Bonus - Evalina Ishmael

Just want to share a new character of mine since I'm quite excited to play as her soon~

I finally got the chance to try the homebrew class from Valda Spire of Secret (by Mage Hand Press), and I chose the Green Craft Subclass with Infested Curse (Which allows me to choose Swarm of Rats as familiar). For the backstory, I kinda use the 'Adam and Eve' theme; in this case, a naïve and desperate farm girl falls into temptation that ends up destroying her entire life.  The concept of her build and character is based on "Pied Piper of Hamelin" while adding some chaotic element of someone with a fractured mind and practically ever-shifting alignment, and most of her magic is a debuff, curses, and mind-bending. I usually play a lawful or neutral character, so playing a truly chaotic character would be the first for me~

On a whim, I also made a token frame for her, all of the files are available in the rar files below. Hopefully, the layer grouping in the PSD file makes it easier for you if you want to use the frame for your own character.

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Evalina Ishmael (Eve)

Female - 21

Witch - Green Magic

Race - Hexblood (Human)

Background - Ruined

Premise: A farm girl who meets an ancient hag and unknowingly trades her entire village's life for food. She asked for food, so her village wouldn’t ever be hungry. The hag filled the storage with food but then turned everyone into undead without hunger. That tragedy and her interaction curse her with power, but the trauma also breaks her mind, making her live in a delusion that her village is okay, and she just travels to see the world and hone her craft.

Backstory

Born and raised in the frontier village of Aldea, Evalina Ishmael, the eldest daughter of Johan and Eldora, grew up amidst the rugged beauty of the Dalia Kingdom's outskirts, near the mysterious Cernunnos forest. Her family, one of the first to settle in this region three generations prior, played a pivotal role in transforming the village into a prosperous hub of agriculture and lumber, vital to the kingdom's economy.

Evalina's youth, shared with her sister Casandra and twins Laila and Ladin, was steeped in farm life's rustic charm and diligent rhythms. Their home, a simple abode shared with their grandmother Melvena, stood as a tranquil haven, far from the kingdom's sporadic unrest.

Yet, this pastoral serenity was shattered as Evalina neared her nineteenth year. A mysterious blight swept through the land, spawning a devastating famine that left Aldea reeling. To Evalina's despair, the kingdom, embroiled in its own squabbles, remained apathetic to their suffering. This cold abandonment planted seeds of deep resentment in her heart against the callous lords and the indifferent kingdom.

Desperation led Evalina into the haunting depths of the Cernunnos forest, drawn by myths of an ancient, mystical hag. In this silent, foreboding realm, she encountered the hag, whose dark gaze and eerie whisper spoke of hidden powers. In exchange for a bounteous harvest, Evalina hastily agreed to an obscure favor, unaware of its grim cost. The village's storerooms soon brimmed with food, but at a ghastly price – Aldea's inhabitants, including her own family, were doomed to become feral undead that would no longer feel hunger but were filled with hatred for everything alive.

This catastrophe fractured Evalina's psyche. She oscillated unpredictably among the personas of a naive farm girl, a calculating witch, and an unpredictable lunatic. Yet, within her fractured mind, Evalina clung to a self-crafted illusion. She believed she was simply a young adventurer, learning witchcraft from the benevolent forest hag, while her village thrived, always there for her to return. This delusion was her fragile refuge, safeguarding the remnants of her sanity.

However, those who listened to Evalina's story could glimpse the cracks in her narrative. Her tales, filled with vibrant descriptions of Aldea, were undercut by haunting hints of silence and shadow. Moments of joyous village life would occasionally slip, revealing brief, chilling snapshots of desolation, only for Evalina to quickly return to her cheerful recounting.

In the wake of the tragedy, the hag's magic had infused Evalina with powerful abilities. She mastered Green Magic, able to twist nature, curse her foes, and control vermin with her haunting whistle. She found companionship in rats, naming them after her lost villagers, a morbid echo of her former life.

Known ominously as "The Whistler of The Crooked Alley" or “The Whistler,” Evalina emerged as a shadowy figure in society. She offered her enigmatic services for unique prices, often asking for peculiar favors or strange items in return. Her actions, driven by a blend of kindness, manipulation, and madness, painted her as a complex figure.

Her disdain for the ruling class, especially the aristocracy, stemmed from their role in Aldea's downfall. Their indifference and self-absorption contrasted starkly with the suffering of her people. Further, Evalina's contempt extended to those who squandered food or failed to appreciate its value, a perspective shaped by the famine and her own tragic choice.

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