Offering a 'proper' character for consideration while I'm in the mood to write her sheet, for when (if?) the whale shuffles off.

[hider=Ea Nebel]

[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/637afe0c-7aef-4ed0-9474-6374fce62e05.png[/img]

[color=gainsboro][h1]Ea Nebel[/h1][b]The Maiden of All Tombs[/b][/color]

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aPJVZMW4xI]Goddess of the Grave[/url][/center]

[color=gainsboro][center][b][u]Aspect[/u][/b][/center][/color]
Ea Nebel is a divine gravedigger and keeper of graves. Her task is to remember the dead and where they lie, and see to it that their remains are given the dignity they deserve, even if that be as simple as a prayer or as little as a glob of spit. She may be found at any place reserved for burial, cremation, or other correct treatment of cadavers, and has a great talent for discovering lost bodies and forgotten bones.

The Maiden watches over all those who take care of the dead, and who preserve their wisdom and history. Maintaining tombs and traditions with a pure heart may earn her blessing. When the bereaved come to a grave to mourn, she remembers them, and may appear as a spirit or animal to comfort them. When tombs and cemeteries are threatened, Ea Nebel may even manifest in person to defend them.

Sometimes, where some great being or army has fallen and none remain to bury them, Ea Nebel will accept the work of gravedigging personally, and build a monument for the dead as she sees fit.

To defile a carefully laid tomb arouses cold displeasure from Ea Nebel, which she discharges with straightforward curses in proportion to the offense. She is not a cruel god, not even especially harsh, nor omniscient, but she is without remorse. Neglect of the newly dead may yield a similar response.

Ea Nebel does not concern herself with matters of the soul. If a right burial is necessary for a spirit to pass on, she may grant it, as a mercy, but her duties are to attend the body and its memory in this life, not the ones beyond. Nor is it her duty to deliver justice- but on this her heart is not nearly so hard.

[color=gainsboro][center][b][u]Persona[/u][/b][/center][/color]

Ea Nebel was born with her duties already assigned to her, and nothing on Galbar could be more important for her. She brings her limited powers and knowledge to bear fully, and rarely rests, even though she needs it. With so much of her spirit invested in her task, it's no wonder that she so quickly becomes defensive when they are taken lightly.

For all her power and purpose, Ea Nebel is plagued with (usually) well-hidden insecurities. She knows that she has been charged with a task fit for a god, and fears that under the skin she is only a mortal with extra muscle; she fears that one day her sense of purpose will flag, and this doubt brings its own sense of guilt. She compensates by allowing herself no mercy in her work. If she has yet considered that this attitude may be the very thing that will grind her down in the end, she does not speak of it, especially not to herself.

Rare moments where she lets herself set her work aside reveal that Ea Nebel is not, in her heart, sombre. She laughs, she cries, she can clap, she can kiss. She understands death and has seen more of it than any man, and wants nothing of its sorrow; her heart is just too soft, and that is why she hardens it. Being among mortals makes her acutely self-conscious of her age and their relative innocence. The (impossible) thought of abandoning her station to embrace life and joy and beauty is yet another source of deep fear for Ea Nebel to feel guilty over.

[color=gainsboro][center][b][u]Form[/u][/b][/center][/color]

Ea Nebel is but a demigoddess; the body you see is all that she has. That body is no titan, and may not even be fully immortal. Her armour is divine stygian steel manifested by her strength of conviction, as are her many weapons, of which a few are the longsword, lance, sabre, halberd, javelin, and crossbow. Beneath it, her colourless skin is wrapped around a body with only the meanest feminine grace. Her strength is divine, so she has little muscle; she rarely eats, so there is little softness to her. She is uncommonly tall, nearly six feet without boots. Her blood is black, and hot as fire; her scars are the same colour, burned into her by the supernatural heat with which they close, minutes after being opened.

Her eyes, of course, are blacker than the darkest pearls, and number four.

[color=gainsboro][center][b][u]Divine Form[/u][/b][/center][/color]

There are certain elements common to many fine graves and temples, which, brought together, are sacred to Ea Nebel. She is far more likely to speak or manifest where they are present. Were she to have a truly divine form, it would probably exist as a collection of these properties, not limited to any one particular shape, place, or time.

They are:

[list]
[*] [b]Darkness[/b]. Night is the best time to speak to Ea Nebel. The shade of a dense canopy or a church with closed windows will do just fine. Caves and tombs, of course, are ideal.
[*] [b]Light[/b]. As small as a candle or as bright as a lighthouse. Moonlight will suffice- on some nights, even starlight.
[*] A [b]Boundary[/b]. Something that marks the space as sacred. Walls and fences are good, as are caves. Full enclosure is good but a single marker is enough.
[*] An [b]Icon[/b]. An image, effigy or symbol representing Ea Nebel herself. Her depiction may vary widely from one culture to another. A drawing of her face- three eyes on the right, one on the left- may be enough.
[*] A [b]Watcher[/b]. A living thing through which the Maiden may speak. Usually an animal, such as a moth, an owl, or a cat, though Ea Nebel may possess mortal gravekeepers or priests directly. If nothing else is present, a moth or spider usually presents itself, though if need be, Ea Nebel can talk through one's own reflection.
[*] A [b]Message[/b]. Written or spoken. Prayers, songs, and written stories or aphorisms are all appropriate. They do not have to be directed at Ea Nebel specifically, but if they are clearly not meant for her, she will not come.
[*] A [b]Gift[/b]. Ea Nebel will accept a wide variety of offerings. It is said she enjoys flowers. In times of need, a teardrop will do.
[/list]

Note well that no grave or memorial is necessary for Ea Nebel to be present.

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