[hider=Élise Marianne Lucie d'Astier] Name: Élise Marianne Lucie d'Astier Sex: Female Race: Narbosi Human Vampire Age: 22 Appearance: [url=https://i.imgur.com/J6ykIoJ.jpg]Here[/url] and [url=https://i.imgur.com/O30RuWA.jpg]here[/url] Religion: [url= https://i.imgur.com/f1bt2eC.jpg]The Cult of the Dark Lady[/url] Brief Backstory: Élise was born into this world as the sixth child of the exceedingly wealthy Count of Astier, Gaspard. She lived a relatively uneventful and quiet childhood, and she was mostly ignored by her ambitious father who lacked a place for his youngest child in his grand plan. Élise grew increasingly rebellious as she progressed through her teenage years, and with her being confined to the palace in the centre of the City of Astier by the strict Count, she was forced to spend most of her time in the palace’s library where she read countless tomes dedicated to the arcane and the many religions of the world. At first, this was more to pass the time than to actually study, however after she discovered a seemingly ancient book hidden deep within the library mentioning dark magic and a mysterious figure known only as Lilith, her studies took a more serious turn. By her nineteenth birthday, Élise had developed a great understanding of the arcane arts in an attempt to unravel the secrets of the ancient tome she found years ago, even though she did not possess any magical abilities herself. This secret studying was easily kept hidden because of her father’s lack of care towards her, however she had to cease her studies after the Count decided to wed her to the young son of the Duke of Asselineau in an attempt to secure an alliance between the two men, much to Élise’s dismay. A betrothal had been secured, and after the Duke’s son, Adrien, turned sixteen two years from now, Élise would marry him. Over those two years, she grew increasingly desperate and sought any escape possible, turning to her study of the dark arts all the more fervently. This would culminate on the night before the wedding. Lilith herself finally appeared before Élise after years of desperate pleading by the Narbosi noblewoman, and offered the distraught woman two gifts: an enchanted sword, and the Blood Kiss. Following this exchange, Élise awoke on her wedding day a woman reborn. She was no longer among the living, but neither was she dead. She was transformed by the Dark Lady herself into a pureblood vampire. She was now a Daughter of Lilith, filled with nought but an unquenchable thirst for blood and seething rage, and in her hands was a sword so sharp and cold to the touch that it could only have been crafted by a goddess such as Lilith. Suiting her vampiric nature, it was as if the sword itself also had a desire for blood. It was on this day that the Massacre of Asselineau Castle would take place. After first murdering and feasting on the blood of one of the maids who came to awaken her for the wedding, she proceeded to slaughter all of those she came across like a savage animal, rending them with the sword, her magic, her fangs, and her bare hands. Among those she murdered were her parents and her five siblings, her fiancé and his immediate family, a large number of ducal guards, and the other guests at the wedding. After she was finally satisfied with her blood feast, she began to calm and collect herself, and only then did she come to the realisation of what she had done. The scene was gruesome and nightmarish, with untold disfigured corpses littering the blood soaked halls of the once beautiful castle. The bodies of her own family surrounded her, but only when she realised that the body in her arms that she had been feeding on, with its neck torn open, was her own mother did she completely break down. Élise let out an ear-splitting wail filled with such immense sorrow and regret that even Lilith was fazed by it. As Élise’s tears streaked from her stained cheeks and mixed with the blood that pooled around her, she soon realised that she must flee, lest she be found by the legion of guardsmen that were inevitably on their way to the castle. From that day forward, Élise was never seen again in Narbos, and indeed the authorities presumed that she must have been one of the many unidentifiable corpses found at the site of the Massacre. In actuality, she had fled north, committing regular and regretful murders in order to sustain her unholy life as she struggled to contain the monstrous predatory instincts that were now a part of who she was. She did not blame Lilith for what had happened, and instead blamed only herself for losing control. As such, it was also during this time that she was visited a number of times by the goddess that gave her the gift of vampirism, offering Élise the comfort that she sorely needed in order to keep the memories of the Massacre at bay, as well as an enchanted set of clothes and jewellery to replace her bloodstained attire and that would help to both protect her and to keep her undetected in a world hostile to her. Since then, Élise has continued on her journey north, constantly staying one step ahead of those who are looking to bring the one responsible for the Massacre to justice as well as a number of vampire hunters, hoping to find a way to either control her vampiric urges, or to give in and embrace them entirely. Motivation: To either learn to control her vampirism, or to embrace her role in the world as a predator amongst prey. She will learn about Htraknu after encountering the party bent on killing him, and will stay with them after offering her assistance to both prevent them from killing her and in an attempt to learn how to control herself. Magic: Like all vampires, Élise possesses a natural affinity for magic. Even though she has spent relatively little time studying the arcane arts, she has become a very proficient mage with the help of Lilith, especially with regards to shadow and blood magic. She rarely uses her magic to kill (although this does not mean that she is unable to do so) due to her being too worried that it could lead to a situation similar to the Massacre of Asselineau Castle. Instead, she usually relies on her magic to remain undetected as a vampire and to influence others into doing what she wants, be it for seduction or simple persuasion. Skills/Strengths: Due to her vampiric nature, Élise is far stronger and faster than any human could physically ever be. She can move without making a single sound, and has greatly heightened senses. Even among vampires, her eyesight and night vision are phenomenal. Whilst she is a formidable fighter with a sword in hand, if the situation allows for it she actually prefers to kill with her fangs and claws, especially as she begins to lose control over her predatory instincts. If she does lose said control, the immense strength and savagery that she exhibits can be described as nothing short of monstrous. Weaknesses: As a vampire, Élise suffers several notable weaknesses. She cannot enter a home without the permission of the owner - although permission gained through deception and violent or magical coercion is valid, and the interpretation of ‘permission’ is somewhat open to loopholes. Due to her only recently having been turned into a vampire, when exposed to direct sunlight, she becomes incredibly weak, cannot use her natural magical ability, and experiences immense pain as the rays of the sun burn her skin like flame. She can also be repelled by someone wielding a holy symbol of any major deity - including the Shaituns - so long as that person has paid genuine homage to the deity long before attempting to wield the symbol against a vampire. She can only be slain by magic, fire, silver, decapitation, or a wooden stake through the heart. Note, however, that garlic has zero effect. Gear: • [url=https://i.imgur.com/O30RuWA.jpg]Enchanted Clothing[/url] • [url=https://i.imgur.com/xaKbhsG.jpg]Cloak[/url] • [url=https://img1.etsystatic.com/112/0/6145536/il_340x270.903541623_2pj1.jpg]Enchanted Necklace[/url] • [url=https://i.imgur.com/E7pkgTF.jpg]Enchanted Sword[/url] • A significant amount of money [/hider]