Player: Mindy G

Character Name: Desdemona

Alias/Nickname: N/A

Race: Human

Age/Date of Birth: N/A

Apparent Age: 18-35

Sex: Female

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 146 lbs

Hair Color/Style: Her hair is smooth and straight, falling to the middle of her back. A deep, dark brown in colour it is styled with no fringe or bangs, usually parted simply either side of the crown and left to flow down.

Eyes: N/A

Marks/Scars/Tattoos: N/A

Physical Appearance: With most of her form covered, only the physical outline of Desdemona is readily visible; appearing as average build, lithe and slender, with elegant shoulders and a narrow waist. She can seem delicate one moment yet strong the next simply with her pose. Her movements are graceful, measured and precise, bearing practise and poise. Desdemona speaks with a quiet and femininely alto tone using particular pronunciation and with careful premeditation in every word.

Occupation/Class: Summoner

Magic/Magite: Spirit and Dark.

Summon/s: Asmodeus, the Fiend- Appearing as a black-skinned being usually around 9ft in height, with a distinctly male upper body, this dark entity displays tall, bent horns either side of its skull. Long, thin hair falls around its form like a ragged cloak and it seems to have no features, only a disembodied, black face pierced by burning eyes which smoke with Dark ether. Its chest and body are sleekly muscled and rings are pierced down the sides of its ribs to the hips. Rusted and jagged chains bind its forearms and wrap its waist, the lower body becoming like tattered, old cloth, nothing more then gusts of dark mist trailing beneath it. Twisted, metal thorns protrude from the spine down its back and Asmodeus carries a long, large scythe which glows with Dark magic. At present he has not spoken and it is unclear if the demon is capable of doing so, however it seems to communicate with sounds like grating metal of various pitches. Strength: Strong - Alignment: Evil - Oath: Withheld by Request - Sacrifice: Withheld by Request

Carried Possessions: At any one time a small, flat leather pouch containing a quantity of ryn is concealed on her person in preparation for any travelling or unexpected expenses.

Clothing and Armor: Head to toe; the most prominent feature of Desdemona's costume is the black, metal mask covering her face from the hairline to the chin and obscuring it completely. With no features moulded into its design it is smooth and bare all except slits shaped for the eyes and delicate engraving across the brow area. She wears an ash black dress which covers her from the underside of the chin down to the ankles where the fabric trails a few inches on the ground. Matching gloves sheath both hands and an under-bust corset binds her waist and hips in the same fabric, belted tightly down the front with five straps. A series of extra belts are wrapped around her throat to form a collar, around the biceps of both arms and down the forearm of the right to include the hand, leaving the fingers free. Chains hang from the ring of the bottom strap in the front of the corset panel; a single length falls down the abdomen to above the knees and ends with a large ornamental pendant crafted to mirror her gauntlet (see Weapons). Two more chains drape either side beneath the hips to the back of the clincher.

Weapons: Hand of Anathema- This gauntlet is made of plain, black metal and designed with a central radius of ornamental spines and damasked panels with separate finger-pieces for each digit's second knuckle. It is composed of sharp, curving peaks sweeping outward at the upper end and covers Desdemona's arm from the top of the elbow. It is embedded with a large Dark magite in the panel over the back of the hand and there are noticeable indentations scattered over its surface and incorporated into its appearance to fit up to six more, smaller stones. However at this time only the lowest slot, on the guard beneath the Dark magite, contains an additional Spirit stone. Accompanying these, she always carries a 6” stiletto dagger in the spine of her corset. This is a thin, but plain blade with a simple leather-bound grip.

Likes: -Reading famous Calamian writers and poets; she seems to have a particular taste for the great tragedies.-Quiet and solitude.-Brushing her hair or paying particular attention to it. She appears to take a noticeable amount of pride in its appearance.

Dislikes: -Significantly uncomfortable with heavy rain or wet weather. During storms, particularly with thunder and lightning, she will retreat to an enclosed, small and preferably dark area. -Being asked too many questions or overly talkative people. -Being touched, even in necessary instances, despite her heavy covering.

Merits: -Possesses rare magical stamina, her spiritual wellspring used to power spells and operate magite being stronger or larger then average. -Has extensive knowledge of obscure rituals, magite and lore, specializing in the Dark branch.

Flaws: -Does carry a strong degree of pride bordering upon vanity in grooming her appearance. As a result she has a tendency to care too much about her presentation at inappropriate times. -Can often become arrogant and aloof when angered, irritated or upset as a defence mechanism and has been known to be especially callous.

Worst Fear: In the extremely rare instances that Desdemona's mask is removed, either by force or during a battle by accident, it can almost literally cripple her with obsessive, frantic and instantaneous panic over having her features exposed without it. She takes precautions to keep it in place at all times or to ensure the minimal amount of risk of being seen when removing it is necessary, such as to bathe. Perhaps this is a by-product of her underlying vanity or something deeper, but even the thought of another being glimpsing under the covering terrifies the woman.

Personality:   Just as Desdemona physically wears a mask to hide her face, so too does the magi practise her outer façade to screen out much of her persona until the calm and perfectly composed demeanour is something close to an art form. She measures every reaction, word and even her very body language in every movement analytically before performing it to judge its impression upon others and reveals painfully little about herself. Keeping her opinions, views, thoughts and feelings mostly to herself, often the only shreds of information one can garner on the enigmatic female is during occasions when the need to reveal such is absolutely needed.

However behind this outward complex there is a being who indeed is quite sensitive and takes in more then an outward observer might think. Although she will sever any reaction before it can register, Desdemona can easily be emotionally hurt both directly and indirectly, actually existing as a very insecure individual underneath. Because of this she may rarely slip in her self control and lash out at others with cruelty as a defence, more often then not misunderstood as many lack the patience and tenacity to weather such in order to discover these subtle clues.

History:   The origins of this enigmatic mercenary are a mystery to many: it has been said that no being has glimpsed beneath her ever-present mask and lived to speak of the experience...

Travelling among Calamia's criminal underworld, the individual known as Desdemona is often thought of as an ill omen in any city or town. Known to a number of authorities and jurisdictions, sightings have been reported over the past year in Estessvale, Calora and Myrkin, always coinciding with some form of civil unrest within their walls. But despite this notoriety, a man intending to hunt down the Summoner with a request or assignment will find that the dark lady is an elusive character to find, nor does she charge lightly for her services.

The first appearance which earned Desdemona recognition among the shady circles of the mercenary ranks was something now referred to as Sacryfi Keep: a massacre during which one hundred assassins of the Gast Household were killed during an attempt on the Baron Dumark's life at his home, west of Estessvale, the dead also including the Baron himself and the members of his family. To date, the Summoner Desdemona was the only person known to walk out of there at sunrise the next morning. A number of rumours have abounded from the incident as she refuses to divulge the details herself. In actual fact the magi had been originally hired as a bodyguard and despite failing, the destruction and bloodshed of the tragedy made a number of powerful employers take notice, cementing her foothold in the industry ever since.

She is known to have a certain code of ethics and appears to work nearly exclusively within the field of personal guard jobs, espionage to a small degree, and assasinations. The last man to ask her to harm a child, however, was never found.

This personal rule was tested when Desdemona fell into the employ of the furtive organization known only as the Syndicate. Originally hired with the duty simply to guard one of its higher-ranked members, a man named Duncan, and to guard the converted farmstead outside of Aradel, she was not informed of their true activities and did not ask. Such was the way of conduct in her profession and knowing only what was necessary was satisfactory to the mercenary until she was confronted by an infiltrating party.

The samurai Yukaro, the ninja-girl Lyneia and the magnus Quaith had snuck into the Syndicate farm apparently with the intention of rescuing a kidnapped child, intent upon returning her to her mother. Treating them as spies, Desdemona cornered the trio in a courtyard of the homestead, loosing Asmodeus upon them with the aim of destroying the intruders. She suspected their story to be a mere ploy and did not relent from her attack, upholding her reputation and seeking to do what she had been hired for with no regard towards their lies.

However, it was only as she became outnumbered and overwhelmed-- trying to maintain control of the Fiend as it fought against Yukaro, avoiding Lyneia's unseen attacks and holding off Quaith's magical barrages-- that Desdemona collapsed, reaching her limit and momentarily waning. The dark magi would have persisted without a thought for the deadly Magi Drain had she the chance, however it was at this moment all concerned were saved by the interference of the fellow mercenary Arameth. With her pride wounded, Desdemona demanded an explanation from whom she had thought to be another hired-sword under the Syndicate's control, only to discover that Arameth was indeed the true leader of the chapter.

Desdemona took her business dealings seriously and felt betrayed by the concealment of the swordsman's true identity. She began to suspect and question her own employment and just what it was the Syndicate was trying to achieve. Thus, this battle became the catalyst for her emancipation: even as the three saboteurs were taken captive the Summoner began to interrogate foot soldiers and other members of the farmstead in secret. This ultimately led her to the truth and the evidence that the little girl the party had come to save was indeed being held within the farm, and was Duncan's daughter no less.

The involvement of the youth incited Desdemona to break her contract, but before she could confront those responsible for the façade a mutiny, lead by Duncan, erupted among the Syndicate troops in the early hours before dawn.

Ultimately she chose to side with the three whom had been her enemies mere hours before, fighting alongside Arameth to drive back the usurping ranks. She was overcome during the battle, finally succumbing to the early stages of Magi Drain, but the child was safely recovered from her father in the end.

With Duncan slain, Arameth attempted to blackmail the rescuers for the girl's life, calling Desdemona's reputation into question in order to coerce the Summoner into accompanying the three on a task for him. It was only through siding with the strangers yet again that she was able to slip from the Syndicate's grasp, now a fugitive and with no other choice but to remain with them as they brought the child home. Yukaro took up the task of seeing her safely to her mother and left them in a nearby town: now Desdemona remained only with the ninja and the magnus, the latter whom she had developed a tense rivalry with, still seething from their actions during their initial meeting.

It was through a request to capture a wanted man that the Butcher of Sacryfi Keep left Lagunis behind and travelled to Auraton, still in the company of her former enemies. With her record as a mercenary in question and no other option but to stay close by the pair to ensure they would not cross her, Desdemona is still watchful for the Syndicate and seeks to return to rebuilding her reputation as soon as possible.

For one such as herself, working alone has always been the best survival option...