#scarphagia

ahh yes Othira!! its about time i mentioned her honestly. ill try keep this to bullet points bc yall know i ramble too much by now haha man i was wrong about that huh. there was gonna be more but i decided ive spoiled enough already

One of the bigger antagonists within my lore

She’s a guardian; her charge is a physical, somewhat-sentient manifestation of a shade curse (specially the curse on Niet), known sometimes as The Sibylline

Her home and birthplace is an underwater city named Omache. Growing up she had no relevancy or special position, she was just a city resident.

She never sought out her charge, but instead it came to her when she was around 13 years old. To begin with she never saw it physically, it only appeared to her in her dreams, but she recognised it immidately as her charge and so was not unnerved by it.

The Sibylline itself came to her on the instinctual knowledge that she would be important. The Sibylline is only semi-conscious - it has no real thought process nor ability to chose right from wrong, it exists only to fulfil its existance as a curse, but has enough intelligence and awareness to be able to plan ahead.

The Sibylline used her natural connection to psychics as a Water dragon (i know on-site shes light but finding her colours w the right eyes was a pain) to begin feeding her visions. It brought her false prophecies of the Omachan royal family turning on their people, visions of rich tyranny and poor people dying in the streets from poverty and neglect.

Othira began to spread these visions, but caught attention very quickly due to her young age. What had started out as a young girl telling her friends and family of the strange dreams she had very quickly spiralled into a mass following, and the Omachan people began to grow more and more wary of their royalty.

The growing mass hysteria soon hit breaking point, and a revolution began under false pretences, spearheaded by Othira, her parents, and a small group of particularly charismatic and intelligent allies. It was not a long revolution, for there were few remaining who had faith in their rulers, and they were quickly overpowered by sheer numbers.

The Omachan Royal Family fled, choosing to save themselves and their children than to die for a country and people that no longer wanted them. The leaders of the revolution formed a republic, with the rebellion leaders as the elected council, known as The Scarphagia

Things settled within Omache and things within the city remained relatively unchanged. During this time, Othira aged a few years, and came to realise that her visions and charge were Shade-influenced. Trusting The Scarphagia, she told them, and they agreed to keep it a secret amongst themselves. However, realising the Shade had given them their freedom and power, the counsel began to worship the Shade as a God of Chaotic Freedom.

During her time in Omache, there was a peculiar incident where a dragon she’d never met before climbed several stories, persued by guards, to her bedroom within the Palace the Scarphagia now resided in. In the brief moments they had contact, he explained he meant her no harm, but had heard that a beautiful girl resided within the palace and simply had to see for himself if it were true. She introduced herself as Othira and asked if he was dissapointed; he introduced himself as Kaydu, and replied that he was not.At that moment, the guards caught up and arrested the man, who no longer attempted to resist them. However, bemused by his eccentric ways and overt flattery, she spoke with the Counsel and asked for his release, wanting to speak with him more.

The two of them kept in contact, sometimes she would leave the palace to meet with him, or he would come to her (properly, this time). Over the course of the next few years they fell in love, and ultimately decided to have a child together.

Due to its location at the bottom of the ocean, there are a great many supplies that are unavailable, and while the city does have some trade, Omache is very much a raid-based clan. Kaydu was one such raider, so Othira wasn’t unused to him being away for times, but mid-way through her pregnancy she recieved the tragic news that this time he would not be returning. Heartbroken, she receeded from the world to mourn alone for a long while, but ultimately decided to carry on for the sake of her child, knowing that her mate would live on in part through them. Her egg became her only comfort, and If one listened carefully, you might’ve been able to hear her sing softly to it through the palace windows.

Her egg hatched after a time, providing her with a son, a guardian with the same stark white scales as his father, who she named Otzi. She treasured the new light in her life above all else, vowing to protect him no matter the cost, even if it brought her ruin. Only a few days after he hatched, she noticed her son’s health was degrading quickly, leaving him sickly and frail.

Othira, using the entirety of her wealth,commissioned the help of every doctor and healer in the city and nearby area to try and save her child. Ultimately, it was decided upon that nothing could be done, for the baby had no discernable illness, but was simply born with a body too weak to sustain itself, most likely due to complications caused by the stress of Othira losing her beloved whilst she was carrying. The doctors withdrew, and Othira spent what remaining time they had alone with her child, doing what little she could to comfort him. Otzi passed away a few days later.

Grief-stricken, but unwilling to let go, this time Othira took action. In secret, she met with an Ice mage within the city and, paying them for both their service and their secrecy, had them freeze Otzi’s body, to preserve it. She then fled Omache the very next day without a word to anybody, and headed Northward, where the Shade is strongest.By now, Othira was well aware of her relationship with the Shade, and knew that if there was a way to bring her son back, it was through that.

She began her research during her travels, gathering any book or rumour she could come across that might be of help. She encountered tales of bodies preserved to almost perfection for thousands of years within peat bogs, and turned her focus towards this. Othira eventually took up residence deep within a marshland type area between the territories of Shadow and Nature, thawing her sons body and burying him within the peat as til such time as when she could revive him. She built herself a small cabin there, and began her research.

Occasionally she would journey out, chasing rumours or collecting scrolls and books that may be of use. She spent years within the bogs, studying her materials and the surrounding flora and fauna for anything that may be useful. She began experimenting with everthing from potions to magic to summoning shade creatures, going as far as to conduct tests on weary travellers that wandered too close. As expected, she found herself having most luck with the Shade, and after her years of isolation and study, she found she could summon and control the Shade with ease. After many more studies were conducted on various nobodies (including one dragon in particular), Othira decided it was time.

In her many years of study, Othira had learnt that when the Shade was orignally cast out, a large chunk of its essence had escaped to a dimension which neither mortal dragons nor The Eleven could access, known as the Orphic Realm. However, her connection and control of the shade was unprecedented, and she had been chosen by the shade rather than the other way around, so she was resolute in her belief that she could get there.

On the night of a new moon, she conducted the rites, and forcibly tore her way through the fabric of reality. The Shade took notice of the intrusion immidiately, and demanded that she leave, or be consumed. Instead, Othira stood firm and made her case as one chosen by an aspect of the shade, having shown nothing but loyalty and servitude towards it for her whole life. The Shade congratulated her on allowing bitterness and spite to consume her so, and stuck a deal with her,

When she was expelled from the Orphic Realm and returned to her body within the mortal plane, she was returned to her senses by the cry of a child. She looked down and where there had been nothing previously, a swaddled hatchling, her son, Otzi, now lay in her arms. He was cold, and his heart did not beat, but he was alive, and in that moment of unadulterated joy she pledged herself to the Shade in full, and that no God, beast nor mortal would stop her from fulfiling her side of the bargain.

Othira returned to Omache then, her son’s life kept secret to the public but worshipped as an act of mercy from the Chaos God to its loyal followers by the council. For years she raised him as if nothing had changed, but all the while plotting how to deliver on her end of the agreement with the Shade and consummate the will of The Sibylline.