Salamander
Writer
- Intent: To codify an antagonist for RP.
- Image Credit: Wookieepedia | Livia Prima | TSABER | Niyazi Selimoglu
- Role: A Sith sorceress, shapeshifter, and necromancer, the self-titled Witch Queen of Ambria is a malevolent force opposing (and sometimes reluctantly allying with) my characters.
- Permissions: Permission to use Empyrean Gland.
- Links: "The Coronation Ball" | To'polism
- Age: Unknown; implied to be several centuries old.
- Force Sensitivity: Master
- Species: Sith Doppelganger (former Shi'ido)
- Appearance: Erictho's current preferred form resembles a Kushiban, a species of small rabbit-like alien with mood fur that changes color according to their emotional state. She can also shift to more humanlike forms, though she tends to add bestial, aquatic, or insectoid traits to her shape.
- Name: Erictho; "the Witch Queen of Ambria"
- Loyalties: Herself | Vague ties to the Cult of the Brain Demon, the Sith Order, and other Dark Siders
- Wealth: Substantial, though acquired through illegal means. She uses a secret alter ego, that of a jewel thief, to steal valuables and sell them for money.
- Notable Possessions:
- Empyrean Gland
- Lightsaber (sickly yellow blade)
- X-70B Phantom-class prototype
- Skills:
- Shapeshifter (racial trait)
- Sith sorceress (Master)
- Personality: Erictho is mysterious and impenetrable to most, though not without her charms. Some might say that she is beautiful in her own way, full of life and self-possessed in a manner that few sentients are. A less generous description would be that she is a parasite, robbing the world around her of beauty and vitality to feed her own vanity and pride. Erictho does indeed harbor a cold, vindictive streak, seeking to plant a splinter in the mind's eye and blind others to any beauty or grace other than her own, leaving them able to see only ugliness, suffering, and injustice wherever else they look. Interestingly, Erictho appears to be, if not a believer in To'polism, then certainly one who operates within its belief system.
- Weapon of Choice: The Force
- Combat Function: Erictho is a formidable foe, drawing upon the Force in frightening ways. She can drain the life energies of an unprotected opponent, feeding on them to strengthen herself, as well as raise the dead to defend her. She also has no qualms with dominating the weak-minded, using them to enact her whims. Her Sith Doppelganger physiology allows her to change shape and regenerate wounds at a faster rate than other species, provided she does not lose significant body mass. Her Empyrean Gland gives her an edge even over Force-nullifying materials such as ysalamiri and Force voids. She is however physically unexceptional and largely unconcerned with traditional modes of fighting. She does have a lightsaber of her own, but avoids using it as much as possible.
- Master of the Dark: Having spent hundreds of years using the Force, she is a Master at using the Dark Side and can make for a deadly opponent.
- Sith magic: Conjuring fire, lightning, water/ice; creating apparitions and illusions to confuse and disorient; summoning demons and shadowy spirits in the Force to attack her enemies. Erictho can do it all.
- Specialization - Drain Life/Necromancy: Erictho can drain the Force energies of other beings to sustain herself and heal wounds. She can also use these energies to reanimate the corpses of the dead to be used as an army at her beck and call.
- Precognition/Force vision: Erictho is quick to learn how to predict the movements of an opponent, and she can peer into the futures of those she knows well, but strangers and galactic-scale events on the horizon remain a mystery to her.
- Telepathy/Drain Knowledge: Mental disciplines such as mind-reading, telepathic communication, hypnosis, drain knowledge, and other forms of manipulation are hers to command. Those with a strong will or proper training can resist her, but it is difficult.
- Sith magic: Conjuring fire, lightning, water/ice; creating apparitions and illusions to confuse and disorient; summoning demons and shadowy spirits in the Force to attack her enemies. Erictho can do it all.
- Shapeshifter: As a Sith Doppelganger, she has near limitless shapeshifting capabilities, as well as faster regeneration. She can recover from minor wounds sustained in combat over the course of the fight; more serious wounds require longer to heal, though she may be able to expedite this with Force healing.
- Unpredictable: Slippery as an eel, Erictho's motives tend to be uncertain. Her loyalties are questionable at best, and few can guess her next move accurately.
- Simply Shocking: Doppelgangers are rather vulnerable to electrocution - being struck by a shock baton will force all but the best of them back to their true form and is more likely to cause side effects than with humans; even weaker currents can impede their shapeshifting, causing their flesh to "bubble" visibly unless suppressed with great effort, making it a relatively safe way to "be sure" for those in the know.
- Tainted Origins: Born of the Dark Side, Doppelgangers are predictably vulnerable to Force Light, with even weak or indirect bursts being more than sufficient to force them back into their true form - more powerful assaults can even be fatal, as it causes rapid cell death in the thoroughly unnatural beings. While the average Light Side Nexus won't kill them, they tend to cause constant pain, akin to a mild to severe headache.
- So Uncivilized: While Erictho did learn how to use a lightsaber, in a duel, she prefers to rely on the Force, dispatching her foes before they have a chance to get anywhere near her. Dismemberment is a very real fear of hers, as it will lead to a loss of body mass, weakening and impairing her body's ability to regenerate from wounds.
- Old, Alone, Done For: After returning to life decades after her apparent "death", Erictho lost all of her power base, forcing her to rebuild from the ground up. While she has gained a handful of servants and slaves either through domination or business, she must do most things for herself... for now.
- Hedonistic: Erictho has a taste for the finer things in life. Rather than material objects, she tends to chase after new and pleasurable experiences, be it dinner at a fancy restaurant, a lavish vacation at an expensive resort, a romp with a handsome billionaire, the adrenaline rush of a high-stakes theft, and so on. Her unquenchable desire for unique escapades is an impulse that can be used against her.
“I already know everything, child.”
Erictho, the self-titled Witch Queen of Ambria, is a Sith Doppelganger and Sith Master. A sorceress, she has sustained herself through the centuries by draining the Force energies of others. She can also use this drained energy to reanimate the corpses of the dead. These undead husks are typically mindless combat fodder, so she must rely on the assistance of the living to accomplish any higher tasks she can't perform on her own. Thus, she is always looking for people willing (or not so willing) to serve her.
One such individual was a very young Messala. Erictho captured him and convinced him to become her slave in exchange for learning her ways. Predictably, he eventually grew powerful enough to kill her.
But Erictho must've somehow managed to cheat death, as she has now returned. Her motives remain mysterious. With Messala now out of the picture, will she rebuild her power base and become a major player on the galactic stage? Will she swear allegiance to a faction? Or is there something else she desires that can only be done among the living?
Either way, the witch is back.
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