13org

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Location: Just outside the Jotunheim => 'Tekeri' encampment.

Nellara heard Ixtaro's words in silence, simply nodding in understanding as she mentioned that regardless of Nellara's words, they were already part of the conflict. While that was technically correct, Nellara didn't see a need for the humans to actively make part of the conflict.

"I understand. I merely ask for caution regarding pointing your weapons..." Nellara said, replying to Ixtaro as she asked for a bit of time for the humans to organize themselves and Vigdis as she explained the reason for her being so cautious. While she did sound rather understanding of the humans' situation, there was still a warning hidden in Nellara's words. A subtle warning, but a warning nonetheless. Just like the humans wouldn't like them pointing their weapons at them, the same was true for Nellara and her group.

While she already had a suspicion about it, Ixtaro was quick to confirm to Nellara that the humans had their own hierarchy, with Zeynep at it's top as it seemed. The idea of having to deal with Silbermine again wasn't one Nellara enjoyed, but she could understand why the humans wanted that. Not only to try and avoid a war happening a few meters away from their ship but also to know both 'sides' of the story. Still, understanding their reason didn't make Nellara less annoyed by it.

"Very well, a meeting will be arranged. Just be ready. Some Mythadians, especially those like Silbermine, can be incredibly hard to deal with." she replied with a heavy sigh.

"The Ascension has no royalty nor an 'official' religion and bloodlines, inheritances and the such were abolished many years ago. Instead of being ruled by kings or nobles, it is led by an Archmagister, who keeps their position not thanks to a law, rule or religion, but solely based on their competence. Especially since any citizen is free to approach the Archmagister and challenge them for their position." Nellara said, explaining a bit more about the Ascendancy after Ixtaro requested her to do so and especially as Vigdis mentioned that the humans and the Tekeri might be more similar than she had thought.

"For centuries, the Ascendancy has been led by Archmagister Vyana, who maintained her position without being defeated a single time in all thirteen times she was challenged. It was thanks to her judgement, her intelligence and her competence that the Ascension is what it is now, as the Archmagister Vyana was herself the one responsible for unifying our kingdom, outlawing bloodlines, inheritances and shaping it into the meritocracy that it is today." Nellara explained. Even for Ixtaro, it was quite clear in her voice and expression as she talked about the Archmagister that Nellara was incredibly proud of her leader.

"In the Ascendancy, one's position must be earned with their own skills and effort. There are no nobles, no bloodlines and no inheritance. The child of a Magister and the child of a construction worker are evaluated the same by the Ascendancy and given the same opportunities to show their own worth." Nellara completed.

While Nellara did seem to be very proud about how the Ascendancy worked, her words would also give the humans a small hint of how ruthless and harsh the Tekeri society was regarding failure. There was no sympathy nor compassion for those who failed.

---

On the next few days, under the request of the humans, Gar'Tan helped them to know more about Kanth-Aremek, sharing knowledge and more importantly, helping the humans to understand their language, so they wouldn't need a thought mage to communicate themselves.
Even from outside, it was quite obvious to notice that the humans were incredibly busy inside the ship. Loud noises from the ship being repaired betrayed only part of the issues humans were dealing with inside their ship.

For Nellara, the following days seemed to be equally as busy. Not only she had to plan and strategize for a possible confrontation, including factoring the terrain, possible usage of mages by Silbermine and his forces and even think about the political consequences behind his actions... Including trying to figure out if Mythadia's king knew what was happening or not.
Besides all that, Nellara also had to constantly watch Silbermine's camp, hoping her reinforcements would arrive before Silbermine's.

After three days of the humans having retreated to their ship, Vigdis was the first to approach Nellara's camp, using the bracelet the humans called a 'wristpad' to talk in S'toric. Apparently, Gar'Tan's collaboration with the humans had paid off.

"I assume their... 'wristpad' does automatically translate our words as well, right?" Nellara asked, looking to her group before she turned to Vigdis again.

"Vigdis, I understand you perfectly well. Can you clearly understand me?" Nellara asked, speaking her words in a clear and steady pace.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 6pm
Location: Guest House Dining Room - Dinner with the Sultan
Interactions: Nahir @Rodiak, Layla @Potter, Charlotte @princess, Lorenzo @FunnyGuy, Munir @Infinite Cosmos
Mentions:

---

It only took but a moment between Mayet saying Duke Vikena was a fool, her sister Nahir calling her out for her words and the clueless Duke actually proving her point by talking back to the Grand Vizier. Even though Mayet was already expecting such reaction, she still couldn't help but let out a deep sigh as she massaged her temples. Not only he had the gall to reply in such a way despite being clearly in the wrong, but instead of just keeping the problem between himself and the Grand Vizier, Duke Vikena also dragged the entire Alidasht Royal family into it, insinuating that that was how they treated their 'guests'... Which was an incredibly bold assumption to make, considering he wasn't exactly a 'guest of honor' in that banquet... Considering the reason behind him being invited for it in the first place.

The Grand Vizier was never known for being an... agreeable person. Mayet was always well aware of that. But even with Hafiz being a difficult man to deal with, Duke Vikena seemed to always cause chaos wherever he went. It was honestly incredibly unbelievable that such man was still alive... Considering the amount of people he surely must had offended or humiliated with his lack of tact...

Mayet was certain that if he went to Alidasht... He wouldn't last a year before he did something that was too much to be forgiven...

"So, sister Nahir... Do you still think my words were too much?" Mayet asked, looking to Nahir with a chuckle and an amused expression, playfully teasing her.

"Lady Charlotte doesn't deserve to be punished the way she is by her foolish father's mistakes." Mayet said with a sigh as she watched the scene happen in front of her.

"Brother Munir, It's good to see you changed your mind regarding tonight's dinner. Unfortunately, it seems you have arrived just in time for tonight's show." Mayet said with an annoyed tone as she rolled her eyes, motioning towards the foolish Duke, which seemed to be quite determined to dig his own grave.

Staying a true diplomat until the end, her sister Nahir still tried to salvage the situation, trying to calm down her uncle Hafiz and defuse that entire situation before it ended in bloodshed. While Mayet could appreciate Nahir's efforts, she couldn't completely agree with her words as she asked Hafiz to sit in another chair, disregarding the clear offense and challenge to his authority that was Duke Vikena sitting on such chair.

Where Nahir was the diplomat and the mediator, Layla's venomous, cutting words sought to put Duke Vikena into his place. To humiliate and offend him as much as he had humiliated her for all his words and actions. Much like Nahir, Mayet could understand and respect Layla's point, but fanning the flames of conflict didn't seem to be a smart move to do, considering her uncle Hafiz was already in the room. Regardless, Mayet did agree that Duke Vikena had to learn that he couldn't simply say and do whatever he wanted without consequences.

"Dear sister Nahir, even if uncle Hafiz's reaction might be a bit too much, we cannot ignore the fact that Duke Vikena did offend him and challenged his authority by sitting on such spot." Mayet said, voicing her own opinion, which wasn't as pacifist as Nahir, but it also wasn't as hostile as Layla.

Besides that, Mayet also had another reason to use the words she did... To try and give her uncle Hafiz the feeling that his reaction, albeit excessive, was somewhat justified. Something that would hopefully help to placate his ire.

"Duke Vikena, you should really be aware of your position and your surroundings. You are not the 'guest' of honor tonight, nor you are the dignified noble you seem to think you are." Mayet said as she stood up, with her fiery, hostile gaze betraying the rather polite words and tone she used.

"Nobility is more than just a title, Duke Vikena. Dignity, strength, competence, courage and above everything else, respect. Respect yourself, your ancestors, your lineage and those around you. No matter the situation." Mayet said, with a firm tone, this time not much as a hostile warning, but a firm lesson Lorenzo had to learn.

"Remember why exactly you are here tonight. Recognize and accept your mistakes and face them with the respect and dignity of a noble of your position. If not for yourself, do it for your daughter. Lady Charlotte does not deserve to be punished for her father's words and actions any further than she already have." She continued, looking directly towards Lorenzo.

"If you truly want to become the noble and the man you wish to be, the father your daughter deserves then you need to remember one thing... Change does not come without a great deal of effort and persistence." Mayet finished, her fierce stare still remaining on Duke Vikena for a brief moment before she sat down on her chair again.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 6pm
Location: Guest House Dining Room - Dinner with the Sultan
Interactions: Nahir @Rodiak, Layla @Potter, Farim @Lava Alckon, Leo @Helo, Sultan Raif Kadir, Prince Auguste @Inertia , Charlotte @princess, Lorenzo @FunnyGuy
Mentions: Riona @JJ Doe, Grand Vizier Hafiz Kadir

---

Mayet couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the small 'accident' that was most probably caused by the servant who was with Lord Leo. Coupled with the intense stare the woman had, Mayet was definitely intrigued by her. After all, it didn't take much to imagine that servants who made such... 'mistake' would be punished very severely by the likes of King Edin and the other more... haughty nobles.

Fortunately for the servant, Lord Leo didn't seem to take that much offense to her little prank. At least not immediately. While Mayet thought of offering Leo her help, seeing how he apparently didn't want to draw any more attention to that small accident than what he had to, Mayet simply offered a silent, apologetic nod as he regained his balance.

It wouldn't be until later, when Prince Auguste arrived that she would learn the name of the particular servant who almost made Lord Leo fall down. After hearing her name, Mayet gave another glance towards Riona, with an intrigued expression before she turned to Prince Auguste. If it wasn't clear before, it would be more than clear now that Riona had definitely caught Mayet's attention.

"Prince Auguste, thank you! I must admit, even though I was merely testing my opponent at first, she proved herself to be remarkably talented! Its a shame my offer for her to go back to Alidasht with me was rejected. With some training, that woman... 'Reogh', would become a very dangerous blade." Mayet said with an amused expression. While her usage of the word 'blade' instead of warrior was a bit strange, it was undeniable that her words were of praise to the 'unknown' fighter.

"But I digress. Your match was also a wonderful event to watch. Not only a true show of skill and mastery of Caesonian swordplay, but your sword also told me a lot about yourself..." Mayet said, with an amused smile towards Prince August.

Mayet's words to Auguste weren't simply empty words, as it was definitely a very entertaining duel. One thing Mayet couldn't help but notice was how different Auguste's sword was compared to his usual demeanor. The moment the battle began was almost as if Prince Auguste finally dropped the 'noble' mask he wore, truly enjoying the thrill of the combat.

Coincidentally, another one of the Caesonian princes seemed to have a similar 'fire' within him, which became clear in his swordplay... Prince Wulfric. Although this one was much more ferocious and dangerous... Traits that definitely made Mayet interested.

"It seems we both might have more in common than I previously thought..." Mayet said with an mischievous smirk.

"Oh! Before I forget, I must thank you for the events the royal family hosted on these last days. The hunting and the swords competition in particular were very enjoyable." Mayet said, the previous, enigmatic expression she had immediately giving way to a smile as she thanked Prince Auguste for the events, after she overheard him mentioning them to Lord Leo.

Soon after Mayet took her seat before her sisters, Nahir and Layla arrived. The latter one making quite an entrance, as it was already expected of her.

"Sister Layla, sister Nahir! You both surely took your time, didn't you?" Mayet asked with a smile as she greeted both of them.

"Zilal, adorable as always, aren't you?" Mayet said with a chuckle, gently caressing Zilal's head after he greeted Nala with a boop.

"Humble as the room might be, you need to admit that the cutlery, the dishes and especially, the unmistakable aroma of the fine spices surely make up for it." Mayet said, closing her eyes for a moment as she felt the wonderful aroma of traditional Alidasht cuisine being prepared on the kitchen.

"At least we won't have to bear the Caesonian cooks and their pitiful attempts to imitate Alidasht cuisine." Mayet said to Layla with a chuckle.

"Don't get me wrong, Caesonian food isn't that bad... But the cooks surely should keep focusing on their field of expertise instead of trying to copy us." Mayet completed with a shrug.

It was just after that when her cousin Farim approached them, mentioning the growl Nala gave on the park, back when she went to try some of the pancakes before being interrupted.

"Oh that... You can thank that small growl to the impertinent people who don't seem to know how to approach someone of royal blood..." Mayet said, rolling her eyes as Farim mentioned how the commoners seemed to be talking about Nala's growl back at the park.

"Still, ignoring some of the... 'problems' we had to deal with, my stay in Caesonia has been quite interesting so far. The recent events surely helped me to vent some of my frustration." Mayet replied to Farim with a chuckle.

It didn't take too much for Layla to notice Auguste though, which wasn't surprising, considering how well he was dressed. Her small provocation to Prince Auguste made Mayet let out a chuckle before she turned to Layla again.

"You know, sister Layla... Prince Wulfric seems to hide quite a 'fire' inside of him, if you can see past the noble mask he wears... I wonder if this 'fire' extends to other matters beside the blade..." Mayet said in a mischievous tone to Layla, not only because she knew Layla would definitely like to know that, but since her comment would also make help Layla to tease the prince.

Unlike Layla and Mayet, Nahir's reply to Prince Auguste was more formal and not as provocative. In a certain way, Nahir was quite similar to Prince August, regarding the mask both of them wore in most social and political events. Maybe that was the reason why Nahir seemed to want to change the subject instead of letting Layla have her fun with the prince. Instead, she asked both Mayet and Layla about the competition, something which Farim also seemed to be interested in.

"Of course we did! It was very 'fun' to play with my opponent. Although I must admit I was quite surprised by her talent. I wouldn't mind taking that 'Reogh' girl back with us, especially with her talent and potential." Mayet replied to Farim and Nahir with a chuckle.

"Talking about having fun though... Sister Layla! Your match with that woman was very... peculiar, wasn't it! 'Lyra' if I recall correctly. I felt a different kind of 'tension' going on between both of you besides the tension of combat..." Mayet said, looking to Layla with a teasing grin.

Before Layla could reply though, a loud, familiar and rather obnoxious voice echoed through the hall, making Mayet's smile immediately disappear. She was truly expecting the 'guests of honor' to have learned with their mistake... Particularly Duke Vikena, at least to avoid making his poor daughter have to deal with the consequences of his mistakes.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be exactly the case, as Duke Vikena announced his entrance with in a loud and cheerful tone instead of being discreet.

"Calm down, Layla... I promised I wouldn't let anyone ruin my mood tonight but I'm not sure if I can keep that promise if Duke Vikena proves to be as much of a nuisance as the previous times..." Mayet said, more directed at herself than for Layla.

The moment Duke Vikena looked towards her, thanking her for helping him deal with his small conflict back at the park, Mayet's expression towards him was a cold and serious one. A warning for him to think twice before doing anything that might offend her.

"There is no need to thank me, Duke Vikena... Truly. I merely ask you to be aware of your words and actions... Lest you want to provoke someone that you shouldn't provoke." Mayet said to Lorenzo, in a not so veiled warning to him.

Nala too seemed to not appreciate Duke Lorenzo's presence that much, as it was evident by her gaze towards him when he spoke.

"Having to deal with such a fool of a father... I truly pity Charlotte." Mayet said with a sigh.

Unfortunately, it seemed Mayet's warnings were for naught, as Duke Vikena immediately followed up with another one of his blunders... Sitting in the very opposite side of the table as her father. Not only that was extremely disrespectful towards Mayet, Nahir and Layla, as he was putting himself on a seat that insinuated he was the second most powerful person aside from the Sultan, but it also meant that he was taking the seat of someone else that hadn't arrived yet... Someone who would definitely not be happy with having his spot taken.

"Duke Vikena!" Mayet said, raising her voice both as to make sure Lorenzo would hear and as a warning.

"Wouldn't you prefer to change your seat, so you can sit closer to your dear daughter...?" She asked, her tone of voice, unlike her words, making it clear that it wasn't a suggestion.

Unfortunately, her warning seemed to come a bit too late, as the Grand Vizier Hafiz entered the dining room like a storm. To make things even worse, it seemed he wasn't exactly in the best mood.

"This night might be much more exhausting than I thought it could be..." Mayet mumbled, letting out a deep sigh as the Grand Vizier commanded Duke Vikena to move.

She hoped Duke Vikena wasn't as mindless as to do or say anything else besides simply lowering his head and changing his seat. It would be better if he did so silently, but for some reason, Mayet doubted he would do so...

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 6pm
Location: Guest House Dining Room - Dinner with the Sultan
Interactions: Ariella @Tpartywithzombi, Riona @JJ Doe, Farim @Lava Alckon, Leo @Helo, Sultan Raif Kadir
Mentions: Nahir @Rodiak, Layla @Potter

---

Even though the Caesonian cuisine proved to be better than what Mayet had expected, to be able to eat some traditional Alidasht cuisine was certainly a welcome thing. A taste of home after the many 'events' she been through since she arrived on Caesonia would definitely be re-comforting. Even if she had to deal with that clueless duke once again... Hopefully, he learned his lesson and there wouldn't be any issues this time.

Unlike the previous dresses Mayet used, the one she wore for this dinner wasn't as showy and flamboyant as the previous ones she had used, instead being a more traditional and proper silk dress. The particular dress Mayet had chosen to wear was a beautiful black dress with a delicate, green silk shawl. The choice of dress was definitely a subtle hint as to how even Mayet, despite her wild and fiery temper, respected certain Alidasht traditions, especially in such a formal dinner with her father, the Sultan. Despite the formal situation though, Nala was, obviously, still accompanying Mayet.

The scent of Alidasht spices Mayet felt as soon as she arrived was a comforting and familiar one. With the addition of the finely crafted, traditional Alidasht tableware, plates and decoration made Mayet feel almost as if the Sultan had brought a bit of Alidasht to Caesonia.

While she was entering the dining room, Mayet couldn't help but stop for a moment as her eyes met with the servant that was escorting lord Leo Smithwood inside. She wasn't sure why, but there was a rather... familiar 'fire' in her eyes. The exchange of stares only lasted for a brief moment though, before Mayet offered a discreet greeting nod towards the servant and moved on to greet the guests that had already arrived. Fortunately, despite her suspicion it didn't seem like Mayet had caught on who the servant was yet.

"Lord Leo. It's quite surprising to see you here today! I assumed you would come to escort Lady Charlotte, but I see you have a partner of your own today." Mayet said, greeting him and the redhead woman he was accompanying with an smile.

"I hope the traditional Alidasht cuisine will be to your liking." she said with a discreet greeting to both of them before she turned to her cousin Farim, who was also just arriving.

"Cousin Farim! It's been some time I last saw you since we came to Caesonia. I guess I wasn't the only one busy these days." Mayet said with a chuckle.

"I wonder if Nahir, Layla and Munir will also be coming to tonight's dinner as well. I am sure we all have a lot interesting stories to catch up with, right Farim?" she said with a smirk, almost as if discreetly asking if Farim did anything 'interesting' he might want to share with them as well, before she made her way to her father, the Sultan, to greet him.

"Good evening, father. I hope Caesonia has been treating you well." Mayet said, greeting the Sultan with a smile.

"Despite the few... issues we had to deal with, my stay on Caesonia has been quite... entertaining so far." she said to the Sultan with a smile as she took her seat at the table, with Nala lying down just besides her.

While most people who didn't know Mayet well wouldn't think much of her good mood, her cousins, siblings and the sultan would definitely be know that the visible improvement on her mood was, for the most part, thanks to the recent events, such as the hunting and sword competition, which were able to help her to calm down and relax after the... 'problems' she faces upon arriving on Caesonia. Sultan Raif in particular would know that finding Mayet in such a good mood was quite rare. It also meant that unless something really bad happened to offend her on this dinner, it would be highly unlikely he would have to deal with her temper tonight.

Avalia

Zora Sene

Zora Sene ⋆ 26 ⋆ Female Human

Appearance

Height:

5'24" (1,60m)

Build:

Slender and lean build, somewhat athletic.

Hair Color:

Black

Hair Length:

Just below the shoulders

Eye Color:

Hazel

Skin Tone:

Reddish-brown

Distinguishing Features:

⋆ Wears a ram horn headdress, decorated with red feathers on the very tip and a corset made of various animal bones.
⋆ Has tattoos covering her entire body and often paints her face white in a pattern resembling a skull.
⋆ Long and sharp nails, which are often painted black.

Psychology

Likes:

⋆ The sea.
⋆ Freedom, both her own and others.
⋆ Those who are true to and follow their own desires and ambitions.
⋆ Rituals, dances and sacrifices to commune with and appease the spirits.
⋆ Rum and spices.

Dislikes:

⋆ Those who disrespect the spirits, the sea and the dead.
⋆ Those who refuse to follow their own desires and ambitions.
⋆ People who preach about self-sacrifice, abstinence and purity, who preach about the 'evilness' of following one's desires.
⋆ Injustice.

Fears:

⋆ The wrath of the spirits and the Sea.
⋆ Being imprisoned or losing her freedom.
⋆ Being forgotten. Leaving nothing behind after she dies.

Habits/Quirks

⋆ Sometimes use her nails to prick other people's skin and draw a single drop of blood, which is used on small rituals and divination. She tends to occasionally trespass on others 'personal space'.
⋆ Enjoys making 'deals' with others.
⋆ Enjoys having influencing others. Either by purposely being enigmatic with her words or by controlling information she tells to someone that comes to her. She has no qualms against manipulating others for her own benefit.
⋆ Will never deny a request or disrespect a parley. No matter the situation.

Sexuality:

Heterossexual

Personality:

Despite her enigmatic ways, Zora is still an extroverted person. She often approach those that draw her interest rather quickly, something that makes her quite easy both to approach and talk to (especially to those who offer her a good spiced rum). Despite that, those who mistake her sociability for kindness or selflessness would be gravely mistaken. While it is true that Zora will help those who come to her, assuming they treat her with respect, her help never comes without a cost. Be it either strings attached to her 'deals' or with her manipulating you for her own benefit. Needless to say, due to this peculiar nature, Zora is a bit cautious regarding whom she trusts... Lest her own tricks be used against her.

Regarding her temper, Zora is normally a calm and patient person... Until she isn't. It does take a considerable effort to make her lose her calm but when she does, her fury is as terrible as the tumultuous sea. Fierce, unrelenting and impulsive.
Although is rather rare, when she really loses her temper, there is little one can do to placate her ire other than just letting her calm down by herself. Zora does hold grudges for a long time until she can repay the offenses that were committed. At the same time, Zora does not easily forget when someone helps or assists her and is sure to repay the debt.

More than once, Zora has been referred to as an enchantress, both due to her cunning and sharp mind and her charisma. Many were those who fell victims to her words or her charm. To deal with Zora without knowing exactly what you want and exactly how to ask for it is to invite disaster. Despite that, those who know Zora well, know that she is bound by a very strict set of morals, which prevail above everything else, even her fickle nature...

Such tenets are:

To never break a promise, deal or contract.
Once parley has been established, it shall not be broken, as it is a sacred tradition both to the sea and the spirits.
No harm shall be done to each other or their crew by either those who shared table and drink with, at least until the next day.

While rather specific, Zora's knowledge is unparalleled in the fields she specialize in, such as the sea, poisons, herbs, anatomy (animal and human, to a certain extent) and venom.

Background

Occupation

Fortune teller, Soothsayer, Witch doctor... Both her names and titles were many.

Living Immediate Family Members:

Orphan.

Dead Immediate Family Members:

Parents - Unknown

Current Companions:

TBD

Current and Past Lover(s):

None

Current Equipment:

Ritualistic Sickles

Apart from the handles, which are made with a suspiciously sized femur, both of them are just normal sickles. Zora uses them both as a weapons and a tools to gather herbs & etc.

History:

Soothsayer, fortune teller, witch, mystic... Those were only some of the titles the enigmatic woman named Zora would be known thorough the seas. But before she earner those titles, Zora was simply a small girl on a small tribal village in the Caribbean islands. Born in 1656, she was raised and taught by shamans and witch doctors. While she was being taught to was to take up her teachers' positions, the constant visits from pirates, sailors and buccaneers ended up waking up a thirst for freedom on the young Zora.

Every time they came to her village to ask for favorable winds for their travels, protection against spirits, herbs to sooth the pains from wounds or even incenses to soothe their spirits, the young Zora, which was already quite outspoken and charismatic even at a young age, would ask them for tales of the sea and even to teach her how to use a knife to fight. It was exactly the contact with those people that ended up being a deciding factor that led the young Zora to leave her village.

Zora's first year on the sea was spent boarding from ship to ship. Having left her village on a small merchant ship, she would disembark on docks, offering help to those seemed to need it. Sailors and pirates are naturally superstitious, so it didn't take much for Zora to amaze them at first. Herbs, salves, special 'mixtures' of tobacco to calm down the nerves, poisons, sea and weather predictions. For every problem, she always seemed to have a solution.

It was around 1674, when Zora had 18 years that her name started getting known through the seas. Rumors about her started appearing as she continued traveling. About a Mystic who could interpret the sea and the waves, about a witch doctor that could solve any ailment and cure any poison, about a soothsayer who could see one's future and give them advice or warnings.

But fame also came it's fair share of problems... Such as some pirates, who wanted to monopolize Zora's services, to have an advantage over their enemies. Until then, Zora's fame was of a powerful mystic, but after stories of how she dealt with those who tried to make her a prisoner that her fame took a new level. From nasty sickle wounds and sliced necks to even tales of how Zora cursed the sailors who offended her, throwing the fury of the sea on their ship, by sending them to violent and stormy seas. After a few similar cases, with most of those who offended or came after Zora suffering either in her hands or in the hands of the sea, to cross Zora was the same as to make the inexorable and unrelenting sea their own enemy.

From that moment onward, from a normal woman, Zora's status and fame became closer to a powerful entity, some even claimed her to be the personification of the sea... The will of the seas itself, in a mortal body. But once again, fame does come with it's cost. Even though most feared having the wrath of the seas brought upon them, it was simply impossible to ignore the amount of power and influence a single woman had over what happened through the seas. To make it even worse, Zora was never someone who could be controlled with anything other than the most traditional rules and codes of the sea. No amount of money or jewels would be able to buy her, nor any amount of ships. Zora never played sides nor refused a 'deal' that interested her. In some wayss, she was freer than anybody else. Moving and acting solely by her whims and desires and for a good amount of time, there was nobody that could or wished to stop her.

But this all changed when a group of powerful privateers-turned-pirates, with the consent of most of the notorious crews from the time, made an effort to finally 'control' Zora by 'escort' her to a stronghold in the Bahamas. While they claimed to be only for Zora's own 'protection', for Zora, to keep her in one place for too long, regardless of how luxurious and comfortable it was, was closer to imprisonment than it was of protection. But this time, no amount of manipulation seemed to be able to free her, since most of the powerful pirates hated the idea of having to submit and being controlled by someone... Even if that someone was Zora.

Zora could never truly control the weather or the seas and all the rumors saying she could were nothing more than exaggerations from her simply being able to read the tides and the weather but due the fame she earned and the many rumors, her existence had been elevated close to a mythical figure and as such, when terrible storms and hurricanes started assailing the seas, many immediately attributed those to Zora, claiming that taking her away from the sea had angered it.

Even though such storms weren't exactly rare, especially in the last semester of a year, they were particularly violent on that year. When storms and hurricanes started lasting for entire years, sinking ships and claiming many lives, the rumors only became stronger and out of desperation, the pirates turned to Zora again. In the end, it was finally time for Zora to pay for taking advantage of the fame she had earned. In an effort to calm down the seas, many sailors grouped up, invading the stronghold and tied Zora, taking her to sail directly towards the a storm that began forming on the horizon.

No matter how much Zora cursed them, how much she shouted, nothing could dissuade the terrified sailors. In their fanaticism in their superstitious thoughts, Zora was not a woman, but instead, she and the sea were two parts of the same thing and after being imprisoned, the sea now claimed for it's other half and the only way to quell it's fury was to reunite both of them again. And so, with a fiery determination, they sailed towards the storm, regardless of how strong the winds were, regardless of the rain, the waves and the lightning and when their ship started to creak and protest under the unrelenting assault of the waves, they took Zora to the deck, making her walk the plank.

"Foolish men! The sea is bigger than any one of us! No one can control it, not even me!" Zora shouted, her voice echoing above the mighty roar of the waves as she cursed the sailors.

"Your attempts to control it through me will be met with failure and your audacity will be severely punished!" Zora cursed, being gradually pushed further towards the end of the board, until she finally fell into the violent waters.

The sea seemed to open in the spot Zora fell, forming a whirlpool and dragging her further below as she struggled and trashed against the ropes with the noises of the sailors cheering in the background. Strangely enough, only a second after she fell, a bright light appeared, surrounding her. It was only for a moment but when it stopped, Zora was nowhere to be seen, with only the ropes that were tying her left behind...

Combat and Magic

Fitness Level:
⋆ To live among pirates requires a lot of stamina. Either to help around the ship, fight, defend oneself and when necessary, running for one's life. Despite being a rather 'important' figure for most pirates, Zora still had to deal with many situations and for that, she always had to keep a healthy and strong body.

What are your character’s physical strengths?
⋆ Flexibility and agility. Zora uses a ritual sickle as a weapon and her fighting style mixes ritual dances with the quick movements she learned with pirates.
⋆ Dexterity. Sickles are famous for being incredibly dangerous if used as weapons... Both for the user and the enemy. The fact that Zora constantly uses one both as a tool and a weapon means that if she isn't dexterous, at least one of her hands wouldn't have all its fingers.
⋆ Stamina. There were a few times where ships Zora was in had... unfortunate encounter with other pirates and she had to swim back to safety.

What are your character’s physical weaknesses?
⋆ Low strength and weight.
⋆ Low durability. The fact that Zora needs to keep her body nimble and agile for dances and rituals mean she cannot take many hits.
⋆ Hand to hand combat. If disarmed, apart from using poisons and toxins, Zora can't do much in hand-to-hand combat.

Years of Experience:

Weapon(s):
⋆ Sickle - She began to learn how to fight with knives from pirates when she was 8 years old and started practicing ritual dances with the sickles when she was 7. Her particular style of fighting was created by her when she was 10 years old. Her total experience fighting with a sickle is about 16 years.

Hand-to-hand Combat:
⋆ None.

Magical Abilities:

Ability on Avalia:

Hydrokinesis

Zora’s Stats

Physical Stats

Strength: ⬤⬤◯◯◯

Ground Speed:⬤⬤⬤◯◯

Stamina: ⬤⬤⬤⬤◯

Dexterity:⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤

Durability: ⬤◯◯◯◯

Combat Stats

Hand-to-Hand Combat: ⬤◯◯◯◯

Sickle Combat: ⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤

Knife Combat: ⬤⬤⬤⬤◯

Magic Stats

Hydrokinesis: ⬤◯◯◯◯

Avalia

Took me a bit more than my Dark Fairy CS, had some trouble with inspiration but i'm very satisfied how she turned out!

Zora Sene

Zora Sene ⋆ 26 ⋆ Female ⋆ Human

Appearance

Height:

5'24" (1,60m)

Build:

Slender and lean build, somewhat athletic.

Hair Color:

Black

Hair Length:

Just below the shoulders

Eye Color:

Hazel

Skin Tone:

Reddish-brown

Distinguishing Features:

⋆ Wears a ram horn headdress, decorated with red feathers on the very tip and a corset made of various animal bones.
⋆ Has tattoos covering her entire body and often paints her face white in a pattern resembling a skull.
⋆ Long and sharp nails, which are often painted black.

Psychology

Likes:

⋆ The sea.
⋆ Freedom, both her own and others.
⋆ Those who are true to and follow their own desires and ambitions.
⋆ Rituals, dances and sacrifices to commune with and appease the spirits.
⋆ Rum and spices.

Dislikes:

⋆ Those who disrespect the spirits, the sea and the dead.
⋆ Those who refuse to follow their own desires and ambitions.
⋆ People who preach about self-sacrifice, abstinence and purity, who preach about the 'evilness' of following one's desires.
⋆ Injustice.

Fears:

⋆ The wrath of the spirits and the Sea.
⋆ Being imprisoned or losing her freedom.
⋆ Being forgotten. Leaving nothing behind after she dies.

Habits/Quirks

⋆ Sometimes use her nails to prick other people's skin and draw a single drop of blood, which is used on small rituals and divination. She tends to occasionally trespass on others 'personal space'.
⋆ Enjoys making 'deals' with others.
⋆ Enjoys having influencing others. Either by purposely being enigmatic with her words or by controlling information she tells to someone that comes to her. She has no qualms against manipulating others for her own benefit.
⋆ Will never deny a request or disrespect a parley. No matter the situation.

Sexuality:

Heterossexual

Personality:

Despite her enigmatic ways, Zora is still an extroverted person. She often approach those that draw her interest rather quickly, something that makes her quite easy both to approach and talk to her (especially to those who offer a good spiced rum). Despite that, those who mistake her sociability for kindness of selflessness would be gravely mistaken. While it is true that Zora will help those who come to her, assuming they treat her with respect, her help never comes without a cost. Be it either strings attached to her 'deals' or with her manipulating you for her own benefit. Needless to say, due to this peculiar nature, Zora is a bit cautious regarding whom she trusts... Lest her own tricks be used against her.

Regarding her temper, Zora is normally a calm and patient person... Until she isn't. It does take a considerable effort to make her lose her calm but when she does, her fury is as terrible as the tumultuous sea. Fierce, unrelenting and impulsive, although is quite rare, when she really loses her temper, there is little one can do to placate her ire other than just let her calm down by herself. Zora does hold grudges for a long time until she can repay the offenses that were committed. At the same time, Zora does not easily forget when someone helps or assists her and is sure to repay the debt.

More than once, Zora has been referred to as an enchantress, both due to her cunning and sharp mind and her charisma. Many were those who fell victims to her words or her charm. To deal with Zora without knowing exactly what you want and exactly how to ask for it is to invite disaster. Despite that, those who know Zora well, know that she is bound by a very strict set of morals, which prevail above everything else, even her fickle nature...

Such tenets are:

To never break a promise, deal or contract.
Once parley has been established, it shall not be broken, as it is a sacred tradition both to the sea and the spirits.
No harm shall be done to each other or their crew by either those who shared table and drink with, at least until the next day.

While rather specific, Zora's knowledge is unparalleled in the fields she specialize in, such as the sea, poisons, herbs, anatomy (animal and human, to a certain extent) and venom.

Background

Occupation

Fortune teller, Soothsayer, Witch doctor... Both her names and titles were many.

Living Immediate Family Members:

Orphan.

Dead Immediate Family Members:

Parents - Unknown

Current Companions:

TBD

Current and Past Lover(s):

None

Current Equipment:

Ritualistic Sickle

Apart from the handle, which is made with a suspiciously sized femur, it is a normal sickle. Zora uses it both as a weapon and a tool to gather herbs & etc.

History:


Soothsayer, fortune teller, witch, mystic... Those were only some of the titles the enigmatic woman named Zora would be known thorough the seas. But before she earner those titles, Zora was simply a small girl on a small tribal village in the Caribbean islands. Born in 1656, she was raised and taught by shamans and witch doctors. While she was being taught to was to take up her teachers' positions, the constant visits from pirates, sailors and buccaneers ended up waking up a thirst for freedom on the young Zora.

Every time they came to her village to ask for favorable winds for their travels, protection against spirits, herbs to sooth the pains from wounds or even incenses to soothe their spirits, the young Zora, which was already quite outspoken and charismatic even at a young age, would ask them for tales of the sea and even to teach her how to use a knife to fight. It was exactly the contact with those people that ended up being a deciding factor that led the young Zora to leave her village.

Zora's first year on the sea was spent boarding from ship to ship. Having left her village on a small merchant ship, she would disembark on docks, offering help to those seemed to need it. Sailors and pirates are naturally superstitious, so it didn't take much for Zora to amaze them at first. Herbs, salves, special 'mixtures' of tobacco to calm down the nerves, poisons, sea and weather predictions. For every problem, she always seemed to have a solution.

It was around 1674, when Zora had 18 years that her name started getting known through the seas. Rumors about her started appearing as she continued traveling. About a Mystic who could interpret the sea and the waves, about a witch doctor that could solve any ailment and cure any poison, about a soothsayer who could see one's future and give them advice or warnings.

But fame also came it's fair share of problems... Such as some pirates, who wanted to monopolize Zora's services, to have an advantage over their enemies. Until then, Zora's fame was of a powerful mystic, but after stories of how she dealt with those who tried to make her a prisoner that her fame took a new level. From nasty sickle wounds and sliced necks to even tales of how Zora cursed the sailors who offended her, throwing the fury of the sea on their ship, by sending them to violent and stormy seas. After a few similar cases, with most of those who offended or came after Zora suffering either in her hands or in the hands of the sea, to cross Zora was the same as to make the inexorable and unrelenting sea their own enemy.

From that moment onward, from a normal woman, Zora's status and fame became closer to a powerful entity, some even claimed her to be the personification of the sea... The will of the seas itself, in a mortal body. But once again, fame does come with it's cost. Even though most feared having the wrath of the seas brought upon them, it was simply impossible to ignore the amount of power and influence a single woman had over what happened through the seas. To make it even worse, Zora was never someone who could be controlled with anything other than the most traditional rules and codes of the sea. No amount of money or jewels would be able to buy her, nor any amount of ships. Zora never played sides nor refused a 'deal' that interested her. In some wayss, she was freer than anybody else. Moving and acting solely by her whims and desires and for a good amount of time, there was nobody that could or wished to stop her.

But this all changed when a group of powerful privateers-turned-pirates, with the consent of most of the notorious crews from the time, made an effort to finally 'control' Zora by 'escort' her to a stronghold in the Bahamas. While they claimed to be only for Zora's own 'protection', for Zora, to keep her in one place for too long, regardless of how luxurious and comfortable it was, was closer to imprisonment than it was of protection. But this time, no amount of manipulation seemed to be able to free her, since most of the powerful pirates hated the idea of having to submit and being controlled by someone... Even if that someone was Zora.

Zora could never truly control the weather or the seas and all the rumors saying she could were nothing more than exaggerations from her simply being able to read the tides and the weather but due the fame she earned and the many rumors, her existence had been elevated close to a mythical figure and as such, when terrible storms and hurricanes started assailing the seas, many immediately attributed those to Zora, claiming that taking her away from the sea had angered it.

Even though such storms weren't exactly rare, especially in the last semester of a year, they were particularly violent on that year. When storms and hurricanes started lasting for entire years, sinking ships and claiming many lives, the rumors only became stronger and out of desperation, the pirates turned to Zora again. In the end, it was finally time for Zora to pay for taking advantage of the fame she had earned. In an effort to calm down the seas, many sailors grouped up, invading the stronghold and tied Zora, taking her to sail directly towards the a storm that began forming on the horizon.

No matter how much Zora cursed them, how much she shouted, nothing could dissuade the terrified sailors. In their fanaticism in their superstitious thoughts, Zora was not a woman, but instead, she and the sea were two parts of the same thing and after being imprisoned, the sea now claimed for it's other half and the only way to quell it's fury was to reunite both of them again. And so, with a fiery determination, they sailed towards the storm, regardless of how strong the winds were, regardless of the rain, the waves and the lightning and when their ship started to creak and protest under the unrelenting assault of the waves, they took Zora to the deck, making her walk the plank.

"Foolish men! The sea is bigger than any one of us! No one can control it, not even me!" Zora shouted, her voice echoing above the mighty roar of the waves as she cursed the sailors.

"Your attempts to control it through me will be met with failure and your audacity will be severely punished!" Zora cursed, being gradually pushed further towards the end of the board, until she finally fell into the violent waters.

The sea seemed to open in the spot Zora fell, forming a whirlpool and dragging her further below as she struggled and trashed against the ropes with the noises of the sailors cheering in the background. Strangely enough, only a second after she fell, a bright light appeared, surrounding her. It was only for a moment but when it stopped, Zora was nowhere to be seen, with only the ropes that were tying her left behind...

Combat and Magic

Fitness Level:
⋆ To live among pirates requires a lot of stamina. Either to help around the ship, fight, defend oneself and when necessary, running for one's life. Despite being a rather 'important' figure for most pirates, Zora still had to deal with many situations and for that, she always had to keep a healthy and strong body.

What are your character’s physical strengths?
⋆ Flexibility and agility. Zora uses a ritual sickle as a weapon and her fighting style mixes ritual dances with the quick movements she learned with pirates.
⋆ Dexterity. Sickles are famous for being incredibly dangerous if used as weapons... Both for the user and the enemy. The fact that Zora constantly uses one both as a tool and a weapon means that if she isn't dexterous, at least one of her hands wouldn't have all its fingers.
⋆ Stamina. There were a few times where ships Zora was in had... unfortunate encounter with other pirates and she had to swim back to safety.

What are your character’s physical weaknesses?
⋆ Low strength and weight.
⋆ Low durability. The fact that Zora needs to keep her body nimble and agile for dances and rituals mean she cannot take many hits.
⋆ Hand to hand combat. If disarmed, apart from using poisons and toxins, Zora can't do much in hand-to-hand combat.

Years of Experience:

Weapon(s):
⋆ Sickle - She began to learn how to fight with knives from pirates when she was 8 years old and started practicing ritual dances with the sickles when she was 7. Her particular style of fighting was created by her when she was 10 years old. Her total experience fighting with a sickle is about 16 years.

Hand-to-hand Combat:
⋆ None.

Magical Abilities:

Ability on Avalia:

Hydrokinesis

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Location: Just outside the Jotunheim

Nellara waited in silence, until the humans could organize their thoughts. Even Gar'Tan mentioned that it was getting a bit confusing for him, due to the amount of thoughts and feelings he was receiving. Nellara was fully aware of the agitation on the humans' part but staying true to her previous words, she simply gave them time to organize themselves while maintaining a peaceful posture.

When Ixtaro refused Nellara's suggestion to serve as an 'ambassador', Nellara reacted with a surprised expression. Perhaps the game of 'politics' was different back in their 'Earth'. Normally, here in K-A, there would be almost no situation where one wouldn't accept to have someone with a high, important position as an 'ambassador'. Especially in situations where one still had doubts regarding the intentions of the other party.

"As I mentioned before, at least from my and the Ascendancy's part, you have my words we will not drag you and force you to be part of the oncoming conflict with Silbermine. The primary objective for our army is to deal with the invaders and preventing Silbermine and his army from trying to do anything with the humans." Nellara explained as Ixtaro asked if there was a way to avoid conflict.

"I can see that despite our best efforts to display our friendly intentions, there is still a very... intense hostility towards us, at least for some of the humans. Regardless, I assure you that our objective, mine and the Ascension's is a peaceful one." Nellara said, particularly directing those words to Vigdis, who seemed to have a rather... intense reaction to everything that was going on. The other humans who had similar reactions, such as the other two who refused to lower their weapons and seemed to come from warmongering tribes among the humans did also come to her mind.

"And yes. 'losing his mind' might be an understatement." Nellara said, replying to Vigdis when she said that Silbermine would react badly when they said they wanted to leave.

"As Shirik said, Mythadia is a kingdom ruled through it's king and it's religion. Through all their history, they have the tendency to take what they want instead of trying to negotiate. Their king rules through divine right and as Shirik said, all his vassals, all his subjects are pawns for the Lords to use, which in return, are pawns for the king to use." Nellara said, agreeing with Shirik's words.

"Unlike Mythadia and their lords, the Ascendancy leads the Tekeri through meritocracy, where your skills, performance and capability are valued above everything else. Also unlike Mythadia, our nation's expansion didn't happen with raids, invasions and by pillaging... or 'conquest' as the Mythadians love to say. Instead, we focused on trade and growing our nation's wealth." Nellara continued, explaining a bit about the Ascendancy, to hopefully help the humans understand why the Ascendancy would be preferable to Mythadia when choosing an ally.

"The first words Silbermine said when he arrived was asking for safe passage in order to claim the 'temple' as he called Jotunheim. Upon knowing that the ship already had an owner, his words might have changed, claiming that his desire was to secure the temple and the sky people, but his intentions did not, as he immediately mentioned calling his engineers to dismantle it." Nellara said, once again trying to clarify Silbermine's true intentions.

"If by some chance you were to refuse him, it's highly probable he will see such refusal as a 'test from the gods' and that it's his duty to conquer the 'divine temple' for themselves... Or something like that. Silbermine and his people tend to hear only what they want to hear..." Nellara said with a heavy sigh of someone who was tired of having to deal with such people.

"While it wouldn't be true to say the Ascendancy has no ulterior motives by contacting and helping the humans, our goals are much simpler... And much more peaceful. We wish only to establish a peaceful alliance and start trading with the humans." Nellara said with a serious expression as she looked to the humans. Considering how distrustful the humans seemed to be as a race, honesty would likely have a far better result than any scheming might have.

The Five Senses - Second Arc (Accepting New Players!)

Karina Frost

Even though Karina didn't enjoy the metal bracelets, she obliged when it was asked her to wear those. Especially when she heard the explanation, about how it served to identify runaway prisoners, since some of them could change appearance. A fact that did made Karina a bit worried.

When Ru'Tev heard more about the news about coordinated Crazed attacks, despite neither Karina nor anyone from her group having concrete proof, not only he ended up believing, which was already a huge relief to Karina, but he also said something that was very worrisome... He had already heard other reports of similar situations happening... Which immediately told Karina that it wasn't an isolated occurrence.

"The fact that this isn't the first report of coordinated crazed attacks tell us that this is definitely not an isolated occurrence... We might have something very dangerous on our hands, Lord Ru'Tev..." Karina said with a serious tone as she continued following him in the small 'tour' through the prison, including reassuring them that he would offer them a room for them to stay for the night, before interrogating the staff and prisoners on the next morning.

When the princess asked why would Ru'Tev not allow them to immediately interrogate the prisoners, Karina couldn't help but agree with Ru'Tev.

"He is right, Princess. The fact that the prisoners can change their appearance means that there is no such thing as being 'too' cautious when dealing with them." Karina said with a serious tone.

Karina heard in silence, paying close attention to Ru'Tev's explanation about the 'wyres' and the technology his ancestors developed, using those mysterious stones and lines, especially since that very technology seemed to be the cornerstone of that prison.
Regardless of the peculiarities of that technology, such as the unknown origin of the 'wyres', it was undeniable that if fully understood, it would be an extremely useful technology to have. Not only for the prison, but Karina knew the Military would also love put their hands on that technology, should them be able to fully understand how the wyres worked and how to reproduce them.

The tour of the prison had proven for it to be quite secure and at least until the present moment, they had faced no issues of any kind... Or at least until the group reached the top floor. According to Ru'Tev's explanation, the top floor should house the prisoners who didn't need immediate restriction of their magical powers and weren't as 'dangerous' as the ones on the lower floors but what Karina saw and heard when they arrived there told her a different story...

The very moment they stepped in the top floor, the prisoners suddenly lunged at the bars on their cells, trying to reach out for them while claiming to be the true Ru'Tev and pleading for their help... specifically the princess.

Observing with a worried expression, Karina simply gave a step back, aiming to avoid one of the crazed that was trying to reach for her, but for some reason, she ended misjudging the distance, causing the crazed to get a firm grip on the sleeve of her coat and promptly ripping it off her coat, the moment he tried to bring her closer to the cell's bars.

"What is this?!" Karina said with an angry expression as she gave a step back, looking towards the crazed, who was transformed to look just like Ru'Tev.

Normally she would have never made such mistake such as misjudging the distance from the cell's bars, but for some reason, it was exactly that what happened.

"Unbelievable..." she grumbled, looking at her now ruined coat, before taking it off and folding it to carry it over her right arm.

"These... 'chameleons' as you call them... They can be incredibly dangerous. You know that, don't you, Lord Ru'Tev? With some information and their ability to transform into others... They can make for perfect spies or even infiltrate positions of power..." Karina said as she looked to Ru'Tev, still visibly irritated for what the Crazed had just done with her coat.

"Such as the prison staff. As you said, they shouldn't have known that we were coming here. It doesn't seem they know exactly who the princess is, as many of them called me and even Tayla while asking for help. But still, the fact that they were able to get such information so fast is a serious breach of security." Karina said with a very serious tone.

"I fear this entire situation might be more dangerous than merely a few isolated cases of the Crazed carrying organized attacks... If they are organized enough to have information networks..." Karina said as she looked to Ru'Tev, with a very grim expression and tone. Both she and Ru'Tev knew very well how dangerous it would be if there was a Crazed uprising or something like that.

13org's characters

Zora Sene

Zora Sene ⋆ 26 ⋆ Female ⋆ Human

Appearance

Height:

5'24" (1,60m)

Build:

Slender and lean build, somewhat athletic.

Hair Color:

Black

Hair Length:

Just below the shoulders

Eye Color:

Hazel

Skin Tone:

Reddish-brown

Distinguishing Features:

⋆ Wears a ram horn headdress, decorated with red feathers on the very tip and a corset made of various animal bones.
⋆ Has tattoos covering her entire body and often paints her face white in a pattern resembling a skull.
⋆ Long and sharp nails, which are often painted black.

Psychology

Likes:

⋆ The sea.
⋆ Freedom, both her own and others.
⋆ Those who are true to and follow their own desires and ambitions.
⋆ Rituals, dances and sacrifices to commune with and appease the spirits.
⋆ Rum and spices.

Dislikes:

⋆ Those who disrespect the spirits, the sea and the dead.
⋆ Those who refuse to follow their own desires and ambitions.
⋆ People who preach about self-sacrifice, abstinence and purity, who preach about the 'evilness' of following one's desires.
⋆ Injustice.

Fears:

⋆ The wrath of the spirits and the Sea.
⋆ Being imprisoned or losing her freedom.
⋆ Being forgotten. Leaving nothing behind after she dies.

Habits/Quirks

⋆ Sometimes use her nails to prick other people's skin and draw a single drop of blood, which is used on small rituals and divination. She tends to occasionally trespass on others 'personal space'.
⋆ Enjoys making 'deals' with others.
⋆ Enjoys having influencing others. Either by purposely being enigmatic with her words or by controlling information she tells to someone that comes to her. She has no qualms against manipulating others for her own benefit.
⋆ Will never deny a request or disrespect a parley. No matter the situation.

Sexuality:

Heterossexual

Personality:

Despite her enigmatic ways, Zora is still an extroverted person. She often approach those that draw her interest rather quickly, something that makes her quite easy both to approach and talk to her (especially to those who offer a good spiced rum). Despite that, those who mistake her sociability for kindness of selflessness would be gravely mistaken. While it is true that Zora will help those who come to her, assuming they treat her with respect, her help never comes without a cost. Be it either strings attached to her 'deals' or with her manipulating you for her own benefit. Needless to say, due to this peculiar nature, Zora is a bit cautious regarding whom she trusts... Lest her own tricks be used against her.

Regarding her temper, Zora is normally a calm and patient person... Until she isn't. It does take a considerable effort to make her lose her calm but when she does, her fury is as terrible as the tumultuous sea. Fierce, unrelenting and impulsive, although is quite rare, when she really loses her temper, there is little one can do to placate her ire other than just let her calm down by herself. Zora does hold grudges for a long time until she can repay the offenses that were committed. At the same time, Zora does not easily forget when someone helps or assists her and is sure to repay the debt.

More than once, Zora has been referred to as an enchantress, both due to her cunning and sharp mind and her charisma. Many were those who fell victims to her words or her charm. To deal with Zora without knowing exactly what you want and exactly how to ask for it is to invite disaster. Despite that, those who know Zora well, know that she is bound by a very strict set of morals, which prevail above everything else, even her fickle nature...

Such tenets are:

To never break a promise, deal or contract.
Once parley has been established, it shall not be broken, as it is a sacred tradition both to the sea and the spirits.
No harm shall be done to each other or their crew by either those who shared table and drink with, at least until the next day.

While rather specific, Zora's knowledge is unparalleled in the fields she specialize in, such as the sea, poisons, herbs, anatomy (animal and human, to a certain extent) and venom.

Background

Occupation

Fortune teller, Soothsayer, Witch doctor... Both her names and titles were many.

Living Immediate Family Members:

Orphan.

Dead Immediate Family Members:

Parents - Unknown

Current Companions:

TBD

Current and Past Lover(s):

None

Current Equipment:

Ritualistic Sickle

Apart from the handle, which is made with a suspiciously sized femur, it is a normal sickle. Zora uses it both as a weapon and a tool to gather herbs & etc.

History:

Soothsayer, fortune teller, witch, mystic... Those were only some of the titles the enigmatic woman named Zora would be known thorough the seas. But before she earner those titles, Zora was simply a small girl on a small tribal village in the Caribbean islands. Born in 1656, she was raised and taught by shamans and witch doctors. While she was being taught to was to take up her teachers' positions, the constant visits from pirates, sailors and buccaneers ended up waking up a thirst for freedom on the young Zora.

Every time they came to her village to ask for favorable winds for their travels, protection against spirits, herbs to sooth the pains from wounds or even incenses to soothe their spirits, the young Zora, which was already quite outspoken and charismatic even at a young age, would ask them for tales of the sea and even to teach her how to use a knife to fight. It was exactly the contact with those people that ended up being a deciding factor that led the young Zora to leave her village.

Zora's first year on the sea was spent boarding from ship to ship. Having left her village on a small merchant ship, she would disembark on docks, offering help to those seemed to need it. Sailors and pirates are naturally superstitious, so it didn't take much for Zora to amaze them at first. Herbs, salves, special 'mixtures' of tobacco to calm down the nerves, poisons, sea and weather predictions. For every problem, she always seemed to have a solution.

It was around 1674, when Zora had 18 years that her name started getting known through the seas. Rumors about her started appearing as she continued traveling. About a Mystic who could interpret the sea and the waves, about a witch doctor that could solve any ailment and cure any poison, about a soothsayer who could see one's future and give them advice or warnings.

But fame also came it's fair share of problems... Such as some pirates, who wanted to monopolize Zora's services, to have an advantage over their enemies. Until then, Zora's fame was of a powerful mystic, but after stories of how she dealt with those who tried to make her a prisoner that her fame took a new level. From nasty sickle wounds and sliced necks to even tales of how Zora cursed the sailors who offended her, throwing the fury of the sea on their ship, by sending them to violent and stormy seas. After a few similar cases, with most of those who offended or came after Zora suffering either in her hands or in the hands of the sea, to cross Zora was the same as to make the inexorable and unrelenting sea their own enemy.

From that moment onward, from a normal woman, Zora's status and fame became closer to a powerful entity, some even claimed her to be the personification of the sea... The will of the seas itself, in a mortal body. But once again, fame does come with it's cost. Even though most feared having the wrath of the seas brought upon them, it was simply impossible to ignore the amount of power and influence a single woman had over what happened through the seas. To make it even worse, Zora was never someone who could be controlled with anything other than the most traditional rules and codes of the sea. No amount of money or jewels would be able to buy her, nor any amount of ships. Zora never played sides nor refused a 'deal' that interested her. In some wayss, she was freer than anybody else. Moving and acting solely by her whims and desires and for a good amount of time, there was nobody that could or wished to stop her.

But this all changed when a group of powerful privateers-turned-pirates, with the consent of most of the notorious crews from the time, made an effort to finally 'control' Zora by 'escort' her to a stronghold in the Bahamas. While they claimed to be only for Zora's own 'protection', for Zora, to keep her in one place for too long, regardless of how luxurious and comfortable it was, was closer to imprisonment than it was of protection. But this time, no amount of manipulation seemed to be able to free her, since most of the powerful pirates hated the idea of having to submit and being controlled by someone... Even if that someone was Zora.

Zora could never truly control the weather or the seas and all the rumors saying she could were nothing more than exaggerations from her simply being able to read the tides and the weather but due the fame she earned and the many rumors, her existence had been elevated close to a mythical figure and as such, when terrible storms and hurricanes started assailing the seas, many immediately attributed those to Zora, claiming that taking her away from the sea had angered it.

Even though such storms weren't exactly rare, especially in the last semester of a year, they were particularly violent on that year. When storms and hurricanes started lasting for entire years, sinking ships and claiming many lives, the rumors only became stronger and out of desperation, the pirates turned to Zora again. In the end, it was finally time for Zora to pay for taking advantage of the fame she had earned. In an effort to calm down the seas, many sailors grouped up, invading the stronghold and tied Zora, taking her to sail directly towards the a storm that began forming on the horizon.

No matter how much Zora cursed them, how much she shouted, nothing could dissuade the terrified sailors. In their fanaticism in their superstitious thoughts, Zora was not a woman, but instead, she and the sea were two parts of the same thing and after being imprisoned, the sea now claimed for it's other half and the only way to quell it's fury was to reunite both of them again. And so, with a fiery determination, they sailed towards the storm, regardless of how strong the winds were, regardless of the rain, the waves and the lightning and when their ship started to creak and protest under the unrelenting assault of the waves, they took Zora to the deck, making her walk the plank.

"Foolish men! The sea is bigger than any one of us! No one can control it, not even me!" Zora shouted, her voice echoing above the mighty roar of the waves as she cursed the sailors.

"Your attempts to control it through me will be met with failure and your audacity will be severely punished!" Zora cursed, being gradually pushed further towards the end of the board, until she finally fell into the violent waters.

The sea seemed to open in the spot Zora fell, forming a whirlpool and dragging her further below as she struggled and trashed against the ropes with the noises of the sailors cheering in the background. Strangely enough, only a second after she fell, a bright light appeared, surrounding her. It was only for a moment but when it stopped, Zora was nowhere to be seen, with only the ropes that were tying her left behind...

Combat and Magic

Fitness Level:
⋆ To live among pirates requires a lot of stamina. Either to help around the ship, fight, defend oneself and when necessary, running for one's life. Despite being a rather 'important' figure for most pirates, Zora still had to deal with many situations and for that, she always had to keep a healthy and strong body.

What are your character’s physical strengths?
⋆ Flexibility and agility. Zora uses a ritual sickle as a weapon and her fighting style mixes ritual dances with the quick movements she learned with pirates.
⋆ Dexterity. Sickles are famous for being incredibly dangerous if used as weapons... Both for the user and the enemy. The fact that Zora constantly uses one both as a tool and a weapon means that if she isn't dexterous, at least one of her hands wouldn't have all its fingers.
⋆ Stamina. There were a few times where ships Zora was in had... unfortunate encounter with other pirates and she had to swim back to safety.

What are your character’s physical weaknesses?
⋆ Low strength and weight.
⋆ Low durability. The fact that Zora needs to keep her body nimble and agile for dances and rituals mean she cannot take many hits.
⋆ Hand to hand combat. If disarmed, apart from using poisons and toxins, Zora can't do much in hand-to-hand combat.

Years of Experience:

Weapon(s):
⋆ Sickle - She began to learn how to fight with knives from pirates when she was 8 years old and started practicing ritual dances with the sickles when she was 7. Her particular style of fighting was created by her when she was 10 years old. Her total experience fighting with a sickle is about 16 years.

Hand-to-hand Combat:
⋆ None.

Magical Abilities:

Ability on Avalia:

Hydrokinesis

Avalia

Viola Millinia

^{Thank you a lot @princess for the image without the annoying white background! <3}

Viola Millinia ⋆ 32 ⋆ Female ⋆ Dark Fairy

Appearance

Height:

5'18" (1,58m)

Build:

Hourglass, lean

Hair Color:

Red-violet

Hair Length:

Shoulder height

Eye Color:

Deep blue

Skin Tone:

Ivory

Distinguishing Features:

⋆ Bigger than average, blue and violet wings.
⋆ Living vines and thorns embracing her body.
⋆ Small tattoo under her eyes.

Psychology

Likes:

⋆ Thorns, parasitic, predatory and resilient plants and creatures that do whatever they need to survive and thrive.
⋆ Tending to the predatory, parasitic flower she carries with her.
⋆ Silence, quietness and tranquility.
⋆ Flying
⋆ Death and decay that precedes new life and growth.
⋆ Hot chocolate. She prefers hers bitter instead of sweet.
⋆ Her siblings. She tolerates even the most annoying ones.

Dislikes:

⋆ Ignorant and loud people. Especially those who annoy her.
⋆ Excessive cheerfulness and happiness. A little is enough. She can't stand people who are always happy and cheerful.
⋆ People who claim to love nature but refuse to recognize how truly ruthless the cycle of life is and how natural violence, death and decay are.

Fears:

⋆ Being captured and made prisoner again.
⋆ Being tortured and experimented on.
⋆ Being forced to go back tho her old 'cell' in Daka Island.
⋆ Having her wings torn off and not being able to fly again.

Habits/Quirks

⋆ Occasionally killing plant life and animals where she passes through as a way to usher the birth of new life atop old one... And to feed her Blood Rose.
⋆ Feeding the Blood Rose that she carries with her with her own blood.

Sexuality:

Heterossexual

Personality:

If one had to chose one word to best describe Viola, it would be apathetic. With the exception of those she trusts and is already close with, she rarely shows any interest on other people, not caring about their desires, needs or even their very well being. Be is physical or mental. Due to that, while she won't exactly go out of her way to be cruel or mean to them as long as they don't provoke her, she will also not consider helping them. Due to that, she can be seen as being very selfish, especially since she always puts her and those whom she trusts above the others regarding everything. Earning Viola's trust for her to consider you enough to care about you though can be very difficult. Due to everything she has been through, she is deeply suspicious when people approach her, even when showing affection. For her, the only reasons why someone would approach her would be if they had any ulterior motives for doing so.
When dealing with those whom she trusts though, even if Viola is still somewhat distant, not enjoying hugs and affection that much, she still cares enough about them to protect them and to enjoy their company... Even if she simply stays in silence while besides them.

Despite all that, the one thing that mostly keeps Viola's behavior in check, preventing her to simply murder anyone who immediately as much as inconveniences her is her patience. Years and years waiting to be rescued from Daka Island while being tortured and after that, all the time she spent planning and waiting for a chance to escape gave Viola an incredible patience, but at the same time, taught her to hold grudges for a long time. After all, the only thing she was able to do while stuck on Daka Island was to sharpen her own mind.

While it is true that Viola avoids conflicts if she can help it, especially if she notices she can get hurt, if one had to classify Viola between being brave or cowardly, they would probably say she is cautious and calculating. Once again, a trait she was forced to learn in her time on Daka Island.
To carefully weight her actions, instead of foolishly acting or simply cowering in fear while at the same time, being able to think quickly enough to make her escape the moment she got a chance. The very same things that allowed her to live and escape now made her a very dangerous person.

Background

Occupation

After fleeing from Daka Island she became a fugitive.

Living Immediate Family Members:

Violetta Millinia @Potter, Ophelia Millinia @princess, Cypress @helo

Dead Immediate Family Members:

King Cedar Millinia, Queen Elyna, many siblings

Current Companions:

Cypress @helo

Current and Past Lover(s):

Viola had her share of crushes on her early years, but ended up never acting on those due to her quiet and rather shy personality. Her crushes also never said anything, even if it was obvious, due to her being from the Millinia family.

Current Equipment:

Blood Rose

A parasitic, predatory plant from Daka Island. Rare, but incredibly resilient, it uses it's sharp thorns to bind and kill creatures to drain their blood as nutrients. The more blood it is allowed to drink and the longer it lives, the larger is the area the flower can extend it's thorny vines. Usually, only a single flower is found by itself, separate from other Blood Roses in order to not compete with them for food.

In rare cases where a handful of Blood Roses sprout together in a suitable place with plenty of nutrients and prey, they can end up bundling up together and creating entire fields of thorny vines to protect themselves.

Some Blood Roses latch themselves unto large creatures as a way to move themselves to a suitable place for them to settle down. The host creature is known to die in just a few days due to it's blood being drained by the flower.

The one Viola carries with her was fed with her own blood since it was a seed and the relationship it has with her is closer to mutualism than mere parasitism, as the flower recognizes Viola as someone who constantly feeds it, allows it to move around with her and protects it.

History:

Before tragedy stuck the Millinia family, before the fall of the Fairy Kingdom, Viola lived a happy life with her twin, Violetta and her many siblings. Despite always being a quiet girl, Viola still had a deep compassion to all living things and since an early age, showed talent both to Chlorokinesis and to a lesser extent, Healing. Such talent wasn't overlooked by the Millinia family, which promptly asked for the best healers they could find to tutor her.

Despite being a bit pressured by her family to be a healer, the early years of Viola's life were still filled with happiness and joy. Being kept away from politics and power struggles until she was ready, there was little she had to worry about other than her responsibilities such as training her healing magic and etiquette lessons. Preparations for her life as a princess. Besides that, her days were mostly filled with joy. Playing with her siblings, enjoying flying with her twin, Violetta, who was the one who taught her the joys of flying, her brother, Cypress, who shared her love for plants, Ophelia, whose contagious happiness and cheerfulness brought life to the house, despite Viola's more quiet behavior, receiving the love and attention from Cedar and Elynia, their parents... Every single possible problem Viola or any of her siblings could have at the time, were but minor inconveniences.

Unfortunately, not even her parents, King Cedar and Queen Elynia would be able to keep their children safe from the war with the Dark Elves. Even though their tyrannical rule could already be felt all over Avalia, The Fairy Kingdom was still able to resist bravely. Unfortunately, when all their plans and the entire resistance was revealed with the death of Viola's older sibling, Florian, their entire resistance and all their plans were foiled. Struck with grief, the resistance attacked the Dark Elves, seeking for vengeance for the death of one of their beloved princes. In the end, no amount of hatred or grief was able to help them.

In one fell swoop, the entire resistance was crushed under the might of the Dark Elf kingdom. As a punishment for the crime of rebelling, the Millinia family had to pay the price. In just a few days, Viola's entire life, everything she knew was taken away from her. Her parents, her family, her house... and even many of her siblings. Slaughtered and killed, many in front of her, made an example for all the fairies. The Millinia family's burning estate and their slaughtered corpses, a harsh reminder of what would happen to anyone who as much as dared to conspire against their rule.

Unlike some of her siblings though, Viola wasn't killed. Instead, her destiny was much worse. Taken to Daka Island. Despite the luxurious 'cell', Viola not even once was allowed to forget that she was still a prisoner. At first, she thought they would ask for a ransom or something, judging by how well they were treating her, but those thoughts would soon, and harshly, be dismissed the moment the torture sessions and the experiments began. Every single day, she was fed false kindness which only preceded torture and experiments. No matter how many times Viola asked and begged, the reasons were never made clear to her. Their reason seemed to be just to break her. From physical torture to psychological, everything was done to make Viola's life miserable.

Many times, she begged for death, only to be met with laughter and refusal as they insisted in healing her wounds and throwing her back at the comfortable, luxurious 'cell' they called her 'room'. Feeding her and carefully preparing her for another session on the next day. For the first years, the only thing that kept Viola sane was the hope of being rescued. Despite that, as the the time passed, she slowly realized that nobody would come. Her siblings were probably dead... Slaughtered like Florian, like all the others and even her own parents. Who was she waiting for? Was there even anyone else who cared about her?

When that realization hit her, Viola was on the brink of madness. The constant lies she heard, all the false kindness only made her distrust people even more. The only thing that gave her hope had finally crumbled. Almost as if knowing that, the tortures began getting more complex. Physical torture began getting less and less common and instead, she began being shown images and told stories about mothers and fathers betraying their children for their own gain, brothers and sisters stabbing each other in the back merely for their own greed.

The changes, both in her body and her mentality didn't go unnoticed by Viola as well. Her skin became paler, her hair a darker shade and faith on people was nearly non-existent. There was no kindness left in the world in her eyes and as such, there was also no kindness left on her. The old ways she was taught by her healing tutors, by her parents quickly shown themselves to be wrong as she looked at the world under a new light. Kindness and unconditional love were just lies. Even the very nature Viola loved so much turned out to be much more crueler and ruthless than what she thought it was. Morality was non-existent for nature. The cycle of life was replete with violence and death. New life only could flourish on top of old, decaying flesh.

Slowly but surely, Viola's eyes were opened to the truth regarding people, creatures and even nature itself. After years of torture and after her hopes of being rescued were shattered, there was little to no resistance from her to accept that new 'truth' she was being forced to understand. At this point, physical tortures almost never happened, being almost completely replaced by sessions of psychological torture and classes where she was 'taught' how awful and cruel the world really was, always being reminded how they were 'saving' her by doing all that. It was thanks to those teachings that Viola finally realized... No one would help her for free. There was no such thing as 'kindness' without an ulterior motive. If she didn't act herself in order to survive and thrive in such a terrible world, she would simply die. Morality, kindness and selflessness... Those were all unnatural things. Every single one of them would, sooner or later, lead her only to her own death.

Even if they broke her will, shattered her spirit and view of the world, she would not let them turn her into a puppet for their own desires. The world was dark, violent and cruel. If she wanted to survive, she would have to answer in kind. As such, Viola waited. She planned and waited, waited for any chance to escape. Fortunately, that very chance would come a few years later, where one of the guards inadvertently brought a very special seed into her room, stuck into their boots as they brought food back to her after another session of 're-education'. Quickly picking up from the ground before they could see it, Viola knew it could help her. While she had never once saw that crimson, spiky seed in person, she knew of which plant it was, thanks to her sibling, Cypress, who liked to read books with her about the most exotic kinds of plants. That seed was a seed of the dangerous Blood Rose, a native species of parasitic and predatory flower from Daka Island, considered to be dangerous even for the largest fauna.

Using her own blood to nourish it and the small amount of dirt and soil she could gather from the small planter decorating her room, she patiently fed the seed her own blood, day after day as she waited for the plant to mature. Due to the slow lifecycle of that particular species of plant, it took almost a year until it was finally fully matured, but her chance to escape had finally came.

The moment the guards arrived to escort her to another session of re-education, Viola took the plant, offering her own body and blood to it. In the beginning, she could feel the thorny vines digging into her flesh as the plant tightened it's vines around her vigorously, but the moment the plant tasted the first drop of her blood, instead of suffocating her or shredding her body to pieces to drink her blood, the plant simply embraced her body with it's vines, piercing one of the guards with it's thorny vines as he approached Viola to escort her.

Knowing that her gamble had ended up paying off, Viola let the plant feed off her blood as she used her Chlorokinesis to control the Blood Rose, quickly dispatching the remaining guard, letting the plant drain his blood as she made her escape as quickly as possible.

Due to her recent behavior as a prisoner and the lack of attempts to escape or revolt, nobody expected such a sudden escape. The few guards who came to check on the strange noises were quickly dispatched as she ran from the dungeons, directly towards the docks, the best place she could think to escape from Daka Island... It was in one of those ships where she escaped as a Stowaway and met with someone she was certain that was dead... Her brother Cypress.

Unfortunately for Cypress, he would quickly understand that the Viola he knew from before was no more. Forever changed for the years she spent on Daka Island...

Combat and Magic

Fitness Level:
⋆ Despite her heavy focus on magic, not having any experience with weapons or hand to hand combat, a healthy, fit body is absolutely required for her to use her very specific style of magic. Especially due to the fact that the Blood Rose she carries with her feeds on her own blood. Being fast and agile is also very important for her to evade danger and run away when necessary.

What are your character’s physical strengths?
⋆ Flying
⋆ Speed and Agility
⋆ Stamina, both for running and flying away from her captors and dealing with the increased blood drain from the Blood Rose whenever she uses it for big moves.

What are your character’s physical weaknesses?
⋆ Apart from her stamina and speed, Viola is physically frail. She is not strong enough to compete with anyone with any kind of physical combat training.
⋆ Due to her heavy focus on magic, she has no formal training in any kind of physical combat. Neither hand to hand nor weapons.
⋆ Viola is not durable. Her body is built for speed and stamina, not to fight.

Years of Experience:

Weapon(s) / Hand-to-hand Combat:
⋆ Due to her focus on magic and lack of interest on weapons and physical combat, Viola never had any training nor has any practice with any weapons or Hand-to-Hand combat.

Dark Fairy

⋆ Zoolingualism:
One year at most. She can't do much apart from communicating with less intelligent animals in a very basic manner.

⋆ Necrosis:
Before Viola was turned into a Dark Fairy, she was trained to be a healer, having been trained in healing magic since she was very small, for more than 24 years.
Due to all the torture, all the hatred and negative emotions she felt on Daka Island, all her expertise on healing was turned into the desire of wound and hurt. When she finally turned into a Dark Fairy, her Necrosis magic was very strong as a result to that. All her experience and expertise on Healing was converted in Necrosis magic.

⋆ Erebokinesis:
About one and a half year. She cannot use it in an offensive manner, nor completely shroud a place in pitch blad darkness, but she is good at using it to create a darkness fog to obscure the vision and aid either in attack or escaping.

⋆ Chlorokinesis:
Together with Healing, Chlorokinesis what the other magic that Viola specialized since she was young. It was, in fact, the very first type of magic she learned how to use instinctively when she was 5 years old. Since then, she has been using it ever since. From making small shoots grow and manipulating plants to grow in cute forms and shapes, to even being able to manipulate how a tree would grow at later years to create a small tree house to play with her twin, Violetta. After turning into a Dark Fairy, her skill with Chlorokinesis didn't diminish, although it took a much darker turn than before.

Best Abilities:

Chlorokinesis and Necrosis to a smaller extent.

Viola’s Stats

---

Physical Stats

Strength: ⬤◯◯◯◯

Ground Speed:⬤⬤⬤⬤◯

Stamina: ⬤⬤⬤⬤◯

Dexterity:⬤⬤⬤⬤◯

Durability: ⬤◯◯◯◯

---

Combat Stats

N/A

Magic Stats

---

Zoolingualism: ⬤◯◯◯◯

Necrosis:⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤

Erebokinesis: ⬤⬤◯◯◯

Chlorokinesis:⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤

Trivia:
Her name was inspired by the genus of flowering plants Viola, from the Violaceae family, which includes many types of violets.