[ooc] app
Name: Mezzaline
Background: Erremal is a strange place. The trees, though alive, appear barren and dead. Summer never comes, but neither does winter. There are day and night cycles, but the sunlight isn't warm; it washes everything in a pale tone, rather than the gold we know. There are seven moons orbiting this planet, though some are so far away they can barely be seen. They orbit much more slowly than the Earth moon, and Erremal citizens use them to chart a lunar calendar.
Erremal is very large and many different beings inhabit it - Spiderfolk, the Shapeless, and Lanky Ones being only a few. Mezzaline was born alongside seven sisters and three brothers in a district heavily inhabited by Spiderfolk. When they were young, she and her siblings would play in the streets with other hatchlings. As they grew older, they learned to hunt in the black forests outside of the city. Food and even live prey could be bought, but the thrill of the hunt was something every girl and boy needed to experience.
It was this way that she met Carrace, a Lanky One. They hunted the same prey that night, without realizing the other was there until the last moment. In their confusion, the prey escaped. This misunderstanding sparked a very awkward conversation between the two of them and they parted ways that night without so much as exchanging names. Some days later, Mezzaline encountered Carrace within the city and struck up a conversation with him. It was this conversation, this casual one concerning long-dead prey for sale on the market, that eased any remaining tension between them. It wasn't the last time they would speak, either - when the roof to Mezzaline's family home started to crumble, it was Carrace and his family who repaired it. A friendship blossomed between them.
There is a legend that says every time the seven moons make seven turns, seven beings are born without anything inside. No life, no heart, nothing but a shell of a body and a sham of a mind. Upon the seventh turn of the moon, there is a trial. Whomever was born between trials would be tested, and if they failed the test, they would be executed. Should they pass, they are considered full members of society. Mezzaline and Carrace, among twelve others, were to be tested.
It's the night before the test that Mezzaline heeds The Call.
Personality: Mezzaline is very literal. If you say "bite me", and the mood strikes her, she will do so. She speaks without metaphors, similes or exaggerations. Sarcasm isn't lost on her, though she doesn't use it herself. She is curious about the world around her and will be even more so around the company of humans. (Soft, fleshy creatures without any defense at all? How peculiar! May she touch you?) She is also polite in her speech and actions, though she will freely ask what humans may consider personal questions or go into extreme detail on gruesome matters.
Mezzaline is outgoing and sociable. She enjoys speaking with people, whether they're friends or strangers. Positive relationships came easily to her in Erremal, but people in Erremal are very different from those in Vertiline. She is also somewhat vain, preferring to keep her exoskeleton clean and hair combed.
Appearance: In essence, Mezzaline resembles a centaur, but instead of a horse, there is the body of a spider. As a note: I will be using spider terminology here. Her upper body (the 'human' portion) will be referred to as the thorax, whereas her lower body (the spider portion) will be referred to as her abdomen.
Mezzaline stands at six feet, four inches. Her body is segmented into two parts, her abdomen and thorax, which connect roughly at her hips. She has eight legs attached to the abdomen of her body, which resembles a black wolf spider. Her abdomen and legs are covered in black setae: small bristles that act as touch sensors. These appear like a fine down, since they are no larger than a small spider's setae, and they don't extend above her hips. Her thorax and general upper body are vaguely humanoid in shape. Her chest is flat and her torso slender; most of her organs are kept in the lower half of her body. Her arms are segmented, like her legs, and end in humanoid hands. Her fingers are also segmented, end in points not quite sharp enough to be claws, and lack fingernails entirely.
Her hair is long, black, and entirely straight. It's all one length, parts in the middle, and falls to about the small of her back. She frequently combs it to keep it neat. Unlike actual spiders, Mezzaline can hear, though she doesn't have outer ears; she has holes in the side of her head where ears would be. Her seven eyes, all of them white-blue, are arranged in a particular symmetrical pattern: two large, front-facing eyes where a normal human's would be; two even smaller eyes directly below those; two small eyes above and diagonal to her largest; and one small eye between her largest. For simple reference, here is a picture. Mezzaline has no nose.
Mezzaline also has no pedipalps (facial appendages traditionally used to draw food closer to the mouth). She does, however, have fully-functioning fangs. They are normally folded within her mouth, which is very wide, and her jaw swings open very far to accommodate the fangs when in use. They are not retractable, but hinged. When not in use, they lie along the top and outer portions of her mouth, where upper molars would have been, so speech is still manageable for her.
Her 'skin' is actually chitin. It's grey in color, smooth to the touch, and slightly flexible. Where her setae begin, her chitin is covered by it and appears black.
Skills/Abilities: Mezzaline pumps enzymes into her prey through her fangs to digest them. She also has venom, but it's not terribly harmful. Where injected, the venom causes itching, swelling, and, depending on how ragged the bite, varying levels of pain. As an aside, Mezzaline has a very pretty singing voice.
Spoken/Written languages: Common/Common
Items: None!
Third person sample: A finely crafted web is most valuable. Small or large webs, intricate or simple - all have their own worth, but they must be of high quality. Mezzaline spins webs daily to practice, and though they aren't bad, her standards are high. Those she particularly likes are hung around her bedroom as inspiration and examples.
One day, as Mezzaline weaves a web between her fingers, Carrace asks why.
She pauses, looks up at him, and blinks quizzically. "You don't know?"
"No," he replies, drawing a claw down his cheek. "I don't know any other Spiderfolk, Mezz. Not like I know you, at least."
"Mm..." She looks down at her work again and twists the threads between her fingers. "Think of it as... a ritual. When a lady of your kind intends to woo a man, she must climb the cliffs to the north, yes?"
Carrace nods. "That's right."
"It is the same. If I'm to ask for another's hand in partnership, I must present him with a web. Should he wish to ask for mine, the web is his responsibility. It is a courting gift."
"What makes a good one?" Carrace stares at the walls, taking in the varying patterns. The prettiest ones all look fairly new, whereas those that are plainer have collected dust. Those are no more than cobwebs.
"That is a matter of taste. I enjoy lace-and-lattice webs, as does Kellutz, but Valarice prefers hers angled. Squares, triangles, cuts and corners. Speak not of this to her, but I find such webs inelegant."
Carrace wryly grins, exposing his rows of sharp teeth, and nods. "It's a lot of work, spinning so many webs."
Mezzaline smiles. "It is," she says, spreading her hands to reveal a silken lacework, "but aren't they beautiful? Why, they nearly sparkle in the moons-light."
First person sample: Oh dear. This is... most odd.
[Mezzaline has found her way out of her artichoke. The scenery is unfamiliar, but so interesting!]
Are these trees? But they are so green! How could anyone call them trees when they are so green?
[Now, she sounds slightly worried.]
And where are the moons? I cannot see the moons...
[It's now that she notices her Capistrano companion.]
What are you, little beast? Do you speak?
[On the capybara's end, there is silence. On Mezzaline's, a curious hum.]
I wonder how you taste...