Seteta
Seteta is a young Abtati who has recently departed the desert of Amol-Kalit to explore Arethil on her own. However, when she reaches Fal'Addas, she meets an intriguing dragon and finds herself headed back to the desert...
Appearance
Seteta has long, dark brown hair that she wears braided and bound up, usually concealed under a headscarf. Her skin, while slightly darkened by the sun from a life in the desert, has a naturally bronzed hue. Her eyes are amber in color, but with a ring of dark brown around the outer edge of the iris.
Seteta is slender and lithe. Life in the desert doesn't lend itself to fat stores on the body, and while the Abtati may be elven, that same desert life ages them faster than other elves. Since Seteta tends to wear a headscarf, with the result being that her pointed ears are covered, it is easy enough for her to pass as a human when the occasion calls for it.
Her left ear has two golden studs, one in the lobe and one nestled in the curve just below the tip. Her right ear is lined, from lobe to tip, with delicate gold hoops, and yet another matching hoop through her septum. Her lips are not overly full, and are a natural shade of pale red that contrasts the bronze of her skin nicely.
Across the right side of her body swirling, silvery scars looped and whirled over her skin from ankles to ribs as if reaching around from her back to her front in an attempt to embrace her.
She tends to dress in simple garments, usually of various shades of tan or brown, used to blending in with the colors of the desert.
Seteta is slender and lithe. Life in the desert doesn't lend itself to fat stores on the body, and while the Abtati may be elven, that same desert life ages them faster than other elves. Since Seteta tends to wear a headscarf, with the result being that her pointed ears are covered, it is easy enough for her to pass as a human when the occasion calls for it.
Her left ear has two golden studs, one in the lobe and one nestled in the curve just below the tip. Her right ear is lined, from lobe to tip, with delicate gold hoops, and yet another matching hoop through her septum. Her lips are not overly full, and are a natural shade of pale red that contrasts the bronze of her skin nicely.
Across the right side of her body swirling, silvery scars looped and whirled over her skin from ankles to ribs as if reaching around from her back to her front in an attempt to embrace her.
She tends to dress in simple garments, usually of various shades of tan or brown, used to blending in with the colors of the desert.
Important Possessions
Silver Claw Bangle - gifted to her by Chaceledon, meant to ward off the fae, acquired during Of Sand & Dragonfire.
Singing Knife - a birthday gift from Volker. The blade is made of meteorite, and the ivory handle is engraved with a lizard, the emblem of her tribe. It is enchanted to sing when water is nearby.
Cactus Flower Bracelet - a birthday gift from Chaceledon, made of stone beads carved into cactus flower blooms.
Skills and Abilities
Like many Abtati, Seteta is skilled with earth magic/geomancy, and has a some skill with illusion magic. She is also fairly skilled at tracking, and adept at survival in a hot, unfriendly climate, though the latter is out of necessity.
Illusions
Not What It Seems: Seteta is able to conjure illusions of many types, but for her the cost of this magic is pain. She most often refers to this as her 'toll'. Usually, the pain manifests in her hands. If it is a small illusion, she may feel pain similar to a paper cut. For larger illusions, she may feel as if her hands are on fire. If she knows ahead of time that she will need the ability to create a larger illusion and hold it for a lengthy period of time, she can begin paying the toll as much as day or so in advance and hold the pain in a reservoir, of sorts, until she needs to actually invoke the magic. [1] [2]
The complexity of the illusion, no matter the size, will also invoke greater pain. Making someone think they see a plain box is simple. Making scars be unnoticeable is something Seteta considers a mid-range skill. Creating the illusion of a building or a person would be extremely taxing, especially if it needs to hold up to actual scrutiny and not just a glance.
Brought To Life: Seteta has an ability that is mostly only seen among the Abtati elves. She can combine her illusion magic with her earth magic to create moving, tangible images of stories. The images are only as sharp and creative as the illusionist's imagination, though, so it is a skill that has to be honed over time. [3] [4]
The complexity of the illusion, no matter the size, will also invoke greater pain. Making someone think they see a plain box is simple. Making scars be unnoticeable is something Seteta considers a mid-range skill. Creating the illusion of a building or a person would be extremely taxing, especially if it needs to hold up to actual scrutiny and not just a glance.
Brought To Life: Seteta has an ability that is mostly only seen among the Abtati elves. She can combine her illusion magic with her earth magic to create moving, tangible images of stories. The images are only as sharp and creative as the illusionist's imagination, though, so it is a skill that has to be honed over time. [3] [4]
Earth Magic/Geomancy
Seteta uses a form of geomancy in which she draws the cost of the magic from the earth itself. If there is no earth (soil, dirt, etc.) present, she cannot use that form of magic, and she is strongest at it when she can have direct physical contact with the earth. While she's had to build up her skills with this magic over time, the use of it is innate, and for her it's as easy as breathing. [5]
However, there are times when she might find it necessary to utilize the pain toll she usually has for her illusion magic for her geomancy, as well. The geomancy is not meant to be used like that, but it can be when the situation calls for it. Doing so (or being required to channel large amounts of magic for long periods of time) leaves Seteta mentally, emotionally, and physically shaken, though, and requires a grounding ritual to get her centered in the present moment again. [6]
Earth Manipulation: Seteta can make the earth take whatever form she can think of, and this has many applications whether for defense (tying someone down with ropes made of mud that are then hardened), offense (creating barricades), or finding and drawing out good quality clay, etc., for builders or crafters to use. [7]
She can also use this manipulation to purify water. [8]
Everything's Connected: Seteta can use her connection with the earth to sense anything that is in contact with the ground, or anything within the ground. The range is limited, though. If she were to try and sense the whole world at one time, it would overwhelm her and possibly burn her out and she'd never be able to use earth magic again. The further away a place is that she is trying to sense, the more muffled and distorted it becomes, as well. Her immediate surroundings are the most reliable ones, but using her earth magic simply extends her awareness a little further. [9] [10]
She can also use this ability when particles of dirt or sand are suspended in the air. By connecting the particles together through the magic she can sense, she can get a real-time sense of where people or objects are if they try to move through the 'cloud.' [11]
This Rock Makes Me Happy: Seteta isn't sure what the use is behind this ability, but she will at times find herself drawn to peculiar types of rocks. She couldn't say why, but certain rocks, when she holds them, feel 'good' or make her feel happy. Some of them she can use to enhance her geomancy. [12] [13]
However, there are times when she might find it necessary to utilize the pain toll she usually has for her illusion magic for her geomancy, as well. The geomancy is not meant to be used like that, but it can be when the situation calls for it. Doing so (or being required to channel large amounts of magic for long periods of time) leaves Seteta mentally, emotionally, and physically shaken, though, and requires a grounding ritual to get her centered in the present moment again. [6]
Earth Manipulation: Seteta can make the earth take whatever form she can think of, and this has many applications whether for defense (tying someone down with ropes made of mud that are then hardened), offense (creating barricades), or finding and drawing out good quality clay, etc., for builders or crafters to use. [7]
She can also use this manipulation to purify water. [8]
Everything's Connected: Seteta can use her connection with the earth to sense anything that is in contact with the ground, or anything within the ground. The range is limited, though. If she were to try and sense the whole world at one time, it would overwhelm her and possibly burn her out and she'd never be able to use earth magic again. The further away a place is that she is trying to sense, the more muffled and distorted it becomes, as well. Her immediate surroundings are the most reliable ones, but using her earth magic simply extends her awareness a little further. [9] [10]
She can also use this ability when particles of dirt or sand are suspended in the air. By connecting the particles together through the magic she can sense, she can get a real-time sense of where people or objects are if they try to move through the 'cloud.' [11]
This Rock Makes Me Happy: Seteta isn't sure what the use is behind this ability, but she will at times find herself drawn to peculiar types of rocks. She couldn't say why, but certain rocks, when she holds them, feel 'good' or make her feel happy. Some of them she can use to enhance her geomancy. [12] [13]
Personality
Seteta is curious, playful, and stubborn but knows a healthy dose of caution. The sands can hide many dangers, and it pays to stay on your guard. She's fiercely loyal--also a trait from desert survival: if you can't depend on your tribe, you're dead.
She is confident and has no problem speaking her mind, though sometimes that gets her in trouble. Her sensuality and sexual playfulness is a large part of who she is, and she feels no shame in sleeping with anyone who she would be willing to call a friend, though she does show more restraint when she is in a committed romantic relationship. Seteta also has no shame in her own naked form, and those who have tried to humiliate her in that way have failed.
She is confident and has no problem speaking her mind, though sometimes that gets her in trouble. Her sensuality and sexual playfulness is a large part of who she is, and she feels no shame in sleeping with anyone who she would be willing to call a friend, though she does show more restraint when she is in a committed romantic relationship. Seteta also has no shame in her own naked form, and those who have tried to humiliate her in that way have failed.
