Venkatakrishnan
The Crown's Touch

Silver Deputy Regent
Silver Coil of the Vritra
Kamakshi of the Custodians of the Jail Coil
Emerald Bear of the Court of Bamboo Talons

Description


Balaram: ~With Venkatakrishnan's dark brown skin, it appears obvious that the middle-aged gentleman harkens from India. His brown-eyed gaze sparkles with pleasure and content. An upbeat smile creases early wrinkles on his roundish face. The man fills mid-ranged suits or casual denims and wools with a somewhat shapeless body. This almost suggests he's out of shape. He certainly doesn't seem athletic or "bad ass". Indeed, Venkatakrishnan seems quite ordinary, except for his optimistic nature and resolute temperament. There's a pride in his demeanor, too. His positive radiance was well earned, that of a life lived well.~

OOC: Appearance 2; Pure Breed 3; Glory 8, Virtue 9, Wisdom 9

Silkaram: ~Clothing, hair, and even skin are all shed, to be replaced with full body scaling. Venkata's Silkaram form boasts rich sienna brown hues, while the Ahi becomes longer and leaner. His limbs grow suppler, too, and end with webbed digits. His human visage becomes much more alien, much more serpentine, in nature. His forehead and nose broaden and flatten while the white teeth of his gleaming smile fuse. Short, sharp fangs replace the upper canines. Compassion seems to vanish behind a cold, reptilian expression. Nowhere is his predatory nature more evident than in those slit eyes: so focused, intent, and lethal.~

OOC: Appearance 0; Pure Breed 3; Glory 8, Virtue 9, Wisdom 9

Azhi Dahaka: ~Now you've done it. You've provoked the king of king cobras. Venkatakrishnan adopts his born war-form when it is time to dispense true justice. His torso bulges with muscle, but at the waist and below it dips into a long, wide tail that coils back some 23 feet! His scutes and scales darken in color, too, shimmering like impenetratable armor. They deepen to darker sienna brown with verdant flashes of dark green. Trunk-like, lithe arms end in long, cruel talons. A great, proud cobra hood shadows Venkata's serpentine snout. Short but deadly fangs are exposed under black-rimmed lips. Cold, slit eyes of gold and black regard his foes with clear and piercing patience. Lithe and graceful in locomotion, Venkatakrishnan is a monster of terrifying faith and exotic divinity. The silver-glazed brand on his belly displays some strange glyph, but is surely testament to his mysterious race. While he is a kind king, a just king, would you dare test his mercy's bounds?~

OOC: Appearance 0; Pure Breed 3; Delirium; Glory 8, Virtue 9, Wisdom 9

Kali Dahaka: ~Limbs disappear while Venkata's body lengthens to a frightening 30 feet! His long trunk is as thick as a man's torso. As he slithers smoothly along the ground or through the trees, muscle ripples under the great serpent's sienna brown scales, scales that allow for a few mottles of dark green. His tan-brown underside is lighter in shade than his top, and still displays a faded version of that Nagah symbol on his belly. Actually viewing Venkatakrishnan in the puissant Kali Dahaka shape is rare, for he uses his natural camouflage well in the grass or among the trees. Seeing him coiled with that great hood flared is rare, and surely anticipates a certain death.~

OOC: Appearance 0; Pure Breed 3; Glory 8, Virtue 9, Wisdom 9

Vasuki: ~In this mundane disguise, Venkatakrishnan seems anything but normal. As the largest terrestrial venomous snake on the planet, noticing his presence would certainly startle most. About sixteen feet long, this king cobra's colorations are typical of his species: dark brown with dark green mottles. But they possess a fine shine and shimmer as he is clearly a fine example of his kind. The great cobra slithers and snakes through the fields and forests. His slit eyes stay focused on the earth and trees it calls home. A simple and natural predator, the wise have little to fear from his passage. The king cobra's hood isn't even visible unless provoked to rear back to a mass of powerful coils and display this signature crown. Yes, one must really peeve this Vasuki to obtain such a reaction. Why be a fool?~

OOC: Appearance 2; Pure Breed 3; Glory 8, Virtue 9, Wisdom 9

"Life should be like silk: soft, rich, vibrant, and sheer. It is the same with death."

History


Naja Prince

Excellent omens heralded the birth of the Ahi, Venkatakrishnan. His parents were devoted lovers, Nagah serving in the same Nest. Upala, or "Diamond Tears", was a Kamsa Vasuki. Loknoth Chanji, also called "Karmic Bells" was Kamakshi Balaram. Their mating was well conceived and Venkatakrishnan's birth well planned. They all along intended him to be born in spring as Kamakshi, like his father. Venkata wasn't an only child, however. His mother bred not long later with a serpent Kinfolk, and he became half-brother to a nest of normal king cobras. His father would take a gentle young Kinfolk woman as a lover two years after his birth, and she would provide Venkata another half-brother of human stock: Dasras.

But Venkata was most beloved, and not just because he was Trueborn. Though trapped in the frightening Azhi Dahaka form until he shed his First Skin, he was a kind, gentle, and sympathetic youth. He matured quickly, due to the influence of his serpentine heritage's lifespan. Venkata had the great boon of being reared in one of the westernmost hengeyokai Beast-Courts. Delhi, India hosted the Court of Autumn Eyes, which was located on a wilderness preservation. This preservation was founded on a large island in the middle of the river. Venkata had a beautiful environment in which to grow up. His Vritra parents did their best to raise him whenever they could. Their duties to the Nest kept them away from home all too often. But Venkata was surrounded with kind-hearted relatives and cousins, all who pitched in to raise him like any Kin in the Court.

And he learned well in those first three years of his life, growing swiftly from infanthood to puberty. Nagrai Kolar, also called "Hails Rain" and the Regent of the Court, encouraged Venkata to learn early. The Ahi learned the Mandates of the Emerald Mother and the Duties of the Nagah by heart. A sense of morality, propriety, and reverence was also built into the Ahi. Venkata was to act with compassion, fulfill protocols and go through all proper channels, and honor the gods and heavens any time he rendered judgment and killed. For that, he was warned, would be his duty as Nagah -- to assassinate the traitors to Gaia. Venkata accepted that and began to grow into the role. He soon searched and hunted for his own food among fish and small animals instead of letting himself be fed.

First Skin

That was what Venkatakrishnan was up to in 1973 when destiny knocked. Though only three years old, he had physically and emotionally matured to the equivalent of an adolescent. The Ahi was hunting tasty carp in the nearby river one afternoon. Out of the blue, huge carp that were twisted and possessed by evil spirits assaulted the young Nagah. Venkata defended himself as well as he could. But he was outnumbered and arguably outclassed.

Thus, it was panic that drove Venkata to shed his First Skin. The Kamakshi took the huge but more aquatically agile form of Kali Dahaka. The powerful and large snake jetted away from his piscine pursuit. Panic was soon replaced with a killer's cutting edge and Venkata purposely led the fomori carp back to the Dragon Nest. There Guardians of the Court, many of whom were huge and frightening Water Monsters, fell upon the demon spawn and sent them back to hell.

After that close encounter, Venkatakrishnan was taken back under wing. He already learned exceptionally well the laws and ways of the hengeyokai. Venkata understood the duties of the Nagah and respected the culture of the Beast-Courts. He simply needed awhile to hone his shapeshifting abilities. His parents watched on in pride as the Ahi learned to adopt all of his wereserpent forms. While in Balaram (human shape), his parents took him to the city to learn how to mingle among humanity. Venkata was no stranger to humans: his little brother and many others at the Court were homids. But he was fairly ignorant of the society of mankind at large. Among so many prey-like animals in the city, Venkata learned how to control his cold and killing Rage. In early spring of 1974, Venkatakrishnan was deemed ready to become an adult of hengeyokai society.

Rite of Passage

He just had to pass a test first, like all hengeyokai! Venkatakrishnan had to find where those warped demon-carp dwelled and destroy them. With great stealth and patience, the Kamakshi waited until one of the twisted creatures swam by. He trailed the carp back to its watery lair. But the water around the fallen logs and rubble that served as their lair was polluted and Venkata could not get closer without intense pain and sickness: such was the curse of the Ahi. He had to lure the carp out and destroy them without fear of being overwhelmed, as he nearly was a few months prior.

So Venkata turned to the marvels of human technology. Specifically, he sought handy human weapons to employ against the demon-carp. Remembering his father's explanation of what those round metal balls with the pins did, Venkata opted to steal a couple of hand grenades. Venkata went into the city to find the weapons. He assumed the Vasuki form and slipped into the yard of a temple dedicated to serpents. When one of India's well-armed security guards relaxed nearby, he stole the grenades from the guard when the man was half-asleep in the warm afternoon sun.

Venkata returned to the polluted site and waited until night, when the demon-carp would sleep. Like normal carp, they were largely diurnal. From above the water, suspended from a tree branch, Venkata dropped the grenades down into the lair. The explosions shuddered the underwater currents and bits of demon-carp slowly surfaced. But he only evened the odds. Venkata dove into the fresher waters and hissed a challenge to the survivors. The ensuing melee was soon decided, as his potent venom finished off the bakemono.

Thuggees

Once Venkata shed his First Skin, he began to age as humans do. He didn't have to wait long to jump into the fray. Duty beckoned even before his First Skin, for a Nest assigned to the city of Delhi, the Electrum Fangs, lost its Kamsa the year before in a heated firefight. Venkata humbly joined Kiran, a Vasuki Kartikeyya, also called "Moonlance", and Natesa Vijaya, "Driven Steel" and a Balaram Kali, in their tasks. In short time, Venkatakrishnan proved to be a reliable and stalwart pillar of strength and sagacity. He was clever and wise beyond his years. Venkata kept his Nestmates' spirits up with his optimistic and jovial nature.

The Kamakshi fulfilled his role with compassionate and gentle behavior towards potential targets...and more often, the Nest's targets' oblivious victims. The Nest's primary concern was Ratkin of the Thuggee Plague. These merciless fanatics cared little for who or what they murdered. While wererats had a right to "thin the herds", the Nagah were very dubious of the Ratkin's judgment as to who ought to be purged. The Thuggees used traditional weapons of assassination, but many lusted for weapons of mass destruction. However, Venkata always proved brave, even fearless, despite these threats. The Nestmate he replaced was slain by some Ratkin's explosive device, after all. Worse, many of the Electrum Fangs' missions took them near the polluted, stagnant waters of the city's sewer system.

While serving his Nest, Venkata's first "judgment" was, in fact, of a Thuggee Twitcher. This mad bomber threatened too many lives and did so in the name of human religion. Ratkin madness? BAAAAA! Wrong answer. No excuse. The Electrum Fangs hunted him down, observed him to discern his motivations, and finally silenced him before he blew up another grocery store. Unfortunately, this Twitcher was but the herald of a brutal Low War the Thuggee intended to wage on the Electrum Fangs and their hengeyokai brethren.

Low War

This Low War began in '77. The Thuggees picked the fight by murdering Kinfolk planted in Delhi. Venkata's Nest was dispatched as the Court's primary defense against these killers. The Electrum Fangs decided the best way to catch the Thuggees was to use "rat bait". Venkatakrishnan, after conferring with his father, was able to use Dasras for this function. The boy and his Kin mother went shopping in the market every late afternoon close to dusk, when the shop owners were starting to close up. And Venkata and his Nestmates patiently watched, waiting to see who would dare make a move.

The bid paid off. When Thuggees slinked out of their crevices, preparing to stab the Kinfolk to death, the Nagah intervened in the alley's dark shadows. Two were slaughtered outright, one by Venkata's own wrathful hand (or fangs, rather). The other was pounced and subdued, bound in silver wire. The Nest interrogated the Knife Skulker, learning all they could of the Thuggees' dismal sewer lairs. The prisoner was then executed, but his confession permitted a quick and painless demise.

Then Venkata joined his Electrum Fangs in their descent into the sewers. The youngest of the three, and the Kamakshi to boot, he intended to mainly provide support to his more efficient Nest-brother and sister. He would provide healing, carried the extra tools and munitions, and dug in for many unpleasant trips. Many of the Ratkin warren's waters were polluted and thus dangerous to the Ahi. All the same, their enemies were numerous. They fought past swarms of regular rats sent to stop them. They anticipated ambushes and countered brutal offenses. Ratkin were nothing if not prepared to wage an urban guerilla war.

But the Electrum Fangs were the best of the best that the Court of Autumn Eyes had. And many Thuggees fell to their potent venom over the next year. The Ratkin wanted a war, but found it brought right to their doorstep. When so many perished, their hostilities towards the hengeyokai ended fully. When the Thuggees vied for a truce with the Beast-Court, Venkatakrishnan spoke on behalf of his Nest. He was both eloquent and forgiving in his speech, and the gai'nan leaders agreed to a truce with the glowering but beaten Ratkin. For all his efforts in the past few years, Venkata was then accorded the Rank of Razored Arrow. The Nest gave him privacy in their Ananta home, where he communed with spirit agents of the Wani. He was rewarded with Gifts and reiterated his promise to serve Gaia as Her Judge until death.

"V"

From then on for a solid decade, Venkatakrishnan became the Nest's spokesman. In Delhi, he spoke for all Nagah's interests when he began to represent special interests groups that sought to protect the environment. His role took off when a textiles plant began to dump waste products and other chemical pollutants into the Ganges River. Venkata approached the factory's owners and managers with diplomacy and gentility. But his claims and requests were rejected as baseless and that it was "none of his business anyway". This would be a long fight that would get nowhere.

Restraining his Rage at such ignorant remarks, the Ahi turned to other sources. He quelled his Nestmates' own wrath as well, promising he would get it done his way. He turned to local politicians. Unfortunately, most of them were getting kickbacks from industrial syndicates, and likewise ignored Venkata. They promised to help, sure, but "bureaucratic red tape was slowing their efforts down". Nonplussed, Venkata turned to the people, the groups he represented indirectly. He gathered their aid and riled support in the city. Peaceful marches and demonstrations soon blossomed from Venkata's grassroots efforts.

In time, the government began to buckle under this pressure. Inspectors were soon sent to factories all over the city. The crackdown forced changes in industrial methodologies. While that increased the factories' expenses and forced them to lay off some workers, the environmental groups were happier. Venkata was definitely a lot happier. He could return to his river home without dying. The Ahi didn't stop with that textiles plant, and continued to marshal environmental support over the years. Soon people began to call him "V", taking it as an English analog to "victory!". When the policies were restructured and pollutants halted, Venkata even went down to the river with these groups and helped clean them all up. And when the humans weren't around, he recruited other hengeyokai to help purify the areas spiritually.

Of course, over these years, Venkata didn't neglect his Nagah duties. He continued to serve with his Nest. They kept a close eye on the shapeshifters of Delhi, particularly the Thuggees. The Electrum Fangs were charged with insuring that these Ratkin held up their end of the truce, which was simply no more killing of hengeyokai Kinfolk. Fortunately, the Ratkin didn't try anything over that decade. Once more, Venkatakrishnan proved his worth to Gaia. He was accorded the next Rank and learned even more Gifts at the feet of the Wani. As traditionally true of the Nagah, no Rank challenges were necessary. In fact, Venkata never asked to be recognized for Rank. That was not how Nagah, even in the Beast-Courts, operated. Rank was always awarded to them by their grand elders, the Sesha.

Judging Within: Wired's Radar Ears

And it was at the Sesha's request that the Electrum Fangs step back to more managerial duties at the Court. A younger Nest was to be given a chance to patrol the city. Venkatakrishnan began to train future Nagah and other hengeyokai in how to kill...and when it was proper not to kill. He was given an assistant gai'nan rank as Lieutenant to the General. While resting in the Court of Autumn Eyes, he and his Nestmates were charged also to observe the other hengeyokai especially. Even with the wisdom of the Makara guiding the Court's hands, it was all too easy for members to walk too far astray from their true dharmic paths.

A Thuggee named Shaktar Muni, aka "Wired", joined the Court in the early 90s. This wererat seemed genuinely disgruntled with his Plague's lifestyle and wanted something more. But Venkatakrishnan suspected ulterior motives. The Electrum Fangs began to observe the Ratkin only a few months after he joined. Shaktar was paying too close attention to the gai'nan at times. Venkata noticed him even sneaking up towards secret meetings of the Court elders to eavesdrop.

Finally, the Nest abducted Shaktar. They administered a truth serum to the captive. Venkata asked the questions and learned soon enough that he was indeed a spy that the Thuggees sent. They didn't want to start another war, but they were curious about what their old hengeyokai rivals were up to. The Electrum Fangs kept Shaktar as a prisoner for a few days. They discussed and debated whether or not Shaktar should be assassinated. He was violating the truce, after all. Sending in scouts and spies was a prologue to war, even if the Thuggees professed no interest in it now. Shaktar knew too many secrets about the hengeyokai on top of that. Venkata was in full support of the wererat's execution. The Nest each bit him, insuring his quick demise.

Judging Within: Windwheels' Adharma

Then in the mid 90s, a Stargazer joined the Court. This young werewolf practiced Kailindo, the shapeshifting martial art that the Stargazers developed. Her name was Ramya Windwheels, but she was an unusually meditative creature. She occasionally took lessons from Venkata, and he realized she was a deeply insightful and sensitive woman. More than that, she was a self-proclaimed pacifist. Though she practiced fighting, Ramya stated that the physical training added her mental focus. She refused to ever actually use it and fight at all. Venkata warned her that it was her duty. Garou were the Warriors of Gaia. Ramya just shrugged in obvious disagreement.

To test the veracity of her pacifism, in the hopes that she would abandon it on the instincts of the Garou which usually overrided such human beliefs, Venkata hired a gang of street punks. When Ramya was walking through town one night, he ordered the thugs to jump her and beat her. And that was just what the gang did. And yet even then, Ramya demonstrated strength of will and refused to defend herself. She was beaten to the ground, and then they even raped her. Ramya's rapine was certainly not part of the bargain for which "V" hired those punks. He fell upon them in Azhi Dahaka savagery and left gruesome remains for the police to puzzle about. Venkata took the unconscious Stargazer back to the Dragon Nest.

Back at the Court, Venkatakrishnan saw to Ramya's healing and care. While nursing the battered werewolf, who was stricken more by what happened to her emotionally than physically, the Ahi communed with his Nestmates and the gai'nan. They all agreed that Ramya was a danger to herself and to the hengeyokai...and to the Emerald Mother Herself. If Ramya was born a Warrior of Gaia but refused to make war in any fashion, she was definite baggage. Venkata suggested they give Ramya one last test: the Nest would go to meet her and tell her why and how she would die. They would attack her there, and if she refused to fight then her adharma was proven. If she finally learned to stand up for herself at least, then the Nagah would spare her life. The confrontation that ensued, however, only fortified what they all feared. Ramya looked upon her assassins, her Courtmates, and shook her head. Venkata delivered death to her personally, gently ending her life with Nagah venom and Gifts that took away her pain.

Corruption, Inc.

The later 90s birthed a much more dangerous threat. The textile plants and other industrial centers were back and polluting once more. And once again, government inspectors weren't doing their jobs. Worse, the toxins these factories were dumping were untraceable and unrecognizable by the one chemist in the Court. The hengeyokai suspected supernatural origins.

Outraged, Venkata and the Electrum Fangs had no intent to go about it peacefully this time. Humanity had its chance to play nice about the environment in their town. So the Nest went on the aggressive. They broke into factories and investigated fervently. The Nagah learned that these companies were all subsidiaries of other subsidiaries. The paper trail ran back to a greater mega-corporation based in America: Pentex. The industrial espionage was reported but the local police had no idea who the perpetrators were. With the local police helpless against the Nest, the company sent its own security force in defense.

And this security team was dispatched to the rivers in search of the "critters" responsible for the break-ins. In actuality, it was First Team #28, dispatched from Pentex headquarters itself, and comprised of all sorts of hellions. Badass mercenary soldiers, horrifying fomori demons, and even a fallen werewolf of the Black Spiral Dancer Tribe all membered the team. They were all Americans and stuck out like sore thumbs on the shores of the Ganges, even with their weapons and infernal powers concealed. The stink of the Wyrm was almost overpowering around this well-trained and organized force. But the Nest was much better trained and organized. The well-experienced Vritra fell upon the team in deadly guerilla-style attacks, plucking off one or two here and there. They targeted the team's obvious leaders, sapping morale and overexciting the beasts. They sprang a final ambush and slaughtered every merc, every bakemono, and the werewolf as well.

Three Hoods, Eight Legs

Clearly, the corruption was worse than Venkatakrishnan thought. They suspected more corrupt shapeshifters would be found involved with these industries. He and the Nest stole back into the factories for more information. And what better place to discover more information than a computer chip factory? Through the Mirror Lands they crept this time. They interrogated spirits they encountered along the way, and learned that a Hatar werespider named Peter Wyscott made its home in this factory. The Nest returned to the physical world and crept through the ventilation shafts in their Vasuki forms. The Hatar had clearly anticipated further intrusions, for the spider webbing in the ducts grew thicker and thicker. The Nest underestimated the durability of that webbing, and soon the three of them were stuck. Unfortunately, by disturbing the webs, they also alerted the Hatar. Peter immediately alerted Pentex security teams in the building.

The guards tried firebombing the Nest in the ventilation system. They tried poison gas. But the weresnakes only hissed in response. Wounded and driven to panic, the three Nagah burst free of the webbing and fled the building. The Hatar was a definite villain and not one to be taken lightly. The Electrum Fangs decided to play the werespider's game of patience. They waited and watched the computer works for months for a time when the Ananasi would leave the facility. That was the only mistake Peter would have to make. And eventually, the Hatar did screw up. He was tired of being "spoon-fed" his human food. He gave into instincts and went hunting.

Venkata's Nestmate, Natesa, lured Peter into the Nest's trap. The attractive Kali flirted with Peter and seemed willing to duck into an alley with him for some quick kissing. That was where Venkata and Kiran waited and sprung their deadly trap. While their venom had only limited effect on the Hatar, Peter was wounded enough and prudent enough to try and flee. The man suddenly turned into a mass of brown recluse spiders, fleeing the Nagah. But they were prepared for the Crawlerling and Molotov cocktails ended the Hatar's life.

Blood-Devils

Besides sporadic clashes with bakemono, Venkatakrishnan had little experience with other brands of shen. Around the turn of century, that experience changed. A company of Kin-jin vampires of the Ravnos Clan arrived to Delhi and began to sniff around the city in search of knowledge. They were hungry not just for blood but occult truths regarding all manner of supernatural creatures.

Dasras, Venkata's little half-brother, became one of their chance victims. They captured, interrogated, and finally murdered the Kinfolk man for his secrets of hengeyokai. The secrecy of the Nagah was now terribly threatened. The Electrum Fangs had no recourse but to aid the other Nagah in the city in tracking down these fiends and slaying them all. Venkata was only too eager to avenge his innocent brother anyway!

The Nagah discovered their venom was only half-effective against the Kin-jin without the use of advanced Gifts. Worse, these vampires could command potent illusions to mislead, confuse, or even harm the weresnakes. Venkata led the Nests in a more stealthy operation. They discovered the Ravnos' communal havens and assaulted them by daylight. The Vritra tore open the vampires' roofs and exposed them all to Surya's radiance. The undead went up in flames and the secrets of the Nagah went with them.

Severity in Vigilance

After protecting the secret of the existence of the Nagah from Western devils, Venkatakrishnan was promoted to Thunder Chakram. The Sesha summoned Venkata from the Court in 2002. He separated from the Electrum Fangs, sorrowfully departing from his beloved Nestmates. But they too were taking on elder responsibilities; they were of higher Rank than even he now. The Sesha had special responsibilities for Venkata, too, since he was a Nagah with almost thirty years of experience. He became the spokesman for all of the Vritra, and became known as the Crown's Touch. As part of his new role, Venkata traveled across the Middle Kingdom. He visited China, Southeast Asia, the Malay Peninsula, the Indonesian and Polynesian islands, Japan, and Korea.

During his journey, he met many other hengeyokai and other Nagah. He enjoyed his time abroad, learning of other cultures and peoples. He realized, however, that more judgment was needed in Beast-Courts around the Far East. In general, it was due to there not being enough Nagah to adequately police other Beast-Courts and present a true hint of threat to their fellow hengeyokai to stay in line. Many little problems caught his attention during the travels. But it wasn't just a lack of law enforcers, so to speak. It was more a lack of willingness to fully enforce those laws. The Mandates of the Emerald Mother were often improperly defined in distant Courts, and the Nagah were too hesitant to enforce the laws.

Venkata brought this to the Sesha's attention. Ahh, but that was what the wise old Snakes wanted him to realize. He would head up a new Nest who's concern would be to police other Nests. And their mission would begin in the most distant Beast-Court of all: Kansas City's Little Asia immigrant community. There a Beast-Court was set up and it fell to Venkata to insure the Nagah Nest established there, the Custodians of the Jade Coil, would enact their duties responsibly and entirely.

Furthermore, with so many hengeyokai immigrants flocking to this Court of Bamboo Talons, one Nest was not enough. So Venkatakrishnan took care of his final business in Asia. He purchased Ahm, a Nagah Kinfolk he discovered held as a slave-whore in Vietnam, from the brothel in which she served. Together, the pair moved to America. There Venkata promised Ahm a new life while reiterating his promise to the Emerald Mother that he would never fail Her.



Past Life


Venkatakrishnan reaches back to the past and recalls a number of ancestors. Unfortunately, most of them weren't so compassionate as he is. Originally, Venkata reached back for these shadows of the past for combat lore. He let cold-hearted warriors ride his spirit to be more effective when it came time to wage war, to destroy. As his own genuine martial expertise grew with time, however, his need to tap these memories lessened. But instead of losing his link to the past, Venkata explored other venues of wisdom that his crueler ancestors boasted. Now he raids the pantry of ancestral knowledge for lore regarding the Khurah. For as much as he knows, his lineage at whole knows much more. When tapping his past lives, Venkatakrishnan clears his mind of all present and future distractions. He meditates upon the sacred word of OM and the past is revealed.



Fetishes


Scar Fetish
Level: 3
Gnosis: 4
Origin: This fetish was emblazed into Venkata's belly back in the Middle Kingdom prior to his assignment to the Court of Bamboo Talons and the pending Nest.
Description: This is a mystical Vritra glyph branded in silver on his belly just above the navel. A Chameleon-spirit was worked into the branding.
Effects: 1) disguise true nature against Scent of the True Form (and similar powers)
Activation: He must simply concentrate to activate the fetish's power. With extra effort (spending a Willpower point), he can attune its magic for 24 hours.



Nest

Coming soon!

Significant Other


Through his well-established connection of people on all different levels of society back in Southeast and Southwest Asia, Venkatakrishnan learned of Ahm. A slave-girl in a Ho Chi Minh brothel, Venkata learned that her heritage might make her part of the Nagah family. The Hush of the River's Kin network was scattered and dispersed long ago, but they kept track of a number of families. Ahm was one such descendant. So, Venkata traveled to the capitol of Vietnam and simply purchased her from her prostituting owners. Broken in spirit, she was not beyond mending. Venkata took her back to Delhi until his move to America. And he's now spoiling the young woman rotten! He rains upon her affection and gifts, showing her life beyond the cheap plaster walls of the whorehouse, and falling in love with the sweet girl whose innocence is long gone. But Venkata's plan is simple. He wants Ahm to fall in love with him. He hopes she wants to stay his slave, his mate. Ahm seemed to prove she did, for in early 2007 the two mated after months of timed rituals and prayers. She gave birth later in the year to a Trueborn Kamsa, which she named Ca Huynh –- a name whose meaning suggested there would be more children to come.

Ahm

Weakness
Salvage Operator


Venkatakrishnan answers his Auspice's expectations whole-heartedly. In fact, he may go too far sometimes. The Ahi wants to save all kinds of people, places, and things. Too often this may get in the way of his real duties. He's Gaia's Assassin, not Her Conservationist. There is such a thing as too much compassion.

Likelihood of Corruption


Very low.

Calm, patient, compassionate, objectively perceptive, spirit-savvy, and sagacious: Venkatakrishnan won't likely fall to corruption in any form ever.



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