Alchera: Shadow dreamspinner

I confess, I named this character after a Yeet. Some years ago my sister requested that I make her a Yeet with white faces on black fabric, like the way Dream's speech bubbles are done in the Sandman. She named him Alchera, one of the names of the deity of the Dreamtime of the Australian aborigines. So of course when my brain seized on the idea that this would be a fabulous name for a shadowbeast OC, he HAD to have some sort of dream powers, right?

Quick summary:

Race/species: Shadow-kin
Occupation: Currently in Tenebran's service
Game timeline: Any ZOCC RP timeline that includes the Zalmunna/Siderans
Age: Undetermined
Hair: Not really
Eyes: Blue
Skin: Charcoal; markings are in shades of blue
Height: Can vary; about 6" by default
Weight: Varies

Background:

The shadowbeast that would become Alchera arose out of one child's terror of the dark. Night after night, that child -- cursed with both poor eyesight and a vivid imagination -- stared at the creatures he thought he saw in the shadows, and eventually, one of those shadows stared back. The newly-formed shadowbeast continued to feed off the boy's fear and the nightmares it caused, growing ever stronger as the boy grew into a man. Twisted by the constant barrage of horrifying dreams, the young man turned to crime and murder, and was hanged. The shadow went seeking new prey, and sampled the nourishment to be had from the nightmares of children and adults alike, mindlessly seeking out and feeding from the fears that played out in their dreams.

Somewhere along the way, this shadow caught the attention of Majora. Charmed by the creature's unique fixation, Majora decided to enhance its intelligence and abilities. Though the process was somewhat unpleasant to endure, the results pleased them both: the shadow could now direct his victims' dreams, and even understand their meaning to some extent if given adequate time. Satisfied, Majora christened the shadow with the name Alchera, gave him his colors, and sent him out into the world to wreak his special brand of havoc.

When Majora was killed and those who had served him were hunted down, Alchera did not seek the service of another Zalmunna. He simply ditched the colors of his fallen patron and went about his business, preferring to hide in the always-abundant shadows under beds and covers rather than crawling to the dubious safety of Lycoris. For a long time he remained unaligned, keeping a low profile as he continued to refine his skills and build his power. Through long practice, he learned some degree of subtlety, and gained the ability to influence a dreamer in their waking hours through subconscious cues planted in their dreams.

It was this that finally attracted Tenebran's attention. By now, Alchera had outgrown the childish tendency to simply cause misery for misery's sake; he was deeply interested in the nature of the mortal psyche and the interplay of conscious and subconscious. His experiments displayed creativity, curiosity, and -- most importantly -- discretion. Tenebran made him an offer (probably one that he could ill afford to refuse, as one of Majora's former servants), and Alchera accepted. In Tenebran's service, Alchera is often called upon to report upon or to influence the dreams of various persons of interest.

The return of Majora in the ZOCC RP timeline presents Alchera with something of a dilemma. He would truthfully prefer to return to Majora's service. Majora always left Alchera to his own recognizance, and in contrast, Tenebran's frequent requests strike him as unwelcome interference. However, Tenebran selects his agents carefully, and is not likely to give Alchera permission to leave. To have a prayer of changing allegiance without risking his life, Alchera would need to secure Majora's protection, which is likely to come with its own price. He has not yet made a decision in this matter.

Appearance:

Alchera's habitual form is basically humanoid, but that is where any resemblance ends. His long and spindly limbs end in clawed hands and feet, and amorphous tendrils ending in more clawed hands arise along the length of his spine. The last one lacks a hand, and tapers into a tail.

His face sports a third eye, no nose or ears, and far too many teeth. On the top of his head are long, soft spikes like an anemone's. These glow blue, as do his eyes, the hands that come out of his back, and the patterns on the tendrils they are attached to. Where the glow is not present, his skin is a dull, dark grey-black.

His only clothing is a ragged sort of loincloth of darker blue, though it's hard to tell whether this is actually a garment or is part of him, as it tends to blend into his skin at its edges. He is most often seen crouching over hapless sleepers, extra hands reaching down towards them, smiling with all his many many teeth.

Personality:

Alchera is completely fascinated by dreams, and by the hidden portions of consciousness that they expose. He is quite callous about the emotions of those he toys with, seeing them as mere cause and effect rather than as a matter of concern. Despite this detachment, his approach is much more that of a philosopher, rather than a scientist. He is genuinely and eternally curious about the facets of mortal experience that he does not understand, and his enthusiasm sometimes gets the best of him.

Alchera is something of a loner when it comes to other shadows, the long years of hiding having left their mark. His loyalty to Tenebran is more a thing of duty and practicality than something truly felt. He is a creature who lives more in dreams, both those he watches and those he causes, than through face-to-face interactions with others.

Fighting:

Alchera is not markedly aggressive, but will defend himself at need. He uses no weapons, preferring claws and teeth, as he has plenty to spare. While not especially skilled in combat, Alchera can handle himself fairly well in a fight (as one would expect of any shadow who has existed as long as he has).

The Rest:

Shadow-kind: As one of the shadow-kin, Alchera has the usual powers of shapeshifting, merging with the shadows, and transporting from one shadow to another.

Dreamspinner: Due to Majora's meddling and his own refinement of his powers, Alchera possesses the ability to create and direct people's dreams, even to the point of influencing their waking hours. However, he can't put someone to sleep (at least not without a spell, and he's never learned any spellcasting) and he can't actually enter or hide in someone's dream (he can only project his image into their sleeping mind).

Amateur psychologist: Through his accumulated experience with dreams, Alchera has learned to distinguish between the conscious and subconscious mind (which he refers to as "thought" and "mind", respectively). He has also come to recognize that certain images and symbols seem to recur in dreams, with variations for each species he is familar with.

Numerology: The number of Alchera's extra hands is always either seven or nine, not counting the tail.

Dream of his own: Alchera's secret wish, never expressed to anyone, is to be able to play with the dreams of other shadows (and light spirits as well!) as he does with those of mortals.