Zamaya_Shamaness

Part of DragonDictatorAlts. Check there for more characters!

Notes

TL;DR Local reclusive shamaness. Deals in natural magics, voodoo, herbalism, rituals, and a few other sketchier types of magic.
Distinguishing Characteristics-
Staff : Not just for walking. Attached are various fetishes. No, not THOSE fetishes. Will always have at least one each of – feathers, skulls, shrunken heads/idols, strands of beads.
Wings: Go down to her hips. Bony protrusion on top.
Body details: Horns, design on her midriff, bony spots on her head, Scaled crest in place of hair, goes down to between her shoulders before thinning off. Scaled 'thorns' on her shoulders, calves, and tailtip.

---

Appearance

Height: 7 feet 5 inches
Weight: Probably a bit more than you'd expect
Coloration: Primary- #494F1C Secondary- #0E243C Eyes-#70F7CE
Clothing: Usually very little, just enough to keep the important bits covered. Hand-tailored from hide or raw fabrics.

---

Personality

A bit aloof and disdainful of 'civilized' folks, Zamaya is generally a fairly mild personality. She's content to keep to her own home and the lands around, rarely if ever venturing out to town save for when it's absolutely necessary. However just because she tends to isolate herself doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy the occasional visitor... Though granted often times she likes to have a bit of fun with them first. Hexes and charms, traps and tricks, all manner of mischief might be performed for her own amusement on anyone who comes by unannounced, not heeding the various fetishes marking her 'territory' which happens to cover a good portion of the state nature trail and boat tour route. Needless to say, there's more than a few unresolved missing persons cases...

---

Abilities and powers

Herbalism: From natural remedies to mild (and not so mild) poisons, Zamaya knows how to put plants and animals that can be found nearby to good use. With a bit of preparation she can usually get a mixture together to do most effects that one could desire from sleep, to paralysis, and even aphrodisiacs.

Voodoo: Yep. Dolls, rituals, spirits, shadows, transformation central, along with the occasional resurrection. Takes a bit of preparation to use for the most part, but the less said about the specifics the more enjoyable it tends to be. Zamaya will just do that voodoo that she do so well.

---

Background

Nobody can really recall when it was that Zamaya laid claim to the deep portion of the swamps. As far back as the current nearby residents can remember, she's just always been there. Living a good ways away from civilization one would have to travel out of town, to the forest, and from there take the footpaths off the road and towards the lowlands. The trees and skies get darker, and odd totems and fetishes dot the line as one draws further into the area the shamaness calls home. Until finally amidst stagnant water and through an almost choking mangrove swamp one can see her lair, a hut that seems to be grown as part of the trees themselves lined with colorful markings, feathers, carvings, and even a good few bones all meant to ward off something otherworldly. And then with a large cloth hanging in the entrance in place of a door, the a clawed hand, beckoning the traveler in... they've been expected, after all~

In truth, Zamaya has been a resident of that shady neck of the woods for over 15 years, having ousted the previous occupant and talking their place in the local legends and ghost stories. She's a fair bit more amicable than the monster that lived there previously, with roughly half of the people who enter the area being allowed to leave again. She offers advice or bargains for those who come in peace, stay on the marked paths, and maintain respect, while dealing with trespassers and vandals harshly. So keep to the trails through the dark, winding woods, into the swamp and up to her doorstep, or turn back without disturbing as much as a twig~

---

Notable Possessions

Spirit Stick
More of a staff than a stick, this gnarled branch of the oldest mangrove in the swamp is a powerful conduit for magic. Anchored in this world and extending into others, it can interact with beings ethereal and astral both as if it were solid, and beings that exist on planes other than the physical cannot even move it or divert its course should it be swung. In addition, the totems hanging on it provide numerous benefits, from allowing it to create wards and barriers against unnatural creatures to being able to affect souls themselves.

Voodoo Doll Collection
They work basically how you'd expect them to. Individuals that have modeled for her include: Grimgeder, and Soffix
Kyrie_Dunkelwasser's soul has been digested and absorbed into the dragoness's stomach.

---

Locations frequented

The Outer Woods
A forest often shrouded by mists. The trails have a few chimes and the odd small animal skull nearby here and there, but are safe enough. If Zamaya is out here, it's on one of her more further walks or she's passing through on her way to other places beyond her home territory. She considers this to be her neighborhood, so as far as she cares, people are allowed to wander through wherever as long as they don't intentionally damage things.

The Swamp / Mangrove Forest
This part of the lowland valley between the forested hills is Zamaya's home proper. Bones, feathers, shrunken heads and small dried animals can be spotted hanging from or nailed to trees and on the few rocks that jut out of the marshy soil that lies above the stagnant waters of the mangrove swamp. Within the water itself lurk all manner of fish, though there aren't many predators that could threaten a grown person. The shamaness treats this area as one would their yard, nurturing ingredients and keeping the paths in serviceable condition for the occasional guest who wishes to seek her out. Those who stray from the worn footpath and planks that mark the way both through the valley and towards her home are treated as trespassers and may be dealt with accordingly...

The Hut
Formed mainly by a nest of tangled and overgrown mangrove roots, the shamaness's home itself is a rough building from the outside. An old but well-kept series of thin plank bridges lead over the water and towards the entrance, a doorway with only a loose brown cloth hanging to bar entry. Skulls, feathers, chimes, and totems hang from the nearby branches both outside and inside from the tangled tree limbs, and the gaps between the wood are filled with a neat mixture of clay daub. A small fireplace that seems to be made of dried mud-bricks is on the edge, though despite the flames, smoke appears to be filtering out just fine and nothing outside risks catching ablaze. For furniture, there's a table with all manner of tools atop it from pestles and mortars to hollowed gourds and bowls for storage. At the far end, near the fire is a large nest made mostly of twisted twigs, torn cloth, and other such things including pillows that looked as if they had been dunked in the swamp a good while back. The smell of peat, algae and a bit of rot is more prevalent inside and it tends to grow more potent the further in one gets.

---

Notable setting information

Not always relevant

---

Scene ideas

Help come up with a couple!

---

Additional Pictures



Doing a Bit of Brewing


Another Dinner Guest


Booty



Voodoo Doll Cause



Voodoo Doll Effect


Part of DragonDictatorAlts. Check there for more characters!