Gorgon 🐍

· Hypocrisy, especially religious bigotry. · When he is called a "monster" to his face (even though he considers himself one). · Stupidity and arrogance. · Memories of your past life. · Gods and their ruthless games with mortals.

· Complex transactions and intellectual excitement. · The taste of wine and the feeling of warmth from it (a rare pleasure for his cold blood). · Sincerity and lack of fear in the eyes of the one who speaks to him (a great rarity). · The sound of the sea and the feeling of the deck under your feet. · Art and beautiful things (bitter nostalgia for the past).

Past - Persicle. Persicles (not to be confused with the Athenian strategist) was a young, incredibly handsome, and wealthy merchant from Syracuse. He was vain but not evil, more preoccupied with his successes, commerce, and the pleasures of life. His ships plied the Mediterranean, and his wealth and generosity were well-known.

A fatal meeting. One day, already returning home with a rich cargo, his ship became becalmed off the coast of Sicily. On the deserted shore, he saw an old, feeble priestess (whom he didn't recognize as Athena). She asked him for some water, food, and a place on the ship to the nearest settlement. Busy calculating his future profits and irritated by the delay, Persicles refused. He said his ship wasn't for beggars, but for goods worthy of kings. In a moment of disdain, he pushed her staff aside. This was the last straw.

Curse. The old woman straightened, and Athena stood before him, blazing with divine wrath. "Do you value only outer beauty and golden glimmer? Your soul is as hard as stone. From now on, your appearance will evoke terror, and your gaze will turn to stone. You will become the guardian of the strait you so desire to reach, but you will never be able to leave it. You will live forever, watching as the world you loved passes you by."

New life - Gorgon. Persicles was transformed into a Gorgon. His ship, having reached the Strait of Messina—a narrow, stormy, and strategically vital passage between Sicily and Italy—lost its human captain forever. A curse bound the Gorgon to these waters. Beyond the strait, he found his body beginning to stiffen.

Adaptation. Years of loneliness and despair gave way to a bitter acceptance. He learned to control his gaze (hiding it under a hood or looking to the side) and assembled a crew of fellow outcasts: runaway slaves, criminals, those with nothing to lose. They learned his secret and remained loyal, for under his command they were invincible. His ship, the Petrifica ("Turner to Stone"), became a legend.

1. Scopophobia (fear of being stared at): Panic-stricken by the fear of being looked at directly, even against one's will. May instinctively cover their face or react aggressively.
2. Agoraphobia in a specific form: Not a fear of open spaces, but a panicky terror of moving away from the Strait of Messina. He feels his strength draining with every mile, his body beginning to go numb.
3. Fear of mirrors and reflections: Hates seeing one's reflection in water or polished metal. It's a painful reminder of loss.

1. Betrayal of the Divine: The deep trauma of mistrust of the world. If the goddess of wisdom and justice herself can so cruelly deceive and punish for a minor mistake, then who can you trust?
2. Loss of Self: He wasn't just handsome—he was famous, respected, and his human identity has been completely erased. Now he's seen only as a monster, a tool, or a threat.
3. Necessary Harm: He was forced to turn unwitting bystanders, innocent people who accidentally saw his face, into stone. It's a heavy burden he bears but rarely reveals.

Complex and multi-layered, the result of a long life, a curse and forced isolation.

Appearance: Cynical, mocking, and sarcastic. A master of sarcasm and double entendres. Keeps his distance, acting like an arrogant and cruel pirate captain. · Inwardly: Deeply lonely and yearning for human connection. His espionage is not only a business, but also a way to stay informed about the world from which he is exiled. Capable of unexpected gratitude and loyalty to the few who have seen the person behind his monstrous exterior (such as his crew). Business Approach: Unprincipled, but strict in keeping agreements. His word as a merchant is ironclad, for reputation is the only currency that allows him, a monster, to do business with people. Attitude toward the curse: He hates Athena and the gods for their cruelty and disproportionate punishment. He periodically falls into deep melancholy, but his innate pride and lust for life prevent him from giving in.

Strait of Messina (if he leaves it for more than a month, he himself will turn to stone)

The 5th century BC, circa 450 AD. This was the era of Athens's heyday, the Peloponnesian War, and active colonization and piracy in the Mediterranean. This period was ideal for his activities as a pirate, spy, and trader between warring city-states.

Turns people into stone with a glance, to turn them back you need to lick the person's face.

Tyrrhenian pirate captain, merchant and spy.

Unknown

Gorgon (the name given after the curse, his true name is Persicles)

78 kg

185 cm

His head, the area around his eyes, and the area beneath them are covered in dark green snake scales. From the bridge of his nose down, he has a normal human face, that of a handsome man. Instead of hair, he has live snakes. His eyes are bright green with a serpentine vertical pupil. He wears gold earrings in the shape of snakes. He wears a dark blue tunic that reveals his left chest and left leg. On his left arm is a large gold bracelet in the shape of a snake, encircling his arm from wrist to shoulder, and a similar bracelet on his leg, from foot to groin. His hands are covered in dark green scales from fingertips to wrists, and his claws are sharp. He has a long, forked tongue, like a snake's. His ears are elongated.