Psyche's personality is the way it is because of her dramatic history. Others see her as cunning, ruthless, and without qualms about murder, providing her skewed beliefs justify it. She is seen as extremely racist and oddly charismatic - she has always been very good at getting others to follow her. She is ambitious and determined, willing to manipulate others to get what she wants. She will do whatever necessary to help her succeed at her cause with no guilt at all. She has very few true relationships, normally electing to remain distant and cold in the face of potential suitors (unless she can use them for something, in which case she will happily flirt her way into their hearts - though this usually doesn't end very well for the stallion involved). Most of her relationships are made for her own personal gain.

However, how others have historically seen her is not necessarily true anymore, particularly after the loss of her horn. For a large portion of her life, she feared emotion and commitment, assuming that these things would create weakness in her. She has since learned that it can be beneficial in more personal ways to allow emotion into her life. Therefore, in some select cases, she has begun to draw out of her shell and allow her 'true' self rather than the almost-always masked self to show. This 'true' self possesses a quick sense of humor and, although it may be difficult to believe, actual affection, though she does not know how to show it. She is deeply scarred by her early years, which have left her feeling angry and alone.

Her ascent to the throne in the Basin and the following demotion left her with shifting ideals about leadership roles. She used to believe that a leader must be harsh and demanding, requiring loyalty above all else and ruling through fear. However, she came to realize that it is better to be loved than feared, and developed a protective sort of affection for her herd. This almost motherly instinct was what hurt her so badly when she lost her horn and was subsequently stripped of her throne. Although, technically, she willingly stepped down, she felt forced to do so because she had disappointed her followers and was no longer the horned queen she thought they wanted.

Considering herself a hornless abomination, the Empress fled the Basin. Ironically, it was through association with those she once hated that she found herself and a way to live with her failures. Though she no longer quests for their blood and no longer considers them unequal, she remains a Crux of the Plague. She feels she has a duty not to her once-followers, but to her one true friend Illynx, who she does not believe will understand or accept her change of heart. Although deeply guilty about her deception, she doesn't know how to let go of affection now that she has finally found it. She also does not know how to proceed in life without the goal that she had once sought so passionately. She has lost her fire, and without it, she feels she is nothing.

Before Helovia Psyche was born to Riekahn and Arduenna, and was scorned as a child for her plain appearance. Both her parents had beautiful markings from the fingers of a god. Around her yearling age, Arduenna grew wary of Riekahn and planned to escape to a land far away, where her other two children already lived in a flourishing land built on peace. But Psyche didn't want to leave her family, including her father and older sister, Giselle, and refused to accompany her. Arduenna left, and Giselle took Psyche under her wing, teaching the plain little yearling everything about Riekahn's plans to eradicate the Pegasi. As a two-year-old, Psyche committed her first murders, killing two young Pegasi. The following year, she single-handedly annihilated a band of six Pegasi. Thus, she compensated for her plain appearance with her wicked ways.

Eventually, Giselle left the herd, leaving Psyche entirely alone, just like Arduenna had done years before. Psyche became angry, very angry, as she was completely alone, deserted by her mother and sister, resented by her father. And then one day, Riekahn set the world ablaze with his magic. Arduenna, who was returning for her long lost daughter, was lit in a pyre, and Psyche watched her mother burn before her eyes. It is an image that haunts her even to this day, though she refuses to admit to the nightmares. That was when she realized that it was not only the Equines and Pegasi that deserved her wrath - it was her own blood that needed cleansing. And so she traveled to Helovia, determined to purge.

Early Helovia Psyche found her father in the World's Edge, and was greatly shaken by the encounter. Though she did not manage to purge her bloodline, she did find her hatred for him renewed. She wandered to the Frozen Arch, where she met Mauja, and they had a discussion regarding the purity of their species. He agreed to join her in her quest to decimate the Equines and the Pegasi. They formed the Plague, of which Psyche was the lead with Mauja as her second-in-command. She later found four more additions to her little band: Ulrik, Mafau, Persephone, and Balkin the Obscure. During this time, she began to find that she had feelings for Mauja. The very existence of these feelings, not to mention their depth, frightened her, and she fled, carrying his child. While outside Helovia, Psyche gave birth to Snö. Eventually, Snö left Psyche in search of her father, reminding her mother of the fragile nature of family bonds and renewing her anger.

The Rise of the Dark Empress Psyche returned to Helovia, determined to reunite with Snö and retake control of the Plague. Upon arriving, she is granted reentry to the World's Edge by Mauja, who had remained King, but her peace was short-lived: the Qian attacked and, in the ensuing battle, took over the Edge, forcing the unicorns into the wilderness. The unicorns reunited in the Frostbreathe Steppe, where they lived through a remarkably harsh winter. Psyche found herself the leader of the Plague and the herd when Mauja was ripped from their world and forced into an alternate universe; throughout the winter, she built up their ranks and gathered their resources. The God of Time took pity on the unicorn band (or perhaps simply wished to watch them wreak havoc) and granted them the Aurora Basin.

Psyche spent the following Birdsong getting to know her herd and recruiting new members. She spent an unfortunate time as a prisoner of the Dragon's Throat, but escaped with the help of her captor, who joined their cause. Her herd captured Mirage, but the DragonHeart escaped. Psyche gained a new magic and, to top off a busy spring, Mauja returned through the mirror in the Basin's heart. Summer came, and Psyche formed an uneasy truce with the Dragon's Throat and offered an alliance to the Windtossed Foothills. She continued to build her ranks and found herself growing closer to Mauja, who had accepted leadership of the Basin once more. Kri challenged Psyche, who had broken their truce, and the contract with the Grey was confirmed as the unicorns prepared for war. By winter, the unicorns were nearly ready to act on the agreement. But then, the Endless Night came, and Psyche's efforts were given to her homeland as she attempted to keep them safe from the unknown dangers of the darkness.

The Fall of the Dark Empress That was when everything changed. Psyche led an attack on the Dragon's Throat, while half of her forces attacked the World's Edge. They meant to topple both lands, claiming the throne for themselves. They failed. Psyche's horn was broken off in the battle, and she retreated inside herself, hiding in caves in the mountains. When confronted, she withdrew her leadership, feeling unfit to rule without a horn on her head. She took to wandering, hating herself for no longer being of the superior race. After meeting with an equine stallion in the Spectral Marsh, Psyche began to see that perhaps her life was not useless after all. She started to question all that she had held dear, and found that she no longer hated the hornless (particularly since she was one). She resolved to walk a path to redemption, though her former followers refused to believe that was what she wanted. Illynx, in particular, took her departure poorly, and tried to convince her to return. Psyche, however, has no plans to return to entrapment in the mountains, reveling in her newfound freedom and happiness.

Redemption Coming soon!

SHAPESHIFT :: Dark :: can turn into a black jackal
PARANOIA :: Dark :: able to convince others that they are about to die, or that someone or others are out to get them, or that they are going to feel pain.

Parents
Riekahn | male | unicorn | unknown
Arduenna | female | unicorn | deceased

Siblings
By Riekahn:
Donovan | m. Riekahn x Vega | unicorn | black | grey eyes | deceased
Giselle | f. Riekahn x Bellona | unicorn | grullo | white eyes | living
Paladin | m. Riekahn x Tammenia | unicorn | black | red eyes | living
Out of Arduenna:
Gabor | m. Alder x Arduenna | unicorn | dark grey | amber eyes | living
And many others in her old home.

Offspring
Snö | f. Mauja x Psyche | unicorn | chestnut varnish roan | blue eyes | living

Nieces and Nephews
Ktulu | f. Paladin x Soleil | uniquine | black dun | red eyes | living
Ophelia | f. Paladin x Soleil | uniquine | white | red and blue eyes | living
Rain | f. Paladin x Valhalla | unipeg | silver dun | red eyes | living
Soren | m. Paladin x Soleil | uniquine | dappled grey dun | light blue eyes | living
Varath | m. Paladin x Soleil | uniquine | dappled grey | red and silver eyes | living
Vadim | m. Paladin x Soleil | uniquine | silver grulla | blue eyes | living

Extended Family
Hototo | m. God of the Earth x Ktulu | unipeg | blue-tinted dun | green and red eyes | living
Roskuld | f. God of the Spark x Ophelia | unipeg | black | brown and blue eyes | living

Played by Rayo, who also plays:
Ivezho
Kaiylia
Quilyan
Sohalia
Reizend

Click here to see Psyche as a cat, courtesy of Sarah!