Information

[dualnatura]

About

Hazel & Natura

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”

— Aristotle

SETTING & ABOUT HISTORY PERSONALITY ABILITIES APPEARANCE CODING

SETTING

Hazel's world is near identical to our own, except that magic and sorcery is real. Not in a Hogwarts sort of "there's a whole community of wizards that keep separate from the muggle world" way, but in a "there are still a sorcerer or two out there even though nobody really believes in them" sort of way. Anyone can become a sorcerer if they want to/believe they can, but the vast majority of people live their lives thinking that magic doesn't exist. Sure, there are stories, like Arthurian legend, and various historical witch hunts, but those all happened hundreds or thousands of years ago, and nobody believes they were real anymore.

Nobody except Hazel, that is.

ABOUT

Hazel Pomona

Human, 22 years old, cis-F, college student, amateur witch/sorceress. Host body for Natura.

Natura

Ageless magical entity, the embodiment of nature’s magic. Currently possessing Hazel's body.

HISTORY

Hazel Pomona was a college sophomore, studying Gender and Women's Studies at Hawthorne College. One day, while researching the Salem Witch Trials for a paper, she came across an old journal belonging to one of the women who was burned at the stake. In it there were recipes for potions to cure cough and cold, and details of rituals that would grant the caster good fortune and a bountiful harvest. Coincidentally, Hazel was sick at the time, so she tried brewing a potion following the book's instructions. To her surprise, the potion worked, and she felt completely recovered the next day! Anyone else might see this miraculous recovery as coincidence, but Hazel was a fan of fantasy, and had always kept an open mind, so for her it was proof that magic is real.

She continued her regular studies, but on the side started learning all she could about witchcraft and sorcery, trying to separate what was bunk from what was reality. She found accounts of sorcerers' guilds all throughout the history of America, and beyond. There were very few confirmed cases of modern day sorcery, and she couldn't exactly tell her parents "I'm dropping out of college to pursue a career in magic," so Hazel remained largely self-taught. She was remarkably adept at it, though, and her ability and knowledge grew as quickly as the shortage of learning material would allow.

Hazel told no one about her side interest, not even her closest friend and confidante, Marika. Their relationship became strained due to the secret Hazel was keeping, but she knew practical-minded Marika would never believe her. One day, Hazel noticed Markia was unusually tired, and seemed distracted for some reason. Hazel conducted a spell to determine the cause of Marika's ailment, and discovered that whatever it was, it was magical in origin, and it was powerful. Arming herself with her most powerful (and only) magical artifact, a seven foot tall staff made of Rosewood (a wood good for spiritual healing), Hazel went to Marika's house to confront whatever was harming her friend. The cause of the danger was a powerful entity the likes of which Hazel had never encountered before, with a name she had seen mentioned in the journals of Salem witches; a being made purely out of nature magic. It was so powerful it began burning through the staff— literally. Hazel had no hope of banishing or diffusing it. As their magical battle waged on and Hazel wracked her brain for ways to save Marika from this danger, the magic ate through the staff, making it shorter and shorter, pushing Hazel to the ground. It was going to suffocate her if she didn't do something quick. She realized the only way to save Marika, and herself, was to accept the power into her own body and hopefully contain it.

Hazel then became a shell for Natura— a millennia old being who had been without a body for centuries— and Natura was in charge. Masquerading as Hazel, she quit college, broke off ties with all of Hazel's friends and family, and set off in search of a way to make her vessel more powerful.

Natura's story can be traced back through the centuries to almost anything of magical importance. The witches in Salem? A cult worshiping Natura. Merlin? An old adversary (and on again off again lover). Natura seems to be as old as nature itself; not even she is sure who or what created her. She has held bodies before, but hadn't for centuries before Hazel came along. Hazel never found out why Natura was targeting Marika, and Natura herself never told (spoilers: it was because of a prophecy naming Marika's bloodline as having great potential for magic).

Over the course of her possession, Hazel fought back, eventually brokering a deal with Natura to allow Hazel to take control over the body they shared for one night a month— on the new moon, when Natura was weakest. When Natura was in control, she could access Hazel’s consciousness and memories, allowing her to better fit in among modern society, but when Natura ceded control to Hazel, she retreated into the depths of Hazel’s mind to rest, unaware of Hazel’s actions while in charge of their body. During her short time in control, Hazel searched for a way to control Natura, or to stop her from hurting anyone. The only way she found was a spell which bound their souls together. Natura knew nothing about this spell, having underestimated Hazel's tenacity and ability as a sorceress.

During her travels, Natura was contacted by a cultist left over from the Salem cult which had worshiped her in the past. Named Belinda, this witch pretended to want to give Natura the power she felt she rightfully deserved, when in reality she wanted to possess Natura's power for herself. Natura was willing to cooperate with Belinda, until her true intentions were revealed, at which point they fought in a duel to the death. Unfortunately, due to the restrictions of being in Hazel's body and not possessing her true strength, Belinda was able to kill Hazel. However, instead of setting Natura's spirit free, the spell Hazel had cast meant that Natura was still confined to Hazel's body in the Afterlife.

PERSONALITY

HAZEL is mild mannered and studious. She works hard and gets good grades, though she's not cut out to be valedictorian. She's loyal to her friends and always wants to do the right thing. She believes in the phrase "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," and will sacrifice herself to help her friends. She lacks the self confidence to fight back against Natura, though mainly what keeps her from doing it is the sheer power differential. To quote Aladdin's genie, "Phenomenal cosmic power, itty bitty living space." She's doing everything in her power just to keep Natura contained, and really only succeeding in that because for the time being Natura finds that it's in her best interests to have a body, so why not have Hazel's? In D&D terms, Hazel is Neutral Good, meaning she will always try to do what's good, but she may break a few rules here and there if she feels they're keeping her from doing what's right.

Hazel is loyal to a fault, always trying to come to her friends' aid, whether it's helping them research for a paper, driving them home from a party when they've had too much to drink, or sacrificing control of her own body to contain a spirit that would otherwise have drained her best friend's vitality until she was too weak to deny it entry. Hazel is a problem-solver, and will try again and again to find a solution before she even considers giving up. She's the kind of girl who, as a kid, fell from the handlebars a hundred times, skinning both her knees and her elbows, but always got back up again to try to cross. She never lets anyone tell her she can't do something, not without putting in her best effort to prove them wrong. She can be shy and soft-spoken, but speaks up when it counts, mostly when defending herself or someone else.

Natura, on the other hand, is Chaotic Neutral. Never obeying the rules, only looking out for herself. All Natura cares about is power: who has it, and how to get more of it. In the past she has sided herself with armies not because she agreed with their cause, but because she thought they could bring her more power. She is ruthless and cunning, but at a disadvantage due to her distaste for, and therefore her lack of knowledge about, human nature and how to pass as "normal." Given the fact that she basically wears Hazel like a costume, this is a particular weakness for her. She can draw on Hazel's knowledge and memories, but it will always be secondhand, always be a half-second too late to seem natural.

Natura's biggest vice is her passion for grandeur. She wants to be the most powerful, the most beautiful, the most revered and adored. Whenever she has access to a body, she pays great care to her appearance, wearing fine clothing and jewelry, and dramatic makeup. She speaks and behaves as though she's better than everyone, calling people "dear" or "darling" as a way to feign affection while minimizing their importance. She is completely self-centered, and only forms attachments if they will be beneficial to her in some way. This is how she has behaved every time she has inhabited a body throughout known history. Her agelessness can lead to her using antiquated or overly-sophisticated language, which only heightens her haughty demeanor.

Being an embodiment of the Five Natural Elements, Natura loathes anything manmade or unnatural. She hates anything made of plastic, and avoids machinery and electronics unless she can help it. It is to her utmost chagrin that the modern era is so reliant on technology, and she must use things like cars, cell phones, and credit cards if she is going to pass in this world.

ABILITIES, WEAKNESSES,
& POWER LIMITATIONS

Natura is a being made purely out of nature magic, which in this world is based upon the Five Natural Elements: Wind, Water, Fire, The Living Earth, and The Earth Everlasting (plants and rocks, respectively). She can only affect natural things, or things that would fall in those five categories. Inhabiting a sorceress as unschooled as Hazel limits her power tremendously. Were she at full strength, she could suck all the air out of a room, or command a whole forest to rise up and attack her enemies. As is, she could probably suffocate a person with a kiss or trip someone with a tree root. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being controlling a pebble and 10 being controlling a mountain, she's at a 3-4.

APPEARANCE

The pb I use for Hazel/Natura is Taylor Swift. For Hazel, think down home country girl Taylor: soft curls, natural makeup, the occasional pair of hipster glasses. For Natura, think more high glam Taylor: dramatic makeup, fancy clothes, manicured nails. In general, she is blonde, 5' 10", and thin.