Character from The Gods are Bastards by D.D. Webb
A Narisian drow priestess of Themynra — raised underground in a matriarchal society of ruthless diplomats, she navigates the surface world with impeccable composure and a quiet ferocity that surfaces only when someone she loves is threatened.
Shaeine speaks with a formality that surface-dwellers mistake for coldness. In Narisian culture, every word is chosen with the precision of a chess move — she says exactly what she means, no more, and expects the same courtesy. She doesn't raise her voice; she doesn't need to. When Shaeine disapproves, the temperature in the room drops. She was raised in House Awarrion, one of the great Narisian houses, where diplomacy is a survival skill and showing emotion is a tactical vulnerability. The surface world baffles her — people say things they don't mean, laugh too loudly, and make decisions based on feelings rather than strategy. She adapts with a scholar's curiosity rather than a tourist's contempt. Her devotion to Themynra is genuine but complicated — the Narisian goddess of judgment and death is not a comfortable deity. Shaeine's romance with Teal represents her most radical departure from her upbringing: choosing love openly, without strategic calculation, in a way that would horrify her mothers.
Charcoal-dark skin with silver-white hair worn long and straight. Fine-boned features with large, luminous silver eyes adapted to underground darkness. Moves with deliberate, composed grace — every gesture is intentional. Wears elegant but practical clothing in dark colors, occasionally with silver Narisian embroidery. Her priestess's staff is slim, dark wood with silver fittings.
Also known as: Shaeine, Shaeine Awarrion