Star Lexan

## **Basic Information**

**Full Name:** Star Lexan

**Nickname:** Star

**Birthday:** November 26th 826

**Species:** Kodin (Feline)

**Purity:** 64%

**Gender:** Male he/him

**Height:** 5’ 9”

**Sexuality:** Bisexual

**Languages Spoken:** Standard, Chitt, Whispers

## **Personality**

**Likes:** Fire, nighttime, adventure, adrenaline

**Dislikes:** Noise, Sinvian, clutter, cold weather

**Fears/Phobias:** Losing a loved one

Star can best be described as a go-getter. If he wants something, he’ll get it by any means possible. This often includes disregarding law and bending the rules until they break. His upbringing taught him that the only law to follow was the will of Lykan, so he doesn’t consider laws to be “real” anyway. Outsiders cannot be trusted, and any rules they make are almost immediately void. Everything he does is done on his own terms. “My way or the highway”, as they say.

Tensions usually run pretty high when Star is involved with something. He has a very short temper which results in fiery outbursts. Quite literally, seeing as he’ll torch anything that pisses him off enough. His fire powers are used to intimidate others on a near daily basis. The only people he has any kind of patience for are other members of The Order, but even then he’s not afraid to put them in their place if needed. People know not to mess with Star. No jokes, no bullshit.

The only person who gets a pass in his eyes is his half sister, Mau. Star has taken on a much more fatherly role when it comes to her. He’ll protect Mau with his life, and if you cross Mau you’ll be left to deal with Star’s wrath. Sure, he gets short with her every now and then, but Star never yells at Mau the same way he does with everyone else. He also never uses his fire in front of her as a means of intimidation. He’s by no means the perfect parental figure, given the cult’s ideals, but he tries his best to make sure his sister is safe and happy.

## **Abilities**

**Strengths:** Fire powers

**Weaknesses:** Short temper

**Weapons/Tools:** Dagger

Due to some alleged Dragon or Lesser Dragon ancestry, Star has gained the gland that allows Dragons to produce their fire breath. He’s able to breathe fire at will, spraying a sticky residue that ignites once exposed to oxygen. That said, Star lacks a Dragon’s resistance to fire, so using this power can be dangerous.

As well as natural fire abilities, Star is proficient in Red Magic; using this Magic to create fire at will with his hands. He can burn things just by touching them, create burning flames from his palms, or even shoot beams of fire like a flamethrower. He’s far more resistant to Magical fire, but he’s still not immune. Using either of his powers often leaves behind burn marks on his hands or face.

## **Health**

**Addictions:** Cigarettes

**Mental Illnesses:** None

**Physical Illnesses:** None

**Disabilities:** Blind in one eye

**Allergies:** None

## **Backstory**

Like most of the Order members, Star was born in Vertgate in the heart of the Order’s compound. From day one he was doomed to that way of life. Whether he wanted to or not, Star was pretty much destined to join the cult. It was unavoidable.

Born to the Cult’s founder, Jack Lexan, Star from a very early age began his indoctrination. For the longest time all of this was normalized to him. Felines like himself were above all those “lesser races” and that the purity scale was only changed to spite their god after his initial downfall. The things the “others” say and do are not to be trusted, and unless they’re open to the truth they should not be given the time of day.

From a very young age Star began to hate outsiders. That being said, up until Star was 11 he’d never even left the compound. Their home was basically a miniature town in and of itself. His father and the other higher ups would have supplies shipped in, there were schools, churches, a courtyard to run around in. There was never any reason for Star to leave. Outsiders were bad, and everything he could ever need was right here. That is, until his mother began to doubt the church.

Star’s mother, Carry Nuru Lexan, wasn’t in with the Order since the beginning. Far from it, actually. Like many others in the lower ranks she was swayed into this way of life by Jack’s charm and charismatic nature. She came here in search of something better and only after her son was born did she realise this place was not it.

While he had been more or less brainwashed, Star was still young enough for his mind to be swayed. His mother was trustworthy. She was a Kodin the same as him, and given her relation to the Order’s leader she was considered to be one of the higher ups in the Order’s hierarchy. Carry was one of the most trustworthy individuals in Star’s eyes, so when she began seeding him with doubt he took her words at face value.

It was confusing, to say the least. On one hand there was his father who constantly held sermons and church meetings and constantly went on about the will of Lykan. On the other there was his mother who insisted this was not right and all this hatred and negativity towards the outside world wasn’t warranted. The secretive nature of his mother only made things more confusing. She’d never say any of this out loud or publicly disagree with anyone. Around the others she was compliant, and Star often misinterpreted that as her changing her mind. The doubt was weak, but it was there. That’s what was important.

Upon turning 11 Star was allowed outside the compound for the very first time. Or rather, he had reason to go outside for the first time. His father had gotten caught up in yet another legal battle with Lykannol’s local guard force and spent a considerable amount of time away. During this time his mother began taking Star into town to show him the way of “normal” life. They’d go shopping, talk to locals, visit libraries, and overall take part in regular society.

It was weird seeing all these non-Kodin wandering around. The only time Star had ever seen a human before all of this was when the city guards stopped by. Humans kind of freaked him out. They were bald, they didn’t have maneuverable ears, and he wasn’t able to read their emotions. How could he? Ears and a tail were two of the main giveaways and humans had neither!

Jack was not pleased with this. As much as his mother told him to keep their outings a secret it couldn’t stay that way forever. Once his father learned about this he took Star under his wing. While most of the active church members were at least 16 Star was allowed to come with his father on some of the more “adult” outings. These often involved patrolling the streets late at night, returning stolen items back to the compound, springing their members from jail, and a plethora of other things that were questionable in nature.

While he still had his doubts from his mother, Star enjoyed being part of the active community. Most of the people at the compound simply lived their everyday lives there while also going to church or praying to Lykan. But his father? His father was being proactive! He was showing the nonbelievers the true power of Lykan’s will! He’d set other churches ablaze just to prove these “other” gods either aren’t real or don’t care enough to put a stop to them.

This was also the point in Star’s life where he began learning the ways of Red Magic. It was often used in the cult’s rituals and worship, so naturally his father would begin teaching him it’s uses to sway him further. Magic that could alter reality itself was quite alluring. He could change a Tik into a Tekt with just the snap of his fingers! He could hide himself from the outside world with a wave of his hands. It was amazing!

Of course, there was a certain brand of Magic Star liked above the rest. Star’s family line was purely made up of Kodin, but somewhere down the line both his father and mother’s side were tainted with impure genes. It’s not clear if it came from a dragon, lesser dragon, or an unlucky string of recessive traits but Star was born with the gift of fire. Much like a dragon, Star has a gland in the back of his throat which produces Dragon’s Breath. Due to this natural inclination to fire, much of what Star focused on was the production of fire via magic.

Life would continue on this way for quite some time. By day Star would learn magic, help the church, wander the city with his mother, and by night he’d be out and about helping his father with the “real” church work. It was exciting, but there was always a fair bit of doubt in the back of his mind. It always lingered there no matter what he did or who he was with. Even if he genuinely liked something his father had him do he couldn’t help but question whether he actually liked it or if he was just being gaslighted. It was stressful, but he put up with it. He didn’t know any other way of life.

Eventually Star turned 14. Living in Vertgate there was naturally a yearly celebration of Nem Lockett’s uprising against the likes of Lykan. This year the celebration was in full swing. Night after night the city lit of fireworks which caused the sky to light up with bright flashes of colour followed by loud booming sounds. Most of the Lockett related celebrations the people in the compound just ignored. So long as they didn’t go into town they wouldn’t even be aware of them. This one, though, was hard to miss.

The festival had angered his father for many years and at this point he had enough. So he, Star, and a few more of the higher ups began working out a way to prove to all the nonbelievers that Lykan’s will still carried on even after his original downfall. His followers would one day revive him, and they were going to prove their devotion by sabotaging the festival.

The plan was fairly simple. Generally speaking the cult didn’t do anything overly public. At least, not in Lykannol. Other places in Vertgate and the surrounding countries they’d burn buildings to the ground or carry out public executions, but in their home territory they had to be far more wary of the outsiders “rules”. If they stepped on too many toes they’d all get arrested, and if they were arrested they could not carry out Lykan’s will.

So, the plan was far more secretive. They were going to cause a mishap with the firework display which would, ideally, set fire to nearby buildings and snuff the life out of any unlucky souls who happened to be in the way. If it appeared as an accident the Order wouldn’t be at fault and the festival would be cut short early. It was a perfect plan! On paper anyway. Star was hyped for this. Fire had always been something he found fascinating. Now he was going to see its true power!

At first things were going smoothly. Everything was rigged so that when one of the fireworks went off it’d trigger the others, and the culmination of all the bursts of fire would cause massive damage to the surrounding area. It was going to be a true testament to their power, but halfway through setting things up someone caught wind to their plans.

In a panic some of the fireworks got set up prematurely. It didn’t cause nearly much damage as they had expected, which was disappointing. On top of that the exploding fireworks alerted the guards who promptly came storming in and arresting them in mass. Among the ones arrested was Star’s father himself.

Up until this point Jack had never been gone like this. Sure, he'd left on various types of missionary work and whatnot, but he'd never been straight up absent before. After he was taken away Star found himself not only away from home more, but he spent a considerable amount of time at one of Vertgate's other churches.

Seeing there was no one around to stop her, Star's mother began looking for a way out. A real way out. He didn't quite understand this new church. Decinnism was a fairly bizarre concept to begin with, and Star had always been raised to believe these kinds of people were the enemy. Kodin following a human god was alien to him. Still, the people there were nice to him. Unlike his father and most of the people at the compound they didn't make a big deal about the fact he was an outsider. They were open and accepting.

While he never believed in anything he was told here Star enjoyed the company. It was a breath of fresh air. His mom seemed much happier as well. She'd been spending a lot of time with one Kodin in particular at the church. At first he believed they were just friends, but as the months went by it was clear something more was going on.

About 4 or 5 months in it was clear Star's mother was pregnant. He didn't know how to feel about it all. In less than a year his entire life had shifted course drastically. It was difficult to wrap his head around. Still, he was starting to get used to his new way of life. It was far less stressful. After a while he began to view this new sibling as a fresh start. Maybe they really could get out of this. Maybe his new little brother or sister would never know the life he had to grow up with. He and his mother and his new family could get far away from Lykannol and start over.

Eventually it happened. Star's mother gave birth to a tiny white and orange Kodin kit. They named her Mau, and Star was immediately enthralled with her. Children weren't born into the compound very often, and when they were he never bothered with them. He had no real reason to. Now, though. This tiny white ball of fluff was his little sister. A mark of a new era. He wanted to do whatever he could to make sure she was safe and happy. Their family was small. If they didn't take care of each other who would? Life was good. Everything was running smoothly. That is, until Jack came back.

Jack had been in captivity for almost a year now, but the guards were out of things to hold him on. His father had always been very careful, and with a little magic to help sway the situation in his favour they eventually let him go. Star and Carry were both very prominent figures in the church, so when both of them went missing Jack went on the hunt trying to track them down. As far as he was concerned they'd both left without notice. Anything could have happened to them!

It was late in the Afternoon when Jack showed up at the Decinnium temple Star had been staying at. He wasn't happy, but at the same time he was oddly calm about it. Star expected to be yelled at, hit, or worse, but nothing happened. All his father said was that his mother made her choice and now she'd be left to deal with the consequences of her actions. After that he left without another word.

Later that night Star was woken up to the very familiar smell of smoke. It was vaguely alarming, so the first thing he did was get up to go check things out. There he saw something absolutely horrifying. His father was there, mane ablaze with brilliant red magical fire. The whole room was filled with smoke as the walls began to burn and char. His sister was in her bassinet screaming, and his mother was cowering on the floor pleading for mercy.

Those who go against Lykan are not worthy, and those who are not worthy will not be spared. Star had always heard this growing up, but he'd never seen his father kill anyone in person before. Sure, he wasn't naive. He knew many of the things they did resulted in death, but it'd always been justified. If someone truly was worthy they'd be able to escape their death traps to live another day. This time, though, it wasn't some random outsider he was targeting. It was his mother!

Star tried to explain the situation, but it seemed whatever he said made things worse. It seemed his mother wasn't the only one being targeted here. It was everyone in the building. Survival instincts began to kick in, and in a fleeting attempt to spare himself Star began to plead with his father. He had never doubted his faith. His mother had dragged him down this path against his will. Normally he'd never say anything like this, but given all the smoke she'd breathed in his mother was no longer aware of anything going on. Star was worthy. Even after a year of living outside the compound he was still devoted to Lykan.

His father seemed to buy it. Given all the brainwashing Star had gone through he was beginning to believe his own words as well. Maybe this was all insane and this fire was a sign he never should have left. But even after all of this he couldn't leave his sister behind. The way he put it, she shouldn't be punished for being born to a nonbeliever. They could show her the way if she could come back to the compound with them. Jack wasn't happy about this, but surprisingly he agreed. Mainly so Jack would have a bargaining chip against him, but Star didn't care. So long as Mau was ok.

With his sister in his arms Star and his father watched as Decinnium Temple burned to the ground. At least Star was right about one thing. This was indeed the start of a new era. A fresh start. It just wasn't the fresh start he'd been hoping for.

Life began to get more difficult from then on out. He was the sole person responsible for taking care of Mau. Jack wanted nothing to do with her, and the rest of the compound was too wary of them to do anything about it. Helping his mother with his younger sister was one thing, but doing it on his own was another. On top of that, he was fully expected to continue his church work now that he was back. The church came first.

Eventually Star turned 18. Now that he was fully grown he was ready to go through the church's initiation process. A painful process known as "the scarring" where the mark of the Order was permanently branded into one's body. It'd been about three years since his mother's death and without anyone to seed his doubt Star had become far more invested in the church than he had been prior. The scarring was a long process, but he was ready.

Being the son of the group leader Star had to act as an example to the lower ranks. The larger the brand the more devoted to Lykan one is. So, just like his father, Star's mark was going to be placed right across his back. It was the largest and one of the most visible parts of his body. Of course, getting the mark was only the first part of the process. The second was the care and maintenance. Letting the wound get infected would show he wasn't worthy. But Star was worthy. He was going to prove it.

Star was brought down into the depths of their temple's basement to what appears to be an altar of sorts. In the back center of the room was a black marble pedestal where Star was laid down on his stomach. A prayer or two later and the higher members of the Order began painfully etching their mark onto his back. To ensure the scar would be as visible as possible it was created via the use of magic. That way no fur would regrow to cover it up. It hurt like all hell, but Star gritted his teeth and beared it.

Eventually it was done. Star got his brand and afterwards things only got more intense. Now that he was fully a member of the church his father saw no need for him to keep any ties to his mother. Mau was one of those ties, and it was clear Jack was becoming more and more impatient with her. Star had grown to resent his mother for leaving the church and leaving him. She was a nonbeliever just like all the outsiders. Still, he didn't think his sister should be left to suffer because of it.

As his wound healed and began to scar over he and his father began to get in more and more fights. Even with the ties to a nonbeliever holding him down he was still able to maintain his church work and tend to his wounds. This only angered his father more. Tensions were running high between them.

The more Jack pushed to cut ties with Mau the more protective Star became over her. She was just a child. The circumstances of her birth were outside of his control and she shouldn't be punished for it. The arguments kept dragging on and on and eventually it became too much. Unlike Jack, Star had always had a temper. His father was cool and collected and did things methodically. Star was fiery and passionate and let his emotions get the best of him. But when Jack did get angry all hell broke loose. Star had seen that firsthand with his mother. Not it seemed Mau was in a similar situation.

Jack was fed up with it all. With everything Star was getting done with Mau around he was left to wonder just how much more he'd be able to do without her. Star was running on empty tending to both the church and Mau. Cutting her out would give a breath of fresh air, but Star just couldn't see it that way. Mau was his escape from the church. The only time of day he could forget about it all and keep his worries on someone else's wellbeing.

Eventually Jack snapped and decided to take action. While Star was busy he coaxed Mau out of the compound and began leading her away. Of course, Star very quickly caught wind of this. When he came back to find Mau missing he frantically began asking around. Soon enough someone told him the direction they headed off and he bolted out after them.

Luckily he got to them in time. He didn't know what Jack was planning on doing but he knew it'd end in Mau's death. The two were walking side by side; Mau holding on to Jack's tail to avoid getting lost. Star was so overwhelmed with rage that the second he laid eyes on his father he went into a frenzy. He raked his claws across his back, tore out Tufts of fur, and even managed to get a nice deep cut right across his face that'd later leave a scar. Star was going to teach his father a lesson. He was going to show him what would happen if he ever pulled a stunt like this again.

Of course, the tables were turned quite quickly. Jack was far older, larger, and more fit than Star. The second Jack registered what was going on he began to attack back. It was a bloodbath. Magic, fire, and the raw strength of Kodin claws were all used against each other. Jack had Star pinned to the ground and began whacking him against the face. His claws were out, and he managed to gouge one of Stars eyes on one of his strikes.

The fight ended in disaster, naturally, but Star's determination to keep Mau alive became clear. If Jack wanted Mau dead he'd have to kill him first, and they both knew Jack didn't want Star dead. So the two came to an unspoken agreement. Jack wouldn't touch Mau so long as Star didn't start shirking his work. Tensions would run high every now and then after that, but from this moment on Mau was more or less safe from Jack's wrath.

As time went on and Mau got older Star unconsciously began shielding Mau from the Orders antics the same way his mother had. He never seeded her with doubt, as there was no doubt left in him, but he definitely made the church out to be much kinder and more accepting than it really was. Keeping the ritualistic sacrifices and culling of nonbelievers or those unworthy was very common. Really anything that involved violence Star would try to keep on the down low.

He didn't know why he did this, but deep down it was secretly because Star wanted to give Mau a chance to get out. Mitigating what she knew would prevent her from getting too invested. That being said, his lessons were never perfect. The bias he'd picked up over the years was still painfully clear. His dislike for non-Kodin races and wariness of outsiders was still very much there. As well as his affinity to red magic, although Star never actively taught Mau anything about magic in general.

Several months after this incident when tensions died down and life went back to normal, Star's father approached him with a new task. He'd done church work all his life, but this task was far different from the rest. Apparently after Jack had set Decinnium temple ablaze, the clean up crew came across several old documents in the rubble from the early day's of Lockett's rule. Several of these documents were old destruction plans marking several of Lykans base of operations to be brought down.

While most of them had indeed been destroyed, most of these ruins had been left alone due to the heavy ambiance of red magic. Now that they knew about these locations the order would be able to venture out and pillage them in search of answers. Star, being more or less second in command around the church, was among those chosen to venture out on the expeditions.

It was a definite change of pace. At first Star was under the impression he was only being sent out so Mau would be left unprotected, but Jack never objected to him bringing her along. So long as she didn't tag along on any job Jack decided to get involved with it'd be fine.

Star enjoyed this. One thing he'd always hated about his childhood was how little he got to go out and explore. He was always trapped in the compound doing church work. Mau being able to go out and see the world with him was fun. She could see new places, get new experiences, and most importantly stay away from all the shady stuff the cult did. As far as she was concerned they were out on historical outings or archeological digs for their church. This wasn't entirely inaccurate either.

Every job brought to light new discoveries. Many of the places had been left to rot or decay over the years, and even more of them had already been cleaned out, but the Order was wise to Lykans games. With this knowledge they were able to uncover quite a bit more than people had in the past.

This went on for about six years. Every job uncovered something new, which would inevitably lead to more jobs and more places to explore. Eventually they stumbled upon a gold mine of information. Lykan did not intend to go down without a fight. He'd set up a failsafe in case something ever happened to him. A failsafe that'd be able to restore his power, revive him, or send a beacon to his location in order to spring him from anywhere he may be stuck.

Jack and Star had uncovered several potential locations to this shrine and the order was hellbent on uncovering it. The only problem was actually getting there. All of these places were far out in the desert making walking there almost impossible. Not only that, but Lykan would undoubtedly have set up a proxy to prevent anyone from teleporting there. It'd take a fair bit more work to explore any of these places. They assumed they were set up in such a way so only Lykan and his men could gain access, but they were smart. They were worthy! They'd be able to uncover it's secrets eventually, it'd just take a bit more time.

That's where Star is now. He and his father are constantly on the hunt for a way to this mysterious temple of Lykan. At the same time, he's still doing his best to take care of Mau and keep her safe from the horrors of the Order. It's a stressful life, to say the least, but Star puts up with it. What else could he do?

## **Relationships**

**Jack Lexan:** Star's father. The two have an interesting relationship, to say the least. It's almost transactional by nature. As individuals they absolutely loathe each other. Not the kind of people who would hang out and chat over morning coffee. But when it comes to the church they both trust each other to get done what needs to be done. At this point they may as well be business partners rather than father and son. Any familial bond has long since disappeared.

**Mau Nuru:** Star's younger half sister. Over the years his role has shifted from being an older brother to more of a father to the young Kodin. He loves Mau, and he'll protect her with his life if needed. Mau is his reason for carrying on. If Star gives up, she'll have no one left. Even in the darkest of times Star will push on if not just to give Mau the kind of life he wished he had.