Qora Paunene Zela

Qora

Sediryl's crazy Faulfenzair friend.

Appearance and Personality

An Eye of Faulza, Qora is white with red fire points (ears, throat, fingertips, toes), with bright green eyes. He's shorter than Daize, and has the body of an unmated male. He smells of smoke and incense.

Qora is irreverent, wry, has a priest's sense of humor (cutting, direct, and truthful in a way meant to help rather than harm: surgical humor. ("Are all Faulfenzair priests..." "Rude? No. You're just lucky.") Well educated. Does not look away from the evils of the universe. Practical, has a mechanical gift. Very good at extrapolating from data, particularly data that isn't normal for Faulfenza to understand, like politics and warfare, by treating them as logical problems with inputs/outputs/expect progressions.

Dancing Style

"Qora danced with a deliberate power that invested every motion with meaning, and yet something about it felt so natural that it made her think of a white banner twisting in the wind, or dandelion fluff floating through summer sunlight. Such lightness of carriage, to go with such a dense frame. How did he make it look so effortless?"

Biography

Qora was born in 290 BA, forty years after the death of Zafiil, the third messiah, and 21 years before the arrival of the Pelted to Qufiil, and the Faulfenza joining the Alliance. He would have been a young child at the time, nearly old enough to be fostered. His birth town, Paunene, is on the Seeker's Side (Quapendai), and he was fostered in the village of Zela on the Preserve at the usual time... something considered especially important because of his being born an Eye of Faulza.

What few Eyes are born to the Faulfenza tend to remain on Qufiil, and prefer the Preserve; but Qora, born on the technological twin of the two planets, and old enough to remember watching the aliens come to Qufiil in fulfillment of the messiah's promises, not only knew he wanted to be part of that future, but had dreams suggesting he pursue more close ties with the Others. To that end, he attended the Hearth, where his aptitude for things mechanical suggested several jobs. While he suggested to his alien friends that he was a spy, this was partially tongue-in-cheek; in reality, as one of the few Eyes of the God, he would inevitably come to the attention of the WorldDancer, herself an Eye, and be encouraged to report back anything he--or Faulza, through visions or dreams--thought useful.

A mechanic? A sanitary engineer? A priest? A spy! He was part of Daize's crew on the Willseeker (one of nineteen), one of a small number of experimental military vessels developed by the Faulfenza in response to the predation of pirates on the borders.

Events of the Chatcaavan War

He was captured by pirates and ended up in Kamaney's depot, where he was given to Sediryl by Kamaney as a gift; he was selected on the same tour of the slave depot as Vasiht'h was, which is how both of them ended up in Sediryl's 'posession'. Daize, during their brief reunion in captivity, told him about Sediryl.

He remained in her quarters as her "slave", where he gave her advice and kept her and Vasiht'h centered. "Right where you're supposed to be?" Sediryl asked him, but he answered: "Not at all. But I have plenty of time to figure out how to make use of where I am to the best of my ability."

When the Queen was delivered to Sediryl's care, he watched over her, and carried her when necessary. When Sediryl took over as pirate queen, he followed her to the pirate flagship (carrying the Queen Ransomed). There he kept her company, ended up crashing on the Vault with her. Once the Queen Ransomed was taken in by the Vault's overseers, he stayed with the Faulfenzair contingent, joining the principal party when they boarded the Twelveworld Lord's flagship for transport to the Throneworld. From there, Qora and the Faulfenza went aboard the Emperor's flagship when it went to Selnor's aid.

After that, while Paudii returned to Qufiil to report on events, Qora remained behind with the remaining Faulfenza of the Willseeker, in Selnor, which is how he got himself invited to (or invited himself) to accompany Sediryl back to the pirate base. There, he saved Sediryl from immolation by walking into the fires she'd created to rescue her. Sediryl thanks him in the hospital, and tells him that she's going home. He says he and the Faulfenza will follow: "So, then, we go along. My cadre and I. We may not be the only ones either. Finding Faulza’s gift among the Others is going to inspire a great deal of curiosity among my people." Afterwards, he does, in fact, return with her to Escutcheon. Sediryl observes: "Nor was Jahir the only one with aliens to wrangle, because her Faulfenza—she was starting to think of them that way—had come down to the planet with her and were intent on getting into every- thing. They were exploring the capital right now, and Goddess alone knew what trouble they’d find. Unlike the Pelted, who’d inherited humanity’s awe of the Eldritch, the Faulfenza felt no deference for their hosts. Respect, certainly, but they were fearless and curious and Sediryl was thankful there were only four of them, while wondering with both trepidation and amusement what it would be like when more of them showed up in Qora’s wake."

Post-War Period

Qora and the remaining Faulfenza from the Willseeker (minus its (dead?) Faulfiirla (Captain)) returned with Sediryl to Escutcheon after the events of the war. In response to Val's requirement that Sediryl train her talents (and Sediryl's caviling at the same), Qora declared that he would oversee her education. "I am a harder taskmaster than any Eldritch priest. They don’t know what mastery looks like—obviously, or their last fire talents would not have killed themselves. No, Princess. I’m afraid you will give me an hour every day. To Dance, and discuss fire, and the God." He insisted she did not have an Eldritch's talents, but rather Faulza's gift (of fire).

Dance Practice

Qora's words during the events of Sediryl's wedding and investiture are suggestive of his having had a vision, or knowing a little of Faulza's plan:

"And your people?" the Queen dared to ask. "What are your people a people of?"
"Of God," Qora said. "And we’ll need that too, soon enough."

Volunteered his pattern to Attendant. Left with Lisinthir when he returned to the Chatcaavan Empire.

Timeline

• Born in 290 BA; 40 years after Zafiil's death and 21 years prior to the Faulfenza joining the Alliance.
• Standard fostering age is third decade, so it was between 320 and 325 when he was sent to foster on Quafiirla. Fostering is a 30-year commitment, so he would have completed it between 350-355.
• Graduated from the Hearth's program probably around 360ish BA. At that point, he was due for mandatory service, which puts his date of report on his first ship at 380 BA or so.
• Was 191 years old, Alliance-standard, when the Chatcaavan War broke out in 481 BA.

Relationships

• Friends with the Queen Ransomed and Vasiht'h because of their experiences escaping from slavers; said once to the Queen that they were family.
• Sediryl's counselor and teacher, turned that duty over to Auniira for a time.
• He met Maia during captivity on the pirate base. Enjoys joking with her. "That is good advice. I'd heed it, Not-Flesh-and-Blood creature."

Quotes

• "Don’t waste time soothing me. I don’t require soothing. Our God is a god of fire, foreign woman, and fire burns even its friends."
• "Truth is [beautiful]. Even when it hurts."

• "Have you thought that perhaps she needs this tension to propel her through those next few days? An engine works on pressure. Remove the pressure, no propulsion."

• "Put that feeling into your body, and through your body into the world. When you speak this way, you transform that speech into beauty. Training will be difficult. You will strengthen your body, and marry it to your will and your emotions. You will have to concentrate. But to speak, you cannot wall away your ambivalence, your grief, your hope. They must go through your body and into the world."

• "People die in war, Eldritch princess. People also die from stupid accidents, and horrible diseases, and old age. Do we prefer to die young? Of course not. But Faulza willing, our deaths have meaning. This… death while escaping tyranny, and preventing more loss? Better that, than many, many alternatives."

• "The fastest way to learn is snoot-first."

• "Worser things by far than to be given gifts by great powers."

• "I think you have no problems that could not be solved with a knife, Princess."

• "A true dancer never trips."

• "That's why I want to see if I can turn some unsuspecting Chatcaavan into one of us. What a fascinating turn of events that would be! You could go from pampered servant to God-touched priest in a single step of the dance!"

Quotes and Observations by Others

• "He didn’t bat a lash at a pirate cage, a battle between warships in space, or a shuttle crashing on an alien planet. I don’t think his heart rate is even capable of acceleration."

--Sediryl

Trivia

• he's adopted a lot of Pelted gestures: smiling, nodding ("Qora nodded, and the Alliance gesture was so strange Vasiht'h couldn't stop staring at him.")
• calls Sediryl 'princess'