| Ki | |
|---|---|
 Fan art by Chapel Vivian | |
|
Name |
Ki (Kai) |
|
Gender |
Female |
|
Age |
17 |
|
Height |
5'3" |
|
Species |
Human |
|
Spoken |
Common |
|
Written |
Let's just say English, OK? |
|
Room: |
Room 6331 (Deck 07) |
|
Canon |
Between The Return of Ishtar & The Blue Crystal Rod |
|
Journal |
|
Ki is a shrine maiden of Ishtar from ancient Babilym. Technology is completely foreign to her, and is best explained in terms of magic - although she has had a crack course in What Computers Are from Major Motoko Kusanagi, and Outer Space from Lika... even if she does think Saturn is a city suspended from the Dome of Heaven.
Trained since young childhood to be a shrine maiden, it was her job to act as mediator to the gods. (Only young maidens may hear the voices of the gods; when they reach adulthood and marry, this ability is lost.) Therefore, having heard the gods for most of her life, she is at a loss to understand atheism or agnosticism.
In an effort to preserve this ability as long as possible, the shrine sheltered their maidens; Ki has a rather unbalanced education, especially when it comes to sex.
Canon[]
In another time... in another world...
The Druaga War[]
The city-kingdom of Babilym was located at the banks of the great Euphrates River, ruled by King Marduk. The people were prosperous and regularly paid their respects to the gods.
As a reward for their faith, the god Anu created the Blue Crystal Rod and placed it in the skies above the city. The brilliant blue shine that reflected from the Rod blessed the city with riches and beauty.
Emperor Bahlarant of the Sumerian Empire desired the Blue Crystal Rod, and mobilized the Sumerian Imperial Army for a large-scale invasion of Babilym. The peace-loving Babilym fell easily to the warlike Sumerians.
The Tower of Druaga[]
Bahlarant decreed that in order to obtain the Rod that rests in the heavens, a tower must be built, and he enslaved the people of Babilym for this purpose. But as the Tower grew, the brilliant blue shine of the Rod was obscured in the Tower's shadow...
Anu was angered by Bahlarant's hubris and greed, and struck the Tower with a great lightning bolt. The Tower was destroyed.
However, from the darkness of the ground stirred an enemy that was defeated long ago by the Goddess Ishtar. Druaga awakened from his long slumber; he stole the Rod from the Heavens, resurrected the Tower overnight, and hid himself away on the topmost floor.
The Quest of Ki[]
The Goddess Ishtar appeared to Ki, the only shrine maiden left who was faithful to Ishtar. She gifted young Ki with a red-stoned tiara and charged her with a quest: to retrieve the Blue Crystal Rod.
"You must use the courage in your heart and channel it into this Tiara I've given to you, then the Magic of the Tiara will make you lighter than air. If you have righteousness in your heart, then this will certainly help you!"
The tiara did indeed help Ki reach the top of the 60-floor Tower. (So did the dragon Quox, a physical manifestation/embodiment of the Blue Crystal Rod.) But when she reached the Blue Crystal Rod, it suddenly shimmered and split - into Blue, Red and Green Rods! Druaga himself appeared and, with black magic, transformed Ki into a helpless stone.
GIRUGAMESH[]
Ki's sweetheart Gil, son of Marduk, soon arrived and defeated Druaga. With the demon vanquished, his magic dissipated, and Ki was freed from her prison. Together they made their way back down the 60 floors, now crawling with monsters freed from Druaga's control.
They had reached the exit and were heading back to Babilym, intent on restoring the Blue Crystal Rod to its place in the Heavens, when Ki found herself on the Elegante...
With the Rod and without her beloved Gil.