"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown"
Lady in BlackReal Name: Dirqa Elidyr
Aliases: Archduchess of Blackpool, Mistress of Blackpool, Lady in Black, Lady Elidyr, Keeper of Vha'shii
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 162 lbs
Age: Unknown (Ageless)
Hair Color: Raven
Eye Color: Varies
Species: Unknown
Gender: Female
Alignment: Morally Ambiguous
Orientation: Bisexual
Birthplace: Blackpool, Black Hallows
Base of Operations: City of Blackpool
Relationship Status: Single
Family: House Elidyr
Occupation: Archduchess of Blackpool, Keeper of Vha'shii, Monarch, Necromancer
Affiliation: The City of Blackpool, Book of Vha'shii, Fraga
∆ The Archduchess of Blackpool - Origin/Background ∆
A daughter of Blackpool's ruling house - Elidyr - Dirqa was, from birth, groomed by arcane scholars and lords to one day assume her role as archduchess of the eldritch city. She mastered the forces that raise the dead from slumber, and strode up the stairs of a twisted tower wherein her throne - a jagged and gruesome sight - sat next to a tome of knowledge bound in flesh by her ancestor, Vha'shii. She sat on her throne, and from the ground raised court members long dead. She became Archduchess of Blackpool.
∆ Lady Elidyr - Psychological Profile/Personality ∆
Cunning, calculating and dealing in mystery more than emotion, Dirqa is equal parts leader and seeker of knowledge. She is violent by necessity, and insightful by nature. In her self-belief, she compromises nothing and calls upon her ironclad trust in her own intuition to guide her to the right decision. Her otherworldly self-sufficiency, owed to her insatiable ambition, however, yields both boon and tragedy. In giving too much credence to her own self-belief, she read the pages of the Book of Vha'shii and forever bound herself to the City of Blackpool. She can never leave it's gates, a prisoner in the city where she is - ironically - it's most powerful person. And perhaps more than anything, Dirqa is hurt deepest by the mistakes or decisions she makes at her own individual expense. Still, she is a private individual and rarely expresses her grief. Instead, she speaks with enigmatic rationale.
To those unfamiliar with her, she exhibits a cold and distant temperament, typically more interested in observing those she yet knows little of. Despite her hawkish behavior, Dirqa frequently engages in sardonic banter and dark humor. Morally, she traffics in mystery, fighting - above all else - for her own prosperity, self-determination and survival. Still, to those she has established relationships with, she feels a sense of pride in protecting them and their interests. The presence of treasured social relationships comfort her from the inevitable coming of the Strix and what it will mean for the Black Hallows. One such treasured relationship is her close friendship with fellow necromancer and son of Ezra Strix; Fraga.
∆ The Keeper of Vha'shii - Knowledge & Intellect ∆
◊◊ Scholar ◊◊
Though Dirqa's exact age remains a thing of mystery, she is assumed to be an incredibly long-lived individual, and in her many years alive, has taken every opportunity to nourish her sharp mind. A well-read woman with a quick mind and keen eye for pattern recognition and analysis, Dirqa's wealth of knowledge was expanded beyond it's natural limits after reading the Book of Vha'shii. In doing so, she gained extensive insight in the history, politics and philosophies of the world beyond the Black Hallows. Beyond this however, her natural intelligence renders her an efficient and tactical thinker, capable of considering as many patterns and possibilities as needed by most predicaments. Her greatest area of expertise however, lies in all things arcane and supernatural. A highly gifted sorceress and scholar, she possesses an arsenal of spells both learned and founded.
In addition to her skill as a sorcerer, Dirqa holds a deep reserve of psychological and social knowledge given her time as a monarch. She is highly perceptive of the emotions of others and the motivations behind them. This has rendered her a master at cold reading, at reading not only the facial expressions of others, but their body language as well. She can therefore, adjust her course of action while simultaneously analyzing her social environment, a skill mastered due to her time spent engaged in court politics. And among her many talents is the ability to fake authentic intuition and insight by posing as a completely different person with a completely different set of values, all done in the name of unearthing the motivations and social tics of others.
∆ The Necromancer - Powers & Abilities ∆
◊◊ Necromancy ◊◊
A skilled necromancer whose powers span beyond simply enslaving the flesh and spirit of the dead, the Lady in Black chiefly uses necromancy to maintain her youth and physical vigor. By feasting on the souls of the dead, she slows her body's aging process to a crawl and enjoys the additional boon of gaining the memories, experiences and skills of the souls she cannibalizes. Furthermore, given her enormous talent as a necromancer, Dirqa is well versed in the forces governing her soul, and as a result, enjoys ample resistance to attempted tampering of her spirit.
Undead ThrallsWith a whole host of abilities at her disposal, the Lady in Black can accomplish feats such reanimating a horde of corpses, communicating with the dead, mining the souls of the dead for information on their lives and experiences, spiritually traverse underworlds, and turn or banish the raised abominations of lesser necromancers. Though as a necromancer, Dirqa's primary spells are the following:
- Blackhand: An extremely dangerous spell, the Blackhand is cast by calling upon the necromantic forces of rot and entropic decay and solidifying them as layers over her hands, granting Dirqa the ability to age and deteriorate any inanimate object touched by her hands. Depending on the strength of the object's physical structure, the spell's effect will vary between instant disintegration to a slower deterioration. Ordinary steel for example, disintegrate instantly with a touch, but true adamantium requires prolonged physical contact.
- Deathwhisper: Like the Blackhand, the Deathwhisper is cast by summoning the antithesis of the forces of life; necromantic forces. Manifesting as emerald bolts and lightning that Dirqa can project at her foes, the Deathwhisper coaxes the mortal energies from the flesh and soul of it's targets, siphoning their very life-force. Depending on the intensity of the spell and the strength of the enemy, the effect varies from weakening an opponent and their abilities, to draining every inch of life from them till all that remains of them is dust.
∆ The Mistress of Blackpool - Paraphernalia ∆
◊◊ Diadem of the Archduchess ◊◊
A beautiful silver diadem worn by the Archduchess at all times, the Diadem of the Archduchess serves both a symbolic and practical purpose. It is the symbolic culmination of the authority of the Archduchess of Blackpool, and a means of shielding her mind from psychic assault. More important however, is that the diadem grants it's wearer immunity to the corruption of the Afflicted (which Dirqa herself is responsible for creating) found in the Maze of Vha'shii, and psycho-spiritual control over both the Afflicted and the corruption. Where the diadem hails from, none can say, however, rumor in the streets of Blackpool claim it was originally found by Vha'shii in the Dire Halls of Phantasmagoria. The diadem's more miscellaneous abilities include levitation, and enabling the wearer to transform into mist.
◊◊ Book of Vha'shii ◊◊
A powerful but dangerous tome of arcane knowledge, the Book of Vha'shii is a twisted book bound in the flesh of ancient marauders who once sought to breach the walls of Blackpool. Those who open the Book of Vha'shii and plunge into it's deepest sections are granted profound insight into the arcane world. Readers touched by the arcane energies of the book and bestowed with great arcane powers molded to their personalities. Those who value strength and might above everything for example, are given incredible physical power.
Whereas those who believe in the power of the mind find their minds blessed with either untamed psychic power or supernatural intelligence. The book however, is risky. Those who read it and use it's power, are forever bound to the City of Blackpool and forced to guard the book until their death, a condition that Dirqa herself has finally succumbed to.
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