Kayhos Ulessen

The best is only bought at the price of great pain.

Foreward

Kayhos Ulessen is a complex character with a long background and varied history. He is a dear friend, loving husband, father, and brilliant scholar just as much as he is a ruthless assassin, torture master, and experimental Telvanni.He has been my main for many years and as such he has had many experiences.Kayhos is married so he is not available for romantic relationships.

About the writer

Discord: @Shifa(Zalkreai)
ESO: @ZalkreaiPlay times typically are between 7PM and Midnight Monday-Thursday. Flexible Saturdays and Sundays.Content:
I write a fair amount of dark RP, torture, horror, grisly murders etc. Very few things are off the table, just talk to me about it first. ERP is usually not a thing for me. OOC communication is extremely important.

Basic Information

Name: Telvanni Kayhos Ulessen (he does not often offer his House in casual introductions)Nicknames: Kay, Shadow, Daddy (by far his favorite nickname, given to him by his adopted daughter)Gender: MaleRace: DunmerAge: 82Birth Sign: The Ritual (18th of Morning Star)Sexuality: Asexual(Ace)/Grey-Ace (this is personal but not overly so, he simply has little to no interest in sexuality or physical relationships)

Appearance

Height: 5’5”Weight: 140 ishHair: Silver, medum-long, and soft. He usually wears it in a ponytail when working, and down when casual.Skin: Dark greyEyes: Silver, angled, hawk-like, highly reflectiveBuild: Lean, lithe, and muscular (he is quite physically strong despite his size/build)Distinguishing marks: His left ear is half missing/melted away. Facial scars on his left side from old injuries when he was young.Wing tattoos across his back/arms, feathers over his chest and on his calves representing a phoenix.Kayhos has several other scars that are not typically visible and are tied to his history.Clothing: Black/brown netch leather armored with chitin in the uniform of the Morag Tong. Occasionally he will wear his own armored black assassin gear, otherwise he ears simple utilitarian cotton/linen/leather. When relaxing at home he prefers to wear yukata. He has an earring in his right ear, and a black, easily missed, ring on the middle finger of his right hand - both bear intricate engravings of runes that would only be noticeable if observed closely. His wedding ring is silver with black etchings and has a green stone centered in it.

Background

Kayhos was born and raised in Sadrith Mora, Vvardenfell though he is generally loath to speak of his past.He has two siblings. His elder sister, Linith, and a younger sister half his age, Vivrana. His mother, Althea divorced their father many years ago and she now lives as the wife of another Telvanni Wizard-Lord. Savhas Ulessen, his father, is deceased.

Childhood - Age 32, Sadirth Mora, Vvardenfell

Kayhos was originally trained as a mage, just as his sisters were; however he was lacking in magical ability much to the disappointment of his father Savhas. In an attempt to draw magical ability out of his dissapointing son, Savhas subjected Kayhos to torture and experimentation, none of which increased his ability.At age 17 Kayhos was studying his favorite subject and escape from his abusive father, alchemy, at a nearby library and magical archive. While there, a magical fire broke out, devouring the lower floors and killing most people who were unfortunate enough to be there that day. Kayhos survived, but only just, suffering extremely severe injuries leaving him both mute and now completely unable to utalize magic.Kayhos spent the following six months after the fire in a magical coma, enforced by his father and being healed by his sister and savior, Linith.Linith spent two years helping to rehabilitate her brother, much to the frustration of their father as she put her own studies aside to do so.

Once recovered, Kayhos then decided to study the martial arts and continue his studies in alchemy. He began to train with the sword and dagger in the skills of an assassin, and while he had survived, Kayhos suffered lingering nightmares from both the fire and his childhood abuse.Kayhos was recruited then by the Morag Tong, but while he cannot remember the exact reasons why, he did not join them.This upset his already volatile father and Savhas decalared that should he ever see Kayhos again, he would kill him. Kayhos fled Vvardenfell and the wrath of his father and was not seen again in Morrowind for decades with many believing he had perished.

Age 32-72

It was during this time that due to his ongoing nightmares and difficulty sleeping, Kayhos turned in desperation to alchemy and alcohol.Through long efforts and experimentation, Kayhos discovered a method that would not only dull pain, but put himself an a state of rest where he would be forced to sleep. His alchemical success did little to quell his nightmares and he would often wake himself with voiceless screams in the night.The next fifty years of his life were a blur of pain, alchemical experiments, nightmares and bladework. The few memories he has left to him of this time are filled with blood and suffering of others at his own hands. The journals he kept are dark scratchings and echos of his own experiments on live subjects, not too dissimilar to Savhas' own work and hints of murder. Large chunks of his memory for this time are now a void.Efforts to remember only bring him great pain in the form of debilitating migraines.

Current Day

Age 73-82

Kayhos was brought out of his darkness by the half-Altmer, half-Bosmer Kaiehre Moonshade and by a young Khajiit girl Ra'anna.Ra'anna, captured by Dres slavers, was saved by Kayhos when he murdered the group who were operating an underground trade in Narsis. Kayhos took the young girl in as he could not leave her to fend for herself and built a home for the two of them in the same town.Kaiehre met Kayhos soon after in a clandestine tavern. The healer recognized right away what Kayhos had been doing to himself out of desperation to escape his consistent nightmares. After a particularly dangerous event where Kayhos overdosed on his self-made alchemical substances and nearly killed himself, Kai moved in with the Dunmer - Khajiit pair.Over time Kai and Kayhos became insparable allies, friends, and eventually fell in love and were married. Kay and Kai's early relationship was fraught with difficulties stemming from Kayhos's dark past.Eventually that past caught up with Kayhos as he had publicly returned to Morrowind. Savhas tracked down his estranged son, with plans to continue his dark work.After decades of running from his history, Kayhos took a stand against his abusive father and made him pay for what he had been subjected to. Kayhos slayed Savhas, captured his soul, and brought it back to Sadrith Mora to the Ulessen ancestral tomb so that Savhas could be judged. Savhas' soul was sentenced by the ancestors to become a tortured guardian spirit, never to be released.After Savhas' death, Kayhos and Kai officially adopted Ra'anna as their daughter and had a short time together in peace.

Unfortunately, the decades of substance abuse had taken their toll on Kayhos, and his body suffered greatly for it. His health was on the decline and there were many times Kai thought his husband would leave Nirn and join his ancestors.Vivrana Ulessen, Kayhos's younger sister, soon found out about her father's demise and suspected the involvment of her older brother, who knew not of her existence until she hunted him down and dragged him back to their old family Tel for her own version of justice.Linith and Kai joined forces to save Kayhos from his devious sister who had taken it upon herself to continue Savhas' dark work. In their efforts the Tel was destroyed in a violent explosion, leaving the three certain that Vivrana had perished and left Kayhos on death's door yet again.Finally, there was peace in Kayhos' life. Kayhos purchased an estate and land for his beloved horses. He and Kai grew a fantastical garden together filled with alchemical reagents and ornamental flowers. Under Kai's experienced hands and with the help of Linith, Kayhos was able to fully recover his health. The unlikely couple also began to teach and train their daughter, Ra'anna, in the ways of the healing arts as well as bladework.Two years passed in this peaceful time, but settling down was not in Kayhos' nature. He needed action once again.Kayhos then decided it was time to return to his roots, and return to the person he felt he was meant to be and had trained to be. An Assassin.The Morag Tong, having started Kay's training decades ago, welcomed him back into the fold and thus a new era has started in the Dunmer's life. A fresh beginning.

Personality and Additional Information

Personality:
Private, aloof, and protective, Kayhos has an incredible potential for violence and can be sadistic. When working Kayhos loses all sense of empathy and emotion and becomes a pure killer with no other purpose than to bring death. It comes out as a cold, unfeeling, or cruel look in his eyes/expression, and as a murderous aura/palpable bloodlust. Among friends and those he trusts, Kayhos is kind and almost noble.Faith:
Kayhos generally avoids the subject, never having thought of ALMSIVI as deities. Of the Three, Kayhos admires Sotha Sil the most. He has always revered and honored Saint Veloth, and travels to the shrine in Deshaan regularly. Additionally, as a member of the Morag Tong, Kay now follows Mephala and has found her teachings to be validating of his own pre-disposition toward murder.Skills:
Kayhos is very good at killing people, can be quick and efficient or torturous depending on his mood. He is highly trained with the sword and dagger.Stealth:
He is practically invisible in darkness if he has his hood up and is capable of moving completely silently as any good assassin would be.Alchemy:
Kayhos is a very proficient alchemist, some may call him a master of the craft though he was never apprenticed or trained by anyone beyond the basics. He reads a lot and does his own research.Healing?:
His knowledge of the body and alchemy has resulted in Kay being moderately proficient with traditional healing methods. He's no professional, but he's good enough to keep himself or another alive.Weaknesses:
Kayhos is unable to use magic with any degree of power, but can detect it to a degree. He will never be proficient with it however and has an innate weakness to it.Kayhos can be quick to anger once his threshold for patience is passed and will almost always resort to violence should this occur.Loved ones: Kayhos would (and has) done anything to protect those he loves.His aversion to the smell of burning or cooking meat leaves him physically ill when taken by surprise and can send him into a PTSD episode. He hides this with usage of an alchemical substance that blocks his sense of smell for a short time.Sleep spells/potions/poisons: due to his history, Kayhos cannot wake/has a very hard time waking from enforced sleep on his own. They are also extra effective against him and would affect him stronger than they would an average person.

Quirks/Oddities:
Kayhos will not eat red meat, and will prefer to leave the area if someone is cooking meat (exceptions being insect and fish based dishes).He has a large array of tea and treats it like alchemy, and therefore is actually quite good at brewing various teas.Kayhos watches people very closely, and subconsciously is watching for weaknesses or openings.Horsemanship, Kayhos primarily relies non-magical transportation, favoring horses and will seek out portals provided by the mage guild when necessary.Kayhos is mute. He communicates primarily through gestures, body language, facial expression, and writing. He can make non-verbal sounds such as hissing and can also whistle.Recently, Kayhos has learned how to use esophageal speech through much time and effort. His usage of this is extremely limited, painful and is a physical strain on his throat often causing him to cough. He primarily speaks this way for very brief conversations and to announce the completion of a writ.Gear
Always has:
- Weapons - main hand (right) dagger, offhand (left) 1h sword (he is ambidextrous with his blades but prefers this arrangement)
- A supply of custom made health, and stamina potions
- Poisons
- Antidotes
- A small pocket-sized notebook and writing implements
- A flask
- Dried fruit
- A small vial containing a powdered substance
- A few throwing knivesSometimes has:
- Non-essential potions (such as a remedy for alcohol poisoning, or a potion for relaxation)
- Healing salves and bandages
- Mana restoration potions