Forum Thread

Full name: Ryssa Blackblood
Race/Species: Drow (Mutated)
Gender: Female
Age: 58
Birthplace: Menzoberranzan
Heritage: Upper Class, nearly noble.
Languages Spoken: Common (English), Elven, Draconic, Snake
Occupation (if any): Wandering Healer/Scholar
Class: Runepriest (4e), Serene Blade Rune Artistry
Faith: Zehir



Physical Appearance:
Ryssa is rather petite for her race, standing at only 5'-2" tall and weighing only 115 pounds. However, she more than makes up for her small stature with skill and ability. Her hair is cut in the pixie style and she keeps it permanently dyed and acidic green in tribute to her god. Her skin is black with a dull sheen, and upon close inspection it can be seen that it is actually comprised of a very fine mesh of scales, much like a snake's skin. Rather than being completely flat at the chest, as would be expected with reptiles, she does bump out to solidly fill what would amount to an A-cup. Her eyes are a piercing blue with slitted pupils. Her nose is rather flat as well, giving her a more streamlined, reptilian appearance than other Drow. She is almost always clad in flowing red robes of fine silk, with her own personal runic symbol embroidered on the back in the same acidic green as her hair. She carries a long glaive with her as well that is made of fine silver. The grips along the shaft are med from fine red silks and a serpentine figurehead wraps around the base of the blade. In the center of the blade is a sickly green rune that seems to pulse slightly with a magical glow.

Abilities/skills/powers:
She is well versed in the blade arts and divine rune magic, combining the two into a seamless work of art. She also has the ability to take on the form of a Shadow Serpent, thanks to her god's blessing. She also seems to move with an unnatural grace.

Personality Details:
Ryssa is a very straightforward person and will often say whatever she is thinking without care. It is also worth noting that she hardly ever lies, unless doing so would protect something she deems worth the price. She faces a deep inner turmoil between her childhood and her present, wherein one side remains completely devoted to her god, but the other is reinforced by her learning and her path towards enlightenment.It can sometimes make her seem unstable. She can also frequently be seen talking to Porassa, her only steadfast traveling companion and familiar.

Familiar:
Porassa is a Wrab, a winged serpent that is highly valued in diplomatic circles. It's been said that they can sense the flow of interest in a conversation and will abandon someone as interest wanes in their words. because of this, they are often used in Diplomatic Tribunals in some nations.

Children:
1. Serana, Daughter of Destiny

Bio:
Ryssa is not keen on sharing her past, but may let something slip if she gets drunk enough. Generally though, she doesn't let herself slip that far.

[The following is what she keeps secret:]
[Ryssa was born into an upper-ranking Drow family. While not actually nobility, her family was about as close to it as possible. Unfortunately for Ryssa, she was the third daughter on the family, and as such was nearly as useless to them as a son would have been. While she was still a child, she happened to overhear her mother having a discussion with the Head Priestess that she would soon be used as a sacrifice in a ritual to Lolth. Frightened by what she heard, Ryssa ran to her room and started praying to the gods, any gods, for help, for safety. Surprisingly, the young girl got an answer. It was a cruel raspy voice, and it told her that if she wanted to be saved, if she wanted help, then she had to earn it with her own hands. Still shaken by the overheard conversation, the words struck the girl deep. That night while her family slept, Ryssa murdered every single one of them and fled her village, never to return.]
[Many times over the next few years, the voice would return to her, guiding the girl who was otherwise alone in the world, leading her to do the god's bidding. As part of her efforts to please this god who had helped her, Ryssa gathered a series of very rare ingredients and performed a ritual that has never to this date been transcribed in the mortal realm. The ritual, in order to show her devotion to her god and to gain his blessing, irrevocably changed the young woman. Her flesh was transformed, her body morphed to show that she was one of the blessed of Zehir. Her eyes became a bright blue and took on a slitted appearance. What had once been soft flesh was now covered with a network of fine black scales that were surprisingly, just as soft as skin. The most notable change for Ryssa, however, was that her tongue became slitted and could extend farther than she had previously known it too. She also seemed to gain some sort of sensory input from it. The change rocked the young woman. Part of her felt like she had been misled, betrayed and tricked by the god who had once saved her, but the other part felt proud of her transformation, accepting it as the blessing it was. As a result, Ryssa began to wander the lands, far and wide, in search of answers.]
[After several years, Ryssa found herself in the strange lands of Kara-Tur, on the steps of a monastery. The monks that resided there, she had heard, were very wise and she believed that they could help her find the answers she sought. Despite her strange appearance, Ryssa was accepted by the monks and she in turn gave herself to their ways to learn what she could. She spent many years at that one monastery, and the wisdom she gained was beyond anything she had expected. Still though, her core division pulled at the woman. And so, taking the skills and understanding she had acquired, Ryssa left the monastery in search of further understanding.][/align]