Post by Bixir on Feb 18, 2023 20:19:23 GMT
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Revelations 21:1
Name:
Llorossa Llai
Gender:
Female
Race:
Hollow
Canon/OC:
OC
Visual Appearance:
Physical Description:
The Ivory Crown of Hueco Mundo is a ghastly creature, a far cry from the Vasto Lorde that have taken audience with Aizen and his entourage. She towers like the primal monster that Hollows once were, over eight feet tall, slender and gaunt like a corpse. She is corpselike even in form, her body like the humanoid skeleton of some legendary predator lost to myth. Her face bears no eyes, or ears, or nose, though remains aware of so much all the same. Her maw, for which she is named, is an unforgettable sight, so often closed in a pensive expression. When it does open, it reveals rows upon rows upon rows of serrated teeth, including the forward fangs that form Llorossa’s mouth.
Clothing/Misc. Items:
Llorossa Lhai drapes herself in the same ragged cloak that she has worn when she first became a Vasto Lorde. It is an unimpressive drapery, decent only for shrouding most of her lean form. It does not offer any protection, merely emphasizing Llorossa’s nature as a wandering predator.
Sexuality:
Homosexual
Goals:
Llorossa Lhai is one of the few Hollows of import in Hueco Mundo that has maintained animus against Aizen and the power that he has bestowed to the court of Las Noches. Though she has not yet pursued open conflict with his ilk, Llorossa has made it abundantly clear that she considers his presence in Hueco Mundo, and that of his fellow Shinigami, as an existential threat to the Hollows’ way of life. Llorossa Lhai’s Aspect is Loathing.
General Personality:
Llorossa Lhai is one of the oldest Hollows still residing within Hueco Mundo that has eluded justice from the Shinigami and the Quincy. Over that time she has cultivated an impeccable sense of self-preservation, though more than that, she has come to value everything about being a Hollow. In turn, this has made Llorossa gravely wary of things that threaten to upend the “Hollow lifestyle” as she sees it. Hollows that stray from the path of the hunter, the monster, the murderer, driven by a desire to feed upon souls, is a deviation to her, and one that must be excised by any means necessary. This goes doubly for those that seek to emulate their enemy, going so far as to wield that power for themselves. In this sense, Llorossa could be considered a Hollow purist, one who will do anything and everything to preserve the Hollows’ way of life against foreign influence, no matter what it may offer to those who will drunk its succor. As such, she holds the Espada in contempt, not the least of which is Baraggan, who freely admitted these invaders into Las Noches, as well as accepting Aizen’s “gift” for himself. Hollows who have developed sympathies for their prey, be it Shinigami or humans, are similarly anathema to Llorossa, and likely to be sought out and exterminated… personally, if she can help it.
Primal dogma aside, Llorossa is a reserved sort, usually content to allow her kin to prowl and comport themselves as they see fit, so long as they do not violate the Crown’s sensibilities. She is something of a mother hen, often doting on her “flock”, as she often calls them, eager to see them achieve their full potential, whether they are aware of what that is or not. She cares a great deal for their well-being, often lowering herself to speak on their level if that is what is necessary for her to reach them. While considering herself the pinnacle of Hollow form and function, Llorossa is not necessarily arrogant or presumptuous. She does not necessarily think less of Hollows if they are weaker than her, or if they do not understand things from her point of view. She has no desire in leaving any Hollow “behind”, especially if doing so means losing them to the encroaching philosophies of outsiders that would sow discord among their society. Above all else, Llorossa will go to savage ends to protect her “little ones”.
More than her protective nature and her monstrous origins, Llorossa’s most prevalent aspect is that of her maternal inclinations. While the leader of La Corona does not necessarily consider herself womanly or feminine, she clearly distances herself from her male counterparts. It is doubly so for those aligned with Aizen. This divide is the most explicit separation between the Arrancar of Las Noches and those of La Corona. Llorossa has no patience for Hollow that act so pettily like humans and Shinigami, indulging misogyny that only serves to weaken the pack that she seeks to cultivate. Even worse are those who feign nobility, presuming themselves to be superior beings, obsessed with prideful vanity that no decent beast would bother with. So long as these weaknesses and vices are allowed to thrive within Hollowkind, Llorossa Lhai’s dream of a truly ascended Hollow race will remain ever out of reach…. And so it must be removed, violently and completely.
History:
“In the beginning, there were beasts, and little else. The laws were simple then, defined by the masters of the barrens. Great, terrible, and without peer. It was a time before, where there was only ourselves, content with the wilderness that we were born in, by means beyond my understanding. It was simply the way of things. This is not some notion of halcyon days, longing for what may not have been at all. If anything, that we have come so far from that primitive lifestyle is a sign of the strength of our people, no longer satisfied with feeding upon the dregs of the hunt. I knew those dregs well. Even in those times, I did not make much of myself, in the company of grander predators. You may think that weakness, but even you must know what it is like for all Hollows in their infancy. Awash in a sea of yourself, desperate for your voice to survive among the hundreds of others clamoring within your being. It was no different for myself. There was but a single maggot, blotting out the filth that longed to consume it as she… Nngh. It is difficult to recall with clarity when you are under such a feral state of mind. I remember feelings, impressions of the hunts that I participated in, as predator and as prey. It did not take long for the competition to thin, by my hand or others. It was not the loneliness that was daunting. It was the notion of loneliness itself.
“If I had had the ability to communicate with the other Gillians, I am certain we would have been kindred on the matter. This coming-of-mind, in all likelihood, had been going on long before any of us first drew breath. This curious cycle became stranger still as thoughts started occurring to me, ideas that had nothing to do with my next meal, or whether I may become that for another Gillian. No… no, we were no longer Gillian. I did not tower over the mountains as I did in ages past. It was a subtler power, gnawing at that old instinct to give way to something greater. These ideas were not natural at all, but the foreign sensations were not unwelcome either. The term “Adjuchas” meant nothing to me, yet it entered my mind just the same. By the time I had embraced my new self, there was scarcely any of my kin left. I did not recognize them at all. Perhaps they in turn saw me for a stranger. This new life was removed from the prior, subsumed in an evolution that none of us understood. I do not know if I understand it now. Nevertheless, I seized on the opportunity of thought. I saw how others reacted around me, how they bristled or growled in my presence. It did not take much to build a hierarchy upon these simple behaviors. The stature of a pack leader… suited me. There is not much else to explain. Some things simply are.
”I was no stranger to hunting. Chasing Hollows, exhausting them to the brink of death, before indulging my prize. It was a common pastime for all Hollows, even in their basest forms. Doing so as an Adjuchas, however, with others joining me in the sport… it was an experience unlike anything I had ever known. I will never know anything like that first time I fed upon an Adjuchas with my brood. We were still beasts, cursed maggots longing for the souls of others, but now we moved as a pack, like wolves or hyenas. Every Hollow that I brought into myself was one step closer to the unconscious goal that lies in us all. Living in the moment is our way, as you know. There was only the next battle, the next victory, building that which was beyond any of our imaginations. What I did know was that I would not dispose of these trophies as so many other Hollows did. I did not hang them in a lair, either. Making their remains a part of me, building onto my form, was the most respectful thing I could think of. Each of these rituals was a sacred process. After all: if we could not find purpose in consuming the chaff and making ourselves stronger, were we any better than the Gillian we had evolved from?
“Time is an illusion at all points. You will always find yourself before fate when you are least prepared, and away from it when you have at last mustered yourself. Every day, every year, it all bleeds together into a seamless mirage, a single experience to define yourself. That is what it was like when, after consuming thousands of Hollows, I felt my face itself begin to crack. A force yet darker within myself longed to emerge, no longer content with the facade of the awakened huntress. This transformation was a far cry from the evolution of Gillian to Adjuchas. It would be akin to comparing the distance between a meter and kilometer, with that of the entirety of Hueco Mundo’s desert. I will not attempt to do this euphoria justice. Trust that it transcends our understanding as Hollows. Perhaps beyond even them... Ah. You never came to terms with that, did you… My new visage that emerged was not at all like those Vasto Lorde that I came to know in due time. I had never known or longed for the vestiges of humanity, more than content with whom I had always been. Though my form was now closest to humans, I could not be more apart from mortal whims. When that loathsome Baraggan came to me with those very things, I could not be more disappointed. Still, his power intrigued me, and that pale city his people had erected… it represented more than he dared realize. And then, there was you.”
"Time continued to elude me, decades - was it centuries? - passing as I accommodated myself within the walls of that place. I cared for none of them. They were, pardon the phrase, empty. There is a striking difference among our kind, those who understand and embrace our identity, and those that run from it, or worse, find themselves wanting. The one exception was you. Malvada Merza. Baraggan assured me that there was nothing remarkable about you, a stranger who one day wandered into Las Noches, and became a guest at his court. Why do men, least of all Hollow men, think themselves infallible liars? I could see the marks that they left on you. You were never permitted to attend their meetings, in spite of the miracle that you embodied. You were Vasto Lorde, but something about you was… different. Were you a Gillian playing at something more? A secret to a greater mystery? Regardless, you did not miss anything from Baraggan’s court. His hubris was matched only by the insolence of his followers. They did not heed their “king”’s law, nor did they treat the other women in Las Noches any better, least of all me. I suspect they considered me a trophy: one of the last true Hollows, kept as a token of Baraggan’s pride to invite more Hollows to his kingdom. I should have taken you and left their company much sooner, but their arrogance amused me. I expected this charade to collapse with grand irony. Had it not been for the outsiders, it may well have.
"The likes of Baraggan, Nnoitra, and the others already disgusted me. Their idea of Hollowkind was self-destructive, tearing itself apart as it pretended to lord over power that it never possessed in the first place. True, they were formidable warriors, but those talents were nothing when they lacked the heart of a hunter. You are no hunter, Malvada, but even you recognize the truth of our people. You never had to speak a word for me to share that knowledge with you. The advent of Sosuke Aizen, in some ways, saved Baraggan. This Shinigami’s honeyed words played these Hollows for fools, taking up this charlatan on the promises of the power that they pretended to have. Las Noches only became more of a nest of decadence. I could only watch as these Arrancar, pitifully making themselves more human and less Hollow, wallow in their weakness. It is true, I should have done more in those days. I knew the bitterness Nnoitra held for Neliel. I tell myself that I was more concerned for your well-being, but that is a poor tale. When that treachery unfolded, I knew then my path. Our path. I would not leave another of my kind to this drudgery.
“It was subtle, at first. I was well aware of what Aizen was hiding from Baraggan and his pack of vagrants. I would not challenge them so openly… not yet. I made it clear in Aizen’s court what I thought of his ilk, and what they had made these Hollows into, and most of all, that their “trophy beast” would accept no cage. At the time, he did not stop me. One of his Shinigami tried, along with some of these Hollows that were calling themselves Espada. The blind one spoke of justice, as if he had not sided with rapists and butchers. It would be pathetic if it was not so wretched. You did not speak then, and you do not speak now, but you came with me of your own accord.
“It was a harrowing search, to find a place where we would not be found by the Espada and their Fracciones. For reasons still unclear to me, they hold you in high regard. While I feel the same, you are dear to me like a sister lost. I hope you realize that. Hueco Mundo remains a lowland desert, with naught to hide, or to build a sanctuary of our own. That solace eluded us until we returned to those hunting grounds where I roamed as a Gillian, lost in my old hunger. It had been abandoned long before my days even as an Adjuchas, even the most meager predators moving on to better prospects. A graveyard of bone and shadow, a fitting place for a home away from the forsaken. I fashioned La Corona, for the crown-like maw that I bore as a Gillian, as an Adhuchas, and now as a Vasto Lorde, in spite of the title Baraggan presumes for himself… and most of all, for the crown of the mountain in the valley, where my own Las Noches is being built. It is a brittle place, but like my own bones, it will in time become like iron, and outlast that which can never survive. Already I have found among our kind those who still cling to what we used to be. I intend to return to Las Noches only once: to see Aizen, Baraggan, Nnoitra, and all the others like them, and the festering monument that they hide behind, broken to ash and dust. Only then will our people have peace, and the power to move forward against the Shinigami’s feeble destiny.”
Faction:
Hueco Mundo (La Corona)
Rank:
Vasto Lorde
Physical Abilities
Survivalist
Each aspect of Llorossa Lhai is embodied in her primal origins. Her instincts as an ancient survivor is what has allowed the Ivory Crown to have lived for as long as she has. Though this includes her prowess as a huntress, more than anything, Llorossa knows how to survive. She can snuff out any target, capable of pursuing them without trace for weeks and even months on end without losing the scent or the energy. Llorossa’s ability to survive is nearly as pernicious, contributing to her mastery of Hierro that has cemented her reputation as the Ivory Crown.
Huntress
Llorossa Lhai is a natural leader, a skill cultivated across her centuries-long existence. She is no self-proclaimed monarch like Baraggan, but a pack leader, cut upon the harsh desert wastes surrounding Las Noches and further beyond. She acts more than she speaks, leading by an example that Hollows are drawn to follow, such is their original creed. Her knack as a huntress is no less impeccable for her status as a leader of Hollows independent of Las Noches and its ilk. Her senses are nigh as precise as an Arrancar’s Pesquisa, something that many of her peers often confuse with one another.
Assassin
Llorossa Lhai remains one of the deadliest Hollows in Hueco Mundo. Her age alone belies her power, a beast that would not have survived for so long without proving her mettle time and time again against her competitors in the food chain. She is a vicious warrior, one eager to cross blades in the open so much as the hunts she became known for. She is a predator in every sense of the word, a swift, agile thing who often draws victory as slowly as she can, savoring in the slow, inevitable slaughter of her prey. Her legacy helped form the notion of “assassin Hollows”, and eventually, assassin Arrancars, those best suited to stalking and eliminating their enemies as efficiently and brutally as possible, by any means necessary.
Hollow Powers
Vivo Hierro
Despite being a Hollow who specialties in subterfuge and assassination tactics, Llorossa is an incredibly hardy entity. This is due in part to the fact that the one Hollow technique that Llorossa is a master in is that of Hierro. While it is usually a technique that is activated in a defensive moment for additional protection against a Shinigami’s Zanpakuto, Llorossa’s Hierro has permanently become a part of her form. She no longer needs to call upon its abilities, its effects passively applying itself to Llorossa at all times. The most common explanation for this is that Llorossa’s centuries - if not longer - of life have built up an unparalleled Hollow shell that is extremely difficult to penetrate. As such, even if Llorossa is engaged in direct combat, it is very difficult to harm her through her ivory hide.
Regeneration
All Vasto Lorde have an accelerated healing factor that allows them to recuperate from otherwise fatal injuries in a matter of seconds. This is no different for Llorossa Lhai, a feat made even more dangerous by the fact that it is difficult to harm her through her Vivo Hierro at all. With these two abilities, Llorossa has been considered by many to be truly unkillable.
Pesquisa
Llorossa’s Pesquisa is not remarkable, particularly not for a Hollow of her caliber. Her ability to perceive reishi and reiatsu is ] een mediocre compared to the lower-ranked Espada. However, her natural senses more than make up for this shortcoming. Rather than use her Pesquisa to pinpoint an enemy’s location through their reishi, Llorossa’s Pesquisa traces the residual footprint of reishi in a given away. While this does not immediately expose Llorossa’s enemy to her senses, her specific use of this ability makes it impossible to avoid leaving a trace behind that she can follow. Even the most deceptive and careful will leave some kind of ripple that Llorossa Lhai can pick up on, and often, immediately identify its owner.
Merodear
Llorossa is a pernicious creature, more familiar with the ins and outs of Hueco Mundo than any Hollow still living. While it is not necessarily a technique reliant on reishi, it is a Hollow technique that only she has mastered. Merodear moves the user through the earth of Hueco Mundo at breakneck speeds, many times more quickly than a Sonido, in a fraction of the time. Many misunderstand it to be a burrowing technique, but it is an ability fundamental to the nature of Hueco Mundo itself. Due to Llorossa’s intimate connection with the realm of Hollows and her roots therein, Llorossa can manifest herself nearly anywhere within Hueco Mundo, provided that other means do not hinder her movement, such as the security of Las Noches. This ability does not have much use outside of Hueco Mundo, though Llorossa’s mastery of Merodear contributes to her impeccable spatial awareness and killer instincts that serve her well no matter where she may go. However, Merodear is a skill that requires deliberate focus, and cannot be used when Llorossa is engaged in combat.
Cero Llamarada
Llorossa’s Cero is a dull silver fired from her maw, which quickly opens to reveal her rows and rows of teeth. She falls back on her predatory instincts to do little damage with this attack, instead delivering an instantaneous, blinding effect. This technique is extremely fast, approximately half as fast as a standard Bala.
Negación
The Hollow projects a glowing beam of energy from its mouth. Anyone caught in this light is enveloped in a protective aura that seems to cancel out all means of attack. The target is then pulled towards the beam’s origin, away from danger. As a Vasto Lorde, it should be impossible for Llorossa Lhai to have this ability. Most point to Llorossa’s direct connection to the earliest Hollows that most of their kind do not have whatsoever, and that all Hollows, non-Gillians included, may have had this ability in the past before they died out. Whichever is the case, Llorossa does not seem to use this ability often, as she nor her followers leave Hueco Mundo for any reason that would warrant the use of a Negación.
Sonido
LLorossa’s Sonido is exceptionally fast, practically blinking out of existence with a frequency similar to Ulquiorra Cifer. However, it is still a far cry from the most powerful Espada, more commonly used to deliver a surprise attack in an attempt to end a hunt in the first strike.
Descorrer
Like other Hollows, Llorossa can generate portals capable of transporting her and other Hollows between dimensions. Her Garganta take the form of a simulacra of her maw emerging from an endless void before clamping its jaws shut. This effect is completely illusory, and cannot be used to harm others.
“Become, Despegada.”
Resurreccion: The sealed form of Despegada is a crude blade, made of what used to occupy Llorossa Lhai’s sternum. It is a shadow of a Resurreccion, unworthy of any aspiring Arrancar, and not at all like the pale Zanpakuto that Aizen's Espada wield. Rather, it is a jutting thing, which Llorossa may produce from any part of her body at any moment for fatal surprises. Even in its sealed form, Despegada exudes an inescapably haunting aura hinting at its true power. In order to release Despegada, Llorossa raises her arm into the air, moving her other arm along Despegada's edge as it extends, then creates a flourish, with the release word “Become”. The Resurreccion’s true self is no weapon at all, but that of her primal self, when she embodied the massive cocoon that first gave her form. Llorossa's Gillian form was a massive, terrifying elder worm, and is no less overwhelming with its presence now than it was before, to say nothing of the exponential increase in power while Despegada is released. She is easily dozens of meters long, and several meters thick, practically dwarfing Yammy Llargo's "Ira". In this form, Despegada's sternum blade multiples a hundredfold, becoming large, innumerous razors that expedite her movement, which may also be used to gore enemies as she passes by (or crashes upon) her enemies.
Resurreccion Abilities:
Brocheta
The Resurreccion functions like the inverse of a Hierro, capable of ignoring most armor and cutting through to one’s very core.
Destripar
By itself, any contact that Despegada makes with its target results in an unclotting effect on their reishi. That is to say, those who are struck by the sealed Resurreccion will lose a proliferating amount of reishi, far more than one normally would after getting struck. When the reishi is withdrawn, it is not consumed by Llorossa Lhai; it is simply burned through the process, and cannot be recovered.
Marioneta de Hueso
Llorossa Lhai’s ultimate technique. When she makes contact with an enemy, either with her sealed Resurreccion or in her unleashed form, she inflicts a curse upon the offended area of the target. From that point forward, for as long as that part is injured, or in her words, “under my dominion”, she may control it with her mind, such as forcing them to paralyze or even injure themselves. Marioneta de Hueso will not take effect on a target that injures themselves further under a previous instance. If a target is slain with the released form of Despegada, they are consumed by Llorossa and their bones are added to her Resurreccion, composed of all of her triumphs.
RP Sample:
The Mother of La Corona turned away from the window. It was less of a window and more of an opening in the massive edifice in the side of the mountain that served as her personal quarters. A broken skull, its jaw split in twain, one eye streaked with a jagged scar from a cave-in caused by the precarious construction of this place. It was a strange, imperfect home, at fitting odds with the pristine necropolis it was resting in opposition to.
She looked upon the Hollow’s face, ever swathed in that ghostly veil. SHe had barely moved from her spot, seated upon a vanity chair, carved from the bones salvaged from the graveyard far below. Llorossa had not killed them herself, but she could note each detail of every femur and tibia that comprised its figure. It told a story, just as the one that she had finished telling. Though it was difficult to tell, Llorossa knew that Malvada had taken in every word.
”You did not ask to hear all of this, this time or any of the other times I told it to you. You have chosen to listen each time. To this day, I do not know what that says of your character, or mine.”
Llorossa strode over to Malvada’s chair, approaching her from behind. She did not react, but her passivity towards her approach was a soft reminder of the bond that they shared. Llorossa draped her arms over Malvada’s shoulders, drawing her chest close. The two of them peered out of that same “eye”, towards that unmistakable twinkling light. It was a constant reminder of what they were fighting against every day. The Ivory Crown’s maw audibly shifted, contorting into a wild grin.
”You feel it too, don’t you? The coming tide.”
Malvada did not speak, raising her dainty, gloved hand to clasp one of Llorossa’s gaunt claws. The gesture told Llorossa everything that she needed to know.
Revelations 21:1
Name:
Llorossa Llai
Gender:
Female
Race:
Hollow
Canon/OC:
OC
Visual Appearance:
Physical Description:
The Ivory Crown of Hueco Mundo is a ghastly creature, a far cry from the Vasto Lorde that have taken audience with Aizen and his entourage. She towers like the primal monster that Hollows once were, over eight feet tall, slender and gaunt like a corpse. She is corpselike even in form, her body like the humanoid skeleton of some legendary predator lost to myth. Her face bears no eyes, or ears, or nose, though remains aware of so much all the same. Her maw, for which she is named, is an unforgettable sight, so often closed in a pensive expression. When it does open, it reveals rows upon rows upon rows of serrated teeth, including the forward fangs that form Llorossa’s mouth.
Clothing/Misc. Items:
Llorossa Lhai drapes herself in the same ragged cloak that she has worn when she first became a Vasto Lorde. It is an unimpressive drapery, decent only for shrouding most of her lean form. It does not offer any protection, merely emphasizing Llorossa’s nature as a wandering predator.
Sexuality:
Homosexual
Goals:
Llorossa Lhai is one of the few Hollows of import in Hueco Mundo that has maintained animus against Aizen and the power that he has bestowed to the court of Las Noches. Though she has not yet pursued open conflict with his ilk, Llorossa has made it abundantly clear that she considers his presence in Hueco Mundo, and that of his fellow Shinigami, as an existential threat to the Hollows’ way of life. Llorossa Lhai’s Aspect is Loathing.
General Personality:
Llorossa Lhai is one of the oldest Hollows still residing within Hueco Mundo that has eluded justice from the Shinigami and the Quincy. Over that time she has cultivated an impeccable sense of self-preservation, though more than that, she has come to value everything about being a Hollow. In turn, this has made Llorossa gravely wary of things that threaten to upend the “Hollow lifestyle” as she sees it. Hollows that stray from the path of the hunter, the monster, the murderer, driven by a desire to feed upon souls, is a deviation to her, and one that must be excised by any means necessary. This goes doubly for those that seek to emulate their enemy, going so far as to wield that power for themselves. In this sense, Llorossa could be considered a Hollow purist, one who will do anything and everything to preserve the Hollows’ way of life against foreign influence, no matter what it may offer to those who will drunk its succor. As such, she holds the Espada in contempt, not the least of which is Baraggan, who freely admitted these invaders into Las Noches, as well as accepting Aizen’s “gift” for himself. Hollows who have developed sympathies for their prey, be it Shinigami or humans, are similarly anathema to Llorossa, and likely to be sought out and exterminated… personally, if she can help it.
Primal dogma aside, Llorossa is a reserved sort, usually content to allow her kin to prowl and comport themselves as they see fit, so long as they do not violate the Crown’s sensibilities. She is something of a mother hen, often doting on her “flock”, as she often calls them, eager to see them achieve their full potential, whether they are aware of what that is or not. She cares a great deal for their well-being, often lowering herself to speak on their level if that is what is necessary for her to reach them. While considering herself the pinnacle of Hollow form and function, Llorossa is not necessarily arrogant or presumptuous. She does not necessarily think less of Hollows if they are weaker than her, or if they do not understand things from her point of view. She has no desire in leaving any Hollow “behind”, especially if doing so means losing them to the encroaching philosophies of outsiders that would sow discord among their society. Above all else, Llorossa will go to savage ends to protect her “little ones”.
More than her protective nature and her monstrous origins, Llorossa’s most prevalent aspect is that of her maternal inclinations. While the leader of La Corona does not necessarily consider herself womanly or feminine, she clearly distances herself from her male counterparts. It is doubly so for those aligned with Aizen. This divide is the most explicit separation between the Arrancar of Las Noches and those of La Corona. Llorossa has no patience for Hollow that act so pettily like humans and Shinigami, indulging misogyny that only serves to weaken the pack that she seeks to cultivate. Even worse are those who feign nobility, presuming themselves to be superior beings, obsessed with prideful vanity that no decent beast would bother with. So long as these weaknesses and vices are allowed to thrive within Hollowkind, Llorossa Lhai’s dream of a truly ascended Hollow race will remain ever out of reach…. And so it must be removed, violently and completely.
History:
“In the beginning, there were beasts, and little else. The laws were simple then, defined by the masters of the barrens. Great, terrible, and without peer. It was a time before, where there was only ourselves, content with the wilderness that we were born in, by means beyond my understanding. It was simply the way of things. This is not some notion of halcyon days, longing for what may not have been at all. If anything, that we have come so far from that primitive lifestyle is a sign of the strength of our people, no longer satisfied with feeding upon the dregs of the hunt. I knew those dregs well. Even in those times, I did not make much of myself, in the company of grander predators. You may think that weakness, but even you must know what it is like for all Hollows in their infancy. Awash in a sea of yourself, desperate for your voice to survive among the hundreds of others clamoring within your being. It was no different for myself. There was but a single maggot, blotting out the filth that longed to consume it as she… Nngh. It is difficult to recall with clarity when you are under such a feral state of mind. I remember feelings, impressions of the hunts that I participated in, as predator and as prey. It did not take long for the competition to thin, by my hand or others. It was not the loneliness that was daunting. It was the notion of loneliness itself.
“If I had had the ability to communicate with the other Gillians, I am certain we would have been kindred on the matter. This coming-of-mind, in all likelihood, had been going on long before any of us first drew breath. This curious cycle became stranger still as thoughts started occurring to me, ideas that had nothing to do with my next meal, or whether I may become that for another Gillian. No… no, we were no longer Gillian. I did not tower over the mountains as I did in ages past. It was a subtler power, gnawing at that old instinct to give way to something greater. These ideas were not natural at all, but the foreign sensations were not unwelcome either. The term “Adjuchas” meant nothing to me, yet it entered my mind just the same. By the time I had embraced my new self, there was scarcely any of my kin left. I did not recognize them at all. Perhaps they in turn saw me for a stranger. This new life was removed from the prior, subsumed in an evolution that none of us understood. I do not know if I understand it now. Nevertheless, I seized on the opportunity of thought. I saw how others reacted around me, how they bristled or growled in my presence. It did not take much to build a hierarchy upon these simple behaviors. The stature of a pack leader… suited me. There is not much else to explain. Some things simply are.
”I was no stranger to hunting. Chasing Hollows, exhausting them to the brink of death, before indulging my prize. It was a common pastime for all Hollows, even in their basest forms. Doing so as an Adjuchas, however, with others joining me in the sport… it was an experience unlike anything I had ever known. I will never know anything like that first time I fed upon an Adjuchas with my brood. We were still beasts, cursed maggots longing for the souls of others, but now we moved as a pack, like wolves or hyenas. Every Hollow that I brought into myself was one step closer to the unconscious goal that lies in us all. Living in the moment is our way, as you know. There was only the next battle, the next victory, building that which was beyond any of our imaginations. What I did know was that I would not dispose of these trophies as so many other Hollows did. I did not hang them in a lair, either. Making their remains a part of me, building onto my form, was the most respectful thing I could think of. Each of these rituals was a sacred process. After all: if we could not find purpose in consuming the chaff and making ourselves stronger, were we any better than the Gillian we had evolved from?
“Time is an illusion at all points. You will always find yourself before fate when you are least prepared, and away from it when you have at last mustered yourself. Every day, every year, it all bleeds together into a seamless mirage, a single experience to define yourself. That is what it was like when, after consuming thousands of Hollows, I felt my face itself begin to crack. A force yet darker within myself longed to emerge, no longer content with the facade of the awakened huntress. This transformation was a far cry from the evolution of Gillian to Adjuchas. It would be akin to comparing the distance between a meter and kilometer, with that of the entirety of Hueco Mundo’s desert. I will not attempt to do this euphoria justice. Trust that it transcends our understanding as Hollows. Perhaps beyond even them... Ah. You never came to terms with that, did you… My new visage that emerged was not at all like those Vasto Lorde that I came to know in due time. I had never known or longed for the vestiges of humanity, more than content with whom I had always been. Though my form was now closest to humans, I could not be more apart from mortal whims. When that loathsome Baraggan came to me with those very things, I could not be more disappointed. Still, his power intrigued me, and that pale city his people had erected… it represented more than he dared realize. And then, there was you.”
"Time continued to elude me, decades - was it centuries? - passing as I accommodated myself within the walls of that place. I cared for none of them. They were, pardon the phrase, empty. There is a striking difference among our kind, those who understand and embrace our identity, and those that run from it, or worse, find themselves wanting. The one exception was you. Malvada Merza. Baraggan assured me that there was nothing remarkable about you, a stranger who one day wandered into Las Noches, and became a guest at his court. Why do men, least of all Hollow men, think themselves infallible liars? I could see the marks that they left on you. You were never permitted to attend their meetings, in spite of the miracle that you embodied. You were Vasto Lorde, but something about you was… different. Were you a Gillian playing at something more? A secret to a greater mystery? Regardless, you did not miss anything from Baraggan’s court. His hubris was matched only by the insolence of his followers. They did not heed their “king”’s law, nor did they treat the other women in Las Noches any better, least of all me. I suspect they considered me a trophy: one of the last true Hollows, kept as a token of Baraggan’s pride to invite more Hollows to his kingdom. I should have taken you and left their company much sooner, but their arrogance amused me. I expected this charade to collapse with grand irony. Had it not been for the outsiders, it may well have.
"The likes of Baraggan, Nnoitra, and the others already disgusted me. Their idea of Hollowkind was self-destructive, tearing itself apart as it pretended to lord over power that it never possessed in the first place. True, they were formidable warriors, but those talents were nothing when they lacked the heart of a hunter. You are no hunter, Malvada, but even you recognize the truth of our people. You never had to speak a word for me to share that knowledge with you. The advent of Sosuke Aizen, in some ways, saved Baraggan. This Shinigami’s honeyed words played these Hollows for fools, taking up this charlatan on the promises of the power that they pretended to have. Las Noches only became more of a nest of decadence. I could only watch as these Arrancar, pitifully making themselves more human and less Hollow, wallow in their weakness. It is true, I should have done more in those days. I knew the bitterness Nnoitra held for Neliel. I tell myself that I was more concerned for your well-being, but that is a poor tale. When that treachery unfolded, I knew then my path. Our path. I would not leave another of my kind to this drudgery.
“It was subtle, at first. I was well aware of what Aizen was hiding from Baraggan and his pack of vagrants. I would not challenge them so openly… not yet. I made it clear in Aizen’s court what I thought of his ilk, and what they had made these Hollows into, and most of all, that their “trophy beast” would accept no cage. At the time, he did not stop me. One of his Shinigami tried, along with some of these Hollows that were calling themselves Espada. The blind one spoke of justice, as if he had not sided with rapists and butchers. It would be pathetic if it was not so wretched. You did not speak then, and you do not speak now, but you came with me of your own accord.
“It was a harrowing search, to find a place where we would not be found by the Espada and their Fracciones. For reasons still unclear to me, they hold you in high regard. While I feel the same, you are dear to me like a sister lost. I hope you realize that. Hueco Mundo remains a lowland desert, with naught to hide, or to build a sanctuary of our own. That solace eluded us until we returned to those hunting grounds where I roamed as a Gillian, lost in my old hunger. It had been abandoned long before my days even as an Adjuchas, even the most meager predators moving on to better prospects. A graveyard of bone and shadow, a fitting place for a home away from the forsaken. I fashioned La Corona, for the crown-like maw that I bore as a Gillian, as an Adhuchas, and now as a Vasto Lorde, in spite of the title Baraggan presumes for himself… and most of all, for the crown of the mountain in the valley, where my own Las Noches is being built. It is a brittle place, but like my own bones, it will in time become like iron, and outlast that which can never survive. Already I have found among our kind those who still cling to what we used to be. I intend to return to Las Noches only once: to see Aizen, Baraggan, Nnoitra, and all the others like them, and the festering monument that they hide behind, broken to ash and dust. Only then will our people have peace, and the power to move forward against the Shinigami’s feeble destiny.”
Faction:
Hueco Mundo (La Corona)
Rank:
Vasto Lorde
Physical Abilities
Survivalist
Each aspect of Llorossa Lhai is embodied in her primal origins. Her instincts as an ancient survivor is what has allowed the Ivory Crown to have lived for as long as she has. Though this includes her prowess as a huntress, more than anything, Llorossa knows how to survive. She can snuff out any target, capable of pursuing them without trace for weeks and even months on end without losing the scent or the energy. Llorossa’s ability to survive is nearly as pernicious, contributing to her mastery of Hierro that has cemented her reputation as the Ivory Crown.
Huntress
Llorossa Lhai is a natural leader, a skill cultivated across her centuries-long existence. She is no self-proclaimed monarch like Baraggan, but a pack leader, cut upon the harsh desert wastes surrounding Las Noches and further beyond. She acts more than she speaks, leading by an example that Hollows are drawn to follow, such is their original creed. Her knack as a huntress is no less impeccable for her status as a leader of Hollows independent of Las Noches and its ilk. Her senses are nigh as precise as an Arrancar’s Pesquisa, something that many of her peers often confuse with one another.
Assassin
Llorossa Lhai remains one of the deadliest Hollows in Hueco Mundo. Her age alone belies her power, a beast that would not have survived for so long without proving her mettle time and time again against her competitors in the food chain. She is a vicious warrior, one eager to cross blades in the open so much as the hunts she became known for. She is a predator in every sense of the word, a swift, agile thing who often draws victory as slowly as she can, savoring in the slow, inevitable slaughter of her prey. Her legacy helped form the notion of “assassin Hollows”, and eventually, assassin Arrancars, those best suited to stalking and eliminating their enemies as efficiently and brutally as possible, by any means necessary.
Hollow Powers
Vivo Hierro
Despite being a Hollow who specialties in subterfuge and assassination tactics, Llorossa is an incredibly hardy entity. This is due in part to the fact that the one Hollow technique that Llorossa is a master in is that of Hierro. While it is usually a technique that is activated in a defensive moment for additional protection against a Shinigami’s Zanpakuto, Llorossa’s Hierro has permanently become a part of her form. She no longer needs to call upon its abilities, its effects passively applying itself to Llorossa at all times. The most common explanation for this is that Llorossa’s centuries - if not longer - of life have built up an unparalleled Hollow shell that is extremely difficult to penetrate. As such, even if Llorossa is engaged in direct combat, it is very difficult to harm her through her ivory hide.
Regeneration
All Vasto Lorde have an accelerated healing factor that allows them to recuperate from otherwise fatal injuries in a matter of seconds. This is no different for Llorossa Lhai, a feat made even more dangerous by the fact that it is difficult to harm her through her Vivo Hierro at all. With these two abilities, Llorossa has been considered by many to be truly unkillable.
Pesquisa
Llorossa’s Pesquisa is not remarkable, particularly not for a Hollow of her caliber. Her ability to perceive reishi and reiatsu is ] een mediocre compared to the lower-ranked Espada. However, her natural senses more than make up for this shortcoming. Rather than use her Pesquisa to pinpoint an enemy’s location through their reishi, Llorossa’s Pesquisa traces the residual footprint of reishi in a given away. While this does not immediately expose Llorossa’s enemy to her senses, her specific use of this ability makes it impossible to avoid leaving a trace behind that she can follow. Even the most deceptive and careful will leave some kind of ripple that Llorossa Lhai can pick up on, and often, immediately identify its owner.
Merodear
Llorossa is a pernicious creature, more familiar with the ins and outs of Hueco Mundo than any Hollow still living. While it is not necessarily a technique reliant on reishi, it is a Hollow technique that only she has mastered. Merodear moves the user through the earth of Hueco Mundo at breakneck speeds, many times more quickly than a Sonido, in a fraction of the time. Many misunderstand it to be a burrowing technique, but it is an ability fundamental to the nature of Hueco Mundo itself. Due to Llorossa’s intimate connection with the realm of Hollows and her roots therein, Llorossa can manifest herself nearly anywhere within Hueco Mundo, provided that other means do not hinder her movement, such as the security of Las Noches. This ability does not have much use outside of Hueco Mundo, though Llorossa’s mastery of Merodear contributes to her impeccable spatial awareness and killer instincts that serve her well no matter where she may go. However, Merodear is a skill that requires deliberate focus, and cannot be used when Llorossa is engaged in combat.
Cero Llamarada
Llorossa’s Cero is a dull silver fired from her maw, which quickly opens to reveal her rows and rows of teeth. She falls back on her predatory instincts to do little damage with this attack, instead delivering an instantaneous, blinding effect. This technique is extremely fast, approximately half as fast as a standard Bala.
Negación
The Hollow projects a glowing beam of energy from its mouth. Anyone caught in this light is enveloped in a protective aura that seems to cancel out all means of attack. The target is then pulled towards the beam’s origin, away from danger. As a Vasto Lorde, it should be impossible for Llorossa Lhai to have this ability. Most point to Llorossa’s direct connection to the earliest Hollows that most of their kind do not have whatsoever, and that all Hollows, non-Gillians included, may have had this ability in the past before they died out. Whichever is the case, Llorossa does not seem to use this ability often, as she nor her followers leave Hueco Mundo for any reason that would warrant the use of a Negación.
Sonido
LLorossa’s Sonido is exceptionally fast, practically blinking out of existence with a frequency similar to Ulquiorra Cifer. However, it is still a far cry from the most powerful Espada, more commonly used to deliver a surprise attack in an attempt to end a hunt in the first strike.
Descorrer
Like other Hollows, Llorossa can generate portals capable of transporting her and other Hollows between dimensions. Her Garganta take the form of a simulacra of her maw emerging from an endless void before clamping its jaws shut. This effect is completely illusory, and cannot be used to harm others.
“Become, Despegada.”
Resurreccion: The sealed form of Despegada is a crude blade, made of what used to occupy Llorossa Lhai’s sternum. It is a shadow of a Resurreccion, unworthy of any aspiring Arrancar, and not at all like the pale Zanpakuto that Aizen's Espada wield. Rather, it is a jutting thing, which Llorossa may produce from any part of her body at any moment for fatal surprises. Even in its sealed form, Despegada exudes an inescapably haunting aura hinting at its true power. In order to release Despegada, Llorossa raises her arm into the air, moving her other arm along Despegada's edge as it extends, then creates a flourish, with the release word “Become”. The Resurreccion’s true self is no weapon at all, but that of her primal self, when she embodied the massive cocoon that first gave her form. Llorossa's Gillian form was a massive, terrifying elder worm, and is no less overwhelming with its presence now than it was before, to say nothing of the exponential increase in power while Despegada is released. She is easily dozens of meters long, and several meters thick, practically dwarfing Yammy Llargo's "Ira". In this form, Despegada's sternum blade multiples a hundredfold, becoming large, innumerous razors that expedite her movement, which may also be used to gore enemies as she passes by (or crashes upon) her enemies.
Resurreccion Abilities:
Brocheta
The Resurreccion functions like the inverse of a Hierro, capable of ignoring most armor and cutting through to one’s very core.
Destripar
By itself, any contact that Despegada makes with its target results in an unclotting effect on their reishi. That is to say, those who are struck by the sealed Resurreccion will lose a proliferating amount of reishi, far more than one normally would after getting struck. When the reishi is withdrawn, it is not consumed by Llorossa Lhai; it is simply burned through the process, and cannot be recovered.
Marioneta de Hueso
Llorossa Lhai’s ultimate technique. When she makes contact with an enemy, either with her sealed Resurreccion or in her unleashed form, she inflicts a curse upon the offended area of the target. From that point forward, for as long as that part is injured, or in her words, “under my dominion”, she may control it with her mind, such as forcing them to paralyze or even injure themselves. Marioneta de Hueso will not take effect on a target that injures themselves further under a previous instance. If a target is slain with the released form of Despegada, they are consumed by Llorossa and their bones are added to her Resurreccion, composed of all of her triumphs.
RP Sample:
The Mother of La Corona turned away from the window. It was less of a window and more of an opening in the massive edifice in the side of the mountain that served as her personal quarters. A broken skull, its jaw split in twain, one eye streaked with a jagged scar from a cave-in caused by the precarious construction of this place. It was a strange, imperfect home, at fitting odds with the pristine necropolis it was resting in opposition to.
She looked upon the Hollow’s face, ever swathed in that ghostly veil. SHe had barely moved from her spot, seated upon a vanity chair, carved from the bones salvaged from the graveyard far below. Llorossa had not killed them herself, but she could note each detail of every femur and tibia that comprised its figure. It told a story, just as the one that she had finished telling. Though it was difficult to tell, Llorossa knew that Malvada had taken in every word.
”You did not ask to hear all of this, this time or any of the other times I told it to you. You have chosen to listen each time. To this day, I do not know what that says of your character, or mine.”
Llorossa strode over to Malvada’s chair, approaching her from behind. She did not react, but her passivity towards her approach was a soft reminder of the bond that they shared. Llorossa draped her arms over Malvada’s shoulders, drawing her chest close. The two of them peered out of that same “eye”, towards that unmistakable twinkling light. It was a constant reminder of what they were fighting against every day. The Ivory Crown’s maw audibly shifted, contorting into a wild grin.
”You feel it too, don’t you? The coming tide.”
Malvada did not speak, raising her dainty, gloved hand to clasp one of Llorossa’s gaunt claws. The gesture told Llorossa everything that she needed to know.
