Name: Nyx
Age: 297
Gender: Female
Race: White Snake (Basilisk)
Sexuality: Bisexual
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Height: 1.75m (5'7) in human form, 15 meters in Basilisk form
Social status: Rogue
Tattoos/noteworthy mentions: Shifting snake tattoo stemming from the base of her neck down to her tailbone, canine teeth are slightly sharper and longer, resembling fangs
Appearance description:
As a human, iridescent scales adorn the length of Nyx's arms and legs, fading into a faint porcelain complexion on her face, torso, and back. Her movements are poetry in motion. Combine that with the slightly luminous properties of her scales and skin, and she is walking starlight. Cascading tresses of onyx hair frames her face and flows down her back in a loose braid whilst her virescent earrings emit a faint glow that makes her features appear sharper. She is usually swathed in black garments with loose sleeves but a tight waistline. Multiple leather belts help secure the outercoat to her person - but truth told, it's more for aesthetic purposes. She wears white inner garments tinged with bits of green near the v-neck lining, giving her a more eastern appearance. Her legs on the other hand are sheathed in black leather tights, showing off her lean muscle and leaving a lot less than she'd like to the imagination.
As a snake, her scales glisten like purest alabaster. She spans a hefty 15 meters in length with an aura equally formidable. Though her fangs and appearance are gargantuan in nature, her sinuous motion carries the grace of tides itself.
Now, let's get to her eyes because that is arguably the most (and perhaps only) important feature of a Basilisk. To put it simply they're green. But such a descriptor fails to convey how imposing they are. Nyx's eyes are a shade of green birthed from the exact moment lightening strikes the ocean. It is a shifting, radiant, almost divine kind of green and looking into them is akin to finding yourself drowning in northern lights. It is peace. It is tranquility. It is death made impossibly beautiful. Perhaps that is why those who gaze into her eyes cannot bear to blink or look away. Even in stone, their heart longs for the false sanctuary they've glimpsed into.
Her voice is a whisper, a melody, and threat all at once. It resonates with a harmonious blend of sinuous cadence and haunting grace. When imbued with magic, it is almost as compelling as a siren's song but even on it's own, it instills whoever hears her with fearful curiosity.
Personality:
Angry. Nyx is angry. At the world, at society, at herself. Servitude was forced upon her time again and she can't figure out if that was what forged who she is or whether she was just born to resent. Either way, she is a firm believer of "violence may not be the answer, but it is a solution". That said, the hatred she bears is a cold, black hatred. She's not a hothead who fights anyone who insults her but rather, she is one that goes straight for the kill.
Given that anger is a secondary emotion, it's no wonder Nyx is emotionally immature. Sure she's felt sadness and happiness and the spectrum in between, but in the spur of the moment it's kill first, feel later. This has resulted in one too many people being added to her body count (the
wrong kind of body count). Her inability to be vulnerable is also something that most therapists would deem
extremely concerning but her long years of solitude has convinced her that everything is fine. Naturally, this makes her an introvert who has trouble talking to strangers unless it's to insult them.
That said, deep down, Nyx swears she was born to be happy-go-lucky. It's one of those situations where if life had treated her better, she'd probably be better. Sometimes, when she finds that sliver of peace in her travels, she feels like she is and could even be an entirely different person. Someone happier. Someone... content. But as it stands, she dares not let go of her resentment least let go of who she is entirely. Her moral compass is gray at best and her motivations are mostly self serving.
Likes: small bodies of water, night time, cool winds, darkness, sweet things, cuddles (though she will never admit it)
Dislikes: coffee, direct sunlight, bitter things, happy people (sometimes)
Brief Background:
It is not known how or when familiars are created. Perhaps one is born when another dies; a reincarnation of sorts. Or perhaps they are birthed from lingering magical energy combined with sheer will. All that's known for sure is that they roam the Abyss until they're summoned. The first time Nyx felt the pull, she was dragged through a portal by a girl. She didn't go by Nyx back then. She was young, and took the form of a bunny. Thus began a cycle of contracts: short term, long term, but never lifelong. Not until she was summoned by a certain scientist. Nyx can't remember the rational behind agreeing to modify their contract to a lifelong one. Maybe she was naive. Maybe she fell in love. Either way, both leads to stupidity - but even that would not have made her deserve the consequence of her decision. Familiar experimentation is a highly condemned and heavily sanctioned practice. And that was exactly what Nyx was subjected to for decades. The purpose of the experiment was to find a way to increase a familiar's magical potency which would in turn make the master witch exponentially more powerful. It was a long running experiment - one that would have taken lifetimes to truly complete. It took almost thirty years for authorities to discover the underground lab, and another 5 to shut it down. In her master's attempt to flee, she was shot, thus concluding their contract.
Upon her return to the Abyss, Nyx went rogue. She had known all she had to know about the nature of mankind and that was enough to drive her deep into the depths of the Abyss. After all, the monsters here were nothing compared to the monsters in the other realm.
Equipment:
Nyx is adept at fighting and can wield any weapon at an intermediate level. She specializes in mid-range weapons such as spears, chains, and whips. Her preferred weapon is a poison-tipped whip.
Abilities:
1. Shapeshifting
Nyx is able to shift between her human form and snake form at will. At her most human, her arms and legs will still be adorned in scales but they will have a more humane quality to them (they're softer and more skin-like as compared to her snake form). At her most snake she's... a snake. Like full on Big Basilisk, You Will Die. That said, she is able to adjust her size with her smallest spanning a mere 50 centimeters. Does this mean she can be a cute cuddly snake? Yes, absolutely but she is not able to perform Ant-Man's level of size shifting. Her shifts are rather slow and pretty much useless in battle as it will leave her vulnerable for at least a few seconds.
She also has the ability to partially shift between her snake form and human form. For instance, she could cover her entire body with the hardened scales of her snake form, or leave her upper half human whilst her lower half ends in a snake's tail. Though that last bit really has no practical uses unless it's some obscure kink or something.
2. Being a Snake
™
Think of the most potent venom you've ever heard of - then double it. This "little" snickety snake is the exact kind of deadly that makes venomologists froth at the mouth. Nyx's venom is pitch black in color and viscous. As a snake, she usually injects her venom through her fangs, but as a human, she carries around a venom tipped whip which does the job equally well. Then again, if she bites something as a snake, the poor thing would have a hole through it's body spanning an entire foot in diameter so really, is the venom even necessary at that point? Anyway, the effects of her venom is the stereotypical instant agony followed by paralysis followed by death. If a being is immune to venom, it would have no effect. If a being is resistant to venom then good news! They're not dying by the half-hour mark! Then again, the big thing about venom is that it needs to be injected into the bloodstream so unless Nyx manages to break skin, it's useless. Tough luck if she's fighting spirits huh.
As a mythical beast, Nyx also has hardened scales which help protect her from lower level magic blasts and non magically enhanced weapons.
3. Stone Stare
Is this ability particularly surprising? No. Not at all. Is it one of those abilities where the protagonist goes: "of course this evil monster can turn people into stone,
what else could go wrong?" Absolutely. Nyx can imbue her gaze with magical energy thus paralyzing, knocking unconscious, or even killing those who make eye contact with her. The effect of her stare would vary depending on how much magical potency her opponent has. If they're much stronger than her, they're likely able to resist her curse of stone. If they're much weaker, then, good luck buddy. At least dying by her stare is a better way to go than her venom. If those turned to stone were alive, they'd say their final moments were one of peace and tranquility.
On the flip side, her gaze can be used to make others feel at peace without harming them. This requires a very precise and low amount of magical energy so it'll only be effective if the other party consents to it.
Side note: she can't turn things that don't have a physical body into stone. So, in other words, if she gets haunted by a spirit, she's just a goner.
4. Parseltongue
Snakes! Whether we're speaking metaphorically or literally, it takes one to know one. Nyx can speak to snakes and has a higher aptitude for detecting and telling lies. It's not as strong as a siren's song and she won't be able to convince you to walk off a cliff but if she were to say "I am a four hundred foot tall platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings," you'd do a double take. (And yes, I did just reference Avatar the Legend of Aang).
Weaknesses:
1. Big Reflective Surfaces
If she casts her stone stare on a reflective surface, it would backfire on her and she would be hit. Although she is less affected by her own magic than others, ergo she would not turn to stone, she would still be paralyzed for a few hours. That said, the reflective surface needs to be big enough. Think full body shields.
2. Paranormal Creatures
Yes this big bad snake is scared of ghosts. I'm talking really
really scared. In her defense, she's practically useless against them in a fight and has no way to defend herself so turning into a tiny snake and running away would be her best bet... right?