Temimilli

Temilli is a bloodsworn shulassakar sorceress and scribe born from the pairing of a vampire and yuan-ti; she joined the party soon after their expedition into the ancient Uransaga ruins. Temilli is a healer adept in the art of divine spellcasting as well as an oath-bearing paladin who has sworn herself to her home-city of Tepetlapalyō, the painted city, known for its dye production and as such the home to many scribes like her. Furthermore, she is an inscrutable after encountering a pair of mysterious twins, who helped her escape the confines of a false sacrifice to the gods; due to which she wears a wooden mask she never takes off around others. This makes her an adept individual not only in divine spellcasting, but also in the arts of martial combat, record-keeping, and keeping secrets. In the party, Temimilli sees the twofold opportunity to improve her spellcasting in order to become closer to her goddess Tz'ibaniknimaq'aninaqixöq as well as to collect the stories that the party so often makes and finds for themselves. As such, after working as a healer of contestants in Artwulf's arena complex for a year and a half, Temililli managed to secure a meeting with Keisara through Artwulf in order to learn more about the "party" the contestants and spectators talked often about, and Keisara awakened her latent vampiric heritage and teleported her to the party's location.

## Description

Temimilli is a tall, masked, and muscular bloodsworn shulassakar woman clad in the vestments of her people. She can often be seen adorned with the multicoloured feathers of the quetzal bird, complementing her own feathers that are sporadically positioned in plumes around her body. Also, her wooden mask depicts half-faces of two men, with the mask split down the middle such that they are both represented. Even with this gaudy fashion sense as well as a force of personality to befit her noble origin, she cultivates an aura of mystery around her through an abject refusal to remove her wooden mask when around others as well as her propensity to know much about the world around her, particularly regarding religious matters – her knowledge of which stretches even beyond the Tecan peninsula’s pantheon. Temimilli’s preferred weapons are a carefully maintained Macuahuitl which she wields with immense strength as well as an obsidian-handled brush. The latter of these Temimilli uses to record stories she deems worthy of recounting at a later date as well as to channel the will of Tz'ibaniknimaq'aninaqixöq: the Tecan goddess of writing and magic whom Temimilli reveres from her time as a student of one of the schools under the goddesses’ patronage.

## Background

### Early Life

Temimilli was born alongside her twin brother Tlapalli into royalty from two opposing bloodlines: a paternal vampire called Ajtz’alam and a maternal yuan-ti noble of the painted city Tepetlapalyō, named Tōtōcoatl. While she herself was a bloodsworn shulassakar, a chosen by the rainbow serpent, her brother was born a dhampir, a great secret that had to be disguised from the city at large for the lineage to remain in power. Even with her vampiric heritage, Temimilli was seen as a gift from the gods for her apparent lack of a clear parentage, as Ajtz’alam had left before she was born due to the forbidden nature of his and Tōtōcoatl’s relationship, something Temimilli was made aware of from a young age. Meanwhile Tlapalli, while known to the public had to keep his race itself a secret from the world at large, building a resentment between the siblings as he became largely ignored by Temimilli and her mother. This resentment towards the two only grew when Tōtōcoatl sent Temimilli off to the calmecac school under Tz'ibaniknimaq'aninaqixöq’s patronage to learn the arts of writing and warfare alike, as well as of history and noble matters in order to prepare her to become ruler. It is here that Temimilli stayed for most of her younger years, excelling in her studies and often being found at the temple of Tz'ibaniknimaq'aninaqixöq aiding in the ceremonies for those who required healing magics. Even so, it was for this reason that Temimilli was not present when her mother Tōtōcoatl passed away in her sleep.

### Selection for “Sacrifice”

While Temimilli was next in the line of succession, her twin Tlapalli, who had become adept at disguising as a yuan-ti, had wasted no time in pointing out her unique nature as a shulassakar, and that as a divine being, she should be sacrificed to the gods in order to appease them for the new ruler – him. Somehow, while Temimilli was studying at the calmecac, he had convinced the royal guard of this idea, and her preparation ensued, during which she would be well-treated with the utmost respect in luxury before she was to be ritually killed. In other words, she was trapped in her own home as a prisoner until the day of her sacrifice came. Normally, she would accept this and take her proper place, however, she was aware of Tlapalli’s political motivations for such an act, and that her and her mother’s years of neglect towards him had driven him to the point that he could not be negotiated with. Temimilli wished she could reconcile with her brother, wished that she could have been with her mother more, and agonised over every detail in her prison of luxury. In her anguish, Temimilli used some of the magic she had learned in the calmecac, asking many birds to seek out her father and deliver to him a message of her situation, but no reply was found even after weeks of repeated attempts. That was until she had met the twins.

### Escape

One night, Temimilli saw two strange men standing outside her window, one cooing over a bird she had sent for her father while the other stared, and, noticing that she had seen them, motioned to the other and they disappeared into the jungle brush. This continued for a few days, with Temimilli catching brief glimpses of them while wandering about the house, sometimes even when there were no windows to look out of. She thought she was going insane until they appeared in front of her window and spoke to her.

“Do you feel trapped? You don’t seem very happy to meet the gods.” they said.

“I do not know who you are, but this isn’t a sacrifice at all! Tlapalli merely wants to do this out of love of power rather than a love of the gods!” she snapped.

“Oh? Well then, surely this is none of your concern, you will be dead and in the hands of the gods. Isn’t that a good thing?” one said, “Why is what happens after you die so important?” the other finished.

“Is that a threat?” she growled.

“Only if you make it one.” They said in unison.

Temimilli hesitated, and, unsure whether these were spirits or not, turned her head to the side and replied: “I don’t want to meet the gods yet… because I regret my actions up to this point... I am filled with sorrow, and I do not wish to bring that into the afterlife with me, whether with the gods or reincarnated into another form.”

The twins turned to each other and whispered among themselves for a short while before turning back: “Very well. We can help you.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, but you must swear an oath to return to this city and free it from he who uses the image of the gods for his own gain.” They explained.

“I swear.” Promised Temimilli.

Upon her agreement they ran into the jungle, and she saw them cut down a tree. How the guards did not notice this or the conversation earlier Temimilli did not know, though they moved as if they were the wind itself. Coming back with a stone knife and a lump of wood, Temimilli witnessed the twins proceed to carve the mask into the shape of their own faces, half of one twin’s face on the left side and half of the other’s on the right. They did not elaborate upon their intentions or purposes upon Temimilli’s repeated inquiries throughout this process. When they were done, they gave the mask to her and motioned for her to put it on. When she obliged, the twins disappeared as her sightline to them was broken by donning the mask.

With the mask on, Temimilli felt the words she spoke – the oath she swore – contained a self-fulfilling power that ensured she would see it through. Further, she felt a change in her relationship with Tz'ibaniknimaq'aninaqixöq, who she had previously only considered a subject of study and worship at the school. Now she felt closer to the goddess; as if her actions were seen, and judged, by the lady of writing. Yes, this mask was part of her oath, and she realized that it could be used to partially channel the power of the twins as she transformed herself into a giant eagle – bursting through her window and flying to freedom, out of the painted city appropriated by Tlapalli, and towards the Tecan Desert.

### Time at Artwulf’s arena complex

Walking and flying through the desert, Temimilli thought on what she just experienced. Were the twins real? Figments of her imagination that validated the ability she always had? She didn’t know. But she did make a promise, whether to herself or to a pair of supernatural beings, and she intended to follow that through. She just needed to become closer to Tz'ibaniknimaq'aninaqixöq, so that she could return and prove to her people that Tlapalli is wrong to think she must be sacrificed. Eventually, she found what looked like a collection of grandiose arenas situated within a vast oasis, with thunderous booms emanating from one of them… was that...? combat? It was much too loud for any combat Temimilli had witnessed. But as she flew over in her eagle-form, she could see it, a hero deity locked in a fight for the ages! She had to document this! If not to tell the story later, for her own curiosity at the very least. So, she flew down, assumed her humanoid form, disguised under an illusion for caution, and witnessed the battle. It was between an irda man and a dragon, but not one of the feathered serpents Temimilli knew, this one looked like a large, winged lizard with a long neck and snapping jaws. Temimilli witnessing from the seats, the man plunged his sword into the dragon’s neck, and with a twist of his arm, beheaded it using only one hand. After the fight, Temimilli eagerly approached the man and asked what this place was and for his identity, offering to heal his wounds as she knew of some healing magic. He introduced himself as Artwulf and explained that this was his arena complex within Engene as she cast the spell to heal him. Upon healing the man, Artwulf raised an eyebrow.

“Not half bad. How would you like a job here healing the fighters and beasts? I have a few penned monsters that need fixing for a fight to come.” He offered.

Seeing this as an opportunity to progress her worship and study of Tz'ibaniknimaq'aninaqixöq through the practice of magic, Temimilli agreed. Thus, she worked as a healer for the gladiatorial games of Artwulf for a good year, yielding more and more insights into the particulars of healing magic as she worked on the wide variety of beasts and humanoids that the arena complex hosted. During this time though, her regrets and obligations gnawed at the back of her mind, if only she had treated Tlapalli with the respect he deserved… perhaps this all could have been prevented and they would be happy.

### Learning of the party

During her time working in the arena complex, people from all walks of life came to see the games, making working there not just an exercise of her magical skill, but also a veritable treasure trove of stories and perspectives, with Temimilli getting to know regular visitors and fighters alike; thus, she became a well-respected employee of the arenas. Even so, her work proved challenging most often, with some of the contestants being… overzealous in their fights. One such fight involved a woman Artwulf had told Temimilli to be careful around, Eshana, his sister. Against her was pitted numerous individuals simultaneously.

“Surely, she is outnumbered. There is no way she could win.” Temimilli posited.

These thoughts were cut short when Eshana launched one of said individuals into the wall on the far side of the arena, practically turning him into red paint. Temimilli watched in abject horror as the fighters she knew the names and characters of were killed in increasingly gruesome, elaborate, and extreme ways. Not one she could save, even with her abilities, and it was this fight that left her desensitised to even the most extreme and unusual events.

Despite this, Temimilli had noticed a certain group of people were mentioned a good few times among the crowd, particularly the names Serra and Aly, however the other people they travelled alongside often became a subject of contention. A popular supposition of a beast’s strength was “can it beat Serra?” as well as “I wonder if Serra will ever fight here.”, intriguing Temimilli to the point that she asked Artwulf of them when he was at Engene one time.

“Ahhh. I don’t know much about them myself, but due to your excellent service in maintaining the health of the beasts and fighters alike; I’ll put in a word to my mother, Keisara, if you’re that interested. She’s met them and is visiting to watch the tournament a couple months from now.”

And so Temimilli waited until the time came, ruminating, learning, and healing as she did, until finally the regal Keisara arrived. Luckily, Artwulf had seen through to his end of the bargain, and had secured for Temimilli a short introduction with the empress during the second week of the tournament just before a fight, who upon inquiry said the following:

“Oh, that party? I’d like to think we are on good terms.” She smiled. “And what has you so interested in them; I wonder?”

Temimilli replied: “Rather remarkably, I have heard that they appear at many events some would consider… historical. I wish to see them, even for a little while, so that I may understand what the cause of this may be. If you will, all I request is the names of their current members besides Serra and Aly, as well as their location, as these facts appear to be in a state of flux.”

Keisara scoffed. “Well, well, well.” She looked over to Artwulf. “My son has told me you are adept in the… healing arts? If you wish for their location, keep one promise for me… please? Once you find them, do your best to keep them alive. I shall also grant you a gift to assist in this mission.” At this, Artwulf gave a frustrated grunt at the prospect of having to lose one of his best healers.

“A… gift…?” Temimilli tentatively asked.

“Oh, it’s not so bad, here, I will awaken whatever bloodline may reside within you.” Keisara reached out her hand, which Temimilli took with all the anxiety of a wary bird. “Ohhhhh, now this is interesting, and rather fun. One of your parents was a vampire?”

“Y..yes…” as Temimilli felt Keisara walk through her soul like a forest jaunt.

“Then we’ll use that.” Keisara replied.

Temimilli felt as if something in her soul had been turned inside out, and suddenly sensed it had bubbled to the surface… something she hadn’t considered before… her father was a vampire. So, shouldn’t she inherit some of his traits? Keisara had seen to that, and resurfaced them so they could manifest, making Temimilli stronger, faster, and more capable than ever before.

Temimilli bowed “Thank you. This is a most wonderful gift. I shall use it wisely.”

Keisara then informed Temimilli of the party’s location and current members:

“I recommend you seek them out sooner rather than later. I could teleport you if you’d like to ensure you get to them promptly. I do want you there to secure my investments in that group of individuals.”

“That should be good, though, I wouldn’t want to keep you from watching the fight…” Temimilli replied.

“I shall have a subordinate teleport you. Good luck on your endeavours.” said Keisara with a finality Temimilli recognised as representative of a great ruler.

With that, Temimilli said her goodbyes to Artwulf and thanked him for his hospitality, leaving to join the party.