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The Convergence
Valley of Aram
New Petra

Song

  • .

    "So tell me then, Zaany. You can want, now - so what is it you want?"

    .
  • Zaany's life has been upended once more. Going from street rat to a life that could only end in fame and love, now transitioning from captive to wanderer, they're not sure what to expect of their fourth go.

    Having so recently escaped a horrific situation, they seek something better. They .. can want. They want a life filled with learning and art, to develop into who they should have been. They want their adoring crowd, to be appreciated for their intellect, to live in relative comfort, and for Nothing Bad to Ever Happen Again. Good luck on that last one.

    However, Zaany is a foolish person who takes foolish risks for foolish reasons. Quick to follow a path they ought not to, or accompany people they'd have been better off leaving alone, they find theirself in odd and often dangerous situations. Yet they never seem to learn their lesson, as if they've yet to learn of their mortality.

    Will Zaany find what they want? Or will they be forced to wander forever?
  • Likes:
    • Dandelions
    • Sad eyes
    • Music
    Dislikes:
    • Sleazy men
    • The cold
    • Shoes
    Fears:
    • The woods
    • Losing control
    Where to find them:
    • A local library
    • Busking
  • .
    Zaany

    Monikers: None
    Honorifics: None
    Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
    Gender: Non binary
    Pronouns: They / their
    Persuasion: Biromantic; bisexual
    Birth Date: First day of the new year
    Age: Young Adult
    Status: Single
    Class: Bard; rogue
    Vocation: Enchanter
    Species: Majda / Vaasa
    Body Type: Long, thin, and fragile
    Eyes: Lavender
    Fur: Pale purple with sky blue points
    Hair: Dark purple
    Scent: Cinnamon
    Scars: None

    Majda Form
    Weight: 165lbs / 74kg
    Height: 7' / 213cm
    Voice: Low, but feminine; airy, musical

    Vaasa Form
    Weight: ~150lbs / 68 kg
    Height: ~2'8 / 81 cm at the shoulders
    Length: ~8'9 / 266 cm from nose to tail

  • Stats

    Majda

    STR            DEX           
    INT            WIS           
    CON            CHA           
    LUCK            PER           

    Vaasa

    STR            DEX           
    INT            WIS           
    CON            CHA           
    LUCK            PER           
  • piwCaSy.png

    Standing tall and seemingly confident was an elf … Or, something like an elf. They had a relatively short dark-violet, straight haired mohawk ending in a braided rat tail, with equally short forelocks in front of their ridiculously long, pierced ears. Having a long, sharp face with a pointed nose matching perfectly, this one had the typical cheeks of any elf, and large, unnatural looking lavender eyes surrounded by a ‘tasteful’ amount of purple paint, much like their lips; their eyebrows were thin, their goatee kept short. Their fairly light ‘skin’ was marred with light blue tones at nose, ears, eyebrows, and - further down on their body - their fingers and toes.

    Wearing a robe that went over only one shoulder, with red trim and a green background behind brown and pink flowers, their clothes underneath were dark and somewhat loosely fit, shirt often undone to display a glittering gem embedded in their chest - but none of this disguised how worryingly thin they were, especially with how tightly the belt around their waist cinched it all close. Digitigrade legs, ending in paws somewhat similar to canids but with thumbs, and a tail the same color as their hair and well beyond the length of their body tied everything together. What was ‘everything’? Everything meant unusual, alien, and yet moments from stealing away attention with but a smirk and a musical voice. For some reason, the scent of cinnamon clung to them .. and nothing else.
  • .
    Motivations

    Starving the Battery

    No longer able to eat food, Zaany must feed on the magic and life force of others to survive.

    This is a task that Zaany is disturbed by, viewing theirself as a monster. This monster stole their kindness, and it demands they continue to take and take and take. They do not experience the urge constantly - they can go almost a week before the hunger returns in force, and from there it only grows. While they can control theirself for a while, there is eventually a time where they will begin avoiding contact with others.

    Curiosity Killed the Cat (and Satisfaction Brought it Back)

    Previous to their captivity, Zaany had been at the Academy for many, many years. They learned languages, arts, and many more things. Zaany is bright and curious, and will make theirself a nuisance when something interests them too much to tear their attention away; they have endless questions, and just as endless an amount of time to ask them. When a bard is spotted, Zaany will become attached at the hip, coaxing out every song they can.

    Personality

    Zaany can be many things: They can be sweet and sincere, or rude and imperious, or witty and affectionate. Perhaps they might be the flirt, persuasive and sly. What all of these beings have in common is their rapid changes in emotion, but also a well built cage to hold in all of the anger.

    How much of it is an act? It isn't obvious, and Zaany's background as a formally trained performer makes telling the difference all the harder.

    Mannerisms

    This creature is highly expressive, perhaps to the point of drama. Their facial expressions change often, typically cycling between smirks, grins, and various smiles, along with an intense gaze that might pin one down. Even their ears get in on the act, perking and falling, sometimes individually, including the occasional twitch or flick.

    The rest of their body? You can be sure that is not still and is an active part of the performance. Their tail, however, seems to work as an active sabotage, portraying their true emotions at times most inconvenient - wagging and tucking when it ought not to, for instance.

    Zaany has no idea what 'personal space' means, is touchy, and will often loom over others, never making theirself small.

  • Proficiencies

    Languages            Melee           
    Dagger            Sneak           
    Flute            Singing           
    Dance            Lock Picking           
    Pick-Pocketing            Enchanting (Items)           
    Enchanting (Beings)           
  • Possessions
    • Flute: A flute made of dark wood, lengthy enough to require long fingers to play. This item is precious to Zaany.
    • Bag of Holding: A prize once stolen from their abductor. This finely crafted pack is made of supple leather and high quality stitching. Much like any other Bag of Holding, this one carries its own pocket dimension inside, not only increasing the amount of items that may be stored, but also causing the bag to weigh very little. The space inside might be compared to a large travel trunk. In Majda form, it is carried like a messenger bag; in Vaasa form, it is carried around their neck.
    • Daggers: Small and unassuming, they're nothing special.
    • Handful of Lock Picks: Totally a normal thing to have.
    • Enchanting Equipment, Reagents: Kept within its own box inside the Bag of Holding. Filled with expensive tools and reagents.
    • An Unknown Quantity of Currency: Some in a small pouch, and a sack to sift through in the Bag of Holding.
    • Clothing: A disturbing amount of fine silken robes and similar clothing.
    • Boobytrap Candles: x20; Made to set vicious fires with minds of their own. Looks like a normal candle.
    Drops
    • Pouch of Currency: 100% chance. 1 to 20 currency; 0 to 5 small gems.
    • Dagger(s): 95% chance. 1 to 3 small daggers.
    • Bag of Holding: 80% chance. In its entirety.
    • Flute: 30% chance. Taking this is ill advised.
  • Nature of the Beast

    Learn all about what makes this monster tick..
  • Natural Abilities

    Stepping
    Zaany may freely Step between certain planes. This ability comes from the Majda.

    They may step between whatever plane they currently exist in, and their home fey plane.
    • When in the fey plane, they may only step back to the plane they came from.
    Whenever Zaany Steps, a thunderclap sounds, and a burst of ozone scent is left behind.
    • This is because moving between planes takes an immense amount of electricity, pulled out of the air around them.
    • This does mean the ability can fail under the right circumstances.
    Zaany can Step when otherwise held by another, but that other will come with.
    • Carrying another when Stepping is physically exhausting.
    Stepping can be used to enter one plane and reappear in the previous, elsewhere.
    • Zaany may not remain in their home fey plane for very long - the realm knows that they do not belong, and will swiftly make every attempt to relieve itself of their presence.
    • Reappearance is not instantaneous unless the target location is but a few steps away; Zaany must traverse foreign terrain, first.
    In areas Zaany frequents, they have a very good idea of where most things are located when traversing another plane.

    Zaany can not see, Taste, or cast into a plane without being physically in that plane.

    Feeding
    Zaany may feed only on magic; preferably, on the magic of a fellow sapient creature. This ability comes from the Vaasa.

    In order to feed, Zaany must draw magic from the mouth of their intended victim.

    They may consume magic from enchanted objects.
    • They don't seem to be too interested, though.
    Zaany has what some might call ‘nonsensically’ sharp teeth. They are thin and needle-like, with serrated edges, imbued with the ability to tear magic into consumable form.
    • The form consumable magic takes is of a liquid, taking on different color, viscosity, and taste depending on the magic type.
    • If it drips from Zaany’s mouth, it quickly fizzles away into the atmosphere, escaping its binds and becoming (almost) irrecoverable.
    Life force is an often potent form of magic that Zaany may consume, often referred to as a soul.
    • Life force can only be consumed from sapient creatures, organic or inorganic.
    • If a creature is imbued with or otherwise has magic ability, their magic must be fully consumed before their life force is under threat.
    • Complete loss of life force results in a still-functioning body - a husk - with no one left inside.
    • If left alone, the husk will eventually die of thirst, exposure, or to anything else a defenseless body might succumb to.
    Zaany has limits on their capacity to feast before they become overstuffed and liable to purge their ill gotten meal.
    • For some people, the gluttony is worth it.
    On the note of feeding, Zaany is incapable of consuming actual food, lacking a working digestive system; some liquids are safe to consume
    • It isn’t uncommon to find puked up balls of chewed dandelion flowers wherever Zaany has recently existed.
    Magic, over time, is converted into internal storage akin to a ‘battery,’ which may be drained through various actions.
    • They have immediate access to use only about ⅓ of their ‘battery’ at any given time; using this entirely will leave them exhausted, and they will need to recover as their ‘battery’ slowly releases magic back into their system.

    Transformation
    Zaany’s true form is the Vaasa, and they may transform freely between either body. This ability comes from the Vaasa.
    • Transformation between their demon and elven form is seamless and natural, happening in mere seconds.
    • Clothing is not considered part of Zaany's body, and is thus susceptible to being shredded, or lacerating Zaany due to not giving or breaking.
    • Transformation has a negligible energy cost.

    Taste
    Zaany 'tastes' the air by parting their lips and breathing in; they must also be able to breathe through their nose at the same time. This functions, essentially, as a 'detect magic.' This power comes from the Vaasa.
    • This can be used to root out what kind of creature they're dealing with.
    • A reliable method of telling what 'type' is natural to the target.
    • Gives a rough measure of power (generally, quantity).
    • This does not work on inanimate objects.
    • This can not give Zaany an idea of magical skill.

    Low-Light Vision
    As with many creatures of their sort, Zaany is capable of seeing in the dark to some extent. This ability comes from both halves of their heritage.
    • Zaany is capable of seeing about twice as far in darkness as the average human being.
    • The soft glow of their skin reduces this range compared to any other creature with low-light vision.
    • They can make out color, and may read in the dark.
    • They have a small amount of sensitivity to the sun and other bright lights.

    Skills

    Enchanting
    Zaany is talented, but still has much to learn before they can recognize their full potential.

    .
    Curse: Fated Death

    Zaany should have died many times, by now. How many times had their fragile body met its end under the feet of youthful 'bullies,' intent on stamping the 'wrongness' from their world? And everything ... else? Zaany is under the impression that they can't die, even when there is rightfully a good reason they ought to. No amount of research has made anything more clear.

    Zaany couldn't be further from the truth - they can die, but only to the hands of one person - their Butcher. Their first self seems to have messed with the wrong person in their long life, and found a man willing to curse himself to find them, and kill them, in their every existence. He will be there - the question, simply, is when?
  • Gifts

    Speech Craft
    Zaany charms with words, though their ability is currently a diamond in the rough. This ability is a gift.
    • This is generally used to convince others of something in Zaany's favor.
    • This can only be used to convince someone of something they may already have wanted, unless the target is especially weak minded.
    • This can not function as mind control.
    • This can be used as a weapon - they may encourage a fight, or to cause someone to drop their guard toward Zaany, theirself.

    Healing
    Zaany may expend large amounts of magic to induce rapid healing. They currently cannot do this at-will. This ability is a gift.
    • This ability is automatically triggered when Zaany receives life threatening damage. However, it may also be used at will.
    • If Zaany's in any way prevented from using magic, they can not induce rapid mending.
    • Zaany may only heal relatively recent wounds; if a wound is left to fester, or begins healing on its own, they will have to seek medical attention, or wait it out.
    • Some wounds simply cannot be healed without outside help, such as wounds made by holy or iron objects.
    • Without the above restraints, Zaany is capable of healing very grievous wounds.
    • Rapid healing removes anything not native to their body, including piercings and projectiles.
    • Extremities may be regrown at great expense.

    Concussive Force
    An ability currently plaguing Zaany's life. This ability is a gift.
    • They may empower their voice to cause a concussive wave.
    • This ability is uncontrolled, and happens only with strong emotions.
    • At high power, it is capable of dispelling wards at a high-medium range, and causing immense physical damage to anything in its blast radius, including fellow creatures, foliage, and relatively weak construction.

    Physical Attributes

    Vaasa Form
    Zaany's Vaasa form has some specific rules, as follow:
    • It is incapable of sound, other than what can be made without vocal cords, such as hissing, squeaking, and chirping.
    • As such, it can not use any Speech craft, or any skills requiring a verbal component.
    • The 'tentacles' on its back - which, for some reason, look similar to cordyceps - are an illusion, and will avoid touch, sucking into Zaany's back when harassed. Close inspection will reveal they are a form of feyfire.
    • This is not a creature particularly suited to combat, but still has claws and teeth to defend itself.

    Natural Defenses
    Zaany might be a rather physically pathetic example of a being, but it doesn't mean they're not without their defenses.

    Claws: They have ten! Each one is sharp, and purposefully kept so.

    Teeth: Sharp and painful, but crowded so close together that they can't penetrate further than simple pinpricks.

    Tail: This is the one to watch out for. Seemingly more muscular than anything else on this monster, it has a vicious whip to it, and - as it is prehensile - it is capable of many actions a dexterous tail might take, such as grabbing items, wrapping around limbs, or simply being annoying.

    Heat Resistance: Zaany comes from a world that experiences high heat, and is capable of withstanding temperatures that any human would succumb to. This does not protect them from the damages of fire.

    Weaknesses
    Zaany has a few things they are inherently weak to, or just all around easy ways to fuck up their day.

    Iron: Being a Fey creature - even though mutated and corrupt - Zaany is profoundly weak to Iron. Simply having it touch their skin is enough to cause searing burns, and being surrounded by this material would trap them and prevent any magic they use from escaping their confinement.

    Good and Godly Things: The very typical aspect of being a demon of any sort, regardless of what pantheon one falls under, is that Good and Holy things mean pain, even for those not particularly dedicated to evil.

    Fragile Bones: Thin boned and fairly weak, Zaany is easily harmed - even in Vaasa form, they are rather delicate, especially relative to an uncorrupted Vaasa. Zaany can be physically subdued with only a marginal amount of effort.

    Cold: Zaany becomes uncomfortable once the temperature dips below 80°f / 26.6°c; at around 50°f / 10°c they start to become sluggish; temperatures below 32°f / 0°c are a direct threat to their life. Well, as much as anything is such a threat.

    .
    The Battery

    No, the 'battery' was no mere metaphor. Inside Zaany there truly is an organ that takes magic and 'compacts' it within itself, adding it to, well, its battery.

    We'll start from the beginning: their anatomy. Zaany has specialized teeth that will grab and tear magic from a target when intent is put behind it. That magic turns to liquid within Zaany's mouth, and is held in their stomach from which there is nowhere left to go. Zaany slowly absorbs this magic, taking many days to get through a single meal; the absorbed magic is partly used to fuel their mere existence, to keep their body going - and the rest is siphoned off into the 'battery' organ. Zaany is able to cast from any magic still in their stomach.

    Typically a not-very-greedy meal will take somewhere around four days to digest. The first day after a meal and all is well; on the second, the hunger lurks until it rears its ugly face on the fourth. At this point it compels Zaany to feed it, for without Zaany feeding it, the battery must regurgitate its own magic to keep Zaany running. The hunger will continue to get worse, and worse, until it finally wins out.

    There are two types of magic that Zaany may absorb, one far more powerful than the other. A meal of regular, every day magic is where those four days come from; however, life force - souls - take far longer to digest and may sustain Zaany for weeks to months, depending on what creature it had come from.