Lydia, Wardeness of the Umbral Keep

Demigod of Hades – Guardian of Oaths, Huntress of the Faithless

Origin: Once a mortal of sharp wit and steadfast heart, Lydia stood apart in her keen eye for truths obscured and secrets traded. A merchant’s daughter who wore a fox mask in youth—symbol of cunning and veiled strength—she was known for her clever dealings, unshakable loyalty, and refusal to be underestimated.

Her path forever changed when she pledged herself to Eirenaios, demigod son of Hades, in both purpose and love. In the very throne room of the Underworld, Lydia stood before the Lord of the Dead and Persephone, and accepted a Stygian Oath that transformed her soul. Hades, moved by her clarity of purpose and her bond with his son, elevated her with divine spark. No longer merely mortal, she became the Wardeness of the Umbral Keep, Stygian-bound and demigod-touched.

Divine Role:

• Title: Wardeness of the Umbral Keep

• Domain: Oathkeeping, Pursuit of Betrayers, Underworld Diplomacy

• Symbol: A silver fox mask encircled by black Stygian flame

• Oath: Bound by the River Styx to Eirenaios and the will of Hades, Lydia stands as guardian and executioner of death-cheaters, oath-breakers, and traitors to the Veil.

Powers and Abilities:

Stygian Bind – Lydia may sense unfulfilled or broken oaths within a certain range. When an oath is violated nearby, her veins pulse faintly with cold blue light. Her blade is drawn to the guilty.

Shadowcoil Step – A short-range teleport through shadows, leaving behind a momentary silhouette of foxfire. She may reposition freely in combat, or vanish from sight in dim environments.

Death’s Favor – When fighting oathbreakers, Lydia gains divine precision. Once per round, she may mark a target whose soul is ‘tainted,’ granting advantage on her next attack or saving throw against that foe.

Umbral Pact (Shared) – While near Eirenaios or within the Umbral Keep, Lydia may invoke shared magic. She may cast one of his known spells as a shadow-copy version, once per long rest.

Echomire, Dagger of the Forgotten Oath

A black-bladed stiletto formed from soul-iron and quenched in Lethean waters. Its surface reflects not the wielder’s face, but a moment they most regret. When thrown, it leaves behind a brief silence, as if erasing the sound it pierced.

Properties:

• Finesse, Thrown (60 ft), Returns to hand after each throw
  
  

• +1 to Attack & Damage, counts as magical
  
  

• Lethean Edge (1/turn): On hit, target must succeed a WIS save (DC = 8 + prof + CHA) or forget the last 6 seconds (1 turn) — they lose reactions until the end of their next turn.
  
  

Oathpiercer: If used to strike someone Lydia has sworn an oath against (via Styx Oath), the dagger deals +2d6 psychic damage and cannot be deflected or blocked by magical shields or mirror images.

Weapon: Vulpintra, the Foxfang Dagger
A curved obsidian blade gifted by Persephone, forged in secret within the petals and ash of her chamber. The hilt is wrapped in silver thread from the Loom of Souls, and the blade glimmers with foxfire when Lydia’s intent is pure.

• Deals psychic + necrotic damage.

• On critical hit: forces the target to relive their greatest betrayal, stunning them for 1 round if they’ve broken an oath.

• Can be thrown and returns via foxfire trail.

 Nyxis, the Shadow-Fox

Type: Divine Companion | Spirit Familiar | Stealth Guide
Bonded to: Lydia, Demigod of Hades

📜 Lore

In the moment Lydia accepted Hades’s mark, the mask she once wore cracked — not as a breaking, but as a shedding. From the fragments stepped Nyxis, a creature of subtlety and dusk, born not of shadow alone, but from every secret Lydia ever kept.

The fox does not bark or yip — it chirps like wind through cracks, laughs like a trick not yet pulled, and occasionally blinks in twin silver rings, as if seeing two layers of the world.

🦴 Physical Description

• Fur: Midnight black threaded with veins of silver memory-light.
  
  

• Eyes: Pale white-blue, mirroring the Lethe’s glow.
  
  

• Tail: Splits into three when agitated — each one curling like ink in water.
  
  

• Movement: Silent. Always slightly ahead of its own shadow.
  
  

🪶 Abilities (Narrative/Utility/Combat)

1. Fade Between

Once per short rest, Nyxis and Lydia can swap places instantly (within 60 ft), so long as they are both in dim light or shadow. This counts as a bonus action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

2. Sense the Forgotten

Nyxis can detect the presence of hidden guilt, broken oaths, or lost memories within 30 ft — manifesting as soft glows only Lydia can see. Especially useful in places of treachery, broken vows, or emotional residue.

3. Whispershroud

While Nyxis is within 10 feet of Lydia, she gains +2 to Stealth and can’t be detected by magical means like detect magic, locate creature, or divine sense.

4. Bite of the Maskless (Combat Use)

Once per long rest, Nyxis can leap through a target and steal their voice for 1 minute (CON save negates). During that time, they cannot cast spells with verbal components or speak. This leaves behind a soft echoing yip — Nyxis’s only true “laugh.”

🧿 Familiar Features

Nyxis functions as a familiar, but far more powerful and intelligent. She can:

• Speak to Lydia telepathically.
  
  

• Scout independently, fading into mist to avoid danger.
  
  

• Enter Lydia’s shadow to travel unseen and unheard.
  
  

• Occasionally deliver short cryptic phrases when the veil between worlds thins.
  
  

🕯️ Thematic Tie-In

Nyxis is the living echo of Lydia’s mask — a symbol made soul. She represents:

• What Lydia hides, but never lies about.
  
  

• What Lydia knows, but does not share.
  
  

What Lydia fears, but keeps close.

Current Status:
Lydia resides in the Umbral Keep with Eirenaios, where they act as co-Wardens of the Underworld’s Veil. Their union—blessed by Persephone and affirmed under the Styx—stands as a beacon of binding love, shadowed justice, and cosmic order. Wherever oaths are betrayed or the dead dishonored, Lydia now walks with divine purpose.

Narrative Hooks:

• Lydia seeks fragments of the Vowkeeper’s Crown, a divine relic shattered in a forgotten war.

• Her family, once minor nobles in Telyria, now hold power over the Glass Throne after Hades’s judgment. She must keep their rule just—or face divine irony.

• The mortal cult that once hunted her for what she knew has resurfaced, now seeking her divinity.

Quotes:

“I don't need truth—only the vow you swore.”
“If you break your word, I break your world.”
“You called me mortal. That was yesterday.”