"I will burn you like coal, for that is how you look!"
---
Lor sought no partner even through her youth... until she was met by Dhoqi. Lor was a woman of tall stature, long black hair, clear skin, and a famously kind smile. She had always been adored by the men at the local inn, perhaps a bit too much. Lor didn't know that the moment she met him, her life would be changed forever - not for the better.
Promising he would take her away into the mountains, the man drank her until she would agree to anything. His name was Dhoqi. He was cruel; she was foolish. She knew it could not be true yet she desired to be loved and away from Kamordah. She became pregnant with his child. He was gone soon after, almost as if it was his deed done. Lor never stopped drinking.
When her baby was born, she was astonished to see the baby appeared as if she were made of stone! Her dark grey skin produced growths that appeared to be rocks - obsidian. The thing peered at her with black eyes as deep as his. 'A demon!' she reasoned, 'a curse!'. But alas the real rumor had spread through town before Lor could conclude her theories. A Dao had impressed his greed upon her and given her a Genasi baby. The townsfolk of Kamordah took harshly to the child, as was a normal reaction of those in the Dwendalian empire. She had been named Kata One, short for Katastroféas Oneíron [Dream Destroyer].
Knowing full well the horrible way the townsfolk would look at her child, Lor kept her close at all times. Kata was never out of her sight. 'If you are to go out, only go after dark', her mother would say, 'your skin blesses you with cover in the night'. It would be generous to say that Lor was a loving mother for the girl, but she did her best to get past her hatred of Dhoqi. She took care of her, but she would never look her in the eyes. Never in those deep, dark eyes.
Kata was always reserved and quiet, but she had a smart head on her shoulders. Perhaps she was a bit prideful because she knew she was different. She felt that even though her momma didn't love her and the townsfolk hated her, that just meant she had something that they didn't. Even her dreams were strange; dreams of fire, and a voice calling to her and asking for her aid. She didn't know what it meant, but she knew that it was important. To her, it never mattered that no one loved her because she loved herself. During the day, between chores and daily doings, Kata would sit and play with the rocks she chipped off her skin. Growths would form overnight, and eventually they would become heavy and need to be removed. She liked to take knives from the kitchen and carve them into small sculptures, usually of wolves. Kata always thought wolves were cool.
One evening, the small girl decided she wanted to go out for the night. She had done it before, and felt confident she could go out safely to look at the stars and maybe even hear a distant wolf howl. So she told Lor and off she went, weaving through alleyways and drifting out of sight when someone would stroll by. Only dim torchlight lit the town now, the sun was gone. She was bulletproof.
Or so she thought.
Keeping inside enough made the people of Kamordah forget the earth Genasi girl existed, or at least pass her into myth. No one went looking for her at home, and no one usually took notice of her at night. As she slid out of sight one last time before exiting the town, she felt a tug on her arm. In an instant, she was yanked out of hiding and onto the stone-paved ground. She fell flat on her back, hitting her head just hard enough to make her dizzy. Above her she saw a human man, looking at her with disgust and yelling.
"'N what the 'ell do ye think yer doin' there, missy?! Eerr.. yer fuckin' arm got me 'and all dirty!" His gruff voice echoed off the walls of the house and shop-fronts, startling the peaceful evening ambience. The few average stragglers stopped to take notice. "I bet ye were thieving 'round like all the other brats!" But after he said this he focused on Kata and looked at her closely in the torchlight. His eyes went wide and his mouth gaped in fear. Then he really yelled. "GENASI! ROCK MONSTER! GREY DEMON! GENIE SPAWN!"
