DON'T UNDERESTIMATE MY ABILITY TO TURN YOU INTO RUINS. I WILL SHATTER YOUR SOUL INTO PIECES LIKE YOU DID MINE. I WILL BURN YOUR SANCTUARY. I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU L O V E. NADARA VANSERRA. FAE. HIGH COURT OFFICIAL. PROCEED WITH CAUTION
drink : my muse offers to buy your muse a drink. @ofnadara
those eyes. he was enraptured. the beauty of her dark hair mixed with the eyes that seemed to pierce through his entire being…she was otherworldly. henry fresh off the high of lust and soul consumption decided to approach the woman. this would be an extra bit of fun. he had to know more about her. “i never forget a face like yours yet your name escapes me. care to remind me over a drink?”
this was most likely some sort of ploy to belittle her position by casually ‘forgetting’ her name, but nadara had to admit the presence of intrigue at not being known. “ perhaps if you were incapable of committing it to memory the first time, i should not tell it to you a second. ” her meeting was unfortunately another forty-five minutes away, however, and... “ i could use a martini, dry. perhaps i’ll consider providing my name if the company isn’t abysmal. ”
prompt: my muse wakes up in the same bed as your muse with little recollection of the night before
location: myre grove
with: jasper ( @eternallyxcrooked )
at the first sounds of stirring beside her, nadara began folding the letters lying on her lap. the other fae were at times privy to a more genuine shade of the council member, but aside from her inner circle ? nadara could never find it in herself to trust again.
“ good morning, ” she greeted, voice lilting in faint amusement. “ do you possess any particular idea why i found you unconscious outside my quarters last night ? i attempted to call for a medic, but we are... a bit short staffed after that travesty of a circus. ” in all truth, nadara could only thank the stars the ringmaster had gone after the vampire leadership and not their own.
Yasmin is practically vibrating in her seat. Whilst she doesn’t want to admit it – childlike endeavors are never seen as attractive – she’s been excited for the carnival the moment she set her sights on the name on her ticket. Those around her might have shared the same sentiment – she doesn’t know, as all her attention is focused on trying to see just what’s hidden in the darkness. Yasmin doesn’t get much so she’s off pouting until the music starts and the lights come back on. Her eyes are transfixed on the man that stands in the middle, the earlier bang jolting her out of the way she’s still shaking from what seemed to be a dragon amongst them.
Cute.
The anticipation builds until the show starts, Yasmin’s face dropping with each ‘act’ that comes about. It’s something straight out of a story book and she’s left disappointed. She’s about to stand and head out when someone beats her to it.
And so it really begins.
Yasmin gets no warning as she’s practically blown from her seat, her attention on the corpse that hang high above their heads. The dragon – and she’s real sure of it this time – flies above them and she’s only met with a quick second of pause before the heat starts to burn its way across her skin, boils already making their marks at the expanse of her body. The scream comes from her throat as she tries in vain to heal, berating herself for not consuming before then.
Eyes closed, she tries to get a feel of the damage, wincing at where the burns still remain. She would have to fix that later. Once they flutter back open, Yasmin sees she’s no longer in the tent, the maze surrounding her in all sides. She stands, the action of which leaves her to fall back down, legs shaking at the impact.
“Help,” she tries to cry out, though her voice is hoarse stuck in her throat with ash. “Please help me.”
---
There is no actual interest that the fae woman holds within her for the event. Very little brings her actual enthusiasm anymore. Most of the other court officials had decided to promote and attend the event themselves, unfortunately, which left Nadara to join or seem superior by snubbing them for time to herself.
It is solely for appearance’s sake, then, that she is sitting in a ringside row of the event when chaos ensues. Flames engulf her, and she is sailing through the air as if someone has pummeled her with an endless spell of dark magic. Screams pierce the air as Nadara slowly rises, ears still ringing from the blast. Her body is relatively unharmed, save many scrapes and shallow cuts, but in comparison to the burning flesh around her... she will make do.
Her glamour has fallen, though; energy too depleted to maintain it. She’s yet to even realize as she eyes the girl whimpering on the floor in front of her. Nadara leans down and offers a hand before she can think better of it. “ Do you have any inkling of who is behind this ? ” she asks in a harsh whisper, fear gnawing at her much too soon after the incident with the darkness.
Ariel released his hold on the woman’s elbow at her command, watching as she reached blindly for the dagger attached to her hip. Although she was clearly struggling to find her way, the woman had an air of elegance and power to her that almost made him back down from helping her entirely, if not for the question that kept him rooted in place. “Trust.” Ariel assured, “It is all we have in the darkness. You must allow others to take the lead when you are unable to… otherwise you will only travel in circles.”
The corner of his lip upturned ever so slightly at the woman’s change in tone, her words apologetic even. “I am Ariel.” With an outstretched hand, the fallen angel allowed the woman to take hold of him this time, peering down to shine a bit of light from his glowing eyes. “I apologize for sneaking up on you— I only meant to guide you out of harm’s way.” The nearby predators had moved onto other prey deeper in the forrest while they remained frozen in place and Ariel breathed out a sigh of relief at the safety of their absence. “Do you know where you are?”
---
Travelling in circles. Lips parted for a moment, but she kept the harsh laugh restrained. Nadara had succeeded thus far with almost no one’s assistance but her own. Surely darkness would not be her downfall after so many centuries of incomparable threats.
“ Ariel, ” the fae repeated softly, her fingers wrapping around his hand in a delicate manner. One wrong move and she’d have this Ariel tangled in vines before he could blink, she reassured herself. The small smile she offered in his direction was easier to force with this particular image in mind. “ I was attempting to travel through Myre Grove, ” she explained, only half lying. To and through were quite similar words, after all. Easily mistaken. “ I would... appreciate if you could point me in the right direction. ”
“ I do not mean to intrude, but I think that viewpoint you have is nothing but awful bushwa, ” she informed the other, a huff of annoyance following her words.
The moment she heard another voice, Freyja’s whole body froze. Was it a Demon that had come to snatch her and take her back to the Dominion? Or maybe a Vampire that is ready to snack on her blood? “I’m not a witch.” Freyja said as she finally found a tree to hold onto. She let out a sigh, leaning up against the tree. “I can’t see either. I didn’t do anything to create this.” She let out a groan, her head leaning up against the tree. “What are you?”
Not a witch. The words held some comfort, but a witch was clearly capable of withholding the truth. That was a fact, but... why lie if they held the upper hand ? “ I am a member of the High Court of Fae, so believe me when I say it would be in your best interests not to try anything criminal. ” Nadara angled herself to face the direction of the voice again. “ What precisely are you ? ”
Location: Outside | Anywhere
Who: Open Event Starter
As it turns out, Ariel could prove to be far more useful to the Hideout than strictly providing scientific data and magic. The darkness that settled over the land gave the fallen angel an opportunity to help the community of humans around him in a more tangible way, to be their eyes when they could not see, to lead them forward into the everlasting night. An angel’s occupation consisted mainly of guiding humans on the path to righteousness— he was no stranger to the task. And though he was no longer bound to the will of God, Ariel would not let an innocent being wander into unknown dangers.
With his heightened vision, the angel caught sight of a line of predators along the forrest’s edge, thriving in the darkness, feasting on the poor blinded souls wandering into their trap. Ariel could just make out the form of a stumbling stranger nearing the trees and, in an instant, he was at their side, whispering with an air of urgency. “I would not venture far ahead.” With caution, Ariel wrapped his fingers loosely around an elbow from behind, holding them in place as glowing orbs met their blank gaze. “You can trust me.”
Although Nadara had spent centuries carefully building her reputation of being invincible -- and sometimes even believed it herself -- the reality of the situation was that she was nearly blind. Not only was her vision severely lacking, but the cause was entirely unknown. Desperate, she continued stumbling forward, grasping at the rough bark of trees or anything else she could feel. Myre Grove couldn’t be that far in the distance .... could it ? Her hesitation left her distracted. Only after she felt fingers on her elbow did she realize she was not alone. “ Unhand me ! ” she demanded, reaching for her dagger. Even a blade couldn’t hide that her words were laced more with fear than wrath.
“ Trust ? ” she repeated, but thankfully her scornful laugh was prevented as her breath caught at the man’s glowing eyes. An angel ? Did he think she was a human ? She could play that part, pretend to be some defenseless maiden, if it provided her safe passage. “ I ... didn’t mean to shout. You snuck up on me rather quickly. How can I trust you when I don’t even know your name ? ”
Location: The Outerworld - Desolate Ruins
Who: Open Starter - Event
The darkness fell suddenly and without warning. Sabrakiel looked up from their study, a small crease between their eyebrows. This did not bode well. Quick orders had the Knight Commanders dispatching their Templars to the neutral and human areas in an effort to increase their protections. They didn’t know what was going on but millennia of honed instincts told them it couldn’t be good. The things that went bump in the night would surely come crawling out of the woodwork and they wanted to be prepared.
Their angelic features faded away as Sabrakiel landed in the ruins of the Outerworld. Sword strapped to her side, she wanted to make sure that any stragglers weren’t left in the cold and could be ferried back to safer ground. Her boots crunched against the rubble - stealth was not her objective here - and she methodically swept the ruins, eyes sharp for movement. Just as she was about to head out, a small scuffle caught her attention.
“Well met,” she called out cordially. “Come forward and meet me in the faint light.”
Her day had started at the Haven, and having arrived at the territory of The Forgotten was no small feat after the sun appeared to have quite literally vanished. Fae lived for centuries, Nadara included, and yet she could not recall this taking place before. Her week’s errands were completed as she’d met with a member of the Merfolk and questioned them to no avail over if they’d had any hand in the darkness. The source was perhaps something foolish and witch-related after all...
At the voice, Nadara glanced behind her. Even without her vision, she could tell this woman was no mercenary or assassin to concern herself over. She caused too much attention to herself to be an immediate threat. “ What a demand, ” she called out in return, still looking the other over. “ Do you not think it wise to keep a safe distance from strangers ? Particularly when our vision is shrouded. I mean you no harm, if you can say the same. ”
Location: The Haven
Where: Edge of Osaerin’s Abyss
Who: Open to all
Freyja knew she had been away from the Dominion a little too long. She needed to get back before they noticed she had left. As she walked through the streets of the Haven, she began to notice the lights that had once lit up the streets were dimming. She frowned and paused in step. It was becoming harder and harder for her to see anything with every passing second.
“Fuck.” She cursed under her breath as she made her way towards the edge of the Haven. She didn’t know her way back without her eyes. She had no idea which way was what as the darkness nestled around her. She lifted a hand, trying to see how far she could see. She couldn’t. “Fuck!” She shouted and then placed a hand over her mouth quickly. She was on the edge of the Haven but that didn’t mean there weren’t predators around. And now with this darkness… she knew it only gave them leverage.
Her heart pounded fast as she turned in place, trying to lay eyes on any source of light but she saw nothing. No lamp, no weapon, nothing to help her in any way. In laymen’s terms, Freyja was screwed. She took a few steps back when she heard a branch break near her. She sucked in her breath, trying to make as little noise as possible. However, her heart was pounding excessively and she knew it would give her away.
The position of High Court official held many perks, but regrettably, never leaving Myre Grove was not one of them. Nadara preferred to send her trusted members of the court on any emissary outing. Sometimes, however, she found herself the only option for a diplomatic outing. As soon as the meeting held in The Haven ( an easy selection for neutral territory between species -- why would she ever desire a non-Fae in Myre Grove ? ) had concluded, she’d already risen from her seat, eager to return home and scrub away any trace of her travels. Fate, it seemed, had other plans.
As she escaped towards the edges of the crowded marketplace known as Osaerin’s Abyss, Nadara watched in horror as the pathway faded away before her. Her senses -- or, at least, her vision -- had been dimmed dramatically, which could only mean -- had someone poisoned her ? At the sounded of a woman nearby swearing, Nadara reached for the ornate dagger she kept on her person at all times, hidden in a sewn fold in her gown. “ Are you a witch ? ” she accused as she spun toward where she imagined the source of the voice to be. “ Return my vision immediately or I assure you the consequences will be unimaginably worse than blindness. ”
𝔦 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔩𝔡 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔶𝔬𝔲 - child - there is nothing on this planet that nadara loves except for them. despite disliking her own parents’ need to control her life, she absolutely guards her child like a hawk and tries to pick all their friends and future spouse. fae. tba vanserra. at least half white. 200 years old.
𝔳𝔦𝔬𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔡𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔰 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔳𝔦𝔬𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔰 - partner in crime - for whatever motivation (are they childhood friends? does serving her give them favors? are they fellow court officials scheming for decades? do they love her? are they just evil af?), this is the only person nadara trusts to include in her darkest schemes. they’re also the one who killed her late husband. - fae - preferably a high court official, advisor, or guard
𝔱𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔠𝔞𝔩 𝔭𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔠𝔞𝔩 𝔟𝔯𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢 - favorite high court official - these two have an agreement of sorts, whether assumed or verbal, to support one another’s campaigns and directives. perhaps they’re equally as malevolent/scheming/elitist or just easily swayed so nadara keeps them around. - fae - high court official
𝔟𝔢 𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔢𝔣𝔲𝔩 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔬𝔫𝔢 - enemies of the court - her least favorite high court official, advisor, and guard. she thinks they have opposing motives or play favorites other than her, and trusts them less than anyone else. she seeks to have them removed from court and replaced with others who better align with her ideals. - fae - 1 high court official, 1 advisor, 1 guard
𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔢𝔯 𝔠𝔦𝔯𝔠𝔩𝔢 - favored of the court - although she may not divulge her deepest, darkest secrets like her partner in crime (although they could be one of these 3), she does seek their advice/enjoy their company/trust them not to get her killed. she might even call them her friends if she remembered where her heart was located. 1 high court official, 1 advisor, 1 guard
𝔦 𝔟𝔢𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔞𝔫𝔱 𝔪𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔡 - the demon she destroyed probably had loved ones too. maybe? well, if he did, nadara probably made it very clear in some gruesome manner who left him dead. oooh or maybe a lover of her late husband who suspects her hand in his death? give me conflict. any species/age/gender.
𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔪𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔟𝔢 𝔤𝔬𝔬𝔡 𝔦𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲 - childhood friend - someone who remembers a young, benevolent nadara who wanted nothing more than to fall in love and traipse barefoot through forests on adventures. someone she hasn’t entirely cut out of her life because she admires/pities that they won’t give up on her. fae/merfolk.
𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔢𝔫𝔢𝔪𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔪𝔶 𝔢𝔫𝔢𝔪𝔶 - friendly - nadara doesn’t trust the merfolk at all, even with their alliance. still, this one is her favorite and she... doesn’t think they’re the worst. merfolk. any age/gender.
( katie mcgrath, 1200, female, she/her, fae, high court official ) It’s been a while since we’ve seen NADARA VANSERRA. I hear they’re a FAE and they reside in MYRE GROVE. Some may say they act DECEPTIVE & VENGEFUL, while other’s claim they are RESOURCEFUL & RESOLUTE. With that being said, their soul will always remain a little crooked.
full name: nadara pyraea vanserra
birthdate: late autumn, 900.
nicknames: tba.
hometown:
900. nadara has not been around since anything as far as the beginning, but she has been alive through every supernatural event since the creation of those cursed vampires.
1005. as a young fae, she was already taught the importance of isolation from other species. the fae were good and the other species were bad and would have them dead if given the opportunity. even the merfolk were to be allied with, but not trusted.
this made sense to a young nadara, except... could those humans truly be so dangerous?
1111. her curiosity, or perhaps naive innocence of youth, got the best of her, and she was so bold as to meet one once. he was kind and handsome, and she spent many a night secretly meeting with him. he spoke of grand ideas that didn’t belong in the time of retribution: love and happiness and adventure. she wanted that with him. and she had it, for a time, until he grew older and she... did not. at least, not in the same way. humans were f r a g i l e, beautiful candles.
1121. desperate to keep her love, nadara decided to remove her glamour and admit her fae origins. perhaps she could trade something of value to a witch and be granted a human lifespan. could they siphon her years? she would do it, for him. unfortunately, the human had other ideas. a fae ? he’d been courting a f a e ? instead of agreeing to a life with her, she found an iron blade at her throat. horrified and humiliated, she charmed him to drop the knife and ran without looking back. humans were so consumed by their fear that they allowed themselves to be vile.
1232. nearly a century later, the earth degraded more, and yet another species (werewolves) had been created. by now, nadara had begun to feel the sense of superiority her parents had taught her. the other species were only botched experiments in attempts to reach the heights of species like the fae. would they never learn ?
1720. despite the evil hearts of the creatures walking the earth, the earth itself had never done anything to deserve its toil. nadara became interested in studying what could be done to save it. when scale harvesting began, she was in full support. surely magic could save the earth, couldn’t it? besides, the merfolk were agreeable to the process.
1770. a peace had settled over the earth at last, and nadara began to believe it was permanent. she found love once more, this time with another fae from a less noble family. her family forbade it, but it didn’t stop nadara from being courted by him for decades.
1800. nadara began suffering from night terrors, incoherent dreams that made no sense. flashes of a wedding, of a beautiful child with her lover, of said lover being torn apart. she refused his offers of marriage, terrified of these dreams becoming real if she let herself be happy. couldn’t he be happy with whatever they shared now?
1900. tensions were growing so strong between the species, that nadara feared for the fate of the fae. to counteract her night terrors, she’d spent the last century on her only solution: magic. the peace she’d once fought for for the earth could come later. for now, she would suffer the dark consequences of magic to keep her future family safe. she would become powerful, and they would marry at last and have that beautiful child.
late 1930. at last, despite her magic use, nadara’s nightmares came to fruition. her lover had been murdered somehow, by a demon. it was not only the humans, she realized, but all other species who did not deserve peace. they were a blight on the earth. she hunted the demon down and killed him herself. it was not enough.
early 1931. in the middle of the human revolution, nadara realized she was with child. an observant son of a rival noble family noticed as well. he’d yet to manage to father any child himself, and it was questionable whether he could. he offered her a marriage of convenience, safety from an out-of-wedlock scandal and the ability for his own line to continue in name. there was no love, as nadara was still mourning and barely tolerated his cruel nature on a good day, but she had no better option than to disgrace her family and ruin her own reputation. she wed him and it was the terrible frivolous event she’d had nightmares of for decades.
1993. when the humans began to form an uprising, not all fae survived the battles, and nadara took the opportunity to... see to it that her now high court official husband... didn’t return from his journeys. he’d blackmailed her and never respected her, and she used the leverage of his family name and her own to claim his now vacant position.
2130. where once was a hopeful and adventurous girl with her heart on her sleeve stands a deceptive and manipulative ruler. although many may see her perfect court etiquette and eloquent speeches as someone benevolent, nadara cares for nothing but gaining enough power that she can never be hurt again and that her sole heir shall never have a hair on their head harmed.
hobbies include: learning others’ secrets to use as leverage, charming other fae to keep her position, matchmaking her child with other high court officials’ children, gardening, practicing magic, winning
