Kharie'l tes Kesperion, Captain of the Guard
Headmaster of the Adrastai School at the Temple at Sarna

In this pencil drawing Kharie'l stands ramrod straight and nods his head at me. He is the original cat who ate the canary, and it shows in the expression on his face. (Actually, he's probably eaten at least half the village's canaries *giggle*)

He is ancient, but it doesn't quite show yet, and you'll never know it by watching him fight. He has the bright green eyes of most of the Kesperi'oni, but his hair is black as pitch, an exotic color among our folk.

He is rock hard, like a dancer after a 30 year career - not an ounce of fat on him. Torlinque is the only one who has ever beaten him (and became Champion thereby), and only because Kharie'l and I both taught him everything we know, and Torlinque has trained from the day he first stood up as a toddler.

In this portrait, Kharie'l wears the black leather uniform all the Adrastai of our school do. My mother, who was 'Lesia before me, designed it with Kharie'l in mind as the one who would wear it.

My mother was no fool.

The red sash all Adrastai wear (no matter which school they are from) sits at his hips along with his fakhai'n, his 2 long knives. The addition of the red head band marks him as Captain.

He is the village rock star, and is very comfortable in his own skin. He has been injured more times than I care to know and has led every campaign in every war we ever fought in, in my memory. He is positively lethal, and quick as light. "Armed and dangerous" is an understatement.

If you are female, and Kharie'l takes an interest in having you in his bed, you will most likely end up there, but never by force. He is simply a master of seduction and has had millenia to perfect his techniques. They just don't stand a chance against him. None of them.

Fortunately for me, he was my mother's lovemate during my childhood. I and my brother were raised in a little hut east of the village by a nanny until just before we hit puberty. Mother and Kharie'l would visit us there often. Even though they were not bound, I still consider him my Stepfather, and he calls me "my daughter" when we are speaking privately and he is feeling affectionate. He also calls me that now because I am bound to his son, but he always called me that. He is not my biological father though.

Because my mother was one of the only she-elves he ever truly loved, and he considers me his daughter, he is devoted to protecting me. It is why he assigned both his sons, himself, and the 5 other best warriors he had to the squad that guards me.

Kharie'l lives in a large wooden and stone house he mostly built himself a half mile or so west of the hot spring. You can see it from Tolirion's conservatory. It's where he raised Torlinque, which is why Torlinque and I did not meet until we were adults. Even though we lived in the same village, we lived on opposite sides of it. Our parents knew each other, but Kharie'l never brought either of his sons with him when he came with our mother to visit my brother and I.

In front of his house, he has rows and rows of a particular dark red (almost black) rose that he combines with wineberries to make a particular vintage signature to him. Winemaking is one of Kharie'l's favorite hobbies. Often when he is off duty, one may find him out amongst his roses, pruning them and feeding them leftover fruit scraps and eggshells he gets from the kitchen at the main house. He likes them. Not only are they fragrant and delicious in flavoring wine, but they attract the womenfolk, and our wicked Kharie'l is all about that.

Much Love and Honor to you, Ha'Dia.