Dalal Ghanam
River Whispers

Steel Assistant Seer
Jvaala of the Makara
Mirror of the Whispers of Eventide
Zarad of the Emerald Heaven Wallow
Lunar Phantom of the Court of Bamboo Talons

Description


Homid: ~With cultivation and study, you can look as wise as Dalal does. The mature Indian gentlemen emerges from un-notice, straightening the bow tie of his dun-brown tweed suit. Polished black shoes click along the pavement. An intent and thoughtful gaze lingers in Dalal's dark-brown eyes. Slender fingers rest at his bookworm body's sides. The man keeps black hair straight, though its shoulder length is often tied back into a short ponytail. Dalal stands neither tall nor strong. However, he carries himself with a quiet dignity and sagely air. Behind the man's eyes linger mysteries still to unlock.~

OOC: Appearance 2; Glory 3, Virtue 4, Wisdom 7

Archid: ~The facade of humanity falls when flesh and cloth become feathers, scales, and leathery pinions. Wings that span nearly twenty feet prepare to stretch and carry Dalal into the air. His feet mold into three-toed talons capable of wrapping around a man's skull. From behind, a long tail grows, whipping side to side in readiness. His nose and mouth conjoin and lengthen into a hardened beak filled with a hundred tiny but sharp teeth. The eyes do not lose the luster of the learned. But they do become reptilian slits, yearning also with a predator's hunger. Although Dalal appears to be pteradon of some sort, his body is covered in plush feathers. These feathers almost seem metallic in hue, shimmering from dove-white to light silver. It gives the Archid an alien beauty hard to deny. On Dalal's long snout, just above his nostrils, rests his gavial heritage. A lump of hard, scaly flesh possesses a red sheen. When aroused or angered by servants of Hell, the lump radiates heat and glows like a ruby. Dalal is a dragon, let none forget that.~

OOC: Appearance 3; Delirium; Feathers; Glory 3, Virtue 4, Wisdom 7

Suchid: ~Eighteen feet long stretches this crocodilian reptile. Light-green scales cover the gavial's lean body. Claws plod across the earth, giving the misconception that Dalal is too slow. His head bears the aware, watchful eyes of a carnivore. The long snout is filled with small but sharp teeth. The gavial hunts fish but can plant a lethal bite on anyone. At the end of Dalal's snout is the fleshy, red lump that defines his breed and its fame. Whether fertile or just feral, the gavial is best approached with care.~

OOC: Appearance 2; Glory 3, Virtue 4, Wisdom 7

"Every note, every beat, every voice calls to me through the oceans of time. If you want to listen to the rhythm of eternity, take my hand."

History


Youth

For Dalal, dreams did come true. His vision began in Patna, India, which was not far from the Ganges River. Born Vaishya, Dalal's father was a successful musician. His father was a master of the sitar and ran a business that sold and built classical instruments. His mother was the daughter of a textile plant owner. His father fed Dalal stories from his youth about dragons, tales passed down from his grandmother. Because although the Ghanams were unaware of this, the blood of Water Monsters ran in their veins.

While Dalal's family was not especially wealthy, he was able to attend a private academy. The school focused on an artistic curriculum. Dalal did gain an academic foundation. But he also learned to love philosophy and religion from an early age. Indeed, Dalal had a knack for humanities. At home, he learned how to play the sitar. In fact, he inherited his father's talent and adoration of the instrument. And his parents instilled traditional values and appreciation for his culture, even the outlawed caste system. Above all, Dalal fell in love with music. His thoughtful mind went beyond the mere performance of music. Dalal was much more intent upon the meaning and symbolism of the art. Dalal lacked his father's skill in building and repairing musical instruments. Dalal wasn't even interested in this aspect of a musician's life. As Dalal aged, his father warned him that he might find it hard to make a living with just talent!

But Dalal was too much of a dreamer to listen. One of his most consistent and odd dreams were throwbacks to the bedtime stories of dragons Dalal heard. In this dream, Dalal heard his music played, sitar sounds strumming away. The dreamscape was a vast, cloudy horizon. Floating up from below the horizon (out of the sea?) were twelve hydra-like dragon-beasts. Each hydra bore two heads and the right head bore a red, fleshy lump on the end of its snout. This symbolized the continuum of life, even as the dragons epitomized death and destruction. Their long necks swayed side to side to the rhythm of the music. Dalal felt like he was producing the music and that he must continue to keep the dragons placid and calm. He didn't fully understand the symbolism and themes of this dream, but he was never quite afraid. He had to play music? That was fine by him!

Then after graduating from his grade school, Dalal was ready for university. He wanted to pursue his dreams despite his father's misgivings. He moved to Delhi to attend college there for a musical degree. This was a well-renowned university, too -- where Ravi Shankar studied. Dalal plunged into his studies there, but found time for the first time to date. His girlfriend also majored in music but their relationship didn't become serious. Mostly, that was due to Dalal's insistence on proper and traditional courting and marital arrangements. For the first two years of attendance, Dalal pushed towards his goals. His dreams of dragons continued to visit his sleep. As he got older, he understood them more. And the emotional intensity of the dreams, especially regarding the music, only grew.

First Change & Tutelage

So one fall afternoon, Dalal visited the Ganges River for a bit of respite. He watched a (government-protected) wallow of gavial crocodilians on the riverbank from a safe distance. Dalal watched them swim, hunt, play, and sunbathe for about an hour. The lumps on the male specimens' snouts appeared rather familiar to Dalal. Curiously, he stood up and began to hum the tune of the song that always played in his dreams. Strangely, all the gavials ceased their activities and crept closer. Before he realized it, the large reptiles surrounded him. But they didn't attack. They just lingered in place, as if listening to the young man. Overcome now with as much fear as intrigue, Dalal continued. He was afraid to stop humming. Abruptly, Dalal lost his breath, stopping singing, and thought he collapsed to the damp earth. Now he was staring at the quiescent reptiles from the ground. Perhaps out of terror, Dalal passed out.

And he experienced a new, more vivid dream. Dalal envisioned the Ganges far below his height, as if he were flying. He felt its pulse of life as timeless and cyclical history. Dalal interpreted the sensation as the rhythm of his music. He saw the length of the great river as bars of written music. He flew down the Ganges River until it emptied into the Bay of Bengal. There his flight halted. He felt and heard the beat of his wings, flapping as he hovered there. A great feeling of tribulation boiled up inside of Dalal until he finally cut loose. He opened his mouth and noticed that he grew a long, hard beak at the end of which bore a red, fleshy lump like the gavials. From his diaphragm, Dalal issued a great, bird-like roar out towards the sea. The waters rose and flooded forth over the lands. As the sea emptied over India, in its place stood the twelve hydras from his long-recurring dream. The hydras stared at Dalal until he awakened from this vision.

When Dalal opened his eyes, the dozen hydras became those "charmed" gavials. He slowly treaded past the reptiles to the river. Dalal peered at his own reflection in the river current. And he was truly shocked to see himself as a winged, draconian monster -- his beautiful but deadly Archid form. As he stared into the reflection of his reptile eyes, Dalal felt a tug down towards the water. But a nudge startled Dalal truly awake.

And Dalal found himself still on the shore, merely a man. Was it all a dream? The gavials all dispersed before he stirred. Dalal gazed up at another man who woke him up. A sturdy older man in his late 30s, he introduced himself as Nagrai Kolar, also called Hails Rain. He explained to Dalal that it wasn't just a dream. Nagrai possessed a soothing voice; shocked as Dalal felt, he was inclined to trust the older man. Nagrai promised answers back at a "Court" where "his kind" would be found. This place, called the Beast-Court of Autumn Eyes, was an establishment of the supernatural. The servants of the gods made their homes here. Dalal needed little persuasion to believe something godlike was happening in his life! So he followed Nagrai back to this Court.

There Dalal learned more about this supernatural occasion. Nagrai introduced himself as Makara -- the "Water Monsters" -- creatures that descended from the crocodiles of India and humanity both, and capable of taking the form of either. Dalal discovered that each Water Monster also had a unique form between man and beast. In service to the Emerald Mother (Mother Earth) and all the gods, the Makara served as the Memory of all that was. Through their first dreams, Makara took the shape of the Wani (dragons), too. Dalal was told about the plight of the natural world, of the machinations of Yomi, and the Great Centipede that sought to devour all that was and will be. Thus, the hengeyokai -- the spirit children that were composed of man and different beasts -- were dedicated to opposing these forces of darkness.

And Nagrai explained the system of merits and achievements among the hengeyokai. By following the duties accorded by dharma (i.e., Auspice), one earned other hengeyokai and spirits' respect. Nagrai, for example, was born in the summer season -- known as Vasanta -- and achieved the fourth badge of rank, Gold. In that Beast-Court home secluded on a preserved island in the middle of the Ganges. Dalal also explored his natural abilities. Nagrai showed the youth how to transform from man to his "war-form" gifted with flight, to a gavial, and back again. This talent Dalal came to understand was due to being half-spirit and half-flesh. And about spirits: Dalal learned that the Makara revered the Sun, Moon, and Earth as gods. But many other lesser entities were also to be accorded respect. And due to Dalal's birth, he learned, he was Zarad. So it fell to his task to help tend, listen to, and otherwise deal with spirits and their omens.

Naturally, despite that he absorbed all of this information, Dalal was still shocked. He wouldn't have believed any of it if he didn't see and experience it personally. Dalal knew he had no choice but to accept it all. Besides, this was his true dharma. How many can brag that they know their life's purpose? Dalal wanted to know more. Nagrai inquired about Dalal's family, upbringing, and future goals. The youth answered frankly. He told of his home and desire to earn a degree in music. As earth-shaking as this "first change" was for Dalal, his love of music didn't falter.

But Nagrai assured Dalal that his passion for music would be easily incorporated into his new life. Relieved, Dalal was prepared to undergo tutelage under Nagrai. He contacted the university to withdraw from classes until he was ready to return. Dalal also got in touch with his girlfriend and family, informing them of his departure. Indeed, he figured he might never see them again. His father was furious, promising his son that he would become a penniless failure. Dalal bet his dad assumed that he joined a cult or something. Of course, Dalal wasn't sure that the hengeyokai weren't a cult of sorts!

Then his training began. Nagrai overloaded the young Zarad with the ways of the Makara and hengeyokai; laws (Mandates), gatherings (Assemblies), ceremonies (Rites), and history were par for course. Above all, Nagrai emphasized the Mnesis. Mnesis, Dalal learned, was the Memory of Eternity held in his mind through ancestral birth and rebirth. The Makara were just one family of changing saurian-folk found all over the world, the Mokolé. Ultimately, it was their duty to remember. So Nagrai intended to help Dalal learn how to tap his Memory.

Through meditation and chanted ceremony, Dalal entered the Mnesis with Nagrai's guidance. Dalal delved into the past, remembering to ancient times with Nagrai's aid. In the Second Age, the Age of Ten Thousand Things, Dalal was actually a woman. Called Dawn's Truth, she was a cave woman, a respected shamaness, and interpreter of dreams. In the next era, the Age of Legends, Dalal was a fearless explorer of the mind and Memory. Named "Dreaming Light", he located numerous yathamaya -- places inside of the Mnesis considered sanctuaries of memory. In the Fourth Age, the Age of Testing, he was a bold stalker of Dream Hunters. Known as Rudra's Wrath, he conquered smrithara and other Banes. In the current era, the Age of Darkness, Dalal realized his spirit lay dormant until now. He had memories of lives as gavial and human, but never Makara -- until now. Then, just as this peek into Mnesis neared its end, Dalal and his mentor glimpsed in their minds something freakish. Just in the corner of the mental images Mnesis summoned, Dalal saw an...insect. The head of a centipede-like creature clicked its mandibles and began to eat the corner of a memory. Nagrai forcibly awakened and quickly stirred Dalal, too. A smrithara, Nagrai warned, was a dangerous memory-eater. Dalal wasn't sure if the monster was a freak coincidence or...well, as alien as the smrithara appeared, it felt familiar. Nagrai warned Dalal to avoid such a beastie, at least until he was much older and more experienced. Although the warders of knowledge of Mnesis were both beautiful and terrible, Dalal was also afraid. The smrithara concerned him, and so did the Memory in total.

After this, Nagrai focused on other aspects of hengeyokai life. Dalal got to view and feel the pristine beauty of the Dragon Nest upon which the Beast-Court was based. Dragon Nests were sacred places that connected the spirit world to earth. Of course, the Makara were more interested in the Mnesis. Mnesis connected them to a realm of spiritual quality, commonly referred to as the Astral Realm. But the Makara avoided the normal Umbra. The danger of Innocents, malevolent spirits that resulted from the taboo mating of two Mokolé, was often imminent. Dalal inquired about reproduction at that note. And he learned that some humans and saurians had the blood of Makara in them, like Dalal's father or maybe other ancestors. They were for mating, he learned. Such facts didn't apply to all hengeyokai. Dalal was introduced to other shapeshifters at the Court. He met other Makara, the Nagah serpernts and Judges of the Emerald Mother, a Bagheera werepanther and the Eye of the Mother, and Xing Kanmengou werewolves -- the Warriors of the Mother. Dalal realized that every Changing Breed had its own dharma and duty.

And after three months of tutelage, Dalal was determined to be ready to become full-fledged hengeyokai. Nagrai administered the tests. First, Dalal had to recite the Mandates of the Emerald Mother flawlessly, as well as the Duties of the Mokolé. And Dalal also needed to explain the relevance each law had to him. After this test, he was instructed to transform into a gavial and swim to the bottom of the river just off the island's shore. There he found an egg that he was to consume. When he did so, its magical properties became apparent. He was plunged into a nightmare, revealing the coming of the Sixth Age -- the Apocalypse. The earth shattered like glass, the oceans drowned everything, and the sky rained fire. Dalal tried to turn away from the horrible destruction. He tried to run, swim, and fly way. In fact, in reality, he did all three. Blinded by fear, he ran himself into exhaustion. He collapsed on what his mind told him was one of the only bits of land left on the planet. Dalal twitched at the searing pain as fire-rain scarred his body. He soon surrendered himself to the agony. This might have destroyed the will of a weak man. But Dalal was wise and strong even for his age. The nightmare brought an enlightening realization. The fire was the breath of the Wani. The dragons brought death even as they heralded life. This cycle was not only eternal, but also necessary and natural. This truth drew Dalal out of that nightmare.

Rank One

And Dalal was welcomed as first Rank hengeyokai. Nagrai and other elders stood nearby, honoring his success. He accepted the wooden badge humbly. Nagrai performed the Rite of the Opened Way upon young Dalal. During this ceremony, Dalal glimpsed a vision of a placid lake. The surface rippled, giving him peeks at countless worlds beyond. He knew it as the Umbra, and symbolic of his duties as Zarad and the Auspice of Mirror in the Beast-Courts.

However, after this event, Dalal expressed his desire to return to university. The hengeyokai didn't mind much so long as he performed his duties to the Court at the same time. He served as an apprentice to the Assistant Seer of the Court (a second-Ranked Zarad). Dalal picked up matters of spirits and rituals. Then he also almost commuted daily from the Dragon Nest to Delhi. He strove to earn his Bachelor's in music. Dalal had almost no personal time, and avoided his former acquaintances and friends. But he didn't mind much. He would have devoted his leisure time to the sitar anyway, and that's what he studied the most in school. Plus, especially during Assemblies, he shared his musical talent with his fellow hengeyokai.

But Mnesis he left alone while studying. He still feared it, or at least that smrithara. The Memory was not so easily repressed though. Mnesis invaded his dreams. Dalal was drawn into the Rapture of Mnesis whenever he happened to stare at the clouds too long. The nature of the memories depended on the shapes of the clouds. And Dalal was even lured into blissful Memory through music. Whenever he became lost in his art, especially a composition of his own design, Memory stirred. Indeed, Dalal began to believe music was the key to his Memory. It might bequeath his ultimate and future purpose, which was not so clear now as he originally imagined. This was how Dalal argued his university studies to the strict legalists of the Court. They began to wonder if Dalal ever intended to provide meaningful contribution.

Finally, in 1996, Dalal achieved his degree. He moved into the Court completely. Dalal focused on learning more about the hengeyokai and Makara rituals for awhile. For the next three years, in fact, Dalal was devoted to subjects of mystical nature. Of course, he continued to play the sitar, too. He also explored Mnesis a bit more, testing the limits of his Memory and understanding his purpose. He did so warily, however, since he often detected the stalking approach of that Memory-Eater.

Despite that danger, Dalal began to delve more and more into the Mnesis. He realized he could only remember back as far as the Age of Testing without help. But he was able to provide unique insights to the Court Seer. Perhaps due to his views on life as a romantic musician, he gave an unusual perspective. At one point, his advice helped the Court of Autumn Eyes avoid war. Wan Kuei vampires were expanding their influence further in Delhi. Vampires of the Dharma of the Dance of the Thrashing Dragon began to explore the wilderness. They were nosing dangerously close to hengeyokai territory and sacred sites. A brief skirmish by the river between a Wu of vampires and a Nest of Nagah almost ignited full-blown hostilities. Further incidents were prevented temporarily by Wan Kuei diplomacy. Dalal helped his Court mend the damage to their relationship with the Hungry Dead by reassuring his brethren. Dalal inwitted a tale from Memory when the Wan Kuei abandoned an entire town for fear of the Rage of the hengeyokai. But then the town flopped into poverty. Lack of the money and patronage that the vampires invested ruined the town's commerce. Thus, the Wan Kuei were a part of the world for better or worse. So long as they ceased to muscle into hengeyokai territory, war wa not necessary -- and could even be very bad. After all, if the humans' commerce suffered, so would their law. And the hengeyokai might find themselves struggling with desperate humans over preservation of the wilderness!

Of course, Dalal didn't just explore Mnesis for wisdom of the past. He searched for the truth and purpose of music. During a quest in the Memory, he discovered a yathamaya Dreaming Light found ages ago. Dalal knew he must have been destined to rediscover this place. It was a large hall filled with every traditional musical instrument imaginable. A visitor could pick up an instrument, play it like a maestro, and revel in the chamber's perfect acoustics. The sounds eased Dalal's passions and Rage. He gladly invited his fellow Makara to this place. And fortunately, that smrithara never tracked Dalal to the yathamaya.

Then Dalal also interacted with spirit representations of music. Such abstract entities were called epiphlings. They tested Dalal with riddles and visions that correlated to the rhythm of timeless history. However, Dalal could decipher few of those enigmas. All he could say for sure about music was that it could "soothe the savage heart". The young Zarad poked further into Mnesis in the hopes that he might relearn lost lore about music's place. But in the process, that smrithara began to home in on him, chomping away at memories he started to investigate. Dalal fled through the Mnesis, chased by that demon, until he finally escaped to the present. Dalal wondered if this Bane was an old enemy that Rudra's Wrath once defeated. If ever such a battle happened with this particular Eater of Memories, Dalal could not recall despite its vague familiarity. Perhaps the vengeful smrithara located and devoured the memory of that battle?

Recent Years

Although this demon posed a constant threat to Dalal, he was truly excelling at his hengeyokai duties. Finally, Dalal felt ready for a promotion. He went to a Steel-ranked (Third) Hemanta -- a Trickster of the Makara. Named Empty Clouds, she was born a gavial. So he felt some connection to the woman. With a smile, Empty Clouds agreed to test him for his Iron (Second) Rank, but only if he could first beat her in a swimming race. They were both to be in their crocodilian forms and the finish line was a clump of rocks three hundred meters down the Ganges from the Dragon Nest island. The race would be held the next day. Dalal accepted.

So the next afternoon, the two gavials shot down the river. Within a few minutes, Dalal neared the little island. At the top of the rocks, he spotted a sparkle of metal. Empty Clouds was right behind him, so he clambered up the stones. With a quick gobble, Dalal slurped the object up into his long snout. He didn't know what it was, but claimed it on competitive instinct. Empty Clouds climbed up behind and changed back to a woman. Dalal followed suit. With a grin, she informed him that he just won his rank promotion -- so he better not swallow his new badge!

Overjoyed, Dalal spent the next month or so learning new spirit-Gifts. He summoned bird and saurian-spirits, exchanging favors for lore. Dalal even learned how to cross the Wall and enter the Umbra. While considered dangerous to Mokolé, it sometimes fell to the task of Zarad mystics to enter and explore the Shadow realm. He appealed to Nagrai, who had since achieved the Silver (Fifth) rank, and learned a spell from his old mentor, too. He was honored at the Court during the next Assembly for his rank achievement. And yet, Dalal felt grossly underappreciated. He thought that Court of Autumn Eyes was too strict and lacked real vision. It rewarded the most conservative actions instead of innovation. He complained to Empty Clouds about this problem, and listened to what she might know of other Beast-Courts. The Hemanta mentioned overhearing some of the Xing Kanmengou discuss a Court located in America, of all places. In Kansas City's booming Little Asia district, a Beast-Court with hengeyokai immigrants was formed.

So, intrigued by this opportunity, Dalal requested permission to transfer from the Court of Autumn Eyes. When he gained approval, he wrote a letter of request to the American Court's Regent. A spirit-envoy delivered the note for Dalal. A month later, his reply came in kind. From Regent Yamakita Mori, a fellow Mokolé of the Zhong Lung Stream, welcomed the Zarad. In 2004, Dalal bade his first Court good-bye and traveled by airplane to the United States. And quite frankly, the Court of Bamboo Talons shocked Dalal. An eclectic range of hengeyokai indeed was to be found! Dalal felt honored to be a part of this visionary Court. He was even more flattered when the Zhong Lung invited him to join their shizu, the Emerald Citadel. And while he began a new-term of service to this Court, he also pursued a career in his truest passion. Dalal offered sitar lessons in Little Asia and performed for man and shen as frequently as possible. Here Dalal hoped to unlock more of the great mysteries of music. But always that smrithara stalked the fringes of his Memory, threatening to devour his essence.

Wallow


Dalal belongs to the Emerald Heaven, a Zhong Lung and Makara Wallow attached to the Beast-Court of Bamboo Talons. It includes his elders, Regent Yamakita Mori, Adri Gan Khon, and Ravi Dattavalaram, as well the Kinfolk of the area, including the chi'n ta, Jun Ng. Their purpose is simply to provide an environment appropiate to raising their family, through a decent home and sturdy (and quite powerful) protectors. A Citadel was risen in the Emerald Heaven's name, located in the Hirasaki Preserve, and hidden among the tall trees of the Midwest. Ox serves as the wallow's Totem.

Mnesis


Dalal's Memory extends to the beginning of the Fourth Age: nearly 3,000 years. He even peers into his Mnesis through the perspective of several familiar past lives. Dalal sometimes taps Mnesis through Rudra's Wrath whenever dealing with an unruly spirit or entity. However, his Memory of the Fifth Age is largely cut short. His spirit lay dormant for many years. He has a good handle of the Fourth Age, especially the War of Shame. The Fifth Age, however, is still a little vague. Fortunately, he can study human history to catch up on most of that.

Significant Other


The Makara met Daya in 2004 in an unlikely encounter in Smithville. The fact that Daya is Dilat at first kept them apart. But eventually her charm, talent, and beauty won over Dalal. Their feelings overcame caste and their shared Makara heritage also made this taboo irrelevant. They are not yet married but considering Dalal's romantic notions, it won't be long before he proposes. After all, Daya gave birth to their Kinfolk daughter, Kalinda, on February 14th. Their Valentine baby could seal the commitment the two lovers have and promise a monogamous marriage and many more children to come.

Daya

Weakness
Essence in C Minor


It is said that one's abilities spring from one's natural affinities. If that is true, then Dalal can reasonably seek wisdom of the Memory through music. However, his search is not reasonable. The Zarad is too focused on perceiving Mnesis for these ends. He dislikes tapping the Memory for any other reason, particularly with the smrtihara haunting him. But if he wants to do his job and be recognized for good works to the Beast-Courts...

Likelihood of Corruption


Average.

Only in the most extreme circumstances would Dalal's easygoing but passionate nature descend into a mad frenzy of Rage. However, he is still young and somewhat inexperienced in matters of spirit and the mind of the Matre. He delves into the Memory whenever he can, but risks as much as any spirit-spelunker by so doing.

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