Cora did not create her form in a rush. She stood in silence before the Pillar of Flesh, unmoving, watching the swirling essence as if it were a mirror into lives she hadn't lived yet.
No template. No goal. Only feeling.
As the essence hummed around her, she closed her eyes and contemplated what she wanted to look like.
She didn't just want to look beautiful. She wanted to give the name Persefoni meaning. She wanted to embody the Goddess of Spring and the Queen of the Dead.
"Think, Cora. What was Persephone like in Greek mythology? What is Spring? What is Death? What could connect the two?"
She began pacing as she thought—back and forth, back and forth.
"Okay, so… spring. Spring is life, it's nature. When I think of spring, I think of flowers and pollen. Of warm weather and bees and hornets. How do I combine that with death? What do flowers and the dead have in common? How do flowers cause death?"
She stopped mid-step when the answer hit her.
"Poison. Flowers and the creatures that come out in spring cause death through poison and venom."
She thought of the colors associated with those ideas. "Green, black, purple, magenta, and yellow… I think."
Even though ENO didn't have playable races, that didn't mean players couldn't make their Aetherborn look like a particular one.
Cora took full advantage of that. "What races live in the Underworld and in nature? Demons are common in the Underworld, and elves and the fae are typically tied to nature. I'll use those two—and let's spice it up with some draconic features, too."
Smiling, she imagined a form no one could easily define: part abyssal, part fae, part draconic.
She stepped into the pool with no hesitation.
The moment Cora's foot broke the surface of the essence pool, it felt like stepping through silk spun from stars. It's warm—not in temperature, but in presence. A welcome. A whisper.
Her body dissolved, not painfully, but as if she was shedding something that never quite fit.
Flesh became light. Light became potential.
Around her, the chamber went quiet. The air hummed, thick with Aether. The liquid rose—not to drown her, but to hold her.
She was no longer a figure.
She was a silhouette of motion, drifting in a sphere of living energy. Her limbs blurred. Her outline pulsed. She was raw, undefined—a shape waiting for a decision.
"🌀"
Cora focused on a vision of her desired self and let it surface to the forefront of her mind. The essence responded, surrounding her in strands of luminous fluid like a womb of living light.
She extended both hands outward in a slow vertical lift—[gesture: elevate frame]—and set her height to medium-tall, approximately six feet. It projected elegance, presence, and a subtle sense of authority.
Using both hands in a sweeping inward motion from shoulders to hips—[gesture: sculpt silhouette]—she formed a balanced, athletic frame, enhancing curves with a graceful taper at the waist and broad, capable shoulders.
Her right hand pressed down slightly at the small of her back—[gesture: adjust posture]—raising her chin and setting her body into a poised, noble stance, aligned with confidence.
Facial shaping began as the Mirror of Souls activated its secondary projection. Cora pinched her fingers and pulled along her jawline—[gesture: define contour]—to sharpen it into a refined, feminine angle. She lifted her fingertips beneath each cheekbone—[gesture: enhance prominence]—creating high, predatory arches.
With two fingers, she dragged upward and outward from the outer eye corners—[gesture: extend gaze]—giving her eyes an elongated, feline tilt. She hovered over each iris and flicked outward—[gesture: resize]—to make them larger-than-human. A single tap to each pupil activated [modifier: slitted], and she infused them with a glowing emerald-green hue.
For the lips, she traced an outline with her fingertip—[gesture: define shape]—giving them a full, natural pout with precise curvature.
Skin tone selection was intuitive. She focused on a rich shadow-amethyst hue. Then, placing both palms to her chest and slowly dragging downward—[gesture: embed underlayer]—she activated vein-glow channels, running threads of bioluminescent green energy beneath the surface of her skin.
Now came the mythic augmentations. Cora opened the Aetheric Mutation Panel and reached upward with cupped hands—[gesture: summon crown structure]. Twin horns emerged, twisting elegantly back and out. She rotated her wrists—[gesture: spiral texture]—to apply the obsidian scale pattern with a semi-gloss finish. With a subtle double tap to the horn ridges—[gesture: inlay trace]—she added glowing Aether Inlays in a refined green channeling pattern.
To her ears, she pinched and pulled back—[gesture: elongate & angle]—crafting Royal Fae ears: long, narrow, and swept back. A quick overlay brush—[gesture: edge embellishment]—added golden vine textures along the ridges.
Eyes:
She briefly enabled [toggle: heterochromia], viewed the asymmetry, then chose symmetry instead. Both eyes glowed a vivid emerald, with slit pupils and dynamic glow cycling activated via a soft gaze-hold.
Living Ink Activation:
With a clenched fist—[gesture: call ink mode]—she summoned high-fantasy ink overlays. Choosing designs of draconic wings, coiled serpents, and celestial script, she dragged her hand diagonally across her right shoulder, collarbone, and upper back—[gesture: placement trace]. The ink shimmered black with iridescent overlay, pulsing subtly with the energy of her Essence.
Preview: Hair & Adornments (non-binding cosmetic layer)
Though not crafted through the Pillar, she toggled the [Hair Adornment Visualizer].
Selected: Midnight black hair with violet streaks, flowing to mid-back.
Style: Wild waves with optional thick braids, bound in gold-thread bands.
Crown: Horned circlet with emerald gemstones, adorned with trailing chains.
Activated [embedded accessory nodes] to allow jewelry and ornaments to pulse in sync with Aether surges.
Cora stepped slowly out of the essence pool. The fluid slid from her form like breath exhaled by the world itself. Her body hardened into finality. The Pillar pulsed once.
Your Echo Sigil had been assigned:
"Crowned of Corruption, Touched by Abyss Verdant Flame.
"🌀"
Cora stood before the Mirror. It rippled—not a reflection, but a response. It saw not her face, but her soul.
She extended her right hand slowly toward her chin—[gesture: trace jawline]—and shaped it to a refined, angled contour. The edges remained sharp, but never harsh. It was a face that commanded both fear and fascination.
With fingertips raised just beneath each eye socket, she lifted and pulled outward—[gesture: elevate cheekbones]—sculpting high, predatory arches that caught the mirror's light with regal severity.
She narrowed her gaze and tilted her head slightly. The mirror responded. Her eyes elongated, pulled upward by her inner focus. She hovered over each and used [gesture: rotate iris] to apply an upward slant.
Pupil Type: Slitted
Iris Shape: Larger-than-human
Color: Emerald Glow
Effect:[Toggle: Dynamic Luminance] – pulses brighter with emotional spikes
Optional:Heterochromia considered. Denied for symmetry.
She finished by tracing the edge of her mouth—[gesture: shape lips]—rounding into a full, deliberate pout. There was no softness here by accident; it was calculated seduction.
Sigils appeared near her temples. She drew curved symbols into the mirror with two fingers—[gesture: arcane etch]. These became vein-like mystical tracings, dark magenta in base, with pulsing green veins that echo her Aether Inlays.
From her brow, thorny branch tattoos snaked back across her scalp and jaw—living ink, synced with Essence. These were adaptive, responding to light, pain, and proximity to deep magic zones.
Sigil Type: Fae-corrupted draconic
Behavior: Reactive shimmer under moonlight or when channeling magic
Cora reaffirmed her Royal Fae ears from the Pillar of Flesh. She overlayed an aesthetic refinement layer, tracing a golden line along the ridge—[gesture: gild accent]—and infused a soft glimmer tied to emotional resonance.
Detail:Golden vine trace
Reaction: Faint sparkle when laughing or singing
Resonance Bonus: Increased charm effect on ancient Fae NPCs
As she completed the sculpt, the Mirror pulsed once—reading all adjustments, Essence imprints, and subtle psychic residue.
Her Face Title formed in the space above her name:
"The Gilded Thorn, Flame-Eyed Heir of Verdant Ruin"
This title affected:
Secret responses from NPCs in the Forgotten Court
Recognition by dreambound entities and moonlit rituals
Access to "Thornsong Dialogue Options" in select lore threads