#rashmav

[milk-crafting]

A little (late) sketchy art trade for @shiawasekai

I'm on such a vishkanya kick lately this was like having enrichment in my enclosure

[shiawasekai]

The Deadly Courtesan, Rashmav.

The son of Vishkanya immigrants in Po Li. He passed the exams to become a civil servant (文官) at a young age, a position where his skill for subterfuge and hidden martial skills have found many... unconventional uses.

Not depicted: the 4+ kukri hiding under his clothes and a ring of blinking that caused way too many shenanigans.

[shiawasekai]

(apologies for any formatting nightmare from mobile)

Who does your OC love? (platonic)

Is there someone your OC liked at first, but then grew to dislike?

Has your OC ever had to let a canon character down easy?

It's completely fine! It worked out.

Who does your OC love? (platonic)

I'm going here on a somewhat strange tangent perhaps and not mention either her brother or parents (who she loves very much mind you) or the companions (who she also loves very much or she wouldn't be still alive), and instead go with her mentor because I actually don't talk about her enough.

She was Cypria, a very very very old woman, a half-elf already nearing the end of her lifespan. A BFT Arcanist much like Nela (who learned from her) who essentially saw this feral, hurt teenager and adopted her like one adopts a particularly spicy stray kitten. She simply realized that: 1) the kid was down a bad path, 2) lecturing her wouldn't do anything but further push her away.

Instead, she chose to offer what the kid wanted: knowledge. As she taught her about magic, Cypria also speckled attention, validation and valuable advice to nudge the kid in the right direction. The methodology was much like with a stray, slowly using "food" to get them to lower their guard and become receptive to touch until they realize petting isn't bad actually, it's even kind of nice!

Nela learned a lot of her, and respected her deeply. She was the one adult she felt comfortable enough to truly talk about her fears and doubts, about the intrusive thoughts and what hurt her.

Cypria is 100% the main responsible for Nela never going down the dark emberkin path. She was the only one who figured out how to offer her the helping hand she desperately needed, a task Nela's parents and brother failed no matter how much they cared and tried (they weren't equipped to handle it, also too close to the problem in a way to see what to do).

The Nethysian trinket Nela wears is a replacement for an identical one Cypria gifted her. She lost the original because of Areelu, so she asked an artisan to remake it for her. Is there someone your OC liked at first, but then grew to dislike?

Uhmmmm, I feel as stereotypical as it may sound Queen Galfrey fits this category yet not really. As in, ultimately Nela realized they're very very similar in some ways (both stranded away of their actual time, having long outlasted those they were supposed to share their lives with and saddled with a responsbility that's way too heavy), but there's still a lot of resentment there over how Galfrey used her and pushed this duty on her shoulders in the first place and then got angry about it.

Her feelings about her are a complicated mess of "why did you do this to me" and "still I see myself in you," but she did start liking her well enough so? It kinda counts? Anyone else who she ends up disliking is either a minor character enough it's not jumping out to me (it has been a while since I played last, alas), or someone she had bad vibes from the start.

Has your OC ever had to let a canon character down easy?

I may, huh, accidentally triggered Lann's romance and had to reject him, which is terribly awkward but, alas, not a rare occurrence. That aside, I don't think she gives the vibe of being approachable in a romantic sense? Which has probably saved her much grief. Hell, Nela's own receptiveness with the one LI she is with (Daeran) came as a surprise even to herself!

[shiawasekai]

Also as I changed my Baroness' entire build I've been of a mind to modify her design radically (not like the one drawing I made of the original one was any good, partly because I worked on it intermittently over such a long period of time. Ah, regret), so I've been gathering resources/ideas for a while...

Maybe I'll try to work on her after Samel. I'm so not looking forward to the trial-and-error process of figuring out her clothes all over again lmao.

[shiawasekai]

5., 22. and 29. for Rashmav please. 👀

Ooooh, thanks for the questions! I'm glad people are interested in him 💕💕

5. How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

The answer to this is, I think, twofold: depending on if he trusts you already, or not.

For context, a reminder that his job mainly entails uncovering corruption cases + dealing with any problem that cannot be handled in the traditional "lawful" way. His outward job as a more traditional chinese-style civil servant is mostly a cover for what his actual duties entail. The status makes it easy to approach whoever his prey is and win over the people around them. Even if his goals are noble, his methods are not.

In short, if he doesn't trust you already, he is already mistrusting you. He is already studying you and trying to see if you are a new target, or can be used or, maybe, trusted. He is always on the job, a hopeless workaholic, so this mindset bleeds into everything.

Now, it's a very different matter if you win his trust, even more so if you befriend him. He is hopelessly loyal to anyone who actually wins him over and often somewhat blind to their flaws. Once you make him like you, he'll go to the end of the world for you. Earning his mistrust once you reach this point would require a complete, open betrayal either to his person or his ideals.

22. How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)?

Full disclaimer here: Rashmav is 100% aroace, no grey to be found there. He is married to the job, his one and only love (?). He would be willing to use some seduction for a job if it came down to it, but it's hardly his preferred method (it's up there with torture in "if the situation leaves no better option..." Honestly, he is more open to torturing someone).

Now, jealousy isn't a feeling that manifests exclusively for romantic love. And, if you made him jealous? He is absolutely the possessive type. It comes with being very obsessive about the things and people he cares about. If Rashmav ever feels his position challenged, he would fight tooth and nail for it. Openly and deviously so.

In terms of personal relationships, the one in which I see him most likely to feel jealous would be with his boss. Rashmav takes great pride in being his "right hand in the dark" and deeply, deeply admires the man, being displaced on the role by another would outright shatter him.

29. Do they usually live up to their own ideals? 

I would say yes, usually. Then, Rashmav's concept of ideals may be highly unconventional.

Does he think he is a perfectly moral person who always does the best thing possible in an upright way? No way. He is very much aware of what his job entails and how, by most standards, his actions are questionable at best. No matter how noble and high the goals may be.

However, his many dubious personality quirks don't even compute as a betrayal to his ideals, even if honesty is something he values in others. In his head, it's totally fine if he breaks some rules. Or a lot of them.

He firmly believes that his actions create a better world in which other people can lead happier, fair lives. And that is his ultimate ideal.

[shiawasekai]

Character questions for Rashmav this time!

10. If your character is an antagonist or something of the like, do they self-justify their actions? If so, how?

13. Who is the closest person to your character?

33. What are three positive traits that your character has?

I hadn't reblogged it yet, but there are still very much appreciated! Thank you, Dujour! Especially for the chance to talk about my boy.

10. If your character is an antagonist or something of the like, do they self-justify their actions? If so, how?

Rashmav is fundamentally a very twisted man who has decided to channel his natural instincts in a productive and (mostly) moral manner. He is, at the end of the day, doing his job because he enjoys manipulating, doing social networking, tricking others into doing his bidding. He takes great pleasure in ellaborate plans and mindgames, especially when they work exactly the way he wants.

For a Rashmav who remains fundamentally the same and hence fully believes himself in the right, he is doing what he considers the right thing (even if his methods are always a bit questionable). Rashmav would absolutely self-justify in this case and, in fact, thoroughly argue his case. He is absolutely that kind of antagonist who monologues trying to convince the "protagonist" of his cause and the necessity of his actions.

He would be probably rather convincing too, as he both truly believes his words and is skilled at persuasion (and blackmail if persuasion fails. And torture).

He isn't prideful, however, so if you provide information to prove him wrong he can be reasoned with. As long as you don't ask him to step away from the fun, of course. That won't do.

13. Who is the closest person to your character?

One of his adventuring companions, sadly deceased.

To give a bit of background, he was a catfolk cavalier (I can't remember the archetype) and the only survivor of the betrayal and murder of his Lord and everyone loyal to him in the castle. Our Cavalier friend then proceeded to investage and create a list with all the people who betrayed his Lord that day with the goal to make them all face justice (preferably death at his hand). The death of his Lord ended up linked to the campaign's main plot, which means he had to add a lot of names to that list!

The twist, which none of the other party members knew? The last person on that list... was himself. He considered his failure a betrayal in itself, and kept this fact secret to everyone.

In terms of their friendship, they met by chance on the road once but what made them companions was a task given by Rashmav's Lord. He wanted Rashmav to bring to justice a highly corrupt Ifrit Bard that was plotting in one of the regions, explicitly not killing her until she was outed for her true nature and had lost all power. Also to gather as much information as possible of who else was involved in her machinations.

This woman happened to be one of the Cavalier's targets, so Rashmav intentionally approached him to form an alliance.

They were both the most level-headed people in the party and worked often in the same wavelength, compensating for each other's weaknesses. They made really fast friends, and would often drink tea together when the adventuring calmed down.

His suicide was an horrible blow, and Rashmav regrets deeply never asking further for his plans after his revenge was over. He grieves his lost friend, and is very much protective of the Cavalier's Lord's daughter, who they helped recover her territory later in the campaign. He loves his job, but he takes special pleasure on doing it when it also helps a friend.

He is also very close to one of his sisters, who uses his adventures as inspiration for her own novels.

33. What are three positive traits that your character has?

He is terribly loyal, once you manage to win his trust. It is admittedly a hard endeavor, but the few people who win him over enjoy an enduring friendship with someone who won't even ignore their plight. He will go to the end of the world if it's to help a friend in need.

He is modest... to a fault. As in, to the point it's honestly a bit pathological. He doesn't perceive all his power and influence (which is significant by the end of the campaign) as his own... it's an extension of his Lord's and he just a piece that does the dirty, sort of illegal job. His utter lack of ambition is often disconcerting to others, but it also makes it hard to corrupt him.

He is hardworking. It really doesn't matter how much work he has to put into things, the days he has to spend doing small talk, attending parties or reading through documents. Once he sets a goal for himself, he'll do almost anything no matter how much effort it takes, for it. Admittedly, he loves his job and most parts of it are fun to him, so that helps a lot.

[shiawasekai]

My best friend just indirectly shamed me for always designing characters with very desaturated color schemes, telling me to draw more of the "phoenix girl" so they can see how I handle brighter color palettes now.

Thanks friend for enabling my oc blorbo obsession I guess

Also if you know how my WoL looks you know they're kind of right about it. Guilty as charged

[shiawasekai]

After drawing Nela with her terminal case of The Baby Face so much, it's refreshing to work on a female character with a very different facial structure.

[shiawasekai]

I honestly didn't expect Sissree (my Kobold) to garner much attention, being a non-human character and all. I'm pleasantly surprised people seem to like her.

I should design her more clothes and draw her more often. But Rashmav and my Baroness take priority right now because I actually have WIPs with them.

[shiawasekai]

Thank you @dujour13 for tagging me!!

Last Song: An Erhu cover of The longest day in Chang'an

Currently Watching: Alas, nothing at the moment.

Three Ships: Besides the obvious, it shall remain a secret :3c

Favorite Colour: Green! The color of plants and nature.

Currently Reading: Currently rereading 天地創造デザイン部 (Heaven's Design Team). Cursed Blessed by animal facts and jokes about being a creative.

Currently Consuming: Peanuts!

First Ship: ... yeah that's remaining a secret too

Place of Birth: A place in Spain that shall remain unnamed (as i'm still living there)

Current Location: my dark cavern

Relationship Status: Single, forever and ever. Just as I want it.

Last Movie: I think it was A Haunting in Venice, actually??

Currently Working On: I'm working on the shading/rendering of my kobold OC! Drawing a non-human is both fun and so much trouble, made even worse by my choices as usual. Comfort zone? I don't know her.

I don't know if any of my mutuals hasn't been tagged yet, but please feel free to answer too!

[shiawasekai]

I'm finally doing some actual progress on the bigger project, amazing

[shiawasekai]

I've returned, but before i finish off some stuff, I would like to talk about Rashmav for a bit. Mostly because he is a fun one.

For context, Rashmav inherited a lot of ideas and concepts from another ttrpg OC of mine, Noah. The thing about Noah was..... he was a complete monster. An horrid, horrid man. As in, he was the leader of an hedonistic cult (he didn't do much participating, tho) just for the sheer joy of manipulating and making people fall and corrupt. Whenever he ran out of people to "convert" in a given spot (it was a post-apocalyptic setting), he just moved to the next town and abandoned his previous victims.

We literally had encounters with ex-cultists, driven to madness by a mix of drug addiction and the collapse of her community after the only person holding it together skipped town for yet another round! It was great!

Complete monster, 10/10. The people who played those games still shudder whenever they remember the fucker.

So with Rashmav, part of my idea was "what if Noah, but actually a nice person?" He has the same manipulative streak, the same joy of having people dancing on the palm of his hand and trapping people in his web... he just channels it towards making the world a bit better, keeping his tricks limited to those who deserve it.

Rashmav has enough morals to not go nearly as far as Noah, even for a good cause, but he is still willing to do some dubious shit. And have way too much fun doing it.

[shiawasekai]

And I couldn't resist myself from actually typing down a description for one of my tabletop babies. I've added it to the dumb pinned post but may as well include it here.

Rashmav

Race: Vishkanya

Alignment: Chaotic Good (leaning Chaotic Neutral at times)

Class: Rogue (Deadly Courtesan)

System: Pathfinder 1e (homebrew setting)

"Ah, excellent, they're trying to kill us. That means I'm doing my job right."

The son of immigrant parents on a country his race is a rarity. He passed the exams to become a public officer at a relatively young age and ended up working under a particularly influential and principled noble, Zhang Ge.

His new boss soon came to value him and rely on him as a "right hand in the dark": using his skills in subterfuge and battle to out the corrupt and deal with problems otherwise impossible to solve by purely lawful means. He also came to realize Rashmav was, in fact, an utterly dedicated subordinate and a hopeless workaholic.

A cunning man characterized by a utter lack of ambition (he sees all his power and influence as an extension of Zhang Ge's, despite his many, many achievements together with his allies), unyielding loyalty to those he cares about and a drive to make the world better even if it sometimes requires some... questionable methods. He prefers good old manipulation and controlling public opinion, however.

He always keeps a bare minimum of 4 hidden kukri in his person. All with different magical properties.

This fucker got the Leadership feat but trying to convince him that HE is influential by his own right is as hopeless as trying to make him take a vacation. It ain't happening.

[shiawasekai]

Also that cat is just Rashmav but instead of a snake, he's a cat.

Catshmav........

[shiawasekai]

Now that I'm officially getting close to being done with Samel the question of who's next: Sithelra or Rashmav haunts me.

On one hand I want to try Sithelra esp because I want to test stuff with her body type (she's a strength+charisma character, and hopefully I can convey that...), on the other Rashmav is fully designed so it's merely drawing him Better than whatever the hell I did a year ago. No brain power dedicated to figuring out clothes and stuff.

[shiawasekai]

Never forget Rashmav's campaign was the one our Summoner abused Pit spells SO MUCH, all bosses started to fly by default

It still got the trash so the pit onslaught remained.

Having an onslaught of undead trying to enter a fortress and just, placing a pit at the door.