Talba Ebonoldty - Dalonian Goddess of Power
Art - The Owlette
Writing - Runa
Character - Runa
Art done by the eternally talented Owlette, who continues to impress with not one, but TWO of my ref sheets. This one was at least partially designed by Owly, so please do go give her all the love.
The way this lady came around was thanks to Vinn and I disagreeing on the direction of Melodi's design. He and I co-own the Melodi character, and I wanted to make some changes to her (namely ditch the hooves and replace it with talons), but he preferred the hooves. So, instead of arguing (since we co-own and he's a good buddy), I decided I'd just make another character. I took the changes I was looking to make to Melodi and started with that. From there, I started with talons and feathered fetlocks both on arms and legs, added the obligatory mare parts, and gave her the Golden Eagle facial structure. I also changed the colors to something gentle and prettier than the muddiness that had come to define Melodi.
I also went with the colors of a Barn Owl, with the light under coat with light brown tips and golden brown patterns on the feathers, because a barn owl is possibly the most beautiful of all the raptors, worldwide. I just don't care as much for the shortened face, so the blend of barn owl and golden eagle allows her to be Melodi's sister, while also being my own unique creation. And I couldn't not have this character as one of my Gods! She's too gorgeous, and I think her backstory is just too perfect.
So here you go! Also, I will be adding her personal F-list in the future. It's quite different than my own (hint, she likes bondage and blood and whips and chains)!
Talba Ebonoldty - Dalonian God of Power
Talba has always been something of an outlier amongst the Gods of Dalon, but her expertise, experience, and knowledge (and money) came in handy when the gods were doing their research.
As the queen of Farragouth, Talba Ebonoldty had all she could ever dream of: Nobility, power, respect, and fear. Her people respected her, as she was a great leader who understood the value of rewarding those who deserve it, but she was also feared by criminals and any nation that dared start conflict with her. After her husband dies - a glorious hippogryph who was kind but not cruel - she took over and left her mark on her nation by instilling her sense of justice. Soon thereafter, Farragouth was a nation of dominance and respect, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
A creature of great dichotomy, she could be the kindest spirit to those she deemed worthy, but also the cruelest of mistresses to those who dared cross her. If you were lucky (and into that), she also had an infamous reputation to blend cruelty and sensuality with many of her suitors. While a queen, and noble, she had no problem using her body to get what she wanted if the coin she had banked couldn't do it. Other leaders who desired power and poise couldn't help but submit to her wily charm; even nobles and commoners had been known to share her bed from time to time.
Unlike the other Gods - who all had unique reasons for dedicating their lives to the research of magic for the sake of helping the world or gaining power - Talba's reason for desiring immortality was strictly selfish. She didn't want to help others or gain everlasting knowledge or even just do it for science, she wanted to live forever to cement her legacy. She wanted the kind of power that only comes with followers that don't stop at kneeling at your feet, she wanted them to bow their heads and pray to her. While she certainly had great skill with magics due to her need to excite and heal her partners during and after a lengthy session, her real power came from the money she put up in order to fund the research.
Talba was queen of Farragouth for almost two decades when she heard about what these other researchers were doing, and that's when she decided to pitch in. She didn't have much to offer in terms of magic or knowledge, but she did have a lot of coin thanks to the vast amount of gold and jade she'd accumulated in her tenure as queen. She became the primary investor in the early development of the Gods' quest to use magic to unlock immortality, and as such she tried to take control quite often. Luckily for the others, they were somewhat smarter than she was, and were able to shift her opinion on the matter throughout the years. Her goal changed from selfish to selfless over time thanks to the influence of fellow hybrids Ilorek (and his desire for knowledge) and Vaulix (and his desire for compassion.)
As the primary investor in their research, however, Talba demanded one thing that the others were strictly against but she managed to get regardless: Immortality for her sister and hatchmate Melodion Pangol. While the others had everlasting life alongside Talba, Melodi simply failed to age due to the residual magic aura that she absorbed by being around Talba so often. It wasn't done on purpose, but through decades (and eventually centuries) of Melodi leeching excess energies from her close relationship with her sister - now an immortal being - she gained the same immortality without gaining the same magical skill needed to achieve the feats needed to gain the status of a God.
While Talba's desires and reasoning behind joining the ranks of the Dalonian Gods started out purely selfish, she did eventually have a change of heart and found that she was quite skilled at being a silent entity in the manipulation of the masses. Her years as a queen (nearly 4 decades before she faked her death and let her chosen heir take over the throne) taught her all she needed to control people without letting them know they were being controlled. Her expertise helped the Gods retain power without the world even knowing for sure if they existed, and without that subtle manipulation, the world of Dalon just wouldn't be the same.
Today, she continues to show her dominance alongside the other Gods by manipulating world leaders into guiding history to where she and they want. It's perfect for her, and while she now matches the power and skill of the others, she will always remember that, without her knowledge and experience being a queen, the Gods never would have known how to guide history as they have.