Shaman Sardin

[Kasmandre]

~Physical Description~

 

Sardin stands about 5'7" tall with skin and hair approximately the texture of desert sand. He is typically dressed in loose-fitting leather and cloth clothes of light tan weathered from years of wear in desert sun and sand. He also has a hood a veil of the same coloring which he wears during combat and any time he's in a desert environment. With the hood and veil up, his eyes are the only visible part of him, a disconcerting thing considering his eyes, at first glance, appear to have no iris. On closer inspection, it becomes apparent that he does have irises of light brown which actually fade into his whites instead of having a definite border.

[Kasmandre]

~Personality~

 

Short answer, none. Sardin speaks so seldomly that it might as well be never (and even when he does speak, it's never in an intelligible language), he betrays almost no emotion, and he never makes any effort to appear to listen or understand anything anyone else says. When he has a goal, he sets about it with a singlemindedness more like a robot than any living being.

[Kasmandre]

~History~

 

There's a reason Sardin is as single minded and personality-less as he is. He was created to be that way. He was brought into being by a deity as a last line of defense against a prophesied foe. He granted Sardin a soul but left out the heart creating a creature more creative and able than any golem or monster, but without passion or direction of his own. He then planted an imperative to protect him deep within Sardin's psyche and set him out into the world of Te'baralla, a world of endless desert. He set him out both to test him and to keep him hidden from the prophesied hero, only to be called back in the last extremity of desperation.

 

Set adrift in an unfamiliar world with only a buried imperative to protect, Sardin came across a band of nomads who survived only by leading small flocks of backat, a small, cow-like creature, from oasis to oasis. This band was periodically set upon by bandits and other, less moral groups. Sardin took this group under his protection and was accepted as one of their own and given the name he still bears. As he traveled with them, he learned from their leader, the Shaman Pasa. From this leader, he learned how to harness the abilities given to him by his creator.

 

This arrangement continued until a group of bandits got too close to the nomads before Sardin noticed them and most of his band was killed, including Pasa. The survivors made Sardin their leader and started referring to him as "Shaman Sardin" even though he was far from earning that title. Sardin decided the only way to properly protect his people was to go on the offensive against the bandits. They followed the trail of the bandits and ambushed them. In the ensuing battle, Sardin killed all the bandits, but lost the remaining members of his band. Left without anyone to protect, Sardin once again started wandering the world, eventually coming across ways between the worlds and leaving the desert of Te'baralla.

 

Since then, he's wandered the worlds, feeling only an unconscious urge to protect.

Edited January 11, 2005 by Kasmandre

[Kasmandre]

~Items~

 

Other than the clothes on his back, Sardin carries a few items of note.

 

-Pair of Te'barallan sabers: these wide, curved blades lend themselves to quick, fluid slashing attacks. Sardin earned these for reaching the first level of the Wind Path from Shaman Pasa. They are made of a metal not known anywhere but Te'baralla. This metal has the unique property of being able to cut through any stone or metal provided it is not wet or enchanted.

 

-Three sandstone daggers: the blades of these daggers are elongated pyramids made of mystically hardened sandstone. They're a common weapon on Te'baralla even though no one in the world knows how to create them.

 

-Backat pouch filled with small objects: this small pouch, made from the tanned hide of a backat contains 29 small, mundane objects. One from each member of the band of nomads Sardin couldn't protect. He protects these objects in their stead.

 

-Medicine Bag: this smaller backat-hide bag contains some bandages and a supply of medicines, most made from grow weed juice, from a potent healing plant native to Te'baralla.

Edited December 31, 2004 by Kasmandre

[Kasmandre]

~Abilities~

 

Sardin is a master with the Te'barallan sabers, and proficient in unarmed combat and using his knives.

 

Sardin attained the third level of the Wind Path (out of nine, one for each of Te'baralla's celestial bodies) before the death of his mentor, Shaman Pasa. This leads to his proficiency with his sabers, as well as granting him dexterity and endurance beyond those of mortal men. He also has some minor shamanistic powers, including minor healing abilities, and control over the desert wind, including being able to create a hot, dry wind in any environment.

 

The deity who created Sardin made him from the sands of Te'baralla. Under Pasa's tutelage, Sardin quickly became able to utilize the special abilities gifted him through his creation. He doesn't need to eat or sleep. He never ages or tires. He has no blood, or bodily fluids and bleeds sand when cut. He is able to turn his body and any objects psychologically close to him (his clothes, which he's had for years, and anything under "Items" above) into desert sand. He retains control over himself in this form and can reform at any time.

[Kasmandre]

~Appearances~

 

The Third Archmage Royal Rumble - Sardin's first appearance. The character was actually a lot different then in some ways (basically, I just wanted a simple character to use in the Rumble and made one up off the top of my head). Still, it's fun for me to see his "origin"

 

Homeward Bound - The first real story with Sardin, still in progress at the moment. The set-up is here.