Sorkhaghtani Hotgo

History

• Biography

  The destruction of her tribe, and the journey to a new land:
  
  Tani doesn't remember the Hotgo being wiped out; she was just a child at the time. She has no recollection of her life as a Hotgo, their customs, or their way of life. She came to Eorzea with a small group of survivors. By the time they reached Eorzea, her parents had died due to exhaustion. After reaching Ul'dah and seeing how the citizens there lived, the group believed that in order to truly thrive in this new land, they needed gil. Being the only one of the group that was not related by blood, Tani was sold to the highest bidder at a slave auction.
  
  And thus started her new life:
  
  Her new owner was a nasty Lalafellen nobility that only saw Tani as an exotic pet; something you show your friends to let them know just how rich you are. The first two years of her life were spent being dragged around on a leash, normally in some horrible outfit her owner thought made her look more wild or special. When she wasn't being shown like a prized chocobo or studying with her Eorzean teacher, she was locked away in her room with nothing but her bed, a chamber pot, and a really ugly chocobo plush one of the other slaves was nice enough to make for her out of clothing scraps.
  One day, as she was being shown to some guests, one of them was bragging about how he'd learned some of her 'savage language'. He was just trying to show off a bit, make himself seem better than the other guests, but that one interaction changed the rest of her life. The phrase he'd been taught was vulgar and crude, and Tani wasted no time in pointing it out. All the nobles got a good laugh at it, but her owner saw potential. A translator, one that is easily overlooked and thought little of, but that can tell him all the secrets he can't understand.
  
  Then the training began:
  
  Though he had all the best intentions (for himself), the way Tani's owner went about training her was the worst possible. Instead of learning one or two languages at a time, several teachers were thrown at her at once. Old Elezen, Doman, Xaelan, Eorzean, any other obscure language he could throw at her. He wanted to cover every aspect, so he could gather all the information he could at business meetings, parties, just walking down the street. It was all taught to her at once, with the command that he would start using her within six moons. With such a time constraint, almost all of her teachers were horribly cruel, beating or whipping her if she didn't get the words right. They feared if they did not have her fluent within the time limit, they would lose all the gil they had been promised.
  The only teacher Tani felt safe around, and that treated her well, was her Xaelan teacher. A songbird that had come to Eorzea for a new life, the man was gentle and kind in his teachings. When she would come to him, beaten and crying, he would sing as he held her. Sometimes, he even brought her gifts, one of which was a simple teddy bear. Her Xaelan lessons were the only part of her life she looked forward to.
  These lessons were not to last. Tani had taken to singing to herself whenever she needed comfort and her teacher wasn't around, something her owner found beyond annoying. The beatings her teachers would give her were nothing compared to her owner's when he found her singing; many of the scars she has were earned by her being caught singing. Her lessons with the songbird were ended shortly after.
  Predictably, the time frame was not met. Tani had only mastered Eorzean and Xaelan in that time, because she'd had several years of experience prior. The remaining teachers were fired and sent away, but not before being allowed one more chance to beat her for her incompetence. She only survived that beating because a chirurgeon was nearby. Hoping to make up for his losses, her owner puts her on auction, selling her to the highest bidder.
  
  Her time in the pillow house:
  
  The next person to buy her was a Madam at a pillow house in Ul'dah. She wasn't as cruel or abusive like Tani's last owner, but rather very neglectful. Tani had to rely on the prostitutes and other workers to get food, a place to sleep, clothes to wear. The only part of her life her new owner paid attention to was the duties she was given. Clean the sheets, toys, clothes, and anything else that got dirty during the prostitutes...activities. She learned how to act from the women who worked there, as well as how to curse, nasty sayings, and how to defend herself. Specifically, with knives. When the pillow house shut down, she was again sold on auction.
  
  Enter Maqali:
  
  The man who bought her next, a Xaela named Maqali, would earn much of Tani's ire. He didn't show up to purchase her, never bothered to learn her name, and would only communicate with her through a grabby, perverted Miqo'te that tried to touch her every time he showed up. The only good thing about Maqali buying her was that she got her own apartment in Ul'dah, albeit with many guards nearby to follow her anytime she went outside. She wasn't allowed outside the city unless she sent a request to her owner, a request that could take a moon or more to get a response to. To pass the time, she started learning from the thieves and vagabonds on Pearl Lane after proving her worth by pick-pocketing several lords and ladies. She learned how to better use her knives, how to avoid attacks, how to sneak. All the important skills she uses now.
  Her life continued like this for almost an entire year, until one day she got a lengthy letter from Maqali.
  
  The strange job:
  
  The letter said she had a chance to finally earn her freedom. Real freedom, not one that comes with chains and escorts. Maqali was offering a very large sum of gil, enough to buy her own slave contract (which Maqali currently held, and still holds), if she would both teach a lost Xaela Eorzean, and make sure he stays safe. It was a strange request, and Tani wasn't sure it was even real, but for a chance at freedom she'd do anything. The job turned out to be the best thing Maqali had ever done for her, though not for the reasons he'd like.
  After finding her target, complications quickly arose. He'd already been talking to some Xaela, and was making plans to leave with them. Not wanting to lose her chance at freedom, she followed. This ended in a confrontation when one of the Xaela noticed her, and she said many less than civil things. At the threat of death, she found herself hurt and apologizing for her actions. Not wanting to return empty-handed, too scared of what would happen to her if she did, she accepted the offer to walk with the group, instead of following them.
  
  Present:
  
  Tani finds herself surrounded by the songbirds of the Steppes, something that she won't admit is soothing. They have agreed to let her stay and teach her how to survive outside of the city, a kindness she has no intention of wasting. Who knows what the road ahead has in store for this poor soul.