Ramel gave a leg, making sure never to meet the Mistress' eyes. "Yes, mi'lady. I-I..." he swallowed hard, discomfort showing plainly on Ramel's face, though Bel'Kaal felt none of it. He forced a stammer again.

"P-please forgive me, m-m-mistress, I d-did not know you w-would b-be here. I-I j-j-just..." He trailed off, edging towards the door, keeping his eyes carefully on Sanna's feet. Bel'Kaal sneered inwardly at her pompous frilly dress, fabric for the sake of fabric; a waste.

BelKaal rose with Aver before the sun, prepared for his task of the day. As the man chatted, trying so hard to make everything normal and cheery for the 'depressed' Ramel, BelKaal ran through lists of things he had to do in his head. Servant duties - clean the rooms before noon, wait on nobles, don't be seen. Real duties - keep eye out for higher-ranking servant, find a way to stay near nobles, listen in on conversations. The lists continued running, reviewing over and over.

"I think you're right," Ramel said, cutting off Aver's chatter, "I will attend Mistress Sanna today." Convenient that he would suggest one of my targets. He gave Aver a weak smile.

Aver's face broke into a large grin. "Excellent! That will cheer you up, I just know it!" He finished shuffling the pathetic blankets around, and strode to the door. "I have to attend Master Hector today." He grimaced. "Good luck!" With that, Aver quickly and quietly moved out into the hall and closed the door, leaving BelKaal alone in the room.

BelKaal's unnaturally large ear was pressed against the door a second later. The increased size allowed him to hear Aver's footsteps quite clearly move down the hallway on the other side of the door. When the footsteps had almost faded, BelKaal turned to Aver's pile of clothing and scraps. It was rather neat, though modest would have been a very generous description of the pile's size. Sifting through it didn't take long, but it didn't matter; the pile was useless to BelKaal.

Couldn't expect much from a servant anyway, he thought, replacing a fold in the fabric, making sure the pile looked exactly as Aver had left it. Servants could be very picky about their possessions, BelKaal had discovered. Not surprising, given how little they possessed. Either way, Aver had nothing of use, and BelKaal needed to get attend 'Mistress Sanna'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BelKaal navigated his way around the armchairs spread around the hearth, polishing the wood and making sure the pillows were fluffed properly. Sanna's sitting room was filled with expensive trinkets, ornaments, and, for some reason, copious amount of throw pillows scattered everywhere. There was a large pile of boxes on and around an ornate table, and the room was overwhelmingly pink.

Such lavish wealth, he thought picking up Sanna's breakfast tray, bought with Father's atium and human lives. Can't they see how they hurt the world in their greed? Still, even if he didn't like the flaunting the nobles did, he had a job to do. Getting himself whipped for being inefficient wouldn't help his true goal.

The door swung open, and BelKaal froze, trying to remain as invisible as possible in the pink environment. His livery had a few slashes of pink specifically for serving in Sanna's quarters, but he still stood out. He shouldn't have lingered in her quarters so long, even if she wasn't supposed to be back for another few hours at the earliest. Whoever walked through the doors probably wouldn't be pleased finding him there...

The halls of Keep Tekiel were cold and nearly silent in the early hours of the morning. An open second-floor window and some deft climbing had been all BelKaal needed to get inside the keep. There had been a few tense moments with guard patrols, but he hadn't been truly worried; if they had caught him, they would have only found a servant they had assumed missing. A few beatings and he would be back to work, if not in a particularly comfortable arrangement.

Fortunately, BelKaal had gotten inside unmolested and unharmed. He slipped down the stone corridor, stepping silently on the lush carpet. Felicity had gotten ahold of a good body - a servant in the higher levels of Keep Tekiel, near enough to the main quarters to allow relatively easy access, but not close enough for a servant's week-long absence to arouse too much suspicion.

BelKaal turned down a side corridor, off the main carpet and onto the cool stone floor. There were a few servant chambers hidden back here; small alcoves just large enough for two servants and their pitiful belongings. At least, what could be called belongings of servants barely better than skaa - changes of clothes, different jackets for serving different nobles, the occasional boxing, knickknacks collected here and there.

BelKaal's current mask had gone by the name of Ramel, and the file Felicity had given BelKaal had said the room he shared was with a man named Aver.

The door squeaked slightly on its badly oiled hinges as BelKaal opened it, taking a look around. There was a snoring mound on a pallet in one corner that was undoubtedly Aver. The rest of the tiny room was tidy, a pile of clothes near each of the two pallets, and a few pristine serving uniforms hung on a hook on the wall. Not seeing anything out of place, BelKaal slid into the room and closed the door behind himself with a snap.

The mound shifted mid-snore, cutting off and tossing blankets up. A pale, wiry man sat up immediately, eyes fixed on BelKaal - no, on Ramel - with shock. He had obviously been expecting someone else.

"Ramel!" the man exclaimed, pushing the blankets off the rest of the way, "you're back! What happened to you? Some of the others have been starting to wonder where you got off to. I told them about the note you left saying you went to see some people in the city, but I think they were thinking you had been able to run away....."

"No," Ramel told Aver miserably, "Who could escape Luthadel? I've talked about it before, but let's be reasonable...." He trailed off, trying to convey a downtrodden sentiment. Ramel had tried running away, but Felicity had nabbed him before he got very far. From the profile, a dejected runaway would be the best way to imitate Ramel. It would also allow BelKaal an opening to throw himself into his work and avoid contact with the servants for a while. At least, long enough until he could change bodies.

"I'm just.... so tired," Ramel sighed, really laying on the depression, "I just need to sleep. Maybe I'll feel better in the morning. I should get a good start ...." Ramel reached for the blankets on the other pallet, dropping down on top of it.

Aver's eyes opened wider a little. "You should go work up near Mistress Sanna's quarters today! I'm sure that would cheer you up! I know how much you like listening to her talk..."

Ramel looked up, smiling faintly at Aver. Perfect. "Yes, that sounds great. Now let's get some sleep. I'll need to do my best if I'm with Mistress Sanna tomorrow." Especially if I'm going to find someone better than this to imitate. BelKaal lay down, pretending to drift off, listening to Aver climb back down and begin snoring again.

BelKaal watched Felicity leave, not even bothering to add in the honorific in his mind. Anyone who named themselves "Mother" when they knew the Kandra named the Lord Ruler "Father" obviously thought themselves far above their station. She was certainly an odd one, though. BelKaal hadn't ever met an obligator quite like her.

Relaxing a bit with his new mistress out of the room, BelKaal glanced through the notes again, mentally marking passages he would have to examine thoroughly when he read through the folder. Placing the folder back on the desk, BelKaal stripped off the clothing the skaa had been wearing and started the process of dissolving his new body.

The woman's comments surprised BelKaal. She actually seemed genuinely concerned with Father's interests. Of course, most of his former masters claimed to be so inclined, but had quickly proven otherwise. A few comments wouldn't gain her BelKaal's trust so easily.

Following the woman into the next room, BelKaal wasn't surprised to see several bodies, neatly arranged. His former Contract-holders had provided him bodies quickly, if with not such a great selection. Wait, did she just say five other Kandra? Who in the world was this woman? Even with Ministry backing, that was quite a bit of atium. At least that explained her rather extensive knowledge of Kandra, if not why she was so interested.

Glancing at the body she had gestured to, BelKaal knelt down beside it. The man had probably been dead for no more than a week. BelKaal grimaced slightly; the man had been preserved rather well, but getting the terrible taste of formaldehyde out of the bones would take days.

BelKaal picked up the folder, quickly flipping through its contents. "Copying his body should only take about an hour, though learning about him may take longer; I should be able to slip in with the other servants by morning. Is there anything else you need, or should I get started right away?"

BelKaal felt a small shock when the woman pushed back her hood, revealing her tattoos. Those were obligator tattoos! BelKaal hadn't worked under a female obligator before, and he didn't know how many even existed. Very much the minority, he supposed. But what was she doing in a shop like this?

"The body I wear is, as you said, of convenience. It does not matter whose form I take, though I prefer imitating servants. Nobles are....much harder to imitate, since they are the center of attention. Being someone directly underneath, however, is preferable." BelKaal paused, musing at how appropriate her questions were. Straight to the point, and just the right ones to ask; this wasn't the first time she had dealt with a Kandra.

"As for your other questions," BelKaal continued, "I can act well enough to fool those I need to, and my control over my forms is good enough to get by." He demonstrated quickly, holding out his arm and detaching the bones at the elbow. After spinning around the forearm in a sickening rotation, BelKaal secured the bones back in their proper places. He then changed his skin color to match that of the plant next to him, and then clear, before returning everything to normal.

"Like all Kandra, I have to remember unique details about an individual that I will be imitating. Thus, I'm sure you will find my powers of observation more than sufficient." BelKaal watched with curiosity as the woman scribbled everything he said down. It was odd to have such conspicuous notes be taken about him. What was this obligator's motives? Most masters would simply give him a task and set him about it; none seemed genuinely curious into what his strengths were.

"If I may ask," BelKaal said, when she paused in her writing, "what did you mean when you said my skills are needed?"

BelKaal stepped inside, glancing around at the various plants and oddities that littered the shop. Was that a mistwraith? He chose to keep his mouth shut, rather than start to question some of the stranger things he saw.

At the old woman's rather obvious reference, BelKaal turned towards her and nodded his head slightly. "Indeed, I am the one you have summoned. My name is BelKaal, and I am here to serve as the Contract requires." He ended with a short, stiff bow.

What secrets did this woman hold? How had she gotten enough atium to pay for his Contract? And were those....faint tattoos on her face? It was hard to tell, but they looked slightly familiar....

BelKaal watched the small apothecary's shop across the street, trying to see any movement in the cracks between boards. There was a soft light seeping out from inside, and it would occasionally dim as someone passed across it.

One, maybe two people inside, BelKaal thought, staying in the shadows of the alley he occupied. He was no warrior, but knowing where possible enemies were helped when one needed to run. As far as he could tell - which, for a Kandra, was pretty precise - this was the location of his new Contract-holder. Not quite what I was expecting, he thought, thinking of all the nobles he had served over the centuries. Petty noble after petty noble, scheming ways to make themselves richer while destroying others. Despicable.

BelKaal wore a skaa's body, one he had found when he arrived at Luthadel, buried under ash beside a canal. He had abandoned the Terrisman body he used for traveling, burying the bones where he would be able to find them again for the journey back the the Homeland. A Terrisman was much less conspicuous than a rogue skaa while traveling, just in case he came across anyone.

He heard a shuffling behind him from the other end of the alleyway. Time to go, BelKaal thought, slipping across the street to the doorway. Let's see what kind of wretch my new master is.

Raising an ashen hand, he softly knocked on the door to the shop.

Player Information
Handle : BelKaal
Contact : AIM: TheMiniStephan, Email: mythrelmff (at) yahoo.com

Character Information
Name: BelKaal
Age: Sixth Generation
Type: Kandra
Gender: As male as a Kandra can be.
Blessing: Blessing of Presence
Marital Status: N/A

Appearance
Hair: Usually without, though, if the situation requires it, short brown.
Eyes: Usually dark blue, though when angry, deep brown
Height: Prefers taller forms
Weight: On the skinnier side for Kandra, especially when compared to Fifth generation Kandra.
Voice: Higher tenor, a bit quieter than is comfortable for general conversation, though when riled, BelKaal's voice takes on a more gruff and heavier tone to it.
Overall Appearance:In the homeland, BelKaal prefers a lanky stone True Body, though it is usually dyed a darker tan hue. In the outside world, of course, he wears whatever body he is given, so his appearance is usually in flux.

Other
Special Skills: Impersonation and Stealth
Strengths: Unusual Kandra Finesse: BelKaal can form denser muscle tissue than a normal Kandra. He learned this ability due to fragile True Bodies and a rather embarrassing clumsy streak as a young Kandra. This allows him to be more dexterous, though it can slow him down.
Weaknesses: His temper, and occasionally easily distracted.

Personality
BelKaal is a soft spoken Kandra, though he has been becoming more easily irate recently in his life. When discussing philosophical topics, BelKaal becomes more excitable, both in his anger and his enjoyment. Most of the time, however, his is lost in his own thoughts, waiting to serve those who he views as inferior, yet still above his station. He is not distracted, simply assessing his perspectives as he experiences more of the world around him.

History
BelKaal was one of many to be taken in during the birth of the Sixth Generation, but one of the few to take to the Third Generation so quickly. During his days as a recently-born Kandra, BelKaal had trouble adopting to using only two legs. Because of his unusual ailment, BelKaal was ridiculed by the others of his and the Fifth generations. Those who seemed to help him the most were those of the Third, and BelKaal quickly found friends among them. He viewed the Kandra he should have been raised with as unremarkable, tied to the Seconds with a fierce loyalty that earned them scraps like favored dogs.

In his discussions with the Thirds, BelKaal started to view the world as a harsher place, not only in the eyes of a Kandra, but in the eyes of a living being. The world was slowly deteriorating, and all the Kandra could do was serve the Contract. The nobles were wasting away the planet, and the pointless wars were only strengthening Ruin's grip on their hearts.

After his first few experiences serving nobles in the outside world, BelKaal's views on humanity had only been confirmed. Nobles were wasteful, arrogant men who couldn't see past their balls and politics. They were not worth of his talents, but again, the Contract must be served. Those without honor would continue to hire the Kandra, and BelKaal's moods were growing darker the more time he spent with the Thirds. The Seconds were going to act soon.

Roleplay Sample
"BelKaal of the Sixth Generation," KanPaar's voice called out in the small chamber, echoing slightly against the tall ceiling, "You stand before us here to accept a new Contract. Under the terms of the Contract, we have accepted payment. Will you serve?" The ritual's motions seemed stale, only a formality to disguise the true purpose of BelKaal's summons: to get him away from the Thirds.

BelKaal's activity lately had been rather upsetting to the Kandra of the Second Generation. They usually disapproved of anyone discussing what life could be like if the Kandra worked together as equals, in private or public. The seniority system that the Seconds had set up gave them all the power in the Homeland, especially when it came to any major decisions. Technically, the First Generation held the power, but they hadn't made a declaration to any Kandra except the Seconds in at least a century.

The reprehensible way that the Seconds ruled the Homeland was the main reason BelKaal continued to serve Contracts. However, outside the Homeland, the nobles were nearly as bad as the Seconds. They served Father as well, but in a way that made them seem almost...rebellious. True, they claimed to follow him, but they did not seem to take an active interest in his goals. Granted, BelKaal didn't know quite what those goals were, other than preparing for Ruin's return, but the nobles seemed to work for Ruin more than they did for Father.

The other Seconds in the room started to mutter as BelKaal took his time to answer. Usually, Kandra simply stated that they accepted the Contract and left on their journey. It wasn't something to mull over; it simply was done.

"I will accept this task you place before me," BelKaal announced, his voice stronger than usual, cutting off the chatter in the room. His eyes met KanPaar's, and he held them as he spoke again. "I accept the Contract and shall leave immediately, to prepare to serve." He would leave, just as the Contract required, and just as the Seconds wanted.

BelKaal would leave for his reasons, though, not because of the Seconds. He grabbed the paper with the details of his new Contract and strode out of the room before he let his temper get the best of him in front of those who could severely reprimand him.