Rikku

## Okimashiwa Rikku

Original artwork by @MyrddinEmrys#0884

**Okimashiwa Rikku** is a naga apothecary from the world of Onashi. She rifted into Daleos on December 15, Osterian year 901.

## Description

Rikku's upper body resembles that of a human female of slender build, with fair skin and long black hair, the latter usually done up in a bun fastened by two hairpins.

The upper half of her face is usually concealed by a white ceramic half-mask decorated with a pattern of spirals and curved lines, showing only her small, red-lipped mouth and rosy cheeks. Betraying its petite appearance, Rikku's mouth can open extremely wide, revealing a pair of poisonous fangs—however, she usually keeps these hidden outside of combat to avoid frightening someone.

In place of humanoid legs, Rikku has a long serpentine tail covered by scales in different hues of earthy green. Her entire body measures roughly 13 feet from head to tail-tip, and when standing casually upright, she usually reaches a height of around five feet, although this can vary depending on how much of her serpentine body she lifts up.

She prefers loose, comfortable clothing, usually wearing a simple brown robe of kimono-like cut, with long sleeves that cover her hands when hanging down. The robe is held together by a dark brown sash and a rope belt with a brass clasp.

## History

Born to a nomadic clan of snake-people, Rikku was left behind as a child for unknown reasons. Okimashiwa Asawe, a human hermit living in the woods near Ochō Village who worked as a healer in the surrounding settlements, found the sickly snake-girl, restoring her to health and raising her as their daughter. When Asawe eventually passed away—their own old age being the one malady they could not cure—, Rikku, who was now 17, took over Asawe's trade, becoming an apothecary and traveling the nearby villages to help people in need in exchange for coin and supplies. While the humans were willing to make use of Rikku's services, and paid her fairly, they never fully got over their scepticism towards the snake-girl, her kind being said in folk tales to consort with evil spirits. Rikku responded to the suspicion with kindness, hoping to eventually convince the people that she was nothing to be feared.

After working as a healer for six years, the attitude towards Rikku had warmed up a little, but the people's long-cultivated wariness still clung to them, refusing to make way for something new. As fate would have it, Rikku would be able to change much about this anymore: one day as she returned home from the area's largest village, passing through the swamp that separated the are she inhabited from the nearby human settlements, she was pulled into the water by a malicious spirit attempting to trap her. While not too common, such events were spoken of in folk tales: a certain type of spirit that inhabited bodies of water was able to ensnare those who looked at their reflection too long, pulling them into the depths. While the spirit might drown a weary and exhausted traveler, someone with enough strength and presence of mind might well be able to break free. This was what Rikku did. However, as she emerged from the water, she was somewhere else. Apparently, the surface of the murky pond had become a sort of portal just as she passed through it, transporting her to the city of Osteria on Daleos.