Feminine Form: Yesenia's preferred form is more feminine. In this form, she stands at a standard height of five feet, four inches. She is made up of yielding bark, easily flexible with a wide range of motion. Her hands are slender branches rather than the average digits, but she has opposable thumbs which allow her to pick things up like a human. As seen in her picture, she is quite curvaceous, mimicking an attractive body type with an ample bosom. While her arms are relatively slender, much like a tree she has thicker legs to support herself. Masculine Form: This form is meant mainly for battle. As such, it is made up like a suit of armor, with flexible joints but a tough shell everywhere else. In this form, she stands at a height of six feet. Her digits in this form are much more defined, but everything else is a rather blank canvas. It looks like she's wearing a mask, but that's just her face. Communication in this form is more difficult, as everything comes out sounding like a groan.
Personality
Yesenia is a rather simple person. She finds joy in the small things and almost always has a smile on her face. She's extremely difficult to shake or perturb. She loves making friends, especially ones who will outlast her. She seems to find an extreme amount of pleasure in watching people pass away naturally (of old age, rather than death in combat) around her, and is unable to understand why people may be uncomfortable or sad about this form of death. While she doesn't necessarily enjoy things such as combat, and will usually try the diplomatic route, she will do what's necessary to keep herself and her friends alive so they can pass away as they're supposed to.
Notable Relations
She knows little about her relatives.
Everyday Skills
Gardening
Wisdom
Singing
Great Listener
Biography
From the moment she poked her head through the surface of the soil, Yesenia has been alive. She's always been able to shift between her tree form and her dryad form, it just came as second nature. She's traveled the country, rooting into the soil of a new city and watching people pass by around her. For a while, she traveled with a group of other dryads. Upon visiting New York, she made friends with a dryad who talked about an academy for people like them, where they could be safe to grow until the end of their days. Leaving behind her old friends who insisted on traveling, Yesenia took the tests and managed to make her way into Nox by the skin of her teeth.
Combat
Fighting Style
In her feminine form, Yesenia acts mainly as support. She does her best to stay in the background, defending wounded comrades. She can get into the heat of things, but she usually uses an area of effect magic. In her masculine form, she's a brawler. Grappling and boxing are her strong suit. She'll fight with everything she has available to her, using her nature magic and other cheap tricks (including her attack creature, Buck) to her advantage. She doesn't show any mercy, because by this point she's already tried the diplomatic route.
Strengths
Fighting Dirty
Using Nature Magic
Supporting/Area of Effect
Fighting Alongside Buck
Weaknesses
Joints
Lacking Supernatural Strength
Fighting Clean
Feminine Form's Lack of Armor
Equipment
Plant Seeds
Powers & Abilities
Powers
Feminine Form
Nature Magic: The umbrella term for Yesenia's ability.
Plant Manipulation: Yesenia has strong control over plants. She can manipulate them into growing at unnatural rates without the need for water or sunlight, as is seen when she uses packets of seeds for attacks. These plants will take on the shape she requests of them, including giant thorns and protective barriers. Her plants have an unnatural level of strength, being imbued with her magic. They can wrap around foes with ease, penetrate light-medium armor, and create barriers.
Plant Communication: Yesenia can communicate with all plants.
Plant Mimicry: Yesenia can turn into her tree whenever she wishes.
Masculine Form
Knight of The Forest
Bark Armor: Yesenia is coated in a layer of thick bark in her masculine form.
Suicide Plant: Yesenia's palms and knuckles can sprout the needles of the suicide plant. These needles, upon making contact with flesh, cause extreme pain to the enemy.
Companion Control: Yesenia's companion, Buck, listens to her commands alone. He will willingly die for her in battle and is a skilled combatant with both his antlers and his poison ivy-laced bite.
Weaknesses
Fire: Yesenia is weak to all forms of fire. She is incredibly weak to enchanted fires.
Asthma: Due to the pollutants in the air, especially those in New York, in her humanoid forms Yesenia is an asthmatic.
Needs of Plants: Like a normal plant, Yesenia must have frequent access to the sun and water. She must be watered heavily at least once a week, and she must have access to the sun daily.
Chemicals: Pollutants and chemicals weaken Yesenia substantially.
Age: 19 (technically, over 490) Gender: Female Height: 1,68m Ethnicity: Central America, Ancient Aztec Empire Nationality: Mexican Race: Human
Appearance
Nenetl's appearance is quite something. Wearing a skin tight black shirt to hide her chest and abdomen and the ritualistic tattoos covering them, she wears uncommon ritualistic robes adorned with feathers, beads and decorations made of bones, animal scales and other materials, giving her an incredibly exotic appearance. Her skin tone and the unusual way her hair is tied, with two bronze decorations ending in two crescent blades only further contributes to her exotic beauty.
Her choice for clothes is certainly unique. Hailing from the deepest parts of the Central American jungle where few dare to go, she favors light clothes and doesn't wear shoes as she prefers to feel the earth with her bare skin. When necessary, she wear shoes made of cloth or leather, similar to bandages.
Standing at 1,68m, Nenetl has a curvaceous and gracious body, but beneath her smooth skin, she hides well toned muscles giving her an exotic beauty.
Personality
Nenetl is a strong woman. The way she walks, her expression... All that contributes to the strong aura she emits. It's undeniable that she had quite an impacting presence. Be it because of her appearance or her personality, its almost impossible to ignore her. Regarding her personality, Nenetl is rarely in a bad mood. Although she is a serious woman when she needs to be, amongst friends, she is rather easygoing and enjoys a good conversation, even though sometimes she might prefer being alone.
Notable Relations
None, since everyone she once knew, including her parents and the other shamans are long dead and forgotten.
Everyday Skills
Dancing
Herbal Medicine and Human Anatomy. She is knowledgeable enough to stitch large open wounds and perform first aid.
Good with her hands, she used to carve ritualistc sigils and runes on daggers, altars and sew the other shaman's robes & etc.
Knows how to prepare a bitter, hot beverage made with Cocoa and a herbs. Ancestor of what is known today as 'hot chocolate' it's a very bitter drink, said to be the beverage of warriors. It's highly invigorating and energetic. She also learned how to make sweet chocolate too, after she met with modern humans.
Biography
The Aztec empire. One of the biggest and bloodiest empires of the pre Colombian civilizations, flourished on a soil bathed by gold and blood, it's safe to say that the amount of blood sacrifices and bloodshed due to the conflicts between empires was enough to alter the flow of magic on that location. The native shamans and mages already knew about that, and often used that abundance of magic due to the favorable geographic location to make their empires prosper even more. In their endless greed for more gold and power, the flow of magic, the souls of the dead and the spirits of the land started getting out of control... Even though all those sensitive enough to the supernatural could tell that, the human greed knows no boundaries... As the blood flowed through the stone steps, bathing their temples and the soil... The very thing that made that empire flourish, was just one small thread away from sending it back to nothing. When other civilizations from beyond the sea came, invading that earth and bringing their greed with them and completely slaughtering the Aztecs, the land could take no more. It was at the brink of catastrophe... Ignoring their own lives and their own kin's, a group of shamans conducted a ritual in one of the last temple that wasn't completely destroyed by the invaders, sacrificing their own lives and a pure child's life to try and contain the huge outburst of magic.
There is where Nenetl's story begins...
Nenetl was the youngest child of a long lineage of shamans. Born and raised in a place teeming with magic, it was only natural for her to have an incredible affinity to it... Even though she was just a child, the fact that she was a shaman gave her much more importance than a common person. Raised in a prospering civilization, everything couldn't be more perfect. The Aztec empire seemed to be unbeatable. But everything changed when the Spaniards invaded. With their powerful guns, the powerful Aztec swords, spears and their mighty warriors were useless... Their cunning tactics and powerful weaponry far surpassed anything the Aztecs could even imagine... Even though the bloodshed was not strange to Nenetl, as she already did blood sacrifices even when young, there was another thing going on that left the powerful Aztec shamans unable to do anything to answer to the Spaniard invasion...
After years and years of blood sacrifices, conflicts and rituals, bathing the earth with blood, the flow of magic became too strong and distorted. In order to contain an outburst of magic, there was only one thing to do... Ignoring their own empire, their own kin and forfeiting their own lives, the shamans opted to do what they should have been doing for a long time... Their negligence in fulfilling their duties of maintaining the balance to favor their own empire was finally taking its toll...
On the day that the ritual would be performed, Nenetl was not afraid, nor sad, instead she displayed no emotions. Now with 18 years, she knew deep down inside that it was time to pay for not only her negligence, but the other shamans as well. As they made their procession to the top of the pyramid, their expressions were of shame and guilt. They were the only ones accountable for that disaster. Blinded and consumed by their own greed, the time to pay the price had finally come...
One by one, the ceremonial axe descended, cutting their heads clean off as their blood bathed the stone steps. From older to younger, they would sacrifice themselves, then the remaining shamans would swiftly take out the deceased's heart, placing it on a bowl together with the others. One after another, they silently fulfilled their duties until Nenetl was the last one remaining.
Nenetl knew that her part was the hardest one. She would have to quickly take out her own heart and place it on the bowl before dying. Ironically enough, the one to pay the heftiest price, was the youngest one, who wasn't nearly as guilty as the older ones...
Holding the ceremonial bone knife pointed to her chest, Nenetl looked up, to the sun shining over their heads, as if it was patiently waiting for the ritual's completion. She was nervous not with her death, but with the ritual. She didn't know if she would be able to deal with the pain and complete the ritual...
"Tonatiuh, give me Nanauatzin's determination, help me to complete the ritual..." Nenetl said, in a prayer to the god of sun and the previous god of sun, who had sacrificed himself in a fire so that the sun should continue to shine over the world.
As Nenetl plunged the dagger into her chest, she screamed with pain. She could feel it piercing her chest, forcibly cutting her arteries, carving a path around her heart.
"Just... a... bit... more..." She thought to herself, as she struggled to stay conscious although she was already feeling her arms and legs loosing their strength.
It didn't matter how much she tried, the loss of blood was too much as she found herself without strength to even keep herself standing up, falling on her knees...
She opened her mouth in a silent lament as her voice failed her. Crawling towards the stone bowl where the other hearts were, tears rolled down her face. She failed. She had no strength left to even hold the dagger anymore... As she fell on the ground to her last breath, the bowl fell off the sacrifical table, bathing her with the blood of the other shamans, as their hearts fell over her. The ritual failed. The ensuing magic outburst would be enough to wipe the entire Aztec territory off the map...
Her vision, red with the blood of the very shamans who created her started to become dark. The last thing she could see and hear was the sun on the sky and a thunderous crack as the pyramid opened beneath her, sending her to what would be her cold, stony tomb.
"...failed..." Nenetl thought with her last breath...
A long time passed, the Aztec empire was forgotten, everything that they did, everything that they were was now lost to the ages, together with the ruins of the pyramid Nenetl died... The ruins, forgotten and untouched for centuries, were still there, exactly how they were over four hundred years ago.
Amongst the ruins, covered with plants and skeletons, Nenetl opened her eyes once more, with a panicked gasp. Where the dagger once were on her chest, now was covered with an intricate tattoo, glowing with a faint blood red color and covering all her abdomen. Dizzy and confused, the first thing she did was to get out of the ruins. After a long time moving the stones she was finally out. Surrounded by a forest, she looked up, only to see the sun once more. Exactly the same way it was when she 'died'.
Right at the entrance of the ruins, the ceremonial axe's head stood there, completely untouched by the time, side by side with the ceremonial bone dagger she plunged into her chest centuries ago...
Nenetl didn't know what happened on the day she died, but she was alive once more. Standing over the grass, feeling the sun kissing her skin... She still remembered the pain, the shame and guilt she felt... They were all too real, but even though... she was there, standing up, breathing... alive.
Getting the bone knife and the ceremonial crescent axe head, she stumbled through the forest, wearing the same clothes she was wearing on the day she 'died'... This time, she wouldn't fail...
Combat
Fighting Style
Nenetl's fighhting style mixes both magic and physical combat. Strenghtening her body with her magic, Nenetl swings her Crescent Pendulum, using it's momentum both to strike and to move herself, resulting in a highly mobile, unpredictable and incredibly dangerous fighting style, both for the wielder and enemies. She can also imbue her weapon with elements according to the elemental spirit she contracted with prior combat.
Strengths
Highly mobile, unpredictable fighting style and heavy strikes.
Powerful elemental magic.
Close/medium range combat.
Weaknesses
Has problems fighting in closed, confined spaces.
Can only perform contracts with 2 spirits at a given time. While performing a ritual with a minor spirit in the middle of combat can be done, it will require another sacrifice (blood or flesh) every time and it will take a few seconds before it's complete.
Highly dependable on her movement. Restraining her movement can make her incredibly vulnerable, since she actually needs to move herself to attack and her only defense is dodging.
Depending on the spirit she is currently contracting, it can be incredibly taxing to provide a sacrifice for it.
Due to her fighting style, she has problems against opponents who can match her agility and keep getting into really close to her (about an arm's length or less.)
Nenetl's fighting style is very taxing on her body. Even though her physical capabilities are strenghtened with a spiritual contract, if she suffers any wound that makes it difficult or painful for her to move herself, it will heavily impact her performance.
Equipment
- Animal Leather Pouch and Bone Dagger: Inside the animal leather pouch on her belt, there is a thin, needle like bone dagger, carved with an intricate pattern. Made of an unusually strong bone, it is used both for rituals and as a backup weapon.
- Crescent Pendulum: Previously, it was the head of a big ritualistic axe, used for executions and blood offerings. Now, she uses it tied with a rope made of braided silk strips as a weapon and as a medium for her rituals.
Magic Abilities
Shamanism - Nenetl is a shaman, a bridge that links this world to the spiritual world. She is able to sense spirits and see the spiritual world, being able to talk and interact with them. Using dances and sacrifices (often blood or flesh), she can conjure spirits such as elementals to strengthen her own body and physical capabilities or imbue her weapon with elemental energy.
Nenetl is also able to make spiritual contracts with stronger spirits. Although spiritual contracts are a hard and lengthy thing to do, requiring some preparation, they cannot be violated by either parties without suffering some sort of punishment for doing so, which often turns out to be either incredibly painful or even deadly for the one who broke it. These contracts can do many things, but they need to be accepted by either parties.
All in all, there are a lot of things that Nenetl can do depending on the spirit she is contracting with, but she always need to offer a sacrifice (a drop of blood would suffice for minor spirits such as the ones to strengthen her body, her physical abilities and most minor elemental spirits) and if she tries to conjure a powerful spirit, she needs to give something more, since the spirit itself will demand an equal exchange. Dealing with powerful spirits (differently from elemental spirits) its incredibly tricky, since they are intelligent and if you do something wrong, including messing up the ritual they can and will possess the shaman or take what they desire by force.
By projecting her spirit out of her body (her body enters a coma like state) she is able to directly interact with the spiritual realm and it's residents, effectively 'spirit walking'. Her very soul is vulnerable when she does that though. If something or someone causes the link between her body and spirit to be severed, it will take a long time for her spirit to make it's way back to her body. If her spirit is attacked and dies while in this state, Nenetl will be forever in a coma like, catatonic state.
Weaknesses/Limitations
Can only perform contracts with 2 spirits at a given time. While performing a ritual with a minor spirit in the middle of combat can be done, it will require another sacrifice (blood or flesh) every time and it will take a few seconds before it's complete.
Depending on the spirit she is currently contracting, it can be incredibly taxing to provide a sacrifice for it.
Breaking a contract with a high spirit can be fatal for Nenetl. In the best of cases she might lose one or two limbs.
While Nenetl can use blood, flesh or organs of others as a sacrifice, they always need to be fresh.
Other
- Nenetl (pronounced Nenet) in Nahuatl means "Doll" or "Idol".
- Part of Nenetl's tattoos can be seen even over the black shirt as they glow with a faint, but noticeable blood red color.
- She loves chocolate, coffee and pepper. She doesn't know exactly why, but those things are certainly her weak spot.
With a tall and athletic build, Ylva is a woman of presence. Standing at 1,83m, she has the body of a Skjaldmær, strong and with defined muscles. Both her biceps and thighs are covered with runic tattoos, depicting ancient protection runes and sigils, according to the tradition of her clan. Despite her strong muscles, her body is still feminine and curvaceous, giving her an exotic, amazonian beauty.
Her long, blonde hair, which she often keeps in traditional norse style braids, is often adorned with wooden carved hair beads coupled with a pair of bone carved earrings, with a spiral pattern on them. Her penetrating hazel eyes, coupled with her hair, earrings and the piercing on her nose give her a wild, untamed feel to her appearance, which is further reinforced by the traditional face paint she sometimes uses when going hunting or in certain occasions.
Preferring light clothes in order to move herself freely, unlike many women, Ylva doesn't seem to have any problem in showing her body to others.
Personality
Much like her appearance, Ylva is an intense and fierce woman. With strong oppinions, she isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty and isn't the type of woman to lower her head to others. Near those she considers friends or members of her 'pack' she is surprisingly friendly and approachable, enjoying drinking, feasts and thanks to her lycanthrope nature and being raised by such a traditional clan, fighting and hunting. While to others it may appear to be strange, Ylva does not have a particular aversion to killing, even enjoying it to some extent. Still, she never hurts innocent people.
That said, Ylva can be incredibly intimidating to those she doesn't know due to the fact that she has a lot of wolf traits on her personality, thanks to her strong instincts. Approaching her with an aggressive stance is a quick and easy way to get punched in the face. The best way to interact with Ylva if you're a stranger would be to treat her almost as a wild wolf, being especially careful on how you approach her and your body language.
Notable Relations
Astridr Asulf - Her mother, the Alpha Female in the Asulf Clan. She holds as much influence and power as her mate.
Gunnarr Asulf - Ylva's father and the Alpha male of the Asulf clan.
Everyday Skills
Good sense of direction.
Although not exactly using it for combat, Ylva knows how to handle a hunting knife to clean and cut carcasses of animals she or others hunt to eat. That includes seasoning and cooking it (Even though most Lycanthropes from her clan prefer to eat it raw, it is still tasty to actually prepare it on some occasions)
Can actually hold her alcohol pretty well.
Biography
Considered by many to be a fierce and aggressive clan, the Asulf clan is one of the few who, even nowadays, continue to follow the old, ancient traditions of the Lycanthropes such as feasting on the corpses of their enemies and eating their hearts, being seen even as barbaric by modern Lycanthropes. Despite this fact, very few are those who dare to mess with the Asulf clan. Maybe it's due to the ancient blood, that runs deep within the Asulf famiy's veins, or maybe it's because of their tradition to feast on their enemies, but they're widely known for being incredibly dangerous, ferocious and strong Lycanthropes.
Despite the dark reputation the Asulf clan has, they are known to be fercely loyal and honorable, respecting those who respect them and being fearsome allies to those who conquered their trust. Differently from some other clans, they are proud and greatly value being a Lycanthrope, transforming themselves incredibly often compared to other clans. Having a history of actively hunting, killing and feasting upon rampaging werewolves and most evil magic practitioners, despite the bad reputation, they actually contribute to keep things in order.
Ylva, much like any other member of the Asulf clan was born and raised knowing she was a Lycanthrope and being taught to be proud of that. After completing 18 years, Ylva felt it was time for her to leave the mountains she was raised on. The Asulf clan was always very traditional, closed and recluse but Ylva knew that if the clan didn't evolve, it would, sooner or later be extinguished. Magic, both good and bad evolved and changed everyday, new rituals were discovered and if the Asulf clan wanted to fight against potential threats, they had to either to change themselves. After hearing about the Nox Tenebrae academy, Ylva thought it would be the best place to go if she wanted to further expand her knowledge about dark magic, how to fight against it and potentially estabilish friendly relations between her clan and the Agents of the Veil by becoming one herself.
Combat
Fighting Style
Ylva's fighting style is centered around her Lycanthrope form. Sharp claws, a deadly teeth, strong maws... While in her transformed form, Ylva is a deadly threat in close quarter combat. Fast, agile, strong and brutal, her fighting style makes it clear why the Lycanthropes are so feared. While in human form, Ylva knows how to throw a good punch despite not being a martial artist. She also knows how to wield a hunting knife to a certain extent.
Strengths
Highly mobile, almost feral like fighting style, focusing on her physical strength, her claws and teeth.
Thanks to her enhanced senses, strength and physical capabilities, fleeing from her or trying to keep distance if she is focused on some is almost impossible as she is able to track her target by smell if needed.
Thanks to her Lycanthrope healing factor, even if she is wounded she can recover herself rather quickly depending on the size of the wound.
Weaknesses
Doesn't use weapons while fighting in her lycanthrope form.
Due to her sheer size, it can get a bit complicated to fight in narrow corridors and spaces.
Doesn't have any long range attacks or abilities and doesn't know any type of spell or magic other than the few sigils and runes of protection, albeit she doesn't have the magical knowledge to use them herself though (the ones in her biceps and thighs were made by an old shaman village deep within the Danish mountains. The Asulf Clan offers protection to the shaman village and works together with them to fight against harmful magics and creatures that wish to harm humans or themselves.)-
Equipment
- Nothing other than a sharp hunting knife, addorned with runes and sigils to destroy magic.
Magic Abilities
Lycanthrope - Being a Lycan from the Asulf clan means that Ylva is incredibly dangerous while transformed. Her claws and teeth can easily tear a human body apart and her speed when running in all fours means that unless someone has some type of fast vehicle, it will be almost impossible to run away from her. She has enhanced senses and physical capabilities even outside transformed form (albeit less than when transformed).
Runic Tattoos and Sigils - The runic tattoos and sigils on her biceps and thighs offer protection against magics and spells targetting her mind to a certain extent and allow her to 'feel' when magic is being used, being able to hear it as a ringing on her ears and smell it.
Weaknesses/Limitations
Wounds made by silver weapons will not heal without outside help, be it healing salves, medicine or magic.
Her healing factor takes a lot of energy, making her eat more than normal to heal her body. If wounded too much, her healing factor kicks in full force, making her incredibly hungry, incredibly fast. In this state, she can and will enter in a feeding frenzy and will have problems distinguishing friend from foe.
Due to her enhanced hearing, loud, high frequency and high pitched noises can cause her pain and confuse her depending on the loudness.
Wolfsbane is a deadly poison to Lycanthropes and can be used to prevent her to transform if she is in human form and weaken her.
While she can transform at will, moonlight will force the transformation.
Even when in human form, Ylva's animal instincts are strong and she will feel restless and start getting incredibly stressed and aggressive if she's not allowed to hunt and run in her transformed form for too long.
Other
- Skjaldmær means 'Shieldmaiden' in Old Norse.
- Ylva means she-wolf in Old Norse. It's derived from 'Ulfr' which means wolf, while Asulf is Old Norse for Aesir's Wolf.