Chimaera

[The Old Hack]

Well, this is it for Kim. She has had a long good run but all good things must come to an end. But first I need to thank all the players who made playing her such a great experience.

First of all, there is the inimitable Abala Quickfeet. She was all but Kim's alpha and omega. I created Kim inspired by Abala; she was meant to be a sort of twisted reflection of her. Where Abala was driven by the absolute of faith, Kim was driven by doubt. When she started play, she was Godless -- not out of atheism, but because she was convinced that the Gods had rejected her. She was terrified at the mere notion of any sort of divine attention because of what she believed to be her past sins. Her motivation was not redemption, rather it was grimly trying to help and protect people in order to do better than she once had. Throughout the first part of Kim's existence she admired Abala and wished she could be like her; even when she joined the Blacks, she did not as much do it out of rejection as because she felt that a counterweight was needed to keep Abala from going blindly too far even with the best of intentions.

All that changed on Hammer 23rd, of course. Kim did not hold Abala responsible for it at the time but the complete absence of care for the walking wounded returning from Ymph deeply offended and hurt her. Kim believed that a good leader is responsible for their soldiers and those who fight for them, and must care for their well-being as much as is possible. But the Withered were merely rejected and driven into the dark. They did not get any praise for what they had done, they did not receive any sort of supplies or care that would help them survive, they were not even allowed a safe place to rest in. They were simply ordered into the Cave of the Withered where they would have been sitting ducks for the "Garagosan" (yes, I know that isn't really what they were but that was what they were called) reavers who could have murdered them at their leisure. (They might not have done that, again, impossible to know -- but certainly no-one in Sanctuary seemed to care if they did.)

From that point, admiration and respect turned to resentment and rejection, and not long after to outright hate. "You do not betray your own troops" was practically part of Kim's creed and, fairly or not, she blamed Abala. From there it was not a long distance to decide that it had all been done solely to get rid of Narvis, and Kim and the rest merely collateral damage. Kim's path was set: Abala must be removed from power. Every step she took the rest of her life was in some way meant to advance her at least in part towards that goal.

But many others also played a great part in Kim's life. There was the inimitable and sadly missed Presbyter Vilmos, who finally broke through Kim's doubts and saw her to the arms of Ilmater -- admittedly the very militant and violent Ilmater that Vilmos saw in his visions, but what the hey! Then there was Mari, who in her own way proved a foil for Kim. Mari was dedicated to the protection of all hin, which Kim admired and respected; Kim on the other hand just worked for Sanctuary in general. But Mari's purity of purpose and passion proved to be an inspiration for Kim and she was deeply saddened when she died.

And so many others. Edgar Flint, the stoic Watcher with pipe always at hand, easy going yet devoted to duty. Tegwyr Spiritsinger who bewildered Kim with her almost alien view of life but still was a friend. Gareth Rauviane, the Ordinant whose wisdom and insight helped shape Kim in the latter half of her life, Rallick Dess, who seemed almost the bedrock of Sanctuary himself in his stolid and set sense of purpose, Baelian Kalvath, the Hoaran whose passion for justice and revenge made him a beacon to follow, Malcolm Larrak, the Ordinant she loved to hate... later on came Tacitus Martialis who became almost a father figure for her and Logan Ackroyd who Kim loved as a sister. Logan especially became a key part of Kim's life, she loved Logan's compassion, dedication and sense of justice. When Logan and Gareth found one another, Kim rejoiced; when Gareth fell in battle, Kim felt the pain deeply and did all she could do to help Logan through the loss -- and when Logan decided to follow in Gareth's steps and become an Ordinant, Kim was so proud that her heart could burst because Logan had taken everything thrown at her and merely grown from it. In that moment Kim knew that Logan had surpassed her, had perhaps always done so, and felt a deep contentment and happiness to have been part of her life.

I must also mention the two Directors in Kim's life, respectively Narvis Naerfaine and Connell-Smythe Falconer. Kim's relations with Narvis tended to be tempestous because they so strongly disagreed on matters of the Society; Narvis saw them as a clear and present danger, Kim viewed them as a vital asset that could protect and serve Sanctuary even under Black government. Nonetheless, Kim loyally served Narvis and followed him on his work until that fateful Hammer 23rd. Afterwards their ways parted because Narvis rejected Sanctuary where Kim continued to serve it.

It was a bit different with Lord Falconer. Kim at first saw him as annoyingly arrogant but conditioned from the monarchy of her homeland she thought of him as just having 'bad noble habits, just ignore them and see what he does.' What he did was to prove a splendid hunter who risked his life in service of the Society of the Ordered Mind; that was enough to earn him Kim's respect, a respect which only grew and solidified as time wore on. When he became the Black Candidate in the election after Hammer 23rd, it was an easy jump for Kim to back him. Eventually she joined his House and became his secretary and ultimately his steward. His death was a harsh blow to Kim, one it turned out she did not have the time to recover from.

Then there was the Wayfinders, especially Zsigmond Kadar and Melanie Coppertop, both of whom Kim respected and loved. Kim thought of Mel as a true friend and it was still another hard blow for her when their respective feelings for Abala drove what proved to be a permanent wedge between them. I should also mention Caris, Knute and Robert Fox here, all friends in their own right, and oh how Kim loved to tease Caris -- who gamely gave back as good as she got.

A couple more Watchers should be mentioned. Ksenia Foltyn, whom Kim had a tempestous relationship with for a while after Hammer 23rd, but eventually and with difficulty the two of them got past it and became friends of sorts. Careswell, a fellow retainer of House Falconer whom Kim suspected of being a Banite, but hey, we all have flaws.

I almost forgot the Scrappers! That won't do at all. Kim knew little of Booker at first but eventually came to respect him. Then there was the inimitable Red who in spite of his protestations of cowardice went all the way to Ymph to fight in the shadow of the Doom Tree itself and so won Kim's respect and friendship. Then there was also Raggz and Reesa, Kim loved them both -- they made such a cute couple!

And oh ye Gods, I almost forgot Algarn Granitefist on this list! That would have been unforgivable, I can almost hear him mutter about 'halfling whippersnappers' and ingratitude. And Jana the bard, and Berylla the Grump... oh, and Kasha Carshaller! Fellow Ilmateri with a slight concern about Kim's Vilmosian variant of the faith -- for good reason, really! And of course Aden Connley, that splendid Kossuthan and good friend. Oh, and poor shy Mary Jane who never even gave Kim her name... and oh dear, I almost forgot Artesia, Mereppi and Sanctuary's greatest sailor, Killian Dread (no relation.)

And the list would not be complete without mentioning the veterans of Hammer 23rd. Vungar Macbatterton, Meriam Ageth, Jormund, Sigurd, Edmund Nibley... Kim had a strange relationship with him, an enemy of Sanctuary but he had still fought alongside her at the Doom Tree. I rather regret they never got to speak afterwards. And so many others.

Honourable mention should go to Jeremias Dawnbringer of Lathander who earned Kim's enmity through unluck and poor timing. Kudos to the player for not murdering Kim for the insufferable little git she was. Similarly, praise for Cordelia Wythers the much-beloved but by Kim much-hated; sorry for what Kim ended up doing to Cordelia, cmenden!

And finally, ARACKNAR, that magnificent bastard. Kim liked him so much that she was utterly bewildered when his crimes came to light; she couldn't reconcile the lovable rascal she knew with all the stuff he was blamed for. I think she was too bedazzled by the 'lovable' part and didn't pay attention enough to the 'rascal' bit. Troves for the Trove Lord!

I am sure I have forgotten several others and that makes me sad. All of you helped to make playing Kim one of the best experiences I have ever had on EfU. Exhausting and draining, too, but deeply satisfying and it will leave me with many good roleplaying memories. Thanks to the DMs, too, especially Howland, of course!

With that out of the way, let us move on to the screenshots:

Here we see Kim in a typical post-PvP position. I particularly like this one for the hilarious timing of Withering symptoms.




Kim and Knute participating in Kossuthan worship. Aden leads in prayer: Burn, baby, burn!




Post mission briefing at the Spellguard. Logan reassuring Mother Hen Kim that she is okay.




Rollerball! Errr, I mean the Great Game. Go Blacks! (Nibley interrupted that game. Spoilsport.)




And the arrival of the Sunite Ruby! Awesome even if all I got to do was to heal a little.






The Spellguard about to make a big announcement. Maybe it has to do with the gas bill.




This picture isn't particularly important, I just snapped it because I loved the water effect.




Kim and some of her friends find a shopping mall. Strangely enough, Kim doesn't trust it.




Kim with friends, relaxing in Freedom Square.




And Jasmine performing. This place needs some culture, darnit!






Politics through philanthropy. Kim figured that if she put her money where her mouth was, it would lend her credence in the coming election. She didn't make it that far but so it goes.




Vergadain forever!




Scrapper wedding! (Reused from Mel's thread. Sorry about that, I thought it deserved to be here, too.)




Kim doing her secretary schtick for Lord-Director Falconer.




And last, Ma Murik making a speech! During which we learn of the evils of socialism, and that the only good Socialist is a dead one, and that you should be careful what you ask about.




And that's all, folks! So long, and thanks for all the fish.

[Mushroom Mushroom]

Now we need a crotchety Myconid sorcerer. You can do it TOH

[Gentlemen of the Empire]

Thoroughly enjoyed interacting with Chimaera and seeing the respectful relationship between Tacitus and her develop. I am rather sad to see her go and will miss running into her in the Square.

[CondorHero]

Oh man, sorry to see Chim go. :(

[granny]

ooooh shame! ooooh shame #myplans!!!!

I hoped to see her fully broken and turned evil against Sanctuary at least. So grim and troubled little halfling... such potential!

[Ryan]

Aww :( All of Red's friends are dying off like flies. Feels bad, man.

I'll miss the hell out of Kim and her acerbic wit - she came off very gruff, but you could tell she cared. A lot like Red in that respect - probably why they were drawn to each other. (how the hell am i going to keep my withering under control, shit)

Hope to see your next soon!

[JMecha]

Damnit...Kallu really wanted to have that chat. Just goes to show that if you do not make the time for important conversations in EFU, one or more of the needed parties may die. I as a player regret not having had more time to spend with Kim.

[Pandip]

People can give you shit about this and that all they want, but I've always had good interactions with your characters, halfling wizards or not. Chimaera positively affected Ksenia in several ways, and I was very glad that Ksenia's harsh treatment of the withered during Hammer 23rd ended up having consequences with the player base through Chimaera. It was good to know actions like that are paid attention to and responded to appropriately!

Good luck on the next one.

[tinfoilhat]

Sad to see her go, I really enjoyed watching her develop over the months and our final conversations about Abala and life in general.

[xXCrystal_Rose]

I really admire that she endured the Withering so stoically and it didn't even reduce your playtime overmuch while even helping others with their sickness. It can be very hugely crippling with no safe place like last chapter. It was very nice watching her story evolve :)

[Pool]

Kim. Will's buddy in smithing, chatting and adventuring. She was a gem.

God speed. o7

[HarvestMoon]

='(  noooooo <3  ='(

[Kiroy]

How can Logan get Kim-senpai's approval now? :(

Seriously though, sad to see Kim go.  All the hin are dying off and Kim was up there amongst the best.

[Zango_Unchained]

A good friend to Vungar, I enjoyed Rping with her.
A healer to the cripple.

[Cerberus]

Raggz is going to miss Kim :(
You brought her to life so I didn't even think of the player behind her pulling the puppet strings.
Well played!