Kiva no Arduano

Ilustración reciente de Kiva

Kiva no Arduano, also known simply as Kiva /kˈiːvə/ or by his full native name Kiri-vara no Terra /kˈi͡əɹi-vˈɑːɹə nˈəʊ tˈɛɹə/, is one of the central characters in the series Myths and Legends of Forgottenland.

He first appears in the book of the same name, where he serves as the main protagonist of the story’s opening chapter.

Identity and origin

Born in Terra at the beginning of lunar year MMIIX in the Forgottenland calendar, Kiva is an occultist of the Vara species who is currently a fugitive from the guardians of order and security in his dimension.

In the present timeline of the narrative, Kiva wanders among humans, hidden in plain sight and observing them in silence. He studies their customs, records their habits and weaknesses, and commits his findings to the Logbook, a compendium of knowledge he intends to complete before his deathbed.

The Vara species

According to the records of the Great Library of Arduano, the Vara are described as predominantly animal-like creatures, capable of extremely passive or violently aggressive behaviour, but endowed with very limited intelligence. They typically have purple-toned skin covered in brightly coloured fur, and move on four legs, with a morphology closer to beasts than to humanoids.

Because of this anatomy and their biological particularities, the Vara cannot crossbreed or reproduce with other lifeforms from either Terra or Meta. The inhabitants of Meta, mostly humanoid in appearance, have adopted reproductive methods more comparable to those of humans and the animals of their own dimension, creating an additional barrier between the two species.

Kiva as an anomaly

Within this context, Kiva represents an unprecedented evolutionary anomaly. Despite retaining the characteristic traits of his species—purple skin, sharp teeth and a teal-blue coat unusually striking for a Vara—Kiva has developed a series of attributes that bring him closer to the inhabitants of Meta than to his own kin.

This Vara walks on two legs, articulates words and sustains complex conversations, something unthinkable for the rest of his species. Even more notable is his capacity for abstract reasoning, comparable to that of the Meta, which makes him a unique case not only among the Vara, but within Terra as a whole.

Full-body illustration of Kiva.

Although from one perspective his existence could be interpreted as a genetic miracle, in both Terra and Meta Kiva is regarded primarily as a dangerous phenomenon. For the Vara, his upright posture and overly lucid mind separate him from the instinctive, simple behaviour that defines their people. For many inhabitants of Meta, on the other hand, his animal origin and hybrid morphology make him an aberration—something that was never meant to be.

Walking on two legs when all of his species move on four not only distinguishes him physically, but reinforces his condition as an “other” in every gaze. His intellect is too complex to genuinely relate to the more passive Vara, yet his temperament is too calm and contained to integrate among the aggressive ones. This tension leaves him trapped in an in-between space: too much “Vara” to be accepted as Meta, too “Meta” to still be seen as just another Vara.

The Vora Incident

The distrust of the Meta towards Kiva does not arise out of nowhere. The records of the Great Library mention previous cases of beings emerging from the Vara with anomalous intellectual capacities, all of them associated with devastating consequences for the inhabitants of both Terra and Meta. The most cited example is that of a monster known as Vora, also originally of the Vara.

Vora possessed extraordinary intellect, but that very lucidity amplified his destructive and hostile nature towards both his own species and other lifeforms. His existence culminated in a series of events considered atrocious in both regions, until he was finally neutralised by the guardians of Meta. Since then, his body has remained frozen in the section dedicated to anomalous phenomena in the Great Library, as a permanent warning of what can happen when a Vara exceeds the limits intended for their species.

In light of the so-called Vora-Vora Incident, many Meta perceive Kiva not only as an accident of nature, but as the potential repetition of a tragedy that nearly wiped out all species in his dimension. The mere fact that a Vara with capacities comparable to Vora attempts to reach Meta turns his possible arrival into a threat the guardians consider impossible to allow. For this reason, Kiva’s escape towards the upper region is interpreted as a risk that must be prevented at all costs, even if it means pursuing him beyond the borders of Forgottenland.

Name and etymology

The name Kiva is an abbreviated form built from his two main components: the first two letters of Kiri and the first two letters of Vara. Kiri is the characteristic sound or whimper of his species, transcribed phonetically as /kˈi͡əɹi/, while Vara designates the species to which he belongs.

His full name, Kiri-vara no Terra, functions as a native formula combining personal identity, species and origin: the particle no Terra indicates the region he originally comes from. After leaving Arduano and eventually Forgottenland, Kiva adopts the form Kiri-vara no Arduano as his final name. This change not only marks his definitive departure from his place of origin, but also acts as a deliberate reminder of where he comes from, as he is the only known member of his species to have escaped.

The last of the Vara (spoilers)

As the title itself suggests, no other member of his species has managed to leave Terra alive, and until Kiva’s escape this was the established status quo. Kiva, however, persists in his dream of proving his ability to climb the Mana Tree and reach the limit of the sky of his universe, tear through it, and arrive in Meta, the world that lies above his own.

Nevertheless, there are numerous reasons why no one has succeeded before, and just as many reasons why that underground world is, precisely, “underground”. Kiva is about to confront each of these reasons as his flight drags him beyond the known borders of Forgottenland.

Personality

Kiva is characterised by an intense yet contained curiosity, oriented almost always towards silent observation rather than direct interaction. He prefers to remain in the shadows, studying others from a distance, and rarely takes the initiative to start a conversation, even when he understands exactly what is happening around him.

His anomalous condition marked him deeply, creating a persistent sense of loneliness and displacement in relation to both the Vara and the inhabitants of Meta. Over time, that emotional burden faded into a cold acceptance of his own difference, so that he no longer perceives it as a weight, but as an inevitable fact of his existence. At this point in the narrative, Kiva holds no explicit resentment towards Terra or Meta; instead, he has transformed any initial hurt into a calculated distance and an almost clinical perspective on his surroundings.

Kiva was not raised within human or Meta notions of morality, but under the behavioural patterns of the animals of Terra: fighting, attacking and defending as instinctive responses, without an elaborate ethical framework. As a result, pragmatic morality—in human terms—is not intuitive to him. For Kiva, morality functions mainly as a set of variables to study: codes he observes, compares and records. However, he has closely studied the moral systems of Meta and humans, and he tends to adhere to them when surrounded by individuals of those races, especially if they are watching him. His ethical behaviour is, therefore, more learned and strategic than deeply internalised.

Rather than clear personal interests, Kiva seems to be guided by a single axis of motivation: the need to complete and expand his Logbook. As long as he can add new entries, patterns and observations, the moral or emotional outcome of the events he witnesses is almost irrelevant to him. At times he even provokes conflicts or tense situations—such as fights, disputes or confrontations—purely to document the reactions of those involved. Although he does not feel particularly conflicted when things go wrong as a consequence of these situations, he does try to prevent certain extreme outcomes when he senses that the resulting suffering will not provide any new meaningful information for his Logbook. Even so, he rarely participates actively in these episodes; he remains on the sidelines, recording and analysing—more chronicler than actor.

His relationship with Meta is framed primarily as an intellectual and symbolic rivalry. Kiva seeks to become the first Kiri-vara—and, by extension, the first individual born of Terra—to complete a Logbook worthy of the Great Library, a feat previously achieved only by the wisest Meta in the universe. For him, finishing his Logbook is not just a life project, but a declaration of superiority: a way of proving to Meta that a being deemed aberrant and inferior can surpass the work of those who see themselves as the standard of perfection.

As for his view of the world, Kiva tends to regard Terra as the realm to which he still belongs, despite everything, and with which he maintains a tacit sense of loyalty. Humans, by contrast, are more like objects of study: they fascinate him, do not truly frighten him, yet he never underestimates them. He analyses their reactions, decisions and contradictions with almost clinical care, recording every detail in his Logbook. Although his relationship with them evolves slowly, certain encounters gradually push him to become more involved in the central events of the human world, narrowing the distance between observer and participant.

Although most of his bonds are strictly functional, there are exceptions that define his story. Shykare (Ippi-vara no Terra), an Ippi-vara who accompanied him during much of his life, is one of the few affective ties Kiva came to acknowledge—a bond cut short violently when Miyoshi Sheiki (a mercenary from Meta) killed her to force him to surrender.

Kiva understands the pain of others and, in some cases, acts to prevent it, especially when he senses that suffering will not add new information to his Logbook. However, he is not sentimental in the human sense of the term. Nor is he necessarily cold; his emotions exist, but they are expressed with the restraint and economical body language of an animal. He practically lacks any sense of humour: he rarely interprets a situation through the lens of comedy, and his approach to the world is sober, distant and, in many cases, overtly serious. This combination of contained sensitivity and lack of expressiveness reinforces the image of a meticulous and reserved observer, more interested in understanding and recording than in participating or easing the tension of the situations he witnesses.

Base stats and role

Attribute	Value
Role	Long-range mage / close-range fighter
Max HP	4,800,000
Max PP	7,400
Primary range	Long-range magic, short-range burst in Phenomenon

Base form (Kiri-vara no Terra)

Type	Name	PP Cost	Cooldown	Description
Passive	Kiri-gaze Intimidation	0	N/A	Fixes a target; once Kiva has learned his 3 active abilities, any attacks that require aiming and shooting at him lose more than 50% accuracy.
Passive	Magic Shield	0	N/A	Rebuilds a shield that, while active, pushes back enemies who hit Kiva in melee. Requires 3 turns without melee damage to reactivate.
Active	Perspective Illusion	300	10 turns	Shifts and reorients the entire battlefield (including allies and enemies), being able to invert, rotate or change coordinates.
Active	Speak to the Environment	200	3 turns	Raises stone, plants and ground materials to attack or shield. Allows Kiva to speak to and command plants and animals in the area.
Active	Poof!	250	7 turns	Makes a projectile or inanimate object about to touch Kiva disappear (does not affect living or sentient beings).
Ultimate	Phenomenon	2000	1 use per fight (recommended)	Kiva transforms into a Vora-like form for up to 10 turns (or until deactivated), replacing his entire kit with Phenomenon-specific abilities.

Phenomenon mode

Type	Name	PP Cost	Cooldown	Description
Passive	"($=$""=$)#"=$(#$%/"/	0	N/A	Smells the blood of low‑health enemies, sees them through walls and can run quickly towards them.
Passive	"($=$")%/"#=!"($/))%"	0	N/A	Can devour immobilised beings; each bite (1 turn) reduces the victim’s maximum HP by 20% (up to 5 bites to kill).
Active	Efficient Tear	350	Same as base actives	Dashes at long range to the target’s weak point, applying bleed for 5 turns (5% HP per turn).
Active	Blood Pact	300	Same as base actives	Only usable on bleeding targets; tastes their blood and restores 5% of Kiva’s HP per bleed stack.
Active	Magic Cage	300	Same as base actives	Traps a melee enemy in a magical cage they cannot leave for 4 turns.

Special Spells

Type	Name	PP Cost	Cooldown	Description
Special Spell	Invisibility	500	20 turns	Kiva becomes invisible for up to 3 turns, or until he deactivates the spell.
Special Spell	Blink	500	20 turns	Kiva teleports from one coordinate on the map to another, avoiding an ability or catching a target.

Items

Item	Removable	Active/Passive	Cooldown	Description
Logbook	Not removable	Passive	N/A	Kiva’s personal record. Allows him to discover and document the weak points of species he already knows, activating or enhancing abilities that benefit from that information.
Mana Staff	Removable and transferable	Passive	N/A	Main focus for channeling Kiva’s mana. While he carries it, his maximum PP remains intact; without it, his maximum PP is reduced by half during combat.

Appearances

• Myths and Legends of Forgottenland – first appearance as the main protagonist of the opening chapter.
• Theory of Hypernova – recurring secondary character.

Fun

Character interactions

Character(s)	Relationship	Description
Kiva & Savrien	Late-night tabletop companions	Kiva does not show particular interest in humans such as Savrien, whom he tends to regard as leading ordinary lives with little worth recording. Their connection begins when Kiva, by accident, draws Savrien’s attention, and Savrien innocently invites him to join a Dungeons & Dragons session he had been playing alone. Although Kiva does not appear especially invested in the game itself, he becomes fascinated by the crystal die Savrien uses, enough to remain there simply to discover the purpose of the object. Over time, this chance encounter develops into something resembling a friendship: Kiva starts appearing at Savrien’s window every Saturday at midnight to play various board or tabletop games with him, sometimes joined by Savrien’s friends, who eventually grow accustomed to his presence. None of them —Savrien included— knows Kiva’s real name; they refer to him only as “the wizard who comes to play with us on Saturdays,” a title Kiva has never bothered to correct.
Kiva & Mukka	Distant observer and uneasy respect	Kiva’s relation to Mukka is marked by a certain tension: Kiva usually observes him from a distance in order to avoid becoming involved in his affairs, even though they share the same late-night game sessions with Savrien. This dynamic changes when Mukka experiences a severe mental breakdown after killing his girlfriend, Kanvir, in an act of self-defense to prevent her from devouring him. On that occasion, Kiva steps out of hiding and sits beside Mukka on a bench. Holding his logbook and pen, Kiva asks Mukka whether he regrets what he has done. Overwhelmed and confused, Mukka admits he does not truly understand what happened and asks Kiva for advice. Kiva responds that “many risks are taken when forming bonds with beings one does not understand; among them is the risk of devouring or being devoured.” He then adds: “If something you love that deeply hurts you in such a way, it will only be worth it if that pain no longer matters to you.” From that night onward, even if he does not consider Kiva a close friend, Mukka comes to view him in a more favorable light, carrying a quiet respect for the strange wizard who chose to sit with him at his lowest.
Kiva & Seth	Quiet curiosity and shared otherness	Kiva shows a particular interest in Seth, largely because of what he is: a phenomenon, a human genetically modified to resemble a cat. Unlike with many other individuals, Kiva does not feel the constant need to hide when interacting with Seth, even if he does not watch him frequently due to the lack of overtly dramatic events to record. Seth is one of the few characters who actually knows Kiva’s name, a detail that sets their interactions apart from most of Kiva’s other connections. Seth’s innocent and gentle nature captivates Kiva, who occasionally appears solely to share conversation and tea with him. Kiva believes that society views Seth in a way that mirrors how it views himself, as both are, in different forms, products of human experimentation rooted in the era of the Cold War. This perceived shared sense of “otherness” reinforces Kiva’s quiet attachment to Seth and explains his willingness to be more openly present around him.
Kiva & Zenith	Professional rivalry and lingering resentment	Kiva associates the name Zenith with a persistent irritation: Zenith is an Arduan from Meta who once documented Kiva in the Great Library as a dangerous animal, mocking his “pseudo-intelligence” and noting that “although it can bite hard, it does not deserve to be considered a threat.” To Kiva’s dismay, Zenith later follows a path strikingly similar to his own, escaping from Arduano in order to keep a field log of the human world —a realm the Arduans never managed to document properly. The situation becomes even more aggravating for Kiva when they end up seated directly across from one another at the same Dungeons & Dragons table, alongside Savrien and Mukka. Kiva views Zenith as a rival and a professional affront, while Zenith appears largely indifferent to this hostility and simply laughs at him.
Kiva & Kara	Hidden spectator and cautious admiration	Kiva observes and learns a great deal from Kara, whom he considers both bold and cunning in combat. At the same time, he notes that she often lacks common sense and can be overly sentimental when making tactical decisions. He frequently sits in the shadows to watch Kara fight, quietly documenting her actions. Kiva has also read about her in books left by other Arduans in the Great Library, detailing her life in alternate realities, which only deepens his curiosity. During one training session in which Kara came close to death, Kiva intervened by using his active ability to call the wind and deflect a dagger that would otherwise have taken off her head. Although they have not truly met yet, Kiva finds her just a little bit charming.
Kiva & Rosebane Sisters (Arianne & Danna)	Cruel experimentation and mutual hostility	Like many Arduans, Kiva does not hold demons in high regard, due in part to the historical devastation they have caused over countless eons. In the case of the Rosebane Sisters, Arianne and Danna, this distrust becomes personal. Kiva frequently uses the sisters as subjects for experiments he records in his logbook, subjecting them to various “tests” that border on torture. Arianne and Danna know exactly who he is and where he comes from, yet whenever they attempt to fight back against him, they tend to come out on the losing side and have come to view him as an aggravating nuisance. Kiva, for his part, simply takes advantage of any opportunity to worsen their circumstances by subtly “cheating” with his abilities whenever they cross his path, treating them as convenient examples for his ongoing documentation.
Kiva & Sarah	Failed curiosity and lasting fear	Kiva becomes intrigued by Sarah over the course of several years, particularly because there are comparatively few books about her in the Great Library. His curiosity leads him to shadow her movements, attempting to observe and study her as he does with many other subjects. Sarah, however, proves to be highly perceptive and, after only a few attempts, successfully discovers and captures Kiva. When he tries to present himself as friendly, she coldly informs him that she despises spies and warns him that, if he knows what is good for him, he should leave and never return, punctuating the warning by dropping him to the floor by his clothing. From that encounter onward, Kiva decides not to follow Sarah again. In his own words, he had hoped she would be as flexible as her sister, but instead he found her far more terrifying.

Fun facts

• Kiva attends the Saturday night game sessions primarily because of his fascination with Savrien’s crystal die.
• Mukka sometimes pretends not to notice Kiva watching from a distance, as a way of respecting the space Kiva insists on keeping.
• Seth is among the very few who know Kiva’s actual name, and he treats it with casual, almost childlike normality.
• Kara remains unaware that Kiva once saved her life by subtly redirecting a dagger during training.
• The Rosebane Sisters, Arianne and Danna, have developed an almost superstitious annoyance toward Kiva, convinced that his presence inevitably means their day will get worse.
• Sarah is one of the very few people who has frightened Kiva enough to make him permanently abandon an observation target.

Out-of-context moments

• On one occasion, Kiva appeared in the middle of a session, took a silent note on Mukka’s behavior, and left without rolling a single die.
• Mukka has joked more than once that Kiva is less a wizard and more a walking confession booth.
• There are evenings when Kiva shows up at Seth’s place only to sit in silence over tea, leaving with nothing written in his logbook.
• During one Dungeons & Dragons session, Zenith casually referenced his old report on Kiva, prompting Kiva to grip his pen so tightly he nearly snapped it in half.
• Kiva once adjusted the wind in a training hall just enough for Kara’s thrown weapon to land perfectly, then disappeared before anyone could notice.
• In one encounter, Kiva altered the terrain beneath Arianne and Danna just to see how quickly they would adapt, recording their frustration with evident satisfaction in his notes.
• After his encounter with Sarah, Kiva quietly added a private note in his logbook advising himself never to underestimate members of the Hsiao family again.

Fun facts

• Kiva attends the Saturday night game sessions primarily because of his fascination with Savrien’s crystal die.
• Mukka sometimes pretends not to notice Kiva watching from a distance, as a way of respecting the space Kiva insists on keeping.
• Seth is among the very few who know Kiva’s actual name, and he treats it with casual, almost childlike normality.
• Kara remains unaware that Kiva once saved her life by subtly redirecting a dagger during training.
• The Rosebane Sisters, Arianne and Danna, have developed an almost superstitious annoyance toward Kiva, convinced that his presence inevitably means their day will get worse.

Out-of-context moments

• On one occasion, Kiva appeared in the middle of a session, took a silent note on Mukka’s behavior, and left without rolling a single die.
• Mukka has joked more than once that Kiva is less a wizard and more a walking confession booth.
• There are evenings when Kiva shows up at Seth’s place only to sit in silence over tea, leaving with nothing written in his logbook.
• During one Dungeons & Dragons session, Zenith casually referenced his old report on Kiva, prompting Kiva to grip his pen so tightly he nearly snapped it in half.
• Kiva once adjusted the wind in a training hall just enough for Kara’s thrown weapon to land perfectly, then disappeared before anyone could notice.
• In one encounter, Kiva altered the terrain beneath Arianne and Danna just to see how quickly they would adapt, recording their frustration with evident satisfaction in his notes.