Athelea, Hope's Beacon I

Athelea was born to a noble house of the city of Val Miran, a house with a proud lineage dating back for longer than most of the Royal dy- nasties of that city. However, when she was a small child, her father moved her mother and her to a small village near Banor Forest after a fateful battle with a vampire. During the course of the fight, her father had been infected with the curse of undeath. He became gravely ill, as the infection in his body began the conversion from living to unliving flesh. Even at her early aged, Athelea realized that once the taint had run it's course, her father would be gone and a crea- ture of darkness take his place. And that is what happened. Her father disappeared into the night, and she never saw him again, though she heard tales of his dark activities. For this reason she does not choose to go by her family name, preferring to be known simply as Athelea.

Athelea made her way to Val Miran, where she set out to redeem the heritage of her family. She joined the royal house of Val Miran at a time of great conflict, the beginning of the long war with the Nexus. In those days, it was not uncommon for to see hordes of demons roaming the street, and the royal house of the city was greatly diminished. Young Athelea found a mentor in the Duchess Liandra, a fellow healer. They spent many long hours together discussing their hopes and plans for the city, and in time became like family to one another. Much of what Athelea knows of diplomacy, she credits to Liandra's instruction. It was a great tragedy when Liandra chose to take her own life to ap- pease the Warlord Charim of the Warmasters, especially since it left young Athelea standing almost alone against the Nexus.

Athelea went through changes after Liandra's death. No longer the young girl who came to Val Miran seeking her heritage, she took on the burden of responsibility for the lives of her citizens, as well as the newer members of the house. She came to look on the people of her city as her own children, and to love them as a mother would. She watched as they grew and matured, she shared in their triumphs, fai- lures and despairs, and they in turn came to trust and respect her. She became known as the Beacon of Hope, for even those who were shunned by society and immortal alike would find a friend in her to help them seek redemption. Her new station was not without price, however. She felt her roll as Queen and Matriarch could not be set aside for a moment to live the life of a mere woman, so she urged her would-be suitors to turn elsewhere, and forget their feelings for her. She has been assisted in her work by able young nobles, such as Isa- beau, Seiluna, and Sonterralla. There have been dark times, as well, for Athelea and her city, as when Sirant was finally destroyed in the abandoned Temple of Darkness, after laying much of the rest of the city to waste.