Outwardly, Spite projects a deep sense of rage. She appears to be someone who simply hates. She has been wronged, after all, and now seeks her vengeance on a world who turned its back on her when she needed it the most. She is overtly standoffish, tending to respond to both strangers and friends alike with venomed words or a short tone. She rarely appears to go out of her way to be nice and speaks her mind even when her insight may not be welcome. She is sharp-tongued and harsh and is quick to offer her judgement. Many might describe her as just mean. She refuses to let most anyone get close and will give the cold shoulder to even the sincerest kindnesses of strangers.

However, deep inside, Spite cares deeply about the people around her. She pushes the world away but finds that despite her attempts to distance herself from the problems of others, she cannot help but care. She believes that she shows strength by keeping others at arm’s reach, but when alone with one she trusts, it becomes clear that her cold façade hides a lost soul who longs for the clan and people that she has lost. Her attempts to not care are mere projections. She feels deeply for the problems of others and would do anything to protect a stranger—she simply rarely knows how. So, she does keep her distance. She keeps herself safe from being hurt or rejected, as if she never acts like she cares, certainly she cannot feel the pain of being unwanted.

Spite is someone who feels a great sense of duty. She was raised from a young age believing it to be her job to protect her clan, as her combat-oriented magic made her uniquely disposed to become a warrior and protector of her reclusive settlement. She was raised to love her people and hate Ivras, hate the outsider. So, that was what she believed. Her moral compass was always directed at protecting her people, and her self-worth depended on the safety of those under her care. When the accident happened that led to her exile, she lost the direction in her life, though not for long. Odelia saved her by finding her and giving her a person to live for.

Spite does not know what comes next in her life. For now, she is a mercenary, never really settling in one place for long, but using the freedom of her life to take less-than-savory jobs and to solve small problems wherever they find themselves: fighting threats around a local town and using their combat abilities to be of worth both to themselves and to the world. However, Spite does not know that she really can live this way forever. Eventually, she will need to learn what comes next for her, and it seems Odie may be the key to this change in her life.

trigger warning: violence, death

Early Life

Born to a militant wild clan settlement nestled in the jungles just past the edge of Ivras’ control, Aspid Itesia’s life was always one of warfare. There was a constant threat of the Order to any clan which supported and housed non-Order mages, and Aspid’s clan often birthed mages such as herself. Furthermore, living in such close proximity to southern Ivras town, their territory was always under threat of a kingdom which believed they should occupy the entirety of the peninsula. So, the settlement was conditioned to fight, and fight constantly, to uphold their way of life. Anyone with the ability to hold their own in combat was expected to stand in defense of their land and their people, a fate the young Aspid knew was in her f

Even from a young age, the horrors of constant warfare were no secret to Aspid: she was used to sheltering in hidden cellars underneath their town while witch finders hunted for blood on the streets above, and she was skilled at tending to the grievous wounds of returning soldiers. While fear may have gripped the hearts of some, instead, the young foal felt only rage. Seeing her people suffer so dearly made her want to act, and so she began her training at a young age.

Aspid’s physical prowess and domineering size made her a formidable force to reckon with even when she was just training; however, the noxious effects of her magic turned the stomachs even of her fellow mages. Her powers led only to destruction, to harm. Given the barbed tip of her lashing tail, it was often dangerous even to stand in her vicinity. She was respected but easily feared even by her own side—a fearsome force in battle but built only for battle. When it came to regular town business, she found herself without much of a place. She was a rageful youth; dedicated but harboring great anger towards the outside world a fatal, uncontrolled magic. She was nicknamed Asp by her teachers for her toxic powers and lizard-like appearance and told to spend herself training alongside some of the other youths. After all, her parents and teachers alike believed it would be safer to develop control over her magic and foster her combat skills for battle than to tutor her in town-oriented tasks such as a craft or trade. Aspid never questioned this; she wanted more than anything to devo

Life of a Warrior

The life of a combatant suited Aspid well. On the battlefield, she was a beast of venom and flame, relentless in her drive to dominate their opponents. However, she was never comfortable during the peaceful downtime in the village; her, and the other young members of her regiment never quite fit in. They were raised together from foals to fight. They had spent years learning to trust each other in combat, to hone each other’s magic abilities in order to take down their witch finder opponents and protect their fellow wild mages. For a band of warriors raised only to fight, what fun could there be in peace?

Despite this, it was during this downtime that her and her regiment became the best of friends. For the formative years of their lives, they spent nearly every waking moment together. If they were not in battle, they were training; if they were not training, they were finding ways to entertain themselves. In their younger years they chose to trouble settlement craftsmen and chase livestock. As they grew older, they found less chaotic outlets: drinking together or finding ways to turn a training task into a game or bonding exercise. In and out of battle. Aspid relied on her regiment companions. Besides, attacks from witch finders were growing more and more frequent, with rumors of leadership changes at the Mage Order legitimizing their enemy’s attacks. So, the wild clans needed the young band of fighters more and more. For better or for worse, they were busy: there always seemed to be a battle to be fought.

Fall from Grace

Aspid’s last day in the Wild Clans started as any other. Rumors of an attack by a witch finder group had come her way, so her and her regiment were ready when the assault came. By this point, the enemy was commonplace: more than once, she had run across this particular group of five before and had learned to recognize their magics and attack patterns. No fight was without its stakes: death was a constant threat, and no mage could let their guard down for even a moment. Yet, despite that, this fight should have been nothing special.

In the heat of battle, Aspid danced between enemy attacks—one moment, she raised her wings to fend off a burst of fire, the next, an enemy revealed a gap in their armor just long enough for a lash of her sharpened tail to find purchase, and she felt the familiar rush of unrestrained, desperate rage as her venom flowed to her enemy. Her magic had always kicked her adrenaline into high gear. Releasing her venom was accompanied by a rage, the red-tinged heat of anger searing her vision and unleashing a ferocity from the bird-like mage. She whipped around to seek a new enemy and, in the moment, forgot her bearings in this fight as the rage clouded her judgement. Her tail blade found the throat of one of her own people, ending their life in one swift accident.

She was frozen in fear, watching one of her own fall at her own hand. A moment later, the other fighters realized it too, and turned on her. She heard shouts of traitor, and saw her own people shift their rage to her in that moment. She did not know what her punishment would be, how their revenge would be found. All she knew was that it was over. As her friend fell, her life crumbled. She had killed one of her own. If she did not die, she would be exiled.

On the Run

That day, Spite left her clan behind, and felt to northern Ivras. She has been on the run for many months now, seeking new direction in her life and working as a mercenary in the meantime. She knows that her previous clan seeks her death in revenge for killing one of her own, and knows she can never return. She is torn between longing for what she has lost and hatred for those who turned their backs on her after so many years of service.

Spite's magic centers around the production of potent venoms, arising from various venom glands across her body. Spite's powers will not be used on another mage without their express ooc written permission.

• Serpent's Bite Similar to a viper, Spite's canines are elongated into hollowed fangs connected to potent venom sacs along her neck. She can choose to inject venom with a bite. This requires the fangs to penetrate the skin so the liquid can be injected into the tissue to take effect; and the bite must last a moment for the venom to pass. If the venom meets tissue, it causes swelling, stiffness, and, if enough venom was passed to the target, paralysis in the area around the bite. If the bite was effective at reaching the bloodstream, it can damage the heart leading to cardiac arrest. The venom is processed by the body and expelled after about 6 hours.
• Envenomated Tailstrike Spite possesses secondary venom sacs in her tail. This venom is less potent, but her tail provies her a more effective method of delivery than her fangs. An elongated scale on the end of her tail makes it sharp like a blade, and small amounts of venom are delivered with lacerations. This venom contains a neurotoxin that amplifies pain, causing wounds to feel more painful. However, this toxin does no long-term damage and wears off after 1 minute.
• Corrosive Saliva As a result of the slow leak of venom into Spite's mouth, her saliva has corrosive properties. It causes a burning sensation when it touches exposed skin, and can damage fur or other organic materials over time. Those exposed to the saliva who do not wash it off fast enough may experience a rash or minor scarring of the affected region.
• Noxious Shot Spite has honed her ability to control the discharge of venom from her fangs. In addition to being able to inject poison with a bite, she is able to spray venom from her mouth towards her foes. This spit is a skin irritant and is especially effective when targeted at the eyes or mouth. Currently, she can only emit a dilute and unaimed spray.

With future stat increases, Spite will gain new abilities to hone her venom.

• Improved Venom As power increases, the duration and effectiveness of Spite's venom effects will improve through modifications of the proteins it contains. This may make it more difficult for her victim's body to process the venom or lead to new physiological effects such as the additions of neurotoxins that increase the likelihood of experiencing paralysis.
• Noxious Shot As Spite increases her discipline, she will hone her ability to control the discharge of her venom at long distances. While this will begin as an unaimed and dilute spray, her control will increase until it is a well-aimed shot.

Costs

• Magic use has a negative effect on Spite's mood. Injection of Spite's venom makes her highly aggressive and impairs her self-discipline. For a short time after venom use, her fight-or-flight instinct kicks into her fight mode and she will become agitated and highly prone to violence. She loses all restraint and cannot hold herself back or think strategically. This can lead to poor fighting, attacks on an ally, or may even cause her to injure herself without realizing it.
• Regeneration of Spite's venom takes a great deal of time. Her venom is limited and, once used, it takes her a significant amount of time to regenerate her original stores. This time increases exponentially with amount used; while regenerating a small amount of venom takes some time, using up all of her venom will greatly slow the regeneration process.