The Story of Qa'han: The Unknown Child

Ahhhh, so you wish to know how an Argonian came to be like a Khajiit. Very well, but please excuse the accent. Living between the two makes it difficult for others to understand this one.

There really isn't that much to tell. I was separated from clutch before hatching and sold to a Khajiit trading caravan in Cyrodill. While I don't remember the exact moment of my hatching, I can only imagine their surprise when a little Argonian girl hatched from that egg instead of Guar. After that, my "mother", Rifava (the caravan leader) took me in as her own, teaching me the art of trading and bringing me up as though the caravan was my home and family. Admittedly there were obvious difficulties of my upbringing but we made things work. Qa'han and Rifava enjoyed the challenge, and many funny stories that came. This one cannot express you the confusion when I enter my Male Phase. My name was one Kitani, but when this one "grew a pair" so to speak, the family began calling me Qa'han, meaning "Unknown Child". I liked the sound of being an unknown, made me sound mysterious so I kept it. I tell people that I was named that as my true origins are unknown, but the truth is that I was named such as my true gender is unknown.

When I came to adulthood, Rifava encouraged me to learn more of my Argonian heritage. She changed here route to include to include an Argonian village on the border of Cyrodill and the Black Marsh. Each visit, Rifava put me in charge of finalizing trades, stating the Argonians would be more willing to trade with other Argonians, but this one knows it was mother's way of getting me to interact with them further, learn how they think, and take in some of their culture. It was something mother taught. "Trading with other races tell's what they don't want known." Qa'han is thankful to her, giving him the opportunity to choose his own path. Either that, or mother was just upset that her daughter was now her son, and she wanted to trade him away. Either way, through his interactions with the Argonians, he made the choice to begin his own caravan, in the across the Black Marsh.

Beginning his own caravan was difficult at first. Obtaining the permits and visas through the Ebonheart Pact was difficult, but due to my outward appearance of an Argonian, I was permitted to start the caravan. Then there was recruiting for it. While many Khajiit would jump at the chance to trade outside Dominion Territory, the Black Marsh is a harsh territory for those not of the Hist, full of Disease and Poison. (At least that is what the natives tell me) As such I had to convince other Argonians to join my caravan. Took time, but it worked. Rifava's and Qa'han's caravan made certain to schedule our visits to that same village at the same time, to trade not only goods, but stories. Later Qa'han learned that his hunch was right that Mother was giving him a chance to choose as she was loyal to the Aldmeri Dominian, and my heritage was that of the Ebonheart Pact. However, she did not expect him to choose something in between. The "Ebomeri Dompact" if you will. Still, alliances, fighting and bloodshed aside, this one is loyal to one thing alone, and that is the art of negotiating and trading.

At this time I have been separated from my caravan, something having to do with cultists or the sort, its hard to remember. Either way, his caravan was attacked and Qa'han fears that his circle is lost, so now he attempts to start up his caravan again. He joined this guild hoping to be able to begin trading Blue Skooma in the Black Marsh when he returns, possibly under a new name as a as the Dunmer aren't to fond of regular Skooma and throw any who deal it in prison. However, Argonians within the Black Marsh appear to have a natural resistance to the Narcotic and addictive proprieties (Not to be confused with immunity) to the product, and it was often asked of Qa'han if he had it for more of a energy booster. As he is not interested in rotting in a prison, Qa'han never carried the stuff (But he does admit he has tried it to see if it was true, and while it did feel good, I can confidently say I didn't feel the need for more) This one hopes Ri'sari will be able to provide him with some Blue Skooma to trade in the Black Marsh, and that the blue tint will hide what it really is from the Dunmer.

Kitani and the Dunmer

While this one never grew up in the Black Marsh, as he traveled with Ri'fava's circle, she told how Dunmer enslave this ones kind and treats them poorly. "If Kitani is not good." She told me (This story comes from before his Male Phase) "Ri'fava will trade her to the Dunmer, and only request half the value in coin." Han believes that is way Ri'fava kept him/her in check, and until Han first saw Dunmer, this one always pictured them as an evil Daedric Monster. Kitani was not far off.

One day at a routine stop in Cheydinhal, Kitani was asked to run regular package to the Inn keeper who was a good friend of the circle. Well, good friend of Kitani, always gave her sweet rolls at each delivery. Actually, Kitani wasn't asked to deliver package, it was a trade the two had between each other. Either way, this one was coming back with a big bag of sweet rolls when he heard yell. "There's the scaled wench." It said, and then world around Kitani grew black.

When Kitani awoke she was in cage, other Argonians with her. Obviously Kitani was surprised, as this was the first time she had seen this many of her own kind in one place. One among them, "Treads-in-Mud" (unusual names Argonians have, yes) explained they were taken from their homes in Black Marsh, and were crossing back into Morrowind through Cyrodiil to be sold into slavery. This outraged Kitani as she would never be so cruel as to trade one that was alive. First wait till its dead, then sell its stuff, excluding the body. Thats the way Ri'fava taught Kitani. Qa'Han recalls seeing one slave attempt to escape, and was killed without so much of a thought for it. The Argonians were sad, separated from their families, and utterly to defeated to fight back. When "Treads-in-Mud" asked why Kitani was still in high spirits however about their situation, she simply replied "Because Kitani's family is in Cheydinhal."

Cherydinhal has been known to have a rat problem to which Kitani was well aware of. Any loose food was quickly grabbed by the rats, and Kitani still had a Sweet Roll tucked in hidden pocket in his vest. With a very skillful throw (from Treads-in-Mud, Kitani was never a good thrower), half a sweet roll was skewered on the hook on which the keyring hung. A rat retrieved the prize, and hooked the keyring around its body in the process, and using the the second half of the sweet roll, coaxed the rat back with the keyring. It was at this time that Dunmer guards caught onto Kitani cleaver plan, and when she unlocked the cage, a dagger in the side she took. Tread-in-Mud grabbed the Dunmer guard, throwing him to the ground, and pushed Kitani out of path of stray arrow. "Go to your family." He called. "Go!"

And so Kitani ran. She ran as fast as she could, Dunmer slavers on her tail. This one must think that Town Guard must of stopped more then a few Dunmer as when Kitina looked back, only two was their, which Ri'fava and her circle cut down. Out of breath, tired but knowing she had little time, all Kitani could do was point from where she came and say "Save them." before collapsing.

When she awoke, Ri'fava stood over this one, eyes full of off tears. Kitani leaped embraced Ri'fava, eyes also of tears. Behind her, Kitani saw the Argonian slaves who were in the cages, unshackled. "Ri'fava proud of you daughter." she said. "These scaled ones wish to thank you." At which point Tread-in-Mud came forward.

"When you said your family was here in Cherydinhal, this was certainly not what I expected" Treads-in-Mud said with a grin. "The slavers have been taken into custody, and we are free to return home to the Black Marsh." He looked towards mother and hesitated "Your mother, has explained your story to us and how you came to be here with them. While I certainly would not take you from your family, I would like to invite you to join the Hist." At first Kitani did not understand exactly what Tread-in-Mud meant, but from what she understood at the time, it involved drinking the sap of a special tree from the Black Marsh that would give Kitani her identity. She accepted after discussing it with Ri'fava.

After the ceremony, Tread-in-Mud (who turned out to be a tribal leader) welcomed the caravan to his village and from that point forward, the Circle changed its root from Cherydinhal to Valedeep. Oh, and two months later Kitani learned that by "give Kitani her identity" Would mean Kitani becoming Qa'han.