[Doohl]

Asta Hargrave
High Lord of Myllenoris | The Reborn

Origin

Asta Hargrave is the granddaughter of Holly Hargrave, a druid of renown and Knight of the Order, and Arthmael Dioltas, a Rhoynur man. Asta was born a normal human in Myllenoris. A prominent druid raised her after her parents disappeared; he sold a controversial, supposed cure-all for aging. He was later ousted as a fraud, and exiled from the kingdom, having scammed hundreds out of a fortune. Rumors say he left to seek patronage from the Empire of Aen.

But the druid left behind an elemental sprite to watch over and protect Asta. It pushed her to the Teraphim for protection and guidance. Though but a human and daughter of a criminal, the Valeborn took her in to train in the arts of magic and the ways of Aschea. The Greycloaks took notice of her incredible talent and gave her the means to refine it. They gave her a way to serve her kingdom. She was subject to scorn and mockery from the ranks of the Teraphim, who saw her as nothing more than a lowly human.

At the age of 20, Asta set out with a small band of fighters and Greycloaks to investigate a rumor of fell witchcraft in the outskirts of Esshar. There, she discovered a town under the hex of an elder witch of the old Moonfall coven. Battle engulfed the town, and in a few hours, hundreds lay slain, including the witch herself.

Death and Rebirth

The witch dealt Asta a mortal wound; a curse that rotted her body inside-out. Her condition worsened with every passing hour. The Valeborn elected to gift her the Rite of the Chrysalis, as her sacrifice for the kingdom deemed her worthy and loyal enough. And so, her life was spared. Her heart melded with the sprite that her father had left for her. As crystal enveloped her body, she fell into a coma for almost a decade to recover from the curse.

She left behind a few children, some perhaps too young to remember their mother. Without her, they grew up orphans. Despite this, they may rise to greatness throughout Esshar. Eventually, they will come to the realization that they allegedly-dead mother was reborn as the High Lord of Myllenoris. Depending on their allegiances, this may lead to some extremely tragic, but compelling, sequence of events. (See more at the end for OOC info)

Invasion of Barsburg

Nearly ten years later, 1725 AC. Asta awakens at the height of the conflict with the Empire of Barsburg. Many had forgotten about her. Some had believed the curse had killed her. She's said to have only asked one question to her new kin. Then, she volunteered to secure the borders of Myllenoris. With her help, roving armies, bandits, and raiding parties from Theria were pushed back. Both her combat and leadership ability contributed to the security of the kingdom's borders. Despite this, however, Myllenoris suffered greatly from the war. Famine gripped many of Myllenoris' poorer towns. Though many civilians did not die from direct war action, tens of thousands died from the food vacuum caused by the movement of armies.

Asta earned a reputation on the front for her ruthlessness in battle and a lack of care in human suffering. Among her most notable atrocities was ordering the execution of all captured soldiers that had trespassed into Myllenoris' domain after the official cease-fire. As retribution for the Myllenoran lives lost in the war, a few hundred warriors of Osrona, Theria and Barsburg were unceremoniously put to death.


After the conflict, she dedicated years of her life to restoring the territories most affected by the war. Just as readily as she took life, she helped restore it. She mobilized the most gifted nature magi and druids in Myllenoris to put an end to the famine in a mere month. It is believed her actions spared the lives of many more tens of thousands that would have succumbed to starvation. She oversaw the rebuilding of ruined cities and took in many orphaned children to train under the Valeborn in the hopes that they would find new meaning, as she once did.

Her actions in the later half of the war earned her a spot among the Mistseers; the most trusted advisers to High Lord Randor. Asta's first action among the Mistseers being to execute the prisoners of war caused incredible controversy among the Valeborn, yet Randor did not reprimand Asta, or remark on the matter at all. The High Lord is said to have taken a special interest in Asta. Rumors spread of some form of romantic relationship between the two. Or, perhaps, a one-sided infatuation that allowed Asta to exert far more power than she should have had.



Post-War, Ascension to High Lord

Her time spent in her unusual crystalline coma has given her strange insights that few of her kind share with her. She has a wisdom of centuries, a far difference from her human form and even most of her Teraphim kin. Asta's council (and likely, personal company) was greatly valued by High Lord Randor. Wherever he went, she followed.

A year after the ceasefire, the High Lord visited a town at the outskirts of Myllenoris' domain on a diplomatic mission to peacefully drive out a lingering band of Rhoynish mercenaries that turned to robbery and pillaging now that their war-time contract was forfeit. Asta was present. Negotiations did not go well, as many of the mercenaries recognized Asta from the war. The Rhoynish angrily demanded a fortune to peacefully leave. Just as it seemed diplomacy would completely fall apart and the first strike would be exchanged, one mercenary captain decided to take the High Lord by surprise. Randor's crystal heart was instantly vaporized in a mighty blast of plasma that's said to have been felt ten miles away.

The Rhoynish made a successful retreat back to the desert. Myllenoris was left without a ruler, as the High Lord did not have any children or dictate a proper line of succession. High Lord Randor was well over 50 years old and showed almost no signs of aging. It seemed as if he was going to rule forever. Nobody expected his sudden death. This moment of confusion afforded Asta the opportunity to usurp the title of High Lord for herself.

Asta was thought to be the favored and chosen Teraphim of Randor, so the majority did not question or challenge her rise to power.

With a new, relatively-young High Lord, the future of Myllenoris appears uncertain. Change is on the horizon, but will it be change for the better?


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Asta was once human. She bore an undisclosed number of children from an undisclosed number of fathers. If you think it would be interesting to play a child of the High Lord of Myllenoris, DM me at Doohl#5701 and we can talk about your character ideas / what you'd want to do. Do note, this does not mean you have to play a Teraphim or a Myllenoris character. In fact, it is almost preferred if you do not. You are completely free to be whatever race/faction you want to be (you could even think about changing your existing character's backstory for this...).The point is to have a pre-existing source of IC drama and conflict that comes with having, potentially, the enemy faction leader as your mother. I think it's an interesting plot point that could be explored and used to tell an interesting story for everyone involved.

You can also contact me if you're in Myllenoris and want to set up pre-established relationships / plans!