Nayana

Nayana, previously named "Desdemona" at birth, is a Demon of Draema. She became trapped in Ilstar during The Demon Invasion of Todosia, captured and subjugated to a powerful human sorcerer. After enduring decades as a slave in Ilstar, she was gifted to King Aegis Tavaran to commemorate the birth of his first son, Sibir Tavaran. She was initially sealed away by King Aegis, kept subdued within an amulet to prevent corruption caused by her dark magic. Nayana later emerged following Aegis' death, shortly after King Sibir's coronation ceremony and the discovery of the forgotten trinket. Nayana serves as a powerful asset to the Kingdom of Bastia as a Grandmaster, and is loyal only to Sibir Tavaran.

## Appearance

Nayana has a fair complexion of porcelain and pale gray. Her skin is devoid of most warm toned colors and instead has a lavender undertone. Her blood appears black when exposed; because of this, her skin flushes indigo rather than red with blood flow. Her eyes are dark grey with golden irises and narrow pupils. Her hair is long and a deep, nearly-black violet, reaching to her lower back in flowing inky strands. She has downturned pointed ears and small curved horns. Both sets of her wings have been clipped, and fangs filed down. The removal of her wings and the armor-like splines along her appendages have resulted in her only scars, located on her back and various points of her forearms and calves. On her left hand there is a brand tattooed, a symbol left by her captor and mark of a slave, which she keeps covered with a glove at all times except to bathe.

## Personality

Nayana is a reserved individual, preferring to keep silent unless spoken to. She tends to avoid eye contact and may flinch or shy away from the lightest touch, unless very well acquainted. Any sudden, loud noise is startling, with the exception of those found in nature. Despite remaining leery of others, Naya is capable of trusting. It would take a while to build up, but once earned, Nayana will cling to the bond for dear life and become a loyal companion. She is overall gentle and soft spoken, but has a shocking capacity for violence.

 Biography

Nayana's history has remained unknown to those in this world, and her disappearance merely waved off as a death in Draema, her true home. Her memories have become muddled after years of being enslaved, replaced with the memories of strangers that surrounded her. She was born in Draema and named “Desdemona” by her parents. Her family was one with wealth and high social standing within Dramea. She had a pleasant childhood and her parents cared for her greatly. Nayana was a magical prodigy. Her parents were overjoyed by this, and she was soon sent to be trained under the best Draema had to offer.

Three years of her palace training had passed before the invasion began. Against her parents' wishes, she joined the masses for the Invasion. Her skills had greatly improved since being properly instructed, but no amount of spell practice could've prepared her for what happened on the other side. Her group arrived in the desert country of Ilstar. It started out in their favor, the demon forces taking their enemy off guard and confused. They cut through villages relentlessly until there was a sudden shift. Their enemies regained their composure and returned with weapons, and the demons barely escaped death as their units were wiped out at an alarming rate.

Even though she managed to flee, Nayana couldn't hide from the cruel creatures that inevitably found her. She was discovered and captured, starved and weary from evading the humans for weeks, and unable to find the way back to her own realm without guidance or strong enough magic. To her surprise, she was not killed. A heavily enchanted collar made her a powerful sorcerer's pet, who deprived her of her claws, wings, and voice. He called her "Nayana," meaning "beautiful eyes." Whether this name was meant as a jest was never known, though he didn't steal her sight. After her still-growing second set of wings were cut from her back, along with the splines on her arms, he let her rest to regain health. "Health" meaning "capable of walking" in this case. During the first few months, Naya foolishly attempted escape several times. Each time she was caught due to her collar, and each time she was punished more severely. When beaten, the wounds started to heal immediately (something she couldn't control), and the man would deliver stronger blows out of rage. A mark of ownership was inked into her skin after a few failed attempts to brand her with heat. She would cry out or occasionally try to speak to his other servants. Her speaking Draeman ("demon babble" he said), annoyed him, and he added another feature to her collar that sealed away her ability to speak. She was regarded as a monster by all who knew of her existence, and used as a tool for power.

Nayana remained under the control of the Ilstarian sorcerer for over two decades. She learned his language within this time, but still struggles to speak it as she was only allowed to read/write it. Beaten into submission with no way of destroying her collar, killing the man, or herself, Naya lost all hope of escaping her circumstances and accepted her life under his rule. To appease the King Aegis Tavaran when entering the country of Bastia, he gave over Nayana as a gift to celebrate the birth of the King's first son, Sibir. Like most humans, Aegis was not fond of demons. Tame or not, he knew having one in his possession would be bad for his reputation and a single misstep could to ruin. While the king couldn't bring himself to kill Nayana, resenting and pitying her existence, she was too dangerous to be allowed freedom. Nayana was sealed away in an amulet for one of his mages to use as an amplifier, which fed off her own magic. This slowly corrupted the mage, and the amulet was taken back before any real damage could be dealt. Unable to be destroyed or used for magic, it was hidden within the castle, locked in a small chest, and forgotten as the world continued around her. It remained this way until Aegis was murdered, and some old belongings resurfaced. Sibir Tavaran found her and freed her from her confinement. Nayana served him during the Bastian Civil War and was later granted freedom with the removal of her collar 3 years after the Civil War. Despite this, she chose to stay and continue to serve the Bastian King at his side as a close confidante.

## Powers and Abilities

**Soul Seer:** Nayana can see the "soul" of an individual. This is similar to an aura, but composed of distinct life events and traits. Whereas reading auras is more of a vague feeling, she instead catches glimpses of the individual's past (and possibly future) the longer she spends around them. This ability has developed over the decades of her life in response to trauma, and the memories of others have gradually consumed many of her own. The experience is usually very intrusive and sudden, as she typically does not seek it out.

**Possession:** Naya is capable of possessing people for very brief amounts of time. She can remain in control longer with animals, or while only in possession of one part of the body. This can be blocked by magical barriers, and those with telepathy or similar abilities may be immune. When possessing another, her own body is left vulnerable. If she is possessing one specific part of the body, then she may only lose function of that part on her own body.

**Glamour:** While she cannot shapeshift her physical form, Nayana can disguise it with a glamour that allows her to look like anyone she has seen in the past. Those with the ability to see through lies are able to see her true appearance. Mirrors and other reflections may also reveal the truth. Glamours are instantly shattered if injured or unconscious/asleep.

**Vocal Replication:** Once a sound or voice is heard, Naya can replicate it flawlessly.

**Regenerative Healing:** Naya's body will begin to heal rapidly if injured. This ability would be difficult to block with magic and can't be controlled by her either. Wounds can heal, but anything removed, while possible to be carefully reattached, can not be regenerated.

**Umbrakinesis:**

* Summoning: Naya can channel dark energy to form tangible objects, such as shields and weapons. She can also create a "mist," cloak herself, or summon beings to act on their own unless manipulated.
* Manipulation: Nayana can manipulate darkness from a preexisting source, or summon dark energy in its place. This is typically used as a sort of telekinesis involving her summons (sending projectiles composed of darkness, keeping her shield up, etc). This is also how she is able to control her "living" summons, which would otherwise run rampant and possibly harm her allies.
* Light Absorption: At some cost to herself, Nayana can absorb light to replace it with darkness, ultimately allowing her a larger source to use her abilities.
* Darkvision: Naya is able to see clearly in the dark. While in complete darkness, her eyes are incredibly sensitive to sudden light, which can be temporarily blinding. Her iris' may also seem to glow and become reflective.

## Skills

* read and write Ilstarian fluently. she can also speak it, but not smoothly since she was mute while in Ilstar
* intermediate level High and Low Bastian. many terms and concepts are still foreign and she still has difficulty understanding accents.
* novice with the piano and a few other musical instruments
* cooking. she has taken a liking to observing the castle chefs and bakers in secret.
* sewing and embroidery. she isn't very good yet but tries her best to mimic what she's seen from the seamstresses.

## Miscellaneous

* Naya can often be found stargazing at various points of the castle's heights, prompting the rumor of a living gargoyle among servants.
* She enjoys very spicy and sweet foods, her favorites being curry and strawberry cream cake.
* Naya only reveals her true appearance to those within Sibir's inner circle or others that he approves of. A simple glamour is kept up in public.
* The details of her origins and role remain a mystery to the staff of Miserth Keep. It's assumed she is simply a mistress to the King taken during the war from a minor house.
* She is fascinated by animals and the greenery found within Bastia. Though most creatures are frightened by her, Naya cares for a pet rabbit she calls "
* Nayana's first master was one of the high ranking members of a mercenary and slave-trade/training company called *Apophis*. They are infamous in Ilstar and their symbol is recognized even by foreigners.
* She does not have any memory of her original name, nor most of her early life and the people/culture of Draema. However, she does remember brief fragments of her past and parts of Draemen song lyrics, and will occasionally sing/hum them to herself when alone in hopes she won't forget.