Lady/High Priestess Arachnia Contaria Lycoris
Arachnia Lycoris is the High Priestess of the Web of Time's Fate Cult. Arachnica is the Mother and Matriarch of the Lycoris family.
She is known for having a strict hold over both her family and the wider town politics, though this has weakened somewhat since the Oathbreaking of her eldest daughter Amelica Lycoris.
Arachnica's family all follow her lead for most of their life paths, and often Arachnia will have their lives planned out long before the children reach adulthood. She is known to be a strict and harsh mother, with little to no allowance for varience from her goals.
Within the Web of Time, Arachnia is a person feared about as much as she's held in high esteem.
Arachnia has seven children in total, Amelica (her eldest child), Xune, Viyolia, Malice (A half-tiefling and, alongside Amelica is the source of much gossip as a result), Gwylyss (her only son), Shylia and Zilvra (The youngest daughter, born with silver hair instead of the usual white hair drow have, again a source of gossip)
Outside of her immediate family, those living in the Web of Time are also commonly found in a mixture of being lead and threatened by Arachnia. She is known to have any dissenters and 'heretics' killed, often using her children to follow out her harsh sentences.
However, since she is not omniscient, in the time since Amelica's oathbreaking, Arachnia's hold has lessened. Many murmurings of deposing her as High Priestess or people's hopes for a different paladin, out of Arachnia's family, being born to the Web of Time. Many see Amelica's oathbreaking as a sign that Arachnia has fallen out of Fate's favour, though others, Arachnia included point to Xune's clerical abilities to refute this.
Physical Description
Arachnia Lycoris wears her hair in an intricate bun, her priestess robes are made of fine silks and typically are coloured Gold and Red, the colours of her family crest.
Arachnia Lycoris is a Cleric, as such her eye tattoos of Fate are decorated with a web to indicate her alligence to The Web Of Time.
A variety of Golden Jewelery, a jewel encrusted pocket watch.
Arachnia's Priestess Robes are silky and have golden threads sewed in.
Mental characteristics
Arachnia Lycoris comes from a long family line of various nobility and highly valued people from long before the Fate cult took over the Web of Time's territory. Supposedly, one of her predescesors, seeing the encroaching power of the religion of He Who Does Not Sleep post The Sleeping, changed religion. Either out of respect or (More likely) to retain power over the region.
Arachnia was the sole survivor of a family of 5 siblings, a middle child who used her skills as a Cleric to intergrate herself into the church as much as possible, eventually securing control of the entire settlement of The Web Of Time. Throughout her younger years her siblings seemed to keep falling into a variety of accidents and mishaps that eventually left Arachnia alone to inherit the family name.
Arachnia's first daughter was had around 5 years after Arachnia was declared High Priestess, and her Paladincy secured her hold over the region.
Her second child, Xune, was quickly pushed towards the life of a priestess in much the way Amelica was originally intended, and much like Arachnia herself. Xune is currently a high ranking Cleric of the region, many compare her to her mother.
Arachnia seems to sometimes forget Viyolia exists. The third daughter of the family, Viyolia is raised in the typical fashion of a noble lady, she has devoted a lot of her personal studies to the arcane. A pursuit she seemed able to pursue mostly due to Arachnia's limited interested in Viyolia herself.
Between Viyolia and her fourth child Arachnia devoted much of her time to Amelica and Xune's upbringing. In particular Amelica's visions had become more and more frequent and vibrant and Arachnia wanted to capitalise on them.
Malice was the child of Arachnia and a human noble of the village. The two seemed to have a whirlwind romance but when Malice was born with infernal heritage the relationship quickly fell apart.
Gwylyss, her only son and fifth child at first seemed a disapointment to his mother. However, as he became more and more skilled in his musical studies and charming those around him to his beck and call, Arachnia assigned him more and more work within the household. While he's still not close to her favourite, she seems to accept him more than Malice, assigning his older sister as a body guard.
Shylia, similarly gifted in bardic pursuits, seems to be working towards a similar way of life to her brother, perhaps joining him someday in handling the Lycoris family's alliances and trading.
A little while after Shylia's death, Arachnia's life hit a major complication. Amelica Lycoris' oathbreaking severly damaged the Lycoris family's reputation, and Arachnia in particular, as her mother and the Priestess in charge of Amelica's care and upbringing, was considered to have failed in raising her successfully for the role. Despite this, Arachnia was able to point to herself and Xune's potent clerical abilities and rely on the Lycoris family legacy to maintain power within the Web of Time at least. Though other settlements of Fate still cast some doubt over the families claims to Fate's favour.
Zilvra is Arachnia's youngest daughter, still a child and thus it remains to been seen what Arachnia's goals for her are. Her striking hair colour and strange presence has been the subject of much gossip, much to Arachnia's annoyance.
While the Fate cult has little to no regard to gender roles as a whole, lasting cultural influences from a previous deity favouring women has made the Web of Time still follow some matriarchal customs.
Arachnia Lycoris is a woman and presents in a very highly feminine way.
While it is dubious if Arachnia has ever loved any of her partners. They have all been male, suggesting she is probably straight.
Arachnia rose to the position of Head of The Lycoris family and High Priestess due to both her strong devotion and political prowess and the poor luck of her other siblings.
Arachnia has raised seven children, most of which are highly respected in the community or at least were at a previous point.
Arachnia Lycoris has managed to get the Web of Time to be firmly under her control, having most who oppose her either killed or imprisonned.
Arachnia Lycoris has had five partners and no one has taken the hint she's probably murdering them.
Amelica Lycoris' Oathbreaking is held as a personal failing of Arachnia as her mother and primary mentor, as well as it being a political failing for the whole family.
Malice Lycoris' tiefling nature is considered an embarrassment by Arachnia.
What Arachnia says goes. She considers her family as tools to assist her in maintaining and strengthening control of the region.
Those who oppose her are to be crushed.
Personality Characteristics
Amassing and Maintaining Power.
Abusing her kids for fun and profit.
Killing her enemies.
Her Family has reigned for multiple Millennia. Arachnia herself has reigned for just under two centuries.
History
Amelica Lycoris was originally born as a result of Arachnia hoping to secure an heir to the Lycoris family after securing power.
Amelica being chosen as a Paladin complicated this, but was also a great source of pride and familial reputation for Arachnia.
Arachnia raised Amelica closely, both as her mother and the one to train her and teach her the rites and rituals and responsibilities of a Paladin.
However, since Amelica oathbroke, Arachnia was quick to disown and disavow her eldest child.
Nicknames & Petnames
"'Milica dear" "Eldest." "My sweet little Paladin."
Relationship Reasoning
Mother and Daughter.
Cleric and the town's Paladin.
Shared Secrets
Arachnia taught Amelica several secret rituals as a Paladin.
Cleric (Important)
Towards He Who Does Not Sleep/Fate
History
Arachnia Lycoris the High Priestess of The Web Of Time, supposedly has a heavy devotion to the God of Fate.
However, she makes little effort in her leadership of the settlement to match many of the Fate Religion's cultural norms, still very attached to the Lycoris family's older legacy.
History
Xune is Arachnia's second oldest child and her heir apparent. She admires and respects her mother and seeks to emulate her where possible.
Despite this, she can never seem to truely appease her mother and make her proud of her in turn.
Relationship Reasoning
Mother and Daughter, Xune is also one of the many clerics under Arachnia's command.
Commonalities & Shared Interests
The Lycoris family name and legacy.
Studying and the use of Divine Magic.
Mother
Towards Viyolia Lycoris-Arehna
History
Because Viyolia is the third of Arachnia's children after she already had Amelica as a paladin and Xune moving towards the Priestesshood, Viyolia spent her life with less expectations and attention from her mother. For better or worst.
She was still raised with an intense pressure to remain loyal to the Lycoris family and follow her mother's orders unflinchingly.
These days Viyolia still frequently turns to Arachnia for support and insight in managing her own territory.
History
Arachnia Lycoris has always been distainful and dismissive of her half-tiefling child. Arachnia considers her a blight on the family's image and sent her to the assassin's guild as soon as she was old enough to be accepted.
However, as Malice became more and more skilled at assassination, and proved her worth as a body guard, she may have earned her mother's, albeit begrudging, approval.
Relationship Reasoning
Malice is Arachnia's daughter. She wanted to have a half-elven child for political reasons. But instead Malice was born a tiefling. Arachnia has never forgiven this.
History
Gwylyss is the son of Arachnia Lycoris. Her only son in fact. Though Arachnia places little value on men, meaning at first Gwylyss was seen more superflouosly. He has, apparently, impressed her with his utility for the family's position.
Gwylyss himself claims to hold his mother in high regard, though he'll sometimes candidly mention to those he's grown close with that he hardly knows her.
Relationship Reasoning
Mother and Son. Their lack of closeness likely stems from the way Arachnia does not value men in general, and considered Gwylyss moreso something to be married away later until he grew into a more valuable asset to the Lycoris family.
Commonalities & Shared Interests
The two both value their survival and status above anything else.
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