Lime Kijani

Ndimu "Lime" Kijani is a female spotted hyena born in 276 ADD in the village of Nishati Shamba in the grassy hills of the Sur Kingdoms. She was training to become a nurse for the Sur armies until her village was raided by the Imperials from the Northern Empire, where she discovered her Elemental Earth powers. After refusing to become a soldier for the Kingdoms, she vowed instead to protect the sacred grove of her village, and became a shaman to connect with the elements while continuing to study her healing craft.

Personality

Lime is a very nurturing and considerate hyena who often sees the bigger picture, though she is firm in her convictions and can sometimes be blunt when speaking to people. She prefers everything to be laid out so that she can make the best decision and avoid being manipulated. She is tough but playful, and tries to view issues as challenges to overcome rather than problems. She feels emotions strongly but rarely expresses them through body language, preferring to present as a strong figure of leadership.

Abilities

Lime is a healer, and has extensive knowledge on magical restoration as well as first aid.

Being an Earth Elemental, she can manipulate rocks, sand, and dirt, allowing her to create stone barriers and create chasms in the ground.

She is trained in close combat and uses a staff made from the branch of an acacia tree.

Her attunement to the planet allows her to feel when something is amiss in the stability of the grove.

She has a basic knowledge on mixing healing potions, but prefers to use restorative energy magics.

Design

Lime has mainly bright lime green colored fur, with a darker green muzzle, paws, feet, and tail. She has series of patches dotting her body and ears, along with a lime shaped patch on her right hip. Citrussy yellow fur runs from her chest down her front before ending at her rear. The tip of her tail is a darker forest green, and her eyes are a pale grassy yellow. She has spiky yellow hair which runs down the length of her spine as a mane before reaching her tail. The interior of her ears are an identical yellow to her hair. Her round nose is the same forest green as her tail tip, and her snaggle teeth are visible with her mouth closed.

Attire

Lime's standard attire consists of a simple sunshine yellow robe that slings over her left shoulder and runs down to her knees. It is kept together by flowing golden sashes that tie around her waist and hang by her hips.

Her city outfit consists of a sleeveless jean jacket over a pink graphic tee with a citrus design on the front, along with a pair of tight dark gray shorts.

Story

Early Life

Lime grew up in the village of Nishati Shamba, a lush grove nestled in the hills of the northern savanna in the Sur Kingdoms. She was the youngest of three, living with her parents and two brothers Nanasi and Embe. As a girl she would explore the rich rivers and jungles of the grove with her friend Maji Asili, a painted dog. One day when the two were ten, Maji and Lime were ensnared in the vines of a carnivorous plant, but before they were eaten, Maji's Elemental Nature powers were unlocked, allowing him to command the plants to release them. Back in the village, they were told the history of the grove, that Nishati Shamba was one of the oldest wells of potent Elemental energy on Concentra, and that as a sacred place it must be protected. And with Maji now an Elemental, he was bestowed a great honor of being one of the grove's protectors.

With news of the discovery of a new Elemental reaching the grand Savanna State of Alegio, migrants from across the Savanna States began pilgrimages to the grove, several from Alegio itself in order to manage Maji's training in Elemental magic. Meanwhile, Lime had taken up learning healing magic from the local shamans in the village, with hopes of one day becoming a nurse for the Sur armies in their war against the Northern Empire to aid Nanasi, who'd recently joined their ranks of soldiers in the nearby kingdom of Koreen. As her and Maji's trainings continued, they soon met the Kahawas, a family of gazelles who'd moved into the village, their daughter Safi being their age, and the three quickly became close friends.

Crumbling

When Lime was 14, the forces of the Northern Empire attacked Koreen. And while Maji was sent to aid them with his Elemental powers, those wounded would be transported to Nishati Shamba where they were cared for by Lime and the shamans. The Battle of Koreen would last for several months before the Sur Kingdoms finally drove the Empire out. Maji then returned to Nishati Shamba proud of his service, but Lime had since grown uneasy after seeing the horrors war had wrought on the wounded. He tried to get Lime to celebrate their victory together, but was interrupted when the Savanna States notified the Kijanis that Nanasi had been killed on the final day of the battle. Devastated by their loss, Lime's family could only mourn while the rest of the village cheered.

As a reward for his contribution to their victory at Koreen, Maji was invited to a banquet in Alegio, and was allowed to bring one guest. He asked for Lime to accompany him, and while in the kingdom she noted how much more lavish it was than their home in the grove, with Alegio having massive stone structured buildings while their village was carved out of the hills surrounding the grove. There, they enjoyed food only reserved for the most elite of the Sur Kingdoms' citizens. Later on, King Dorado announced Maji and his family would be welcome to stay in Alegio to hone his Elemental powers. When Lime returned to Nishati Shamba, she found her love for the Savanna States diminished, but nevertheless she soon resumed her studies in healing magic with the shamans.

Two years later, the Northern Empire launched a naval attack on the shores east of Nishati Shamba, with the intention of breaking through the grove to weaken Koreen from the south to allow the Imperials a duel approach to the kingdom. Eventually they reached the grove, bombarding the village with ballista attacks. And though the local Sur soldiers attempted to hold them off, the Imperial forces began to overrun them. During the chaos, a heavy cannon shell struck the cliffside above Lime's village, causing boulders to rain down and entrances to collapse. Lime was caught outside, trying to help villagers to safety when a chunk of the cliff tore away. With no time to jump out of the way, Lime realized she was about to die. But just as the boulder crushed her, she felt a sudden strength inside which allowed her to absorb the weight. In that moment, her Elemental Earth powers were unlocked, and with her newfound power she commanded the earth under Nishati Shamba to sink, creating a vast valley protecting the grove. But as the land crumbled, the Imperial army was caught at the edge, the ballistas falling into the valley along with many of the Imperial soldiers. Once the land settled, the Empire retreated, leaving the grove damaged but still standing.

After the battle, Lime collapsed from exhaustion and overwhelming guilt at the amount of lives she had destroyed. Surviving Sur soldiers relayed the events of the attack to Alegio, and soon more forces were sent in to confirm reports of another Elemental discovered. Lime was hailed as a hero to the Savanna States, just as Maji had been years before, but the hyena simply felt hollow. The kingdoms urged her to join the Sur armies, as with multiple Elementals at their disposal it gave the kingdoms a great advantage in the war. Lime expressed her desire to join as a nurse, as she'd been training her whole life in healing magic, but King Dorado was adamant that with her abilities she be applied in combat. Lime refused, and chose to stay in Nishati Shamba, abandoning her dreams of becoming a nurse to research Elemental powers, determined that they had more uses than simply combat.

The Shaman

For eight years Lime studied the advanced healing arts and scoured records of the grove's history with Elemental energy, becoming one of the most respected shamans in Nashati Shamba. She used her mastery of her Earth powers to reinforce the cliffs surrounding the grove, and grew an attunement to the stability of the valley. Together with Safi's premonition abilities, she was able to keep peace in the region, subtly misdirecting Empire and Sur forces away from their home. By the time she had become a master shaman, Nishati Shamba had effectively vanished from the maps. But there was one person who could see through Lime and Safi's illusions, and soon Maji returned home. He'd since become known simply as the Sage, and on the tenth anniversary of Nanasi's death, confronted Lime and Safi deep in the forests of the grove. Maji pleaded with them to help the Sur Kingdoms win the war, but Lime was firm in her stance that King Dorado only wished to exploit their powers. Maji then warned them King Dorado had plans for the grove--as a well of Elemental energy he sought to harness its resonance with the planet in order to bestow his entire army with their dormant Elemental powers. Lime explained they would never allow their home to be destroyed, and was disgusted that Maji would place his duty to the government over his duty as a Nature Elemental. Maji believed helping Alegio win the war would benefit Concentra in the long run, and Lime was a traitor for placing her feelings over her country. They soon parted ways, and Lime knew it wouldn't be long before Maji would return to lead Alegio's forces in securing Nashati Shamba.

Lime spent the next two months preparing with uncertainty for Alegio's invasion, worried her defenses and powers would not be enough to stop the Savanna States from destroying the grove. But as the new year arrived, local guards apprehended an intruder who had discovered the grove. The intruder had been injured during her capture, and soon was taken to be treated by Lime. There she was introduced to Lavender Amethyst, a skunk who had crossed the northern border to find the grove. Lime was skeptical, unsure if the newcomer was a potential spy for Alegio, but Lavender revealed she had been searching for Nishati Shamba to learn to control her Elemental Water powers. Lime offered to be her mentor, and together they began training by the waterfalls. Several months went by, and eventually Lavender had grown quite close to Lime. Their powers greatly complemented each other, and for the first time Lime was hopeful the village could stand up to the looming invasion.

Relationships

Lime is currently in a romantic relationship with Lavender Amethyst.

She is best friends with Safi Kahawa.

She has a broken friendship with the sage Maji Asili, though she hopes to reconcile with him.

She is especially close to her brother Embe after their brother Nanasi was killed while fighting in the Imperial War.

Trivia

-Despite being a healer, she does have a guilty pleasure in playfully biting people.

-She likes to collect fossils.

-Most people in Nishati Shamba address her as Shaman Kijani.