Nephinae Kastalia the Vainglorious Beneficiary of Fratricide

Skill List

Role

Chapter 6

Nephinae has struggled since obtaining her pinnacle, but still loves herself
as much as ever. When she joined the Spire, she saw it as a new opportunity.
There were followers of Vanity in high ranking positions across Thera - she
felt confident that she could do what the Empress and Viera did. Time spent in
the Spire revealed a more frustrating truth. Nephinae might treasure herself
for all her failures, but the apathetic Provost treasured her for nothing at
all. Despite many attempts to speak with him through missive and conversation,
the awkwardly vain magistrate was presented with apathetic, callous silence.
Through her life, she had never struggled to be seen. Whether she conned
someone into believing she was skilled or paid off enough people to make her
feel like she was, Nephinae was never given the silent treatment.

She also struggles internally with the malignant influence of Pride. She asks
herself whether leaving the Spire was fueled by her Vanity or her wounded
pride. Whether or not she's fallen to pride, such failures are a part of the
journey. Her self-acceptance is nearly toxic, as her lack of introspection has
left her without any long term goals (again).

Nephinae is alone for now and weighing her options between the Empire, Scions,
or returning to the Spire (but only as a Provincial, of course). She seeks a
way to carve her place in history books above where the legends of the Empress
or Chancellor will sit. She isn't clear on what that domain might be, but
she's determined to figure it out.

TLDR:
- Nephinae is prideful while waging her own war against the sin that is so
closely connected to Vanity.
- She left the Tribunal due to poor leadership and a lack of guidance, but misses it.
- She is trying to find a way to etch herself into history, even if she's not
sure what her legacy will be or whether she'll have one at all.

Role

Chapter 5

In a cruel echo of Aeldan's fate, a year after the highway robbery, Nephinae
had angered Darsek to the point of him beating her within an inch of her life.
Her devotion to Greed was questionable - she never bothered to covet anything.
While he was no Preacher of Sloth, even the most languid of Morians confirmed
that she did not follow their tenets either. When Nephinae was blessed with a
surge of passion, she was anything but slothful.

The straw that broke the camel's back couldn't be blamed entirely on the young
acolyte. Darsek had lost a precious bauble in a deal gone wrong and had
arrived at the Church to hear another report of Nephinae's arguing with the
adherents of Pride. The ordinary girl was at odds with the Prideful followers
of Morius to the point of succumbing to useless, bitter fury. In her eyes,
Pride was barely worthy of being a sin at all. She spoke words that edged on
blasphemy. Her common refrain was simple: "I might be a fraud, but you're
stuck chasing perfection, and that's worse."

Darsek cut ties with Nephinae after dragging her to the Church's healer. After
she recovered, Nephinae was even more steadfast in her bizarre take on Vanity.
She no longer wished to lie about her successes. Instead, she argued that the
essence of Vanity was accepting oneself without the need for the tiresome
peacocking of the Prideful. She believes that anyone who accepts their own
failures and finds perfection within their flaws has ascended past the lesser
sin of Pride to the oasis of Vanity. Nephinae knows from experience:
celebrating and striving for success will only keep you happy in the short
term.

Blind to her own Pride, Nephinae managed to seduce a mage into teaching her
about shapeshifting over a period of a few years. He advised that she
'shouldn't try too hard' and would benefit from 'sticking to a single path'.
After she was accepted into the shapeshifter's guild, Nephinae focused her
efforts on the path of Utility, intent on proving to the mage and all those
who suffered from Pride that she could live a more fulfilling life than they
ever would. In between lessons, she preaches to people on the importance of
self-acceptance and has even started arguing with other followers of the path
of Vanity.

In conclusion: Nephinae is still a mess, but she fucking loves that and anyone
who doesn't isn't worth her time.

Role

Chapter 4

Luck finally favored Nephinae on the trip to meet Sylseiti's father in
Galadon. Her father had proposed that the twins go together - Nephinae could
guard her brother on the journey and she could stop by the Warrior's Guild to
finish her enrollment. Aeldan maintained multiple illicit relationships within
Tir-Talath and his favored romp was the reason that they left late on that
fated day. As they passed Gallow Hill, a trio of marauders sighted their fine
clothing and set up an ambush at the crossroads. The leader of the group -
Darsek - was a half-drow man that had no compunctions about flipping
Nephinae's sword aside and making an example out of her brother. With a boot
pressed against Aeldan's windpipe, Darsek questioned Nephinae. He asked why
she bothered to carry a sword if she was unable to wield it. Further questions
needled at her - probing as to why she didn't strike him while he was occupied
with Aeldan.

For the first time in her life, Nephinae was in a place of true power. Darsek
cared for her words - the ones from the gangly girl with the sword. Each time
Aeldan tried to plead with Darsek was met with another kick in the ribs. When
her brother spit out a mouthful of blood and a few teeth, Nephinae made her
decision. Sparing none of the details, she told Darsek of how entwined her
life was with Aeldan's.

Unbeknownst to her, Darsek was a Preacher of Greed for Morius and he delighted
in the passion and hunger that fueled her. Without so much as a warning, one
of Darsek's men executed Aeldan. The Preacher did not look back to confirm
that his orders had been followed. Instead, he offered his hand to Nephinae
and a beautifully crafted lie of his own: she could join the Church and
forsake her family. His men would stage the scene of the murder to look as if
Nephinae had been killed as well. A hesitant smile tugged at the corners of
Nephinae's lips - half from shock, half from anticipation. She accepted the
offer with a nod and a quiet thank you and forever changed the course of her
life.

Role

Chapter 3

The twins lived their carefully crafted double lives with the knowledge that
their luxurious house of cards would come crashing down if either of them
betrayed the other. After a few months, Aeldan had finalized his own plans to
knock his sister back down the ladder for good. In order to emulate the
partnership that his father and mother created when they fell in love, Aeldan
announced his plans to propose to Sylseiti - a daughter of a well known
transmuter.

The match was not one of love, but no one in the family cared about that.
Sylseiti had a sizeable dowry and the clout of her father's name to bring to
Aeldan's business dealings. Once again, Nephinae was found to be lacking. Her
great accomplishment was placed next to her brother's 'very mature choices'
and her mother simply shrugged. If Aeldan gained the permission of Sylseiti's
father to propose, the family business was his.

Role

Chapter 2

Aeldan and Nephinae were imposter syndrome given physical form. Nephinae was
less cunning than her brother and this led to him being the favored son.
Aeldan would bribe poor farming families to tell their father about the acts
of strength and wit he accomplished while wandering the countryside. As a
skilled conman, Aeldan was quick to coach the farmers on their narrative and
the answers that they needed to remember when his mother inevitably pressed
for details. Nephinae lied with equal skill and always had the bruises and
forged documents and accolades she needed. Though it was unfair and hurtful,
her 'successes' were forgotten when Aeldan arrived home from a long day of
being an insufferable rake.

As the women around town fawned over Aeldan, his sister had little success in
dating and very few friends. Her honeyed words fell flat when her friends
realized that she didn't actually care about their problems. With nothing left
to lose, Nephinae decided to up the ante. She returned home one night with a
gleaming sword on her hip and signed papers from the Warrior's Guild in
Galadon. The papers declared that Nephinae was a prodigy and had been accepted
to the Academy a year and a half early. Aeldan watched from the kitchen, where
he could do nothing but congratulate her on the praise that neither of them
would ever deserve.

Role

Chapter 1

From a young age, Nephinae envied those who were branded as black sheep and
any who were 'burdened' with a scarlet letter. As a perfectly unremarkable
young woman living in Tir-Talath, Nephinae learned that being shunned meant
that you were recognized for your abilities, even if the attention was
negative.

These beliefs came from her upbringing: Nephinae and her twin brother Aeldan
were the children of a successful merchant family who lived comfortably within
Tir-Talath. Comparisons between the two were the topic of note over dinner and
their father emphasized the importance of being successful so that one of them
could inherit the family business. Nephinae's parents started the family
textile business in Hamsah Mu'tazz in their early 20s and struggled against
other merchants, the Sultan's taxes, and all of the other pressures that came
with being young entrepreneurs in a port city. Her mother and father worked
long nights for decades to build an easier life for their children. As the
twins grew to the age of adolescence, the lack of strife produced a pair of
lazy grifters that had no real skills and no ambitions aside from 'earning'
the family business from their father.

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