Shoudra Mallory*~ The Necromancer

Human

Female

Magic Support/Tank

Casual… you will NEVER see me participate in battles.

28

Neutral Good

Images conjured while thinking about a sorceress who draws up the bodies of the dead to do her bidding would likely be that of a brooding anti-hero or knowledge drunk crone cooped up in a dank keep. Shoudra, however, is far from these two.

Her occupation, by name, is archeology but her exploits usually lead her into much more dangerous territories. The world of Hyrule is a land rich with lore and adventure and Shoudra was more than willing to soak up her fair share of both. Many ancient artifacts of lost cultures and relics of strange religions found a home in her manor and her collection of treasures was only rivaled by her stunning library. A purveyor of lost literature and dead languages, there is not much more that pulls Shoudra’s attention like a rare tome dug from the buried temple.

Her time spent in studies has sharpened her mind and eventually led to the development of her magical abilities. She is a fast learner and rarely forgets what she has read. However, she is somewhat guilty of a lack of cunning. Her sheltered life and awkward childhood has cost her experience in recognizing manipulation and dealing in subterfuge herself.

Having grown up with a fairly severe stutter, she is rarely the first to open conversation, but will talk if she truly believes she needs to be heard. Her words are usually drawn slowly and in a low voice, but, when her emotions become pitched, her old speech impediment can sometimes resurface. As those around her become more and more trusted and liked, Shoudra will be more open. She is an extraordinarily earnest person whose honesty could not be doubted by anyone.

As she has a general distaste for combat, she fell quickly for necromancy. Putting a nice, meaty undead wall between herself and her foes or blasting them from afar with a wisp suits her much better than getting up close and bloody. Her knowledge in the mystical arts is much broader, but she, in somewhat arrogant fashion, considers herself a bit of a shamanistic prodigy.

A full sized picture of Shoudra in battle can be seen HERE
Shoudra is of average height and weight, though she is in exceptionally good shape for a wizard due to her scavenging through temples and ruins. Her narrow eyes are a deep blue and she prefers to wear her dark brown hair short, just reaching her jaw. Though not beautiful by any stretch of the means to begin with, she is considerably disfigured by a wicked scar, inflicted by a shard of glass from an alchemy accident that almost took her head, that runs on the leftside of her face from the corner of her mouth to underneath her ear. She is very self conscious of the scar and will typically try to stand in a way that it is not facing the person she is speaking with.

Shoudra does everything within her power to stay out of melee range in combat, but she does have a small dagger belted to her hip that is used in certain spells.

While she has stores and stores of interesting curios and a handful of magical artifacts in her mansion, the only items she usually carries with her is a small bag for reagents and a few basic survival items.

Raise Undead- This is, hands down, Shoudra’s greatest offensive and defensive ability. With the use of spells, Shoudra can revive a pair of both freshly slain corpses and use them in any way she pleases, or zombies from the ground beneath her. These shambling biters work as a perfect tank or distraction to allow Shoudra to make a quick getaway. Conversely, they can be used offensively to smother her enemies and buy her allies some time to make their next move. In the heat of battle, this ability may be used once every other post and she can control up to five ghouls.

NOTE- Edged weapons do little damage to the warriors as the blades are meant to sever organs or draw blood, both of which, the undead don’t need. The undead can be slain by damaging them beyond the point of use, ie- taking off both of their arms, both of their legs, cutting off their heads, freezing them solid, burning them into ashes.

Rot- Sometimes you just have more zombies than you know what to do with. By rapidly increasing the speed at which necrotic tissue of her undead warriors decomposes she can create what amounts to a vile, festering explosive. As internal organs of the ghoul are burned away, a large amount of gas is built up within their abdominal cavity. Once this pressure reaches critical stages, a strike from the enemy will cause the body to rupture, spilling noxious gasses and gore out onto the attacker. The steaming, rotting stew can cause minor burns and poison anything within arms reach of the walking corpse.

As undead guts take a minute to cook, this ability requires a one turn prep period wherein if the zombie is dropped, the ability does nothing. Additionally, if Shoudra casts rot upon a zombie, she will be unable to do so on another until the first is dead.

Cantrips- Any practitioner of magic worth their salt will have picked up a few spells here and there that just plain make life easier. Though none of them would come into use in actual combat, the simple abilities are good for things like lighting candles with a flick of the finger, creating a temporary floating disk upon which to carry goods, mild levitation of small objects, etc…

Shoudra grew up in Castle Town. As a young girl she was considered one of the brightest in her class as she could pick up languages nearly effortlessly, displayed astonishing comprehension in what she read and what she heard. She was taken in by a Mages Guild and learned under the tutelage of one of the finest sages her world. While working for the Guild, she fell in love with a young man who was one of her former classmates and now one of her fellows.

They worked well as a pair and were beginning a meteoric rise within the ranks of the Guild. Unfortunately, their nation was set upon by a neighboring country. The war was long and bloody and her lover was called into service. He was a great warrior and was soon given command of a small battalion of men. His men were well known for their cunning and their ingenuity. Sadly, their luck eventually ran out. The man was struck down in a pitched battle against desperate odds to defend a vital supply caravan brining weapons and rations to soldiers on the front lines. Despite their best efforts, the clerics were only able to temporarily stave off his death and his devastated body was given back over to Shoudra and the Guild.

Shoudra, having promised to love him to the death and beyond, searched frantically for a cure. Unfortunately, he soon passed away leaving Shoudra broken on the inside. Determined not to let her love for him die, she delved into the necromantic arts in hopes of being able to fetch him from the afterlife. After more than five years of studying and practice, Shoudra found a spell that she believed would return her beloved’s soul to his mortal coil.

Shoudra set the altar and the various runes needed for the spell in the main hall of the town’s mortuary. After hours of rituals and casting, the spell was completed. The young woman lost consciousness due to the exertion of the feat. When she woke, she found that the spell had not worked quite in the way that she had intended. Whether by a cruel twist of fate, or a neophyte’s error the spell had brought the corpse back to life, but it no longer retained any memory or personality, it was merely a machine that fed its needs and not the man she had loved. Devastated, she was forced to smother her beloved and allow him to rest in peace. In a fit of rage, she tried to take her own life by drinking poison. Yet again, the fates defied her and she lived through the ordeal as she was taken care of by the herblorists of the Guild.

After her recovery, she set out into the world, leaving behind her family and the Guild to try and start her life anew. Within a half a dozen years, she became a renowned treasure hunter and explorer, using her gained wealth and ability to build a mansion on the waterfront of Lake Hylia where her beloved had been born. Her riches became impressive and her vast library was the envy of scholars across the continent but her thirst for adventure would never be quite sated.

None at the moment.

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