And for my second character... Another Snake person.
UserName: Sundered Echo
Character name: Xyden. Centurion of the Myrmidon Order.
Age: 391
Mageblood type: Aqua
Favoured Magic Class: Hydromancy
Previous Magic training: None
Race: Naga (Ocean)
Appearance:
At rest Xyden is 6'9. However, being possessed of the formidable stature of a Myrmidon, when he raises himself to full height and extends all fins he is 8’2. His eyes are a malevolent yellow and his teeth are razor sharp like those of an ocean predator. While his skin is an uninteresting shade of Aqua, his fins are more pearly white and his scales darken from the same colour as his skin at his waist to an almost black dark blue at the tip of his tail. Like most Naga, he bears a number of scars, and several of his fins are slightly tattered along the edges. When expecting battle, he wears his Myrmidon armour, which is made predominantly of Shark Leather with bronze plates and scales covering less mobile areas such as the chest. The armour does not in any way impair his capacity to swim, other than adding weight. There is a faint smell of the sea surrounding him at all times.
He wields a bladed Steel Trident with a bronze finish, customary of a Naga Myrmidon.
Short Bio: From the moment Xyden emerged from the egg he was different to this kin. Even at such an early stage, the extensive fin structures of a Myrmidon could be observed in their vestigial stages. Because of this, the moment he reached maturity he was given to the Myrmidon sect in the Hunter caste for training. He learnt the ways of the Myrmidon for several decades, but after a time it became apparent that he would never grow to the size of a Myrmidon and match their awesome stature. An aberrant amongst an already unusual branch of his species Xyden never once truly belonged anywhere in the fairly rigid caste structure of the Naga of the Depths.
Some among the leaders of the Myrmidon were ashamed of this apparently ‘runty’ Naga amongst their ranks, and thanks to them Xyden received all the most outlying Myrmidon positions, positions which often proved the most dangerous as well. From this, Xyden’s armour was heavily scarred with regularity, and his combat skills were honed considerably. He developed techniques that did not require teamwork and made use of the environment to his advantage. The first event to mark him out as a Naga of importance occurred on one of these distant guarding assignments.
Xyden was stationed to defend one of the furthest afield volcanic forge-vents. Several Naga lived and worked there, forging various high quality bronze and steel implements for the city, and there were a number of air-filled buildings built up for the Naga to ply their trade in. Near the end of his watch for the day, a large, multi armed monstrous creature appeared from the murky depths, taking him by surprise, intent on consuming him and the people of the outpost. He played a vicious game of cat and mouse for it for half an hour. Even as a Myrmidon he was unable to defeat it, and fell back to the Naga dwellings. In order to survive, he was forced to enter one of the air filled buildings. He’d weighed the chance of holding his breath there as being favourable to being eaten by the beast.
It was within that air filled dwelling that he expected to die. However, instead of gasping at the air and suffocating, he found he was able to breath the air. This new revelation in hand, he was able to manipulate the control system inside the dwellings for the Volcanic vent outside. He redirected it to flow in the widest stream possible and took once more to the water. He lured the great beast into the heated Volcanic stream and, in desperation, forced it down with blows from his trident, and, though he didn’t know it, a small but potent change in the currents through hydromancy.
Upon returning to the City, he slithered right into the hall of the Matriarchs dragging the head of the beast behind him. He was known enough that everyone stood back in shock to see a Myrmidon breathing air. But that was not the only thing that shocked the gathered Naga. The beasts head was impressive, but all around Xyden water was seeping from the various pools in the halls floor towards him, as if with a mind of its own. He did not get the chance to brag of his abilities though. Instead, he collapsed before the Matriarchs eyes, and the water that was following him became lifeless, flowing back to the pools across the sloped floor.
The Matriarchs knew what was happening. They recognised change of the sort that had not occurred in the deeps for a very long time. They saw to Xyden and formulated a plan. Xyden had suffered from blood sickness due to not knowing what he was doing He eventually awoke and within the day was accoutred once more in his armour and sent to lead a boarding action against a nearby ship, a number of the Naga’s best hunters at his back, and one of the Matriarchs seconds to conduct the questioning.
Xyden and his Hunters boarded the ship in a storm, taking the majority of the crew prisoner. The ships crew stood no chance against the surprise assault from the deep, and not a single Naga was lost. The crew was questioned at length by the Matriarchs second, with a specific focus on magic as it was on the surface, but also to determine the state of the world. The Naga of the Depths had long been out of touch, the occasional ship raid never taking prisoners to question. The Matriarchs wanted to fix that.
Among other things, the Naga learned of the Twilight College, and after some deliberation, Xyden was charged with locating this college to learn to control and master his abilities For the good of the Naga. As well, he was to be the eyes of the Naga on the land. The Matriarchs knew his appearance was the signifier of momentous events to come and they did not want to be caught by surprise.
Xyden set out for the land, taking his armour, his trident and some of the strange gold ‘coins’ the sailors kept offering the Naga to spare them. Apparently the Surface-Dwellers used them to trade for items. He came ashore as close as the Naga could figure to the College, and set out to cover the land between his mighty sea and the College.
He received a poor greeting from the villages he passed. No-one had ever seen something like him, and his monstrous visage even among Naga did not help. by some Miracle of Fate, he is due to arrive at the college on the same day that it accepts new members.
Good Attributes:
-Myrmidon Traits: Xyden is large and heavily muscled, needing little effort to maintain this shape due to the Myrmidon mutation. He has a large number of frills and fins across his body that make his swimming exceptional even among the Ocean Naga, as well as providing him with a fierce visage and making him appear bigger. His coils are not as strong as those of the Desert Naga, as they are suited more for swimming than constricting, but they are still considerable. The scales he bears are slightly tougher than a Desert Naga’s though. He still possess the ability to strike with great speed due to his coils.
-Naga Senses: He has an acute sense of smell and taste, but it functions best in underwater situations, leaving him at a disadvantage compared to a Desert Naga in this area. The heat sensing abilities of the Ocean Naga have, however, largely atrophied.
-Naga Venom: Identical to Desert Naga Venom, with two exceptions. It is not spitted, but injected via fangs instead. It is stored in somewhat higher amounts due to the much greater physical size of a Myrmidon.
-Calculating: Xyden’s mind is often as cold as his blood. He observes situations and acts only once he has determined an efficient and logical course of action. This means he often goes into battler well prepared, but it does have downsides.
Bad Attributes:
-Ocean Born: Xyden is born to exist underwater. His body is made to operate best there, and he is not nearly as swift on the land as he is under the water. AS well as this he suffers from the same mobility issues as a Desert Naga due to his tail. He is not tolerant of particularly dry environments, and they can have a similar effect on him as particularly hot environments. In addition, his fins present vulnerable areas. They can regrow and do not inflict much pain when damaged, but damage to them can severely hamper his swimming ability.
-Calculating: Xydens mind is driven by logic and efficiency. While this has definite benefits, it also means that he can be callous and insensitive, even impatient if he thinks his time is being wasted.
-Matriarchal Society: While not as heavily gender biased as the Desert Naga, the Ocean Naga society is still Matriarchal. As such, Xyden has a slight unconscious deferance to females in positions of power.
-Superiority of the Deep: Xyden, like most Ocean Naga, thoroughly believes that the ‘Surface Dwellers’ are foolish and inferior for their choice to live above the water. This colours his interaction with disdain for all those that live on the land, which is everyone except him. He has more respect for those that dwell below the ground like Dwarves, but they are still at least ‘Land Striders’ and not to be fully trusted.
Secret Word: Rebirth
