Name: Orchid
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Breed: Twinkle Eyed (non-ancient) Unicorn
Affiliation: Priestess and assistant to High Priest Argonis in The Clan in the Chasm of Lost Dreams
Appearance: Orchid’s coat is a very deep blue black. This causes her to look pitch black, however gives her a dark electric blue shimmer when she walks or as light plays over her coat. She has a dark purple orchid as a symbol. At the center, the petals are a very light violet but grow progressively darker the closer to the petals’ edge, till they all but disappear into her black fur. A dark green stem winds its way from the flower down her leg to form a circlet at the hock of her back hooves. Her mane and tail are snowy white with silver strands threaded throughout. (The silver can’t be seen directly, but gives her mane and tail a little bit of a shimmer as she moves.) She does not have the standard rainbow type hair of a twinkle eyed, which brands her as a bit of an odity. Her eyes are a very light, icy blue.
Personality: Orchid is generally reserved, having a kind, approachable side, but is also firm. She will not back down nor is intimidated by anyone within the Clan, regardless of status or occupation. Orchid is an effective counter for Argonis’s temper and has weathered more than a few of his tantrums. She has a quiet strength that many find a comfort when faced with troubling situations. She has a clear affection and soft spot for the Clan’s lower classes, having grown up among them herself. Even though she is shown the same respect (and a certain amount of fear) as the other priests/priestesses, those in the lower classes are more willing to open up to her.
She has the same love for Malikye as all those within the spiritual order, but she does not have the same fanaticism as Argonis’s devotion. Orchid does not see herself as “higher” than everyone else within the Clan (as many priests/priestesses do). In stead she strives to bring all that she encounters closer to Malikye by applying her teachings to everyday Clan life.
Abilities: Orchid’s main ability, and the whole reason Argonis selected her as an assistant, centers on telepathic communication. She does not have hypnotic abilities, nor can she overpower another pony’s will/mind like Argonis can. However, she can telepathically communicate with nearly any pony, and is very sensitive to the emotions and thoughts of those around her. She can pick up on nearly all unguarded thoughts and emotions. She’s gone through intensive training to harness her abilities. She is able to focus her attention on one single pony, while ignoring all other telepathic bombardment. Her skills are refined to the point that she can subconsciously filter out the background “noise” and focus on one pony simply by thinking about that pony. (This is second nature to her.) She can also focus in on a pony based on emotions that pony is emitting. For example, she can seek out a pony that is very afraid, or is gripped by guilt. Orchid can establish a telepathic link up to 8 miles away, though distance and the pony’s telepathic abilities (or lack of) do matter. (The farther away her intended “contact” is or the weaker the contact’s telepathic abilities are, the weaker the connection is.)
*Important Note* Orchid’s telepathic ability is only used for communication purposes, to locate a pony, or to aid Argonis during cleansings. She is strong in this field, but her ability is very non-intrusive. Unless she “speaks” to another pony’s mind, that pony has absolutely no idea she has made a connection. She can NOT force her will on anyone, nor does she have hypnotic or over-powering abilities.
Orchid has the regular winking ability of any unicorn, though her accuracy is slightly better. She can also “hone” in on another’s position if she is telepathically communicating with him/her and can wink to that pony’s side. This ability extends in a sphere with up to a 5 mile radius. Her accuracy is directly related to the distance she is from the pony she’s honing into. The closer the pony is, the more accurate her winking ability. (If the pony is within half a mile of her, she would be able to appear by that pony’s side.) Her accuracy begins to significantly fail about 3 miles away, meaning she would wink anywhere within a 50 foot radius of her target. At 5 miles, she would wind up appearing up to 500 feet away, meaning this range is fairly dangerous, especially in the Chasm. This ability takes a massive amount of concentration and can not be repeated for at least 10 minutes.
This isn’t necessarily a power, but Orchid is skilled in persuasion and negotiation with a near photographic memory. She has a quiet, calming affect on most ponies, and is able to make even the lower classes feel fairly at ease around her. Orchid uses this ability to help dissolve disputes and volatile situation (including her superior’s temper…). Orchid uses her persuasion techniques to calm, soften, and sometimes distract a pony during the cleansings in order to allow Argonis to overpower the pony’s will easier. This also allows the cleansings to go smoother and more “complete” (with a less chance of relapse) because the pony being cleansed isn’t fighting the cleansing as much.
Family and History: Orchid was born into a lower- middle class family of the Clan. Her father is a metal worker while her mother is a scribe. She is one of three children, but was the only one selected to go into the spiritual service. Orchid was drafted into the spiritual service early, around the age of 6. She was a bright student and quickly worked her way up to the head of her class. Her family’s status, however, severely limited her options and she was only allowed to advance to "Teacher of the Word" for the middleclass.
Argonis, a priest at the time, happened to notice her during one of her teaching sessions. He was impressed with her ability to handle the crowd and recognized her telepathic powers. He recommended her for priestess training, however was met with fierce opposition due to her low status. Argonis pursued the issue and Orchid was finally allowed into the training. Soon after Argonis was promoted to a High Priest and, after completing her training, took Orchid as his assistant. She has been his assistant for about 2 years and is probably the closest thing the High Priest has to a friend. However, their relationship is strictly that of a “high priest and an assistant”. (Argonis shows her a little more consideration than others under him and has some sense of fondness for her, but that’s about it.) Orchid is use to the High Priest's temper and feels the same kind of affection toward him as one would feel toward a demanding (but fair) boss. (ie, they have an understanding and slight affection for one another but can NOT be considered friends, nor do I have any intention of them EVER becoming "more")
Even though Orchid’s status is elevated to that of other priests/priestesses, she is still shunned by almost all others of her Order and by many within the upper classes due to her family’s lowly status. Despite this, Argonis entrusts Orchid with more responsibility within the religious Order than any other under him, earning her more than her fair share of envy. She elects to work more closely with the middle and lower classes when she can.
(hehe... it's REALLY late right now.... so I'm sure there are some things that need to be changed. Thanks guys!)
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Breed: Twinkle Eyed (non-ancient) Unicorn
Affiliation: Priestess and assistant to High Priest Argonis in The Clan in the Chasm of Lost Dreams
Appearance: Orchid’s coat is a very deep blue black. This causes her to look pitch black, however gives her a dark electric blue shimmer when she walks or as light plays over her coat. She has a dark purple orchid as a symbol. At the center, the petals are a very light violet but grow progressively darker the closer to the petals’ edge, till they all but disappear into her black fur. A dark green stem winds its way from the flower down her leg to form a circlet at the hock of her back hooves. Her mane and tail are snowy white with silver strands threaded throughout. (The silver can’t be seen directly, but gives her mane and tail a little bit of a shimmer as she moves.) She does not have the standard rainbow type hair of a twinkle eyed, which brands her as a bit of an odity. Her eyes are a very light, icy blue.
Personality: Orchid is generally reserved, having a kind, approachable side, but is also firm. She will not back down nor is intimidated by anyone within the Clan, regardless of status or occupation. Orchid is an effective counter for Argonis’s temper and has weathered more than a few of his tantrums. She has a quiet strength that many find a comfort when faced with troubling situations. She has a clear affection and soft spot for the Clan’s lower classes, having grown up among them herself. Even though she is shown the same respect (and a certain amount of fear) as the other priests/priestesses, those in the lower classes are more willing to open up to her.
She has the same love for Malikye as all those within the spiritual order, but she does not have the same fanaticism as Argonis’s devotion. Orchid does not see herself as “higher” than everyone else within the Clan (as many priests/priestesses do). In stead she strives to bring all that she encounters closer to Malikye by applying her teachings to everyday Clan life.
Abilities: Orchid’s main ability, and the whole reason Argonis selected her as an assistant, centers on telepathic communication. She does not have hypnotic abilities, nor can she overpower another pony’s will/mind like Argonis can. However, she can telepathically communicate with nearly any pony, and is very sensitive to the emotions and thoughts of those around her. She can pick up on nearly all unguarded thoughts and emotions. She’s gone through intensive training to harness her abilities. She is able to focus her attention on one single pony, while ignoring all other telepathic bombardment. Her skills are refined to the point that she can subconsciously filter out the background “noise” and focus on one pony simply by thinking about that pony. (This is second nature to her.) She can also focus in on a pony based on emotions that pony is emitting. For example, she can seek out a pony that is very afraid, or is gripped by guilt. Orchid can establish a telepathic link up to 8 miles away, though distance and the pony’s telepathic abilities (or lack of) do matter. (The farther away her intended “contact” is or the weaker the contact’s telepathic abilities are, the weaker the connection is.)
*Important Note* Orchid’s telepathic ability is only used for communication purposes, to locate a pony, or to aid Argonis during cleansings. She is strong in this field, but her ability is very non-intrusive. Unless she “speaks” to another pony’s mind, that pony has absolutely no idea she has made a connection. She can NOT force her will on anyone, nor does she have hypnotic or over-powering abilities.
Orchid has the regular winking ability of any unicorn, though her accuracy is slightly better. She can also “hone” in on another’s position if she is telepathically communicating with him/her and can wink to that pony’s side. This ability extends in a sphere with up to a 5 mile radius. Her accuracy is directly related to the distance she is from the pony she’s honing into. The closer the pony is, the more accurate her winking ability. (If the pony is within half a mile of her, she would be able to appear by that pony’s side.) Her accuracy begins to significantly fail about 3 miles away, meaning she would wink anywhere within a 50 foot radius of her target. At 5 miles, she would wind up appearing up to 500 feet away, meaning this range is fairly dangerous, especially in the Chasm. This ability takes a massive amount of concentration and can not be repeated for at least 10 minutes.
This isn’t necessarily a power, but Orchid is skilled in persuasion and negotiation with a near photographic memory. She has a quiet, calming affect on most ponies, and is able to make even the lower classes feel fairly at ease around her. Orchid uses this ability to help dissolve disputes and volatile situation (including her superior’s temper…). Orchid uses her persuasion techniques to calm, soften, and sometimes distract a pony during the cleansings in order to allow Argonis to overpower the pony’s will easier. This also allows the cleansings to go smoother and more “complete” (with a less chance of relapse) because the pony being cleansed isn’t fighting the cleansing as much.
Family and History: Orchid was born into a lower- middle class family of the Clan. Her father is a metal worker while her mother is a scribe. She is one of three children, but was the only one selected to go into the spiritual service. Orchid was drafted into the spiritual service early, around the age of 6. She was a bright student and quickly worked her way up to the head of her class. Her family’s status, however, severely limited her options and she was only allowed to advance to "Teacher of the Word" for the middleclass.
Argonis, a priest at the time, happened to notice her during one of her teaching sessions. He was impressed with her ability to handle the crowd and recognized her telepathic powers. He recommended her for priestess training, however was met with fierce opposition due to her low status. Argonis pursued the issue and Orchid was finally allowed into the training. Soon after Argonis was promoted to a High Priest and, after completing her training, took Orchid as his assistant. She has been his assistant for about 2 years and is probably the closest thing the High Priest has to a friend. However, their relationship is strictly that of a “high priest and an assistant”. (Argonis shows her a little more consideration than others under him and has some sense of fondness for her, but that’s about it.) Orchid is use to the High Priest's temper and feels the same kind of affection toward him as one would feel toward a demanding (but fair) boss. (ie, they have an understanding and slight affection for one another but can NOT be considered friends, nor do I have any intention of them EVER becoming "more")
Even though Orchid’s status is elevated to that of other priests/priestesses, she is still shunned by almost all others of her Order and by many within the upper classes due to her family’s lowly status. Despite this, Argonis entrusts Orchid with more responsibility within the religious Order than any other under him, earning her more than her fair share of envy. She elects to work more closely with the middle and lower classes when she can.
(hehe... it's REALLY late right now.... so I'm sure there are some things that need to be changed. Thanks guys!)
