he was wounded, though healing magic wasn't his specialty, he knew enough to save Kordemiser from an untimely fate. Kordemiser remained unconscious as Balasar dragged him to safety, the cold persona Balasar carried with him for nearly all his life shattering as he looked at the unconscious Kordemiser, reality sinking into him.

As Kordemiser lays unconscious, Yuri Senju and Bessanne Demeaux, Kordemiser's girlfriend that he met at the Quicksand made their appearance. Unknown to Kordemiser, Balasar withdrew his staff and prepared for a battle, Charall Goldentail even making an appearance as she had a score to settle with Balasar. Balasar was about to utilize his black magic, readying for a fight before Kordemiser surprisingly awoke from his injuries, seemingly understanding the situation, and unable to help anyone in his current state, he pleaded with his brother not to do it to them, yet most importantly to himself. The blood stained on his hands had already become too much as it was. Yuri also doingh is best to convince Balasar to do the right thing. Balasar in the end, gave in to his brother's wishes, on the sole condition that he could take Kordemiser with him. When the group agreed after questioning him, Balasar took his leave with Kordemiser. It was then that Kordemiser would find a harsh truth.

## The Truth of the Angari clan

Once Kordemiser was in much better health, Balasar told Kordemiser the horrible truth of the Angari clan and the infighting that had secretly been going on for years. Kordemiser and Balasar's father had been a target of a coup, a chance for the exiles to gain control of the Angari clan, and told him the truth of their parents' fate. It wasn't Balasar himself who had slaughtered them, instead it had been the most vocal of the exiled tribe members of which Kordemiser's father had sheltered. As he continued, Kordemiser finally understood his brother's rage, but he couldn't ignore the fact that it had changed him into a completely different person. The bitterness, the anger, he reminded his brother that he had been comsumed by his darkness. Balasar didn't deny his words, instead he confirmed that he was correct. Balasar knew himself that he had become twisted, likely beyond repair... and the study of black magic didn't help his case either. Balasar finished however, saying that no matter what choice Kordemiser made in the end that he would always care for him, and that would never change no matter how twisted he became.

Eventually, Kordemiser made his way back to Ul'dah as he thought over the truth of the Angari clan. He realized that the unity they displayed publicly had been a complete lie, and that perhaps they'd been doomed from the start. He realized that Balasar didn't want that kind of life for his brother, that he didn't want him, in Balasar's words, fighting and killing his own kind over what he believed was a meaningless culture. A throne that sat in the middle of an empty plain of land. Kordemiser couldn't deny one thing, he'd become much stronger, and found meaningful relationships ever since he left the Steppe, but he also thought about the natives of his clan. He ultimately elected to forgive his brother for the destruction of their tribe, reconciling with him even though he prepared himself mentally for the possibility that he would never truly change. He now faces the dilemna of keeping close tabs on his brother, waiting for the day where he may truly have to do the deed.

## The Soul of a Dark Knight

Kordemiser eventually obtained a new soul crystal from both Bessanne Demaux, and Balasar Angari once they learned of his plight with his compromised soul crystal, with this one in pristine condition, he was able to use it properly and keep his dark side in check with its new knowledge, ending the unpredictability of its emergence and allowing him to truly begin to hone his skills with no unfortunate interruptions. Once again meeting up with Lederic Haragin, Kordemiser resumed his training. This time he taught Kordemiser the defense of a dark knight, a shield that not only protected him, but absorbed the energy of impact and would allow him to use it to fuel his own attacks. In order to do this, he would have to envision himself as a true defender of justice, a protector to those who had none under your conventional law and order. At first, Kordemiser struggled with this as Lederic took his shots at the aspiring dark knight, but when his love who accompanied him was put in the line of fire, he began to know what it truly meant to defend someone, shielding his lover from the onslaught as he eventually mastered the technique. Upon completion of the night's training, they both went their seperate ways, Lederic telling him that the rest was now up to him.