Rheya (The Bloodbane)

Variant Human: Hag-Child / Blood Hunter

Submitted character story

Blood Hunter: Order of the Profane Soul
Variant Human: Hag-Child

CHARACTER BACKSTORY (JOURNAL ENTRY STYLE):

I was born on- well, I guess I don't really know when I was born exactly- but the Trust always told me it was sometime in Duscar- early Duscar, when the sky is gray and cold and unapologetic and the ground is slick with rain. If I’m being completely honest, though, I like to pretend I was born in Dualahei, when the earth starts to come alive again, and the sun comes out, and the trees sprout little green buds at every knuckle. 

Gods, I wish it’d stop raining.

It’s nights like this, when I want nothing more than sleep to finally just take me, when those damn fragments take hold in the forefront of my brain again and they’re all I can see when I close my eyes. Most nights I just see blood; pulsating, throbbing, pounding visions of crimson coat the back of my eyelids. The worst nights come with visions of long vile hands with crooked joints grabbing for me, contorting and twisting and squeezing around me, and I wake to find myself sore and exhausted. But sometimes, when I feel I’ll never have a peaceful sleep again, I’ll get little glimpses of a crooked grin with fangs on purple skin between flashes of red. I wish I could remember Them. 

I don’t remember much from before the Trust found me, and from what they told me and the little pieces I can recall, it’s probably for the best. They told me I was lost- in more ways than one- a criminal in Kahmordah with a body count. “Killer instincts, though,” they said. The memory is cloudy, but they took me in, and did what they could to give me a network, a purpose- the glimmer of a life I could be proud of; to use my instincts and skillset to help turn the tides of this war, to stop all this senseless killing. 

The Trust sent me to privately train at Bladegarden with Eröan Quílar, an elven veteran who taught me everything I know- how to use my longbow, how to stick to the shadows, and even a few spells, though he always joked I was pretty shit at picking up new ones. He was my mentor and my moral compass as I re-learned my place in the world, sometimes even a trusted confidante on nights when the whiskey just wasn’t quite strong enough. He’s the only person I trusted enough to talk about my nightmares. Unlike the other Trust agents I’d mentioned them to, he didn’t look at me like he wanted to dissect me- he’d just look at me thoughtfully and listen. 

Aryn I never really saw coming. We met while I was training in Bladegarden. She was fierce, but warm and bright- she made me awkward and stupid and soft. She felt like summer. I always thought Aryn knew there was a part of me I couldn’t share with her; I could see the jealousy and disappointment she tried to suppress whenever she would watch me head out to drink with Eröan, when my world was too heavy to be in her light. She tried her best to heal me, I think, but the way she looked at me…  She told me that my eyes were striking, what first drew her in, but when I looked in hers I couldn’t help myself from seeing those hellish blood-red eyes reflected back at me. 

I didn’t tell Aryn I was leaving. I hope she knows how sorry I am. 

...


CHARACTER APPEARANCE:

Deep, blood-red eyes peek out from a mess of long black hair and bangs beneath a shrouded black hood. The hood has a fabric section that can be raised to cover the bottom half of her face. A dark gray asymmetrical shirt flows out from her left side under her armor to about mid-thigh. Her studded leather armor wears similar to a corset, with studs lining the top hem, and the right side has a shoulder covering that sits under her quiver and buckles over her chest. Her pants are tightly fitted, black, with straps crossing up her thighs, and a dagger sheathed at her waist. Her sleek black boots match her leather corset, and they go up her calves, covering the front of her knees with studs and rivets and a bunch of straps.

She wields a nasty-looking black iron longbow with similarly colored bowstring, inscribed with runes and leering faces. If you inspected the bow over time, you would find these markings shift and change with no apparent pattern, almost as if the essence of spirits reside trapped in the weapon itself.


CHARACTER PERSONALITY:

ISTJ-A/T: The Logistician 
+ Honest and direct
+ Strong-willed and dutiful
+ Very responsible
+ Calm and practical
+ Hard on herself
+ Quick to judgment
+ Can come off cold and insensitive
+ Stubborn


DM NOTES:

+ Eye Color:

Her eyes weren’t always red; they used to be hazel, with flecks of gold and streaks of rich browns and deep forest greens. They changed gradually over time, and still, with each kill they grow more and more red. She is repulsed by the sight of them, as it brings back slivers of memories from the person she once was. Someone with pretty good perception would be able to catch microexpressions of disgust on her face if her eyes are mentioned or if she catches reflections of them. She avoids mirrors as much as she can. Since her eyes become more and more red with each kill, her eyes will eventually darken from crimson to black nothingness if her body count increases.

+ Hag-Child of Isharnai the Prism Sage:

Isharnai is a hag who lives alone among the Cyrios Mountain woods north of the Bromkiln Hills, closest to the Dwendalian town of Kamordah (setting is Wildemount in Exandria). She is described as a very intelligent and conniving individual that has made their living feeding off the misery of other people, and by extension, Rheya serves as an extension of her: every kill brings misery to those that knew and loved them, and Rheya has fed Isharnai now for years...

+ Family & Friends:

Maeve, sister:
Rheya has lost memories of her sister, Maeve, a teenager now that is also a Hag-Child. Maeve looks very similar to Rheya, though her hair is kept short with a side fringe, and her eyes have gone completely white, though she retains her vision. Maeve's powers developed quite differently from Rheya's, causing her to develop into a promising diviner, though her visions largely have been centered around Isharnai's thirst for misery. Maeve is sometimes sent into town to quietly lure in desperate people with the promise of fortune and luck if they strike a deal with her sire. Maeve remains under the authority of Isharnai, but occasionally is afforded visions of her sister, hoping one day, they might once again be reunited and escape the Hag's control.

Eröan Quilar, mentor:
Wood-Elf, Righteous Brand Veteran
This person was once Rheya's mentor, but she left before completing her training. Rheya is welcome to return and finish what she started, but only when she is ready.

Arynine “Aryn” Ceres, ex-partner:
Human, Spy for the Augen Trust
Rheya left Bladegarden without a goodbye, and it broke Aryn's heart. She would be conflicted over seeing Rheya again, unsure if she left of her own volition, or the Trust's; either way, Rheya won't be leaving without a candid and emotional conversation.

Kel, childhood friend:
Purple-skinned Tiefling, Commoner who works in the Vineyards of Kamordah
Rheya bonded with this person during their time in the orphanage. They wonder what happened to their friend.