Rustam
Type: Desert kat
Gender: Male
Base Colour: Red
Age: 150 (Level 7)
Length: 25'3"
Height: 27'8"
Automatic Abilties: Demon's Glare, Camel Feet
Special Abilities: Attention Slip, Combine, Element, Hyper Sense, Perceive,
Reflex, Shackle, Shape Change, Shell, Shield, Telepathy, Track, Ward, Dance with Spirits, Glass Dragon, Glass Fire, Lashing Sand,
Leaping Run, Retain Water/Fats, Sand Kat, Sonic Blast, Spirit Blast
Appearance: Rustam is tall and powerful of build, of the largest kat species and
taller than most kats his age even within that breed. His coat is a
vibrant red, short by nature and well-groomed by intention, marked with
violet and blue: violet for his mane, his paws, and the three curved
stripes over his back, and blue for his glare stripes, the tips of his
wide, mobile ears, and running down his back to envelope his tail. Eyes of
an earthy green peer from a thoughtful face, proving his quiet but
determined reputation to be true.
History: Rustam was born in the Gergani Desert just north of Alcaine, his small
clan, Shreeamosa, travelling over a route that brushed up against the
forests and Highrock Lake. They were a fairly lenient clan, for a Desert,
when it came to tradition and gender roles, most likely due to their
proximity to the all-kat city. Rustam's mother was an example of such: she
was an accomplished warrioress. Unfortunately, when Rustam was only nine
years old, his clan was decimated by a pack of fleeruns, leaving only
three kats and himself alive, out of a clan of fifteen. His mother, one of
the survivors, led the remaining kats to Alcaine to recover.
Though the other two survivors of Shreeamosa moved on, back into the
desert, Rustam and his mother remained behind in the city. She took a job
in the Alcaine Guard and he grew up mostly on his own, exploring the city
and learning what he could. One of his earliest abilities to learn and
master was Shape Change, and he spent his earlier years in the forms of
kats much smaller than he, so as to explore the different sectors
unnoticed. He even made friends in the Isle and Mountain sectors, under
the guise of one of them. Of course, he told anyone who he spoke with that
he was really a Desert, feeling honor-bound to tell the truth.
When he developed Perceive in his third level, Rustam knew he was destined
to follow his mother into the Guard. He practiced long and hard physically
and with his abilities, often with his friends, many of whom were also
interested in the Guard but several of whom were not. Rustam still kept in
contact with those who weren't interested in the Guard, a Plateau named
Kaleeri and a Sky named Avrey, but more often than not he could be found
in the company of a small gang of Guard trainees. These kats comprised of
another Desert named Kochiro, a strong Mountain named Haosha, a cheerful
Valley named Eniiko, and an enigmatic Isle named Ileena. Rustam was the
unofficial leader of the group, though he often deferred to Haosha, who
was more outspoken than he.
To Rustam's great dismay, even by his third level, he still had not
learned a blade ability, even though all his compatriots had. Not wanting
to be left behind in blade training, he sought out the metal smiths of
Alcaine and commissioned a skilled Cave to make him a worthy metal sword.
It ended up being longer than a regular ability blade, but Rustam didn't
mind and practiced diligently with his friends. Even in his seventh level,
he has yet to achieve a blade ability, but he is just as skilled with
weapons of metal and stone as any other kat with a magical blade.
When the time came that all five kats were old enough to join the Guard,
when Rustam was 79, all five of them were easily accepted. Surprisingly,
the only kat who didn't make it through the first year was Kochiro, the
other Desert kat, even though he was an decent fighter. Rustam and his
remaining companions rose swift through the ranks of the Guard. They were
promoted to Soldier easily after one year, then to Sentinel swiftly
following. Haosha moved into the Hunter Guards and Ileena put her
interests in subterfuge and information hoarding to good use in the City
division. Eniiko found a place as a Sentinel in the Palace Guard.
Rustam, himself, found himself leading groups of Ensigns and Soldiers on
training missions. His extensive knowledge of the streets and his mother's
passed on experience made him an excellent leader, while his soft-spoken
and honorable nature won him many supporters. It was a surprise to nokat
but Rustam when he was invited to join the Elite earlier than most, at
only 109 years as opposed to the usual 115. He served loyally for ten more
years until the previous City Guard Commander resigned his position and
the Elders elected Rustam to succeed him. The tall Desert took his
promotion with humility and remains serving there still, content to be
working to protect Alcaine and pleased to be working with his friend
Haosha, who rose to be the Commander of the Hunter Guard.
More than even his position, Rustam is famous for his interactions with
and interest in the crime ring known as the Tashi. His first encounter
with the Tashi occurred before he was even a part of the Guard. He,
Eniiko, and their Sky friend Avrey were on their way to meet the rest of
the group when a pair of Valley kats using Attention Slip wandered by
them, deftly lifting Avrey's bag of claws. The Sky didn't even notice, but
Rustam's Perceive flared up and he left his companions to persue the
Valley pair. He did manage to retrieve Avrey's money pouch, but he was hit
hard by a Forget as the pair were escaping. He would have been sitting
there all night, stumped by what he had been doing and where he was, had
Eniiko not followed him and seen the whole ordeal.
Ileena, with aspirations towards becoming a spy and an already blooming
network of information gatherers, filled the rest of them in on who these
Valley kats likely belonged to: the Tashi. Kaleeri retrieved the memory
for him with Mind Invasion, as it made the young Desert quite
uncomfortable to not remember something. Rustam was curious about the
Tashi, of course, but he had training to attend to so quickly forgot about
the them. As an Ensign, however, they again came back to haunt him. He was
out with a group of other Ensigns on one of their few duty assignments,
cleaning up a street of prostitutes, when he came across a pair of the
kaalaas with protection: a Valley and a massive Plains. He and his two
current partners managed to arrest three of the four, narrowly missing the
Valley, but he found the escaping kat to be very familiar. After a
discussion with Eniiko, he remembered how: that was one of the
pick-pockets Ileena had described as being a part of the Tashi.
As a Soldier, with the help of Ileena's network of information and his own
determination, Rustam broke up his first actual Tashi sceme. His Sky
friend, Avrey, had been complaining of his small shop being constantly
stolen from, and Rustam and Ileena set to work investigating. As it turned
out, employees for Avrey's store and several others belonged to the Tashi.
Rustam and his small compliment of Soldiers arrived at the scene of a
large, well-planned heist at the most prosperous of these stores and
ruined the whole affair, arresting nearly all of the Tashi members. Since
then, Rustam has made it a matter of principle to be kept informed on the
Tashi's plans, as best as possible. Though he respects the family of crime
for their foresight and loyalty to each other, he still is duty-bound to
protect Alcaine from them.
Rustam is a quiet and sensible kat, always weighing options before he
decides on something and always considering the consequences of his
actions. His prudence, fighting ability, and strong sense of
responsibility qualified him for his position, but it was his
consideration for other kats, the respect he had accumulated from his
fellows, and his talent for teaching and encouraging younger recruits that
actually earned it.
gaylangel@apu.edu
