Ravyria

Origins
Ravyria was born into a thriving and mighty civilization, Ascendants had risen and perished for hundreds of years since Idrena the First, and the Veneran people had fought, built, and innovated ever since. However as it turned out, the coming of Ravyria would change all of this. A clever, stoic and, fittingly, ravenous girl... she was trained in combat like every Veneran, but it was never enough for her. She would surpass any challenge put to her and demand another, and another, desperately searching for her limits. Upon reaching adulthood she had established a reputation as an astonishing warrior and mysterious loner, never taking to romance of any sort unlike so many of her peers, and maintaining an almost contemplative solitude.

Appearance
Ravyria, like all Venerans, possesses an almost ethereal appearance. Pale skinned and emerald eyed with hair of purest shadow. She was complimented as beautiful beyond measure, even in her early life. Though none of her admirers were met with any success of course.

Ascendancy and the Red Reign.
While it is not entirely certain why, Ravyria shortly chose to leave the city of Vasileia, striking out on her own. As was somewhat predictable for promising young warriors, she traveled to the Spire of Dominion in search of the Halls of Ascendancy. Vasileia and the Veneran people as a whole had been without an Ascendant for a period of two months, it had naturally become common for aspirants to flock to the Halls, though none had returned.

Ravyria changed that. She emerged bearing a blade and shield of unwavering strength, she herself stronger and more fierce than ever. And with the same heady air of purpose that each and every Ascendant seemed to show in abundance.

Her descent of the spire was fatefully interrupted as she crossed a bridge that spanned a great chasm. From a concealed ledge below sprang a vicious Kynivar, propelling itself upwards toward her with incredible speed and shattering the bridge, sending her tumbling into the chasm. And directly onto the reeling Kynivars back.

Ravyria is said to have wrestled with the beast in midair as it struggled to remain aloft and dislodge her at the same time, however somehow managing to maintain her grip and survive the encounter. Indeed, it is recorded that approximately seven hours after her departure Ravyria returned, alighting above Vasileia astride a mighty white Kynivar upon the brink of dusk and non verbally announcing her Ascendancy to the entire city.

She was entered into the Pantheon of Ascendancy and began her reign, bestowing the name 'Starlight' upon her new mount and forming a close bond with it. However all would not be smooth sailing, so to speak. Ravyria's own 'troublesome' qualities had only been accentuated by her time within the Halls, she innovated and experimented in constant search of just what made Venera's weaponry and architecture so perfect, using methods some would consider wasteful and blasphemous. In time two further Ascendants came to be: Athys and Kyara, each presiding over a different city.

Ravyria would go on to alienate them both, denouncing them as unwilling to further their kind when they refused her request to pool their knowledge of Venera's works. It would appear that each Ascendant see's whatever they had learned whilst within the Halls as sacred and known only to themselves, resulting in a somewhat harmful arrogance when faced with a situation involving multiple Ascendants.

The Red Reign
During these perilous times it became clear that each of the three cities and their surrounding lands were loyal to their own respective Ascendants, tension mounted until it threatened to reach a boiling point, eventually leading Athys and Kyara to form a union dedicated to destroying Ravyria should she attack. Ironically this event would trigger the burgeoning war in full, an angered Ravyria utilizing what success she had had working with Venera's materials and absconding with several weapons of ancient Ascendants that had been preserved within the Pantheon.

These weapons she succeeded in melting down and reforging into armor for her own personal use. Stronger than anything worn by either opposing Ascendant, sufficient to shatter any non-Ascendant weapons upon hard contact. This act was seen as disrespectful of revered members of the Pantheon, and even Ravyria herself agreed, but she was ever willing to put aside tradition in search of advancement, be it personal or societal.

Garbed in her new protections and bearing blade and shield, she rallied her warriors and mounted her Kynivar, leading a host into battle against not one but two opposing Ascendants for the first time in Veneran history.

After their march, Ravyria's force found themselves encamped across a river from Athys and Kyara's own combined force. Outnumbered slightly in terms of warriors and completely in terms of Ascendants, Ravyria might have been expected to turn to a defensive doctrine, or else attempt negotiation. She didn't.

Under cover of night she mounted Starlight and flew silently towards the source of the rushing river, ascending a cliff face down which poured a waterfall, dismounting, and waiting. As dawn neared she induced her Kynivar to spew its highly flammable acid into the torrent, continually venting more and more of the noxious substance down the cliff face and inevitably through the very current that separated the two armies.

As expected, the absence of Ravyria was noted by Athys and Kyara, a potential opportunity to strike at an apparently leaderless army... but it was bound to be a trick of some sort, would she truly leave in such a way...

Time slipped through their fingers as they watched Ravyria's army assemble on the opposite bank, drawing up battle lines proudly and without any apparent fear. Their Ascendant still nowhere to be seen. Projectile weapons were soon brought to bear, powerful siege bows were set into position, loaded, and fired across the river directly into their waiting army. Athys and Kyara could sit idle no longer and allow their numbers to dwindle, a charge was called and the frustrated and bloodthirsty warriors plunged across the river towards Ravyria's force.

It was at this point that her trap became apparent, flaming projectiles of all sorts were immediately directed into the river, made flammable by the noxious spew of the Kynivar and completely unnoticed due to its negligible coloration.

The vanguard of Athys and Kyara's forces were burned away in a horrific conflagration, followed by Ravyria's own descent from where she had lay in wait. Her Kynivar sowed further destruction from above while her warriors finally countercharged, leading to a savage melee. However her deception had placed the odds firmly in Ravyria's favor...

Those odds were to be ensured when she finally dismounted and sought personal combat with Athys and Kyara, the duel was by all accounts titanic, each combatant extremely skilled... however Ravyria's armor deflected each and every one of the few blows successfully landed against it. It was only a matter of time before her blade executed her two nemeses.

With this battle, known as the Red Reign, Ravyria's unquestioned superiority as an Ascendant of Venera was established in the eyes of all.