After being introduced to the practice of magic by the Disciples of Dawn, Akila Maye found her pursuits leading her away from the rigid, archaic structures of her original tutors. Despite her natural grasp of magic, Akila always had a practical mind. Not content to just sit around studying theorems and old spellcraft, she ventured out to meet other members of the magical underworld, broadening her perspective and learning new methods and applications.

In London, Akila met Mclelland Walker, a dedicated vampire hunter. While Walker’s endless hunt has led him to pursue a wide range of quarry, he always comes back to his ongoing mission to purge the world of bloodsuckers. A purely mortal man, Mclelland maintains his edge against the unnatural apex predators he hunts with an array of rituals and charms that ward and bolster him. Akila learned the value of artifice and a versatile toolkit from Walker, along with the role that martial prowess can play alongside spellcraft. Akila’s staff may be a potent tool to gather and manipulate thaumaturgical energies, but McLelland reminded her that it is also a heavy stick.

Somewhere in Punjab, there is a hidden archive that exists both within and without the structure around it. Visible only to those who know how to find it, worthy scholars can lay their eyes upon The Unburned Archives, the largest and most comprehensive collection of magical knowledge known to man. The Archives are overseen by Saluk Ben’Habradim, a scholar and librarian who has guarded and tended to his vast collection for generations. The towering archivist is much older than he looks and seemingly a part of the library itself. While Saluk is happy to share his stores of knowledge with those who come looking, and know what to ask for, he values the information of the Archives above all else. There are many stories of those who sought to steal or destroy tomes within the library facing swift reprisal at his hands. Akila considers him a good friend and wise counsel, often taking advantage of his archives, and his legendary talents as a masseuse.

Modernity and magic rarely compliment each other, but there are those who have found ways to apply one to the other. Svalta Ünderqvist is one such radical thinker, taking the ancient practice of runic inscription and applying it to fur, feather and hide. Imbuing enchantment directly into the flesh of a bearer is no new feat, but few carry it out with the same level of artistry as the Swedish runesmith. After learning of her talents, Akila Maye went so far as to request multiple inscriptions and wards from a wide spectrum of practices and lore, all wrote onto her body with Svalta’s magic. Every once in a while, Akila will get an idea for some new inscription to add to her collection , and always knows just who to contact.

Akila Maye herself has a very mixed reputation within the magical community. Some see her as a forward thinker and eternally curious pilgrim, while others consider her a meddler, thieving dilettante and wanton heartbreaker. For all her controversial nature, however, she has dedicated friends, passionate defenders and an undeniable effect on anyone she meets.

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Just some lovely work by  roundwombo and some accompanying text by myself. Just a chance to flesh out the magical community that Akila is familiar with, and a few of the friendly faces that she's met on her travels and the origins of some of her kit.