"If this woman can survive me, there’s hope for her yet." ― Gentina Mildren
Exa is one of the main characters of Origin Stories, introduced in Killerjoy. Rejected by the Lords of Genith, she became a Hellion, fighting to protect various ships in New Garden and the Mavarice for the Gildharm Industry.
Learning to grow her mettle, she eventually made her way to Monolith in order to make good on an oath she'd made to Gentina Mildren - to serve the Gentina in any way deemed worthy. As a candidate for the Gentina's Haiguard, Exa faced many challenges she never expected.
Appearance[]
Exa is described as a young woman with dark brown curly hair that extends past her shoulders and with a smattering of freckles beneath her eyes.
Her most prominent feature are the two, half-inch horns on her forehead that look to be covered in black steel.
History[]
Early Life[]
Exa's childhood isn't explored in great detail, but we are given a few insights. She grew up on an island far to the east, beyond New Garden, in the Mavarice. Her memory of her home is hazy at best since she was taken from it when she was about four years old.
The Caramen who took her thought they'd be able to sell her for a good amount of pence because it was quite obvious that she was different than everyone else. She was the only child they had brought on the ship from her home. They had taken a few others, but the rest were slaughtered. On the ship, Exa survived by working herself until her bones broke. When she wasn't working away to nothing, she hid.
When Exa was around ten years old, she was finally rescued from the brutal Caramen who only saw her as a chance to get paid. Mildren, who was not yet at the time the Gentina, came onboard the ship with Kwi, the Flying Shield. It was when Mildren shot the Caramen leader holding Exa captive that the hellion's mettle awakened within her. She went ethereal, for the first time, and stepped through the Caraman's grasp. It was in this moment that Exa made her oath to Mildren, silently.
She was sent to the Foundry to become a Lord on Mildren's orders. Unfortunately, they felt her mettle was too weak and limited. She could only go ethereal and only for small increments of time. They would not allow her Lordship. Instead, she became a Hellion and went to New Garden to hone her skills and eventually make good on her promise. In New Garden, she remained removed from much of the goings on of Genith and Dirthe. Her knowledge of how either continent worked was minimal at best, but that didn't stop her from working toward her one goal.
Killerjoy[]
With the help of Gentina Mildren's Haiguard Kwi, Exa went before the Gentina in the Romance Minaret to offer up her services to Genith's leader. After telling the Gentina her story, it was decided that Exa would become a candidate for the Haiguard - much to the chagrin of Haiguards Napa and Ilbrae.
Shortly after being chosen as a candidate, she went before the Advisory to receive her rank. After some squabbling among the advisors, it's decided she will be a Left Captain of the Guard, which is hardly any different from being a Hellion. Shortly after receiving the title, she befriended Leni Havish, a low guard who proved to be a loyal friend.
Exa's candidacy was not quite what she was expecting. For starters, she had to work with Myriad, a blue woman who seemed to not ever notice her presence. The woman was supposedly meant to help train her, but she rarely even spoke to Exa. But the most unexpected part of her candidacy is what Gentina Mildren expects of her. Exa will have to kill one of the existing Haiguard in order to be deemed "worthy" of joining it.
The first time that Myriad spoke to Exa is after she has a "dream". Thanks to her use of a mysterious power called seel, Myriad knows that Exa had this "dream". They talked about what Exa will need to do to become a Haiguard; Myriad made a point to to point out that Exa could not currently accomplish this feat. Eventually, Myriad revealed to Exa that her "dream" was not a dream at all. But that she had actually gone into the Whirle, "[the] plane beyond ours, where all is stored and kept for us to use everything around us," and it is Myriad's job to help her go back there.
When the Gentina left for Xander aboard the Matreon to meet with the Lord Primes there, Exa was left behind to continue her training. She was left in charge of "Second Unit", a group of low guard including Leni she was to command in Mildren's absence.
When the Matreon was attacked, Exa was one of the last the find out. Outraged, she went before the Advisory again to find out what really happened. The Advisory informed Exa about the Joalish rebellion spearheaded by one of their generals, Wren Absalom. He has made it very clear that he aims to kill the Gentina. However, without her orders, there was nothing Genith can do but bolster their defenses in preparation for the impending war. After the attack, the Gentina and her Haiguard were taken by the Lords of Xander to the Veritas. A plan is made to send Exa along with the Advisor of Lord Relations, Advisor Kneck, and a group of low guard to Xander in order to rescue the Gentina and her Haiguard.
After this, Exa meets with Myriad again. Myriad explains that she fears this plan will result in Exa's death. She explains that Exa does not know enough about the Whirle and her ability to access it, and that will likely result in her death. Myriad explains how the Whirle is so deeply connected to Exa's mettle, and she will need to find a way to unblock it. Otherwise, this mission will not end well.
In Xander, Exa accompanies Advisor Kneck and a group of low guard to the Young Hall. They are escorted by the city's mayo-attendants Haus Criley, Dae Yester, and Murrow Jen. Once they arrived, they were split up by the mayor-attendants. Kneck and Criley went into the Young Hall. The low guard and Murrow were left outside the hall. And Exa was brought to the Round Golem, a washer, by Dae Yester. In the washer, Exa was able to escape the mayor-attendant with the help of a potential ally, Ben "Roddy" Rodmure, a normal with connections at the Veritas.
With Roddy's help and under the false name Dae Leome (Dae Yester's daughter) Exa is able to get work at the Veritas acting as a guard. She shakes the normal and sneaks her way into the Veritas using her mettle. Once inside, she follows her instincts through the building until finding another group of guards who are going to where the Gentina is being held. She joins up with the group and they make their way to where the Gentina is being held.
After a failed attempt by the Lords to separate Mildren from her Haiguard, fighting breaks out. The Lord Prime in attendance is murdered by Kiren, a parcel. While Mildren, Kwi, Napa, and Ilbrae fought the proxies and guards below, Exa fought them above. When the fighting was all but done, they united and fled for Exa's dormitory. There, Roddy caught back up with the hellion. He figured out that after she disappeared she helped the Genina escape. He promises to help and tells her of a dollrunner not too far away that they can use to escape to Monolith. Despite not trusting him, she agrees.
In two groups of three, Roddy, Napa, Ilbrae, Exa, Kwi, and the Gentina flee Xander. Along the way, it becomes clear that something obviously wrong happened to Napa, Ilbrae, and Roddy. They were not where they were supposed to be. But it was too late to find out what happened. Exa helped Kwi and the Gentina through the wall of Xander to the dollrunner. Before they could board, however, they were attacked by a group of Lords looking for the escapees. Exa took most of them on, including Wintervine, and dispatched them succinctly. After the fighting ceased, it became clear that Kwi was gravely injured by the other Lord. Exa and Mildren brought him onto the ship and departed without waiting for the rest of their party.
The dollrunner brings them to Swarov, where Mildren intends to bring Kwi to a full clinic. Captain Harrow promises to give them half a day to return to the dollrunner before it leaves without them, for a price. Mildren and Exa leave the dollrunner and find Doctor Meone in Swarov. Meone promises to help Mildren by providing her with protection from the Lords. Exa finds the situation uneasy at best, but she goes along with it.
When Meone returns to Exa and Mildren, she's not alone. She's accompanied by a few Lords, including Wintervine, Master Wing, and Rove Austra. It becomes clear that Meone was not there to help them. In a desperate attempt to save them both, Exa grabs the Gentin and drags her into the Whirle.
Exa awoke within the Whirle completely alone. Mildren was nowhere to be seen and she herself was lost. In the Whirle, she can sense the presence of Myriad and decides to seek her out. As she travelled, she came across many strange sights. Catlings, orbs, dead trees, and more. Exa followed Marlo, a catling who knew of Myriad, using her mettle to sync with the Whirle. When Myriad finally revealed herself, Exa learned the truth of what happened to Mildren.
When Exa dragged her into the Whirle, she ripped Mildren's soul from her body and brought it directly to the Whirle. Simply put, Exa killed the Gentina. Myriad made this happen. The strange woman explained how she's influenced everything that happened to Mildren. She blew up the Matreon, she sent Exa after the Gentina, and she convinced the Advisory that Mildren was a lost cause. Myriad tells Exa that she will continue doing as Myriad wants her to. Myriad left Exa well and truly alone then.
Branded as the Killerjoy, Exa went into hiding. But she wasn't running. With her one true goal taken from her (serving Mildren), she was at a bit of a loss for what to do. All she knew was that she was this Killerjoy, even if that name came from a half-truth.
Skills and Abilities[]
Being a hellion and having fought and trained all throughout New Garden and the Mavarice, Exa has the knowledge of varying types of fighting styles, many of which Genith-born and colonists of Dirthe have never seen before. This includes Vicari, a fighting style she used at the Romance Minaret to best Bickham.
Exa is not a very good marksman, but she is aware of that. She plays to her strengths, which reside in her hand to hand combat and her abilities with handheld weaponry. She mainly uses a stunspear in Killerjoy.
Spectral[]
One of Exa's more unique mettle traits is the ability to go "spectral". Simply put, she can turn herself invisible. She simply disappears.
This ability is used on many occasions to get the upperhand in a fight. She also uses this ability to "sync" with the Whirle when following Marlo.
Ethereal[]
This ability allows Exa to phase through other objects and people. It is another unique mettle trait to Exa.
Exa relies on this technique when she is unable to dodge or deflect an attack. Wintervine was able to negate this ability in their fight outside Xander. Roddy calls it a "ghost thing".
Quotes[]
"I'm not running. Not anymore. Killerjoy is coming for you. All of you." ― Exa
"Do you think I'm some dumb girl, as I think of you as some spoiled Genith-born?" ― Exa
"It was an unconditional oath. I'd die for Gentina Mildren if she asked." ― Exa
"Exa the Left, Left Captain of the Romance Minaret. That is whatever I am." ― Exa
"My horns? Is that all you wanted to know? Well, they're horns. I hope that was worth the trouble." ― Exa
"I don't know you. I don't trust you. You’d be the luckiest person in the dominion if I didn’t kill you." ― Exa
"This is the life I wanted, so I have no reason to complain. After you rescued me on that ship, I knew I’d have to find a way to make what you did…worth the trouble." ― Exa
"The lords are girls and boys, grown in a system that has its good, as well as its not so good. I'm one of those not so good things, but even I have some part in what's to come, peace or no." ― Exa