Umbriel
Another entry in the Grimoire.
Currently visiting Falacaerr, originally from Cthyte.
Last of her tribe, sole possessor of her lost art.
A trite way to begin her story. True, but cliched.
Umbriel's home, the sea-side port of Langauli was renowned as the center of the tribe of Vaushalt, the sole practitioners of hydromancy, a powerful, unique school of magic dedicated to the use of water-magic as an art, in all it's myriad gradations.
She was the third daughter, youngest in her family. Eldest was dictated by tradition to become a sworn practitioner, the second born to see to the more worldly of worries, such as business, farming, and other such things. The third, unusual as it was for a Vaushalt family to have three children, was given the gift of choice in their life. The could pursue love, art, business, scholarly trades, labor, or the honored craft in equal measures.
But, for Umbriel, the choice wasn't a choice at all. She wanted to become a hydromancer, a talented and subtle wielder of the mercurial and tempestuous power of the sea and storm.
Halfway through her nineteenth year of life, and her twelfth year of training in the honored craft, Langauli was obliterated. Removed from the face of the earth as she slept, nothing but smoldering ruins remaining in the wake of whatever catastrophe killed every single other living thing in the port.
Traumatized by the sudden loss of everything she'd ever known, Umbriel nevertheless understood the impossibility of staying there. So, returning to the ancient, and now ruined edifice of Vaushalt's academy, she sifted through the ruins. The only things she found intact within was a silver chalice set with sapphires, well suited to ritual magics associated with her arts, a blue silk fan, woven with glittering silver thread, the bones and structure of it crafted from seashells, and an ancient, well-kept water skin, fitted to be worn against the hip and small of the back, and able to contain a fair amount of water for the uses of Umbriel's magic.
She left, later in the day, after taking a few other mementos of her family that had survived that fateful night, intending never to return home again, but to strive to re-establish her art somewhere else, to keep it from dying out entirely.
This day, Umbriel is a wanderer. Traveling, offering her services as a protector, diviner, truthsayer, or even a healer, in rare cases, all to make enough money to survive, and to continue to perfect her skills, by practical use, as her teachers all perished back home.
Her appearance isn't particularly overwhelming, but neither is she capable of passing as another plain face in the crowd. Possessed of a compact build, coming up to only a total of 5'2, she's a solidly built girl. Wide-hipped, and well-toned from years of martial and magical practice, both of which rely on the motions of her body. Her traveling hasn't hurt her physique either, keeping her in excellent physical condition.
A thatch of jet-black hair, usually cut short, no longer than her chin, hangs from her head, occasionally straying before her ocean-blue eyes. She has a pretty, heart shaped face and full lips, making her attractive, and uncompromisingly female in appearance. A short dress, which falls only to mid thigh is her only piece of clothing, bound closed at the waist with a wide stretch of brilliantly dyed cloth. Her outfit is quintessentially Vaushaltian in style, and is instantly recognizable by anyone who knew of her tribe or hometown.
In addition to her clothes, she wears numerous items of jewelry, including a pair of bracelets strung with glass beads, one on each wrist. One is purple in color, the other a light, ice-blue, and both actually act as focuses for her powers, allowing her greater control and flexibility with them.Along with these, she wears a pair of sapphire earrings which are set in the shape of sea-shells, and a deep blue necklace that her mother gave her. She's typically also seen with a silver chalice, a worn, well-used waterskin, and an ornate fan all somewhere on her person, as well as a pack to carry food and blankets in.
The Power of Umbriel's Element-
Water is known as the element of emotions. Water flows through and around all life forms and inside it the living flow with the "tide" of their feelings. It is inherently female, the power of intuition, emotion, divination and healing, while also sometimes associated with the womb, fertility, and conception.
Umbriel, as a devotee of the art of Water and it's magical uses, wears the colors of blues, greens and whites, to represent her elemental power. Notable in her arsenal is her favored weapon, the cup, a glittering silver-blue chalice, set with sapphires, usually filled with clean, pure water. To symbolize her position as a full initiate of her order, she has a stylized circle in dark ink on her right shoulder, hollow and rising over the horizon, showing the Full Moon rising as Dusk falls.
While the range of her domain stretches from the cloud laden sky to the impenetrable darkness of the bottom-most sea, most practitioners of such magic content themselves with the water around them. Wells, rivers, beaches are all potent sources for such uses. Intent is considered very important in the field of 'hydromancy', as poor intentions can result in the effects of the intended spells being 'reflected' upon the mage, with dire effects.
Symbols that can be substituted in some cases for actual water include empty wells, shells, beach-sand, and gems of a blue or green hue.
Branches of Hydromancy-
Water Control: This particular aspect of hydromancy is what some refer to as 'waterbending', allowing one to control, direct, and alter the shape, state and density of water's very structure with a mere expenditure of will, and possession of enough talent, energy, and sufficiently powerful focuses. This can range from drawing clean water from the muddy ground, or moving water from one cup to another, all the way up to shaping blades from water, summoning tidal waves, ice storms, or evaporating standing water. There were, before the fall of Languali, considered to be four levels of mastery to this branch of the craft: Basic, Skilled, Artisan, and Master.
Umbriel can be considered to be an Artisan of this skill. Few of the more complex applications of the skill remain out of her grasp, and her limits are mostly based on quantity of water controlled and complexity of motions involved.
Healing: Known to some as 'Grace of the Waters', this art is complex, time-consuming and delicate to learn, and takes nearly a lifetime of careful study to master with any true skill. Most hydromancers are capable of imbuing fresh, pure water with certain amounts of energy that can be beneficial, assisting the repairs of an injured body, staunching wounds, or even, in rare cases, stopping terrible wounds from causing further damage, or even halting and reversing the ravages of disease, and in the most rare of cases, even age itself. Most applications tend to be those of fixing wounds and cuts, mending broken bones and injured joints. Truly skilled Artisans can chase away disease, refresh their bodies or others, and heal life-threatening wounds, given enough time and water. And, Masters are rumored to be able to stop the flow of time itself, sustaining their bodies at whatever age they choose. Just as with Water Control, there are said to be four levels of mastery.
Umbriel can be considered to be of Basic Skill in this branch. She wasn't as talented with delicate control as she might have been, and decided her talents lay elsewhere.
Reflection Gazing: Perhaps one of the most varied of the 'branches', this tends to encompass anything related to hydromancy that allows for sensory enhancement. Divination, aura-readings, truth-finding, and, in the more furtive whispers of her kind, control of the mind and theft of the soul. This branch tends to be the least often mastered of the craft, owing to it's complexity, and the subtle and lengthy rituals involved to see such meager results. Those who master this path can be expected to peer into the future, divine truth from falsehood without error, and find the nature of a person at a glance, reading their spiritual energies. The forbidden, and supposedly 'impossible' application of control to these arts is tempting, but often fruitless. Much power is required to exert control on those things you see, be they minds, futures or spirits. There's faint rumors of a dark, splintered sect of the Vaushalt that consumed the very spirits of their enemies for power with these arts...
Umbriel is considered to be of a Basic skill with these arts as well. She lacked the patience and talent for mental fortitude that they required. She can, at best, scry the locations of others, and, on rare occasions, sense when someone tells her a lie.
Water's Flow: A martial art named for the fluid, dynamic motions that make it up, it was originally developed by the earliest of the Vaushalt's as a complimentary style to that of their water control, for both defense and offense in manners of physical conflict. Any of the hydromancers who train to defend the town, themselves, or others, as mercenaries or soldiers, learn this style. It's focus tends to be on redirection of attacks and countering the strikes of others, rather than an aggressive stance, and it melds with and is enhanced by water-control, even if it doesn't require it to be effective.
Umbriel was considered to be an Artisan user of this art, which is typically commensurate with her skill at Water Control. While she prefers to use her bare hands and feet when fighting, she's capable of using daggers, weighted fans and short swords with equal ease, as well.
Body Control: A little known off-shoot of Water Control, which uses the water in someone's body to affect their movement, resulting in the dangerous talent of being able to make others do exactly as the user wants. However, there's a further, rarer use for it, which involves imbuing the user's own body with large amounts of magically energized water, and allowing the body to perform the most amazing feats of strength and elasticity. With this ability, a skilled user is capable of accepting an entire other person inside of them!
Umbriel is considered to be a Skilled user, and has learned these applications almost entirely on her own, during her travels. She's sold her services as a 'prisoner transport' before, and is, in extreme cases of danger, able to end the life of others within herself, though she's only had to resort to it once.
As PredAs Prey
| Being PredBeing Prey |
Always/Love |
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Never/Dislike |
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| Soft Vore |
Always/Love |
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Never/Dislike |
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| Hard Vore |
Always/Love |
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Never/Dislike |
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| Magic |
Always/Love |
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Never/Dislike |
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| Whisper |
Always/Love |
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Never/Dislike |
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