Kaldre Frostbourne

Age of Appearance: 37  | Actual Age: 136

Birth Location: Unyak | Current Location: Evermore City, Colorado | Status: Immortal

Species: Niveis | Rank: Lone Niveis

Family:  Anivia Frostbourne (Older Sister), Lucia Oakley (Niece),

Quilo Frostbourne (Deceased Older Brother), Colden Frostbourne (Deceased Father)

Faceclaim: Harry Shum Jr

Traits:
Resourceful, Free-Spirited, Independant
Reserved, Flighty, Cynical

Kaldre Frostbourne was born the youngest son to Colden Frostbourne, his mother, Eira Glaciria bearing her only child to the chief of the Niveis tribe. The Niveis, a species derived from the Initia and Phoenix bloodlines, were a species small in number but great in ability and power. From a young age Kaldre had that very thought drilled into him, he couldn’t go a day without someone reminding him of what and who he was, especially from his own father who had intentions for his son from the moment he was born.

Kaldre was raised alongside two elder siblings, Anivia and Quilo. The three half siblings couldn’t have been more different growing up if they tried. His brother had always been the warrior of them, shaping into the image their father painted for them all perfectly. His sister however distanced herself the most from their father’s expectations, hiding in the shadows of the two brothers who their father always seemed to favor. Kaldre found himself somewhere else entirely, he always felt like he was different, different from all of the other Niveis, curious and forward thinking, always questioning why.

Kaldre’s relationship with his parents was also unique. Around his father he always put on a brave face, mimicking the actions of his older brother in order to keep himself from getting in trouble. But it was around his mother that he really found his own self, Eira was one of the most free-spirited members of the tribe and she made it known. Her confidence was likely what had drawn his father to her. Eira would always tell her young son the greater future he would have and how one day he would be free to live whatever life he wished and he had held onto that mentality throughout his childhood.

There was no questioning what would happen as the young Niveis male grew, just like Anivia and Quilo at the age of 7 he was claimed for the ice and his icy patterned tattoos appeared on his skin, claiming him as one of them and enabling him to control ice and fly with bright blue wings. Kaldre found himself captivated by these new abilities, wanting to know everything there was about them, spending hours of his time practicing and perfecting his control, even inventing new ways to use it with his imagination and then making it a reality.

It quickly came to his father’s attention that while Quilo was the warrior of the family, quickly learning to use weapons and almost undefeatable in a 1 on 1 battle, Kaldre was fast becoming a master of using his Niveis gifted abilities. This made both boys dangerous and deadly in completely different ways. Coldren used this to his advantage, often pitting them against each other and creating somewhat of a rivalry between the two, challenging them to live up to his standards. Coldren knew exactly what he was doing in order to shape up his vision of a future army.

Eira saw what was happening to her son but there was little she could do to stop it from happening, she didn’t have enough of a voice in the community to be able to stop Coldren’s plan but she did her best to try and keep Kaldre on the ground and remind him of what was important. It however wasn’t enough to stop Kaldre from getting sucked in, for every new weapon his brother mastered, he would come back with a new way to use the ice he controlled to increase his own power.

Now the two were borderline deadly and everyone in the tribe knew it. Coldren instructed both of the young men to pull together people like them and train them. Kaldre had many friends in the community and called upon them to build his own army. Everything he did was in attempt to be the best in his father’s eyes. Slowly Kal was losing the very person he was and replacing it with someone even his own mother didn’t recognize.

It was around this time that Eira went missing. Kaldre had argued with her the morning before he left for training and when he returned she had gone. There was no trace of his mother and Kal took the realization that his mother was gone hard, he knew that she had always sought freedom but he’d never truly believed that she would leave him behind. His father however took it much worse, furious that one of their kind had dared to leave the tribe. Kal’s name was tarnished, his reputation falling as his mother was branded a traitor to the tribe. For a time people would curse his name and he had no choice but to bite his tongue.

It was Quilo who had come to Kaldre’s defence, giving a tongue lashing to anyone who dared to speak bad about his younger brother. It was this small action that began turning the tables in Kal’s mind, realizing he had been spending so much time trying to better someone that he should have been standing by. That night the two of them had a long and open talk about the life they led and what they wanted from it. Quilo hoped to one day ascend into their father’s position as chief but Kaldre wanted something else entirely. Fighting had never been something Kaldre had really wanted, he’d never even seen a phoenix or Initia for himself so he couldn’t know if he hated them. What he really wanted was a life of his own, freedom, much like his mother had reached out and grabbed for herself.

That night Kaldre left with a new perspective of the person he was. He began to try and repair the relationships he had ruined in the name of his feud and slowly found himself reconciling with the young curious self he used to be before he had lost his mind to rivalry. Together with Quilo he went to his father to discuss merging the two armies that they had built, making a united front for whatever came next for the tribe. Coldren however was angered that his sons dare suggest such a thing and he was even angrier that they had discussed it behind his back.

Slamming his fist down, Coldren had demanded the two of them face him as punishment for dare defying any part of his rule but Quilo had stepped up, claiming that it was his responsibility and that he would face their father alone. Kaldre knew what his brother was doing and insisted otherwise but his father ignored him, accepting the solo match. Kaldre was forced to stand on the sidelines as the two of them squared up to one another, swords clashing in loud rings and ice spreading in sharp bursts all over the arena.

It was clear that the younger Niveis was the faster and more nimble fighter but Coldren was strong and steadfast, his eyes sparked with a look that sent chills down Kaldre’s spine and placed a sense of dread into his soul. It wasn’t until he saw the blade sink through his brother’s chest that the reality of what was happening really set in, an ear piercing yell echoing through the arena as he fought against those holding him back from running to his brother’s fallen body.

There were some who believed with all their hearts that Quilo would rise again, the blessing of rebirth bringing him back with a new face and life but as Kaldre stared down at his brother’s lifeless body in his arms whilst his father sauntered away with a smug look on his face that reality truly set in for him. His brother was truly dead and he wasn’t going to be given a second chance. Kaldre was inconsolable by most, blaming himself for what happened, knowing he should have pushed harder, that he should have never told his brother he wanted freedom, for allowing his father to drive a wedge between the two in the first place.

The only person that seemed to be able to reach him was Anivia and even then he was cold to her most of the time, it seemed like every person he allowed himself to care about left him in one way another. It was when the two of them buried their fallen brother that he finally broke down into tears, unable to contain all the emotions within him any longer as he leaned onto his sister’s shoulder. His father was slowly going insane and he had no idea who would be next to fall to his madness.

Kaldre knew he had to do something to ensure Quilo’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain, something to protect everyone else around them and stop more unnecessary death. Kal had grown up alongside the chief’s guard, long enough to know that not all of them were as loyal to Coldren as they claimed to be. He sought out a meeting with one of Coldren’s most trusted advisors who he knew had been playing both sides for a long time now. It was revealed to him that Thomaz was planning an uprising in the tribe, a group of freedom fighters who wished to break from the tribe and rid the tribe of Coldren. Everyone in the group had their reasons to be there but there was one single truth, the chief was going mad and it was only so long before he killed them all.

Kaldre knew it was dangerous to join a rebel group that wanted his father dead but he also knew he had to do something, he had sat quietly for far too much of his life and he could no longer stand by while his father’s cruelty escalated. Both Thomaz and Kal continued to play both sides under Coldren’s nose, passing information back to the group as they began to plot for the day they would overthrow the chief’s leadership. Kal distanced himself from Anivia in an attempt to keep her safe, knowing she’d want no real part in the uprising.

It was quiet for a while and Kaldre found himself in a situation  he never expected to find himself. In love. He had for the most part kept his mouth shut, because he knew it was frowned upon, especially in his father’s eyes, to be drawn to another man. Thomaz was a fierce person who believed in a world much different to their reality, he painted a picture of the bright and cultured world out there they had never even glimpsed for he had seen it for himself and longed for it back.

The two drew closer over the months, working closely together and both glossing over the attraction both felt to one another. But one night, after they had consumed a few drinks and inhibitions were lowered they shared a long overdue kiss which escalated until the two fell into bed with one another. They had always been discreet with one another but for one night it was all about them, together. This mistake however would come with a high price as one of Coldren’s loyal guards saw the two of them kissing and relayed the information back to him.

For the second time in his life Kal found himself restrained as he desperately fought to get to someone he cared for as they stood before the delusional gaze of his father. Coldren had a cruel and terrifying smile on his lips as he pondered over what to do with the advisor he claimed had betrayed him. In the end he decided he would take from Thomaz the very thing that made him who he was. His wings. Kal fought angrily as he shouted for him to be punished instead of his lover but not so much of an eyelid was batted as Coldren raised his hand and Thomaz’s wings faded away. Within moments the toll of losing his immortality set in and the now human male crumpled to the ground, feeling weak and alone.

Kal had run to his lover but he turned away, ashamed by the person he now was. He did his best to assure Thomaz that nothing had changed for him but the other man wouldn’t listen to reason anymore, instead uttering about how he had lost himself and who he was. There however wasn’t time to reassure him because Coldren had gone on a rampage out for blood after finally becoming convinced that Anivia’s mom was turning the tribe against him. With Thomaz’ insistence Kaldre made the decision to run in pursuit of his father to try and warn his sister before anyone was hurt but by the time he made it there it was too late, fighting had already broken out.

Now the news of what had happened to Thomaz was out in the open the uprising had truly begun. It became a bloody battle and no matter how much he pushed forward to try and get to his sister, to protect her from their father’s wrath he was met with opposition at every turn. He fought hard against those who were still loyal to his father, the place was a bloodbath, with Niveis turning on Niveis and loud screams of agony surrounded them in every direction. Once the battle was over he saw his sister come from the house, his father’s body in her arms as she laid him out on the snow for all to see.

He heard the whispers around him, those same whispers that he had heard for his entire life. That they believed because of the markings she had and now because she had slain the mad chief that she was the rightful leader of them, the true chief. He didn’t have time to think much about it as he ran out of the area and to where he had left Thomaz behind. A sinking feeling entered his chest as he looked out across the snow to the bloody corpse of the man he had loved. The male sank to his knees again feeling the agony of losing yet another person he had allowed in. Furious that having his wings removed had made the other male helpless to the attack on him, Thomaz’ weapon remained sheathed in his holster while the dagger in his back dripped with blood.

Kal felt himself disengage from the world entirely, collapsing where he stood, unable to move or even breathe in that moment. Despite being taken back to the warm and forced to eat, he no longer felt the same. He was angry, not just at those responsible but also at the life they lead and the fact that one person had enough power to strip someone of everything they were. That feeling stayed with him as he silently watched the tribe try and figure out what to do next, how to rebuild their broken community. He attended the meetings his sister insisted he participate in but for the most part he was wordless, at times even harsh or cold.

And then as had been foretold for his whole life. Anivia was chosen to be the next chief of the tribe. Kaldre remained with them for some time, for the most part lost in his own grief and questioning why it was always the people who cared for that came to such bitter ends. He missed his brother, he missed the man he had come to love and he missed his mother, who had chosen to get out before the community had shattered under their feet. Kal didn’t know who he was anymore but one thing he did know for sure was that he didn’t belong here. He felt lost, like he was an empty shell, going through the motions without really feeling anything.

Kaldre finally had his decision of what came next for him. He knew Anivia wanted him to stay but he knew he couldn’t support a society that he believed was corrupt, regardless of who that person was that filled the role of leader there was going to be some situation or forced happening that meant she had to take someone’s choice from them and he wasn’t going to sit around and watch the person he knew go through that.

And it was in those moments that he truly understood how his mother must have felt in the moments before she left, searching for her own freedom in the world. Setting down the letter he had written to Ana, his sister and his blood. He took the last of his things and left in the night, his wings spreading brightly as he wondered just how far they would take him and whether happiness waited for him outside the isle of Unyak.

Now free, Kaldre had the opportunity to become the person he had always been, the person that Thomaz had seen a glimpse of and encouraged him to be. Sure he was alone and being alone scared him but it was a new opportunity for him and one he wasn’t going to squander. He travelled from place to place, seeing the wonders of Europe and returning to where his tribe had originally come in Asia. He felt like a stranger in the world but he also felt more alive than he had in a long time.

Eventually the Niveis found a city in America that he found himself drawn to. He had heard the rumors about the place and how it was crawling with the supernatural but as he landed he saw something else entirely. A chance to start over, a chance to live an ordinary life much like that of a human. Through his travels he had managed to get his hands on many different interesting items from around the world and with time he was able to earn enough money buying and selling interesting things to open his own pawn shop.

He knew that customers knew he was different when they came into his store, he had always given out that impression but thanks to his kind being so rare and for the most part together on the Isle he had no reason to share his identity, he was whoever he wanted to be and the very idea of that was exciting to him. At the same time Kaldre began studying, learning all different things about the world outside Unyak, all about the supernatural species that existed in the world, especially the phoenixes and Initia and about the history that humans had lived through.

There wasn’t a day that he didn’t think about his family, or the tribe he left behind that day on Unyak. He wasn’t sure he would ever love again, after knowing the true feeling of having his heart shattered into pieces. He still felt like a part of him was empty, almost as if something was missing. But he was also sure he had made the right choice for his own conscience and sanity.