⊹ VERSE POST: CASTLEVANIA. inspired by the story of shahmaran of indo - iranian and turkic folklore. this verse is mainly based on the games, but i can very easily fit her into the animated show.
in persian usage, afsun, jādu and the arabic loan word seḥr are used interchangeably in the sense of magic. those who practice magic are called afsungar (also afsunḵvān, afsun dām), jādugar and sāḥer. both jādugar and sāḥer have a greater negative connotation than afsungar. in a common persian folklore, samak-eʿayyār, magic is a sin. it is said that those who practice it grow hideous of appearance and foul of scent. therefore, sorcerers are not only ugly but also malodorous. evidently this rule was so well known that when samak meets a beautiful sorceress, he is amazed that she has not lost her looks. that was untrue, of course, but there was no way of changing the opinions of the public. witches of persia, in general, differed quite a bit to those of both the middle east and general europe. while there were many different ways to cast a spell, the use of objects and incantations were the most powerful.
the magical power of a sorcerer or the key to an enchantment may be kept in an external object. the destruction of that object would rob the witch of their powers and break the spell. alternatively, they may use a twig as the means of practicing their craft. these instruments are reminiscent of the magic wand or rod in the european folk tradition. most magicians actually employed some tool that helped them cast their spells. they know that if they use a talisman in bewitching someone their magic may be reversed when the talisman is destroyed. therefore, witches who want to make their spells permanent would cast their talismans in the sea or hide it in a remote or inaccessible spot. some charms have special names. their most useful aspect, however, was when they rid into battle on strange mounts with bodies made up from various parts of a number of animals. both the mounts and the witches can emit fire from their various weapons and body parts.
it was also important to note that there were two kinds of magic when it came to the circles of persian magicians: high magic and folk magic. magic and science can be defined differently and demarcated from each other but high magic is indistinguishable from science in medieval cultures. its assumptions are rooted in a sophisticated tradition of philosophical speculation about reality and cosmos that is based on “scientific” norms and learning of the period and is transmitted largely by means of writing or formal discourse. alchemy, astral magic and numerology are examples of high magic. folk magic, by contrast, is practiced by those who belong to the less literate or entirely unlettered social groups and is largely transmitted by oral tradition or by traditional training. while there is a vast area of overlap between these two forms of magic, they are in general distinct and people who live in societies that practice them are able to distinguish one from the other with reasonable ease.
hereby, shams was born in a long line of human afsungar that practiced high magic who were closely tied to the persian court. they never announced themselves as witches and instead were known as magi, the term for priests in zoroastrianism and despite the long and troublesome journey this had caused her family, they became a vital part of the king's circle during said time, being considered nobility themselves. things change, however, when shams is gifted the fire of ahura, given to her by ahura mazda who is the creator deity in zoroastrianism. as it was not regular fire - bearing magic and more of a divine force, she was able to bear it in public without repercussions as they were so blinded by their beliefs that they thought the gods must have chosen her specifically. because ahura mazda is the creator of asha, which is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right', she was not only given an ancient power that could either restore life or bring chaos, but also the ability to feel the energy around her.
the fire gave her more specific powers than the regular witch. she was able to heal wounds, cure vampiric corruption and neutralize curses with potions and was able to use a remnant of the divine flame, capable of burning away dark magic but never harming anyone innocent. in addition, she had the ability to create general illusions and mirages that can last years. shams, during her time in the court, managed to travel enough to learn more about alchemy and make use of it. in a simpler world she would have been able to live freely, but in this world, due to the fact that the fire made her immortal, she had to create plan after plan to remain amongst mortals without exposing the real truth. the illusions helped her greatly, but soon enough she had to make the choice of going underground due to humanity's nature of corrupting what surrounds them. she hid herself with different appearances she created with her illusions until the day a padishah is alerted of her presence and wished to consume her flesh so to protect it and herself, she ends up erasing her existence from history.
she makes sure that the records only show her brother as the last remaining afsungar of their family, and disappears for what is centuries. the stories tell many things. some say she is a demonness, others say she was a divine being that was corrupted by evil and turned into a snake goddess and others simply said she was a maniac, but one thing remained true: no one knew the true tale. what truly happened was this: after the rumors began spreading, people began naming her shahmaran, after the infamous mythical creature, half - woman and half - snake, but instead of troubling herself with it, she used it to her advantage to hide herself better. anyone who had met her after only knew her as shahmaran and as such, she created an secret city named maran to offer a safe haven for who need it, but rumors say it is called the city beneath the sands. this city was a point of interest to many, because in it were three locations that would be useful to the immortal.
one was a glowing underground lake where spirits of the past are able to be reached, a grand hall where the fire of ahura still burns, sealed behind sacred inscriptions and a labyrinthine archive containing scrolls of lost magic, unseen prophecies and the records of ancient civilizations. accessing the city is nearly impossible unless one follows shams' secret markings left throughout the land. during this time, she could also be found creating specific locations where mortals can reach it in ziggurats and temples that others consider sacred. there was never a face to the name, but it usual for her to create more spaces during her time. she would also make use one of those ziggurats for a sect called the saoshyant guardians named after the avestan language term that means "one who brings benefit". the sect itself, at a first glance, looks like a hunting sect but it's more of a collection of soldiers and an army that is there to be of aid in the actual world when assistance is needed. and until her real name is found, she remains where she is, helping people in secret.
IN GAME DETAILS:
⊹⠀⠀supernatural beings don't truly know her real name and everyone calls her shahmaran. she rarely appears in her true form, instead using mirages and shadows to conceal her movements unless you live in her city.
⊹⠀⠀there is a haunted caravanserai in an abandoned desert outpost where travelers mysteriously disappear that she personally enchanted to keep people with wrong intentions out. this is where the player will have to reach to summon shahmaran.
⊹⠀⠀shahmaran's story has been twisted by multiple people who wished to make use of her, both immortal and mortal. the player initially believes she is an enemy, only to discover the truth. at first they will find cryptic messages in abandoned villages. "do not enter the serpent’s tomb" is left by shahmaran to ward off treasure hunters. when first encountering her, the hero sees only a massive spectral snake, attacking with bursts of fire and sandstorms. if the player refuses to fight and shows wisdom, the illusion fades, revealing her as a guide. she offers rare knowledge, whatever the player wishes to know, with exceptions, of course.
strcngered liked your post “SPEIR. who wants a starter friends.”
dione looks over her shoulder once more, putting herself firmly between this monster of the night && the people she’s protecting. holding her hands out in front of her, she activates the magic in her necklace, which turns it from a simple silver chain around her throat to a steel spear in her hands.
around her, in the town that she hadn’t bothered to get the name from, chaos reigns. though dracula may be dead, the monsters that came as his armies carried on--not that dione quite believes dracula is dead.
she charges, stabbing it in the head, before she braces herself && uses her momentum to flip the monster, landing it behind her, deader than a door-nail. but then she hears a scream coming from further down the road.
she looks back at the people behind her, telling them quickly to RUN, before she takes off after the scream. she had to help--&& she arrives just in time; it looks as if some man is down in the dirt, with a young person nearby--someone dione can’t quite tell the immediate gender of--&& quickly stabs the monster threatening them.
