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#1189
Marc
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Above was what was sketched out for Kaldur’ahm to explain some events but was more condensed. Below is Kaldur’ahm expanded history. There are some minor changes to some of the background events to encourage storylines and adventures.

CHILD FROM XEBEL

Kaldur’ahm was born to an unknown Xebelian and human farther. Sometime after his birth he was presented to Arthur Curry, known to his subjects as King Orin or Atlantis, as someone of great importance that needed to be protected and hidden from the enemies of both Atlantis. Rather than attempt to hide the boy away, Arthur decide to raise Kaldur as his own, adopting him as his son, making him a Prince of Atlantis.

Not soon after he had come into Arthur’s care, Kaldur began to display abilities that were known to be possessed by Xebelian royalty. This alerted Orin to the fact that someone had breached the Great Barrier. Either was done by someone on the inside or by someone from the outside. It was difficult to say. Arthur tasked his half-brother Orm with investigating the matter to determine if the Great Barrier had been breached, and if so was the breath still present.

With that handled, Arthur focused on helping Kaldur with his abilities using his own experiences with his own burgeoning abilities as a guideline. Kaldur began instruction on how to control his abilities in earnest.

SILENT SCHOOL AND THE OTHERS

Once control was established Kaldur was taken to the Silent School where the teacher and magisters there would be better able to help him with his hydrokinetic and electrokinetic abilities.

Despite being an obedient student, there were times when Kaldur would sneak off to see his father. On one such occasion he followed the King the surface revealing his hybrid status given the length of time he spent upon the surface world. Prior to that even his status as an Atlantean-Human hybrid had been kept hidden among Orin, Orm and a few other select individuals.

Orin knew of the challenges that Kaldur would face if other Atlanteans knew of his status as a hybrid as some Atlanteans held feelings that ran from a deep mistrust to outright hatred of surface dwellers. A sentiment that Kaldur’s father knew all too well. Exposed as a hybrid Atlantean Kaldur learned what it meant to walk between both worlds as he was able to survive in the surface world without suffering the debilitating effects that afflicted most Atlanteans if they spent longer than normal periods out of the water.

Unbeknownst to Arthur and Kaldur, Orm had arranged for Kaldur to sneak away from the school to follow his father who he had missed, leading to the young prince exposing his status as a hybrid in an attempt to weaken his brother’s position while advancing his own.

Despite revealing to the kingdom of Atlantis his status as a hybrid Kaldur’s adventure to the surface brought the young prince in contact with a group of people that had been and continued to be his father’s closest friends in the surface world, a group known as the Others. They were individuals that his father called upon when he needed assistance in the surface world. They equally called upon him when they were in need of assistance with a great deal of matters.

For Kaldur they were the first humans, the first surface dwellers that he had come in contact with outside of his father. He came to see them as his father’s most trusted friends. Though Kaldur wanted to stay with his father, and his friends the young prince was told that he had duties that he had to attend to back home. He was still being instructed on how to better utilize his abilities as well as learn more about his home and the people that inhabited it.

Arthur wanted his son to be safe, but it was one of his father’s friend that advised Kaldur that to best help his father was to best serve Atlantis then he would have to show that he could be useful. He had to demonstrate that he was more than Arthur’s son in name only. He had to be someone that Orin could be proud of, a true son of Atlantis.

With that in mind when Kaldur returned, the young prince took to his studies with more discipline and dedication that he had before mastering his Xebelian abilities at a more rapid pace thanks to the magisters of the Silent School. The instructors at the Silent School focused on helping Kaldur not only control his abilities but increase their intensity. They wanted to know how much power the young prince was capable of wielding whether it was through the movement and control of water, moving from basic shapes to more complex ones, and if he had the potential to surpass his limits.

His instructors were demanding and unforgiving, but they wanted to understand the nature of what Kaldur could do sometimes pushing him pass the point of exhaustion. They also wanted to understand the limits of his reach making sure that he was able to maintain a great degree of accuracy whether he was using his abilities to command water or generate electricity. Though they were a school of magic they applied application and techniques that a student of magic would finding that a calm and focused mind could produce the desire results. Kaldur did not let his failures deter him instead he focused on how he could learn from them in order to meet the demands of his instructors.

Kaldur’s lessons were not limited to focus on his abilities. He also increased his knowledge of Atlantean Lore wanting to make his father proud with what he had learned. He studied not only their history, but also about some of the mysteries surrounding the underwater kingdom from before and after it sank. What educational needs were not met at the Silent School would be met by his tutors who instructed him like every other member of the royal family.

When time allowed it, Kaldur and Arthur would travel the seas together with Kaldur wanting to test his limits, but his father cautioning his son not to be as reckless as he was when he was his age, but also to know his own mind. It was during this times that Kaldur and Arthur traveled in search of the lost kingdoms.

It was something that Arthur did often, but it was the first time that he could share in it with another person as Orm believed them to be destroyed, lost forever as the legends said. During these vacations as Arthur would call them he saw how much Kaldur had been taught, but also helped him become familiar with the sea creatures that inhabited the oceans. Though Kaldur did not possess his ability to communicate mentally with the sea life, he did instruct him on how he to interact with the sea life. Arthur explained that it would help Kaldur to become aware of things that may not be as apparent to others who were unfamiliar with the behavior of animals.

On rare occasions Arthur would take Kaldur to where he was raised before he left the surface world. Arthur shared how his parents met. Though Kaldur asked about why his father left the surface world Arthur would only say that he was only living half a life. That there was more for him to learn. He also wanted to feel less lonely, but there were many things that set him apart from others. His abilities both among humans and Atlanteans. The fact that he was King, it all set him apart so in some ways he would always be alone, but the Others and Kaldur allowed him to have things that he ordinarily would not be able to have.

It was also during this time that Kaldur came to understand what it meant to be a Prince of Atlantis, that in some respects his life was not on his own. That he had a duty, a responsibility that could not be ignored. Arthur once told him that there were two things that he wanted for Kaldur for him to be happy and for him to be a better man that he was. It is all that he could hope for.

SOLDIER: SON OF ATLANTIS

Kaldur continued his studies at the Silent School for several more years before decided to enter the Atlantean Military. Though Kaldur had received combat instruction as a member of royal family and military service was expected the actual decision to join the military was one that he made with some encouragement from his Uncle Orm who suggested that it would be a way for the young prince to demonstrate his loyalty to Atlantis and the Throne. There were some that believed that his entry to the Silent School was a benefit of being the son of the King. Kaldur had been instructed on the nature of his Xebelian abilities, but he was no mystic they said yet he was treated as if he was one of the more talented mystics of the agents by receiving private instruction from some of the magisters.

It was argued that as a prince of Atlantis he should receive the best education no matter who taught him, but the fact of the matter was Kaldur was a hybrid, so some believed his blood would sully the Atlantean royal blood line. Even more he was adopted, but Arthur would not relent. Kaldur was a son of Atlantis and no matter the opposition that he faced from some members of the Atlantean Council Kaldur would continue to receive some benefits.

Kaldur had some knowledge of this which is why he chose to join the military. Here he would be treated as an equal, and even if he was not he would not allow someone’s perception to break his determination. He did this not only for himself, but or his father to prove to those that doubted him were wrong. He would also do this for Atlantis to prove his worth and show his love for his home.

When Kaldur made his intent to join the military known it was at this time that Kaldur’s battle master, the Captain of the Royal Guard, felt it was time for his student to be presented with items that had been presented to Arthur when Kaldur was placed into his care. It was a pair of water bearers.

They were used by to help control and focus his water shaping abilities, but as he was being instructed by the faculty at the Silent School both Arthur and Captain of the Guard thought it best to let whatever obstacles Kaldur encounter be overcame through perseverance, study, and practice. Before his enlistment ceremony Kaldur began to train the use of his water bearers to become familiar with how they functioned and how he could use them.

Upon entering the military Kaldur met who would become his closest friend, the purple eyed youth named Garth. Both were treated as outcast. Kaldur because of his half human heritage and his Xebelian abilities. Garth because of his purple his eyes and the stigma they carried with them. Both had their reasons for joining the military, and both meant to excel in his training. Kaldur began to further hone his combat skills, which had already begun due to his lessons provided by the Captain of the Royal Guard.

Kaldur took to the discipline of a life in the military quite well. Along with the grueling unrelenting training regimen that require as much mental fortitude as it did physical fortitude. Strengthening of his mind went hand and hand with the strengthen of his body. Soldiers were required to be strong, quick and able to make quick decisions when necessary. They also need to be sufficiently competent to operate Atlantean technology when using their weapons and vehicles. Despite his swift speeds, Kaldur had been taught by Orm himself how to operate Atlantean vehicles.

The prince advanced with no aid from his farther or his extended family. He proved to be a capable warrior, one worthy to be a member of the Atlantean military. Like all soldier’s Kaldur received training in how to use most traditional Atlantean weapons. The young prince excelled at unarmed combat which was to be expected, and appeared to be quite adept with blades, long and short practicing with them often in his drills along with his water bearers. He also enhanced his abilities as a range combatant relying predominantly on his electrical and hydrokinetic abilities but proving to be quite proficient with the current ranged weapons utilized by the Atlantean military.

Despite some complaints that he had an advantage, because of his abilities, Kaldur proved that with or without them he was able defend himself and defeat his enemies, but it was also revealed that despite the advantage Kaldur’s abilities could be countered and overcame. Kaldur had learned the lesson long ago through combat drills with his battlemaster, but others had to learn that the opponent that they had to defeat first was themselves before they could defeat anyone else. His abilities were never meant to be a crutch.

Kaldur completed basic training, moving onto advanced training to further his training as he wanted to advance in the military and put his skills to good use. Through involved in advanced training which covered military history, advance combat, and tactics Kaldur was still responsible for participating in missions that took him across the various cities and settlements of the kingdom.

There were many dangers in the sea some from the surface, some from other species and individuals that were enemies of the Atlanteans. Including one with creatures that Atlanteans had never encountered before, not in recent history before. Tracked back to the Mariana Trench, Orm took command of the efforts to discover who this these mysterious creatures were.

Arthur did reward his son for his achievements by allow him to accompany him to the surface to travel with him and The Others when time allowed. Arthur wanted Kaldur to be exposed to the surface world as much as he could be to learn about it. He also wanted his son to be familiar with the fighting styles of the surface world, and the differences between fighting in and under the water and out of it. There was something to learn from each of the members of the Others. From Kahina and Ya’Wara he increased his skill with blades. With the Operative all three instructed him on various forms of unarmed combat. The Operative and the Prisoner provided instruction on firearm, and other weapons. The also aided him in improving his marksmanship with his electrokinesis. Above all they taught him to respect weapons he used.

During his visits with the Others Kaldur continued to learn and become fluent in four additional languages outside of Atlantean. Kaldur learned English from Arthur, the Operative and the Prisoner. Kahina taught him Arabic, while Vostok taught him Russian for his fourth language Arthur insisted he learned Greek. Arthur gave no reason he simply asked Kaldur to do this as a favor for his father.

ENTER THE DRIFT

As time progressed between his continued military training and training with the Others Kaldur continued to increase the use of his abilities growing quite adept with them. Kaldur even encouraged Garth to embrace the abilities that he possessed. Training exercises revealed the talent that both possessed and their performance in the field drew the attention of the Drift. The Drift were legends among the military. They were the best of the best, an elite special forces unit that reported to the crown often taking the most demanding assignments that the military could not handle.

Kaldur and Garth enter Drift training receiving additional advanced close quarters combat training. Including access to the all Atlantean weaponry and technology. Stealth, deception and investigation were skills valued by the Drift in addition to superior combat skills. Kaldur was identified as a combat specialist with the potential for investigation and intelligence gathering. As with several members of the drifts he had additional abilities that could be exploited to the Drift’s advantage.

There was also focus on team work. A member of a Drift team needed to be able to be able to act independently and as a member of a team. A support member was just as valuable as being the point person. It all depended on the mission and the role that had been assigned to individual which would ensure the missions success.

The training experienced during this time brought into focus where the problem areas were for the kingdom. Most of the instructors believed that the biggest threat would come from the surface world, but they also focused on the dangers that could come from different areas of the ocean. Drills consistently involved training on the surface to build up the endurance of all members of the Drift.

While often challenged because of his station Kaldur proved himself time and time again learning from his mistakes as much as if not more than his triumphs.

Drift training stressed adaption which helped Kaldur push past some of his limits allowing him to utilize his Xebelian abilities in a variety of fashions and at the same time. Something that he didn’t immediately share with everyone in effort to maintain tactical advantages.

Upon completely Drift Training, approximately two years, Kaldur was assigned a task that Arthur had been considering for some time, close observation of the surface world by select Atlantean agents. Recent events in the surface world prompted a closer look at what they were doing and what dangers they presented not only to themselves, but to the world’s oceans.

It was agreed that Kaldur’s status as a hybrid would afford him certain benefits that most Atlanteans could not take advantage of. Additionally, the instruction that he received from Arthur and his associates provided him knowledge that other members of the Drift did not have. He could serve as a test case for deploying deep cover agents as Atlantean Intelligence set about solving the problem of being outside of the water for extended periods of time. Currently they could not risk such missions with most of their agents as the effects of being out of the water for extended periods of time would have an impact on their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

While Kaldur knew that Arthur was confident in his abilities, he also knew his father was conflicted about the decision to send him to the surface world for such an assignment. It was necessary, but Arthur wanted to find a better way to handle the situation, but between events that took place upon the surface including the Deepwater Horizon incident, something had to be done. Arthur and Kaldur walked in both worlds, but Arthur had to demonstrate that he did not favor the surface world over the underwater one.

There was also a desire to know how the surface world would treat those that were unlike themselves. Intelligence indicated that humans had varying opinions when it came to beings with abilities, but recent events including those involving aliens, metahumans and most recently the installation of Lex Luthor as President for life gave Arthur pause. To reveal that there was an entire world that was hidden to the world. It had to be done carefully, but it had to do with a much information they could gathered.

Prior to the beginning of the mission Kaldur was provided with a surface identify by the Operative who used his contacts to assist with this endeavor in h0pes of being able to address Arthur’s concerns. The identity of Jackson Hyde from Silver City, New Mexico was created. Kaldur left for the surface world as his identify would see him being accepted and attending Metropolis University.

CIVIL WAR

While Kaldur was settling into his surface world identity time the outer cities and colonies of Atlantis continued to experience problems with the surface world. Even more was a danger that rose from the deepest part of the ocean that began to attack the outer colonies. Orm used this to his advantage to incite a civil war among Atlanteans. Having allied himself with several powerful Atlantean houses, and the Xebelian army who came to the defense of Atlantis, its cities and colonies, all under Orm’s banner.

Kaldur was unaware of the war as all contact was cut off while he established his presence among the surface world. However, as the war continued many colonies suffered until reports of the death of King Orin began to spread across the kingdom. Though some refused to believe it his body was put on display for all to see. Orm was declared king of Atlantis as it was due to his strength and guidance that Atlantis was able to defend Atlantis’s borders.

Orm’s first act was to offer amnesty to all who supported the false king, Arthur. They would only suffer exile to Xebel, sealed behind the Great Barrier rather than death. In truth those who supported Arthur were sacrificed to the Trench for their services. Orm however lacked the one thing that he sought with Arthur’s death the Trident of Neptune. It was not recovered. Seeking the symbol of his right to rule Orm dispatched several of his agents to retrieve the trident from the battlefield. Mysteriously could not be found. Orm had another fashioned in its place.

It was after these events that Kaldur was finally contacted. Though informed too late Kaldur left to aid his father, but he had no way of knowing that he was too late. Kaldur returned to aid his father unaware that he had been killed. Kaldur and the Others came into conflict with the hunting party that had been dispatched by his uncle, the King. The hunting party had been commanded to take the Prince Kaldur into custody and bring him back to Atlantis. Upon Kaldur arrival he would be made to swear fealty to the King Orm. If the prince refused, then he was to be charged treason.

The hunting party was revealed to be members of The Drift under the command of Garth, Kaldur’s friend and fellow Drift member. Per the hunting party Kaldur had been identified as an enemy of the state the moment he declared support of his father. While the other members of the Drift engaged various members of the Others, Kaldur faced off against Garth.

Kaldur was admittedly confused over everything that happened but knew that his father would have not committed any act that would have placed Atlantis in danger. Though he tried to reason with his friend, Garth had been commanded by the crown and would not accept defeat. However, it was his hesitance to use his mystical abilities that allowed Kaldur to best his former teammate in combat. Kaldur himself was critically injured but was rescued by the Others. Retreating from the battle he received medical treatment, recuperate, and mourn.

Kaldur believes he fatally wounded his friend, however Garth was returned to Atlantis by the surviving members of the hunting party. Upon his return to Atlantis he was taken to the Silent School for treatment. Orm personally visited with Garth advising him that Kaldur was as false as his father. He was no prince of Atlantis. Eventually, Kaldur would betray their people, that he would embrace the surface world as his father would.

Orm stated that they needed not only a strong King, but a strong prince offering to adopt the orphan to provide him with a place to call home convincing the critically injured warrior to embrace his mystical abilities for the good of Atlantis.

Upon recovering from his injuries and deemed fit for duty Kaldur as Jackson Hyde resumed his studies of at Metropolis University and began interning at the Daily Planet. The Others thought it imperative that he blend in with the human population less Orm locate him.

Kaldur is currently doing his best to maintain a low profile while responding to emergencies that take place in the water. He also continues to determine a way to undo the damage that has been done knowing it is only a matter of time before his uncle and more of the hardliners under the sea decided to take aggressive measures against the surface world for continued transgressions.

  • This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by Marc.
  • This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by Marc.
  • This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by Marc.