Aurora (Matriarch of The Wail)
Aurora
(Matriarch of The Wail)
So many characters have their origins firmly planted within the Black Forest Inn. I believe it best to "start" by introducing one explicitly developed to fill a hole while expanding the universe. Gather around Madlings, and allow your humble Maiden to begin our journey into discovering the people that populate this insane world.
Over the past three years, I have traced this woman's timeline through nearly forty years of storytelling. Developing Aurora has allowed me a static force that the rest of the world can swirl around. With all this in mind, I might be initially vague about things, and some names are still placeholders till I rename them. I have to keep you coming back somehow, Madlings!
Aurora's origin is roughly thirty to forty years before our initial timeline. We will cross over many details; if some of this gets confusing, that's ok. We will fix it, my little beta-reader Madlings <3
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If you were to ask Aurora her age, her lip would curl, followed by a silent shrug. This response was typical of children sired near the beginning of the last war between Atlantis and the Vermilion Cartel. For nearly two decades, the Cartel waged a territorial war against Atlantis. Aurora was one of many orphans produced from this conflict.
Aurora doesn't remember her parents. How could she? Was she orphaned at three? Four? It mattered very little to Aurora, the lineage of her family. Her adoptive name, the one given by her father, that name held no meaning. She was Aurora, a nickname someone exceptional gave her during her adolescence. After the incident that split Aurora from her love and forced her into isolation within the Obsidian Wail, Aurora was simply Aurora.
The vampire clans controlled the Wail long before Atlantis or the Cartel emerged as dominant forces in the region. Even during the war, the Cartel and Atlantis feared the Obsidian Wail. When Aurora came to their Lord and asked for admittance to the Wail and sought sanctuary in the Undercroft, he thought her insane. Her initial admittance into the Wail occurred at a very high price.
Aurora could have quickly entered this dense forest of monsters if she had come alone. The three children she was now responsible for significantly complicated matters. Convincing a madman to allow the Blood Dragons child into his territory is monumental. Yet somehow, less dangerous than the plan her love was carrying out. Right now, she was the distraction Myrilandel needed.
Five years of tortuous servitude to the reigning Lord passed before she would find her freedom again. Her body had bought her children a place to be forgotten by those that chased her. The concept of day and night was meaningless in the Wail. She would rise to lead war bands through hunts of creatures. If lucky, her Lord was preoccupied, and she would spend evenings teaching her children. Sadly, life in the Wail is harsh, and Aurora spent more evenings than she liked servicing the lunatic.
Patience was always going to be required for her goals to be a success. She played at forces many believed to be sacrilege when she created Atius and Alcmene. Belial was an entirely different nightmare. Many thought him to have perished with his heretic mother. Thus, she waited five years for people to accept her in the castle. Aurora would again pay heavily for freedom, but soon she would have her sanctuary deeper within the forest. She could never have envisioned that this night could destroy her over ten years later.
Aurora's Wayward Soul Inn, a haven and mercenary camp for the poor souls who called the Obsidian Wail home. Within some of the Obsidian Wail's darkest areas, Aurora built a community for herself. Here she would have more time to raise her children. Myrilandel had named her Aurora "The Dawn" after all the darkness of recent memory she would bring light to this hellscape.
The current Regent Lord, or "The Crown" as he liked to call himself, was more willing to give Aurora freedom. Her five years of military service gave her a reputation as a reliable asset. This reputation she exploited to fund a decent living in a landscape of pure insanity. As her children grew, they would slaughter the forest of monsters. Another decade will pass before Victor "The Crown" plays his hand. Aurora had unknowingly handed Victor everything he needed. He was patient, and Victor knew he had already won the game with the deck Aurora left him.
She knew better than to show her capabilities, but killing a vampire claiming to have lived millennia is no easy feat. Aurora spent years gaining the trust of specific individuals. Even then, the ancient being wouldn't go down easy. The battle required utilizing years of knowledge gained in her youth. A style taught to her by her father, then honed as a disciple of the Blood Dragon.
Her adoptive parents taught her how to channel the elemental forces of the planet and manipulate them. Vesper, her zealot adoptive father, was adept in water and wind manipulation. An eternity was spent training every day in her youth to please him to make him proud. Yet, he quickly reminded her how much her aptitude was a disappointment.
Aurora's never seen the colors of the wind nor the elegant waves of water. Aurora's roots had always been in the primordial forces of earth and fire. Draining carbon from the world around her, Aurora can heat and compress it so quickly internally that her skin becomes as strong as a diamond. In her early years of training, she enjoyed teasing sword masters that dueled her in the capital. Heroes of the Vermilion Sea War would cry as she melted their steel swords merely by gripping the blade. Then, in a display of dominance, Aurora would burn a hole through their chest with the tip of her finger. This torture would continue until she held the heart of any foolish enough to challenge her.
Vesper had pulled Aurora from the streets. He was vicious and cruel, and before Aurora met Myrilandel and the Blood Dragon, so was she. If somehow she managed to allow Myrilandel to succeed in her goal all those years ago. Even if Aurora spent an eternity saving people in this damned forest. None of it would matter; she would never forgive herself. Her violence-filled youth will always haunt her.
In her desire to help the wayward souls of the Obsidian Wail, she had grown in notoriety. Before long, word spread of Aurora, "The Rune Warrior," protector of the weak and Matriarch of the Wayward Souls Inn. A distinct fighting style few know, along with raising three children who have grown into their personalities. Soon a chance encounter and naive intentions will rip Aurora back to her roots.
As rumors of war between Atlantis and the Vermilion Cartel continued to swirl, Aurora discovered a horrible reality. The Obsidian Wail shall no longer remain neutral. Victor had dreams of expanding his Empire. No longer would his kind remain hidden within the Wail. Once again, she will battle forces larger than herself to protect those she holds most precious.
Before, the idea of a Vampire crossing the Vermilion Sea to enter the Wasteland was ludicrous. The journey north and entering the colossal catacombs of ice known as Atlantis is an entirely different beast. However, few are privy to the fact that generations of feeding off the magical blood produced by the Wail have freed them of particular vulnerabilities.
Victor's deal will force Aurora back into a world she thought she had once abandoned. Old rivalries and secrets will come to light as her children discover their places in this world. Will Aurora again be forced to make an immense sacrifice for her children? Or, in her twilight hour, will an echo of her past usher in the dawn?
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Thank you, Madlings, for being here and shining a light within my little Madhouse. We hinted at so much today, yet there is still much more to share with you all! I pray you enjoyed reading about one of our main characters Aurora. Not sure where we are going next, so if anything here interests you, let me know!
Blessed Be Madlings!
Maiden <3
