- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per day
- Writing Levels
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Female
- Genres
- Sci-fi, fantasy, magical, modern, Steampunk
Name: Nephthys Nightshade
-Apperance-
Race: Bat Pony
Age Category: Teenage mare
Abilities:
Her special talent is skull-carving. With GM permission, Nephthys may also communicate with the dead, as well as perform magic related to defense against curses, relations with Ancestral Spirits, exorcism of hostile spirits, "turning" of undead (if there will be any undead) and helping the departed find their way to the Afterworld. These would be skills she's been trained in, but she does not have "field experience," so her abilities in these areas would be...imperfect. Also, flight.
About:
Nightshade is driven and ambitious. Whatever she sets out to do, she pours her whole self into, sometimes pushing herself too hard or unintentionally stepping on hooves in the pursuit of her goals. She cares deeply for her Swarm and her friends, even though restlessness and impatience can make her seem to pull away. She can be proud at times, though it manifests as a taciturn aloofness rather than boasting and show-off displays. Underneath that exterior though, she is fiery and passionate. Patience is not her strong suit.
Nephthys Nightshade was born into the Starchaser Swarm, a clan of bat ponies living in city of Evernight, deep within the Caverns of Amun-Ta, "the Hidden Land." She was given "Nightshade" as her birth-name by her biological parents, and raised by the Swarm as a whole with their other foals. Once she had completed her basic education, it was time for her to begin her Moon Flight, a young bat pony's quest to discover her or his true self and become Marked.
Nightshade poured herself into the task with drive and determination, resolved to "make her Mark" (the bat pony idiom, intended to convey the connotation of self-creation along with that of having an effect on society) and begin her life's profession right away. She tried one thing after another, pushing herself to develop as much skill as she could. She enjoyed poetry, and flying sports, singing and ceremony, but no Mark. Impatience and frustration grew.
It came to her in a moment of serendipity. Uoset Shadowveil, one of her friends, had lost her pet bat during a nightly Flight. Night after night she searched for him, to no avail. Then one day, she found a bat skeleton wearing the leg-ring she'd made for him. The skeleton had a broken wing, and was lying in a pile in a cleft in the limestone, where he had died trying to crawl back into the cave, to Uoset. In tears, she buried the bones except for the leg-ring and the skull, which she carried back with her.
Nightshade found her crying, and tried to console her by talking about the good times and love that she and Fleudermaus had shared together. To relieve her friend's guilt, she reminded her that Fleudermaus died trying to get back to her because he knew that he was loved. That she did not find him, nor he her, was no one's fault.
Uoset wanted his skull carved, but she was afraid to approach the Skull-Carver with the skull of a foal's pet. "I will do it," Nightshade said. She had already tried studying the Skull-Carver's art during her Moon Flight, but it was the one vocation she didn't put her heart into. One did not become a Skull-Carver upon receiving the Mark. It took years of apprenticeship under a master before one would be allowed to set tools to the skull of somebatpony's loved one, and Nightshade was anxious to "make her Mark" in the world as soon as possible.
But for Fleudermaus and her friend, she poured herself into the task. Skull-Candy, the master Skull-Carver gave her the occasional knowing look when she came back to his workshop to "innocently" ask him questions about symbolism, sigils, or bone-carving technique, but he taught her what she wanted to know.
Finally, her work was complete, and she presented Uoset with the delicately-carved skull of her beloved pet. Uoset burst out with tears of bittersweet joy and gratitude. As she hugged her friend, Nightshade's cutie mark appeared.
"But...no...I can't be a Skull-Carver! That takes forever! Nightshade protested. Now she was the one afraid to approach Skull-Candy. With her friend's encouragement, she finally did. Skull-Candy asked to see "what she's been working on these last few weeks." Presented with Fleudermaus' skull, Skull-Candy performed the proper rituals, and told Uoset to keep it with her so that one day Fleudermaus could accompany her on her own journey to the Pillars of Memory. He then gave Nightshade her Life-Name, "Nepththys," and took her as an apprentice.
Nightshade poured herself into her studies with her characteristic drive and determination, but there was always a part of her that struggled, that wanted to pull away from the Skull-Carver's life, or press Skull-Candy to just hurry UP already, and let her get started.
When she was old enough, Skull-Candy presented her with an adventurer's saddlebags and gear for her birthday. "But...what...are you sending me away? I'll try harder, I promise!" Nightshade said. Skull-Candy shook his head.
"You cannot be ready to guide spirits and the loved ones they leave behind through the journey of death until you have truly experienced life. You must know its joys and sorrows, loves and losses for yourself, or you are in no position to accompany others through the paths of grief. It is life itself that pulls you away from me. Go now, follow its lead, until it pulls you back."
And so, Nephthys Nightshade set out in search of adventure, in search of life.
Other:
"Bat ponies" are pegasi with bat wings. Canonically, they are featured briefly pulling Princess Luna's chariot in Luna Eclipsed. The bat pony culture I present in Nightshade's bio, the Caverns of Amun-Ta and the City of Evernight are all my own headcanon, and are not intended to be imposed on anyone else's bat pony characters.
Cutie Mark:
Nephthys' cutie mark is a pony skull that, on closer inspection, appears to be elaborately carved. In the bat pony city of Evernight, when a pony dies, their corpse is placed in a crypt in the Necropolis, where scavenger insects and other small creatures from the deep-cave ecosystem are allowed to feed on it while it decomposes. Six months later, the skull is brought to a Skull-Carver, who has spent the intervening time talking with the family and friends of the deceased, helping them through their grieving process and hearing their stories about the deceased. The carver then spends the next six months carving the skull with magical sigils and images or symbols pointing to key moments of the deceased's life. On their first Deathday, the skull is publicly presented in a funeral procession that is at once sad and joyful, a celebration of their life and death. The skull is then placed in a shrine carved from the living rock of the Pillars of Memory, a "forest" of joined stalagtite-stalagmite pillars that is sacred to the bat ponies. Family members are expected to regularly bring offerings of perfume, chocolate, and other sensory treats, as well as stories of how the family is getting along. The Skull-Carver or a specialist medium might also be asked to allow the revered ancestors to speak through them. Skull-Carvers also have a prominent role in dealing with curses, hauntings, and other "issues" between the living and the dead. It is a highly-regarded profession in Evernight.
-Apperance-
Race: Bat Pony
Age Category: Teenage mare
Abilities:
Her special talent is skull-carving. With GM permission, Nephthys may also communicate with the dead, as well as perform magic related to defense against curses, relations with Ancestral Spirits, exorcism of hostile spirits, "turning" of undead (if there will be any undead) and helping the departed find their way to the Afterworld. These would be skills she's been trained in, but she does not have "field experience," so her abilities in these areas would be...imperfect. Also, flight.
About:
Nightshade is driven and ambitious. Whatever she sets out to do, she pours her whole self into, sometimes pushing herself too hard or unintentionally stepping on hooves in the pursuit of her goals. She cares deeply for her Swarm and her friends, even though restlessness and impatience can make her seem to pull away. She can be proud at times, though it manifests as a taciturn aloofness rather than boasting and show-off displays. Underneath that exterior though, she is fiery and passionate. Patience is not her strong suit.
Nephthys Nightshade was born into the Starchaser Swarm, a clan of bat ponies living in city of Evernight, deep within the Caverns of Amun-Ta, "the Hidden Land." She was given "Nightshade" as her birth-name by her biological parents, and raised by the Swarm as a whole with their other foals. Once she had completed her basic education, it was time for her to begin her Moon Flight, a young bat pony's quest to discover her or his true self and become Marked.
Nightshade poured herself into the task with drive and determination, resolved to "make her Mark" (the bat pony idiom, intended to convey the connotation of self-creation along with that of having an effect on society) and begin her life's profession right away. She tried one thing after another, pushing herself to develop as much skill as she could. She enjoyed poetry, and flying sports, singing and ceremony, but no Mark. Impatience and frustration grew.
It came to her in a moment of serendipity. Uoset Shadowveil, one of her friends, had lost her pet bat during a nightly Flight. Night after night she searched for him, to no avail. Then one day, she found a bat skeleton wearing the leg-ring she'd made for him. The skeleton had a broken wing, and was lying in a pile in a cleft in the limestone, where he had died trying to crawl back into the cave, to Uoset. In tears, she buried the bones except for the leg-ring and the skull, which she carried back with her.
Nightshade found her crying, and tried to console her by talking about the good times and love that she and Fleudermaus had shared together. To relieve her friend's guilt, she reminded her that Fleudermaus died trying to get back to her because he knew that he was loved. That she did not find him, nor he her, was no one's fault.
Uoset wanted his skull carved, but she was afraid to approach the Skull-Carver with the skull of a foal's pet. "I will do it," Nightshade said. She had already tried studying the Skull-Carver's art during her Moon Flight, but it was the one vocation she didn't put her heart into. One did not become a Skull-Carver upon receiving the Mark. It took years of apprenticeship under a master before one would be allowed to set tools to the skull of somebatpony's loved one, and Nightshade was anxious to "make her Mark" in the world as soon as possible.
But for Fleudermaus and her friend, she poured herself into the task. Skull-Candy, the master Skull-Carver gave her the occasional knowing look when she came back to his workshop to "innocently" ask him questions about symbolism, sigils, or bone-carving technique, but he taught her what she wanted to know.
Finally, her work was complete, and she presented Uoset with the delicately-carved skull of her beloved pet. Uoset burst out with tears of bittersweet joy and gratitude. As she hugged her friend, Nightshade's cutie mark appeared.
"But...no...I can't be a Skull-Carver! That takes forever! Nightshade protested. Now she was the one afraid to approach Skull-Candy. With her friend's encouragement, she finally did. Skull-Candy asked to see "what she's been working on these last few weeks." Presented with Fleudermaus' skull, Skull-Candy performed the proper rituals, and told Uoset to keep it with her so that one day Fleudermaus could accompany her on her own journey to the Pillars of Memory. He then gave Nightshade her Life-Name, "Nepththys," and took her as an apprentice.
Nightshade poured herself into her studies with her characteristic drive and determination, but there was always a part of her that struggled, that wanted to pull away from the Skull-Carver's life, or press Skull-Candy to just hurry UP already, and let her get started.
When she was old enough, Skull-Candy presented her with an adventurer's saddlebags and gear for her birthday. "But...what...are you sending me away? I'll try harder, I promise!" Nightshade said. Skull-Candy shook his head.
"You cannot be ready to guide spirits and the loved ones they leave behind through the journey of death until you have truly experienced life. You must know its joys and sorrows, loves and losses for yourself, or you are in no position to accompany others through the paths of grief. It is life itself that pulls you away from me. Go now, follow its lead, until it pulls you back."
And so, Nephthys Nightshade set out in search of adventure, in search of life.
Other:
"Bat ponies" are pegasi with bat wings. Canonically, they are featured briefly pulling Princess Luna's chariot in Luna Eclipsed. The bat pony culture I present in Nightshade's bio, the Caverns of Amun-Ta and the City of Evernight are all my own headcanon, and are not intended to be imposed on anyone else's bat pony characters.
The History of Evernight
In ancient times, bat ponies were enemies of the pegasi, and the two sides battled for control of the skies. Though bat ponies were more eusocial, living very close together in almost hive-like Swarms, the pegasi eventually developed superior weapons, armor, and military organization. Allied with unicorns and earth ponies, they had superior resources at their disposal, and relentlessly drove the bat ponies from the skies. A few ragged remnant Swarms found a vast, deep cavern with lakes and bio-luminescent fungi, molluscs, and fish. They carefully concealed the entrance so that pegasus search squadrons could not find it. The Endless Winter that came that year also helped conceal the bat ponies from their enemies.
Sheltered in their caverns, the bat ponies built the city of Evernight, lighting it with bio-luminescent fungi and crystals that generate an eerie purple light via piezoelectric effects when caused to vibrate. Thus, the city of Evernight is wrapped in soft, ambient auras of alien, almost mournful music. Bat ponies use the echoes of music to help find their way through the shadowy galleries of their subterranean world. Only rarely did Evernight send scouts out into the world beyond Amun-Ta's gates during the daytime. In nature, bat ponies are supposed to go out and graze at night, bringing nutrients back to the subterranean ecosystem via their manure. But their need for secrecy meant that only small numbers of ponies could be sent out at night, to gather food for others as well as forage. This was decided by a system of turn-taking among ponies who were old enough, so that everybatpony could at least have some opportunity to partake in the Flight, the nightly pilgrimage to the outside world.
The Endless Winter itself moved on, and the bat ponies discovered to their surprise, that the lands of their enemies had been abandoned to the snowdrifts. Cautiously, they sent their scouts further afield, only to discover the newly-founded Equestria. With great sadness, the scouts returned with the news that their enemies were not gone, but looked stronger than ever. And so, the Swarms of Evernight resigned themselves to remaining hidden. They would not be able to venture forth en masse into the night to fly free under the stars as their ancestors once had. This decision was reinforced by a sudden chaos that descended upon the land, which only the bat ponies in their hidden city managed to escape.
Then this dark time also passed. Perhaps now the power of the day ponies would be broken or departed, and bat ponies could possess the night once again. It was not to be. The day ponies were now ruled by two Alicorn princesses, one to preside over the day, and one to preside over the night. Though devotion to the Night Princess started to spread among the bat ponies, they could not venture out into her night. During the day, the Realm of Equestria was blessed with peace and stability, and went from strength to strength. Evernight had grown into a great city, but the bat ponies knew they would not be able to hold their own against the pegasi and their allies.
One day, there was battle between the Alicorn sisters. Their royal city fell, Luna was banished to the Moon, and Celestia took control of both day and night. To the bat ponies this was a great horror, and for those devoted to Luna, a blasphemy. It was as if the day ponies would leave no shadow un-scorched by their harsh light. On the first "false Night" of the new order, a powerful bat pony shaman named Selene Starshroud landed among the day ponies migrating with Celestia to the new capital city she would build, and proclaimed a curse, a prophecy: in a thousand years, the stars would aid Nightmare Moon's escape, and she would bring eternal Night.
Using her powers to escape pursuit, Starshroud returned to Evernight. There, the bat ponies awaited Luna's return, and the time when Night would finally be theirs. During the time of their hiding, the day ponies all but forgot the ancient wars. Bat ponies became creatures of legend and tall tales, Equestria's equivalent of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster.
At last, the appointed time came, and the Sun did not rise. Filled with messianic hope, the ponies of Evernight surged out into the sunless dawn. It was not to last. Far away, in the ruined Palace of the Pony Princesses, the Elements of Harmony were restored, Nightmare Moon was defeated, and the Sun rose. In terror, the bat ponies fled back to their caverns, but it was too late. They had been seen. Day and night, squadrons of Royal Guard pegasi searched the skies, while platoons of unicorns and earth ponies patrolled the land. It was not long before the entrance of Amun-Ta was found.
Grimly, the bat ponies of Evernight marshaled their defenses. As night fell, a squadron of Royal Guards approached, and the bat ponies prepared for the opening skirmish of the battle to come. Then the Guards parted to reveal the one they were protecting: Princess Luna.
"We...have been looking everywhere for you," she said nervously, "since we first heard that you still existed." Somehow, her powerful, resonant Royal Voice sounded nervous, even shy. "We would like to ask...that you come out...and enjoy our Night."
And so it came to pass that there was peace between Evernight and Equestria. Luna formed her own Night Guard, drawn from the eager ranks of Evernight's Night Watch warriors and even some day ponies. At sunset, the bat ponies of Evernight can be seen surging from the gates of Amun-Ta in a great, joyous revelry, the Flight, where they can at last soar freely under the stars, bathed in Luna's silvery light.
In ancient times, bat ponies were enemies of the pegasi, and the two sides battled for control of the skies. Though bat ponies were more eusocial, living very close together in almost hive-like Swarms, the pegasi eventually developed superior weapons, armor, and military organization. Allied with unicorns and earth ponies, they had superior resources at their disposal, and relentlessly drove the bat ponies from the skies. A few ragged remnant Swarms found a vast, deep cavern with lakes and bio-luminescent fungi, molluscs, and fish. They carefully concealed the entrance so that pegasus search squadrons could not find it. The Endless Winter that came that year also helped conceal the bat ponies from their enemies.
Sheltered in their caverns, the bat ponies built the city of Evernight, lighting it with bio-luminescent fungi and crystals that generate an eerie purple light via piezoelectric effects when caused to vibrate. Thus, the city of Evernight is wrapped in soft, ambient auras of alien, almost mournful music. Bat ponies use the echoes of music to help find their way through the shadowy galleries of their subterranean world. Only rarely did Evernight send scouts out into the world beyond Amun-Ta's gates during the daytime. In nature, bat ponies are supposed to go out and graze at night, bringing nutrients back to the subterranean ecosystem via their manure. But their need for secrecy meant that only small numbers of ponies could be sent out at night, to gather food for others as well as forage. This was decided by a system of turn-taking among ponies who were old enough, so that everybatpony could at least have some opportunity to partake in the Flight, the nightly pilgrimage to the outside world.
The Endless Winter itself moved on, and the bat ponies discovered to their surprise, that the lands of their enemies had been abandoned to the snowdrifts. Cautiously, they sent their scouts further afield, only to discover the newly-founded Equestria. With great sadness, the scouts returned with the news that their enemies were not gone, but looked stronger than ever. And so, the Swarms of Evernight resigned themselves to remaining hidden. They would not be able to venture forth en masse into the night to fly free under the stars as their ancestors once had. This decision was reinforced by a sudden chaos that descended upon the land, which only the bat ponies in their hidden city managed to escape.
Then this dark time also passed. Perhaps now the power of the day ponies would be broken or departed, and bat ponies could possess the night once again. It was not to be. The day ponies were now ruled by two Alicorn princesses, one to preside over the day, and one to preside over the night. Though devotion to the Night Princess started to spread among the bat ponies, they could not venture out into her night. During the day, the Realm of Equestria was blessed with peace and stability, and went from strength to strength. Evernight had grown into a great city, but the bat ponies knew they would not be able to hold their own against the pegasi and their allies.
One day, there was battle between the Alicorn sisters. Their royal city fell, Luna was banished to the Moon, and Celestia took control of both day and night. To the bat ponies this was a great horror, and for those devoted to Luna, a blasphemy. It was as if the day ponies would leave no shadow un-scorched by their harsh light. On the first "false Night" of the new order, a powerful bat pony shaman named Selene Starshroud landed among the day ponies migrating with Celestia to the new capital city she would build, and proclaimed a curse, a prophecy: in a thousand years, the stars would aid Nightmare Moon's escape, and she would bring eternal Night.
Using her powers to escape pursuit, Starshroud returned to Evernight. There, the bat ponies awaited Luna's return, and the time when Night would finally be theirs. During the time of their hiding, the day ponies all but forgot the ancient wars. Bat ponies became creatures of legend and tall tales, Equestria's equivalent of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster.
At last, the appointed time came, and the Sun did not rise. Filled with messianic hope, the ponies of Evernight surged out into the sunless dawn. It was not to last. Far away, in the ruined Palace of the Pony Princesses, the Elements of Harmony were restored, Nightmare Moon was defeated, and the Sun rose. In terror, the bat ponies fled back to their caverns, but it was too late. They had been seen. Day and night, squadrons of Royal Guard pegasi searched the skies, while platoons of unicorns and earth ponies patrolled the land. It was not long before the entrance of Amun-Ta was found.
Grimly, the bat ponies of Evernight marshaled their defenses. As night fell, a squadron of Royal Guards approached, and the bat ponies prepared for the opening skirmish of the battle to come. Then the Guards parted to reveal the one they were protecting: Princess Luna.
"We...have been looking everywhere for you," she said nervously, "since we first heard that you still existed." Somehow, her powerful, resonant Royal Voice sounded nervous, even shy. "We would like to ask...that you come out...and enjoy our Night."
And so it came to pass that there was peace between Evernight and Equestria. Luna formed her own Night Guard, drawn from the eager ranks of Evernight's Night Watch warriors and even some day ponies. At sunset, the bat ponies of Evernight can be seen surging from the gates of Amun-Ta in a great, joyous revelry, the Flight, where they can at last soar freely under the stars, bathed in Luna's silvery light.
Cutie Mark:
Nephthys' cutie mark is a pony skull that, on closer inspection, appears to be elaborately carved. In the bat pony city of Evernight, when a pony dies, their corpse is placed in a crypt in the Necropolis, where scavenger insects and other small creatures from the deep-cave ecosystem are allowed to feed on it while it decomposes. Six months later, the skull is brought to a Skull-Carver, who has spent the intervening time talking with the family and friends of the deceased, helping them through their grieving process and hearing their stories about the deceased. The carver then spends the next six months carving the skull with magical sigils and images or symbols pointing to key moments of the deceased's life. On their first Deathday, the skull is publicly presented in a funeral procession that is at once sad and joyful, a celebration of their life and death. The skull is then placed in a shrine carved from the living rock of the Pillars of Memory, a "forest" of joined stalagtite-stalagmite pillars that is sacred to the bat ponies. Family members are expected to regularly bring offerings of perfume, chocolate, and other sensory treats, as well as stories of how the family is getting along. The Skull-Carver or a specialist medium might also be asked to allow the revered ancestors to speak through them. Skull-Carvers also have a prominent role in dealing with curses, hauntings, and other "issues" between the living and the dead. It is a highly-regarded profession in Evernight.
Last edited:
