Ciara Ventura
5’2 |
Human |
Female |
16 Neutral Good
Personality: Being treated a bit harshly in her early years caused Ciara to be somewhat of an empath. Without much regard for rules or society, Ciara is more inclined to help someone in a vulnerable position because she was there once upon a time. She has a slightly mischievous nature, being the type to break curfew just for the sake of it. Her Hunger sometimes causes her to question her own morals, but she has promised herself she isn’t what people might think she is, and she condemns any notion of Umbrialism.
Backstory:It’s not a long shot to say Ciara had a tough upbringing. Thrown out of her home at a young age at the thought of her manifested Ethos having anything to do with Umbralism, Ciara was pushed from one orphanage to another in Vaal Kastrix. This caused CIara to be somewhat of a recluse, finding more company in the essence she could feel around her than the other unwitting children.
This gave the Voices in her head more free reign, and she eventually conceded to her Hunger, tasting the essence of a plant. It was delicious, though the shriveled husk of the plant that remained… left something to be desired.
When she was old enough, she supplemented her studies with a part-time job, offering her services to clear away excess plant life that plagued residents’ homes at a fraction of the cost of official essence eradication treatments. This allowed her to move out of the orphanage and into her own run-down apartment at the ripe age of 12. Yes, she had to forge an ‘adult’s’ signature to get the place, but the landlord didn’t ask questions for someone to fill his vacant suite with holes in the roof, finally.
At the age of 14, she had evolved her part-time job to also include package running. She could manipulate and hop from shadows at break-neck speed and deliver packages faster than horses. This made her skills heavily sought after. She used these extra funds to move to the big city, Vaal Shakta. This city's overwhelming amount of essence caused her to lie quietly on the floor of her new apartment for some days before her Hunger adjusted.
It was soon after, at the age of 16, she received an auspicious letter of invitation from Wingram Academy.
Prime Essence: The HungerEthos: Ciara’s Ethos can be broken down into fragments.
-
The Voices-
The Light-
The Shadows-
The Night-
The VisionsThe VoicesA voice in her head was one of the reasons Ciara discovered she could eat light and essence. It almost continuously comments in the background like a child, reminding her of her hunger. It gets terribly excited when she comes across significant sources of light that are within consumable distance (i.e., being able to ‘breathe’ it in.)
She thinks it is these voices in her head that emerge in physical form when she uses the Shadows.
The LightA person, place, and thing all exude a bit of essence. Some have more than others. The essence, or light of people, can be especially eye-catching, appearing to Ciara as a warm, radiating, mouth-watering glow. The better a person is, the more light they naturally carry. If a plant is like warm buttered toast to Ciara, a person rich with essence and light is like a lobster or steak meal, with a dash of addictive qualities. Until now, Ciara has never given in to her Hunger cravings for prime essence from a living person.
Too much light can overwhelm Ciara. Standing under the sun is something she can manage. However, she doesn’t like it. She also can’t stand purifying magic due to its high amount of light.
The ShadowsHer own shadow can come to life when she embraces her Ethos, manifesting black tentacles or shapes that can reach up to 10-20 feet. They have enough strength to knock a horsedrawn carriage over on its side. However, they have nerve endings and can't be used as a shield with which to hide behind.
Any shadow that she can see can also be brought to life. She hasn’t yet figured out how to manifest tentacles or create shapes of other shadows. However, she can use her own shadow as a portal and hop from one shadow to the next as a type of shadow manipulation/teleportation technique.
Her emotions, unbridled, can cause strange reactions. Emotions like extreme agitation can cause dark mist to rise off her. Fear can cause her shadow to quiver visibly. Her Ethos may also react and manifest to a subconscious will, such as the repressed desire to strangle someone.
The NightAll shadows blend into one during the night, especially a New Moon. By extension, Ciara’s shadow becomes one with everything she sees around her, allowing her to create tentacles and shapes from further away.
The VisionsOn occasion, whether she's walking through city streets or slumbering fast asleep, she'll get hit with vivid, unexplainable visions that usually leave her pondering in silence, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Magic: Primal
Miscellaneous Skills:-
Nimble dexterityCiara can move up and across buildings in a nimble, stealthy way that she developed during her years of package-running. This includes safe landings, such as breaking her fall with rolls.-
Silent movementFrom the dislike of being seen when she came to and from the orphanage, she can move quietly, knowing how to feel out the quietest parts of the floor and how to keep her clothes from shifting noisily.-
DaggermanshipCiara knows how to manipulate short daggers as a means of self-defense, which she has needed to use a number of times in the rough-and-tumble streets of Vaal Kastrix.Inventory:
- Two leather-handled short daggers tucked away in the sheathes on her hips, hidden under her jacket.
- A small satchel of dried grass she keeps on her person to stave off her Hunger. She uses it as an emergency stash, preferring other, more rich sources.
