Cerys of Sevinna

[Talwyn]

Note, this character will replace Nanashi.

Cerys of Sevinna

I refrain from love, claim no land, bear no children. I fight not for glory nor rewards.
I shall shed light on the darkness as my vigil commences. I shall bring light at the darkest hour.
I am the blade that brings the dawn. I am the shepherd of the Flames.
 I am the warden of the land. I pledge my life to the Hallowed Flames until my light goes out.

Oath of the Knights of the Hallowed Flames

Name: Cerys (Seh-ries) Age: 28 when she first died Race: Revenant
	Physical description The legends told of her in her native land of Sevinna would give one the impression she would be a tall and impressive figure. Nothing could be further from the truth however. She barely reaches 5’2” (160 cm) in height and that includes the inch she gets from her boots. Her sword is almost as long as she is. This often draws curious looks due to her short stature and slender, almost frail looking, body. Her long, greyish blonde hair is tied into a braid down her back, while several locks frame her fair skinned face. Her deep-set eyes seem dead and cold show little to no emotion, further emphasized by her mouth. Her lips always pressed close together. She often tries to hide her left eye and part of the skin around it, as the hollowing process has reached a level where that part of body will never look like a normal human being again. Those caught staring at it are often met with a deadly glare.
Personality Cerys cannot stand injustice and freely steps in to protect those unable to do so themselves. Acts of betrayal can make her go into a murderous rampage that will not stop until justice has been meted out, as befitting of her title as Avatar of Vengeance. While not specifically unkind, she prefers to avoid others, being well aware of how most consider her a monstrosity. Having been betrayed by everything she ever believed in, as well as the one man she ever loved, it should come as no surprise that her trust is not won easily. She still wears her old uniform with pride however. Even though she helped tear down the knightly order to stop its corruption, their oath carries meaning to her and she will spend the rest of her days living by it. Leaving her beloved country behind has been hard on her, but she is driven by a raging need for vengeance against those that betrayed their oaths and killed her. As well as the desire to find a way to undo the undead curse bestowed upon her. Every time she recovers, her soul feels more hollow. The curse gnawing at her memories to create a rampaging instrument of vengeance with no recollection of the proud person she once was, or the ideals she held dear. That thought, frightens her more than anything. Abilities Swordsmanship Cerys was trained in the use of the sword when she joined the order. And while she was never the best, she did manage to be in the top ten of her year. Despite her short stature and frail looking body, she can swing the mighty blade with ease and she has cut down many a foe that underestimated her abilities. Pyromancy Like swordsmanship, the art of pyromancy was taught to those that joined the order. Cerys excelled at this part of her training. Using incantations, the user prays to Belinos, the guardian god of Sevinna to produce powerful flame based magic. Undead Cerys is a revenant. A being brought back to life because it still had a purpose to fulfil in the world. Belinos himself brought her back from the dead, to exact vengeance for the both of them. Being undead, she has no need for food, water or even sleep. All the sustenance she requires is acquired by basking in the heat of a fire. It rejuvenates her strength and reverses the “hollowing”, as she calls it, to a certain extent. Hollowing is the process of her becoming less and less human. It causes her body to look decayed and withered as well deteriorating her mind. When she is struck down, her corpse will gather the life essence of nearby life toreconstruct itself and every time this happens, it becomes harder to reverse the hollowing process. She has reached a point where the part around her left eye is permanently hollowed. No matter how long she takes in the heat of a fire, it will no longer change back to how it should look. The further along the hollowing process is the more her mind deteriorates and the more she loses touch of her humanity. It will become harder for her discern friend from foe slowly changing her into a murderous instrument of revenge. This does not mean she is invincible however. Severing her head from her body would destroy her, as would killing her with holy magic. In fact, ever since Belinos raised her from the dead, she has been uneasy around holy ground. The more hollowed she becomes, the harder it is to move freely on hallowed ground. Biography Cerys was born and raised in the now ruined and desolate kingdom of Sevinna, the daughter of simple farmers. She lived a simple and humble life with little excitement. Too little in her opinion. Blessed with an inquisitive and adventurous spirit, she left the farm when she was fourteen to join the Knights of the Hallowed Flames. This knightly order was dedicated to the protection of Sevinna. They travelled throughout the kingdom to protect the innocent. When a knight would enter a town, he was lauded as a hero and welcomed with open arms. Their primary task however, was to guard the Sacred Flames. These ancient fires had been burning since the beginning of time and were said to protect the kingdom from harm. Legends told that so long as these fires burned, Belinos would safeguard the land from all harm. And indeed in the history of Sevinna, there had been only one disaster. The Flame at the Shrine of Miran in the north of Sevinna had died out. Shortly after, the neighboring towns were hit with a devastating plague. Thousands died until the knights finally managed to reignite the flame. For Cerys, joining the order was a chance to escape her life of simplicity and dullness. A chance at adventure and excitement. The other students deemed her cold and distant, but this was purely due to her forcing herself to excel at everything. She became one of the best swordsmen of her class and excelled in the sacred art of Pyromancy. The night before she was to be knighted, she spirited away with Aeron, her best friend and the only man she ever loved. She knew it was against the rules, but she wanted to give in to her feelings just one time. Just once, she wanted to know what it was like to love. And so, she gave herself over to him for just the one night. That quiet, starry night filled with passion was the only time she ever broke her vows. When the morning came, she gave him one last kiss as she thanked him before putting her clothes on and made her way back to her bunk. Leaving no one but the two of them to know what had happened that night. When the knighting ceremony was over and she had been given the title of knight, she wept with joy. And upon coming home for the first time in years, she was welcomed like a hero. While she served her order with pride and dignity, Cerys rose to be a prominent member of the order. She even became a living legend when she single handedly defended the Flame at Aldmist Tower from a band of cultists. No one would question her valor, honor and dedication and children everywhere aspired to be like her. But, even legends can fall from grace... Over the centuries, the order had grown and their influence had expanded. And as always, power tends to corrupt. Even now, rumors where all over the place that knights where demanding payment for their services. More and more often, the of Sevinna and the leaders of the order clashed with their ideals. Every year, during the summer solstice, the knights would travel from all over Sevinna to the Incandescent Fort. This gathering was always meant as a time to renew friendships and to discuss the course the order should take. However, the gathering a year after Cerys had been named Knight Templar, took a dark turn. The High Templar of the order declared that the order would overthrow the monarchy. All of the senior Templars agreed, as did most of the younger knights. Cerys rose from her seat and objected. Reciting the oath she had taken while looking at the High Templar, her eyes filled with rage. She argued that it was not their place to do so. “I refrain from love, claim no land, bear no children. I fight not for glory nor rewards.” she reminded them. She argued that the order should reach out to the and solve the problems peacefully. Cerys was the youngest Knight Templar in the history of the order. Combined with her fame, this gave her quite the following amongst the younger knights. The senior Templars however, would not budge. After hours of arguing, the High Templar called for silence and adjourned the meeting for the day. Not giving up, Cerys followed the High Templar to his quarters and confronted him there in private. She pleaded with him to reconsider. Yet, he would have none of it. After some more arguing, the man sighed. Looking past her, he gave a single nod. Turning around, Cerys noticed that Aeron had entered the room. The smile on her face faded away as he plunged his dagger into her stomach. Struggling to stay upright, tears ran down her cheek. “Why?” She asked the one man she had ever loved. “Sometimes, to create something great, you first have to destroy. Without you to lead them, the other dissidents will grow silent. Then we can create a truly great nation. One not ruled by fear of Belinos’ wrath.” As she fell to her knees, Aeron plunged another dagger into her heart. The last thing she saw, was the floor coming closer and closer before everything went black. Opening her eyes again, all she saw was darkness and a single light. Stumbling her way towards it, she realized it was a large fire. Basking in the heat of the flames, a voice called out to her. “Betrayal! Sinners! Deceivers! Murderers! Heed me, oh loyal one. Like myself, thou hast been forsaken by thine brethren. Even in death, thine heart is still true. Thou shalt be my instrument of vengeance. Slay thine sinning brethren.” She cried out as the flames enveloped her. Waking once more, she found herself covered in ash and sooth. Dragging herself out of the remains of the funeral pyre, she looked down at her stomach and breast. The stab wounds had disappeared. Her clothes had no sign of being stabbed or burned, nor did her sword appear worse for wear. Sheathing the weapon she grabbed her head as the voice boomed into her mind. Opening the doors of the crematory, the two guards turned ashen. Before she could think, a burning rage and need for vengeance welled up inside her. Grabbing both of their faces, she growled an incantation. Both of the guards screamed in agony as she burned them alive. She killed all who stood between her and the fortress’s exit. Making her way through the city, she reached the palace. She had to warn the . Tell him what the others were planning. Upon reaching the gate however, she noticed the banners. They were the banners of the order. Grabbing her sword, she slammed the blade in between the two iron doors and chanted another spell. The blade erupted in a blazing fire, and started to melt the iron around it. Once the gate had been weakened enough, she threw her shoulders at it and barged through. Fighting her way to the prison, she freed what remained of the royal family. While eager to continue her rampage of vengeance, the young prince calmed her down and begged her to escort him and his sister to safety. With great reluctance she agreed. It was from them that she learned that almost half a year had passed since the coup. She made up a story about being far away when the coup happened as she escorted the two across the land to the one town still loyal to the crown. The people there begged for her help. They needed her, they told her. They needed a hero to rally behind. During her time with the loyalists, she managed to piece together what had happened. She had died that day in the High Templars chambers. And while she walked the earth once more, she wasn’t sure she was actually alive. There was no need for sleep. No hunger, no thirst. People around her shivered from non-existing cold and their breath misted in the air. The only thing that seemed to nurture her, was the heat of fires. On the battle field, she was a rampaging demon of vengeance, bringing victory to every battle she was in. When she got struck down, she would sooner or later get back up. But these deaths did not come without cost. Everything around her corpse would wither slowly, feeding and repairing her broken body. The more she died, the more she felt hollow inside. In time, her left eye turned red and the skin around it started to look distorted and withered. Feeding on the heat of a nearby fire seemed to reverse this, but even that was no longer enough after a while. And though in need of her, the people she was helping grew afraid of her. Whispers were going through the ranks that she had become a demon. A monster that would sooner or later turn on them. The fear continued to spread and when at last the usurpers had been beaten and scattered, they turned on her. Once more, she was betrayed by those she had come to trust. Bitterness welled up from deep inside her and in a frenzy, she slaughtered her would be executioners. Feeling indignant, she set out to find the knights that survived before her wrath would overtake her and make her throw her beloved country into further chaos.

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