Post by jestercarr13 on May 11, 2021 14:19:49 GMT
Name: Nila Gbeho (Ny-La G'bay-oh)
Alias: Mambo Gbeho, Nila
AKAs: Mambo Caplata, Caplata, Voodoo Priestess, the night-witch, etc.
Physical Description
Hair: Dark brown, shoulder length but very naturally curly/wavy, most often worn down. Has honey-gold tones in direct light.
Eyes: Dark brown, but glow purple when some magics or rituals are invoked.
Ethnicity: Black Haitian American; of black African decent via Haiti
Age: 28
Build: 5' 9'', 142lbs. Nila is tall with an understated hourglass figure; she is in no way at peak human athlete fitness or anything, but her body composition is that of a decent athlete such as a runner due to a generally healthy, non-sedentary lifestyle aided by the benefits of her voodoo based diet and daily regimen. (voice claim: Gabrielle Union)
Uniform: Nila does not wear uniforms, as such, but many magics, rituals, or holy days within her religion require her to wear certain clothing (style/colour etc.) and various face or body paints
Personal Style: Nila has an almost airy, casual, boho style with a lot of Haitian, creole and African influences.
Psychological Description
Personality: Nila is a very open-minded, but faithful individual. By faithful, i mean to her particular set of vodou beliefs, which in themselves are quite open-minded, progressive, free-spirited and free-thinking. She is kind, calm, confident, self-assured and respectful of others. Intelligent, but unimposing.
Relationships: Nila is very close with her parents, who still live in New Orleans: father, a vodou Bokor (shaman or witch-doctor); mother, a lesser vodou practitioner. Nila also has varying relationships with many of the vodou Loa spirits. As a prominent and talented priestess, she is often in contact with them, most notably Pap Legba through whom all voodoo communications must passed, but he is a quiet spirit, a middle-man as it were. Nila's most significant contact is Baron Samedi, who she speaks with often. Often, he will come to her. She is, technically, his servant on the earthly realm, but the balance is metered thanks to her level of power and mastery. Nila also often speaks with Gran Bois, Baron Criminel, Maman Brigitte, Mombu and the Guede, among many others. Nila is also a good friend of Samael Apep-Mara, often consulting with him on certain cases.
Powers & Abilities: Nila is an extremely gifted and talented voodoo practitioner. She is able to directly commune with a vast host of Loa and other voodoo spirits, as well as commune with the dead. She has magics of various (both dark and natural) natures; herbalism, necromancy, communing and conjuration, blessings and curses, dream-walking, sorcery etc. etc. After the specific rituals Nila went through to become a fully fledged Mambo (priestess), and a Caplata (witch), Nila has also been granted immortality. Or, at the very least, an extended lifespan (she will age, but at a drastically reduced rate).
Weaknesses: Nila is, technically, a servant to the many Loa she prays to and worships. It comes part and parcel with being granted the kind of powers and magics she now has as a Mambo and a Caplata. Particularly the Caplata part, which ties her to the actual, deep magics. Though her particular level of natural talent and power does tip the scales moreso in her favour than other voodoo practitioners, when negotiating with the Loa, she cannot simply deny them for fear of losing all of her abilities, and in the cases of some angry Loa, much more than that. Some of her magics also rely on her having access to certain materials etc., and her having performed the proper rituals at the proper time, and in the proper way.
Skills: Nila is particularly dextrous, much of her magics requiring specific handography and the ability to precisely prepare and arrange ingredients, trinkets or artefacts. Her memory is also incredible, through years of practice learning specific ceremony and ritual, in precise detail. Nila is also not a bad runner, able to sprint at nearly, but not quite, Olympic qualifying speeds, and over-long distances at a good pace (running is a hobby of hers).
Background: Nila Gbeho was born Nail (Na-Eel) Gbeho, a beautiful baby boy. He was born to Haitian parents who had moved to the Haitian communities in New Orleans in the 1980s. As a child, it became very clear, very early on, that Nail was not developing (mentally or psychologically, at least) as one would traditionally expect a boy to do (in the context of generally expected models of the 80s and 90s). For all of his youth, it was simply assumed that Nail was growing up to be a particularly effeminate homosexual man. However, Nail was ever quite comfortable with that distinction either.
Even as young as 8 years old, Nail expressed his wishes to be a girl. Not just in mind and spirit, but in body. Nail's parents respected their son's wishes, and began to refer to him as their daughter, as 'her' and 'she', from then on. They, particularly Nail's father with his expertise in the natural magic's of vodou, could see this was their child's true nature. Eventually, Nail changed her name to Nila, and finally began to feel more at peace.
But there was a long road ahead. Nila wanted to change, to have the body she felt she should also. The family was too poor to pursue any medical or surgical treatments, but at that time it was unlikely any doctor would support their choice to support their daughter's wishes at such a young age anyway. But, they didn't need to anyway. It would be a longer, tougher process, but Nila's father was talented in transformative magics, usually used on fauna and flora, and believed with the aid of the right cohort of Loa, he could use these magics to help change Nila's body too.
It worked. Over many years, from the age of 9 to 15, Nila went through the slow transformation from having the body of a young boy, to a young woman. Everything about Nila, outwardly, seemed to suddenly take a fork in the road from its initial male development, and began developing into the nubile form of an attractive, decidedly female, young woman. Her body took on a feminine, under-stated hourglass curve, her skin and musculature softened and shifted to the expected format of a woman, even her facial features, the nature of her hair and hormones, everything was female. Even a quite ample bosom.
By the time Nila was 16, only one thing remained. Though many of Nila's internal physical structures did change to suit a biologically female preset, her reproductive organs were the last feature to be changed. As is often the case with most modern transitional procedures, her male genitalia would have to be the last thing transitioned by the voodoo magics, due to their complicated and intrinsic nature to the body she had originally been born in.
But. Before those next steps could be made, Nila fell in love. That kind of young love, that on some level you know wasn't going to last, but meant everything to you in the moment none-the-less. With her best friend, another young woman in their creole community. Up until then, Nila had been so one-track minded with her physical status, that she had never really considered the intricacies of her actual sexual preferences. As it turned out, Nila is bisexual. There were no secrets in their tight-knit community, everyone was aware of Nila's situation and transition; it was only the "outsiders" that were fed a slightly different story to protect the secrecy of the true vodou magics.
During this time, Nila became more and more familiar with herself, as the person she was, inside and outside. The spark of her first serious relationship helped her to come to terms with herself, and truly find who she was. The fact she was part of a devout vodou family, who's faith was anchored in the philosophies of free-thinking and free-living, and understanding the true spiritual nature of all things, certainly helped. Nila chose to halt her transitioning process there.
Throughout her life, Nila has been quite literally exposed to vodou magics, ceremony and ritual of all kinds, both directly and indirectly. It's not entirely clear whether her natural talent, ability and eventual mastery over the varied vodou magics was a completely inherent part of her from even before birth, or if at the very least the magics used to help her become who she really is played their part, but she has always been a gifted vodou practitioner.
Following in her father's foot-steps, she studied and practiced at every opportunity, even in some she shouldn't have, to hone her skills and powers. At the age of 18, Nila underwent a series of deep rituals, beginning her journey to bond her soul to the true voodoo magics. It was during this time she met her first host of Loa, guided by the ever-present Papa Legba. Most notably, even that first time, was the Baron Samedi, who laid a primary claim upon her. A debt to be paid over a life-time. But that was only the beginning of the process, and over the next 3 years she performed many ceremonies and rituals to increase her power and knowledge, and was considered a Mambo (priestess) in their community. It was at the age of 21 that Nila would have the opportunity to take the next step, if she so wished, to become a Caplata. A true voodoo witch. To do so, you needed the sponsorship and patronage of a particular Loa, who would aid in connecting your soul to to the true magics. Baron Samedi took her under his cloak that night. He is a tricky, mischievous spirit, as are many Loa, and considered Nila a jewel in his crown in the mortal realm; a gifted witch to serve him well. However, he was surprised at the power she wielded. As the ceremony progressed, and her soul was opened to the magics, it became clear to all present that she was indeed an extremely powerful practitioner. Baron Samedi, and the other Loa Nila also served, would not have as much of a hold on her as they did other servants. Her power still relied upon their favour, yes, but the scales were tipped slightly less in their favour, for there was the real fear that she could be so powerful as to be able to use her magics in spite of them, if she were to become powerful enough.
This scared some of the Loa, but it also amused Baron Samedi. Nila was devout, despite her potential, and though the Baron felt even Nila, on some level, knew of her true power, he respected that she remained a loyal servant, as her religion expected of her.
As tradition dictates, Nila could not remain in her community. She was not chased out, or ex-communicated, it was simply that no one community ever had need of two powerful practitioners. And given the nature of these magics, so intrinsically tied to nature and the spirit world, having two in the same space had certain... side-effects. Thanks to the inherent life-prolonging effects of being such talented and accomplished practitioners, both Nila and her father now had extended lifespans, and her father had many years still yet ahead of him.
Nila travelled, seeking out her place in the world, but as of yet has not found that one place that calls to her soul. She visits many places quite regularly, feeling drawn to each of them for good reason, be it personal or magical, but primarily travels when she needs to; following where her Loa lead her.
Alias: Mambo Gbeho, Nila
AKAs: Mambo Caplata, Caplata, Voodoo Priestess, the night-witch, etc.
Physical Description
Hair: Dark brown, shoulder length but very naturally curly/wavy, most often worn down. Has honey-gold tones in direct light.
Eyes: Dark brown, but glow purple when some magics or rituals are invoked.
Ethnicity: Black Haitian American; of black African decent via Haiti
Age: 28
Build: 5' 9'', 142lbs. Nila is tall with an understated hourglass figure; she is in no way at peak human athlete fitness or anything, but her body composition is that of a decent athlete such as a runner due to a generally healthy, non-sedentary lifestyle aided by the benefits of her voodoo based diet and daily regimen. (voice claim: Gabrielle Union)
Uniform: Nila does not wear uniforms, as such, but many magics, rituals, or holy days within her religion require her to wear certain clothing (style/colour etc.) and various face or body paints
Personal Style: Nila has an almost airy, casual, boho style with a lot of Haitian, creole and African influences.
Psychological Description
Personality: Nila is a very open-minded, but faithful individual. By faithful, i mean to her particular set of vodou beliefs, which in themselves are quite open-minded, progressive, free-spirited and free-thinking. She is kind, calm, confident, self-assured and respectful of others. Intelligent, but unimposing.
Relationships: Nila is very close with her parents, who still live in New Orleans: father, a vodou Bokor (shaman or witch-doctor); mother, a lesser vodou practitioner. Nila also has varying relationships with many of the vodou Loa spirits. As a prominent and talented priestess, she is often in contact with them, most notably Pap Legba through whom all voodoo communications must passed, but he is a quiet spirit, a middle-man as it were. Nila's most significant contact is Baron Samedi, who she speaks with often. Often, he will come to her. She is, technically, his servant on the earthly realm, but the balance is metered thanks to her level of power and mastery. Nila also often speaks with Gran Bois, Baron Criminel, Maman Brigitte, Mombu and the Guede, among many others. Nila is also a good friend of Samael Apep-Mara, often consulting with him on certain cases.
Powers & Abilities: Nila is an extremely gifted and talented voodoo practitioner. She is able to directly commune with a vast host of Loa and other voodoo spirits, as well as commune with the dead. She has magics of various (both dark and natural) natures; herbalism, necromancy, communing and conjuration, blessings and curses, dream-walking, sorcery etc. etc. After the specific rituals Nila went through to become a fully fledged Mambo (priestess), and a Caplata (witch), Nila has also been granted immortality. Or, at the very least, an extended lifespan (she will age, but at a drastically reduced rate).
Weaknesses: Nila is, technically, a servant to the many Loa she prays to and worships. It comes part and parcel with being granted the kind of powers and magics she now has as a Mambo and a Caplata. Particularly the Caplata part, which ties her to the actual, deep magics. Though her particular level of natural talent and power does tip the scales moreso in her favour than other voodoo practitioners, when negotiating with the Loa, she cannot simply deny them for fear of losing all of her abilities, and in the cases of some angry Loa, much more than that. Some of her magics also rely on her having access to certain materials etc., and her having performed the proper rituals at the proper time, and in the proper way.
Skills: Nila is particularly dextrous, much of her magics requiring specific handography and the ability to precisely prepare and arrange ingredients, trinkets or artefacts. Her memory is also incredible, through years of practice learning specific ceremony and ritual, in precise detail. Nila is also not a bad runner, able to sprint at nearly, but not quite, Olympic qualifying speeds, and over-long distances at a good pace (running is a hobby of hers).
Background: Nila Gbeho was born Nail (Na-Eel) Gbeho, a beautiful baby boy. He was born to Haitian parents who had moved to the Haitian communities in New Orleans in the 1980s. As a child, it became very clear, very early on, that Nail was not developing (mentally or psychologically, at least) as one would traditionally expect a boy to do (in the context of generally expected models of the 80s and 90s). For all of his youth, it was simply assumed that Nail was growing up to be a particularly effeminate homosexual man. However, Nail was ever quite comfortable with that distinction either.
Even as young as 8 years old, Nail expressed his wishes to be a girl. Not just in mind and spirit, but in body. Nail's parents respected their son's wishes, and began to refer to him as their daughter, as 'her' and 'she', from then on. They, particularly Nail's father with his expertise in the natural magic's of vodou, could see this was their child's true nature. Eventually, Nail changed her name to Nila, and finally began to feel more at peace.
But there was a long road ahead. Nila wanted to change, to have the body she felt she should also. The family was too poor to pursue any medical or surgical treatments, but at that time it was unlikely any doctor would support their choice to support their daughter's wishes at such a young age anyway. But, they didn't need to anyway. It would be a longer, tougher process, but Nila's father was talented in transformative magics, usually used on fauna and flora, and believed with the aid of the right cohort of Loa, he could use these magics to help change Nila's body too.
It worked. Over many years, from the age of 9 to 15, Nila went through the slow transformation from having the body of a young boy, to a young woman. Everything about Nila, outwardly, seemed to suddenly take a fork in the road from its initial male development, and began developing into the nubile form of an attractive, decidedly female, young woman. Her body took on a feminine, under-stated hourglass curve, her skin and musculature softened and shifted to the expected format of a woman, even her facial features, the nature of her hair and hormones, everything was female. Even a quite ample bosom.
By the time Nila was 16, only one thing remained. Though many of Nila's internal physical structures did change to suit a biologically female preset, her reproductive organs were the last feature to be changed. As is often the case with most modern transitional procedures, her male genitalia would have to be the last thing transitioned by the voodoo magics, due to their complicated and intrinsic nature to the body she had originally been born in.
But. Before those next steps could be made, Nila fell in love. That kind of young love, that on some level you know wasn't going to last, but meant everything to you in the moment none-the-less. With her best friend, another young woman in their creole community. Up until then, Nila had been so one-track minded with her physical status, that she had never really considered the intricacies of her actual sexual preferences. As it turned out, Nila is bisexual. There were no secrets in their tight-knit community, everyone was aware of Nila's situation and transition; it was only the "outsiders" that were fed a slightly different story to protect the secrecy of the true vodou magics.
During this time, Nila became more and more familiar with herself, as the person she was, inside and outside. The spark of her first serious relationship helped her to come to terms with herself, and truly find who she was. The fact she was part of a devout vodou family, who's faith was anchored in the philosophies of free-thinking and free-living, and understanding the true spiritual nature of all things, certainly helped. Nila chose to halt her transitioning process there.
Throughout her life, Nila has been quite literally exposed to vodou magics, ceremony and ritual of all kinds, both directly and indirectly. It's not entirely clear whether her natural talent, ability and eventual mastery over the varied vodou magics was a completely inherent part of her from even before birth, or if at the very least the magics used to help her become who she really is played their part, but she has always been a gifted vodou practitioner.
Following in her father's foot-steps, she studied and practiced at every opportunity, even in some she shouldn't have, to hone her skills and powers. At the age of 18, Nila underwent a series of deep rituals, beginning her journey to bond her soul to the true voodoo magics. It was during this time she met her first host of Loa, guided by the ever-present Papa Legba. Most notably, even that first time, was the Baron Samedi, who laid a primary claim upon her. A debt to be paid over a life-time. But that was only the beginning of the process, and over the next 3 years she performed many ceremonies and rituals to increase her power and knowledge, and was considered a Mambo (priestess) in their community. It was at the age of 21 that Nila would have the opportunity to take the next step, if she so wished, to become a Caplata. A true voodoo witch. To do so, you needed the sponsorship and patronage of a particular Loa, who would aid in connecting your soul to to the true magics. Baron Samedi took her under his cloak that night. He is a tricky, mischievous spirit, as are many Loa, and considered Nila a jewel in his crown in the mortal realm; a gifted witch to serve him well. However, he was surprised at the power she wielded. As the ceremony progressed, and her soul was opened to the magics, it became clear to all present that she was indeed an extremely powerful practitioner. Baron Samedi, and the other Loa Nila also served, would not have as much of a hold on her as they did other servants. Her power still relied upon their favour, yes, but the scales were tipped slightly less in their favour, for there was the real fear that she could be so powerful as to be able to use her magics in spite of them, if she were to become powerful enough.
This scared some of the Loa, but it also amused Baron Samedi. Nila was devout, despite her potential, and though the Baron felt even Nila, on some level, knew of her true power, he respected that she remained a loyal servant, as her religion expected of her.
As tradition dictates, Nila could not remain in her community. She was not chased out, or ex-communicated, it was simply that no one community ever had need of two powerful practitioners. And given the nature of these magics, so intrinsically tied to nature and the spirit world, having two in the same space had certain... side-effects. Thanks to the inherent life-prolonging effects of being such talented and accomplished practitioners, both Nila and her father now had extended lifespans, and her father had many years still yet ahead of him.
Nila travelled, seeking out her place in the world, but as of yet has not found that one place that calls to her soul. She visits many places quite regularly, feeling drawn to each of them for good reason, be it personal or magical, but primarily travels when she needs to; following where her Loa lead her.
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