Goddess of the Moon: Cresselia

[Azuvala Assantri]

The Player:

OOC Account: Azuvala Assantri
Age: 17
Activity Level: Visit the site five days a week at least. Posting activity depends on school schedule.
Other Characters: N/A

Basic Character Information:

Name: Cresselia
Alias: Cresselia
Gender: Female
Age: She has existed since just after the creation of the world.
Allegiance: Neutral
Position: Lady of the Moon, Goddess of Healing, and Mistress of Dreams
Species: Pokémon; Cresselia
Sexuality: Heterosexual / Straight


Hobbies:

• Searching the confines of people's dreams and wishes to see their deepest desires
  
• Seeking out her counterpart
  
• Acting as a mediator to disagreements
  
• Coming to sick and wounded people, healing them and disappearing without showing herself
  

Likes:

• Blue and harvest moons
  
• The peace of a dark evening with only a touch of moonlight and the light of the stars visible
  
• Grasses being swept by wind, and the sound their stalks make
  
• The smell of clean fabrics and fresh air
  
• The kiss of the wind on her pink rings as she flies through the air and the imperceptible whistling they make
  
• The aurora borealis and aurora austrialis
  

Dislikes:

• Dark and Ghost type attacks
  
• Villains and others who put others in pain or harm's way without justified reason
  
• Disharmony and chaos
  
• Lunar eclipses
  
• Seeing people in pain or dying
  
• Nightmares and their hold over people's dreams
  
• Flashy titles
  

Physical Appearance
Information:

Hair Color: N/A
Eye Color: Her eyes are a striking carmine red that always manage to maintain a faint sparkle of her vigorous spirit beneath her calm aura.
Height: 4'11"
Build: Cresselia's build is sleek and she is gracefully crafted. She is not visibly muscular, but is instead capable of a lithe strength and flexibility not immediately apparent at first sight.

Other Appearance Information:
The epitome of grace and compassion, Cresselia has a sleek swan-shaped body that is a soft powder blue with a golden underbelly. Her neck is long and thin, and it enlarges into her rounder torso before tapering off into a small tail. Her golden head and neck meet at the elegantly curved golden ornaments that adorn her head, shaped like the crescent moon she represents. From the side they appear like crescent moons, and from the front they form a regal head collar. A large gem is set at the peak of her forehead between her two ornaments. It is a deep, sparkling pink that is almost tinted violet, and despite what appears like its clarity, it is impossible to see its lowest depths. Some people think this is because it is the source of Cresselia’s exquisite psychic power, naturally disillusioning those who look at it, but Cresselia has neither confirmed nor denied this. Her carmine eyes are striking but calm, containing a gentleness comparable to a mother tending to a child.

Like the celestial bodies of the heavens, Cresselia has three multi-layered pink rings that adorn her refined body. The most majestic of them is the sparkling pink arc that curves over her back, lightening in color from a deep inward pink to a near white outer ring. Where this arc meets, two others bend elegantly around her body, bowing into a graceful triad pattern. These two rings around her sides meet in two soft, delicate pink paws that are always placed at the front of her chest. These attractive wing-like shapes are also as keen as the sharpest blade, serving as vicious weapons in battle and something for attackers to be wary of.

With every one of her movements, shining particles detach themselves from her crescent swoops, making Cresselia sparkle and shine brilliantly in the presence of light. Her body and feathers become luminous in displays of her manifested psychic energy, making her appear almost angelic in her appearance. On nights around the quarter moon, an aurora extends from her tail, leaving a luminous curtain of rainbow light undulating behind her.

---

Cresselia's humanoid form is that of a graceful woman with a thin build who looks to be in her mid-twenties/thirties. She is about 5'10". She has long blonde hair that falls to just past her shoulders, pulled elegantly back in one ornate golden hairclip that is adorned with a crescent moon that sparkles in the presence of light. Her eyes are a gentle, soothing blue that seem to insistently ask you to tell her your troubles, should you have any.

Despite her being very attractive in shape and form, something about her seems to discourage looking at her bodily- she gives off a calming aura that seems to offer consolation and peace that simply seems criminal to take advantage of. She wears simple but attractive clothes, often blue jeans with a white shirt, adorned with a see-through pink scarf wrapped around her neck. Simply watching Cresselia seems to soothe the spirit, and despite the fact she does not answer any questions or statements put to her except with soft gestures and nods (her vocal cords prevent her from making the illusion complete), and her facial expressions and the sparkling of her eyes make it evident she is listening. She can use telepathy in her form without any ill effects, but one the whole she refrains from doing so because it draws such clear and undesired attention.

At times, her appearance can change to that of an aloof, piercing-eyed young woman that exudes an aura that says "Don't touch me." At these times she is often wearing much more simple and more subdued clothes that makes her less easily noticed. Because of her lithe strength, she is actually capable of a self-defence that she doesn't appear to have at first sight, and she can even go so far as flipping a person over her shoulder flat onto their back, or combating them with a flurry of kicks and punches. She is often found around people in trouble, attempting to aid the sick and elderly in particular.

Personal Related
Information:

Personality:
Cresselia is a gentle, warm-hearted individual. Her compassion and generosity in giving herself to the causes of others is unsurpassed; for her to see people in pain and suffering is almost physically painful for the lunar swan herself, so deep is her understanding and sympathy for their plight. She will selflessly give anything, up to and including her own life to save a person who is. She is a stubborn and persevering individual that will protect an innocent person to the death and hunt the cause of their pain mercilessly. She is also a respectful and benevolent individual that will often help in whatever way is in her power to do so.

In battle, she is a fierce and devastating force of nature, deserving of her title of a goddess for far more than her looks and healing abilities. Cresselia’s concentrated attacks of psychic and special energy are a force to be extremely wary of, for her persistent and indefatigable will is like a polished, flint-like gem that centuries of time cannot begin to scratch. This resolve is what strengthens her mental attacks into explosive reserves of power manipulated by her mastery of the skill. Her brute strength is weaker than her psychic expertise, but it is still a force to be reckoned with. Her keen, razor-sharp rings are sharp enough to slice most substances weaker than metal in half. Her fighting strategy is a well-blended mix of offence, defense, and recovery. She seldom surrenders or retreats, normally persists in her tireless attacking until her foe either surrenders of flees.

Cresselia is on good terms with nearly every Pokémon, only partially due to her well-loved position and her control over sweet dreams. Her personality is friendly and fun-loving and nearly impossible to hate without reason. She has a great deal of tact and is skilled at establishing friendly relations, aided by the patience she has matured over many centuries.

Interacting with her counterpart is unique from her relations with others. While she is bound to oppose Darkrai’s nightmarish plots and schemes, which she does with little reservation, she has never pursued him any further than necessary since his fury dissipated. She is well aware of the location of his island, but she has never ventured there in order to attack him. Her romantic feelings for him are unknown to others and uncertain to herself, though it seems that besides his nefarious plots, she tolerates his presence and is willing to stay on friendly terms with him.


History:
From the beginning of the world’s conception, it was designed to be a world of balance and peace. Arceus created it and the beings designed to take dominion over it, and each element was accounted for and each aspect was ruled by powerful beings fully capable of establishing and destroying the order of the universe. When creating the Great Ones, she created them in balance. The Guardian of Skies and the Guardian of the Seas; the legendary birds and dogs of Fire, Ice, and Lightning; the primal lords of the Sea, Land, and Sky; The dragons of Space and Time and their opposite, the undead dragon of the Reverse World. She also created a prince of darkness, as fleeting as the shifting shadows and many times more terrifying, to rule over nightmares and to spread chaos and disorder. In a balanced world, everything must have an equal opposite, so in opposition, Cresselia was created, the queen of light and the radiant moon, born to bring peace and serenity.

She was created to bring good dreams to those tormented by nightmares and born to cure those who needed healing. Arceus granted her many talents and skills to accomplish her job, and Cresselia was delighted to be granted such an honor. She cherished the power to heal others as the greatest gift of the many she was granted. Not only could she feel the suffering and anguish of others, but now she could physically and psychologically heal them. In professing her overwhelming gratitude, she also told Arceus that if she were only allowed one thing, she would keep the power to heal even at the cost of her own life. It was after hearing this that Arceus then bestowed a unique gift fitting only the compassion of the celestial swan.

The Lunar Dance.

By sacrificing her own strength and power through the expression of her truest desire, Cresselia received the ability to heal any and every injury instantly. The consequences of the wounds would instead be transferred to her. She was overjoyed to be given such a talent, and resolved to use her abilities to fulfill her job to its entirety. It was then that she fully and selflessly devoted herself and her talents to the well-being of others.

At the beginning, Cresselia’s actions were admirable, but based so simply that her thinking could only be compared to the naïveté of a child. She rushed endlessly to recover people who were victimized by nightmares and hurried incessantly to heal them. During these times, there were many times that she fell ill, but not once did she even consider to slow down for her own benefit, not while she was the only being capable of saving others from the effects of nightmares. Her knowledge of the cause of nightmares was severely lacking at this time, and she considered a natural occurrence. Her generalized view was that the subconscious, after a long day of unfulfilled dreams, exhaustion, and perhaps a lack of fulfillment, seeped into the realm of their rest, tainting their thoughts. It was actually several years before Cresselia first met the cause of them, her counterpart.

Darkrai, his name had been. He had been silent, but not unfriendly or rude, merely…indifferent. Her first glimpses of him were signs of his presence, and eventually glimpses of him in the nightmares themselves. She did not relate her first fleeting glances of him to the cause of the nightmares that ravaged their victims mercilessly. As time went on however, it began to slowly dawn on her that he was the source of the people’s pain, the source of their suffering. Cresselia, in her fierce rage sought the wraith, confronting him with ferocity unmatched.

How could he so dare?

For many people, dreams were all they had. Without dreams and lives not worth living, their nights became just an extension of their misery. She had watched some people driven to suicide by the torments he brought night upon night. For being such a benevolent, good-natured healer, her passion was blinding. Perhaps it was this that prevented her from truly listening to his explanation with a clear mind, from giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was performing a necessary function that only he could perform. No matter the cause, she refused to believe him, and what seemed like a lack of a good explanation only further justified her fury.

Their next few encounters were of little speech- not that they had ever been of many words- and consisted of Cresselia confronting her counterpart, occasionally engaging in conflict, other times driving him to retreat from the irate swan. After many encounters and failed attempts at pursuit, Cresselia’s fury became more tempered, more refined in the resolve to force him to relinquish his control.

When the lunar swan came in contact with the dark wraith, she fought to kill. At this time, the solitary figure Cresselia would not mourn the death or injury of- no, rejoice in his defeat- was the Lord of Nightmares. Her attacks on him were nothing short of full scale war, and she eventually antagonized him into defending himself from her shocking violence. Gradually, as centuries passed, their hatred of each other grew mutual, and his fury grew into full-scale wrath. Her initial resolve and purpose to rescue the victims of nightmares slowly began to take a second seat to her desire to destroy their conjurer.

Cresselia continued to hunt Darkrai as his plots grew darker, more severe, and unspeakably evil. When his plots turned to encompass the other Great Ones, it was not until he targeted the Lake Trio that Cresselia was given a glimpse of his function and purpose in life. As the first on the scene, Cresselia was the first to witness his scheme and the devastation he had wreaked upon the beings of knowledge, wisdom, and emotion. She immediately engaged him in combat, and despite her best attempts to subdue him, she quickly found that he was beginning to overwhelm her. Other legendaries swiftly arrived on scene to take over, and their efforts managed to restrain his incensed passion while she went to help treat the Lake Trio’s wounds from the encounter. It was then that Mespirit was found, curled piteously into a tormented ball. Cresselia’s first impression was that she was captured within a nightmare; however, when the celestial swan’s presence did absolutely nothing to ease her suffering, it became apparent that she was very much awake. This was something much, much worse. Her own attempts were not enough to heal Mespirit, and only with the combined attempts of the other psychic Great Ones did they manage to return the afflicting emotions to their owner. Even then, it was some time before Mespirit was in good enough condition to speak and explain the encounter.

Cresselia was left at a complete loss. A brief flash…it had been all she had seen as she fought to subdue the consuming emotions plaguing her legendary friend, but it had been the most painful feeling to take a hold of her. She had never, and would never feel the pain and loneliness that she experienced in that single fleeting glimpse. The natural instinct for her to comfort those in pain almost overcame the complete revulsion that she felt for her mortal enemy. Many centuries passed with little change. Cresselia continued to attack Darkrai in all passion with no change aside from a single seed of doubt that grew in the back of her mind. Perhaps he did not deserve the attacks she made on him. Particularly if it were only his job- she began to think how unjustified and pained she would feel if she were persecuted for spreading her own dreams.

Several years later, it began to affect her performance in her battles with him, a hesitation here, a faltered move there. As time stretched on, she began to avoid him entirely, taking time and effort to stay out of contact with him unless necessity excluded the possibility. After being forced to realize what she had been doing to him, that she was the source of the overwhelming emotion that consumed him, she began to lose the very will to fight him. She, as much the goddess of healing as goddess of the moon, had more severely ravaged his nature than one in the most understanding of dispositions could hope to imagine. She had let down every person who had believed in her nature, and had profoundly disgraced her creator in her actions.

She was deeply ashamed of her actions, and was well aware that a simple apology was laughable in the face of that which she had done to him. To apologize would be so insufficient that it would simply be pathetic- she doubted that she could ever reconcile her actions to him, even with the passing of thousands of centuries, for it had been for longer than centuries that she had persecuted him. Many more years passed of their interactions, at which she silently extremely unwilling to confront him, even at his more dangerous schemes. Only of late has she realized that, insufficient or not, the least her counterpart deserves is a genuine apology and true attempt on her part to reconcile her actions. Though she does not dare to hope against hope to be forgiven, she has been attempting to muster the courage to ask his pardon, if only to give him the small satisfaction of refusing. She has since returned to her proper vigor of stopping Darkrai's plots and dispelling the nightmares he brings, inwardly having sworn to no longer delay, but to instead apologize.

When she is not out curing people of nightmares, Cresselia resides at Fullmoon Island, an island with lush trees and vegetation. Its most noticeable features are the puddles scattered about that reflect the light of the sun and moon when the celestial bodies rise above the tree line at various times of day.

Cresselia is the only existing one of her species. She has no immediate blood-relations and no family unless you consider Arceus as her mother and creator. She has a special relationship with Darkrai, her nightmare-inducing counterpart.

Characters Pokémon:

Name: Cresselia
Gender: Female
Species: Cresselia
Age: Unknown
Level: 90
Personality: See above.
Attacks:

• Psychic - This attack is the basic use and manipulation of Cresselia’s psychic powers. She has a supernatural, precise control over her surroundings that grants her the ability to surround and manipulate things around her, even more formless shapes, like flame and air. The classic example of these powers would be bending a spoon by merely thinking of it, or forcing a person to their knee by willing them to. In battle, she can focus her powers to influence the opponent and their movements so strongly that it physically damages them. She is also capable of forming and spitting out large blasts of this energy. Psychic has approximately a 30% chance of lowering the opponent’s special attack by one stage, and a 10% chance of lowering special defense.
  
• Psycho Cut - A slash of energy formed into a keen, physical blade under psychic control, it can be used as a sharp projectile, or can be split into multiple projectiles as a shower of the blades. Cresselia molds them from around the swoops of her body to create the shape, firing them, and occasionally holding them there to wield like her own set of psychic blades. When focused into a single blade, it has a keen and precise edge that cuts with the barest contact. Because she can control their movement, even slightly after being fired, this move has a high ratio of critical hits.
  
• Ice Beam - Cresselia’s psychic control over her surroundings can also be used to help her compact the water molecules in the air into an ice configuration, manipulating the heat energy in the air away from the water, ultimately causing it freeze. It gathers together at her mouth in a circular whirl of snowflakes before firing with an intense and precise laser of energy. She can also extend the range of this attack into a large conical shaped attack by dispersing more of the particles with a bit more effort, creating a huge consuming shaft of ice. This attack generally takes the form of a laser-like beam fired from the front of her mouth, the attack slowly accelerates in a beam built with such speed that any onlooker, no matter how perceptive, will believe it simply cuts through the air. The raw power of this beam is usually enough to take down an opponent, but if not, there is a 10% chance that they will be completely immobilized by the frostbite to follow.
  
• Shadow Ball - A deep smoky-colored condensed conglomeration of shadows, this blob-like orb is contained by Cresselia’s will. She can fire these from her mouth and from the front of her chest, depending on where the energy is gathered. On occasion, she will gather the shadows and spirits within the gem on her head to amplify the power of her attack, firing the spirit attack in a pulse of energy that explodes outward or as a beam. It gathers shadows and unseen spirits, melting and molding the energy into a destructive collection of energy that is surrounded by purple bolts. This attack also has a possibility of lowering the opponent’s special defense.
  
• Mist - By using a similar technique like Ice Beam in order to manipulate the air, she creates a supernatural, pure white mist around herself and her allies that prevents stat changes. It dispels the effects of moves and also makes it impossible to focus on Cresselia or her allies without the mist disrupting the attack in order to make it fail. The white cloud can be seen through usually, though Cresselia can make it heavier in order to densely obscure the entire area up to submersing those fighting in an impenetrable cloak. It does not stop the repercussions of paralysis and burning, and while it prevents effects of stat reductions, moves that leave stat reductions in their wake retain their effectiveness.
  
• Safeguard - A mysterious white force-field that appears around Cresselia and her allies, blocking status inflicting moves from touching them. The strange barrier can also be reinforced with her psychic energy to block some attacks, at which time it turns blue. It does not stop self-inflicted status conditions, held items, or special abilities of her allies, and yawn is one of the few things that circumvent the barrier if used before it is erected.
  
• Moonlight - Cresselia is the goddess of the full and crescent moon, the symbol of and reason for her existence. Because she rules over the phases of the moon, along with her counterpart, this move is significantly strengthened, raising its average effectiveness of 50% to 75% of their normal health when the moon is not obstructed by clouds. When the moon is nearing the peak of its strength, Cresselia can use this ability to heal a person fully. This is the only ability Cresselia can use to heal herself, though she can also use it on others around her.
  
• Lunar Dance - Cresselia’s signature move, Lunar Dance is just that- a dance, beautiful and indescribable, overflowing in emotion and grace. It is an unforgettable experience, and its splendor is unparalleled as the expression of Cresselia’s single, most powerful desire to heal those that are suffering, born of her wish to heal them in spite of the cost of her own life. Every ounce of her energy and desire is poured without reserve into each swoop and every dive, and her compassion becomes a physical force that overwhelms the limitations of healing. Her life force floods the area with the overwhelming radiance of the moon, bringing warmth and revitalizing energy that fills anyone within its circle. This technique heals every one of an individual’s physical wounds, psychological anguishes, status conditions and any stat changes. As the goddess of healing, Cresselia has the potential to heal any wound, be the deepest scar or a severed limb, though this takes significantly more energy and takes a steady concentration even in her most powerful technique. She can only use this on one person at a time, and after using it, she takes the consequences of the individual’s wounds on herself. The recoil causes her to fall unconscious, into a comatose state beyond sleep that usually lasts for several days before she can naturally awaken. This move is usually only used on fatal or extremely devastating wounds that merit the awe-inspiring, yet devastating effects of the Lunar Dance.

Other Abilities:

• Natural Healer - The mere sight of the lunar swan’s shining body is enough to cure people of psychological problems and ease more severe cases of emotional distress. Her presence as a natural healer is soothing, and while she is near, her tranquil and compassionate aura seems to influence the people around her into relaxing into a calmer state of mind.
  
• Levitate - Her basic psychic control supports her every movement, keeping her suspended effortlessly apart from the ground. Normally she remains at a slightly wavering height of a foot or so from the ground, but she is more than capable of using this ability to soar through the sky at high altitudes. This is of such necessity to Cresselia’s existence that the energy it uses is completely imperceptible. This also renders her completely immune to any ground-type moves or attacks. However, when a move like gravity is used to remove her use of this ability, she is completely helpless and incapable of moving from the spot she lies in aside from firing attacks from her position.
  
• Telepathy - Cresselia is capable of utilizing complex telepathy, projecting her words into the minds of those around her. She is not bound by language restrictions because she uses her emotion and intent to send her translated message to the individual. She is incapable of human speech due to her lack of vocal cords. The ‘voice’ she projects sounds like the clear tinkle of gentle bells.
  
• Probing - By concentrating her psychic energy and focusing more acutely on her surroundings, Cresselia can probe the area for auras of Pokémon and living beings around her. She can identify individuals she has already met by their distinct aura. If she knows someone extremely well, she can determine their general location over long distances, though she cannot determine their aura from such a length. Many years of being around people in various states of mind have given her the ability to differentiate people in pain or trouble because of their change in aura. This technique can only be used to find general location in Dark types because their natural resistance helps evade it.
  
• Sweet Sleep - Cresselia’s commission is to dispel Darkrai’s nightmares and bring sweet dreams to replace them. The dreams she brings are those that fulfill a deepest, true desire, using the person’s heart to guide their mind into a pleasant state of sleep, suited to the person sleeping. This may be something as complex as living a new, perfect life or it may be as simple as a lack of dreams and nightmares altogether. Her feathers, named Lunar Wings, are the only thing besides her that is powerful enough to break Darkrai’s power over a person’s dreams, and while she leaves them behind her every so often without noticing, they cannot be removed unnaturally or else they lose their power.
  

Role Playing
Sample:

Having Some Fun (The Skies End)
A tentative, almost fearfully cautious creature slowly made her way through the darkened woods, climbing among the tangled roots and ragged leaves littering the forest floor. Her paws left a light, ghostly crunching in their wake, and the rustle of each branch she touched made a sound like the crack of a whip.

Kageri timidly glanced up at the foreboding shadow of the canopy, then shrank down, lowering her head fearfully. The large jaws protruding from the top of her black-capped head dropped and nearly pressed against her back, leaving her with the diminished and frightened look of a hunted animal trying to withdraw into an invisible shell. It was like an enormous prison of earth and darkness, sealing her in with the pungent fumes of the decaying leaves and only brief snatches of uncontaminated air.

A few feet away stood an enormous tree of darkened wood, covered in moss. Several small, faltering steps brought her to the base of the wide trunk where her dark claws shakily reached out to touch the slippery bark. She stood shivering on the gnarled roots, backing unsteadily into its firm trunk. There she paused for a minute, resting against the slick wood. Her wide, tearful blue eyes darted apprehensive glances at the murky darkness of the roots and shrubbery of the surrounding trees, and what had been an attempt to calm herself only succeeded in making her more edgy.

The possibilities were endless. Her imagination could run wild and overflow reality itself, filling the shadowy wood of trees with clawing creatures and dark, vicious beasts with large fangs and salivating mouths. The deep, swirling mist was everywhere, furling amid the trunks of the trees, the cool air licking her golden-charcoal body, making it nearly impossible to see what was ahead.

‘Sweet Arceus, how long is this going to take? I should have at least reached the center by now...’ The exasperated thought trailed off into nothing, and the only indication of Kageri’s inner dialogue was the fact her head lowered another fraction of an inch.

Kageri was actually completely unaffected by the unpleasant atmosphere of the forest- this was nothing more than a comfortable stroll in a mostly silent forest nearly uninhabited. She had a surprising resilience of her mental facilities that demanded her be realistic, giving her imagination little room to take over her almost sinful practicality. However, to any person looking on at her progress through the dark undergrowth, she likely looked like a helpless, victimized animal suffering through their most terrifying nightmare come to life. She had long since mastered her disguise to the point that she could address nearly any stimulus with the proper reaction without any improper hesitation. To a leering opponent, a frightened shiver; to a friendly stranger, a childish shyness; to a suspicious bystander, an innocent paw lifted to her lips; to an accusation, a fountain of silent tears. She had been in the habit of practicing since her childhood and had nearly perfected it as an art. It was of such second nature that she was naturally inclined to it, even in times of absentmindedness.

‘With this mist as thick as it is, a pack of Houndoom could be after me and I wouldn’t know until they were within three feet of eating me.’ She thought unhappily. Her timid eyes gazed out into the darkened trees, and in the back of her mind, she began to wonder uneasily if perhaps she was as alone as she initially thought.

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[Feather]

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