Lutzia Cullex
Lutzia Cullex is a troll in the Haustoria chapter of Thaumatrope. Her associated alchemic sigil is Ounce.
Her survival ability is being able to hover in the air for a short period of time.
Etymology
Lutzia and Culex represent two genera of mosquitoes, with "Cullex" being a trollification of the latter.
Biography
Before Haustoria
Alongside Helica, the two of them move into a hive nearby a forest, a conscious decision due to it being rampant with mosquitoes for Lutzia's projects.
During Haustoria
Lutzia is first shown to be at someone else's hive, tagging along with Helica as she does an exchange. Lutzia can be seen inspecting the pipes, claiming them to have mold, and asking the old troll for some tools and time. As she's working on the pipes, Helica walks in and questions if that's even mold and not chipped paint. Lutzia doesn't listen, and causes the pipe to burst. The butcher runs in with fury, pointing out the pipes are just rusty, and kicks out both Lutzia and Helica. While they go back to Helica's hive, they bicker about what happened, and Lutzia is asked to stay in her van as Helica films her video. Lutzia begrudgingly agrees, going in to retrieve her mosquito larva lusus, and showing it the blood sample she got.
After Helica finishes recording, she walks in on Lutzia sloshing snoutbeast blood in the blender. She gets upset as this was a promise to not be done again by Lutzia, but Lutzia keeps trying to reassure it'll be fine. As she's talking about how she'll figure out her plan to develop fuchsia blood, she accidentally knocks the blender over, causing blood to splash everywhere. Helica loses her cool and starts shouting at her, and says her projects only waste time. The argument ensues as Lutzia claims Helica is being unsupportive, despite Helica trying her best to provide for what's needed. She calls Lutzia immature, which leads to Lutzia storming off to her van. Helica yells at her for to come back, yet Lutzia doesn't listen and drives off. Helica sighs, and merely hopes for her to come back soon.
Lutzia grumbles as she drives further into the forest, searching for a place to stay at for some nights. She comes along a village, and overhears their conversations on what to do with their rampant, unknown disease. She uses this opportunity to jump in, offering to cure it through lying her way in. The trolls seem suspicious, but they accept her offer and let her stay for the night. As the group dismembers for the night, she meets a young jade named Gerbat Batrav. Being curious, Lutzia bombards him with questions, with Gerbat staying pretty neutral. She promises to Gerbat that the disease will be sorted out, and that it'll be easy.
When she meets Alcest and observes the infections, claiming it might be a blood disease or a parasite, Alcest gives her a chance. The group come together outside and plan out what's needed. Lutzia explains that she needs a lab, at first met with some concern, but later agreeing for hygienic reasons. Borwik helps Lutzia out with the first blueprint plan, and everyone proceeds to build it. For a some time, everyone goes on break; Gerbat uses it to talk to Glomer and Lutzia snoops on their conversation. Gerbat offers Lutzia to contact Helica, but she rejects it. The village gets a Corporate truck delivery of equipment for the research, and Lutzia tries to get her estrogen supplements before the driver says it's not important for the research. After retrieving the items, Lutzia gets curious about the huge tree nearby their village, and Sahvel explains that it was planted by Kheparia followers for a ritual.
Urodea starts coughing as the lab is being built, and Lutzia points it out. She agrees that Urodea should only go into quarantine after construction is finished due to her physical strength. As Alcest and Kimosh are being moved into quarantine, Lutzia gets a coat with sequins sewn by Kimosh, and she can be seen wearing it later. After everyone goes to observe the newly built lab with pride, Lutzia assigns tasks to everyone, except Borwik. Pramen walks in with a theory of the disease's origins in associations of Mirthamaniacs, which Lutzia dismisses as being purely nonsense. She asks Pramen to look at her lusus to see if something is wrong with it while Lutzia and Gerbat analyze everyone's blood samples. Pramen finds nothing wrong with the lusus, and Lutzia finds out the disease isn't spread by blood.
At the quarantine hut, Lutzia has some jewelry of her sigil made by Urodea, and questions Sahvel's method of treatment on infections, as she's concerned that his treatment may change the results. While Gerbat is at Neeris' hive, Lutzia finds him and says Alcest wishes to see him. During the two's conversation, Lutzia wasn't in the room, but found out Alcest has died as soon as Gerbat leaves. She goes to the quarantine hut, and grows concerned after Kimosh starts showing signs of insanity through repetitive actions. Urodea informs the others that Kimosh has been sneaking out to go to Neeris, Lutzia responding angrily. Lutzia scolds Kimosh for constantly leaving, but all it responds with is leaving again.
While trying to find Kimosh because of Urodea's call, the rest stay at the quarantine hut. As Urodea starts violently choking, Lutzia attempts to tell Gerbat what to do. Despite their best efforts, Urodea dies in the eyes of everyone, left in shock. The corpse releases spores from infected areas, and Lutzia shouts for everyone to leave. She gathers some of the samples and agrees with having the corpses and quarantine hut burned down, but they simply agree on burying the bodies. At this moment, Lutzia shows her guilt for lying and being a failure. Lutzia also brings up Helica, and attempting to contact her, yet she's forgotten her password and wasn't able to find Helica's trolltag.
Lutzia does a check-up on what others found, but is met with nothing. Gerbat hasn't been working too much due to the spores making him feel insane, and Necera saying she doesn't have the symptom notes Lutzia's looking for. Gerbat calls her over to show the spores he found, but neither of them are able to make a conclusion from what they see.
At one point, the group tries to explain to Mecera that they're cleaning her hive for her own good, but she refuses, eating an unknown plant and killing Margol with Necera's venom nail survival ability. Lutzia investigates some drawers as Necera is curled up and going insane, and she discovers that Necera had those notes all along. After almost everyone is dead, Lutzia admits to Gerbat that she lied about all she said in the beginning. Gerbat admits that he suspected, and that it was at least fun to believe in despite how obvious it all was.
Lutzia wakes up due to noise and the smoke from Pramen setting his hive on fire, causing it to spread. After Borwik informs the rest about Pramen running away, Yarina brings up that they should let Lutzia go too, as she's shown no signs of being infected. Borwik responds by destroying the engine of her van before showing the disappointment of Lutzia not knowing how to help anymore. Gerbat defends Lutzia and what she's done as Borwik collapses on the ground.
After Yarina and Borwik die from the infection, the three left come to a conclusion it's best to let Lutzia go. As they say their goodbyes, she raises concerns if Gerbat and Sahvel will manage on their own, with Gerbat reassuring it's going to be alright. Lutzia flies away with her now pupated lusus, and goes to Helica's hive. Instead, she's greeted with her deceased snail lusus, the old hive in rubble, and Helica herself gone, with no trail left behind.
Personality and traits
At the beginning of Haustoria, Lutzia is shown to be more bold and energetic. She's curious, willing to expand upon her studies on DNA and blood, but with huge passion comes with stubbornness and wanting to go further. Even with plans that aren't fully thought through, Lutzia will try her best to go through them even if it means she has to lie through her teeth to get what she wants.
After a time-skip and nearing the end of Haustoria, Lutzia is more sympathetic and sorry for all of her actions. She's able to admit her mistakes and that what she's done is wrong. Lutzia is now able to apologize and realize her mistakes more easily, and clearly to others.
Lutzia is heavily passionate about blood and DNA analysis. While her previous projects left unsuccessful, she believes that to finish one if it's for the sake of others is more important than anything.
Relationships
Mosquito Lusus
Lutzia's lusus is shown to be in an inactive, pupative state during the majority of Haustoria. Lutzia is shown to have big hopes for the fellow while awaiting it's emergence, and those hopes are shown to be worthwhile towards the ending as the large insect finally reveals itself, giving Lutzia the ability to fly away from the village before they get infected. Their relationship afterwards is not depicted.
Helica Alembi
Helica was Lutzia's kismesis. The two were in a mostly functional relationship, though Lutzia's brash and stubborn attitude frequently lead to Helica worrying about her an incessant amount. Helica tried her best to show support of Lutzia's projects, but Lutzia tried to claim she doesn't support her and that she didn't really appreciate anything. Helica mentions that this fleeing has happened before for shorter times, and even after the longer abandonment shown in Haustoria, Lutzia still attempts to make a comeback after many sweeps, yet with no good news. Their kismesisstude ended after Lutzia abandoned Helica due to an argument.
Gerbat Batrav
After promising to the village that Lutzia will cure their rampant disease, Gerbat is lead to her to become friends. The two are shown to get along well as close friends ever since then, even if Lutzia got too nosy or curious about some things. Lutzia tries to show support to Gerbat when he needs, and vice versa. Lutzia seems to have trusted Gerbat heavily, with the two being around each other, and Gerbat being the first one to find out she lied in the beginning straight from her.
Trivia
- Her would-be classpect according to her Toyhou.se would be Thief of Blood, but Xamag has said that the Toyhou.se profiles aren't entirely canon to what's shown in Haustoria.