Name: Ulysses
Nickname: Lyssa
Position: Merfolk
Gender: Female
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Race: Mermaid
Age: 46
Height: 5'10'' | 6'3'' in water
Description: Ulysses is built for speed. With lithe muscle and sinew, long limbs and slender fingers. The elegance that drapes across her body is nothing more than predatory, in the same fashion as a jungle cat. Her face is angular; cheekbones sharp and pointed chin, narrow eyes of vivid blue. Everything is intensely defined; her curves are lethal and edges graceful, bringing to mind the contours of a blade. Deep black tresses hang in subtle waves, casting shadows across her face and spilling freely down her back. The shadowy locks contrast drastically with her alabaster skin, the pale complexion broken only by the lines of turquoise painted across her body. These sigils- tribal markings- make their way from her face, pooling beneath her clavicle and running down her chest, across her stomach and her hips, streaming the length of her legs and winding finally around her feet. Her back is dedicated to a lone circular glyph that branches out in four directions like the hands of a compass or rays of the sun.
Nationality: As a tribal mermaid, she holds no nationality with any surface power.
Creed: “The sword does not care whose blood it drinks.”
Motivation: “New challenges abound in the world. I'll hunt them all.”
Likes:
- The Sea – More than her home, this is Ulysses' soul. Her element is blue and sprawling, covering the great vastness of all the planet. Swaddling the many shores of every continent and subsuming islands whole. A wide and majestic universe with more wonders and many more perils than ever have been seen in the air above. This dark and beautiful kingdom is her freedom, and her strength. It gave her life, and eventually it will be her death.
- The Hunt – Ulysses is a predator, slender and lethal like a knife. She has been raised to kill, and takes great pride- and joy- in the chase before the coup de grâce. Relentless and remorseless, she spares neither mercy nor compassion for whatever poor thing waits at the end of her spear.
- The Dark – The sun is a caustic brilliance that she has never quite come to enjoy. When cloistered beneath the waves it is tolerable, but outside of her haunt it becomes almost unbearable. The constant pounding heat that mars her flesh and kills her sight is an unassailable enemy in its own right, and she much prefers the softer glow of the moon.
- The Surface – While she does not hate dry land by any stretch of imagination, she certainly feels limited by it. In the water she can move freely in all directions, floating and soaring through the sea with ease. The open air chokes her, and limits what she may accomplish, chaining her to the ground and sapping her strength. She resents this debilitation, but learned to strive beyond it.
- The Heat – Little saps her energy as quickly as intense heat, and though she is not native to the northern chill it is still far more bearable. She prefers temperate regions, and loathes the southern deserts of Kalephos and Hezzeram. When the sun rides high in the sky, she will escape to the ocean or beneath the deck to avoid its intense glare.
- Huntress – While never trained, strictly speaking, Ulysses was brought up to pursue and destroy whatever prey might fall before her blade. She has spent years honing this art, chasing and slaying beasts both large and small. While initially limited to only the sea, she eventually expanded her territory onto dry land, and humans were added to her list of prey. She is an experienced killer, even if still young by the standards of her species and easily outmatched by her elders. In a fight, she is quick and precise, going straight for the kill in the most expedient method she can concoct.
- Black Widow – It would not be until her exposure to human culture that Ulysses learned of another innate strength: Her beauty. Though far less skilled in this regard than her more straightforward tactics, she has been able to use her body on occasion in order to sway the weak- and singleminded into false security, or into lowering their guard.
- Keen – Ulysses has learned to read both people and her environment, but more the latter. Humans pose some degree of difficulty for her, as they are less physically expressive than her kin. The world around her is much more forthcoming with its insights, typically in any case. She makes note of anything and everything; what can conceal, what can protect, and what can kill. Knowing the battlefield gives one an edge, no matter how small.
- Ocean Born – As a native of the sea, Ulysses is naturally not at her strongest when outside the water. She feels sluggish and constrained, and her senses feel impaired. In any contest on land, she is inherently at a disadvantage, no matter how small.
- Frangible – Exacerbated above the surface, she is by no means the sturdiest of creatures. In a fight she relies on her agility and instincts to put down an enemy before they can land a blow. Her stamina is not an issue, but rather her physical resilience.
Whereas one might expect a woman of this nature to be cold and aloof, such a definition would hardly be accurate for Ulysses. She is easily approachable, typically with a placid exterior and a patient inclination. Though one might struggle to call her friendly, she isn't antagonistic or antisocial either. When not hunting she appears simply to exist. She is rarely angry or given to displays of mirth. Rather, she uses times of calm to recuperate and center herself. Preparing, physically and psychologically, for the next pursuit. 'Quiet' might also be an applicable word. Not given to speaking in long, drawn out sentences, she tends not to carry conversations, merely participating in them at best. Further lending some to see her as detached or standoffish.
Equipment:
- Hunting Spear – Ulysses' spear is not one typical on the surface world. Its blade is four sided, in the style of a pyramid, and has no sharp edges. It tapers slowly to a deadly point, perfect for inflicting large wounds on a target. The true malevolence lies elsewhere in its design. By depressing a switch set into the shaft, it triggers a mechanism which splits the blade into four prongs. The shaft itself is made of bone, harvested from a long dead sea creature and carved down to size.
- Short Sword – This weapon is much more conventional. The leather bound hilt has a gentle curve to it, and the two-edged blade shoots into a fine point. A cord attached to the scabbard allows her to wear it at her side, the strap crossing her torso.
History: Ulysses was born in the mild waters off Baijat's northern half, in the Argynean Sea. As a busy shipping lane and a popular destination for the wealthy, her exposure to humans was immediate, even if from a distance. Yet her interaction with them was scarce for so very long. For a time, she knew only her own people directly. Her sisters, the Atarathiö, had lived in those waters for as long as they could remember. Rather than live totally apart from their neighbors above, they had long been a part of local life. Some of her ancestors had aided Baijarn naval expeditions against their northern opponents, sabotaging vessels and scouting ahead. In more recent years, they even assisted Kalephos when a string of their merchant vessels went missing. Though they did not live with humans, they were involved. Yet, Ulysses would only hear of them through these stories for a time. She was content to remain beneath the waves, the closest she came to breaching the surface was to watch the glittering of sunlight against the water.
She was quickly selected to be a huntress for her tribe, the elder sisters picking her and several others from the newest generation to be granted them by Essus. Her very first prey were fish as she was taught the very basics of hunting. A level head, composure, and swift action. They taught her to kill quickly, rather than inflict undue suffering on the animal. When they believed she was ready for something more dangerous, she turned to hunting larger, substantially more dangerous creatures. Sharks were the first. Ruthless predators who could easily kill a heedless mermaid. As long as she was mindful, and placed her blows well, even these beasts went down easily. The true danger came from things that dwelt in the dark waters beyond the Gliesan coasts. At about this time she was marked as a fully fledged hunter; every mermaid in her tribe receives tattoos representing their place in the community. For the ritual to be completed, she had to leave the water so they could be inscribed across the length of her body. When it was completed, they welcomed her back into the sea as a warrior of Essus, ready to face real challenges.
Her first venture into the deep was exhilarating. She had no idea what could be lurking so far beneath where the light dared to touch. In that gloom Ulysses encountered sea serpents and other nautical giants. Monsters that often required a pack of hunters to kill, just to be safe. Some of the older hunters could tackle these creatures alone, but they seldom did so. It was foolish, and the thought of bragging rights was pointless compared to a wasted life. The greatest challenge she ever faced in the deep waters was a colossal Lord Nautilus. Titanic beings with impenetrable shells and crushing tentacles. Ordinarily, such a being would never register as a foe for her sisters, but this one was a rare case. It was ancient, and likely insane, for it was drifting far from its territory and closer to the surface, potentially placing both her people and humans in peril. They decided it had to be killed, and mounted a hunting party to end the threat. The ensuing battle was perhaps the most engaging she ever experienced. Unable to crack the shell, they were forced to attack the soft exposed flesh. This meant attacking the tentacles directly, and eliminating them before it could safely be killed. One by one they immobilized the tentacles, and were finally able to put the beast to rest.
Ulysses never again faced an enemy quite so powerful, one who could have killed her without even realizing it. She began to long for something that could challenge her like that, a creature she could hunt that would fight back just as hard. She would find just such an animal by stroke of luck. A few years after slaying the Nautilus, she was selected by one of her elders to accompany her on a mission. They had been contacted by Kalephos, and were asked to hunt down a rogue warship. It was believed to be heading north, trying to escape to Valiesa. It was a galiot, the smallest type of warship set afloat by the Zemirate, and a perfect target for a handful of mermaids. They were told to kill the crew, and not bother bringing any back alive – even the ship was expendable. For days they hunted, scouring the seas for signs of the ship, until it was finally spotted. Ulysses' heart was racing, as before any hunt, but she had no idea just what she was in for. She had never fought outside the water before, but her elder assured her she would do fine. They waited until night, and boarded under the cover of darkness. The first few deckhands dropped quickly and quietly before someone sounded the alarm, rousing the rest of the crew. In those close quarters, literally at knife fight range, was some of the most intense combat Ulysses had ever experienced.
It taught her a valuable lesson: Humans were terrific opponents, and it had her thirsting for more. This led her from her home and onto dry land, seeking more prey to hunt. She eventually learned of pirates that had traveled north, who were eager to hire on mermaids and made a living by attacking other ships. The chance to find a steady source of targets was an enticing lure, and she chose the Bounty as her new home away from home.
Ship Currently Aboard: Winter's Bounty