Post by Emma on Jun 1, 2013 22:05:12 GMT -5
Name:
Sthenno Kshaeta
Age:
Three hundred years
Race:
Gorgon
Occupation:
Enchanter; illusionist
Allegiance:
The Riders
Physical Description:
Sthenno was born in Cathay, a country so far south that it touches the southern pole. There, people are slender, pale-skinned, and dark-haired, with soft features and small statures. Sthenno’s face is pretty enough- it is heart-shaped, with small lips usually quirked into a smile, and an upturned nose. She has a small jaw and chin with a short forehead, and small, rounded ears. Her straight eyebrows are dark, and she has high, prominent cheekbones. Her eyes are almond-shaped, and are generally considered her most attractive feature- they are deep brown in colour and framed with thick eyelashes, and usually glitter with mischief. Bodily, Sthenno looks very frail- she has a thin figure with small hips and breasts, but has a long torso and well-formed legs. She is certainly not a tall woman at 5’3”, but often wears high heels to give her a little more height. All in all, Sthenno is exotic to an Alagaësian, but is quite clearly human at first glance. She hides the worst of her defects with magic and makeup, but two are still quite obvious- instead of teeth, she has massive fangs, the top two of which drip with poison. Her hands are also unusual, as instead of skin, they are covered with a thick layer of bronze.
Sthenno’s light skin has a golden tinge, but it is interspersed with reptilian scales littered across her body- something that Sthenno hides with extensive applications of makeup. Her most monstrous and frightening trait, however, is her hair- it is made up entirely of various species of venomous snakes that hang to her upper back. Very few people have been treated to this sight, however, as during the day Sthenno transforms her snakes into attractive, wavy, strawberry-blonde tresses. She only allows her serpents to reappear when she is completely sure that she is alone, such as at night when she feeds them. Sthenno also attracts these animals in large quantities and has the ability to unintentionally create ‘false’ snakes that act like and are as dangerous as living snakes, but die soon after their creation. Thanks to Almalexia, Sthenno no longer has the ability to turn people to stone with one look, but she is able to synthesize a variety of snake venoms. Rather than use this in her favour, however, Sthenno gives away her poison as an antivenin for victims of snake bites.
When it comes to maintaining her appearance, Sthenno has enough fabrics, makeup, and accessories to turn even a noblewoman green with envy. She enjoys wearing flowing skirts and dresses that allow free movement, and dislikes wearing pants and anything tight. The cuts of Sthenno’s dresses usually leave her arms and legs bare, although rarely anything revealing enough so that it slips into vulgarity. The only exception is when Sthenno lazes around in the morning absorbing the morning sunshine, in which case she can be seen only in her underclothes. Sthenno also wears a great deal of perfume and jewellery- so much, in fact, that it's very possible to smell and hear her coming long before she actually comes into view. She does not wear any form of armour and rarely purposely enters dangerous situations. She prefers to run away or use illusion spells when violence occurs, and will only use her venom when hunting prey. Even in mortal situations, she is very hard-pressed to kill her opponents.
Personality:
Sthenno is arguably one of the most relaxed people on Vroengard. Being neither human nor elf, she has no prejudices regarding the humans’ addition to the Pact, and has not been affected by the Blue Divide. As such, she is friendly and agreeable to anyone she meets regardless of who they are and where they came from, and gets along fairly well with everyone on Vroengard. Not everyone is fond of her, however, as Sthenno is a well-known chatter mouth, and can often babble without thinking. She’s also incredibly vain and will spend up to four hours a day on her appearance, and pays particular attention to her hair. She often seeks attention where it isn’t needed, and will butt into even Anurin’s conversations to say hello and offer some baked goods. Sthenno also has something of a temper, but one that is considerably less dangerous than certain others on Vroengard. When annoyed, she resorts to sarcasm, and when something outright makes her snap, her face turns bright red and she runs away to avoid hurting the person. Sthenno usually deals with her anger by screaming into pillows. She can also be a little impulsive and miscalculated, and has a touch of kleptomania, often burgling important documents from the library and fancy jewellery from visiting noble ladies.
She is very independent, choosing to live by herself at the edge of Doru Araeba. She isn’t antisocial- Sthenno gets depressed when away from people- but rather refuses to let anyone see her in her real body. Sthenno both loves and hates what she is, but has been unable to come to terms with never being human again. She misses her mortal childhood, and continually mourns her lost innocence. She is also frightened of being rejected for her true appearance, which she thinks is hideous. However, she refuses to let anyone see this weaker, unhappy side of her. Regarding the fact that she is technically part snake, Sthenno will engage in unusual activities such as lying half-clothed in the sun for hours every morning. She is cold-blooded and thus cannot tolerate cold temperatures for very long. She excels at climbing and swimming, but will usually turn tail and run when in the presence of danger. Although only the higher-ups of the Order are aware of her true nature, many people know Sthenno’s penchant for stealing eggs and eating them whole. She will also charm songbirds onto her finger and then pop them into her mouth. Sthenno has an interest in illusionary magic, and is highly gifted with the Talent in general.
History:
