Kwa'a formed in 865 Savage Era, as a spirit. As more and more people grew an interest in the concept of Borksmiclen and as some indigenous groups believing that concepts had spirits, most notably the forebears of the Fvaa, developed the same interest, something of a singularity (in the sense of the Reality-Progenitor-universe AI hypothesis) occurred in the FV-b universe; specifically, the energy that had been put towards the concept fused into a mind. That mind, while independently capable of a high degree of near-omniscience, was basically that of a baby and not yet capable of tapping said ability. It could, however, tap its ability to manipulate probability, and unusual quantities of energy continued to be funneled towards it. When, in 847 Savage Era, the State was officially founded, the event triggered formation of a physical body. As a consequence of being so bound, the small child which would become Kwa'a lost the ability to access the capability for near-omniscience while so bound.
Over the years, Kwa'a grew up. Sorta. It took hundreds of years for her even to become a preteen. She was smart enough to, for the most part, avoid extended interaction with others, and her powers over probability helped to take care of her: at first automatically, later in a more controlled fashion. Other spirits did the same; in the times when those holding such beliefs inhabited Borksmiclen, spirits of various sorts were quite common, and like calls to like. Of course, like most children she was very curious, and she grew fond of a certain shady river by a village, next to the forest which she typically inhabited; in a few decades, a legend of the Tree Girl, who aged no more than did any other tree, took root.
In adolescence, she entered the city. She knew that she likely could not stay long, but she wished to experience the place. Surprisingly to her but less surprisingly considering Bomic custom of the time, a family out walking promptly adopted her, dubbing her "Kwa'a" or Duck as she looked like she had just come out of a river. She'd use that name as often as was safe from then on; unfortunately centuries would pass before Bhewehg would become a name that she could safely use again, and not long after that it would be dangerous for her kin-by-adoption were it to be used.
After, oh, five years had passed, she began to desire to join the war which was going on at the time. She was Borksmiclen in many ways; why oughtn't she to fight for herself? Disguising herself as a boy with the begrudging help (obtained via blackmail) of one elder sister who was married to a soldier and, in a nod to younger days, giving her name as Hrisigmud (Ypput for Leaf-on-water, a boy's name), the personification headed off to war. For much of the fighting, her physical abilities counted for little besides keeping her from being a laughingstock.
Her probabilistic abilities and those of other spirits were another story; her unit in particular and the army in general gained a reputation for being insanely lucky. Unfortunately, especially as her powers, while very strong in those days, were not without limit, she ran out of luck, taking a sword to the gut. She went to the abovementioned older sister, Pliueum, and told her her secret- asking that she disinfect her wounds, hide her, and give her liquid foods for the next week; tell the Bhewehgs that she had been shot attempting to bring some supplies, had requested a pyre due to birth religion, and loved them; tell her unit that she hadn't made it; and above all not tell anyone about this, as it could at best damage a mind and at worst (literally) damage reality. It was safe enough for one person to know, as long as they always kept the secret.
She'd told Pliueum, too, that she was the legendary Tree Girl; it took some time, but Pliueum made a pilgrimage, of sorts, to that spot. When night fell, Kwa'a crossed the river and sat with her sister for a time, catching up. (Pliueum, eventually, would herself become a spirit partially due to her belief in such occurring- sadly, she would deteriorate very quickly due to a near-total lack of remembrance and other factors.)
Some hundreds of years later, a small king, Zeeburdiog, decided to take power. Kwa'a, at this point a healthy girl of biological age seventeen who under the name Hleuhleuh Seemohgda (Lapping-rippling-waves Forestsoil) had risen to a high place in society, fell in love with him and his false promises as the Bomic people did the same. As the two kissed, her telling herself that the huge chronological age difference balanced out the large biological one and he not caring, he gave her a vial to put in the Leader-Chief's food. A sleeping medicine, he said. It would do no harm, just give him time.
Naturally, he wasn't counting on the spirits, whom he didn't believe in anyway, alerting one of their own to the situation. It was a trap- of sorts. She'd end up a captive, her only escape in marriage to Zeeburdiog, as the Leader-Chief would die.
She didn't believe them. As far as she knew, Zeeburdiog wouldn't steer her wrong. Right? She did, however, see no harm in swapping the vial for a mild soporific that she'd mixed herself. Especially after one of the spirits knocked over her vial, shattering it.
Zeeburdiog didn't see it that way.
"I give you one simple task, and you blow it!"
"The vial fell. I didn't knock it over. I didn't want it knocked over. I replaced it with a tonic of my own. It is weak in small doses, but the king was out for a night's sleep. What more could you want?"
"Foolish girl. I tried to make you a partner and you meddle with the affairs of men. I loved you, you know. You wouldn't have furthered me. I was willing to ignore that. Maybe make you my Queen."
"They told me. They told me, but I didn't believe them. I thank all that I listened, a little anyway."
"WHO? Who told you?!"
"So there was something to tell. Of course."
"Who? I shall make an example out of that man!"
"I could not. Everything would break. So long ago I told my sister. She could keep a secret. She died of illness long ago. Ironic. She was a healer." Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
"You will break. You're a spy, aren't you? How blind am I? You've been conspiring against me this whole time! To think that I loved you." Zeeburdiog sneered, shouting and slapping Kwa'a.
"The Leader-Chief slept for a sleep. If you were honest that would suffice. He is my king. The people love him. Yes, I was warned. Good luck to you harming my informants. I think that I shall leave now." Okay, lower the chance of shoes keeping a grip on floor... Fine linen and soapstone, shouldn't be hard.
"GU-" he fell, leg breaking- "ARDS! GET HER!" She'd still make a decent concubine. After her spirit had been broken, and the information extracted, that is.
It took ten years, but Zeeburdiog managed to take control of the nation. Kwa'a watched, heart breaking even further, as he methodically went about changing the culture and marginalizing the past. First, he declared the year to be One Bomic Era, and all previous years to have been part of the Savage Era. Then, he stated himself to be the God-Emperor, decreeing that he was to be worshipped, and no other deity. And not the spirits, either.
Ironically, Kwa'a was the only spirit- one of them anyway- whose power this measure didn't weaken. Although, as more people thought of Borksmiclen negatively, her personality started to change... She was no longer that sweet, idealistic girl, but becoming a cynical woman prone to violent outbursts.
Things deteriorated. Kwa'a's physical description had been put out as that of an absolute enemy of the state, as had her last name. Fortunately neither of these endangered her people or kin; intermarriage was uncommon enough so that no other possessed enough of a resemblance to Kwa'a to be endangered, and the name, while it followed typical naming conventions in multiple languages, had not actually existed before she'd taken it.
Perhaps fortunately and perhaps unfortunately, no one had thought to search for an old and infirm woman. The sharp decline had resulted, for the first time ever, in Kwa'a aging at a speed higher than that of any human, as it had seemed (and been widely believed) that the Bomic nation was on its last legs. Anonymously, she took shelter, giving her name as Mektuin, which was "duck" in a different tongue. Senile, she babbled, things which could have broken reality; senile, the babble, incoherent, was dismissed.
But things shifted- the Bomic peoples rallied. Traditions, so long out in the open, did not die out, merely going underground. Some, like hospitality, were taken advantage of by Zeeburdoig's government in exchange for permitting continuation. Some, such as languages, proved impossible to ban in anything but name.
In an isolated hut, the prognosis and lucidity of a woman predicted to have a year- if that- to live improved rapidly, to the point that she slipped out in the night to avoid arousing suspicion, requesting that the spirits lead her to a cave of some variety; in the hope that familiarity would further aid her, they selected a cave in the "Tree-Girl"'s forest. It took years, but her biological age eventually stabilized at nine, with her personality, while often sweet, mercurial, to the point of occasional cruelty, and reserved.
Little of especial note occurred for the next fifteen centuries. Occasionally the girl ventured out; at times the adoption custom was honored, at times not. In a few cases she had to run; her onetime beau had sworn revenge against her and all her line, and her description, as a wicked seductress who tempted the good, possibly not entirely human, had been passed down through the centuries with few changes. Borksmiclen remained quite backwards; the girl aged very little, and at times in reverse.
The first sign of serious trouble, around 1900, was that the girl was rapidly growing younger. The second was a hatred, swelling daily, towards the Fvaa people. In theory, the girl might have been able to head the situation off by announcing her identity (to the furthest extent possible) to the government.
Mentally seven, she didn't think of it. The spirits chose not to suggest such a course of action, seeing that the loss of lives eventually would lead to something great and that such a loss was almost guaranteed- had been for centuries- but the positive outcome was not if the time of the loss was to change. Additionally, putting her counterpart- a seven-year-old girl normal except for the link- into such a position would be immoral in the extreme.
In an ironic twist, Kwa'a's description was rewritten for the first time, painting her as Fvaa and hence the Fvaa as kin to her. The slight feeling of literal kinship resulting from this could not, sadly, override her hatred of the Fvaa, particularly in a year which would in another country become -6FV, when she would find a baby who would arouse her ire as no normal Fvaa did. After causing the girl a great deal of injury correspondent with that caused to the Fvaa people by the Bomic, she watched as the girl healed and realized who she was- not to mention why she had acted in that manner. Apologizing, she reached out, forcing a pooling of powers (how strong this little girl was!) and inducing the girl to use the multiplied power to heal her wounds. That done, she gave the girl a small bracelet- being the closest thing she had to a mother despite Kwa'a's young biological age, in a pattern known to indicate love, claiming, and apology- made from durable materials (to withstand centuries), adjustable, and possessing a duck motif. Hugging the girl, she asked the spirits for direction; they directed her to a nursing woman who was amongst those who eventually would found Fvaarniimar. The woman woke as she placed the girl, about to grab her bow; seeing the (clearly Fvaa) child and the bracelet, she instead smiled, raised an eyebrow, and requested a name. Kwa'a frowned, not having considered that point, and glanced around hoping for inspiration; she saw the rising sun, and decided it to be fitting. (The name, of course, would be Fvaa.)
"Ythfiid. Ythfiid... Fvaathakwaatbomry. She may take another name."
"Fvaa of Kwa'a the Bomic?" The woman glanced around, frowning. She'd seen the hesitation as the name was pieced together, heard the tales of spirits, noted the hodgepodge of naming customs... And something told her that this was just as strange as it seemed.
"Child, who are you?" But one had disappeared into the undergrowth, and the other, while able to communicate with spirits, was far too young to give an answer which would be intelligible to a human. Soon, the Fvaa left; the spirits, excepting only Kwa'a, left along with them.
The disgust towards the Fvaa did not last that long, by Kwa'a's standards of time. Approval of the escape simmered underground for a few centuries; then, a ruler who outright and wholeheartedly disapproved of the whole affair was coronated, and the matter was dragged through the farces of courts, terminating in many being posthumously declared war criminals and a great deal of Fvaa receiving honors, to the point that House Fvaarniimalasaakuuliia, for example (through Esine Agrok) were officially, if unknowingly, members of the High class for a few generations. As for the cruelty that had become a part of Bomic culture, backlash, once it started, was immense. Reforms of all sorts became law. Coming- of-age of High class boys, for example, now involved the stabbing of ten flowers as opposed to ten girls' hands. A Council, chartered so that it could not be argued to contradict any law or statement of a previous God-Emperor and that no statement dissolving it which would NOT contradict that establishing it could be conceived of, was established; it consisted of a representative from each ethnic group, selected by the group themselves, and had veto power over laws which were causing suffering, (including those of the emperor, the excuse being that they could be led astray) if a three/fourths majority was present. Kwa'a aged six years in as many weeks, and could not help but watch the proceedings, causing reports of a girl who snuck around like a ghost, grinning, and whose age no one could agree on. The description, however- clearly, it matched that (still known to the Imperial family) of the seductress. Except for the age- stated to be ever-changing-
The emperor chose to sit on this information. After all, someone that thrilled about the reforms couldn't be that bad, but he had, like the other Bomic, grown up with stories of the woman. Announcing that the reforms apparently had her support, even if knowledge of her appearance would further exonerate the Fvaa, would likely be a bad move- and what if she was as he had been told? Stories held kernels of truth, after all (even the old old stories?) and while they could be led astray- by her, it was said- God-Emperors were never ever wrong.
The girl, for her part, was, as her people- for the first time in thousands of years united in this- fell in love with their new ruler, developing burgeoning feelings for him herself. It would never have worked; she knew that, now, during this second puberty. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but blush whenever his name was mentioned, and when- after the adoption custom had been revived with the Emperor's encouragement- she found herself once again not only part of a family but (did the spirits give me one last gift?) a Bhewehg, her siblings teased her quite a bit about it. She feared that she'd have to leave, sneaking out, going to a forest to not draw attention- her fear was in vain. Borksmiclen was advancing quite quickly still, but- as it happened- slowly enough so that her speed of growth passed for human. (Her strength, for centuries quite low, did not without careful discipline.)
The emperor kept noticing the girl, and vice versa; both to the other seemed to embody what they loved about the country, the man to the girl due to his virtue, the girl to the man for no reason he could explain.
Nothing ever came of it, save for a visit, years later. Kwa'a, nearly frozen in her biological early twenties, disguised rather thoroughly, approached a door- one which lead to the deathbed of the most beloved Emperor in Bomic history. To the guard, she said, "Tell him that I am the girl who watched as... As my dreams came true- watched excitedly- and who he chose to not reveal. I think he'll know what I mean. I-" if anyone deserves this...- "I request a private audience."
The guard looked at her strangely, but dutifully passed on the message, watching as the Emperor beamed.
"She's actually HERE? Well, not a whole lot she can do to me! Clear out, folks, and you, let her in!"
A very puzzled guard and family dutifully obeyed. Kwa'a entered, grinning, shut the door (carefully locking it) and methodically stripped her disguise.
"You- you really aren't human, are you? Now, what was that about dreams?"
So Kwa'a explained. (One universe over, a different explanation- that of multiple universes and counterparts- was given.) It took some time; a very surprised ruler then re-admitted his family, but as instructed spoke nothing of what he had been told.
("..But wouldn't it help if someone knew that you should be treated kindly?"
"Not exactly. This knowledge is all but guaranteed to severely damage SOMETHING if shared. People are curious. No one can find out. One having this knowledge is safe enough if it is never shared- and yes, it's been shared once before, with a sister...")
So Kwa'a's reprieve from hiding, bought (though not intentionally) with blood, continued several generations longer, as she retained an age and hence physical appearance close enough so that any revelation of the actual documented appearance of the "seductress" would fast out her. During this time, she interacted also with the Emperor; both had easily fallen for one another, and enjoyed speaking, Kwa'a in particular as she finally had a companion who wished to remain as opposed to going to Fvaarniimar. (The Fvaarniimarn spirits, those lucid enough for conversation, rather hated Borksmiclen, and as a result Kwa'a did not inform them of her existence.). For a century, she wasn't alone, did not have to hide- indeed, all of her dreams were coming true. She was returning to her old strength, she watched as her nation blossomed again-
And then the ruler who would dub himself Cinurdboig in honor of his- to Kwa'a infamous- forebearer came to power. He could not overturn the reforms made, though he tried and occasionally succeeded in undermining one or another, but implemented new laws, even harsher than Zeeburdoig's. Anything which contradicted a God-Emperor- and anyONE, for that matter- was to be burned. Additionally... The description of Kwa'a, while it had not been passed down by the Beloved Emperor, existed in a few places. As did a portrait. And, while intermarriage had been more common in this short second golden age due to nationwide feelings of unity, mistaking anyone at all for Kwa'a was not at all probable.
Unfortunately for both, Cinurdboig had chosen to erase the Benevolent Emperor to the furthest extent possible before taking on Kwa'a. Said Emperor was always very close to deteriorating; always, enough people had believed in him to still the erosion.
Now, as he became a king, barely notable, his reforms played down, one amongst so many, he slipped downhill fast. Normally, Kwa'a would have noticed the warning signs; she'd grown used to being safe, and her heart was again breaking. The king didn't even need to do the deed personally; he released the description, and it was done for him. The woman, after numerous indignities, was brought to a pyre; she was drawn and quartered, the pieces immolated.
As it turned out, the thoroughness of Cinurdboig (he had overseen the spectacle) resulted in the situation being far easier for Kwa'a (although not for her counterpart) than intended. Granted a glimpse of the myriad probabilities of the universe- and of her eventual departure from it- Kwa'a returned with an optimism that she hadn't felt in some time.
One specific thing stayed with her consciously- an underground group was forming, and they would protect knowledge. She'd been hiding/preserving knowledge of her own for centuries, often in the cave in which she'd recovered, and would continue to do so as a backup and as she could prevent their decay over time, but she couldn't get everything and the knowledge of this group gladdened her. (At times she half-considered attempting to join said group, the Rihrihree, but it became rather clear that doing so would be unwise; a portrait of her was among those items preserved, and while they were decent people, they were quite familiar with the stories which painted her as a horrid creature.)
Such optimism would be what sustained her through the rest of Cinurdboig's reign, as she watched her people suffer, watched attempts- she smiled at that- to destroy her knowledge be made, and learned, quite near exactly, her regenerative capabilities. Occasionally someone chanced taking her in; more often she nursed herself back to health, sadly never at the cave if there was any chance she could be seen. If at all possible, she did the same for her counterpart; for some reason, they always were loopholes in the "affecting-living-things" rule, receiving if still alive the probabilistic aspects of the healing performed on herself, and able also to receive healing of the sort copying Kwa'a's regeneration should she so choose. (It would be cruel to subject more people than necessary to the fate of being her counterpart, especially considering that a healed counterpart could age out of the role, revert to normal, and go on to live a normal life. She always so chose.)
(Additionally, those who died found themselves surviving a little longer, as spirits; certain genetics predisposed one towards such an existence, if in the proper universe. Kwa'a possessed these (though oddly expressed) meaning that her counterparts did also (if only for the time they held such status and a few seconds afterwards); in the few seconds between loss of counterpart status and such a death, she could imitate the spirit-forming process in her own universe. They unfortunately were often grouchy, preferring to move to Fvaarniimar.)
Slowly, Borksmiclen recovered, growing more tolerant, though NOT of Kwa'a. She found her courage, and a slew of effective disguises, and returned to society; a midwife one time, in charge of an orphanage another. She considered disguising herself as male, entering politics or craft; she did, a few times, but had to be quite careful, and she skipped politics. As for craft, those seen as womanly continued underground, but strong men could make a living hammering iron. Her strength at this point was nothing special, but combined with probabilistic manipulation and experience, she managed to do quite well, even earning a decent living; she chose to manufacture farmer's tools. She had little against war, but knew well that any such weapon would be used against Bomic as opposed to foreigners.
In this manner, aging a year in, oh, 55 on average, still more centuries passed. MT times arrived- and with them, good detection technology. The government soon could track her (and others) well. It became clear that this frankly was VERY BAD, as they noticed her more and more, and it grew harder and harder to slip away. They fortunately were thorough, and somewhat humane; a neck break, a cremation. Terribly unfair to any counterpart, but bearable nonetheless, and quick to cause reforming. Each time she left her body, she saw the event in which she would depart draw closer; she soon realized that it was time, and-by now desperate- did what is outlined below.