Astaroth

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Uh oh...

It looks like perhaps you touched something you shouldn't have? That garnet orb seemed curious indeed, but it didn't seem dangerous.

Either way, you've been magically transported to a completely different location, surrounded by all kinds of curiosities. You can see even more shelves and various objects through the gaps in the displays around you. Where are you anyway? Is it a curio shop? A museum? Or perhaps a repository of some sort?

The shelves go all the way to a ceiling just high enough to be out of reach, even if you jumped. And Something is watching...

There's a comfortable amount of space to turn around in, and you find the smoky shape of a corvid, perched on a shiny black oil lamp encrusted with amethysts. Her raspy crow voice calls out a warning, intangible feather's ruffling. She cocks her head at you and waits.

You haven't called out yet and think perhaps you should when you sense sinuous movement in the shadows, snaking around displays just out of sight.

"Why hello there," A smooth voice says from behind you. It has an unnatural reverberation to it, overlapping masculine and feminine tones - neither and both at the same time. They sound...almost pleased.

The spiral you now face has coiled around one of the displays, half leaning over the black table with their chin in one palm as they look you over. Depending on what type of dragon you are, you might notice size-changing magic has been involved. This spiral is roughly the same size as you.

"Come to see my collection, have you?" They grin with a hint of mischief. "Mind what you touch, some of these objects are...temperamental."

Click here to visit the collection.

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Name (and character bio) inspired by a mythological entity who teaches mathematical sciences and handicrafts, can make people invisible for protection, lead them to hidden treasures, and answers every question formulated to him. He was also said to give to mortal beings the power over serpents.

Said entity is most commonly characterized as evil/a demon in real world mythos, but may have started out as a goddess of war, physical love, royal power, healing, and the hunt (Astarte, possibly also Ishtar and a connection to fertility as well).

This Astaroth will not be an evil demon dragon - more of a misunderstood trickster mage theme who incorporates all possible influences on the name/mythological entities above.

Has a smooth voice with a reverberance of masculine and feminine tones.

Astaroth's Sentient Artifact: The artifact Astaroth so commonly uses as a fancy cane, is in fact an empathic, sentient artifact attuned only to Astaroth. When personified (rarely) it tends to appear as depicted on the right by margiritsa. It is called Secret when a name is used at all. Only its chosen knows its true name. It is literally a secret only the chosen can ever know, intuited through their bond. This artifact has a mind and will of its own and much like a guardian dragon, feels called to find and protect a charge until said charge is no longer around to protect. Astaroth has treasured its service and company far longer than they've been posing as a dragon in the modern era. Secret's mode of protection includes power boosts and other magics as well as by taking on whatever form its chosen might require at any given time (normally in the form of a weapon or tool of some kind, as needed). It is able to sense that need and respond to it immediately. Astaroth considers it to be their best friend, though neither want attention called to Secret's sentient nature, preferring to be recognized by most as nothing more than Astaroth's favourite, magical fashion accessory (a fancy magical cane). This personified form is a rare sight for anyone but Astaroth and is an illusion spell Secret has learned to project as needed. Only the artifact is corporeal, the figure being intangible.

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Paternal gen1 ancestor: Ghiacciato #48997 (Exalted )
Maternal gen1 ancestor: Xelavin #3304



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