Name: Nilaya Kaeli
Race/Gender: Female Enkidukai
Age: 20
Following: Other
Ways: Mostly Crystal, some Blue. Focus in Healing/Light.
A new day dawns on Hydlaa city, and many gather \'round the fountain in the morning light. Over the morning hubbub, a commanding yet gentle voice calls out: \"Your attention, please!\"
Eyes dart around to locate the source of the voice. Finally, they shift toward the statue at the center of the fountain, where a lone enkidukai stands. \"How did she get there?\" several whisper. The spotted figure simply smiles, her blue eyes twinkling slightly. Certain she\'s gathered enough curiousity, she vaults boldly to a lower perch on one of the fountain chutes, closer to the crowds.
She smooths her white robe and smiles at her audience. \"Good morning!\" she greets, waiting as the crowd murmors back. \"I am Nilaya Kaeli, a new entrant in the race for Octarch of Hydlaa.\"
\"A year and a half ago, my guild?the Explorers?was without leader. Our founder had departed suddenly, with no word, and no trace...and the effects were obvious. The once great Explorers slowly started to fade away, like so many others. Though I had never sought to lead a guild, friends from all over sought me out as the one to take her place?to lead the Explorers.\"
\"And so I did. I reworked the guild to be solid and sustainable...to value community and people over artificial titles and requirements. Tasks long neglected were completed, old friends came together, and many new friends joined our diverse ranks. Under my leadership, the guild quickly turned around, and gained a distinctive feel?setting it apart from the rest.\"
She grins broadly. \"Not to brag, but as many of you know, the Explorers just celebrated two years together?yet have never been stronger. Over twenty of us actively roamed these streets just this last week...many who have been with us for years. Yet, even with over fourty members...we are still close-knit. What other guild can boast so?\"
Many in the crowd applaud, impressed.
The enkidukai continues, her voice surprisingly calm: \"In all that time, I have kept the guild absolutely neutral?not showing favoritism to any one group...not even the guilds of my own friends. We\'ve had no allies, nor any enemies...free to simply be ourselves. You can expect that I would act impartially as Octarch.\"
\"I\'ve shown over the years that I\'m not afraid to call the shots, to use my own judgment and act on it?but yet I almost always seek input from people I trust, and from those affected by my decisions.\" She looks out over the crowd, and gestures, engaging them: \"Isn\'t it obvious? A good leader must be able to work with others?no Octarch, no matter how good, can solve our problems alone!\"
\"If you have any doubts, ask any Explorer. You will find I have proven myself effective, yet not disconnected from those around me.\"
She pauses. \"So what will I stand for?\"
\"It is clear to me that the greatest problem we face is this jibberish that\'s overtaken our land. I know you\'ve seen them?people who speak in strange, meaningless numbers and symbols...who somehow know our names, before any introductions are said...yet never really know us. Their very lives are nothing more than tria and training...but to what end?\"
Her eyes take on a kind of fire, energized as she surveys the crowd. \"And don\'t think I\'m talking only about newly arrived travellers! Even many who\'ve been here for ages have fallen to this strange illness?completely unable to operate in our society.\"
\"Many know nothing of the rich cultural heritage of these lands...of the legend of Korogan...the building of Hydlaa...the distinctive dsars of Ojaveda...indeed, many of them do not even know of Laanx nor Talad!\" An audible gasp ripples through the crowd; Nilaya simply grins. \"Sad, isn\'t it?\"
\"As Octarch, I would encourage activities and festivals which bring us together as a community, and celebrate the richness of our land\'s culture. I would fight to bring the lost back into our society?many of them simply don\'t know how. With a bit of guidance, they would become valuable citizens, living and working among us.\"
\"I\'m saddened by the lack of balance in education?so much training in various skills, but such little care for geography or history. Or even for taking time to interact with those around us. Together, if we can open the eyes of the lost, we will do more for our society than we could ever imagine. We can\'t afford to let them fade away.\"
Finally, she stops. \"Thank you!\" she beams, taking a customary bow. Smiling, she nimbly jumps down to the cobblestones below, and pads toward a quieter grassy area left of the main road.