__________________QUICK STATSName Olivia Mal Tannis
Age 18
Gender Female
Species Literally a gateway to the demon realm Human
Ethnicity Tanati
Height 4'11"
Occupation Enchanter
Residence Wanderer
__________________IN-DEPTH STUFFPhysical Description "Unimposing" describes Olivia in a single word. Standing at just under 5 feet tall, and quite scrawny by visible appearances, she doesn't command any respect based on appearance alone. Olivia's hair is a silvery-blond, and is neatly kept at a shoulder-length wavy bob. She has caramel skin, and appears to keep up with her health and hygiene well-enough— long, bright eyelashes, a soft, pink smile and soulful dark-blue eyes, though her gaze tends to be a bit unfocused at times. Olivia has a beauty mark on her left cheek, just below her eye.
Her attire consists of a blue, form-fitting, long-sleeved crew top shirt, which has strange, unknown symbols— potentially characters of a forgotten dialect— lining the sleeves, which end in finger loops on each side. Around her neck sits a simple, yet fine silver chain-link necklace, with an onyx orb at its center, resting on her chest. To the careful observer, said orb seems to pulse, ever so slightly, with each passing moment— almost like a slow, methodical heartbeat. She wears a black utility belt which holds an array of various crystals, scrolls, herbs and talismans. A secondary belt sits slightly more loosely, just below the first, and holds nothing more than a small, black book with an unknowable number of pages. In travel, she wears a simple, blue hooded cloak with a black trim. It's hood is large enough to obscure her face, but she typically only wears it up if absolutely necessary.
Olivia wears a royal blue pareo skirt across her waist, which has a similar black trim to her cloak— a trim which is adorned with little beads of silver, the same fineness as that of the necklace on her neck. Beneath the pareo, she wears little more than form-fitting black bloomers and black stockings. Olivia typically wears simple, black chelsea boots, with silver zippers on the sides.
Art of Olivia commissioned for me by
Seanuver2300!
Olivia Mal TannisPersonality Olivia looks the way she acts, and acts the way she looks— quiet, unimposing, 'small' in the grand scheme of things. She has trouble speaking up for herself in the presence of others, and oftentimes gets outspoken or talked over in conversations. She comes off as rather easy to manipulate, but not necessarily because she's foolish or naive— moreso because she lacks the spine and willpower to stand up for herself, unless someone or something she deeply cares about is at risk. These things, however, are few and far between— From the treatment she recieves from her family, to the trouble she has with making friends, to the rather unfortunate... 'heritage' that plagues her, Olivia has struggled with finding any real agency in life, up to this point. She is, however, a kind person at heart— something that her life's various struggles and concerns hasn't stripped from yet. She's quite altruistic, willing to help others with no expectation of reward, and despite the fact that she has few friends, it's not as though she doesn't want them, nor is if she doesn't actively try to make them— She simply hasn't had the best of long-term luck. Olivia's pastimes include looking after stray kittens and other small creatures, cooking, cleaning, and all sorts of crafts that allow her to use her hands, while silencing and focusing her mind.
Magic/AbilitiesThe Vessel - The latest in a bloodline of contract-bound mortals to be 'bound' to demonkin, Olivia is a 'vessel'; A mortal who's soul is an anchor for powerful demons to enter the world. Her unique circumstances have granted her a unique connection to the demonic realm, and it's inhabitants— She can converse with devils and monsters alike, from within the mortal realm— She can likewise be pulled, albeit temporarily, into the realm of demons with no negative side effects. Olivia, and the demonic beings she comes to interact with, share mutually exclusive benefits to one another's continued existence; Demons can partake of the unique properties of a Vessel's soul, which is a connection in and of itself to the demon realm-- by supping on the soul of a Vessel, they grow stronger, can heal or restore themselves quicker, and overall find solace from danger by having an exclusive-to-them door in, and out, of the moral realm. Olivia, in exchange, possesses a soul which most of demonkind see as far more useful to keep alive and in good health than to harm, and as such a few particular demons tend to keep a very close eye on her from beyond the mortal realm.
Decius was the first of these demons that Olivia actually came into contact with, as well as the only one to ever fully and physically manifest into and out of the mortal realm at will, using her soul as needed. Often called 'The Smiling Merchant' by some and 'The Devil That Wanders' by others, Decius often appears to men and women who desire power, and provides it to them... usually at the price of their mortal souls, converting them into demons. Terrible as that sounds, he and Olivia have a very palatable relationship. Knowing that the stronger, more confident and overall further Olivia is swayed to lead a life of chaos and discord, the greater the chances of the demonic realm gaining great sway over the mortal one, he often appears to her, or call her to him, just to talk, or teach her something new, or grant her a new trick or power that is within his ability to grant. Olivia, despite everything, is very much aware of his ulterior motive for her... but as he's the only 'nice' demon she's ever met, one she could arguably call a 'friend', she doesn't resist.
Azterra is a greater demon of many forms and faces that has been known to meddle in mortal affairs for their own amusement. Known by some as the 'The Midnight Hands', 'The Whispering Shadow' or even 'The Seven Sisters', Azterra commonly passes into the mortal plane through whatever slips and cracks they find, and occasionally takes the form of a spider with 14 legs, or the arms of a familiar lover, gently caressing and embracing their victim from behind. Azterra is one of the more 'benevolent' demons to make consistent contact with Olivia, often whispering secrets into her ears (whether she wishes for them or not), and swaying the minds of those who might mean her undue harm. And yet, they enjoys the drama that comes with leading the girl astray, be it something so simple as tricking her into unfavorable situations with others, or tempting the hearts of those around her to inconvenience or 'desire' her.
Dilezial, called 'The Corrupting Chaos', 'The Unknown Terror', 'The Fool' (by Decius and Azterra, at least) and generally all-around most-not-fun demon to have caught Olivia's attention, isn't quite so kind. Dilezial almost always takes on a form meant to horrify and cast despair into the hearts of any being that sees it— a writhing, wailing ball of black, tainted flesh, many salivating, sharp-toothed mouths and an uncountable number of tendrils protruding from it's sometimes floating, other times ground-gliding body. Dilezial seems to exist for no purposes other than spreading the corruption of the demon realm to every corner of every realm, and unlike the others (and probably for the best), seems to only be able to very, very slightly manifest in the mortal realm, even using Olivia as a Vessel, in the form of its many unnatural tendrils, each with many sets of sharp-toothed mouths and drooling tongues. It, however, seems extremely capable of pulling Olivia into the demon realm at anytime it chooses— Often in an attempt to kill her, which, counter-intuitive as that sounds, happens more often than you might imagine. Dilezial doesn't 'think' in the same way the other demons that oftentimes visit Olivia do— It has one purpose, and that purpose is to corrupt and destroy everything it comes across.
RelationshipsHistorySometimes, honestly, mistakes happen. People don't plan things out too well, and then they end up in a mess of sorts that they really aren't sure how to get themselves out of, so they either suck it up and deal with it, or just drop everything and run from their problems. That said, Olivia is, technically, one of those mistakes. Born two a pair of adventurers who happened upon each other in travels and fell in love (or at least lust), Olivia was an unplanned child. When Edda, her mother, found out she was pregnant (which, again, happened in the middle of one of their little adventures), she was forced to retire to Thanatos, where she would only be able to take the occasional odd job that didn't too badly strain her. Gastin, Olivia's biological father, was also there for a time, but eventually decided to simply move on with his life, leaving the pregnant Edda behind. It was a mutual thing; He was too young to retire as a treasure hunter, and Edda understood. Honestly, so was she.
Thus, Edda looked into adoption from birth. She found a very well-off family willing to take Olivia into their home, and even help her deliver the child— A pretty fee she ended up paying to make it happen, but with the money she had earned, it was a minor setback. She'd earn much more in the adventures to come, anyway. And so, it was done; Olivia was born some months later, and never met or was even held by either of her parents before they walked out of her life.
She was one of six children, the only girl, and the only adopted member of the family, which was plainly obvious by her skin color, and she typically took some flak or another for that from her brothers or other friends of the family. She wasn't hated, or anything, but she had to work hard for anyone to actually like her. It rarely worked, and as a result, she was a rather meek, quiet child— one easily influenced. Clingy, even, as all of her brothers were much stronger, faster, and smarter than she was, and growing up, she was extremely wont to rely on them to do things for her, or just to be around them— She had, and still has the strangest, unfounded (not really) fear of being alone, or abandoned. One was even a young musical prodigy! But she was pretty normal, by all meanings of the word, and growing up, she realized that she'd never be worthy of anyone's time if she didn't have... well, some redeeming quality. Despite the love of her adoptive parents, and the brothers she followed after, Olivia felt friendless. That was, until she met Decius.
As a young girl, she'd wandered into the lush forests of Thanatos, some ways away from home in a bit of a depressed daze when she ran into him. He was roughly her own age, wearing a beautiful silk sash and dazzling, purple suit garments, despite the humidity, didn't seem to bend or dampen by the rain. It didn't take a genius or even an intellectual to know that he was unnatural, given the fact that as he stood before her, he seemed to emit an almost otherworldly glow— as if he were some sort of spirit, or apparition, yet he stood physical in the flesh.
She should have turned away as he spotted her and waved kindly for her company, but she didn't. She should have run as he approached and ingratiated himself with her, but she didn't. She should have denied his kindly advances and sweet words, praising her looks and her special talent for seeing that which others could not, or having a soul far more interesting than that of other mortals, or the potential to one day rule over the demon realm... but she didn't. Not because she was allured or tempted by his promises of power, but because he... well, he was nice to her. He was the first person to be so very nice to her that wasn't family, in fact, and for fear of losing this one person who thought so highly of her, she listened, and allowed him to douse her in his lavish words of praise and ambition.
He told her of her heritage— that she, like her father before her, was yet another in a long line of humans who'd long-ago made a pact with a great and powerful demon who's name shall not be revealed just yet to be 'Vessels', or bridges between the human world and the demonic one. He told her of a many great and arduous dangers that she would face as a result of just... existing, and yet Olivia fondly cherished the conversations, and was simply happy to have someone to talk to. They never lasted, as her brothers would come seeking her out if she stayed away too long. And yet she would return to Decius every day, in the same spot, to talk with him again. This went on for some time, and the more they spoke, the more Decius delved into the depths of her subconscious fears and desires, and the Olivia, albeit little by little, began to change.
"Oh," He would say, "You have so many books, but know so little." So Olivia took up reading. Her adoptive family had an extensive supply of books, both practical and magical in nature due to one of their eldest sons attempting to apply himself towards joining the Temple. It was in doing so that Olivia discovered her aptitude for the many mortal magics of the realm. "Oh," He would say, "You know so very much, yet you use so little of what you learn." And so, reading transitioned into a little bit of magecrafting. She'd play around with imbuing stones, crystals, and even the land with magic— sometimes even the fauna of the rainforests near her home. "Oh," He would say "You can do so much, yet you care for yourself so little." And he was right. She would occasionally hurt herself while keeping busy with these little projects, so she even started studying a bit of medicine, which branched out into an interest in alchemy in general. By the age of 14, having been secretly guided by Decius's words, Olivia was an accomplished mage by many standards— something she hid from both her parents and brothers alike.
"Oh," He would say, "You've become such a capable sorceress, that surely even demons would bow to you." And so, under the dead of night, far, far away from her home in Thanatos, Olivia, blinded by her devotion to Decius's words, attempted the only magic her family held no tomes over... Demonology. It seemed so simple, to her— Decius served as her mentor, and she listened and invoked the runes and prayers as he guided her. Indeed, it paid off— Olivia could feel the pull of the demonic realm on the edges of her mind, and the whims of the beasts that lay in wait within. Poor, poor Olivia was only found by happenstance when a Thanati man— or perhaps nothing more than a passerby through the region— Happened upon her while casting the conjuration spell. Too late was his word of warning to her, however— The spell cast, Decius watched gleefully as Olivia summoned forth a great and terrible void, from within which emerged large, black tendrils covered with gnashing teeth. Before the girl could think to react, or even fear the unknown, they were upon her, entangling her and pulling her into forward into the void. She could only let out a final, strangled, horrified scream before she, the demonic beings, and the portal all vanished at once. Thanatos would not see or hear of the unfortunate girl named Oliva Mal Tannis again for some time.
Four years later, Olivia spontaneously 'returned' to the mortal world. Severely weakened, bereft of her memories of the time she spent outside this realm, Olivia wanders the world alone, afraid to return home, too scared to stay in one place for long, out of some unknown fear that plagues the back of her mind. Her only solace in these dark and troubled times being... her only 'friend', never too far from her side.
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