Titles and Other Names: Flower Serpent, Daughter of the River
Flower: Winter DaphneTheme: AgainAppearance and Personality:Seo-hyang by all accounts appears to be a human woman. She bears a lithe feminine build and has a height of five feet and six inches. Her long black hair and dark eyes match those from the areas close to Ataiyo and Jayou, and her complexion is like brushed porcelain. Her refined mannerisms and gentle disposition come across as a stark contrast to her past history as an assassin, and even back then she would give some of her targets painless deaths as an act of mercy. Although kind, she is reserved in her words and actions. Patience and temperance are her strongest virtues, having had both plenty of time and experience to cultivate them. She personally prefers not being the center of attention and is rather self-conscious of her true nature as a magical creature. Her true form is that of a serpent–with a body as long as a grown man bearing jet black scales with thin golden-colored bands.
History:Seo-hyang was the first daughter of a set of twins to the lord of a small agrarian village by one of northern Parvpora's many rivers. Having been conceived through a pregnancy ritual, as a blessing of the river god she was born as a snake. Her mother died a few days after she and her sister were born, and the sisters were raised by their father who never remarried. She spent her entire childhood cloistered in her family's estate by her father's command while her human twin received everyone's love and adoration. Before the age of five, she had learned the meaning of rejection. The only people who didn't react with fear or revulsion to her appearance were the blind, deaf, and mute. Despite her physical condition Seo-hyang worked hard to excel in her studies, yet her father remained distant. The only reason why no one dared to raise a hand against her was because they feared the river god's wrath.
As she grew older, every matchmaking attempt her father arranged for her failed. The last attempt was nearly successful, however that quickly fell through when her fiance saw her in person. Though the lord never said it, Seo-hyang knew he saw her as a burden. Eventually the lord's patience wore thin and he began to see his daughter as a curse. Against the warnings of the servants, he sold her off to a merchant passing through who had a penchant for collecting rare and unusual things. The man took her to Jayou as the latest addition to his collection of exotic pets while her father received a sizable sum of money. She lived in the merchant's estate for several years until he was killed while on a business trip. As the possessions of her deceased owner were slowly being auctioned off, a stranger broke in one night and discovered her.
Recognizing she was no ordinary creature, they offered her a proposal: come willingly and start a new life or live as a simple animal in the hands of another person. She accepted, and was taken into one of the oldest houses of assassins in Jayou. There she was trained to be an expert assassin, specializing in methods that mimicked natural causes of death. Like most female assassins, she was taught the skills and etiquette of a high-class performer. She spent the next stage of her life fulfilling the requests of the house's clients.
Once she was an accomplished assassin, she chose to leave everything behind and start over again. Seo-hyang retired and left for the floating city of Karith where she could life the rest of her days in peace. Her knowledge of herbs and medicine from her assassin days were a great help in opening up a small apothecary shop of her own. A century later she took in her first apprentice, a young Rosenite boy who quickly learned all she had to offer. Feeling it was time for a change, she handed the reins over to her apprentice and left the shop to him while she traveled the world.
Clothing and Equipment:She dresses in Karithian and Ataiyan attire, favoring long fitted robes with wide sleeves to conceal weapons and spells. She has many hidden weapons along with her urumi, forgoing heavier armor for greater mobility. Has a preference for dark-colored clothing for everyday wear both to better absorb heat and blend in with the shadows.
Talents and Abilities:Like many magical creatures, Seo-hyang is capable of shapeshifting into human form for convenience. She possesses heightened senses akin to those of reptiles, able to detect minute changes in temperature and body heat. She is a capable swimmer in both beast and human forms as she is a water snake. From her training as an assassin, she is well-versed in combat, alchemy, anatomy, and medicine. Her childhood upbringing and additional training as an entertainer has exposed her to a wide spectrum of artistic and scholarly subjects.
The urumi is her favored weapon of choice; it is easily concealed and inflicts slashing wounds within a wide radius around her. The whip sword's long reach complements her blood magic while making it difficult to approach her directly. This weapon requires expert skill and strength to use effectively–and she has both. Seo-hyang is also proficient in psionic and dark magic, suiting her assassin background.
Relationships:- Seo-hui Ha - Younger twin sister (deceased)
- Efrain Albaret - Apprentice
Memoirs of the River's Daughter:
