Post by cassandra on Oct 11, 2009 20:52:49 GMT -6
Name:
Proserpine, Lady of the Black Seal
Alias:
Cassandra
Age:
76,387, but who's keeping track?
Gender:
Female
Race:
Djinn
Appearance:
Cassandra assumes various forms on this plane, some frightful and intimidating, others more tame, although she can assume practically any form. There are three in particular that are her most common:
Her first and most common form is that of a woman, with long, waist-length raven hair, smooth, straight and glossy. This form is tall, a towering 5' 11”, and the frame is oddly thin, contrasted by the broad width of her hips and shoulders. She has an almost emaciated look, her cheeks are hollowed, her chin points, and her jaw is robustly angled, a perfect diamond shape face. Her skin is pale and taut against her figure, and her eyes are pure mercury, swishing like whirlpools around narrow, black pupils, as if sucking in everything they see.
Her second form is more ethereal, and she uses it to intimidate lower level wizards and witches that take a gander at summoning her. It's misty, ghostlike, and translucent, almost like some lost spirit or banshee. Her body remains similar to the previously mentioned form, although it is fairly more petite in height, standing a mere 5' 6”. Wings sprout from her back, usually bat-like and leathery looking, but she has been known to sport fluttery, moth-like wings. Her eyes are gouged out, black, and oozing, and her lips and face are colorless, while her hair falls down in a mess of tangles and knots. Her voice turns low and echos regardless of the surroundings, with an almost static quality, as if the sorcerer has just managed to tap the other side.
Her third form is far simpler. It is a raven. The feathers are black, but the sheen they emit is purple rather than greenish. And, in size, if one knows their ravens, it is a bit larger than normal ravens are known to grow.
Invocation:
Cassandra's invocation and seal, like other Djinn, was once used commonly among wizards and witches, regardless of their affiliations; however, as years passed, she began to only appear in the darker grimoires and tombs, until finally, only the elite wizards and witches have access to her summoning.
The ritual must be performed after the midnight hour and before 4 o' clock in the morning. Her seal must be drawn with chalk, salt, or oil based paints, and the diameter must be six feet by six feet, drawn before the protective circle. On the four points of the seal, north, south, east and west, a small incense burner should be placed, smoldering rosemary. If one wishes to place Cassandra into a bottle or a container of some sort, the container should be positioned within the center of the seal, lid open and already prepared with the mystical enchantments required to force the Djinn into the container. Once the words have begun to be spoken, the magician should never pass through the boundary of the seal.
The incantation itself tends to vary from witch to witch and wizard to wizard. It usually contains her true name (Proserpine), and if they should hold any patron deity or spirits of that nature, many will call upon them to force Cassandra onto this plane and bind her to her seal. After the incantation, Cassandra will appear in the center of the seal in the form of her choosing, although it is possible for the magician to force her to revert to a form of his choosing, despite her displeasure.
Powers:
Cassandra's specialty lives in the realm of the blacker wishes: plagues, monsters, bewitchments, creation of mystical artifacts, curses, etc. She can use her powers for wishes that aren't of the more sinister nature; however, she doesn't like to and typically will use whatever loophole she can to blunder it up. She can freely move back and forth between the realms of the Djinn and Yviex, but when summoned, regardless of the realm she resides in presently, she is bound to the seal created until the wizard or witch gives her a purpose or binds her to them, in which case, she will remain with them until they die or have no further use for her.
Cassandra is difficult to imprison, should someone wish to do so. Heavy enchantments are needed to keep her in containers or force her to resume a different form, and such takes quite the toll on the magic user.
Weapons:
She has little need for such things; however, for pleasure, she enjoys the scythe.
History:
Cassandra was once neutral, careless, and abiding to her masters' whims just as they specified. She would come forth to the plane of Yviex when summoned, and once she had pleased them, she would leave. Simple. Concise. No nonsense. And it's funny that nothing in particular happened to make her crack and become a favorite in the Black Arts. It just happened that way, and as time moved forward, Cassandra's name and seal disappeared from the hands of the other master witches and wizards and became exclusively listed in only the grimoires and tomes of the Black Craft.
The numerous wicked personalities rubbed off on Cassandra, and she developed a nasty sense of humor, and a love for chaos. Her masters wished for pestilence to ravage a town, she brought forth a plague but didn't always make her masters immune. They wished for immortality, and she would concede, but they would continue to grow old, until they were nothing more than bed ridden old husks for eternity. They wished for ultimate mystical power, she turned them into genies and trapped them in bottles at the bottom of the sea. In time, it became standard, that only those truly experienced in Black Magic should try to summon Cassandra, and her name and seal became even rarer to find.
Cassandra went through thousand year periods on the Djinn plane, never once summoned to Yviex. Too many were afraid to risk it, until finally, a rather young yet skilled black Mage decided to take it upon himself to summon her, after killing his master and finding her seal in his master's prized grimoire. His name was Roth, and he was destined to become the Black Maji of his time.
He summoned Cassandra, but she spat at him with defiance, claiming he was far too young to possibly have the ability to efficiently take advantage of her powers. He didn't concede; he felt her power, and he knew it would be worth the investment. He cursed her, and he forced her to take the form of a raven, harmless, until she developed humility in her powerless state. He kept her perched upon his shoulder, and whenever he needed, he would snap his fingers, and she would reform before him, shackled and harnessed to only perform the tasks he deemed fit. He used her to enhance his magical powers, and in time, he took his place as Black Maji.
At first, she'd remained defiant, but with time, she found his sense of humor matched her own, and she grew accustomed to his orders. She yielded, and he set her free from her raven's form, allowing her to stand at his side as an equal; however, Cassandra instead chose to remain like a raven, upon his shoulder, until he needed her, and she would take form and grant him the assistance he desired. She'd grown close to him, and for the rest of his reign, she never left him. He named her Cassandra, and that is the name she uses, despite her true name used for summoning.
It was thousands of years before Roth was finally vanquished. A master white wizard and a priestess had joined together to over-take him. During the fight, Cassandra fluttered from his shoulder and took form. The battle initially went in her and Roth's favor, but the priestess used a spell and banished Cassandra back to the plane of the Djinn. Unable to make enough space to re-summon her, the Black Maji was defeated by the pair, and Cassandra loomed on the other side, waiting.
It wasn't for centuries after that Cassandra was re-summoned, and she honored her former master by taking the form of the raven and resting upon the shoulder of her future masters and mistresses. She has become obedient to those she respects but remains volatile and untrustworthy to those she views as unworthy. Immediately upon being summoned, she gauges the powers of her summoner, and should she find them proficient enough in the Black Arts, she will serve them well, but if not, she will do anything in her power to ruin their ambitions. She doesn't simply wait around for someone to specifically request her, though. She has a tendency to listen for hopes and dreams in her spare time and grant her insidious assistance to any race, but her wish granting in such an instance is not to be trusted. When a maiden sighs and wishes for the love of her life to be hers, Cassandra will give him to her, but, she ensures he isn't what he seems, and what was once a beautiful dream, turns into a nightmare of strife, abuse, and trapped hatred. When the young, stable boy wishes to be a knight, Cassandra will grant him knighthood, give him strength and power, then, she will ensure he is killed in his first crusade. There is the occasion Cassandra takes a particular interest in someone and will freely assist them, but such an instance is so rare in those that are not magically inclined it's almost unheard of.
Cassandra's name, seal and invocation are almost impossible to obtain, living on in only the oldest mystical texts. Very few have access, and thus, she is rarely summoned.