Whoop, that took much longer than expected. [hider=Zhalia Ramshorn] [center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220817/441c7ed2ee32fdfc8bfcd498f499c5d7.png[/img][/center] [center][Img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/d2a3044aac259283c616855569d8c179/19b56b165462f2ad-ce/s540x810/97bdf7651e57546f72d527ad615bb14f25b66d21.gifv[/img][/center] [hr] [center][i][color=EFD7AD]"They turned you into a weapon and told you to find peace."[/color][/i][/center] [color=gray][center]Secluded. Determined. Rebellious. Independent. Skeptical. Romantic. [/center] [hr] [color=EFD7AD][h2]Basic Information[/h2][/color] [list][*][color=EFD7AD][b]Name:[/b][/color] Zhalia Ramshorn [*][color=EFD7AD][b]Gender[/b][/color] Female [*][color=EFD7AD][b]Age:[/b][/color] 24 [*][color=EFD7AD][b]Sexual Orientation:[/b][/color] Gay [*][color=EFD7AD][b]College Degree:[/b][/color] None - never attended college [*][color=EFD7AD][b]Languages:[/b][/color] German (mother tongue), English (fluent) [*][color=EFD7AD][b]Notable Skills:[/b][/color] Horseback riding, exceptionally good dancer (ballroom), can handle a sword and a dagger [/list] [color=EFD7AD][h2]Magical Abilities[/h2][/color] [color=EFD7AD][b]Witch or Warlock:[/b][/color] Witch [color=EFD7AD][b]Schools of Magic:[/b][/color] Necromancy, Illusion and Divination [color=EFD7AD][b]Necromancy[/b][/color] (9) [list][*][color=EFD7AD]Life Force Alteration[/color] Probably the most common form of Necromancy in Zhalia's former coven is the alteration of life force in various forms. Through excessive study, the witches and warlocks of this coven can learn to alter life-and-death energy by using necrotic means to cause damage. This usually means that the target is getting their life source slowly sucked out of their body (which may affect their ability to perform magic) and may make them sick for a while. A sub-category of this would be causing sickness on purpose or even poisoning the target. Actually ending someone's life this way would require a long time or a high amount of energy as the life force is always trying to balance the necromancy and will continuously attempt to restore itself. (Therefore, this does not "shorten" someone's lifespan.) [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Afterlife Linking[/color] Zhalia can connect the living world to the world of death, linking the land of the dead and the spirits & souls inhabiting it to the realm of life and existence, allowing both worlds to interact with each other. This is usually referred to as "lifting the veil" and is a very temporary situation. Often only the caster may interact with the spirits as the veil gets thinner but isn't entirely lifted. On other occasions (and with the right skill) one may be able to connect the two worlds more permanently, such as bringing spirits/ghosts into the world of the living or pushing a living soul to the other side and into death (this is exceptionally hard and should not be attempted by a single person, it can cause various disasters). As a result of a fudged attempt at this casting, the rules of both worlds might combine/mix together in various and unpredictable ways, such as causing souls/spirits/ghosts to be treated as living beings and living beings to be treated as spirits, and potentially even lead to cursed resurrections for those that do end up dying. This can also cause any changes to anything from either world to effect both of them instead of only one. Zhalia is an exceptional caster when it comes to Necromancy but her connection to the world of the dead has been tainted ever since the death of her girlfriend. She is reluctant to try. [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Revivify[/color] If a creature or person has [i]just[/i] died, Zhalia might be able to lift the veil enough to pull their soul back into their body and return them to the living. This does not heal them. Any wounds inflicted would still be present. This act requires high concentration and, depending on the circumstances of the death, Zhalia's own condition and the willingness of the deceased to return, might be met with a lot of struggle as the veil has a natural strong "magnetism" as it pulls souls through to the other side. Due to the coven's belief system which includes that there is no meddling with the dead (read: their souls) once they've passed through the veil, Zhalia might be reluctant to do this. Even though they all learn this magic, they rarely use it. It is more of a failsafe. [/list] [color=EFD7AD][b]Illusion[/b][/color] (6) [list][*][color=EFD7AD]Audible Indunation[/color] When in close enough proximity to a person, Zhalia has the ability to overwhelm someone's mind with voices. For this to work, she needs to be able to see the person she is targeting. Advanced casters might be able to use this illusion on people without directly observing them. This illusion might extend to putting specific words or phrases into a person's mind. Mostly, however, Audible Indunation manifests as a chattering of overlapping, unfocused voices that overwhelm the mind and confuse, irritate or even knock out a person. These voices are merely an illusion, Zhalia can not put ideas or thoughts into people's minds and make them believe they are their own. This ability can 'ricochet' when (a) someone uses a field with ricocheting ability or (b) it becomes too restraining on Zhalia or (c) someone has the ability to mind shield. It requires concentration to uphold the illusion. Skilled casters (such as Zhalia) can pull up this illusion and leave it up for 30-ish seconds without concentration. Advanced casters might perform a longer unconcentrated illusion. [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Monocular Realization[/color] This describes the ability to perform a minor illusion on oneself. The illusion gets attached to the caster and reimagines their appearance according to the caster's wishes. Any visual feature may be "changed" in this manner - including facial features, height, skin color, clothes, number of limbs, or (in cases of advanced casters) even the species. However, this does not result in an actual change of bodily features, but instead, works as a "filter" atop the real version. As this is only an illusion, any and all false visual features (e.g. claws, a hook for a hand, clothing items) would not truly exist and therefore never be accassible or "usable" beyond a simple lie. This illusion requires imagination, some performance skills and a little bit of concentration. If the caster would ever lose consciousness, the illusion would fade. Holding up the illusion is draining after some time and only highly advanced casters might hold up such an illusion for multiple hours. Furthermore, the caster has to remember the details of their disguise. Inconsistency (e.g. in color or hair length) due to a lack of concentration or memory would result in the deceived possibly seeing through the facade. While this is hard to master at first, skilled casters can uphold an illusion easily for a decent amount of time. [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Shadowplay[/color] One of Zhalia's favourite forms of illusions is the more subtle shadowplay. Without having to see her target, Zhalia can create shadows on any surface and have them enact any form of movement she desires. A specialty of hers are shadows which imitate large (numbers of) enemies or shadows that depict the target's death - causing unease, fear and possibly panic to rise within the deceived. [/list] [color=EFD7AD][b]Divination[/b][/color] (4) [list][*][color=EFD7AD]Tracking[/color] Due to the different approach of her coven to the schools of magic, Zhalia was trained to use her divination quite a bit differently than most would imagine. The power to track people and objects over any distance, environment or condition is something every witch and warlock of the coven learns if they decide to dabble in divination. In its essence, tracking is used to find and follow tracks that are weeks, months or even years old, and to reconstruct what has happened from the smallest clues. Zhalia's skills in divination are solid but unrefined. She may be able to follow someone who was recently in the area but she would be unable to track someone weeks or months after they had left the area. Highly advanced trackers may be able to even track people who use teleportation or portals but this is mostly rumored and not proven. [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Hematomancy[/color] Divination is mostly used in correspondence with Necromancy in Zhalia's coven. Therefore, a lot of divination comes from blood, bones, flesh and ashes. Blood and bones are said to work best. Even though the coven also uses cards (such as Tarot) quite frequently. By using blood (or bones), the caster can enhance their ability to see fractions of the future, past or present. [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Divine Sense & Aura Detection[/color] Used in correspondence with Necromancy, Zhalia has the ability to register and detect any undead creature and identify their type (e.g. vampire, skeleton, zombie, etc). Additionally, Zhalia is able to detect and identify the school of magic of other witches and warlocks around her. She may only detect the school of magic if it has a strong enough aura around the person (at least 5/10 skill level), otherwise, the magical aura is a lot harder to discern and Zhalia might not be able to pin which school of magic a person is practicing most. [/list] [color=EFD7AD][h2]Personality[/h2][/color] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Secluded[/color] Whether this is an innate personality trait or one that developed early on due to circumstances in her past, Zhalia enjoys being somewhat secluded. She tends to prefer a small circle of friends and to keep to herself. While not necessarily an introvert, she does enjoy a good quiet afternoon with a book, some rune practicing and steaming tea over a party. This may be highly influenced by her upbringing in her (very secluded) coven. Nevertheless, Zhalia strives for a community - sure, she'd prefer a small and quiet community, but a community nonetheless. While she may appear to be a loner at times, she is not actively trying to stay alone. [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Determined[/color] For better or worse, Zhalia is a very determined person. If she sets her mind to something, she will go through with it. This makes her an exceptionally good student and is the main reason her necromancy skills are so advanced. This also makes her a tad bit stubborn, which has led to various difficulties and some rather unfortunate outcomes in her life. [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Rebellious[/color] Pair her determination with her rebellious nature and you have a recipe for disaster. Even though Zhalia is more of a quiet soul, she will not back down on her morals or her beliefs and is known to rebel against coven heads and teachers. Never one to blindly follow and obey, Zhalia got herself into various forms of trouble. She tends to question authority and rules but isn't one to naively speak out of turn either. [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Independent[/color] Maybe a side effect of enjoying seclusion and determinedly studying necromancy, Zhalia has become quite independent over the years. Fully capable of surviving on her own and setting out on her own path, Zhalia picks and chooses who she depends on rather carefully. The ability to be independent makes her yearn for someone to depend on nevertheless. Sharing the burdens of life with someone else would be a great relief. [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Skeptical[/color] Zhalia tends to be rather skeptical towards people and therefore has her guard up even when she seems not to. She is not easily convinced or persuaded from her own point of view unless sufficient evidence can be provided. Even though she approaches most people openly and tries her best to keep her cynical thoughts down to a minimum, she can't help but have reservations and doubts about people's intentions. [/list] [list] [*][color=EFD7AD]Romantic[/color] With everything pointing towards Zhalia being a cynical, skeptical loner who generally mistrusts people, she is not that. Her innate romantic soul tries to balance her mind's attempts to "protect" her from further harm through total seclusion. With all her faults, Zhalia is and stays a hopeless romantic. Though unlikely to admit it out loud, she is very aware of this. She enjoys deep meaningful connections, yearns for love and belonging, and would go out of her way to show someone she cares. Had she not grown up in a technology-free environment, she would have likely loved romantic comedies that end with a "chasing after her to the airport and barely making it" scene and a big applause from the bystanders. Instead, she grew up dreaming about ball dances, a mysteriously masked woman who would swoop her away and wrap her in love and attention, and romantic picnics under willow trees. She dreamt of fierce sword fights that would end in heavy breathing and heavier eye contact. [/list] [color=EFD7AD][h2]History[/h2][/color]Born in a small village in Germany, Zhalia was an unexpected child that was lovingly welcomed by her parents. Ever since her birth, tragedy and destruction seemed to occur in close proximity to her. Albeit people whispering about Zhalia being cursed, her parents loved her and shielded their child from those nonsensical accusations. However, the incidents would continue to happen. Animals and people alike would be found dead at irregular intervals within the proximity of their beloved daughter. No matter how many times they moved and how much they shielded the child from the outside world, death would follow. In their desperation to save their child's soul and in the hopes of saving innocent lives, they took Zhalia from her slumber in the middle of the night with the intention to end the suffering and kill the demon. Their attempt was unsuccessful. Shortly later, the parents passed away and left an orphaned 7-year-old behind. Having had their eye on the girl, a strange coven took her in after her parents' passing. Known amongst the western witches and warlocks as a coven of "tradition" (put mildly), this circle of witches is shrouded in rumors. Living far off the modern society, the coven clings to more medieval ways of life and magic. Mainly, they refuse to use or engage with technology to the most extent. Known as Silencia Mortem (or "silent death") by outsiders, this coven is said to be a cult. Their members don't have any or only very regulated contact with modern society and they are rumored to discreetly hunt non-magical people in an attempt to "clean" the world off of those "unpure" of magic. They refuse to adapt to modern ways of magic and are known to teach an unusual (and for some people concerning) amount of necromancy and death magic to their members. Other untraditional ways include the advanced study of herbology (mostly non-magical), the use of "outdated" divination techniques (cards such as tarot, using bones and ashes, etc.), still using runes and grimoires, and practicing rituals (and ritual castings) that rely on full moons, chants or sacrifices. Often, these coven witches are rumored to be half-dead themselves, one foot on each side of the veil because they opened the barrier between the worlds too many times and play with life and death. When Zhalia was twenty and allowed outside of the coven for the first time in her life, she decided to visit a ball. This event was supposed to resemble an 1800s mask ball and Zhalia found herself quite enjoying the make-believe of another life. At the ball, she become fast friends with a woman who had been eyeing her for half the night. Young and naive, the two girls felt drawn to each other. Soon, Zhalia would find ways to sneak out of her coven's safe embrace to steal away and find her lover. Two things stood in their way: For one, Charlotte de Bréze was married, arranged so by her parents. And for the other, the Coven strictly forbade relations with humans outside of the coven. Nonetheless, Zhalia went on to see Charlotte and Charlotte went on to love her with her whole heart. One night Charlotte's husband returned earlier than expected and walked in on them in bed. Enraged and embarrassed by his wife's desire for a woman over him, Charlotte was struck down and died that night in the arms of Zhalia. Upon returning to the coven in distress and disarray, Zhalia was met with comfort and empathy she had not expected. She asked for assistance with bringing Charlotte back from the dead but her pleas were denied. The main job of the coven had always been to bring people over into the other world, to lift the veil for safe passing. But once a soul had passed the threshold, there was no more meddling with the dead. They can not return. Having dealt with death in various forms her entire life, Zhalia refused to accept this outcome and set out to bring Charlotte back herself. In the dead of night, raising fog with her blood-dripping fingers and murder on her mind, Zhalia went to the crime scene. Through sheer willpower and magical might, she pulled Charlotte's soul towards the veil - but her attempt to coerce the soul of her lover back into the world of the living failed drastically. With only a fracture of the soul pulled through, Charlotte was doomed to sit in agony in the tower of her mansion for eternity. Nothing but a ghostly white figure, confused and scared, reliving the most painful day of her existence. Forever longing, waiting for a lover to come who she can not see before her eyes. Her mind split, her memories splintered, her one last day ever-repeating, and her conscious fading in and out. In her vain and greed, Zhalia had closed the path to eternal peace for Charlotte forever. Panicked, shocked, guilt-ridden and scared, she feared the judgment and final trial of the coven. Unable to comprehend the outcome of the situation, she fled the scene and left the country entirely. Through some traveling, she eventually ended up in Tanner where she plans to settle down for a while and join the local coven for some direction, for a purpose - any purpose - and hopefully some distraction. [/color] [/hider]