User:Sesketh

Sagacious Sesketh Ekalibis, a Grandmaster of the Tynnonium Shackle of the Swifttail caste, (born 3708) is a female Iksar bruiser from Freeport, D'Lere. She is best known as the Chief Administrator of The Fallen Legion, a Level 80 guild on Everfrost. Her friends refer to her as "Sesk," "Sesky," or oddly enough, "Seskerdoodle," sometimes truncated to simply "Sesker."

Sesketh was featured on EQ2Players in Spring of 2009.

As of March 1, 2010, Sesketh is Level 87 with 210 Alternate Advancement points, 2,814 individual completed quests, 314 completed collections, and 286 completed Achievements.

Date of Birth and In-Game Time
Sesketh was born about three years before The Shattering (3711), and was approximately twenty years old when she arrived in Freeport in 3728 (April 2005).

Introductory Biography
Having attained the rank of Grandmaster of the Tynnonium Shackle, Sesketh's heritage as a Swifttail has served her well in pursuing expertise in the art of hand-to-hand combat. She possesses the recovered Gorynn's Fist, as well as many rare gis and relics from bruisers of the past. A scholar of history and lore, her library is quite extensive.

She is descended of the Swifttail line of martial arts combatants, and traces her genealogical heritage to the Kunzar Clan. Her parents and their parents were warrior scholars, and despite the post-Shattering advent of the worship of the Iksar neodeity Syllok, her people have always been - as so many have rediscovered since the return of the gods - devotees of Cazic-Thule, honoring her Iksar heritage with a deep and abiding love of her people and their traditions.

Sesketh has two distinct personae, one for the field and one for the dais.

As an adventurer, she is disciplined and methodical, but often boisterous and passionate, the adrenaline of battle serving to buoy her spirits and aiding her ability to relish the fight. Often perceived as being of good humor, she is a fighter's fighter in the fray. Aggressive and vocal, her combat is often able to be heard from some distance, the distinctive grunt and hiss of an assaulting female Iksar, or "Chiksar" to coin Sesketh's phrase, being a sound not easily emulated.

However, as a leader, she is far more erudite and diplomatic, a quality many Iksar lack. As well traveled as she is now as a spokesperson and executive for her beloved guild family, her skills as a writer, a mediator, and a manager serve her well.

Sesketh resides in a large home hewn from the rock beneath the enchanted Academy of Arcane Science in North Freeport, deep in the foundations of what was once the original Twilight Citadel. Her home features a flame-heated den and abattoir butchery, her impressive collection of trophies and weaponry, the library, an area for meditation and study, and the appropriate facilities for the proper sacrifice to and worship of The Faceless.

Teachers and Trainers

 * Enforcer Kurdek of the Dreadnaughts, Sesketh's first teacher in Freeport around 3725.
 * K'Shar Haelbreng of the Brethren of Night, who revealed the secret of the Devastation Fist Technique to Sesketh in the Nektulos Forest, circa 3735.
 * Master Irudan Ortai of the Ashen Disciples, with whom Sesketh studied in the desert of T'Narev on the Isle of Ro around 3740.
 * Master Long Shan and Master Lu Sywaka of the Third Circle, both of the Whistling Fists Clan, with whom Sesketh studied in the Tower of the Four Winds on the Isle of Mara.
 * Zhen Mei and Sensei Kozon of the Whistling Fists Clan, from whom Sesketh gained enlightenment at the top of the Tower of the Four Winds in 3831.
 * Master Luris of the Ashen Order, with whom Sesketh trained during her time on Mara.
 * Disciple Varlox of the Swifttail Caste, with whom Sesketh trained during her time on Mara.
 * Sister Shoren of The Silent Fist Clan, with whom Sesketh trained during her time on Mara.
 * Master Kyau of the Disciples of Wu, with whom Sesketh studied in the Lesser Faydark in Faydwer in 3765.
 * Grand Master Lu Sun of the Disciples of Wu, with whom Sesketh studied in the Lesser Faydark in Faydwer in 3765.
 * Grand Master Sathaz, who died at Sesketh's hands amidst mortal combat in the depths of Sebilis in 3788.
 * Grandmaster Raakaz, who completed Sesketh's training in the ways of the Tynnonium Shackle.

Titles and Appellations

 * Sagacious, Dame, Champion of D'Lere, Champion of Bayle
 * Champion of Drednever, Destroyer of Saevytr, Herald of the Ethernauts, Hero of Kugup
 * Vindicator of the Coin, Paragon of Truth, Vanguard of the Blade, Hero of Maj'Dul
 * The Ruffian
 * Shackle Grandmaster
 * Tiger Sifu, *Mantis Master (former)
 * Swabber, Deckhand, Petty Officer
 * Hunter of Cyclops, Droag, Elementals, Fairies, Gnolls, Goblins, Harpies, Kobolds, Orcs, Undead, Vampires
 * Slayer of Orcs and Undead
 * Destroyer of Undead
 * the Treasure Hunter, the Lore Seeker, the Relic Keeper, the Artifact Raider
 * the Loyal, the Dedicated, the Distinguished, the Zealous, the Perceptive
 * Nybright Benefactor, Rubble-rabble Rouser, Quatcha Catcher, Shadow Assailant
 * of the Clay Shackle, of the Stone Shackle, of the Rock Shackle, of the Copper Shackle, of the Bronze Shackle, of the Steel Shackle, of the Tynnonium Shackle
 * of Cazic-Thule
 * the Ebon Dragon
 * Order of Rime, Trooper of Rime, Sentinel of Rime
 * the Dream Hero
 * the Flirtatious, the Romantic, the Passionate

Excerpt from "Clan Ekalibis and the History of the Iksar, Volume II"
''In-game copies of the three volumes of this tome series are available for purchase on the Everfrost server. Volume I is a compilation of in-game EverQuest Iksar lore.''

A Marked Egg
Brood Mother Sarthask, a descendant of the Nathsar Tribe renowned for giving rise to many of the most prestigious Swifttail lines, mated with General Vissirr, a notable tactician nearing the end of his service. Sarthask laid nine eggs in a clutch, but became eggbound on the tenth and the priests were unable to resolve the crisis in time to save her life. The ninth egg was not pristine, but had a discolored shell, a sepia-toned stain that some said was a bruise from a scale, but others said looked to have been clawed from inside. It was nearly triangular, three hashes, the Iksar character of Ekal, the long-time blazon for the Tribe of Nathsar and the modern-day House of Rile.

Dominus Rile was told of the egg, but he did not summon it: such curiosities were far afield of the daily concerns of a risen emperor.

Instead, the Dominus decreed that the ninth egg would be given to his sister, Ibissk, who would raise the hatchling and educate it in accordance with the decree of the Mystics: It would be a Swifttail. This was in the year 3708.

The Shellscratcher
Named Sesketh - meaning "One who Leaves Marks" - and given of the House of Rile, Sesketh was sent to train with the Shackle Masters, and soon became a formidable opponent. Naturally agile, her strength was the focus of her development, and given the low number of competing youngsters, she was able to take advantage of the attentions of other wise adults and to excel in scholarly academic pursuits as well as physical combat training.

A Broken World, A World Left Behind
Just as Sesketh was about to commence the first set of training to prepare her to become a Clay Shackle Monk, The Shattering occurred. She was at sea - the worst possible place - and many aboard the powerful Iksar warship were killed as it was crushed like dry leaves by the ocean waves. She survived, but awoke alone like so many others did, and drifted for days before coming aboard a ghost ship occupied only by corpses. It took months to find dry land again, and when she did, it was not her home.

Freeport
Sesketh - who took the name "Ekalibis" as her new house, after her egg glyph and the mother-figure who had raised her - came to earn a living as best she could, suffering in the service of softskins. However, Freeport was a fortunate place for a young, strong, and ambitious but incompletely-trained Iksar. She was welcomed for her directness and skill, but suspected if not despised because of her Iksar heritage. She would be tempered in the many years ahead, and ultimately would come to find that the world was not as straightforward as her people had raised her to believe.

Diversity is Strength
Instead of a single method or school of practice, Sesketh's adventures simply trying to survive on D'Lere would lead her to study with many of the greatest practitioners of disciplined martial combat in modern Norrathian history. Enforcer Kurdek of the taught her streetfighting and to release what she had previously accepted as absolute. K'shar Haelbreng of the Brethren of Night in Nektulos Forest taught her that there are techniques, like Devastation Fist, that not even the Iksar had truly mastered. (Though it is worthy of note that Sesketh is one of the few Iksar bruisers ever to master the art.)

After the rediscovery of Ro, Sesketh immediately plunged herself into studies with the Ashen Disciples, ultimately earning the title of "The Ebon Dragon" from Master Irudan Ortai in the Pillars of Flame, who unlocked flame and fury in Sesketh that she had never known she possessed.

It was on Mara where her training ultimately culminated, locking into her the knowledge that it is only by understanding others that one can understand all, and it is only by understanding all that one can come to master all. Masters Long Shan and Lu Sywaka also taught Sesketh that true mastery does not always include absolute dominance, for the strength of union defeats the individual, and the power of plurality defeats the unilateral.

Upon the rediscovery of Faydwer, Master Kyau of the Disciples of Wu befriended Sesketh, and introduced her to Grand Master Lu Sun, one of the most important teachers to educate the Iksar brawler, bringing harmony and balance to a troubled heart.

The Fallen Legion
Throughout her studies, Sesketh called Freeport home, and befriended a small group of proud and amusing softskins who called themselves The Fallen Legion, a regiment of post-Shattering survivors that had banded together in a common cause to serve their communities and raise others up from poverty and grief by teaching them survival and advancement skills.

An older, wiser Son of Halas, a barbarian named Kronin Magnumus, took Sesketh under his wing and began to teach her the ways of politics in Freeport and to introduce her to others, including the accomplished bard and warrioress Rayven Noir and her brother Klerg Krushbone, a fellow bruiser. In time, they grew to be fast friends, as well as the other proud members of the growing movement.

Sesketh was soon equal among them, friend and ally, and had found a conduit for her energies. Strength in unity, honor in all things, respect above all else, dignity for anyone and everyone, power through cooperation, the valuing of diversity and difference... it was a blend of the best of the Iksar and the best of these miraculous softskins. The old world was left behind, and this Iksar had learned that there were so many wonders, so many challenges, and so much in the world that it was only by uniting any willing person, sword, ideal, and flag under a common banner that a group could change that world for the better and lead to glory and greatness for anyone who sought it.

From Street to Sword, from Sword to Scroll
It was not long before the Overlord noticed the White Helm emblem of the Legion. However, his effort to commission The Fallen Legion as an exclusively Freeport-aligned organization would fail; the movement had gained followers on Antonica as well as D'Lere, and their word was spreading. The leader of the organization, a powerful but shrouded necromancer, a walking Dead so it seemed and somewhat removed from the work on the ground that had done so much good, announced that he would leave the guild to grow on its own and seek to build itself up outside of the protections of the cities.

It was an unexpected and dangerous move that could have broken a lesser guild, but The Fallen Legion survived at least in part because of the great story that had gone before it. When the necromancer passed the mantle of leadership, Sesketh did not seize power, raise it up, and lord it over the lessers as so many Iksar leaders had done before. Her journeys throughout the Shattered Lands had shown her what happened when one individual, no matter how well-meaning, exercised so much power over so many.

Instead, Sesketh elected to convene a council, The Council of The Five, setting into stone the policies that would guide The Fallen Legion and allow others to bring their journeys to benefit the good and great of Norrath as she had.

The Return to Kunark
It was roughly sixty Norrathian years after the day Sesketh came ashore on D'Lere that the news came to her desk: Kunark had been rediscovered.

It was a challenging decision for her, but she had to go, had to return to the Fens and see what had survived... and go she did, leaving her beloved guild behind her to seek out what had been lost.

What she found was a dangerous Kunark, more polarized than ever, with sects of Sathirians preying even upon their fellow scaled brethren and the House of Rile casting dark shadows over a disturbed continent.

She discovered Grand Master Rakaaz of the Tynnonium Shackle resurrecting the Tabernacle of Pain, and rapidly passed the trials of Clay, of Stone, of Rock, Copper, and Steel... Her experiences and her might had made her stronger than any Swifttail that had gone before her. But a dark challenge lay ahead.

Sesketh had chosen a path that had led away from her Iksar heritage in many ways, and one of the most powerful combatants on all of Kunark rose up to challenge her, to drive her down and defeat her way of thinking and her way of life. Grand Master Sathaz, a vengeful and skilled teacher of martial arts, opposed her in the final trial, daring her to do exactly what she had found so repugnant upon her return: She would be forced to slay a fellow Iksar, and slay him she did, casting down her foe and with him his antiquated ideals. She emerged from the depth of a dark and twisted Sebilis a changed warrior, more committed than ever that The Fallen Legion was the way of the future.

The Return Home
With humility, Sesketh returned to D'Lere and returned to the Green and Black, offering to serve as only a simple warrior. She did not seek her former post, did not expect to return to the Council she had created. She wanted only to serve, and be a part of something truly noble once more.

Sesketh learned that true strength lies in the study, understanding, and acceptance of other ways of thinking, of being, of knowing, and of doing, and in that diversity and respect, one can find the clarity to recognize what is truly good and truly evil in this confused and confusing land of Norrath.

There are those that stand at the gates and raise swords against the peaceful and seek to strike down those who are unlike them. There are those that seek power they have not earned and desire strength they will use to harm others. And there are those, those who wear The White Helm, those who scratch eggs from the inside, who will rise up, wrap themselves in Green and Black, and stand against the tide to save Norrath from the darkness that seeks to envelop it. There is nobility, honor, and value in anyone, from any people, who seeks it and works hard to find it.

There is only one birth member of Clan Ekalibis... but there are many members of Sesketh's true family. They are Legionnaires.

Alts
Sesketh has always been what one would call a "one toon wonder." Having come from Star Wars Galaxies (as Eln Ackom on Kettemoor and later Ruuv R'Ra on Bria), the player took quite some time to develop the character of Sesketh Ekalibis, and invested all of his time in that toon. His dabbling with alts led to a habit of "alticide," deleting characters in the early 20s without fail. It became something of an inside joke within the guild that no Sesky alt would survive past 25.

Eventually, the player realized that in order to be an effective leader and mentor of a cosmopolitan guild, and a more effective compatriot on the field, he needed to have first-hand experience with the diversity of gameplay experiences available in EverQuest II. Now, Sesk enjoys four primary alts of a variety of classes in order to more fully develop his understanding of playing non-brawler classes.

It turns out that there are other ways to be successful in Norrath than mercilessly thrashing something to pieces with one's talons claws and tail. Who knew? (n.b.: Guildmate Hawke has recently helped us identify that non-avian morphology sharpened nails on anthropomorphic lizard hands are correctly termed claws, not talons.)



The Player
The player of Sesky is an education professional who resides in Washington, D.C., in the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education K-12, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction / Integration of Technology in Schools, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education Leadership and Policy, and further postgraduate studies in Curriculum and Instruction at two additional universities. Sesketh was a trumpet major as an undergraduate, and is a former middle and high school band director. His work is now in instructional design and school leadership. He is a regular conference presenter and keynote speaker in the region, and has been featured in local, regional, and national print and broadcast media for his work in instructional technology. As of late 2009, he is endorsed in school leadership to serve as a principal in the American public schools.

One of his primary areas of research and instruction is gaming and simulation in the classroom. He is the architect of a number of large-scale multimedia and simulation based units in a variety of core curricular areas, including a major wargaming simulation in Social Studies for the study of the American executive branch.

Because of his work with children, he is reticent regarding his personal life when playing EQ2.

One of his hobbies aside from EQ2 is genealogy. Sesketh's player is descended primarily from English, German, and Dutch ancestors. He has compiled family history information into a family tree containing approximately 14,000 individual records. He maintains a large web-based repository and corresponds with other family researchers around the world in the ongoing effort to complete a catalog of twenty-three generations of his family line.

In his off time, he enjoys great food and drink (he's a bit of a gastronomist), composing music and writing fiction, cigars, and spending time with his family. He is a casual runner and enjoys downhill skiing.

And yes, the gray streak is natural. It is a genetic trait called poliosis, often referred to by its more literary name the "Mallen Streak."

Community Contributions
In addition to his work in interguild diplomacy and promotion of cooperative gameplay on the Everfrost server, Sesketh has authored numerous SOE forum posts over the years, including Sesketh's Qeynos to Freeport Betrayal Guide, Ships and Shipwrecks of Norrath (later significantly updated after the forum updates), and several articles on translation of in-game foreign language text such as on magic carpets.

Sesketh's articles and guides have been stickied and featured on both TenTonHammer and EQ2-Daily. The player is a regular contributor to the EQ2Map project, OGaming and Allakhazam.

Recently, he become seriously invested in researching the lineage of the House of Bayle and Qeynos Rulers, as well as associated historical events and individuals, here on EQ2i.

Ooh, Look What I Found!
If you're in the process of being cunning, tracking down the player through the power of Google, congratulations. You found him. It's not exactly challenging. Hopefully you will be gracious about allowing the player his space.

Links

 * Sesketh on EQ2Players
 * Get to Know a Fellow Player: Sesketh (on EQ2Players)