Fausta

Fausta wrote:

Fausta ● Lich ● Age 150 Name: Ora Mae Cox ● Fausta Gender: Female Age: 150 Birthday: 31 May ● Born in Era, Fiore Sexuality: Asexual Special Characteristics: Fausta has successfully separated her spirit from her body by means of a dark and ancient ritual in a bid to live eternally but by doing so, she has damned herself to spend her everlasting life as a lich―a necromancer turned undead in the pursuit of immortality but still retaining its intelligence and to a slightly lesser degree, its personality. Though she once proudly bore the name Ora Mae Cox as a human, she forsook her name with her old life and took on her current alias to go with her new form. Just as with her name, Fausta has also shed her once necessary bodily functions such as the need to eat, sleep, etc. Liches will inevitably decay down to a skeleton but favorable conditions have thus far preserved her flesh with the exception of a few portions of her body, most notably her arms and mid-torso. Curious eyes can even gaze into the chasm of her lower sternum and make out the faint, pulsing glow of her magic container. Furthermore, her muscles suffer from a form of rigor mortis and her pale skin feels cold to the touch like a corpse fresh from the morgue. Personality: Far from what her ghastly form suggests, Fausta considers herself a scholar and in fact hails her studious nature as her greatest personal strength. It has served her well as a student, a professor, and a professional wizard but her inquisitive personality reaches far beyond academic pursuits. In her conduct with others, Fausta will place individuals into one of two categories: those who interest her and those who don't. Those of the former category will find themselves verbally and visually probed until the lich finds herself satisfied with what she has learned from her interaction and will typically make observation statements along the way, a practice complemented by her well-honed critical thinking skills. She does not value knowledge as an end in itself, however, and indeed only pursues the possibility of a new discovery in hopes of finding a practical application for her benefit, such as determining the value of a relic or discovering the hidden potential of another person. Capitalizing on her analytical personality, Fausta prefers to act deliberately and carefully when it comes to both magic and social interaction. She doesn't like to cast spells or use her words superfluously, only that which the situation requires from her like a skilled gambler holding all her cards until one can serve her. On the other hand, Fausta lacks as much affinity for dealing with sudden and unforeseen circumstances; that is to say that although she possesses an erudite's mind, she lacks the quick wit required to deal with stressful moments that she cannot prepare for beforehand. Anyone can take note of this in regular conversation during her long and ponderous pauses. Even when she does speak, she does so matter-of-factly and without a quick, charming tongue. On the upside, she finds herself less likely to make a slip-up, but it comes at the cost of spontaneous and fluid action. Some might think it laughable that Fausta considers her selflessness as her greatest weakness and while it becomes apparently less true with time, it does root itself in some facts about her character. Nearly from the beginning, she has rooted her desire to study and develop necromancy in the hopes of furthering humanity. After all, if mankind had achieved so much simply from conquering fire, imagine what it might accomplish should it master death itself. This pursuit of mastery over death would come to outline her true character flaws, namely, her tunnel vision in regards to the viewpoint and feelings of others. For example, she barely considers the merit of others who question the ethics of necromancy and whether eternal life makes up for the condition of undeath. To her own credit, Fausta has pondered the same questions herself but ultimately presumed it as an excuse against progress, the cries of those who struggle against their own best interests. From the aforementioned behavior, one can discern that Fausta lacks a reasonable amount of empathy but this has not always rung true, at least not to its current extreme. Many of her particularly awful attributes owe their current intensity to her status as a lich. Fausta herself has noted herself emotionally numbing to atrocious acts with every passing day. The sight of someone crying no longer upsets her as much, for example, and neither does the feeling of a hug incite warmth in her heart. This dulling of positive human attributes, however, does not mean she cannot discern the meaning behind emotional actions nor does it preclude her from acting in kind. While the same aforementioned hug might not evoke much of an emotional response, she can still recognize the meaning behind it and might even hug back if she believes she should. On the flip side, this growing change in her personality has and continues to erode previous inhibitions that would normally have prevented her from acting in certain ways. Despite championing institutions of law when her then-colleagues still knew her as Ora Mae Cox, Fausta gradually lost respect for the systems governing Fiore to the point of viewing the law as merely a hostile faction. To break the law no longer means committing a written taboo for her. She does not even bother to stop and consider the legality of her actions any longer except for instances in which she must blend into her surroundings. After all, authorities have acted perpetually hostile toward her since her transformation into a lich so what good does it do for her to play along with the decrees of the land? She does not possess much of a desire for vengeance, though, and will not go out of her way to oppose the government for the sake of opposing it. She does not consider herself as some extreme brand of libertarian or anarchist since her distrust of official institutions does not root itself in political reasoning. If Fausta does not even slightly worry about breaking the law, it should follow that she has almost as few qualms about breaking societal rules as well, which proves true in her case for the most part. Traditional ethics, morality, politics, and religious thought too have increasingly taken a backseat role in the lich's mind with the sole exception of consequentialism which teaches that the ends justify the means. As opposed to more orthodox egalitarianism in Fiore, Fausta believes any morbid or heinous actions fully justified as long as she performs them in pursuit of her so-called noble goals. This sets her apart from many darker-aligned creatures similar to herself in that she does not perform acts of wanton cruelty for the sake of it. She justifies every action she takes and if she cannot justify, she simply does not do it. This holds true and consistent just as much as any upright saint would hold fast to his or her code. In life and undeath, Fausta has always lacked a propensity for anger. Her cool-headed personality has served her well, especially when it came to her studies. The frustrations of learning something new seem to escape her but this lack of wrath applies to her dealings with others as well. Although others might goad her into a sense of displeasure, she rarely feels herself overcome with complete rage. One can attribute this somewhat tranquil attitude to her humility. Despite accomplishing much in life, Fausta does not think too greatly of herself. She holds no delusions about what lies within her capabilities and instead healthily realizes what she can and cannot accomplish and because of this, she lacks any pride to wound. Herein lies the source of her willingness to forgo revenge, though, she does not consider herself above delivering a tough lesson to those who need it in case anyone would think to abuse this aspect of her personality. Only with great difficulty can someone form any kind of friendship with Fausta. Even in life, she had difficulty forming a sense of comradery beyond professional links but anything can happen, especially if an individual shares her views and hobbies. It would come more easily, though, to instead form a mutual bond, an alliance of necessity. The prospect of a lasting, close relationship does not intrigue her as much as one in which she and the other person benefits through some mutual transaction. Naturally, she prefers to work with those sharing her goals but also those with something to offer her. Should an emotional bond never form, however, she can willingly dispose of that other person should it mean saving herself. This does not mean she will do so flippantly though. Only after great thought could her willingness to commit treachery present itself. Even then, she often does so with reluctance. In less equal relationships, such as one of subservience to another, Fausta takes a far more loyal shade. Actually gaining her loyalty requires nothing less than impressing her via a show of magical knowledge and power dwarfing her own on top of a willingness to entertain her own desires. This applies not only now but applied to her time as a human as well, during which she placed her faith wholly in her mentor to the point of carrying on that person's will even after her teacher passed. Conversely, Fausta expects as much dedication to those who pledge loyalty to her. The nature of this relationship sharply contrasts with mutual alliances in which she can more easily betray the other for her own sake. Viewing herself somewhat as a teacher or professor, she would feel far more responsible for nurturing and protecting her would-be pupils but as always, her own survival comes first. Although Fausta has spent countless hours studying the offensive application of magic, she prefers very much not to use it. Would the possibility arise, she would much rather prefer the pursuit of her goals through pacifistic means. Her hopes far outshine the truth of reality, however. Whenever a situation requiring combat occurs, she prefers to strike first with careful preparation beforehand. Should the initial move not bring the fight to a brief end, she will act as methodically and carefully as she does in casual conversation. The preservation of her life takes precedence, reducing the odds of her taking risks while also raising the chance of her preferring a tactical retreat, especially in prolonged bouts. The most likely scenario of her putting herself in needless dangerous would require the potential of a long-term danger that needs removing for the sake of future endeavors, such as dealing with an assassin or would-be hero searching for her specifically. Likes: Books ● Fausta considers books―specifically non-fiction―as brilliant repositories of information that preserve and carry on the knowledge of great minds. On an emotional level, it provides some comfort to the lich to relax and enjoy the contents of a book but on the practical level, it can provide her a useful piece of information to further her studies or other goals. She perfectly fits the description of an erudite who appears with her eyes buried into the contents of a parchment quite often. Magic ● Fausta showed an interest in magic from a young age but not in the same manner as her peers who viewed it as a means to perform awesome, mystical acts such as hurling fireballs from one's hands. Instead, the very nature of magic and ethernano as well as how an individual can use them in everyday applications came to define her early interests in the field. She would eventually go on to dedicate her life to the study of magic itself. Universities ● Fausta enjoyed the privilege of attending a wizard's university in the city of Era. Its most prestigious patrons consisted of the greatest minds in Fiore and several local Magic Council members of the time, and thus she would not only endure a great education at the institution but would later go on to teach and study at the university as one of its most skilled scholars. Her lifelong experiences there biased her toward universities in general, viewing them as bastions of learning and study. Undeath ● Many people consider the state of undeath a curse, a walking crime against nature. They either run in terror or attack without provocation at the mere sight of such individuals. Fausta, on the other hand, views the affliction as a coveted blessing. She thinks it a heightened state of existence through which mortals can overcome death itself, along with other human ailments that continuously hold back mankind. Of course, she doesn't wish to hold onto this gift herself but to spread it across the land. Era ● Fausta grew up on the outer edge of Era and would go on to spend much of her professional career working in the same city. It not only represents home to her but also a place of great minds, which makes sense given that it houses the Fiore Branch of the Magic Council along with reputable places of study. With a clear bias, she considers Era as the model city in a land where magic dominates. Catacombs ● Liches such as Fausta fittingly adore catacombs but not for aesthetic reasons. The cold, dry atmosphere and lack of sunlight halt the process of decay―a rather uncomfortable and unsettling transformation―and the expansive labyrinth of such tombs provide not only ample working room but also a means of hiding from society. Additionally, they provide a limitless amount of bodies to work with for endeavors in necromancy. No one can find a less suitable playground for a lich. Dislikes: Magic Council ● Over a century ago, the wizard that would later become Fausta earned the honor of joining the Fiore's Magic Council. She held the position for much of the remainder of her short-lived life but it would ultimately give her a bad impression. In the end, it gave her the conclusion that the Magic Council does more harm than good in regulating the use of magic, which directly conflicts with her more liberal use of magic. Heroes ● Great and noble knights wielding their blades against evil or perhaps wise and powerful wizards who use their powers to snuff out every criminal. Whatever form the archetype takes, Fausta despises them. She thinks them the byproduct of a naive mindset that sees the world in black and white. She also has a bad history with the heroic type, having once been defeated by a warrior of renown despite not wanting a battle in the first place. Heat ● Heat and most undead creatures don't mix well for a variety of reasons. At its best, heat speeds up the process of decay which produces an unexplainable feeling of unpleasantness in Fausta. At its worst and in the form of fire, however, heat can damage the undead. Even preserved corpses become dry over time, the perfect setting for a flame that wishes to spread and grow. Even the bones cannot withstand the consumption of fire. Nepotism ● When she still drew mortal breath, Fausta suffered firsthand from the corruption of nepotism. She saw how it flourished in her city where positions of importance belonged to interconnecting lines of powerful families. Belonging to a family lacking any prestige, Fausta would struggle in her early years to properly pursue her ambitions. This molded her worldview that the natural order of the world should reward the most deserving individuals, not those possessing blind luck or fortunate circumstances. Festivals ● Far from a socialite, Faustanever enjoyed large crowds even before her undead state necessitated solitude. Despite her veneration of Era, she loathed its numerous festivals for various holidays and national celebrations. The music disturbed the quietness she  coveted, and the crowded streets made it difficult for her to navigate the city. She especially despised the constrictive sensation of squeezing her body between others. Now, as a lich, she only has more reasons to avoid the mundane affairs of mortals. Livestock ● As a child, Fausta grew up on a farm on the rural, outer edges of Era. The family possessed various crops but as far as livestock, they mostly cared for pigs. Her faster placed the care of the pigs in her responsibility for the most part, and she had to feed and clean up after them every day. The hard, dirty work produced resentment toward farmwork, livestock, and especially pigs whom she takes care to avoid even seeing. Motivations: Necromancy ● In the final few years of her mortal life, Fausta delved deep into the mysteries of necromancy. She came to believe that this particular magic would prove more useful than any other to not only herself but to mankind. She still believes it and will constantly seek greater knowledge of the subject as well as the means to conduct her own research on the limits and capabilities of the magic. She threw away many of her life's accomplishments in pursuit of this goal and it remains one of her greatest ambitions. Phylactery ● During the process of turning oneself into a lich, an individual must place their spirit within an object as a means of persisting after the death of the body. Afterward,  the lich should take care to protect that object (their phylactery) or risk having it destroyed along with their life force. Fausta placed her own soul in a pendant of personal worth to act as her phylactery but lost it during a great slumber. Her current, primary goal consists of finding her phylactery to not only safeguard it but to also restore her diminished power. Studies ● Fausta devoted her professional life to the study of magical subjects and their real-world applications. Even today, this interest persists beyond necromancy and she will often pursue any new chance at gaining useful knowledge given the chance. However, she still enjoys learning non-magic subjects to a degree, especially the history of Earthland and its inhabitants. Conversely, she enjoys and desires to dispense her accumulated knowledge to hopeful pupils. A more informed populace, in her opinion, makes for a better society. Legacy ● Before turning herself into a lich, Fausta went by the name Ora Mar Cox. She chose the name Fausta after her mentor, Delores Fausta, who introduced her to the dark art of necromancy. Delores practiced Necromancy in secret, knowing the ignorant would scorn her or worse for it. She pressed on nonetheless with the noble goal of making humanity better. She passed away before she could see her dreams through but her apprentice tries diligently to carry on her will. Ascension ● To overcome death itself means to become an immortal, a great and almost divine being. Fausta has entered an imperfect state that closely mimics but still possesses the possibility to truly die should someone destroy her phylactery. She weeks to improve upon her undead form to make herself truly immortal; not just undead but eternally living. She hopes to not only achieve this state for herself but to put all of mankind on such a path, a path that starts with undeath. Fears: True Death ● The process of turning oneself into a lich demands the necromancer to die before resurrecting. Many liches see different things or even nothing at all in this state of true death before transitioning to undeath. In Fausta's case, she witnessed only what she would describe as damnation; a cold, sad realm where one never feels at peace and where the crimes she committed weighed heavy upon her heart and cause very real, literal pain. She spent over a century in this state but it felt like a millennium to her and she will do what she must to avoid returning to that nightmarish realm, even if she likes to shrug off the experience as a mere nightmare. Enslavement ● Those practicing necromancy not only raises up lesser undead but binds them to their will. Being an undead herself, Fausta has considered the possibility of meeting a necromancer far beyond her skill who might possess the means of commanding her against her will. She pities the undead in this state but nonetheless continues to practice the art of enslaving the minds of lesser undead for the sake of furthering her goals with the optimistic assumption that she will reach a position in which she can free her slaves. Holy Objects & Magic ● Dead or undead, a corpse doesn't feel pain. Even fire, one of the most fatal elements for the walking dead, does not cause pain in the process. Holy weapons and magics, therefore, hold the honor as one of the few means of causing searing pain in undead creatures. To creatures like Fausta, holy damage feels like what a mixture of fire and acid would feel like for a regular human. On top of that, holy attacks can destroy a lich's phylactery much more easily than regular methods. Surprises ● Fausta prefers to plan as carefully as possible, accounting for every little possibility she can. This slow and methodical approach does not bode well in the face of the completely unexpected. In fact, the lich can enter a state of pure panic depending on the scope of the surprise. Therefore, Fausta enjoys routes with as few variables that she must worry about in her endeavors. The only surprises she can enjoy are those found in her experiments. Stagnation ● Limitless time to grow and improve constituted one of the major points which influenced Fausta's transformation into a lich. She would feel great disappointment if she reached a point which she could not improve or learn anymore. Years upon years of such an existence would drive the lich into such a state of dread that she might simply lie down and gather dust like a genuine corpse. She remains optimistic that it might never come to that though. General Appearance Height: 5’6” Weight: 120 lb Hair: Dark Eyes: Icy Blue ● Glowing Skin Tone: Sickly Pale Appearance: Being an undead lich, Fausta very literally takes the appearance of a walking corpse. Time has consumed the flesh of her elbows, fingers, sternum, knees, and most of her toes. The remainder of her body takes a deathly pale shade with a cold blue hue one would expect to see from a body stored in a freezer. The simplest touch on her skin will reveal that she produces no body heat whatsoever. Pulling and pinching on her body will further demonstrate a powerful stiffness in her muscles, easily noticed from her slow movement. Although she can still run and the parts of her body where the flesh has withered can still function, she does so only by a magical means inherent to liches. The decay of her body doesn't cause her to feel any pain, however, aside from a mild discomfort provoking her to keep to cold, dry areas when the option privileges her. Good fortune has mostly preserved Fausta's long and dark hair. It once possessed a well-kept silky texture but time has left it brittle with no luster to speak of due to a lack of natural oils. Her hair reaches down the center of her back and drapes across her shoulders, though, she does not tend to it at all; it no longer grows beyond its current length anyway. Her eyes better capture the, or rather unlife, that dwells within her decrepit form. They glow with an unmistakably magical candescence that pulses with an icy blue aura. Truly a window into the soul, her eyes burn with a bright hue in correlation to her emotional state. At her calmest, they shimmer only dully but at her most volatile, they radiate with a chilling cold brightness like light reflecting through the thickest shards of ice. Remove the glow, though, and you will find that grains of dust cling to her eyes, suggesting she blinks as often as an actual corpse. Fausta prefers flowing robes in the tradition of a wizard but also for practical purposes. Her stiff muscles and frail legs make it difficult to fit herself and move properly in pants. Most commonly, she only wears the robes she originally died wearing: a once-regal dark, blue-gray robe plagued with time-worn holes at various spots of the silky cloth. Peculiarly, the symbol of Fiore's Magic Council adorns the chest and shoulders of the robe, indicating the dress represented the official form of dress for Magic Council members once upon a time. The robe comes with a sash with the same symbol as well, usually found wrapped around the lich's waist. She also wears a dark blue set of light shoulder pauldrons, though, these provide no actual defensive value anymore, with the magic that once enchanted them having long left the set. Her blue heeled-boots share much of the same tattered appearance as the rest of her ensemble. Bandages bound around her neck, arms, and hands form the only change she had made to her seemingly permanent outfit,  though, a set of old broken chains hang around her waist with her sash. She can only assume her killers attempted to chain her corpse down in fear of her reviving but the conditions of her entombment clearly did not favor the metal as much as they did her body. Perhaps as a symbol or maybe because she simply doesn't care, Fausta has not removed the chains. Ora Mae Cox ● Human ● Age 30 Guild: Guildless Tattoo: Blue ● Left Hand