Greetings and salutations everypony. Welcome to my first of two builds for the Teams Event here on the Forge! Alongside Lee, welcome to an Assassin focused less on killing those in her way, and focusing in on her targets, and with a mixture of seduction and poisons, silencing them. Welcome to the tale of...
The Visha Kanya, or “poison woman” in Yokudan. Little is known of the early life of this toxic assassin, save she was raised by the Asāsīyūn, an ancient order of religious assassins and monks, akin to the Morag Tong, subservient to the Redguard faith, and legalized by the founders of Hammerfell.
It was due to her skills that she eventually claimed the title of Hassan, named for the founder of their order, becoming leader of their brotherhood. As such, she had to obtain a Zabaniya, a miracle granted to them by Sep. Her’s was that she could turn her skin, and even bodily fluids, into a poisonous substance. This left her lonely, and though she used her natural beauty and charisma to charm her targets, her toxic power left her lonely. Whenever she found an individual who could resist her miracle, she clung to them like rain on cloth.
Eventually, her life came to an end at the hands of an Aldmeri general, the son of a king she had bedded and poisoned. Whether she begged him to end her miserable life, or she was slain by the hands of the Asasiyun founder, it shall never be known. Though, rumors have speculated of a poisonous woman wearing the skull mask of the Asāsīyūn gliding into Skyrim....
Build Overview
Race: Redguard. Not only does it fit the backstory, but the 50% resistance to poison is quite useful, especially in Falmer dens, but the once-per-day Stamina Regen granted by Adrenaline Rush helps. Alongside these are the +10 Bonus to One-Handed, and the +5 to Alteration.
Standing Stone: The Thief to start out with for leveling purposes, then swap it out for the Serpent Stone, for that sweet once-per-day 5 second Paralysis and 25 Poison Damage power.
Inspiration: Hassan of Serenity (Fate/Prototype: Fragments)
Stat Spread: 2/1/3 in Magicka, Health, and Stamina. Stop perking Health at 120, giving us enough Health to survive for a short while in open combat, and Magicka at about 300.
Primary Skills: Alchemy, Sneak, Illusion
Secondary Skills: Speech, One-Handed, Restoration
Faith: Yokudan- Satakal, Ruptga, Tu'whacca, Zeht, Morwha, Tava, Malooc, Diagna, Sep, HoonDing, Leki, Onsi,
Another poor soul driven to death by lust….
GAMEPLAY
While playing through the Visha Kanya, first as a solo build, then a collab build with Lee, the main thing I wanted to focus on was, in essence, going for the majority of the game using very “hands off” methods of combat, in essence, assassinating our enemies without relying too much on the old “Sneak+Backstab+Repeat” method. Rather, we wanted to focus primarily on poison damage, paired with a seductive sand siren. While there will of course be the occasional, and often poisoned, sneak backstab or two to help speed up things.
Though, more often than not, combat started from the shadows. Using the Ebony Mail’s poison cloak to start whittling away an enemy’s health, we’d either toss a Calm Spell to keep them relaxed (Seduction and all that), or a Poison Rune, to further chip away at the fool’s health. Though, more often than not, we’d ignore things like guards and the like, and instead stealthing our way as best as possible towards the target or targets, and trying to avoid open combat as much as possible. If forced to, a quick usage of the Serpent Stone on the strongest target to damage and paralyze them, say, a Bandit Maurader in a group of four Bandits, then using a combination of the Ebony Mail’s Poison Cloak, Poison Runes, and your twin poisoned daggers, try and kill whoever your current quest (Or whim), requires you to, then get the fuck out of dodge, poisoning all who stand in your path.
A knife in the dark….
Now, you may ask, how do we deal dragons? Well, considering I rarely had a bow on me (Mostly used to stealthily deliver a ranged poison or the like), the main thing to do with dragons is, if you possess it, use Become Ethereal and start running, or, if not, use cover like rocks or trees to block any Breath attacks, and start on sprinting.
Finally, in terms of targets, I recommend first incapacitating tougher enemies like Bandit Marauders or Draugr Deathlords with the Serpent Stone, Paralysis Poisons (If applicable), or the occasional Spell or Scroll of Paralysis. After that, move on to the Casters Mages and Archers, as their ranged attacks can do you in without you seeing it, then deal with the rest. Keep mobile, stop only to poison someone, or open or a door or the like.
Also, as soon as possible, destroy the Dark Brotherhood, for they, particularly Nazir, are both an insult to the word Assassin, and Nazir, in my time as this character, was played as a traitor to the Asasiyun
EQUIPMENT
*As Lee pointed out, the Guild Master Hood DOES work aesthically more with the whole getup, I did originally have the Cultist Mask (Cause skull mask and all), however, even with the Guild Master Hood, you can use the white skull facepaint to have a similar effect).
SKILLS
Sneak-As an Assassin, the Sneak skill, alongside the Ebony Mail, will keep the Visha Kanya’s presence concealed until the time comes to strike.
Speech-A tried and true Seductress, Visha can use her feminine charms and seductive appearance to get people to give up information, get what she wants, or get a reduced price on goods.
Restoration-In the words of Gan Luseph, court mage of Bruma in Oblivion, “I'm not much of a healer. I can blow the meat off you, but I'm not much good at sticking it back on.” In essence, the knowledge of restoration allows her to heal herself, as well as gain Magicka a tad bit quicker.
Alchemy-Poisons, need I say more?
Illusion-Primarily used to “seduce” (IE calm) enemies down for a quick escape+poisoning, or to silently cast Runes and the like.
One-Handed-Skilled with anlaces, the Visha Kanya can put up a decent fight, though prefers operating from the shadows.
Poultices and Poisons
Seductive Salve-An aphrodisiac like balm that, once in a victim’s bloodstream, fills them with sheer bliss, bolstering their health but draining them a tad.
(Blue Mountain Flower+Wheat+Nightshade)
(Damage Magicka Regen+Fortify Health+Restore Health)
Sand Serpent’s Kiss-Venom created from extracted serpent venom, mixed in with local and imported reagents makes quite a nasty toxin.
(Imp Stool+Canis Root+Human Flesh)
(Lingering Damage Health+Paralysis+Damage Magic)
Another poor fool turned into dust by the Visha Kanya’s toxic form.
Tactics of the Visha Kanya
Presence Concealment-A skill common to most Assassins. Holding and slowing her heartbeat, plus a little magic, allows the Visha Kanya to be intangible till she strikes.
(Dual Casting+Muffle+Become Ethereal+Sneak Mode)
Zabaniya: Delusional Poison Body-The trump card of the Visha Kanya, her inherent toxicity spreading outward, becoming a living miasma.
(Ebony Mail+Become Ethereal+Poisoned Daggers+Poison Rune)
ROLEPLAY
- As someone who radiates poison, the Visha Kanya rarely got close to those. So to NPCs whose race does not possess an inherent Resistance to Poison (IE Bosmer and Redguards, though I’m surprised Argonians don’t have it), try and limit contact with them.
- When in town, wear Tavern Clothes and Boots, to try and blend in.
- If you’re on the road, get into a fight (Like some Bandits or whatever), and say, a Brotherhood based Assassin tries to gut you, discontinue fighting and focus on the Brotherhood scum.
THANKS
Well, thanks to Lee for collabing with me, and for helping out with the spreads and whatnot (As always, heh). Also, my dear reader, thank you for checking out my build.
Replies
Awesome build! Very unique concept you guys. The two of you did an awesome job on this one. Interesting backstory as well. Your take was short and sweet, but also thorough in its own way. Really enjoyed giving this one read; very strong first entry to the Event!
Heh, Pixel, it was quite fun playing a build inspired by one of my favorite Hassans
Hey Chris, I completely forgot about this one - sorry - btw you forgot our tags!
https://theskyforge.ning.com/groups/tes-character-building/forum/te...