__________________QUICK STATSName Xaraea
Age ~5000
Gender Female
Species Demon (Balramir sovereignty)
Height 5'10"
Occupation Infiltrator and intelligence agent
Residence Serish's soul
__________________IN-DEPTH STUFFPhysical DescriptionHer mortal disguise is a middle-aged brunette favoring revealing dresses and lots of expensive jewelry. Though this is how most will see her, being a disguise the minor details change based on who she's interacting with. Her true form, while similar enough to be recognizeable, has sharper features, as well as demonic staples such as claws, scales, glowing eyes, and a crown of horns
PersonalityXaraea is as manipulative as demons come, her entire purpose in Kar-Balramir's court to be his spy. It's as much a part of what she is as what she does. Her immortality and eternity spent playing mortals like pianoes has given her a streak of world-weariness that manifests as a caustic, sarcastic wit. She has absolutely no reservations from brutally castigating anyone she views as inferior -- which is pretty much everyone. Even when she isn't verbally abusing everyone around her, she is typically snide and condescending, showing deference only to Demon Sovereigns and others it's in her best interest to place nice with. Since being bound to Serish, she has developed a jealous and possessive attitude, lashing out at and defaming anyone who tries to get in Serish's good graces. Despite this, she does feel a genuine affection for Serish, seeing a kindred spirit in her host: someone who has been used and treated as a tool her entire life and for the first time has been presented with the opportunity to break their chains and forge their own path in life. As such, she does worry for Serish and care for her well-being, though she only shows it in moments of extreme danger. Above all, she desires a luxurious and decadent existence, free of responsibility beyond her own whims, reveling in pleasures of the flesh and the pain of others.
She has a number of profound, specific dislikes, including (but not limited to): Dragons, necromancers, spiders, orcs, goblins, divine beings, and demons of other domains.
Magic/AbilitiesAs a demon, she is naturally skilled with the magics of her kind, though by her nature her preferences tend more towards the subtle arts of corruption and temptation rather than outright destruction. However, she's unable to use more than a fraction of it while she remains bound to Serish. Instead, she helps Serish tap the magic of her demonic bloodline and lend Serish some of her own power on top.
She rarely makes an appearance, more than capable of doing her work while heard, but not seen. Should she ever want or need to, though, she can create an illusion of herself that only Serish can see and interact with, though this is often distracting to Serish and unnerving to onlookers. She can also manifest a physical form that anyone can see and interact with -- and in such a form she is able to access more of her power -- but the manifestation must remain in Serish's presence; if it leaves her presence or is destroyed, it vanishes into smoke and Xaraea returns to her place in Serish's mind.
Like all Balramiri demons, she is as vulnerable to the magics of dragons as she is those of divine powers.
RelationshipsDemon Sovereign Kar-Balramir (liege)
Serish (host)
HistoryXaraea was created during the third expansion of the Balramir sovereignty, when Kar-Balramir faced a war on four fronts and required more mortal worshippers and sacrifices to bolster his infernal war machine. Sending raiding parties to the mortal realm to kidnap hapless mortals and drag them back to Balramir had been sufficient in the past, but the mounting casualties of the current campaign necessitated more soldiers than Kar-Balramir had to spare. To that end, he resigned himself to enlisting mortal agents, trading promises of power for a constant stream of souls sent to the fires of his war machine. Xaraea and her kin -- the Xalmathoch -- were created to sway mortals to Kar-Balramir's service by any means necessary. Temptation, seduction, coersion, domination, by these means and the Xalmathoch became the leash around the necks of a thousand mortals, and by their hands the supply of bodies and souls available to Kar-Balramir swelled, allowing him to crush his enemies one by one until his power was uncontested.
Xaraea and the rest of the Xalmathoch proved vital to feeding Kar-Balramir's ever-hungering army and through their work on the mortal world, their liege only grew in power. However, Xaraea never felt the rewards she received from Kar-Balramir were adequate compensation for her contribution to the cause. She began to quietly seek ways to expand her power where her liege couldn't see, in hopes of being able to break free of her service and establisher her own independent court.
These dreams were dashed when the Balramir Incursion -- Kar-Balramir's attempt to expand his empire into the mortal world -- was halted at the infernal gates by the dragon Ymunth and his disciples. The demon army could only watch as their sovereign engaged the great dragon in single combat, the only one among them powerful enough to force his way through the powerful ward the dragon had constructed to keep the incursion at bay. At first it seemed the Demon Sovereign would overcome one of his oldest foes, that his power had surpassed his weakness to the magic of dragons. But the duel was all a ruse, a stalling tactic so Ymunth's disciples could complete the ritual that would imprison Kar-Balramir within the dragon's being. Without the full might of a Demon Sovereign to rend the veil between the mortal world and the infernal realms, Kar-Balramir's servants found themselves dragged back to the pits that had spawned them and the gates slammed and barred behind them.
Xaraea spent the next millennium doing the petty bidding of whatever demonlords summoned her, unable to leave the Balramir sovereignty any other way. In the last century of that cursed thousand years, a frequent caller was the Serenian wizard Ephes Ealdan, as he sought to gain the favor of, and eventually free, Kar-Balramir from his prison. Kar-Balramir, weakened as he was, commanded Xaraea aid Ephes however possible, now that the fellowship of Ymunth had shattered and the time was right for the Demon Sovereign's return to power. She found being the effective personal servant and errand girl of some mortal magician utterly degrading, and having it be a standing order from her liege made it all the more infuriating. But, lacking any better options, she bit down and dealt with it, waiting for Ephes inevitable death at the hands of the many enemies he was bound to make once someone uncovered his scheme.
When Ephes bound her to his apprentice, Serish -- Kar-Balramir's own daughter -- as an overseer, to ensure Serish would destroy Ymunth's skull and free her father at any cost (even Serish's free will), Xaraea saw the opportunity renew her plans for independence. A host body would afford her much more freedom of movement and exercise of power. Even if she couldn't hijack Serish's body entirely, Ephes's training had left Serish incredibly vulnerable to manipulation, with a few honeyed words and some existing preconceptions easily allowing Xaraea to direct Serish's wrath and attention. And when the skull of Ymunth was in her possession, she could use it to siphon Kar-Balramir's power until she was strong enough to gain Sovereignty in her own right, unchaining her while leaving her former liege shackled and unable to punish her for her betrayal.
Somewhere along the way, the plan changed slightly. While using the skull to secure her freedom was still the main objective, Xaraea found herself less and less willing to subvert Serish the more she learned about the girl. Serish, like Xaraea, had been just a tool for Kar-Balramir and Ephes, a pawn in a power play, shaped for a singular purpose with no regard for how she would function if that purpose was ever fulfilled. She had been tossed into the world with a task and a head filled with the beliefs of others, but no opportunity to define herself or truly make her own decisions. She found herself enjoying the woman's companionship, her sharp wit, her banter, and, yes, her demonic ruthlessness and bloodlust in battle. The thought of helping Serish carve out a little kingdom on Earth with blood and fire became more appealing than sitting alone atop a throne of skulls in the infernal pits.
Still weighing her options, Xaraea continues to accompany and counsel Serish as she hunts down the necromancer Ancin and the skull of Ymunth. What comes next comes next, but revenge comes first.
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