Lilith Zorinya
Lilith Zorinya (a.k.a. Witch of the Weave)
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Lilith is short and thin, with little muscle definition.
Body Features
Lilith long black hair is lustrous and under the right light, slightly iridescent, similar to plumage of a crow. In spite of her short stature, she has a respectable bust and hip size.
Facial Features
Lilith's face is conventionally pretty, but she has a slight overbite that gives her a somewhat mousy appearance.
Identifying Characteristics
Lilith possesses heterochromatic eyes; one is a pale blue, while the other is a vibrant green.
Lilith is missing her middle finger on her right hand.
Physical quirks
Lilith is physically weak, but has a hardy constitution. She takes advantage of this disarming appearance to win drinking games.
Apparel & Accessories
Lilith often sports a witch's outfit featuring a wide-brimmed black hat, a cape, and a white blouse. She has a quarterstaff of spiraling oak with a broken crystal on the head which emanates a bright white light.
Specialized Equipment
Lilith's a generalist mage with no particular school specializations. Largely as a consequence of her bond to her spellbook, she seeks to learn a variety of spells from all schools of magic. That said, the primary focus of her schooling is on comprehending artifice and the influence of ley lines as a natural and magical phenomenon. Contrary to her vocation, her favorite spell is Fireball.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Lilith was born on Abadius 1, 4704, to a sea-hag. Her mother had formerly been a human Varisian herbalist that moonlit as a guide for travelers along the rocky shores of the Northern Varisian coast. When Lilith's father, a cyphermage, was dispatched to the coast to find a rumored Thassilonian ruin, he failed to locate it. After plying locals for information, he came to understand that this particular ruin was a site of cultural heritage and power to witches of the region, and that its location was a coveted secret. Over the following months, he hired Lilith's mother for a variety of frivolous tasks, using their interactions to ingratiate himself to the lonely woman. Eventually he managed to seduce her, and after several months he finally convinced the woman to divulge the location of the ruin. Heavy with child, Lilith's mother escorted the cyphermage to the site, but was betrayed by him. He attempted to drown her after learning the true value of the ruin. Exposure to a nearby leyline convergence, and her own hatred and emotional trauma caused Lilith's mother to undergo a horrific transformation. The sea-hag promptly killed her former lover, and Lilith was born a short time later. Lilith is human since she was conceived before her mother's change, but her mismatched eyes betray her tainted heritage.
Lilith was raised in the ruin, far from other humans, and in truth her initial exposure to people came in the form of the meals her mother would prepare. Lilith was raised as a cannibal, and to this day she perceives peoples' aversion to the act as overblown and ridiculous.
One day, as she was rooting through the belongings of her mother's late victims, she discovered her dead father's belongings, including a mysterious tome that possessed a seemingly endless number of pages. In it, she found her father's notes and sketches of Thassilonian runes and ruins. Thanks to this, she was able to figure out how to read and write, and eventually also discovered ancient journal entries in the tome as well. Penned in ancient Thassilonian, she painstakingly translated the writing. The entries, she would come to learn, were penned by the last empire of Thassilon, a man calling himself "Xol the Failure". After his father's betrayal at the hands of the Runelords, Xol was propped up as his father's successor by them to maintain the facade of normalcy over the kingdom's subjects, but he was nothing but a figurehead. In the background the Runelords carved up the empire for their own twisted ambitions, and Xol became nothing but a prisoner in a gilded cage. Lacking the power, influence, and magical talents of the prior emperor, Xol was overcome by a profound depression and sense of wanderlust.
The forlorn nature of the diary entries and her father's fascinating notes on the ancient civilization inspired Lilith to leave her mother's home. For her part, the seahag was happy to see her daughter leave; although she loved Lilith and raised her, her mother is still a sea hag. Thus, Lilith set out at 15 to Riddleport to seek out her fathers' colleagues and to seek a mentor.
Gender Identity
Lilith identifies as a female.
Sexuality
Lilith is primarily straight, but has experimented with other forms of sexuality in the past out a curiosity.
Education
Lilith arrived at Riddleport in 4719, and after a couple weeks of incessant begging was paired up with one of her late father's former colleagues and friends, a gruff and dirty "street mage" named Algus Barnes. Algus was a gambling addict, a chain-smoker and an alcoholic, and simply relied on his own skill as a perveyor of rumors and secrets to keep him awash in drink and prostitutes. His skills as an educator were shoddy, to say the least, and more often than not he simply used Lilith as a way to score free drinks and would give her meaningless and demeaning tasks as a way to "keep the brat out of his business". Still, Lilith picked up a basic comprehension of magic as she watched the street-savvy mage, and in time the teenager learned his bad habits too. To this day, Lilith has a love of drink and pipe-weed, and finds it much easier to concentrate on intellectual tasks when surrounded by the hubbub of a busy tavern. In addition to this, she also came to learn of the secret signs and business practices of the black markets, a talent that serves her to this day.
Around mid-4724, a higher-ranking member of the cyphermages discovered Lilith's tome was an authentic Thassilonian relic, and demanded she hand over the book to the organization. Fearing the consequences for refusing, Lilith fled the city by horseback and rode to Sandpoint, whereupon she chartered passage by ship to Absalom.
She spent a few months in Absalom, familiarizing herself with the city and its quarters. Early in Neth, Lilith took and passed the prominent arcane college's entry exam. In the months since that time, she has studiously expanded her knowledge of magic and her expertise in artifice, and is currently one of the highest-scoring students among the first-years.
Employment
Self-employed (owner of Font of Magic)
Accomplishments & Achievements
Lilith was able to locate a ley line convergence of great power in the Precipice Quarter.
Lilith managed to construct a magic item shop, Font of Magic, on the site of the convergence.
Lilith has achieved her Mage's Certification from the Arcanamirium, qualifying her as a legitimate mage in the eyes of the college and in the eyes of magical institutions around the world.
Failures & Embarrassments
During an exploration of a Thassilonian ruin, Lilith activated a trap that had already been disabled.
Lilith had previously aspired to become a Pathfinder, but after a harrowing encounter with a pair of hungry dragons has accepted that she lacks talent as an adventurer, and this admission is a source of shame for her.
Mental Trauma
Lilith was raised by a sea-hag, and as a consequence her perception of insane outbursts, compulsive behavior and abusive language has been normalized. Lilith believes that people are- as a rule- inherently irrational beings who primarily prioritize their own physical and emotional needs, and the values and morals they espouse are usually self-deceptions and rationalizations that exist to help them maintain a positive self-image.
Lilith's time as an apprentice to a cyphermage have normalized her perception of drug and alcohol abuse, and she regularly goes to taverns in her spare time to indulge in these excesses "for fun".
When Lilith's familiar Halmeni was killed by a dragon's breath, the empathic bond they shared allowed Lilith to experience her familiar's terrified and agonizing final moments. This has instilled within Lilith a profound fear of death and a sense of guilt over her familiar's suffering.
Intellectual Characteristics
Lilith is a highly intelligent person, but her overwhelming sense of curiosity can also make her seem foolish. She has a proclivity to see destruction of a problem as a solution to fixing it, which can have unintended consequences that are sometimes worse than the initial problem.
Morality & Philosophy
Lilith is a pragmatic and self-interested person, and largely her behaviors are not driven by any overriding sense of moral imperative or ethical values. Although she is not moored to society's expectations of good or evil, she perceives the utility and necessity in maintaining a positive relationship with the institutions of power within a community, and in cultivating personal relationships. This can create the false appearance of benevolence or charity, but behind this mask of virtue is a materialistic nature.
Taboos
Lilith doesn't really have any taboos. As a person that was raised by a cannibalistic hag and who was taught magic by a hedonistic cyphermage, she readily indulges in vices for her own self satisfaction, and thinks nothing less about others that do the same.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Lilith is motivated by a desire to amass enough fortune that she can go on a world-spanning exploration of Golarion. After a dangerous encounter with dragons, she has reevaluated her own talents as an adventurer, and has decided such a journey will require a defensible vehicle, bodyguards, and other necessities.
Beyond this, Lilith's goals include raising her fame and status in order to make the first goal easier to obtain. She doesn't attach any personal value to titles, but recognizes their value as steps toward her other goals.
Lilith perceives magic as a tool, and although she finds the topic endlessly fascinating, she sees her education as another stepping-stone towards other things, and not as a goal in and of itself.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Lilith doesn't enjoy riding in carts or on ships, and easily develops motion sickness.
Lilith is good at gambling, and in particular games where she can leverage her intellect to count cards for an unfair advantage.
Likes & Dislikes
Lilith likes booze, complex devices and the smell of the ocean.
Lilith dislikes loud children, being dirty and thieves.
Virtues & Personality perks
Lilith likes to invest in people, seeing their development as an asset she can later call on for favors or aid.
Lilith is a skilled businessperson, and while she is no salesman she is particularly good at reducing production costs, allowing her to greatly improve profit margins.
Vices & Personality flaws
Lilith has a love of drink and smoking.
Lilith can be excessively curious, which can get her into trouble.
Lilith has a strong fear of death.
Personality Quirks
Lilith dislikes bad handwriting, and as a person that had to teach herself how to read and write, she doesn't buy the excuses of an illegible writer.
Hygiene
Lilith keeps herself quite clean, and invested in a full bath for her dwelling. When traveling she relies on the Prestidigitation cantrip to help keep her body and garments clean.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Delilah: A sea hag living on the Northern coast of Varisia. She's a hermit that occasionally captures sailors or lone travelers to sate her hunger.
Algus Barnes: A retired Cyphermage who occasionally (and reluctantly) takes on apprentices at the behest of the organization. A lover of drink and good pipe-weed, he moonlights as an intelligence broker for those with coin. He has black market connections.
Lilith's late father: A former Cyphermage who manipulated Lilith's mother into revealing the site of a valuable Thassilonian ruin, and then attempted to kill her. Lilith doesn't know much about him except that he supposedly had a handsome face and a talent for lying. His notes within her tome reveal he was an intellectual person with a talent for artistry, but little else of his nature as a person.
Fetus: A pug-man and venture-captain of the Pathfinders. Lilith parted with him on good terms, but she gets a sense that she disappointed him.
Lilith also has associations with adventurers of Aether;
She is on friendly relations with the half-drider Ryl'fein and Prospero, a necromancer from Sandpoint. She has a professional relationship with Eezag, who she has conducted business within the past. She has a passing acquaintance with Alessa, a more experienced and powerful mage, but their encounters and discussions had been brief.
Family Ties
Lilith has no noble ties that she is aware of. It is possible her late father might have held a noble title of some sort, but given his associations with the Cyphermages, this possibility seems remote.
Religious Views
Ostensibly, Lilith worships Magdh, one of the Eldest. This is largely a consequence of her upbringing; Lilith's mother also honored the eldest of fates and fortune, and so Lilith also pays the same offerings and observances. Personally, Lilith perceives these exchanges as more of a transaction than a source of personal growth, but if Magdh takes offense to this irreverence, Lilith hasn't seen any sign yet.
The source of Lilith's witch magic is the Condition of All, and consequently Lilith perceives the world more in terms of a balanced state or equilibrium between many extremes. She doesn't exert influence or power over a situation unless the circumstances demand it.
Social Aptitude
Lilith is mostly a bookworm, but outside of her studies she spends much of her free time as a bar fly.
Lilith is a forthright and honest person, but her scathing intellect can cause her to sound judgemental in situations where she is simply making unflattering observations.
Mannerisms
Lilith speaks with a slight lisp, and her Varisian ancestry means she speaks with a slight accent.
Hobbies & Pets
Lilith has a large number of potted plants in her home. She is not an herbalist, but having been raised by one enjoys the ambiance they can provide.
Lilith's familiar, Halmeni, is a black cat that is slowly becoming accustomed to a feline's body. Originally Halmeni was a white rabbit, but due to a deadly encounter was later reincarnated into the form of a cat. Halmeni was formerly the familiar of the god Aroden, but due to her low intelligence and the intervening 100 years since his demise, she finds the details of her time with him to be fuzzy.
In her free time, when she is not crafting or doing studying, Lilith likes to go out to drink and gamble.
Speech
Lilith speaks in a way that reveals her natural intelligence, and is often witty and sarcastic.
Wealth & Financial state
Current Net Worth: 114,147.90 gp
This value includes the full market price of all held property, equipment, and downtime capital.
Lilith Zorinya is an aspiring young mage of the Arcanamirium, a magical college in Absalom. A cunning and opportunistic person, she uses a combination of artifice and her magical talents to achieve her ambitions.
View Character ProfileArcanamirium Mage: Lilith has achieved her Mage's Certification from the Arcanamirium. This diploma was accompanied by a woven green-and-golden tassel that allows other arcanists and prominent organizations to recognize her authenticity as a spellcaster. This alone does not make her well-known, nor does it mean she is seen as some kind of archmage. In modern terms, it would be akin to a bachelor's degree in a vocation or trade, representing a basic but respectable proficiency in arcane magic. Even so, this accreditation endows her with a small but noticeable degree of status among people within her field.
"Being an adult means taking responsibility for the mistakes you choose to make."
"Lies are the glue that holds society together."
"Curiosity isn't considered a virtue for a reason."
Ancient Azlanti, Ancient Shory, Ancient Thassilonian, Dwarven, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Goblin, Taldane, Terran, Polyglot, Varisian
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