Aphelion

Aphelion Morwen Elizabeth Seremela (VI)
Created	January 6, 2014
Status	Semi-Active
Race	Human (Kindred)
Hometown	Riverhold
Classes	Cleric Ranger Thug
Followed	DarkClaw
Relatives	Briefly squired to Venom

Mud Contributions:

Aphelion was an aggressive competitor in the 2014 TFC Olympics, and took 4th place in the overall individual standings. Her efforts scored 57% of Team Lost's 3rd place finish in the overall competition.

Current Description (02/05/14):

Her struggle to control a new and unbearable Thirst is written all over the 
unusually lovely features of this soldier. Her lush crimson lips are parted 
by the protrusion of sharp fangs, her silvery eyes darkened to an icy steel 
gray. Her long, crimson-streaked black hair is bound back to keep it out of
her face and from becoming stained when she relents and slakes her Hunger.  
Drawing on her military training and deeply ingrained self-discipline, she 
focuses on the impossible task ahead:  to turn this unwelcome Rebirth into 
a useful tool or weapon, instead of the curse that has ended her bloodline
and stripped her of all that she held dear.  Her hands shift restlessly at
her sides, callouses visible on her palms from her weapon haft. Impeccable
armor, carefully maintained, wards her tall frame, but here and there, the
removal of insignia has left small scars upon its surface, another sign of
what has been Lost.

Dressing for the Kindred Masquerade: Dec 20, 2014

Bright silver eyes gaze back at you from behind the mysterious barrier of a 
black raven mask of suede and feathers. The beak of the mask is open, as if
in a scream of victory as she gathers the spirits of the slain. The pungent
scent of death and misery clings to the form of the entity before you and a 
ghostly mist trails behind her, as if for this one night, she has become an
Incarna of the Morrigan - the Carrion Crow - in truth and not masquerade.

Aphelion has a special twinkle in her eye.
Aphelion is in perfect health. 

Aphelion is using:
<used as light>     (Powerful magic) (Glowing) the Rod of Magic
<worn on finger>    (Artifact magic) (Transient Glow) A Memento of Hope Lost
<worn on finger>    (Moderate magic) (Glowing) (Humming) a ring of violet diamonds
<worn around neck>  (Token magic) a single glossy black feather
<worn around neck>  a high collar of black suede and sable feathers
<worn on body>      a form-fitting gown of black velvet with a feathered bodice
<worn on head>      a beaked raven mask of black leather and sable feathers
<worn on legs>      (Red Aura) sheer black silk stockings
<worn on arms>      long, wing-like sleeves of sable feathers
<worn about body>   (Moderate magic) a feather cloak
<worn around wrist> a set of bangles
<worn around wrist> a set of bangles
<wielded>           a raven's claw
<wielded off-hand>  a raven's claw
<worn with pride>   the Ebon Sigil Odegra
<worn with pride>   a scarlet ribbon bearing a medallion of nickel
<worn with pride>   a badge, a pin, 4 ribbons

WHO Lists:

01/07/14  -  Hum [       Cl: 8       ] Aphelion Morwen Seremela
01/13/14  -  Hum [    Ra: 9 Cl: 9    ] Aphelion Morwen Seremela
01/17/14  -  Hum [ Tg: 9 Cl: 9 Ra: 9 ] Aphelion Morwen Seremela
01/20/14  -  Hum [ Cl:12 Tg:12 Ra:12 ] Aphelion Morwen Seremela, Squired to Venom
01/25/14  -  Hum [ Cl:17 Ra:15 Tg:15 ] Aphelion Morwen Seremela, Squired to Venom
01/27/14  -  Hum [ Ra:17 Cl:18 Tg:15 ] Aphelion Morwen Seremela, Squired to Venom
02/03/14  -  Hum [ Cl:22 Tg:18 Ra:18 ] Aphelion has Lost her family name.
03/02/14  -  Hum [ Tg:25 Ra:25 Cl:25 ] Aphelion has lost more than her family name
04/29/14  -  Hum [ Ra:28 Cl:29 Tg:28 ] Aphelion: so much Lost, so much Gained
06/18/14  -  Hum [ Ra:29 Cl:30 Tg:29 ] Aphelion: so much Lost..
06/20/14  -  Hum [ Ra:30 Tg:30 Cl:30 ] Aphelion: so much Lost..

Character History:

Part I

It is not the endless repetition of my tutors that was the musical score of my childhood – it was the cadence of marching feet and the calling of drills that echoed through the courtyard of the manor. Father took his duties as a captain of the Kayrron Guard seriously and the men at arms of our household were put through their paces no less rigorously than those of the city. As soon as I could hold a stick, I would mimic them from the balcony of my chamber, which had a bird’s eye view of their movements – far more interesting than practicing embroidery or canning preserves. Father indulged me, so long as my instructors gave me good marks, once bragging to a friend that I was a more apt student than most of his two-year cadets.

After his service to the guard was up, Father could have become a condottieri, but instead, decided to continue his service to Kayrron, as an ambassador. Cookery and the laying in of herbs were replaced with geography and language. We left behind the safety of our manor and moved in different circles: glittering courts with bright flowers and stalking creatures, intrigues and shadow dealings. I learned to wear the plumage and blend in with the other doves, despite a hawk’s heart, all while using my eyes to see and my ears to hear that which would assist my father in his negotiations. Hated lessons in dance mingled with memorizing the lineage of the Great Houses and the proper placement of forks -- and daggers. Whispers followed, of course – the false pity for a girl with a mother lost in childbirth, dragged about by a father more accustomed to the field of honor than the field of politics. I learned to ignore it; those lessons would prove handy.

Years passed; my world was my father and my governess, Shuvalriel, and our travels. I saw the gleaming spires of Cillidellia, travelled the ancient roads of the North, picked mushrooms in caves beneath dwarven cities, listened silently and veiled in vast deserts, knelt in prayer beneath a night sky, and learned of the One I would accept as my deity. Shuvalriel was pleased when I pledged to Onieros, dark Father of Dreams to the Drow elves. Her schooling in her native tongue had been peppered with ritual songs and tales of adventure.

I noticed first; the paleness to his features. The way that Father’s breath would sometimes catch unexpectedly during moments of exertion. His pace had slowed; it was to be expected, given the weight that soldiering buries deep in the bones. In his advanced years, old wounds pained him more, but this was something else, something more pernicious. None of the remedies in any of the lands we had travelled gave him comfort. I hired sages and priests to no avail; none could cure him, only ease the pain somewhat.

We returned to the manor in Kayrron for the first time in a decade and I sought out the oldest shelves of the library, seeking some mention of anything that could stave off this malady. There, I found a whisper of it: the blood of the Kindred was rumored to be a cure for any ailment. While Kindred were not uncommon in Kayrron, a recent edict by the Prince had sent them all into hiding, upon threat of meeting the sun – it appears his Highness had not appreciated the attentions of his favorite paramour being distracted by their presence. I would have to seek them elsewhere.

This is my quest; to find the cure.

Trivia:

• Aphelion is the fifth vampire created by DarkClaw

Personal Timeline:

01/20/14: Aphelion swears personal fealty to Venom for a year and a day.
01/21/14: Aphelion is attacked by Ort and harassed by Sagan when she responds with silence. Sagan says (in common), 'Aphelion's not talking much, her mouth is probably full. :('. As an unaligned, the Rule of Three is not honored, having not been requested in advance.
01/25/14: Aphelion is slain by Ort. Determined to put this shame behind her, she gains nine ascensions in the next 36 hours.
01/28/14: Aphelion is slain by Zephyr.
02/03/14: Against her will, Aphelion is Turned by DarkClaw when she makes the mistake of offering the out-of-control vampire a blood oath, after her term of service is abruptly ended by Mayhem: Aphelion's End
02/08/14: Aphelion wins the Olympic Rings Scavenger Hunt, with some assistance from Belsambar with the Black Ring.
02/09/14: Aphelion enters the Olympic Haiku, but does not place: Battle lines are drawn / Pawns facing across a board / Who will win today?
02/25/14: Tynian announces the final standings, and Aphelion takes fourth place in the overall. Her efforts help push Team Lost to the Bronze Medal, with 57% of their total score coming from Aphelion's contributions.
06/20/14: At the request of The Eldest, Aphelion seeks and obtains her final Ascension, witnessed by DarkClaw and Orpik.