Sybal Heim: Tahiry

Name: Tahiry

Nicknames: N/A

Age: 332 (1560 AD - present day)

Physical Age: 21

Height: 5 feet even

Hair: Ashy black

Eyes: Dark brown

Faction: Disciple

Tahiry relishes his life here in Sybal Heim. He’s immortal, he has no familial or cultural responsibilities to fulfill- not to mention all the food that he never would have even seen back in his time! In his mind, Sybal Heim was the best thing to ever happen to him. While he’s no fanatic, he does feel somewhat indebted to the Organizer, so you won’t hear one ill word about him from Tahiry’s mouth.


Occupation: Private Investigator

Perhaps a more accurate title would be “snoop”, but Tahiry likes to sound official. Do you think someone is mooching from your work lunch? Did you lose your favorite pen? Perhaps you suspect your lady-love of flying into the arms of another? It just so happens that spying and snooping are Tahiry’s specialities. Whatever your problem may be, Tahiry can help...if you have the coin. The cases he gets are, for the most part, very petty and simple issues, but that suits him just fine as long as he’s making money.


Sybal Form:  The Chameleon

Coming to a truly terrifying 3’6” on his hind legs, the Chameleon is not at all an imposing creature. His skin is smooth and scaly, and, like a normal chameleon, his coloration fluctuates with his mood. His default coloration, however, matches his human counterpart’s lamba. Spines run down his head and back, but they are soft and flexible rather than acting as any form of defense.  He has three fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot to match, all of which are excellent digits for gripping and clinging onto things. The pads at the bottom of both his hands and feet allow him to stick to surfaces. His tail is thick and curly, and often functions as a third arm. His eyes are able to swivel independently from one another, which can be useful...or look very goofy. (Often both, really.)

Tahiry is not very strong in this form, but his flexibility and maneuverability increase dramatically as a Sybal. There’s hardly a nook or cranny he can’t find a way to shimmy into, nor a high point he can’t find some way to reach. While he can move much faster on all fours, the Chameleon can be bipedal as well.


Sybal Power: Camouflage

The Chameleon can manipulate his color-changing skin in order to match his surroundings. He can imitate any texture or color perfectly. However, this does not make him invisible; if you were to look closely, you could still make out Tahiry’s form against the wall or floor. He must remain perfectly still for his camouflage to be very effective. Tahiry’s coloration can also be interrupted by his emotions; for example, his fear gets the best of him, his disguise would be ruined because his skin began to act on its own. He loses control of his coloration until he can calm himself back down.

Docile or Feral: Circumstantial Feral

For the most part, Tahiry remains much the same as his human self in his Sybal form. He does become more cautious and skittish, but his personality remains mostly in tact. However, when under extreme duress, the Chameleon becomes overcome by his anxiety. His mind becomes muddled, and he can only focus on one thing; escape. He will try to isolate himself, fleeing friend and foe alike. He is unable to control his camouflage in this state as well, the patterns and colors constantly shifting and reflecting his panic. Once hidden from the world, Tahiry sits stewing in his own dread until either he can somehow pull himself out of it, or day breaks. If he is unable to hide himself away, the Chameleon will panic himself into exhaustion.


Personality: Cunning, silver-tongued, cowardly, loyal, nosey, jovial, guilty, superstitious

Tahiry is a polarizing individual. Sly and petty, he usually has no problem causing trouble for other people if it somehow benefits him, and if you make him angry he never forgets it. He has a knack for saying the things people like to hear, and he exploits this often. He also has a tendency to stick his nose in places it doesn’t belong, being insatiably curious and horribly nosey. Wrap all that up in a lazy, cowardly nature, and you have quite a piece of work. It’s pretty easy to dislike him, and you probably wouldn’t be faulted for it.

However, for all his faults, Tahiry is a very loyal person, and he takes care of his own. If you are his friend, of which he has few, you will find a generous, good-natured busybody, always wondering what you’re up to, how you’re doing, did you hear about what Mrs. Flaversham did to her latest batch of pies? And if you’ve been slighted in some way, leave it to Tahiry to find some form of recompense for you. Tahiry is always looking to be entertained, and he may end up dragging his friends to a performance or a dance festival, or really anything that piques his interest. Being his friend is never boring, to say the least.

Tahiry prides himself on his intelligence, and he’s a quick thinker to boot. He can usually figure some way out of an unpleasant situation, just give him a minute. He loves learning as much as he loves hearsay, and often frequents the library or various academic lectures. Conversely, while he considers himself a logical individual, he is also very superstitious. He’s paranoid of bad luck and taboos, fearing that his ancestors can punish him even in Sybal Heim. He’s adopted many superstitions- breaking mirrors is 7 years bad luck, black cats crossing the path means certain doom, pointing at graves will bring the wrath of the ancestors upon you, and so on. He doesn’t like to take chances with these things!

He will never admit this, but Tahiry feels a lot of guilt. He regrets not being able to live up to what his family wanted him to be, and some part of him feels like he abandoned them those 300 odd years ago. He deals with this by telling himself that he deserved more than they could offer, that they doubted him and earned whatever fate befell them, etc. But sometimes he can’t help but wonder if they even missed him...


History: Born into the Bara people on the plateaus of Madagascar, from his first breath Tahiry had many expectations to live up to. He did not meet most of them; Tahiry was a small child, not very strong or brave, and from a young age he had a tendency to slack on work. He exasperated his parents a great deal, and was constantly compared to his older brother, who was the shining image of a man in his family’s eyes. Tahiry very quickly grew resentful of his brother, his village, and his entire lot in life.

However, Tahiry was not without his talents. His small size made climbing and hiding too easy for him, not to mention made it hard for him to stand out in a crowd. This, coupled with his terrible curiosity and propensity for mischief, shaped him into the ideal snoop. He began to spy on his neighbors, often when he was shirking work or sneaking out at night. There were very little secrets kept in the village with Tahiry around. Gossip spread like wildfire, ruining friendships, destroying reputations.

Deep down, though he may not have realized it, Tahiry had hoped he could make up for his shortcomings through his cunning. When the village began trading with European, Arab, and other seafaring traders, Tahiry made it a point to get in good with them. It started with him casually spreading hearsay as he purused their wares, then quickly evolved into being a double- sometimes even TRIPLE- agent, spying on rival merchants or problem customers in exchange for goods and services. He brought his family fine fabrics, exotic food, even livestock.

Despite his success, however, Tahiry was still overshadowed by his brother, who had honored every Bara tradition and become quite beloved in the village. The final straw came when Tahiry’s gift of an exotic cow from one of his European allies was completely forgotten in the face of his brother’s great achievement; in the grand tradition, he had stolen many zebu from a neighbor, which not only proved him a true man, but also made an enticing dowry for his first wife. Tahiry was, once again, cast to the side. Overcome with the anger and hatred that had festered in his heart for many years, Tahiry stormed out of his village and into the neighboring woods. He couldn’t bring himself to celebrate his brother, when he had worked so hard and gotten no recognition.

He must have walked for hours, but Tahiry was too angry to care. He was tired of being the disappointment, of the constant comparisons to his brother, of being ignored. All he wanted to do now was disappear, to escape his family and his village and the expectations his ancestors had set before him, to...Oh.

He didn’t recognize these trees, or the soft dirt beneath his feet, or the early morning sunlight that filtered through the leaves overhead. But Tahiry could not bring himself to stop, far from it in fact. He felt compelled to keep walking, as if the forest itself were beckoning him on. Eventually, he saw someone in the distance…

Tahiry adapted remarkably well to life in Sybal Heim. Sure, the first night was a little...difficult to adjust to, but it didn’t take him long to find his place; without the expectations and restrictions of his former life, he was finally free to pursue what interested him most. For over three centuries, Tahiry has made a name for himself digging up gossip, spying, enjoying all the food and knowledge the rich and varied peoples of Sybal Heim can offer, and he now has a favorite tree to nap on in each district. (His favorite is in his home district of Seele, of course.) He’s living life to the fullest, and he doesn’t intend to stop anytime soon.


Additional Info:

• Tahiry has a seemingly endless appetite; the man can eat all day and never be full.

• His interests include food (of ALL kinds), napping, climbing trees, gossip, pretty girls, handsome men, and warm/sunny weather.

• Snow absolutely disgusts and alarms him. Something so cold and...icky surely can’t be natural! Cold weather also forces him to wear shoes, which he detests entirely.

• He’s always on the lookout for a good napping spot; there’s nothing quite like a lie-down in the afternoon sun, after all.
  
  

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For reference, here's my RP Comfort Meme: goaterz.deviantart.com/journal…