Khunbish Raga

Khunbish pictured with her war mask and typical clothing, by Muchinery

Raga Clan

Gantulga (maternal great-uncle;deceased)

Yurul (father)

Gan (mother)

> "*So, Vicky, then?*"
> ― Khunbish, moments before taking a punch from Victoria.
>
>

A Human warrior of the Tsog tribe and part of the Raga clan, **Khunbish** is the granddaughter of the tribe's chief and a capable Fighter.

## **Description**

#### **Appearance**

Khunbish is a young Human in her mid-twenties, olive-skinned, hazel-eyed, and shares her long copper hair with her grandfather, who was originally from the Whale Spine Islands. She is built lean and tends not to stray far from her armour. She has two birthmarks, one visible on her face running diagonally against her right eyebrow, bearing resemblance to a scar.

Khunbish dresses simply and inelegantly, and while she does remove her armour to sleep she is rarely seen anywhere else without it, preferring to be on guard. This comes from her time serving as a mercenary to earn money for her clan. She wields a longsword in her right hand and war pick in her left.

#### **Personality**

Devoted to the Tsog, Khunbish took her upbringing seriously and dedicated her entire self to the restoration of the Szordin nation. She is loyal to a fault, even blindly so. Despite her occasional gruffness and sharp jabs with her words, Khunbish knows when to take a step back and assume a more understanding perspective, a trait she inherited from her grandmother. She is often solitary, as she is accustomed to wandering and leaving her ties with people rather than places.

In travelling with her new companions, Khunbish is interested in learning what she can from them to broaden her understanding of Tritania, believing it will help her tribe just as much as she. To that end, she has opened up to her inquisitive nature, which even allows her to become much more friendly. Her naivety and inexperience, just as well as her dry wit and her forwardness, has thus far created good relationships within her circle of allies.

During battle, Khunbish can become excited and swift to anger. This stems from her life growing up as a contributing member of her clan, so while she is eager to prove herself she also quickly becomes frustrated if her enemy avoids her strikes, which often leads to her forgetting how to rely on her skills just as well as her weapons.

Khunbish is not a follower of the gods but remains superstitious, although she retains no hate of Tieflings, seeing them as interesting rather than fearsome. She will often follow such warnings and instructions to the letter, and sometimes comes up with her own to help ward off evil spirits and fearsome demons.

## **Biography**

#### **Background**

Born the only child to her parents, Khunbish grew up surrounded by the love and support of her family as well as her tribe and clan. She has been trained to fight since she could walk. Part of her tribe's custom is to find the talents their new members exude and put it to good use. In Khunbish's case, she found her niche in dual-weapon fighting.

As a child, Khunbish's Half-Elf grandmother Ebyana led an expedition to Chi-Ann and never returned. She was presumed lost at sea, and left Khunbish with her alabaster war mask, an item reinforced with magic to prevent the typically fragile material from shattering. The loss of her grandmother left Khunbish with reservations about deep water, fearing the same unknown fate.

Tribe life was nomadic, often travelling south near the Forest of Fear to winter and north to the Nordmarks to summer. Khunbish was not a renowned hunter, thus she often accompanied her tribe's hunters to help protect them and carry extra food back to their yurts. Her upbringing was tough, often demanding, and praise was rarely given to discourage singular pride and help her understand the power of the tribe working together as a unit.

#### **Pre-Game**

In the northern lands of the former Szordin Kingdom, the Tsog tribe came to rest near the Nordmarks, set up their yurts and began to prepare for several months of stay. Khunbish's grandfather called her and another Tsog youth, Tolui Buryat, for an audience with him. There the two learned they would be appointed Hounds of the Tsog, a role within their tribe usually reserved for more experienced members. They were charged to wander the Elladan Empire to seek unrest or dissension that their tribe could utilize in earning money for trade or seek to find weaknesses within and help the restoration of the Szordini people. The very next morning, the two separated from their respective clans and went their own way, Tolui to the north-west and Khunbish to the south-west.

## **The Story Begins**

#### **The Party Gathers**

Some time after departing her tribe, Khunbish arrived in the town of Severin. She had spent her time pursuing a few bounties to no avail and freely exploring. It was the first town she'd ever stepped foot in. When Khunbish saw panic near the docks she went to investigate, and found the source inside a dockside tavern: Nix and Nex Nyx, Tiefling sisters who had just lost their ship in battle. Khunbish failed to recognize either from their wanted posters.

Khunbish had barely settled into patronage at the tavern before panic struck Severin once again, this time as an airship crashed some distance outside the town's borders. Along with the Tiefling sisters, Khunbish ran to investigate with two other patrons of the tavern: Victoria Bellarosa and Undine. Another woman, Ariana, joined them as they sped to discover the source of the crash and search for survivors.

Victoria discovered a strange egg in the wreckage as the rest of the travellers spoke with the only survivor, a man who identified himself as Lord Adryn. The conversation was brief, and at the end Adryn thrust a strange box into the hands of Ariana, begging they keep it out of the clutches of the Brotherhood of Makuta. He bade them to run as his pursuers were not far behind and deliver the box to General Luna Silverhand. Khunbish urged that they go and briefly wondered if they shouldn't put Adryn out of his misery, but couldn't act upon it before they all took flight.

As they fled, Ariana was suddenly struck with a vision of Lord Adryn confronted by the ones who downed him. He was definitively killed, and Ariana relayed to everyone their new pursuers were hot on their heels. The group managed to find their way to an abandoned fortress in the middle of the forest, dilapidated and apparently abandoned. Khunbish was distrusting of its appearance but couldn't spot anything to confirm her suspicions, so they pressed on inside the outer walls and into the bailey. Traps set by goblins were sprung, and while the group was surprised they bested those outside. Khunbish was unable to contribute and so became frustrated and hot-headed.

Part of the group began flanking the keep as Khunbish and Victoria helped to funnel the goblins through the front gate of the keep's entrance once their attempt at diplomacy failed. Thanks to the group's tactics and some spells that went awry, the group managed to gain the upper hand just as their pursuers arrived. Khunbish was faced with one of them and only just managed to escape his attention to join the group as they attempted to flee. Nix had set what remained of the roof ablaze and the fire quickly spread and progressed out of her control. They finally regrouped on the second floor of the north-western tower. After some trial and error they broke through the trap door into the tower and discovered a strange device. Some quick searching around the tower relinquished a key to the puzzle, which Ariana swiftly deciphered. Just as Lord Adryn's killers caught up, the group dove through the teleporter Ariana activated, and the castle exploded.

#### **Carrying the Momentum**

> "*You can either tell me your name or I can keep calling you Top Shelf.*"
> ― Khunbish, hoping to goad out Victoria's name.
>
>

The group landed in a heap inside another tower. Its windows were boarded up and offered no clue as to where they had landed. Khunbish climbed the ladder in the tower and opened the trapdoor to the terrace roof. She did not recognize the view of the city before her but Victoria did and announced they had arrived in Gildor, weeks away from the town of Severin. The group took some time to begin to introduce themselves to one another and began to establish a rapport, as well as discuss their next move.

After some rest, they left the tower and joined the throng of people on the streets. After a small scrap between Khunbish and Victoria that drew a bit of attention, the group continued towards Castle Gildor to deliver the box and inform General Silverhand of Lord Adryn's death.

Managing to gain an audience with the countess and general, the party was informed that the box Ariana carried was, in fact, the prison of Makuta, the leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta that Luna and the Companions had supposedly defeated years ago. Luna refused to take the box from their possession and instead instructed the group to take the box to a man named Axonn, a member of the Children of Bahamut, and ultimately deliver Makuta to his former wardens. Axon would be awaiting them in the Atlantean Commonwealth, and Luna would provide for them a ship. Before they left the castle, Khunbish hung back to ask the countess if they had previously met, as she felt as though she recognized her. Luna, however, did not, and attributed the recognition to her fame as a Companion and the many paintings that have been commissioned of her.

The party reconvened at the riverboats to head for Alagroth, the closest port that would take them to the commonwealth. There, the party truly began to learn about one another. Khunbish got to know some of the sailors by gambling with them, including Undine and Victoria. Victoria's snobbish attitude towards her victories against the sailors rubbed Khunbish the wrong way, and she agreed with the sailors to not invite her for drinks later. The three met in friendly combat later, even Nex joining in briefly. Khunbish vaguely recognized Victoria's True Strike ability and asked if she was using magic in a contest of skill, and when Victoria played it off Nex confirmed Victoria had used the ability, although to no avail. Khunbish ended the victor in their mock battle royale with Undine, Nex, and Victoria.

#### **Ambush in** **Alagroth and Near-Death**

> "*I'm checking the structure.*"
> ― Khunbish, uncertain still about buildings made of stone and knocking on the doorframe.
>
>

Arriving in Alagroth some days later, the group wandered to find Luna Silverhand's liaison to acquire a ship and confirm Nix and Nex's pardons from piracy in the empire's waters. They were briefly imprisoned, later released upon confirmation of their goal (Ariana spoke on their behalf) and bestowed the ship *Eledhwen* which Nix was to captain, much to the liaison's chagrin. The party was allowed to sleep on the ship to avoid paying for an inn and, instructed to report to the deck of the ship at dawn to meet their crew, decided to gather some supplies together.

The party split up, with Ariana, Nix, and Nex in one group headed to some magic stores then immediately back to the ship. Undine, Victoria, and Khunbish decided to find some cloaks and weapons. Without many choices dockside, their half wandered into a seedy cloak shop where Khunbish noticed a fair amount of cloaks stained with flecks of blood. Their visit to the weapon shop yielded nothing for her, so once they were finished they decided to return to the ship. On their way back, they noticed a cloaked figure trailing after them, failing to keep himself concealed in the waning evening crowd.

Khunbish suggested they should further split to see who exactly he was following. She was the first to split from the group and head up another busy street, but the cloaked man ignored her and continued following Undine and Victoria. Falling into step behind him, Khunbish followed as Undine slipped into an alleyway and Victoria continued forward, toward a group of well-armed mercenaries. The cloaked man followed Undine, who failed to scale the alleyway and ambush him. Coming up behind him, Khunbish attacked but couldn't land a hit, spurring her frustrations further as he managed to dodge and strike her back. The man lunged for Undine's necklace, tore it from her and attempted to make off with it, but Undine shot him in the rear with an arrow, dropping him. She recovered her necklace and twisted the arrow in the man, effectively ending him.

Before Khunbish could question Undine about what had just happened, a conspiracy of ravens caught their attention and led them down another alleyway, where Victoria had led the mercenaries and attempted to fight them herself. Victoria was unconscious on the ground, the leader of the mercenaries holding Victoria's rapier in his hand. Enraged, Khunbish threw herself at the men but continued to fail to hit. Forgetting her training, Khunbish was quickly dispatched and dropped, bleeding out with a wound to the chest. The rest of the group arrived to help, also led by ravens to Victoria's location. Nix attracted the attention of bounty hunters by flying over the city, thereby drawing more enemies to the alleyway.

Khunbish's breath stopped partway through the fight and darkness took over, but thanks to Nex was brought back and stood to fight once more. That time clearing her head and using the abilities she trained for, Khunbish managed to help defeat the mercenaries and bounty hunters. Although one mercenary survived, Nex ended him by dropping a dagger into him, which earned spite from Victoria, finally awoken from unconsciousness. Khunbish interjected that Nex had no idea Victoria may have wanted to question him, hoping to mediate the situation. It briefly stopped Victoria's anger. Khunbish made certain to loot the splintmail armour of the lead mercenary to better defend her against such wounds again. The party returned together to the ship, although Victoria isolated herself immediately upon arrival.

Although she didn't share it with the party, Khunbish felt horrible for her performance in combat, worse still that she had fallen so easily. Another fear that crept up on her was that she'd almost died in an alleyway so far from her people, and therefore resolved to start approaching combat situations with a clearer head than she had been. She was also surprised that others outside the Brotherhood of Makuta were pursuing individuals in the party and decided to investigate.

#### **Sailing to the Commonwealth**

> "*How do I tell Makuta he isn't the man of my dreams?*"
> ― Khunbish, becoming increasingly annoyed by the recurring nightmares.
>
>

Khunbish dreamed vividly of a cliff that night, waves crashing against the rocks and spitting foam into the air. As she fell forward, she felt a tug on her shirt, and words from an indistinct voice imparted a message that confused her.

The next morning, Khunbish spoke with Undine about the man who pursued her. Undine revealed a bit about herself, that the necklace belonged to someone who was desperate to have it back in their possession, and she'd been pursued since. The conversation gave way to some insight for Khunbish about the customs of tipping money in the Elladan Empire, a practice she was surprised by and didn't fully grasp by the end of the conversation.

She and Undine searched for Victoria around the ship to inquire about the mercenaries, eventually discovering her in the cargo hold. Victoria was not forthright about the mercenaries, but Undine and Khunbish managed to deduce it had something to do with Victoria's family.

At dawn, the party gathered on the deck and, through Luna's liaison, was introduced to the crew. Khunbish was immediately drawn to a black Dragonborn named Nadarr and a Halfing named Morris Thorngage. Valanthe, one of the crew, was made the ship's bosun when Nix appointed her sister Nex to be first mate. At high tide the *Eledhwen* set sail to the commonwealth.

The trip remained calm an more or less uneventful. Khunbish was educated by Undine in liquor beyond her tribe and about society. She also tossed a bucket of vomit at Victoria (fully believing she would be able to dodge), and was surprised when it struck its target. The egg in Ariana's possession hatched into a small micro-griffin that grew larger each day they were at sea. Khunbish spent most of her time trying to get to know the people on the ship to distract from the endless water around them, and eventually bonded with Morris, although she gained a great deal of respect for Valanthe, as she had defeated Khunbish in arm wrestling. Nightmares persisted among the party and eventually the crew, who began to probe for answers. Although the crew respected how the party couldn't divulge all their information, Khunbish felt guilty for not being more honest with them.

#### **The Brotherhood Attacks**

As the *Eledhwen* approached the shore of the Atlantean Commonwealth, the crew spotted a lone figure awaiting them. Too far to see him clearly, they did notice he was frantically trying to direct their attention. The party finally realized they'd been tracked by the Brotherhood of Makuta as they looked where the man was pointing in the sky, where a Brotherhood airship plunged through the clouds and towards them. The crew and the party assembled quickly, with Khunbish directing Nex to the crow's nest to hold the Moonbeam spell Nex had initially suggested to use. From that vantage point Nex incinerated nearly half the Brotherhood's crew. The ship dumped unknown bodies into the water as it cleaved through part of the *Eledhwen* and through the crow's nest, tossing Nex onto the enemy ship. At first concerned with Nex and trying to discover a way up, Khunbish had to divert her focus to the enemies boarding the broken *Eledhwen*, but was relieved to see Nix rush to help her sister.

Khunbish offered her aid to Valanthe and Victoria, upon discovering a giant metal creature was engaged with them. She couldn't land anything concrete on the iron giant before them but hoped to absorb some of its crushing blows in place of the rest of the crew. Then, as she gained its attention, mutant creatures began climbing onto the helm and overran their small group. The iron giant leapt away, towards the bow of the ship where Undine and Ariana were. Choosing again to deal with the problem in front of her, especially as Valanthe was badly wounded, Khunbish hoped to at least buy some time as the surviving crew of the *Eledhwen* began working the lifeboats free. Although hesitant, Khunbish found an optimal spot near the edge of the ship and cast Thunderwave to toss some of the creatures from the ship, injuring Valanthe in the process but the bosun survived the hit. Khunbish then had to deal with one of the mutants, an eel, and finally managed to bring him down.

As the fighting got more intense, Khunbish redirected her attention to the iron giant, which was clearly after Ariana. The Brotherhood ship above them, caught in the sails and burning, finally began to drop. Khunbish, Victoria, Valanthe, and Morris managed to escape the crash but left behind a crew member to do it, which infuriated Khunbish. When she saw the iron giant at the other end of the ship trying to grab for the box that held Makuta, Khunbish dashed over to Ariana and helped two other sailors shove it away and into the water, then shouted at Ariana to get in the lifeboat—that she had to get away with the box.

The survivors hurried into the lifeboats. As they made for shore, where the lone man began wading into the water, the boat carrying Khunbish, Ariana, and Undine was flipped over. Khunbish panicked as she tried to find which way was up, though her attention was momentarily distracted by a small black key buried in the silt. Khunbish grabbed it tightly to focus and scrambled up, where Undine grabbed her and helped her to the boat. The mutant that had flipped the boat was dead, and they continued for shore. The iron giant rose from the depths of the water, but that time the man from the beach aided their fight and took off its arm with a single toss from his axe. The man tore the iron giant apart, although whatever was hiding inside the shell managed to slither away into the water.

On land, the man introduced himself as Axonn, the contact they were to meet. He directed a question to the party and surviving crew, asking if they were spies for the Brotherhood. Their refusal was considered momentarily before he accepted it and began leading them inland.

#### **The Children of Bahamut**

The party and their surviving crewmates plunged into the forest of the Atlantean Commonwealth as the ships burned and sank into the sea. While Axonn directed most of his attention to Ariana, Khunbish examined the key she'd discovered in the silt underwater, and even shared it with Undine, hoping the Elf might have information on the symbol it carried: a black enamel coat of arms of a falcon. Undine knew it referred to Sir Imriel Halaravi—the Black Falcon, former member of the Brotherhood, and a member of the Companions before he disappeared. Deciding to keep it to herself first, Khunbish stored it safely away and chose not to dwell on it.

The team arrived at a secluded safehouse deep in the woods where Axonn's comrade Brutaka was stationed. There, they were informed of the Children of Makuta and the Brotherhood's many experiments in gene splicing which created the mutants Khunbish, Victoria, Morris, and Valanthe fought. Axonn also announced they would not be remaining in the commonwealth and for Brutaka to pack quickly. During that time, the party directed their questions about Makuta's wardens to Axonn, and the remaining crew of the *Eledhwen* decided to part with the group and seek a way back to the empire. A portal was created to take the party to the White City in Ferravertia where another safehouse awaited them.

The party arrived in a large building that would accommodate them all without much difficulty. They settled in and were informed of the way the Children of Bahamut sought to reunite Makuta with his wardens via travel through dimensions using strange books that would take them across the planes, each penned by a mysterious Author.

In their downtime, Khunbish practised cooking in a real kitchen with what techniques Morris managed to pass on and, for the most part, almost poisoned her comrades. She also suggested, with the severity of the nightmares caused by Makuta worsening, they draw lots to decide who will carry the box next, with the agreement coming to holding it for a week and passing it on to the next. Khunbish drew the shortest straw and was given the prison that held Makuta. The moment it passed into her possession, Khunbish felt a heavy weight settle on her. She decided about a day into her ownership of the box to see what else Makuta might be capable of, and chose to annoy him by frequently shaking his prison. Nothing seemed to be affecting him, so Khunbish continued.

The group explored the White City, seeking out blacksmiths and other shops to visit. To Khunbish's surprise she managed to navigate the city fairly well, find weapons she was satisfied with, and even explored a high-end establishment filled with fineries she'd never before seen in her life. An odd sense inside the shop settled on her, and unsure of how to feel about it Khunbish chose to keep it in the back of her mind.

They were introduced to a mage of small stature who turned out to be a dragon, which Khunbish thought was incredible. She transported them to a realm wherein they could grab the books they needed to teleport away with Makuta and return to their world of Tritania.

Khunbish asked again about the key, this time directing her query to Axonn. Axonn recognized the key immediately and confirmed it had been Imriel's, which he used to lock away the weapon he used as a Companion. Aelfdan's Talon, a sword wherein only the worthy could wield it. Axonn suggested they key was meant to find Khunbish, which she denied sternly. Khunbish felt uncomfortable with the idea of the sword interfering with her fate by entangling itself. She kept the key, although with the idea she might pass it on, as she didn't want the question of whether she was worthy or not answered.

During a friendly sparring match with Undine, Khunbish blanked in her own mind. When she came to, she was restrained by Victoria and Nex against the wall, and Undine was nursing her bruises. Khunbish put together what had happened—that Makuta had managed to extend his powers and use her—and dauntingly apologized. She admitted she didn't recall what had happened in the brief period she hadn't been in control of her actions, but was grateful she didn't do much damage and that Victoria and Nex had intervened quickly. Nevertheless, Khunbish felt sullen and ashamed of how easy it seemed Makuta could puppeteer her. The group decided then and there that Makuta was to be passed on in a much shorter time span, every eight hours rather than a whole seven days.

Khunbish was made to relinquish Makuta into Victoria's hands, and did so willingly, to start. As she was to release her grip on the box, she found it difficult to surrender but eventually did so, although only after she heard Makuta speak to her. Khunbish felt horrified and vulnerable by his words and quickly sought solace elsewhere in the compound. Thankfully, she was not a victim of his nightmares that night.

## **Relationships**

#### **Allies**

* **Ariana**

Despite not having many conversations with Ariana, Khunbish has remained straightforward and honest, especially when it has come to the box Ariana carries. Upon feeling a strange but irrefutable pull towards wanting the box, she immediately informed Ariana and asked that she keep it from her. Khunbish has certainly enjoyed teasing Ariana though, as she seems as tightly wound as her friend Tolui, so often refers to her pet micro-griffon as "Omelette". She has, however, begun to accept the micro-griffon's true name.

Khunbish shoved one of the Children of Makuta away from Ariana and off the ship on their way to the Atlantean Commonwealth, seeing how it specifically targeted the one carrying the box.

* **Nex**

Nex is the half of the sister duo Khunbish has had the most conversations with. She has been forward in her speech but not offensive and hopes to challenge Nex to another bout of some sort to get to know her better. Khunbish is immensely grateful for Nex's help in keeping her alive in Alagroth, and sees it as a debt that must be repaid one day.

Khunbish has slowly come to know Nex as being dedicated and intelligent, and finds a great deal of satisfaction in speaking with her. She has also been forward with Nex about the reasons why she was currently wandering instead of remaining with her tribe, believing Nex to be trustworthy of that information. Khunbish also divulged how she'd initially been tracking the sisters for extra coin, and expressed she wasn't interested in hunting them, preferring their company out of chains.

* **Nix**

Khunbish hasn't had many interactions with Nix, although she hopes to change that sometime soon. She does sometimes examine the relationship Nix shares with Nex with a pang of envy. She also is incredibly intrigued with Nix, having heard only stories of Tieflings, and finds it alarming how quickly Nix can fall into dire straights with all the magical power she possesses.

* **Undine**

Undine is the first person Khunbish really made a connection with within the group, as they both have a similar sense of humour and seem to find something gratifying in challenging each other. Khunbish treats Undine more as she would a friend in her tribe, and often looks to her for advice on appropriate mannerisms in daily life that life among her tribe would not have educated her on (i.e. tipping a waitress). She feels as though, with Undine, she can be the most frank and honest with. She gladly shared information about her close friend Tolui, and the two began discussing her sex life, though Undine remained reproachful of Khunbish's claims until Khunbish flirted with Undine as an example.

After Khunbish lost control of her actions and started after Undine, she felt a sense of shame, guilt, and fear she didn't quite know how to process. This has unfortunately caused Khunbish to withdraw from their friendly relationship for a while.

* **Victoria**

Khunbish recognizes a great deal of Victoria's feelings as being similar to new members of her tribe: lost and uncertain, desperate to find some sense of purpose and determined to prove themselves. For that reason she has assumed a stance wherein she treats Victoria as any new blade, which can sometimes be crass or can come off as dislike. As that is the only way Khunbish knows to toughen up new members, she finds it the easiest way to communicate with Victoria, but she is fond of Victoria and plays pranks to advertise it.

She wrestled Victoria out of the grasp of one of the Children of Makuta when Victoria carried the box as the creature sought to toss them both from the cliffside.

#### **Enemies**

* **Makuta**

Knowing him as a figure in history, Khunbish was surprised to become wrapped in an adventure to seal him away once and for all. Although she first approached his prison as powerful, the frequency of the dreams and unintelligible whispers embittered her. When the party agreed to pass the box around the lift the burden from Ariana, Khunbish was the first to hold it, despite her earlier warning to Ariana to keep it from her. Khunbish spent some hours trying to annoy the entity within to see what kind of dangers it might be capable of. During a sparring match with Undine, Khunbish was possessed by the box and furiously attacked her party member until she was restrained, which thankfully proved easier than feared. She relinquished the box to Victoria, though not without some difficulty. Then the box spoke to her, and she was shaken to the bone.

#### **Tribe**

* **Yurul (father)**

Despite Yurul's affinity for magic instead of weaponry, Khunbish has maintained a steady relationship with her father, who is sometimes more interested in finding signs in the stars and at the bottom of a teacup. He used to perform tricks to entertain her, which led to Khunbish's mild interest in magic. He was the one to teach her to read and write.

* **Gan (mother)**

Khunbish trained the most with her mother in fighting and was taught by her to be dedicated to the Tsog wholly. Gan is almost humourless, and often reprimanded her students (including her daughter) for diluting the seriousness that was training for battle. Regardless, Gan is still one of the loudest voices around a fire after a victorious battle.

* **Bataar (maternal grandfather)**

The chief of the Tsog, Khunbish looks up to her grandfather immensely. She knows very little of his past beyond his first meeting with her grandmother in the Whale Spine Islands and his subsequent choice to follow her to the Elladan Empire with his brother, Gantulga. He is a serious chief but a cheerful grandfather.

* **Tolui (close friend)**

From the Buryat Clan, Tolui is a Half-Elf and Ranger among his people. He commands a falcon named Batu and has remained close with Khunbish since their teens. They have often pushed and challenged each other to be greater than they had been the day before, which has created a strong bond of camaraderie and respect between them. They began a romantic relationship shortly before they departed the tribe as Hounds.

* **Ebyana (maternal grandmother/deceased)**

Khunbish doesn't remember much about her grandmother beyond her war mask, which she took almost everywhere with her but left behind when she made her final voyage. Although, Khunbish does sometimes try to draw on the memory of her calm demeanour and relaxed approach to dealing with conflict.

* **Gantulga (maternal great-uncle/deceased)**

Khunbish's great-uncle, her grandfather's brother. Gantulga chose to join the Tsog's sister tribe, the Sobek, and eventually rose to a leadership position within its ranks. The two tribes maintained a steady peace with the empire when the brothers led the tribes, but they rarely came together. Khunbish mostly recalls his nature as a trickster, who enjoyed hiding copper pieces in his palm only to have them reappear behind the ear of his unfortunate favourite of the night.

## **Trivia**

* Khunbish's name is taken from the same Mongolian name, meaning "not a human being". Ancient Mongolian tradition is rooted in superstition, thus to keep their children safe from evil spirits they would name their children with the intent to trick the spirit world, even commenting on their children as ugly in order to protect them. Her surname, Raga, can be translated as either "colour" or "melody" from Sanskrit, in which case for the character it translates to the former, referring to her hair.
* The tribe Khunbish comes from, the Tsog, literally translates to "gathering circle". The Tsog's sister tribe, the Sobek, is the name of an Egyptian deity of the Nile often depicted as a crocodile, or a man with a crocodile's head.

== **Gallery** ==