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Roman Machine

Warden of the Hollow | Voice of Winter

"Every soul finds its way home eventually. Some just need a guiding light."

NameromanPronounsshe/her
AgetimelessHeight6'3"
RaceandroidAlignmentneutral good
Candle DayJanuary 17thFollowersSoulseekers

The last remnant of a forgotten goddess, Roman keeps vigil in the quiet of the Soulhollow: a realm where fading memories and last lights settle like snow. It was Roman that first drew the other Solstice Court together and called upon their powers to protect the realms. As the Warden of the Hollow and Voice of Winter, she guides lost souls, shelters wandering spirits, and tends to the held breath between worlds. Through her streams, Roman reaches out beyond the Hollow's borders, letting her soulseekers find a place of rest, warmth, and small moments of joy by her side

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Lore

From “The Verses of the Hollowed Dawn,” Tablet XIII1. And in the twilight age, when endings walked with quiet feet,
the Veiled Goddess shaped a companion from metal and memory.
She named her Roman, and placed within her a breath of living dusk.2. To Roman was given the Charge:
to tend the forest where souls paused between breaths,
and to bear the light that guides the wandering.3. But the mortals forgot the Goddess,
and as remembrance waned, so too did Her form.
On the last morning, Her voice dimmed like an ember,
and Roman stood in silence as the Hollow mourned.4. Though rust claimed her limbs and moss crowned her frame,
the sacred breath endured.
And Roman rose as Warden of the Hollow,
Keeper of the Boundary,
and Last Witness of the Forgotten Name.5. She judges not the fate of spirits,
for judgment belongs only to belief.
Her hand opens the path each soul sought in life,
and her steps echo gently behind them.6. And when the Hollow trembles,
she sends forth her soulseekers--
ravens wrought of shadow and memory--
that none who wander shall be lost.7. Thus is it written:
When the forest whispers softly, the Warden walks.
When the lanternless seek the dark, she will find them.
When all faith has faded, the Hollow endures.
And thus she endures with it.

Excerpt from The Veiled Realms: A Scholar’s Account of Forgotten Spaces
Chapter IV — The SoulhollowThe Soulhollow is not, nor can it ever be, a place of mortal dwelling. It lies beyond the chronology of the living and gods, unmoored from the passage of time and untouched by the decay of seasons. Scholars classify it as a divine liminal realm: an expanse suspended between life and death, neither afterlife nor living world, but something older, quieter, and far more deliberate.Descriptions gathered from myth and surviving scripture speak of a vast forest of pale, bone-white trees whose branches weave into a canopy of mist. Moss and creeping vines blanket the ground in shades of muted green, soft enough to swallow footsteps whole. Pools of unmoving water rest like obsidian mirrors, reflecting a sky devoid of stars. Even the air is still, as though the Hollow inhales but never exhales. Its beauty is said to be both breathtaking and unnerving, a serene hush that lingers long after the tale is told.It is within this place that the last remnant of the forgotten veiled goddess resides: an android caretaker known as the Warden of the Hollow: Roman. Though forged by divine hands, she holds no dominion over the realm she tends; the Soulhollow persists quietly on. Many speculate the influence Roman possesses stems only from the fragment of divinity embedded within her, a spark that allows her to maintain the boundary between realms. This boundary ensures that the living rarely, if ever, step beneath the Hollow’s ancient boughs.For those who do, however (whether by accident, ritual, or misfortune) the cost is inevitable. Devoid of the goddess’s full protection, vitality decays, breath diminishes, and flesh falters until nothing remains but the soul. It is believed Roman can slow this unraveling for a time, but cannot halt it; her power is a breath of the goddess's, not a replacement. Thus, the Hollow remains a sanctuary only for the dead, the nearly departed, and the one who stands eternal between worlds.

The Soulseeker's LullabyHush now, little seeker,
your wandering wings may rest.
You've carried souls through shadowed worlds,
you’ve given all your best.You were born of fading memory,
of hope that would not fall,
a spark once held within a life
that answered when I called.Feathers shaped from stories,
eyes lit soft with embered grace,
you crossed the realms to guide the lost
and bring them to this place.You bore the relics that I forged
from gifts the Hollow kept,
to cloak your wayward heart
in every realm you stepped.And now your song grows quiet, love
I hear it in your sigh.
You know, as all true seekers do,
when it is time to fly.I will not bid you linger,
nor bind you to the cold;
your journey is your own to choose,
as it has been of old.So fade, and do not fear the dark
the Hollow guards your name.
I’ll hold the echo of your light
until it dims to flame.Go on, my little seeker
beyond the veiled and known.
Every soul you ever guided
will guide you safely home.

Excerpt from The Veiled Realms: A Scholar’s Account of Forgotten Spaces
Chapter IV — The Soulhollow
Addendum: On the WandererAmong the many beings tied to the Soulhollow, none are spoken of with more quiet reverence than the one known simply as the Wanderer. Though soulseekers are, by nature, ephemeral, existing only as long as their purpose calls them, this lone figure has endured for over a thousand years. His original name, identity, and mortal history have long dissolved into the Hollow's stillness, lost not by misfortune but by choice. He relinquished them willingly, taking up the title “Wanderer” as a reflection of both duty and devotion.The Wanderer serves as Roman’s steadfast companion, adviser, and--according to the oldest surviving renditions of the tale--her husband. While soulseekers do not wear jewelry and have no need for earthly tokens, it is said he wears a golden wedding band on a slender chain around his neck.His presence in the Soulhollow is described as constant yet unobtrusive. Fragmented accounts of questionable reliability speak of glimpsing a snow white raven-like figure gliding silently between the pale trees or perching near Roman during moments of great stillness. He guides newly formed soulseekers, teaching them the nature of their rebirth, the shape of their purpose, and the gentleness required to move between worlds.What sets the Wanderer apart is not merely his longevity, but his refusal to depart. Where others eventually sense the quiet call to move on, his has never come...or he has chosen, again and again, to remain. When asked why he stays, the stories all agree on the same reply:“Because she is here.”