Echo Castellar

Echo CastellarCogent Sheet

> "*Even though I don't have the words for it, I've begun to understand what the world is trying to teach me.*"
>
> **- Echo**
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>

Kíne **Echo Castellar-Makari** (Lexicon:  *"Eko Kæstellár-Mækari"*) is a Muaran mystic, Ecdysite, and activist. Formerly a Courser of the Ecumene military, she was honorably discharged following a number of clandestine operations near the end of the Priphonite Civil War.

As a civilian, she turned to a brief period of rehabilitation on Muara, emerging as an energetic local leader and an advocate for political and social change. She now serves as a Knight-Captain and Huntress of the Garden of Mu, a revivalist order of Muaran warriors and academics. She also bears the esoteric title of **Mahr'eitriel**, previously held by Erethyl I and believed to be connected to the Psal-Jinnai.

Currently, Echo and much of the Garden are embedded within the Muaran Corps of the Ecumene Army, serving in the Fourth Concourse War to pursue the recently re-discovered Heart of Mu.

## History

### Early life

Echo was born in 4 BNE to Suraya Castellar and Markos Makari, on the minor planet Ecdysis. A developing satellite world of Hypraxidonia, Suraya, a geneticist specializing in plants, had been called to it to aid in rounding out the final stages of terraforming. Echo spent her first 6 years on the planet, primarily surrounded by the children of other terraforming workers.

In 2 NE, the family moved back to Suraya's homeworld of Paroxysm, as she sought to raise Echo and her then-unborn sister within her branch of the Castellar Family in Meymoura. While attending secondary school, Echo ran for a local track and field team, turning out to be a natural sprinter.

#### Military service

In late 12 NE, Echo joined the Astreid Coursers, training on Phero. Here, she would first meet and befriend Fervent Nulalla. She spent the first two months of her deployment aboard the ECS *Phaedra* as naval security, and in Priphos 13 NE was shipped off to Acatalepsy.

*REST AWAITING DE-CLASSIFICATION*
#### Return to civilian life

After being discharged, Echo returned to Paroxysm and underwent training as a paramedic, serving as one for the next two years.

In 16 NE, Echo was detained for three months by the Technate Guard for breaking psionics regulations, and held at an unrecorded facility. However, Antaris Roqirelle and Dr. Iris Ferreti negotiated for her release to the Garden of Mu as a form of monastic rehabilitation. By the following year, she returned to public life as an activist and independent "warrior-philosopher" of Muaran tradition. She also began to gain a reputation as a mystic and community leader.

### The Garden

     During her Gardener service, she joined Priphos Chapter on account of her experience with unusual archaeological sites. Over the course of four subsequent years, she worked her way to the position of the Chapter's **Knight-Captain**, with her relentless pursuit of both archaeological leads and opponents of the Garden earning her the additional title of **Huntress**. Echo's romantic relationship with Dr. Ferreti also began during this time, and the two opted to jointly head the Chapter, with Dr. Ferreti handling its scientific and logistical operations while Echo leads its contingent of warriors and rangers.

As a Knight-Captain of the Garden, Echo worked to restore the society's ancient alliance with the Eovinjai Order of Rell, and was instrumental in organizing both popular and professional support for the founding of the Syncretic Front. In the process of the latter, she emerged as a vocal critic of GladreCorp and its Paramount Executive, Orsik Corvosa.

#### Chasing the Heart of Mu

In mid-22 NE, the Garden became alerted to a lead on the Heart of Mu, a contact of theirs on Vigila suggesting it had potentially made an appearance in a minor Orbitritan lord's private collection. Not wanting to waste an opportunity to pursue the lead in person, Echo made plans to bring a contingent of Gardens to the Vigilian Games which would be occurring the year after. However, as tensions visibly heated in the Aoshanti Concourse, the Council deemed it necessary to negotiate with the Ecumene for support in their mission, in exchange for military service as auxiliaries.

While Vigila's borders were opened for the Vigilian Games of 23 NE, Echo met with Makhairan priest Procleus Laberius Baro to explore his lead on the Heart of Mu. The two attempted to access an auction held by the Royal Archaeological Society on behalf of Gallio Fabius Carius, a Reformist aristocrat. However, their initial attempt was unsuccessful.

> "*It's been this way since the First War. The entire Reformed world closed off to us, their aristocracy turned hostile. The split's not been good for archaeology.*"
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> **- Procleus**
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>

Despite this, Echo and her companions stayed on the planet and participated in various local tournaments, practicing their martial and psionic abilities against warriors and figures from across Aoshtai and beyond. She and Dr. Ferreti would also attend Queen Tainatra's Ball to continue searching for information on the Heart's possible owners.

#### Fourth Concourse War

Echo became the *de facto* leader of Garden forces within the Muaran Corps of the Ecumene Army. However, they would not see action for months, as the Ecumene forces played a game of cat and mouse with the Imperial battle fleet.

The Muaran transports would be among those fortunate enough to escape the Second Grand Battle of Chi Lucolia.

## Characteristics

### Personality

Echo is a warm and naturally empathic person, with an infectious drive that inspires others to follow her lead. Out of combat she is gentle and serene with those in her charge, if prone to being evasive and moody when challenged. While not naturally honest or particularly brave, she has grown into these qualities for her role in the Garden and the people around her.

### Beliefs

Echo considers herself a non-denominational Rhyanist, and as a Gardener she subscribes to the tenets of Muism. Raised amidst a terraforming project, and later spending her monastic rehabilitation on Muara, she has developed a profound love for all growing things.

Politically, she is a Syncreticist.

### Capabilities

Echo is a talented swordswoman and Exigent psion. Falling roughly into the tradition of Ecdysite weavers, she uses her abilities to augment a skirmisher-like fighting style, striking from invisibility with psionically-enhanced attacks or thrown weapons. In typical Muaran fashion, she also has a habit of taunting and toying with opponents. Her preferred weapons are the evensword [Tahuenata, the Verdant Blade], the Muaran longknife Setting Sun, and a pack of psi-darts.

Despite having little background as a tactician, under Antaris's tutelage she has developed her practical abilities as a battlefield leader, having a knack for seeing unusual synergies in her team's capabilities.

Echo is also known to practice knitting as a hobby.

## Stats

* PROFILE
* RENOWN
* FINANCES
* CAREER
* REPUTATION

INCOME/EXPENSES

**Previous Years -** +𝔛140,783,988

𝔛140,783,988

PROPERTIES

**Vespertine House (with Iris Ferreti) -** Est. Value 𝔛TBD

Campaigns & Wars
* Fourth Concourse War - **ONGOING**

Duels
* Dueled with Marika Chachkhiani - **VICTORY**
* Dueled with Maurik Varsens - **VICTORY**
* Dueled with Marbharoui 'Disputabo' Thalganna - **VICTORY**
* Dueled with Fideum Oriodos - **DEFEAT**
* Dueled with Izolda Kakhaberidze - **DEFEAT**
* Dueled with Akistra Stirnar - **VICTORY**
* Dueled with ZAVI - **DEFEAT**
* Dueled with Lerin Mantalli - **VICTORY**
* Dueled with Macinus Ventor - **VICTORY**
* Cogent Dueled with Acquilina Antias - **VICTORY**
* Cogent Dueled with Ardius Thalganna III - **DEFEAT**

## Relationships

### Garden of Mu

As Huntress and a Knight-Captain of the Garden, Echo jointly heads **Priphos Company**, the Garden's dedicated expeditionary, exploration, and retrieval unit, alongside Dr. Ferreti.

Iris Ferreti
Iris has been Echo's girlfriend since 16 NE, their relationship beginning shortly after Echo's release to the Garden, at which point Iris transferred to an adjunct teaching position in Mistriné, while also working as the Garden's chief field archivist. The two can act as both a personal and professional unit, with Echo's hands-on connection to esoterica and Muaran lore complementing Iris's study of it.

Fervent Nulalla
Fervent and Echo first met on Arcadon Station during Courser training, and rapidly bonded over shared struggles. Both of their squads would later be assigned to Acatalepsy, and were among the survivors of the Natalite raid on the system.

Qurik Skel
Qurik and Echo developed a unique friendship over the course of several encounters, among them the Acatalepsy incident, the negotiations for Echo's release to the Garden, and her training on Muara. Technically employed by Echo as a matter of pride, Qurik accepts a small monthly salary from her, and in exchange provides transport and personal protection.

Antaris Roqirelle
Antaris is Echo's most prominent mentor, and something of a second father figure to her. The old Aoshanti warrior sees a unique and powerful spark in her. As a result, he has resolved to give her both martial and personal guidance.

### Family

*See also: Castellar Family*
Echo has a somewhat rare example of heavily mixed heritage, born to an Ataraxic father and a Qoen-Ashurian mother.

As a child, Echo developed a very close relationship with both her grandmother, Máya Castellar, and her cousin Milo. A *seian shí* of their urban Paroxyc community, Máya was often a surrogate mother to both the Castellar children and others around them. Her passing in 10 NE had a profound impact on Echo, solidifying a sense of pluralistic altruism into her personality, and an aspiration to one day go to Muara.

Echo's mother Suraya continues to serve as a senior genetecist for Paroxysm Terraforming, while her father Markos runs a bodymod shop on Paroxysm, though both are likely to retire within the decade. Sofía Castellar, born in 1 NE, is currently pursuing her technocrat's license at the Nuelita Technical Institute.

Since joining the Garden, Echo has also formed a closer bond with the Lylel branch of the clan, whose youngest members are often too eager to tell playground rivals that "Echo can turn you all into batfrogs if we ask her."

### Rivals

Jabberwock
The Muaran criminal known as Jabberwock has a dubious and contentious history with Echo, sometimes taking to openly mocking her or the Garden alongside GladreCorp and the Ecumene government.

## Gallery

Non-canon portrait made by Star Drake ProjectsMore contemporary headshot by Turnip Ink.
## Trivia

* Theme playlist.
* Echo's current character art was made by sqoobles.