Profile
Intro
Imps have a bad reputation in Abirelle due to their necromancy abilities. Many mortals assume Imps to be evil people simply because of this fact. Due to this stigma, many Imps prefer keeping to themself and out of the public's eye whenever possible.
Magpie is an ancient mage; she is thousands of years old, having honed her necromancy skills to a point where she can keep herself alive indefinitely. Many Imps aspire to someday reach Magpie's level of mastery, and even human scholars find her dark magic usage fascinating, albiet terrifying.
Magpie's key to immortality is a closely guarded secret of hers, being kept in her elusive library of knowledge. Given her age, Magpie has amassed a large collection of ancient books and historical artifacts-- many historians and scholars alike would love access to her grand library, but Magpie allows no entry.
Appearance
Voice HC: "Only a dead body does not betray."
Imps in Abirelle hardly differ from humans, save for specific identifying features; Imps are characterized by their wings, horns, or pointed tails. It is rare for an Imp to display all of these features, typically only possessing one or two. Imps commonly hide these features of themselves to prevent identification and avoid the judgement of others.
However, Magpie physically differs from younger Imps; her repeated abuse of resurrection has led to her skin taking on an ashen tone, seen as atypical for the human-like Imp species. Magpie's horns are curled, and her tail ends in a heart-shaped spade. Magpie's shoulder-length hair is eggshell white, though it is often obscured by her lace veil.
Magpie typically wears a dress fashioned similarly to a habit, including a studded guimpe and rosary beads connected to her golden belt. Completing this look is a long, beige colored veil, pinned over a similarly lengthy lace underveil. Magpie's platform boots are made from leather, and are knee-length.
As someone who enjoys wealth and valuables, Magpie indulges in accessorizing quite a bit. Much of Magpie's clothing is adorned with gold; this includes her guimpe, belt, and veil. Her boots are likewise studded with gold. Magpie is no stranger to jewelry, either; along with her extravagent spiked tiara, Magpie wears golden claw rings, several necklaces, and a jewel-encrusted neck piece over her guimpe. Additionally, Magpie wears a heavily stylized tengu mask over the right side of her face.
Design Notes
- Magpie has claws, or very sharp fingernails. They are painted black.
- The mask Magpie wears is similar to a tengu mask; specifically, a crow tengu mask. It can also be compared to a hannya mask.
About
Magpie is notoriously narcissistic; despite her vast collection of valuable information, she absolutely refuses to share even a single book. In her opinion, mortals and even other Imps are lesser than she and simply don't deserve access to her exclusive library. Magpie revels in the fact that many of the artifacts and books in her care are one-of-a-kind, belonging only to her, and may even be unknown to the rest of Abirelle.
Magpie has a keen interest in the cultures of other species in Abirelle. Throughout her long life, Magpie has traveled to many places in Abirelle to learn about customs different from her own. Given her entitled attitude, however, Magpie has no qualms about simply stealing historical relics she finds interesting from wherever she may visit. Although having had worked for many of the people she has met while traveling, Magpie holds no loyalty to anyone but herself.
In addition to her egocentrism, Magpie is irritable. She has many demands for her undead servants that she insists must be done prompty, only because she is impatient. It isn't uncommon for Magpie to lash out at others who she finds may have insulted her, or simply because she finds them inferior.
Trivia
- Imps often prefer to be called by pseudonyms and generally do not reveal their surnames. Magpie got her nickname from the bird of the same name, a type of corvid known for collecting shiny things. Imps typically choose their own aliases, but Magpie was given her name by others.
- Magpie is heavily inspired by my Everquest II character.
- A small portion of Magpie's book hoard include books she has written herself. Among these are how-to books about killing vampires, werewolves, and many other species. Though these books are written with other people in mind, Magpie still doesn't intend to let others so much as borrow them.
- Magpie is a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, but she still enjoys a good 'ol fashioned Dwarven ale on occasion.
- Because of her expansive cultural knowledge, Magpie is multilingual. Necromancers are born capable of speaking Death's Whisper, a language typically reserved for ghosts and the undead; Magpie also speaks Fayefolk, Common, Siren Song, and Druziac.
- Magpie has a secret affinity for romance novels, and has a rather large collection hidden in her library.
- Magpie's undead servant is a resurrected jester named Shambles.
- Magpie has little interest in actually befriending Cole; she is mostly just interested in any useful medical information she can glean from him. Likewise, Cole has his own personal reasons for remaining close to Magpie.
- Likewise, Magpie finds Merle much too chirpy and annoying to befriend.
- Magpie is a foil to Merle.
Magic and Abilities
Necromancy
Imps are reclusive creatures in Abirelle, often shamed and looked down upon due to their abilities to reanimate dead matter. Many mortals, including other magic users, find this ability to be rather taboo. Imps are often assumed to be bad people, commonly accused of crimes simply due to their heritage. Imps have also been the villains of many popular children's books in Abirelle, further stigmatizing the species.
Imps are the only magicians in Abirelle capable of necromancy, often done through the use of grimoires. This ability is viewed as taboo for many reasons, one being the fact that the soul of the reanimated person has likely passed on by the time they are resurrected. The soul of the once living individual is ripped from their current plane of existence, be it Heaven or Hell, to reaccompany their former body. As a result, this soul is essentially lost in a purgatory until they are dismissed by their Imp master. This also poses an issue for Abirelle's spiritual guides, as they are unable to retrieve the soul until it has been properly dismissed.
Imps are also capable of creating talismans. These special talismans have multiple uses depending on what is written on them. Some Imps use them to keep the magic of their servants in check; this is typically done for undead that were powerful in life, and thus have strong magical energy which can be potentially damaging to the Imp.
Additionally, a zombie can function in the presence of his Imp master regardless of any physical injuries recieved prior to reanimation. Many Imps take it upon themselves to repair wounds of their servants shortly after they are resurrected, be it simply so they can remain productive longer or otherwise. However, should a zombie servant wander too far from his master, this magic will wear off; any magical energy used to hold limbs together or provide function to broken bones will wear off, and the zombie will be left waiting to be retrieved.
One of the many repercussions of zombification is the absolute loss of most prior personality traits. While its not uncommon for a zombie to exhibit old habits, their personality in general is reduced down majorly. Imps such as Merle generally turn away mortals seeking revival for their loved ones due to this fact, although some Imps agree simply so they will be left alone.
Immortality
Its a secret!
HTML by Pinky
