Profile
Limbo Town is a subterranean village lost in time, the villagers descendants of the Lost Colony of Puritans who disappeared from Roanoke Island and a futuristic blue-skinned ("demon") race called the Sheeda. They are from a long and pure line of Witches, strong necromancers who bring their dead back to life as Grundy workers to tend their fields of stone and follow the law of their god, Croatoan. Aphrah Fogg was only a small child when the town was literally dug up by Melmoth during the Sheeda Invasion of the above world, what they call "Blue Rafters". With the Submissionaries and most of the adult Witch-men killed, and the Grundy ruined, the remaining townspeople were left to fend for themselves.
Rebuilding Limbo Town was slow, with many of the Witch-folk seeking to remain the same, while trying to acknowledge the modern world's progression as it was thrust into their belief system. Aphrah's father was killed by the Submissionaries' combined Horigal when their Witchman Parliament became a threat to the Olde Ways, so Aphrah was raised to accept progress, change, and free-thinking; the little boy was one excited by the reopening of the Wicket Gates to Blue Rafters, allowing Witch-folk to recommence trades and visit the outer realms. The Parliament was reinstated.
A few years later, however, Aphrah discovered he had a rare form of magic, Hematomancy, divination from blood. He was given visions and could make predictions from focusing on his own blood drawn from cuts and scraps. It was tested over the town's bible, the Book of Shadows, allowing him to read scriptures from the blank iron pages, as the three Submissionaries before him could. At 10 years he became the youngest Submissionary, training with the Elders of Limbo Town in how to hone his magic and new religious path.
And so began the creation of Witch World as the Witch-folk sought to explore and expand below ground, with a new order of Parliament and Submissionary. Although one thing they still lacked were Grundy, so the building process remained at a snail's pace, no zombies to carry the workloads. It was this labor and toil that gave the new, younger generation of Submissionaries an idea: an eye for an eye from Blue Rafters. Too many unused dead left to rot in the modern world, it was also the same world that destroyed their Grundy families; so they sought a "fair trade", getting Grundy they lost. In his first solo trip as a Witch-man to New York's Manhattan, Aphrah goes to Hart Island's potter's field to raise the mass of unknown, ill-cared for dead.
This harrowing event inevitably led to a mass of zombies on an exodus through Times Square NYC as Aphrah led them to submit to his will and follow to the subway system, back underground to Limbo Town. In the confusing chaos that erupts in this Night of the Living Dead, the Justice League call in their Dark counterpart to combat the supernatural threat—but Aphrah was not looking for a fight. Taken into custody by the JLD, the young blue man is quickly informed of the etiquette of the above Blue Rafters world.
Realizing his feat was not in malice or for evil purposes, the Justice League Dark allow him to go free as long as the bodies are returned. However, this misadventure opened Aphrah's eyes to knowledge, customs, and culture he never understood, and in an effort to co-exist peacefully with Blue Rafters, Aphrah becomes a sort of emissary between the two planes. Wanting to learn and introduce progress to Witch World's expansions, while preserving Limbo Town's traditions, he divides his time between his hometown underground and the fast-paced city of lights and loudness above.
About
Aphrah is a simple, sweet-natured person and anything wicked he does is out of old-fashioned misunderstanding, or the result of growing up in a Puritanical, hardcore Croatoan-faith system to which he still abides by. Although a strict magical religion to which he preaches from the Book to his village, he is also a believer in acceptance and wishes for everyone to get along. He is friendly and approachable, a welcoming attitude, and displays a priest-like confidence earned through Submissionary rule.
There isn't much by way of hobbies in restricted, repetitive Limbo Town, and Aphrah spends most of his time making Cruciforms, daily chores for his aging mother and their home, helping tend the rock fields, and studying his readings for the Book or practicing Dark Arts; when he was little, he enjoyed sewer rat hunting with his father. After spending time in Blue Rafters, he discovers all sorts of crazy, flashy things he never imagined, yet still he prefers books to television, and taking walks through the park over taxi drives through clubbing districts.
Likes
- Sweets (more so admiring their pretty decorations and packing)
- Books (there aren't many in Limbo) and reading
- Children ( they're open-minded and accepting)
- Soft, squishy stuffed animals
Dislikes
- Loud, successive noises (ex. fireworks, gunfire)
- Having to hide his feelings (and the constant sense of guilt and shame)
- Excessive heat (he's used to living underground)
- Cars (speed demons!)
Powers | Abilities
- Necromancy
- Reanimation - He can raise dead bodies with his Dark Arts; this is easiest in Limbo where the men die and naturally become Grundy as an effect of their Sheeda heritage and Melmoth's descendants
- Submissionary's Rod- Staff held by the spiritual order and used to control the wills of others, including the dead Grundy
- Black Magic Witchcraft
- Hexes - A spell designed to curse another with a negative and ill-effect. Witches of Limbo often use hexes to defend, manipulate, or thwart an opponent.
- Eldritch Blasts - Although not a fighter, Aphrah can defend himself with concentrated, magical energy blasts
- Illusions and Hypnosis - Many Witch-men such as Klarion Bleak are masters at forming illusions with their magic, even using the power of hypnosis on others, and Aphrah is no exception.
- Transmutation - Changing an object or even person into another form with a spell
- Telekinesis - Aphrah has the ability to make objects move around by his magical will
- Levitation - He can cast a spell to float off the ground; however, the warlocks' spell for full flight has since been lost to the Witch-folk as they are an underground people.
- Cruciforms - Small, handmade wands of sticks and thread used to perform spells and hexes. Some are hung in homes to ward off evils
- Hematomancy
- Divination- Aphrah can psychically connect to others and the universe through blood readings, allowing him to foretell of things to come (precognition), or things past (retrocognition). He usually draws his own blood to use
- Book of Shadows - Reading the scriptures in the Limbo Town bible; as Submissionary the Town follows his predictions
- Familiar
- Horigal - The magic to physically merge with his familiar and become a creature of protection and retribution. This ability is only to be used when Limbo Town is threatened
- Flight - Only available when in the Horigal form when he has his grackle's wings
- Psychic Link - He is bonded to his Draaga-bird (Familiar), Skorl, and can speak with her telepathically and see through her eyes. This gives him a great aerial advantage point.
- Longeval
- Water of Life - Because of his lineage and his blood distantly mixed with water from the Undry Cauldron, Aphrah has an extended lifespan and can seem slow-aging.
Limitations | Weaknesses
Aphrah's Dark Arts is only limited by what he knows, and considering he grew up in an almost "time slip", he knows nothing of other eras, cultures, and religions. Although his magic is pure, he'd be at a disadvantage against someone who has trained in multiple practices and faiths. He is also a sweetheart who prefers not to engage in magic battles, though he will defend.
His unique gift of hematomancy can be difficult at times, and his visions can be like a puzzle he must put together before divining. Quite often what he sees is open to interpretation, only coming in flashes of scenes, or a single still picture in his mind. He is also only human, and sometimes he feels shame over his blood readings of the Book of Shadows, fearing he may let his closeted shame and desires misguide him; he doesn't want to use his powers for personal gain, instead for the betterment of his fellow Witch-folk.
Despite being a distant relation to Melmoth, the immortal deposed King of the Sheeda race, Aphrah does not share his invulnerability. He can die or be killed (without regenerating as Melmoth does) so he is not immortal, and he is not ageless; the Witch-folk grow old just like their human side.
His greatest power is also his greatest weakness: the Horigal. In that state he is prone to bloodlust and a feral behavior, a combination of Draaga and Witch personalities. Once merged, it is also difficult to separate as it is a healing spell only taught to Witch-women; if he were to become Horigal outside of Limbo he could become trapped in the monster-like state.
Playlist
Carnival of Rust - Poets of the Fall
Trivia
☽☾ Aphrah is based on this child from the comic Seven Soldiers: Klarion and most of his development stems from Klarion's lore throughout DC. Timeline is canon and headcanon blended.
☽☾ During his stays in Blue Rafters he uses a glamour spell to change his blue skin to normal flesh tone and hide his pointed ears.
☽☾ He often wears gloves to hide the bandages and scarring from cutting into himself for his blood readings.
☽☾ Speaks with a very proper, Olde English dialect (if you've seen The VVitch you know what it sounds like).
☽☾ Character made his debut January 4, 2018. Like my other OCs, I made the month and day his birthday.
Links
River Williams
[ Love Interest ]
Aphrah met River on his first solo outing into the world above Limbo Town, and the flirty New York City boy quickly captured the Submissionary's attention. It didn't take long for him to look forward to his return trips to Blue Rafters, wanting to see more of the charming, confident gay boy, secretly smitten. Read more about their romance here.
Skorl
[ Familiar ]
Aphrah's bonded familiar, the grackle bird acts as his closest confident and voice of reason. She seems to know his deepest feelings and desires even before he realizes it for himself, although her mannerisms are that of a strict auntie. Like most Witch-folk, Aphrah would be lost without Skorl.
Klarion Bleak
[ Idol ]
The famous Brother Klarion and his familiar-cat, Teekl, are well known to Aphrah, who was a child when the events of the Harrowing happened. Though gone from Limbo Town since, Aphrah has much admiration for Klarion, and often uses their Brother as an example in his teachings, to inspire more Witch-folk to Klarion's ideals.
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