Description
In the Grecian underworld, looking from Erebus to Tartarus, a deeper level of Hades.
Despina has inherited the beauty of her mother, Persephone.
Large eyes of a sky blue color
Ivory skin with high blushing cheeks,
Full and defined lips like pink roses.
Hair the color of straw with a slight wave to it.
(Lighter at the bottom than in the picture)
Her scent is the honey-like smell of Asphodel flowers,
those that grow on the plains of the Grecian underworld.
Personality
Although a Godess Despina is Gullible and ingenuous to the point of it being comical.
Despina is an immortal like all Gods, even lesser ones as she,
So she will not age past youth or die
despite this she is still rather young,
only age twenty which is coincidently
the age that she will always appear to be.
She's spent most of her life in Elysium Fields
chatting up the souls of heroes and demigods,
picking ghostly wildflowers, or making lovely music for the dead,
Despina is really quite nymph-like and whimsical.
The young Immortal is virtuous and compassionate
having spent most of her time in the highest plain of the Greco-Roman afterlife,
she's only encountered the best types of people,
and this makes her a little naive when it comes to denizens of the real world.
She has only been exploring the world of the living for a short time
and knows very little about the ways of human beings and other humanoids.
Around humans, especially in Wing City, she is docile and even skittish,
not accustom to the company of corporeal mortals.
Being the biological daughter of Apollo and Persephone she is a godess,albeit a lesser known Godess with little power.
She is generally considered the Godess of Music and Melodies in Elysium,
and Mistress of the Singing Voice outside of her home in the underworld.
She does have some supernatural abilities, as she may sing or play her Lyre
to dying mortals and bring them back to health when they are on their deathbeds
(Only if their soul is bound for the netherworld and not some other form of the afterlife.), but this tends to frustrate her father.
She is also able to boat souls from the Styx river and into the world of the dead if they have not paid their coin to Charon the ferryman,
thus saving them from a life of aimless wandering on the shore of the spectral river, but alas, she is also forbidden by Hades to do this.
Voice - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SLx9kXhwSo
Equipment
Despina often seen with a basket of flowers, or her Lyre.
Lyre -
History
Despinda is the daughter wrought from the Greek Goddess Persephoneās infidelity with The God Apollo.
She is Princess of The Underworld, Non-Biological Daughter of The God of Death
and half-sister to Melinoe (Daughter of Hades and Persephone, Mistress of ghosts)
Despite being a child not his own,
She was raised by Hades and he is for all intents and purposes her father,
as Hades being the God of death is for the most part infertile
(Divine intervention being at work in the birth of his other children.) .
As a young girl she lived mainly with demi gods in Elysium,
where her adoptive father hoped someday she would stay permanently,
as an musician or artist for the dead souls in paradise,
Not wanting her to leave and live on Mt Olympus with the other deitys
Because of this, she was taught by The Three Graces (also known as charities)
and one of The Muses who taught her to sing and play the Lyre.
Having been schooled in the arts of language, music, and dance,
She most excelled in playing instruments and Song (being taught by the muse Aoide)
With an enchanting lyrical voice of the soprano range,
that fluttered through Elysium, Prettier than a nightingales call,
the souls and God who presided over Elysium secondary to her adoptive father Hades,
Took to calling her the godesses of music as she had nothing to formally preside over at that time.
However, before long, she was considered even at Mt Olympus to be the Deity who held sway over the human singing voice and melodies,
Her talent did not come out of the blue or completely from training with the Muse Aoide as her biological father Apollo,
in addition to being God of Light and The Sun, also presides over Musical arts, and healing,
Living in the realm of the dead all her life, she doesn't actually know that her true father is not Hades,
And this is part of the reason he does not wish her to journey to Mt Olympus, As she is also
a well kept secret from The Sun God.
So begins...
Despina continued in the refrain, her pure bright soprano timbre fluttering and floating across the realm to almost fill it with her celestial sound. āEgo in vidi marmoreum latus servi et clientes ... " It seemed to be in a mix of Greek and Latin, so undoubtedly there were both Romans and Athenians in the crowd that evening.
āā¦ vidi quod leporem me maxime, quod dilexisti me idem vos facere, sic ... dilexisti me idem ut facereā¦ā She went on letting her gorgeous soprano paint the air with the meaning of her words as she rapidly played the accompaniment on her Lyre which sounded like a softer version of a harp, the notes ringing out gently, like a feather floating in clear air. The song came to an end almost abruptly, but not without tact, as the last lyrics rang out from her clear and smooth as a bell and sweeter than the song of a nightingale.
The ethereal Goddessās performance lasted about fifteen more minutes and she sang a couple of songs in addition to her first, each one receiving a roar of applause in which the entirety of the crowd stood for her, delighting in the Princesses beautiful voice.
Despina curtsied as she was brought bouquets of Purple Crocuses, Indigo violets, Red Roses and of course White Asphodel flowers that grew just about everywhere in the underworld (Save for Tartarus which was a dark place that would not have had a single petal or leaf.) It almost looked like a scene from a story book and she was obviously spoiled not only because of her divine status but also due to her immense talent.
Eyes turned on Gavin when the music had ceased, as he was not widely known in the Elysian Fields and wore the garb of a more modern era, sure, there were recently deceased demi gods there but they often switched their attire to something more antiquated, so it seemed that everyone looking at him was either Toga-clad or wearing some other attire of the classical era.
Despina noticed him too, and tilted her head slightly, before wavin
before waving. She had not forgotten the confusing things heād said to her in the humanās bar, and was still, in the back of her mind, distressing over his words.
The otherworldly crowd parted like the red sea wherever Gavin went, as they were taken aback by his forwardness when approaching the princess, all wondering why this young looking and living Demigod thought he could simply waltz up to the front and speak with the musical Goddess, but none questioned the manās actions, simply staring.
However, Despina didnāt even seem to notice the crowdās reaction in the least, and her ivory cheeks blushed when he complimented her singing and looks. āI thank you...ā She had a docile air about her and seemed unsure of how to react to the compliment, despite hearing things like that all of the time.
The young Deity extended a delicate hand and placed it in Gavinās. This action made the crowd gape a bit before they began to disperse and her gloomy guardians move closer to her, so that each was only about a foot away, Despina looked about with slight confusion at this and remarked āMyā¦What a strange chill there is in the air tonightā¦ā She was still unable to see them.
Despina ās brow furrowed but then relaxed at Gavinās words āOh it is welcoming and usually so very warm, but I suppose the temperature does fluctuate on occasionā¦ā She chattered dreamily, not wanting him to think badly of her home, then again, she knew little of her home outside of the paradise plain and a few glimpses of Erebus, the middle realm.
Before allowing herself to be led away she gently sat her Lyre on the edge of the Amphitheaters stage, where, in only a matter of minutes it was picked up by a ghostly servant and taken away, presumably to Hades palace where she spent her nights.
When he mentioned only visiting a few times Despina nodded āI thought so, I can always tell when a new face has come or gone, Having lived here so longā¦ā The population of the Blessed Isles was not so large that one who knew of most of its inhabitants would not notice when a newcomer entered, besides, Gavin had always been somewhat interesting to The Princess, living visitors always were.
Despinaās guards trailed behind them a few feet back, their weapons at the ready and ghostly eyes trained on the Demigod. Her face lit up at his question and she spoke with the tuneful melody of cheer āOh, yes! Just about every place is worth visitingā¦Do you like, natural sights like waterfalls and forests, or works of art, or eating, or gardens, or lovely animals,ā¦Templesā¦ Or libraries ā¦ā She paused her rambling question a moment and then beamed āWould you like to see the palace?ā This was an unusual suggestion but Despina was often quite spontaneous and flippant with her offers that should have been restricted to only true godās visiting from Mt. Olympus.
Despina was young for an immortal being, only twenty years old, although this was the age she and other Godesses (with a few exceptions) would always appear, it was her true age which was probably the reason why she was so innocently friendly and had not grown tired of Elysium.
She pondered his inquiry a moment and then chimed "What do I do all dayā¦? Hm..I sing and play my Lyre for the dead and the visitors, I dance, and I study in my fathers vast library, I really do many thingsā¦." Despina trailed of dreamily but she could of gone on and on about how she spent hours gathering wildflowers or, visiting the animals in the great dark forests of the Blessed Isles, bathing in clear waters of crystalline rivers that lead to lakes she so enjoyed swimming in, Or listening to the dead heroes tell of their past exploits, but she thought this might bore him, as it was to her, a typical day.
"And what do you do all day, Gavin?" She had a coquettish look in her sparkling blue eyes, as if challenging him to come up with something more interesting than what she had said.
Despina's full rose colored lips relaxed from the broad grin that exposed her pearl white teeth and into a dreamy sort of smile when he suggested the waterfalls. "Ohā¦They are truly lovelyā¦" The princess seemed to be far away for a few seconds but she then spoke, her countenance now even more joyous "Come then, you shall adore them!" This was said with a slight giggle that was soft as a doves feather and musical as her Lyre.
The nymph-like Princess of The Underworld had turned to him as she spoke, taking both of his hands in hers and then gently letting go as she took off, in a motion that was graceful as a dance and more like fast-paced frolicking than running or skipping. Long folds of silky fabric billowed behind her as the pure white Tunic-like gown that was draped so elegantly on her slender figure, was swept about with the cooling winds of Elysium, the girl didn't seem to have a single care in all t
After a brief period a travelling had passed they came out of the flowery meadow and to a pathway flanked with of Pomegranate, Fig, Laurel and olive trees, with splendidly colored, ever-ripe fruit and flowers growing upon them. This little road, one could see in the distance, would soon lead into a lush and wild forest.
The girl moved with such a light and delicate step, she seemed to make no sound stepping upon the ground but after a moment she stopped, standing beneath a Laurel tree where the scent of its Bay leaves were perfuming the air around them.
And she gave Gavin a beseeching look when he he was finished talking āOh, Do tell me of mortalsā¦? I have always wanted to know what they are like when aliveā¦And I have only gone to see their world but onceā¦It did not yield a great amount of new knowledgeā¦ā Besides having only encountered a few living humans, The only deceased ones she had known were heroic or blessed mortals in Elysium.
In the grove not too far from where they stood, there was a group souls, ex-priestesses and Vestal Virigns who had lived most chaste and honorable lives, gathering baskets of bright red pomegranates, purply figs, and sunny yellow lemons whose citrusy scent pervaded the air. The females looked almost like living humans as most of the dead in Elysium did, but one could tell that they were not as their skin had this strange silvery glow and their eyes were all a pale grey color. The women chattered amongst themselves almost like hens clucking over a baby chick as they stealthily watched the young princess speak with Gavin, those types of souls had always been quite motherly to the young goddess but also revering her as a deity at the same time, which made for a somewhat strange relationship.
Despina leaned lightly against the Laurel tree she had stopped at, looking very much like a drop of snow sitting on a leaf, against the lushly green background of this vegetation, it might have been slightly ironic how lovely she looked against the tree, as this was one sacred to her true father, Apollo, and the leaves of it were what fashioned his famous leafy crown.
The naĆÆve deity nodded energetically when he spoke of humans for the first time, telling of how some were truly good. So she was right about them! Of course they were kind and imbued with a righteous sense of justice, she should have known not only humans in Elysian fields were that wayā¦But now he was telling her of some other form of mortal?
Despina looked bewildered and had a lot of questions but her first was, her blue eyes glimmering pools of curiosity, āWhat is a Cad?ā She was not very good with English slang, despite knowing the language.
Despinaās guards had not come with her to the mortal realm as she had travelled by sneaking herself into the ranks of her half-sister Melinoe who held reign over ghosts and went each night into the mortal realm (Often only the most deprived places, such as Gambits.) to wait while troubled or mentally ill humans died, only then to recruit them into her ghastly ranks that would haunt the dreams of the living. Despinaās guards were not allowed to approach the goddess of fear and hauntings but had simply thought Melinoe had been authorized to bring her on a small trip to Asphodel fields or Erebus, as she was on rare occasion allowed to do. But Despina had only done all of this to thwart her father and mother, not ever thinking she might have shadowy guards always flanking her at all times.
The Princess of the nether realm, began gliding about the little orchard-like area, halfway continuing down the pathway to their destination but also moving lithely among the bountiful trees as she listened to Gavin and spoke in return. It might have been peculiar, the way the virtuous Despina did not melt at his gaze, although Olympians were famed for their unkempt lust, this goddess knew little to nothing of romance save for some of the things she had read in books, and one could say Hades kept her personal library strictly monitored.
At his words, she stared at Gavin bemusedly; did some mortals really do this on a regular basis? Despina knew someone may lie to make themselves appear more grandiose and Perhaps she could understand cheatingā¦Maybe their pride would not let them lose a game or duelā¦? She had read about people like that. But stealing seemed wholly unnecessary, she knew the mortal world wasnāt quite as bountiful as Elysium as she was not undereducated, but she had never wanted for anything and had never witnessed or been allowed to read anything that contained the horrors of extreme poverty.
Despina could indeed dance, and had mentioned it to Gavin briefly during their time in the flowery meadow, this as well as her being a celestial creature, might have been responsible for the elegant and yet free nature of her movement. If born in the mortal realm she might have become famous, perhaps singing classically with a symphony, or performing song and dance in lighter operetta (like Phantom Of The Opera or Candide) type shows on the stages of Broadway. But instead this beautiful white Orchid of a girl stayed hidden in the realm of the dead, which might have even been best, as she was quite impressionable and now due to her upbringing blind to the true workings of the world outside of Elysium.
The whimsical princess had never drunk a drop of wine, despite that being served quite freely to the heroes in Elysium, she was forbid to drink anything but heavenly nectar and water. The reason being, that male demigods and heroes may have been very righteous but even in death if drinking with a goddess one might find their moral sense diminished, and this was not actually only for Despinaās purpose as if one of the men in Elysian fields were to touch The Deity in that way they might be banished to the middle plain of Asphodel, which was not nearly as ideal.
Although the goddess had never even known true shame, her ivory cheeks glowed reddish and she demurely lowered her face from its position facing Gavinās, this question making her slightly uneasy. āOhā¦Iād like to butā¦The people there were veryā¦Veryā¦ Daunting. They have such a presence and their vulgar words frighten me at times, yet I truly do want to learn and see more of them. ā Upon her first visit to Gambits she had been stared at relentlessly and not only for her antiquated manner of dress.
At the end of the pathway that moved through those lovely fruit trees that scented the air, was a heavily wooded area filled with beech, fir, maple and oak trees, surrounding an azure river that would lead after a brief period of walking to lovely waterfalls and shimmering grottos. Gavin and Despina might have already heard the sounds of rushing water in the distance and felt cooler breezes coming their way.
Gavinās offer for him to be her companion and possible guide In a realm filled with humans seemed to delight her and she looked up at him with this greatly radiant beam. Despina in a way, a creature who had been formed in almost a decorative way, exemplifying beauty and musical art in her very being, this was a charaterstic Greco-roman deities had, her mother Persephone being an embodiment of maiden hood as well as Spring and her half- sister being that of fear and endless wanderings, if Gavin had read any mythology he might have known what happened when certain Gods went to play among mortals, and it usually resulted in a lot of Demigods or Immortals indulging to the point of hedonism. This may have been a reason that Hades had kept her within the Blessed Isles.
For a deity who had never even set foot on Mt Olympus, one could not be sure what effect a place like Wing City would have on her but anyone dwelling on this would be quickly interrupted as a golden arrow would then fly through the air and shoot a petal from one of the white lilies woven into Despinaās glossy blonde hair. It seemed as though the arrow was aimed not to hit her, but to do just what it had in spearing a single petal. This all happened before the princess had even time to reply to the Demigods offer with more than a smile.
The moon hung low like a pearl against dark sapphire sky of Elysian Fields, covered slightly by a few grey hazes, so it would not shine too brightly but still light the plain of paradise. The night had transformed Elysian from a place of green rolling fields of golden and multicolored flowers flanked by bountiful fruit trees to a realm covered with a great smattering of roses of red and white, its fruit trees transformed by darkness into beguilingly saccharine smelling incense trees, with trunks that dripped with sap the color of rubies and topazes.
Most of the souls that populated Elysium were asleep, save for the hall of heroes, which had its torches still fully lit and was emitting the noises that came from some raucous party that probably included a lot of drunken Demigoddesses to accompany the heroes of antiquity.
Among this idealistic and heavenly place there were a few more buildings other than the one that burned brightly with the light of merriment, one being a large palace that floated in the sky on the border between Erebus/Asphodel and The Elysian Fields, though its windows only faced in the direction of Elysium, there was a misty vapor coming out of one of its lower windows followed by a woman who looked a sight with twisted features on one side of her body and a somewhat attractive visage on the other, this must have been Melinoe the goddess of fear and ghosts going out to the mortal plain with intentions of haunting the dreams of humans.
But strangely enough behind her trailed something that looked like a drop of sunlight emerging through clouds on an overcast day, it was the princess of the underworld, Despina, attempting to follow her half-sister away to the mortal plain without waking her father Hades, who forbid her from leaving Elysium. Every so often the shadowy mist would turn around and seem to be telling the more winsome goddess off.
āBut please darling sister, I only want to see Aspohdel, perhapsā¦Or maybe even the Styx River?ā The lovely Goddess of Music and Singing had been pleading and protesting with her much older half-sister for some time now and Melinoe was beginning to get fed up, she was pondering letting it slip that perhaps Hades was not Despinaās true father, but she was not so cruel, it simply irked her to no end that Despina should be so loved by the Denizens of the netherworld while being the product of her motherās adulterous fling with a God who hadnāt even held the remotest sway over death.
āGo back to the palace, Hades will not want to see you up much less trying to thwart his guard, and your own guards who you would do well not to wake!ā Melinoe wore a stern and yet matronly demeanor and Despina countered with a girlish smile āThe dead sleep heavily, they will never have heard me leave in their dreamless slumber.ā They were both speaking in a peculiar mixture of Latin and Greek that was not used outside of the realms inhabited by deathless gods.
Melinoe being ever alert, noticed the Demi-Titan a moment before he hid, but she figured he was simply some deceased hero or demigod drunk off too much of the celestial wine that flowed so freely within the abode of heroes. The dark Goddess was eager to meet her band of ghosts in Asphodel and begin haunting the earth above so she attempted again to get rid of her sister this time trying to appeal to her curious nature āI think I see Achilles stumbling about on the meadows below us, You know how father never allows you to visit the heroes hall after dark? Why donāt you go see what the parties are like? I will not say a word.ā This might have not been the kindest thing to suggest as Despina was about as innocent and unspoiled as someone who had been born and raised in a nunnery.
The younger Goddess flitted down into the fields of roses after throwing her arms about Melinoe āOh Thank you sister! I shall go and see if Achilles is alright, and then say hello to Orpheus andā¦ā At this point it was simply the childish refrain of excitement and Melinoe stopped listening, preferring to go on her merry way.
Despina touched down looking like a drop of snow amid the red roses, her ivory skin glowing brightly in the moonlight that shone so brightly on the Blessed Isles. Billowy Fabric on The greek chitin dress that was draped about her slender figure fluttered about at her sides as she stepped about calling for her friend who Melinoe had mistaken Kol for.
āAchillesā¦?ā Her tone was musical and lovely as her countenance, one would have recognized instantly she was a goddess if not realizing she was the patron deity of melodies and song. She was worried about this hero due to the fact she had never so much as tasted a drop of wine and did not know it was perfectly natural to walk strange or fall down whilst drunk.
Despina tilted her head in slight confusion, she'd only seen Achilles when intoxicated from the windows of the palace and he seemed to be shouting something about his lover when she was close enough to hear him.
Despina appeared taken aback "You know exactly who I amā¦?" She did not even seem sure of herself at this point, and looked as though she might turn about on her heels and run back home at any moment.
Despina ha smiled a great beam that showed ivory colored teeth when he seemed to recognize her there in the darkness where she could not clearly see his face but it fell into a bemused look when he questioned her about knowing her own identity. "Are you trying to philosophize with me Achillesā¦That is not very like youā¦" She spoke to him in that mix of Greek an Latin that was so often used by The Gods.
The goddess was quite young looking, seeming to be only twenty years old, despite this being what most gods appeared to be, it was her true age. This, combine with her very sheltered lifestyle led her to be quite gullible and she did not suspect a thing of Kol.
Despina quirked an eyebrow now, was this really how her dear friend Achilles acted when drunk? And how could he even mention "forgetting" her face, he'd known her since she'd been born for pities sake!
Despina was forbidden to ever drink wine and this display made her agree with her fathers stance on this, despite the fact that it flowed freely for every other inhabitant of the Elysian fields.
"Aā¦Ahā¦Um..Alright?" The Princess of the Greco-Roman afterlife stumbled over her words with extreme bewilderment, all the while grasping onto the white folds of her tunic-like gown as if they were some sort of lifeline but still she followed behind him, ever trusting.
"You know my father forbids itā¦!" She grinned playfully and put velvety soft finger to his lips not seeing his face in its entirety under the hood and also distracted by the shining spender all around her, it was almost as nice as the palace but it had a more exotic feel to it, "And try not to spread it around that I was here, okay?" She did this in more of a jesting and childish manner, than the way a seductress might have gone about it.
As they walked further in the vast hall, they would see a small group of Grecian heroes(One of them possibly being the real Achilles) separated from a much larger party going on in the center of the building. Who were lounging on couches and beds of plush cushions, drinking wine while chatting idly, Often accompanied by a former Vestal Virgin or Priestess who was not expected to continue the chaste lifestyle during the afterlife, and many of them leaned languidly on their male companions, wearing only a silky sheet wrapped about her countenance as clothing.
This was a bit odd to Despina, who knew little of Romance save for the small bits she'd read about in her vast library, which was one could say, heavily monitored by Hades.
Despina look surprised at his kiss on her fingers, involuntarily blushing and subsequently wondering why she was doing that at all. The Goddess, who had never even been allowed to set foot on Olympus for her parents fear of her seeing something vulgar, was not quite sure what to make of this but tried to put it out of her mind for the time being, she wanted to explore the forbidden palace-like structure!
The corridor that led to the main chamber was flanked on all sides by tables filled with incense that was burning lightly and golden bowls of plump, never rotting, fruits that exuded both sweet and citrusy scents alike and pitchers of wine, nectar and ambrosia that never emptied.
It seems Dionysus had been invited as one could hear the giggling of courtesans who had been allowed to come up from Aspodel for a night to "entertain" at the party, this would have only been allowed at the request of a fellow god.
The Deity shook her head at Kol "No, I certainly would have told you if I had." She laughed lightly after speaking with that enchanting voice she possessed, as if he was silly for even asking the question.
Apollo and Persephone's lovely orchid of a daughter shook her head when he spoke of Roman Wine mixed with the food of the Gods. "No, I have never tasted Falernianā¦What is that?"
Three scantily-clad and voluptuous young women came stumbling drunkenly through the room and over to Kol and Despina, they must have been Demigoddesses or Nymphs, leaning on each other they looked like the famous statue depicting The Three Graces, but they were, despite being very attractive, not quite so elegant.
One of the the trio, with long strawberry-blonde hair and skin the color of peaches, being the daughter born of one of the many flings that Aphrodite had entertained with a mortal man, leaned over to Kol and whispered something unintelligible in his ear before slightly lifting his hood and drunkenly kissing him right on the lips before striding away with her confidants.
This, coupled with the sight of the hall in hedonistic celebration, made Despina shrink back against the wall, What was all this frighteningly strange behavior she was witnessing!?
The drink he had given he sat untouched in her almost trembling hands.
The lovely muse of Comedic theater gave Kol another furtive glance from across the room, batting her eyelashes, she was absolutely smashed after a night of drinking nothing but wine from glasses that would automatically refill themselves when emptied.
Despina did not appreciate the pun, it was not Thalia, but one of the muses(Aoide the muse of song, who now sat against a pillar humming drunkenly to herself, goblet of wine in hand.) who had tutored her in music and dance almost since birth.
The young Goddess look ready to faint "Whaā¦? Why-..? I Don't ā¦? " She seemed to be in a bit of a stupor, beginning to slump against the wall, as Dionysus looked up from his veritable harem of Nymphs , Courtesans visiting from Erebus and Former holy-women, to eye her up and down.
RPG
