Inara, the Deluge

In an age far removed from dragons and deities, Inara—the name assigned to the subject of this experiment—is truly a legend in living flesh. Reconstructed with mysterious technology analogous to that of other highly-developed worlds, this artificial manifestation of a violent goddess of eld replicates to near-perfect accuracy her power whispered of in serpentine tongues. It is said that the great corpse in the deepest reaches of what ancient sources called the Endless Abyss harbored within itself lingering life, and it was with this in mind that the researchers selected a biological shell to encourage its growth. All candidates were carefully fielded and systematically erased of personal identity. Whoever this woman was before Inara was of no concern to her keepers. Inara's sole companion is the loyal serpent Vishap. Though merely a technologically clever approximation of ancient magic, Vishap nevertheless possesses the capability for meaningful thought and speech. Scattered research notes imply he may have been derived from a source said to be extremely close to the original goddess. For reasons yet undiscovered, the project was abandoned before Inara was able to remember her awakenings, suggesting that she was an induced amnesiac while under stasis in the facility. Upon leaving her cradle for the first time, Inara wrestled with memories false and new flooding her senses. She would not have to wait long, however, before a certain resonance with an entity beyond the stars would threaten her rule in the realm bequeathed to her. With Vishap's hissing advice in her ears, Inara bided her time in observation of this foolish challenger...