HEAVY SPOILER
Lorian was born the second son of Marnsul Dal, the Autumn Lord. He was always intense, perhaps too much so for his family’s tastes. Marnsul was perhaps the most kind of all the kings of Unseelie, and so Lorian grew up in the wild surroundings of the autumnal groves, among thick branches and copper leaves, not really fearing his father. He was free, untamed, and as his shadowy powers grew, so did his pride. He still managed to be level-headed and normal through it all, even if he had some darker tendencies and a dominant personality. He had three friends among the High Fae, and the four of them would go into the fire after each other. Lorian would go after them if they needed it, killing anyone who tried to harm them.
His brother Lerrel did not see him as a member of the family, but as a threat to his position. His own royal powers were of autumn kind, not spectacular are rare shadows – and that alone made him hate Lorian, he feared that Lorian would become more worthy of the crown. Lerrel was always angry and cruel, and disliked the fact that Lorian was popular at court.
They fought verbally, which turned into a vicious war, Lerrel used every means to undermine Lorian, Lorian grew colder as the endless animosity began to overcome the whole court. The factions emerged, the Unseelie Fae supporting their chosen ones with typical excitement and whimsical glee. The court split, and the king finally had enough.
Lorian and Lerrel eventually went so deep, that there was not coming back. Lerrel used forbidden magic to remove Lorian and Lorian had no remorse about crawling into his heart and bones with his shadows, and he pressed his will so hard that it killed Lerrel.
This could end very badly… for everyone.
But… the forest looked at Lorian, and Lorian felt its heart beat in his veins.
The dark forest liked him. It promised well.
The leaves began to fall, autumn was ending, and so was its reign.
The reign of winter was about to begin. Marnsul knew what that meant. When the forest chose, the old king died, as he had always done since the beginning of the Fae race.
They were bound to it, as Forest descendants. And the Forest has always been a cruel father to its children, capricious and unpredictable.
Lorian was not like his father. He was much darker, but also charming and much less rigid than Marnsul. He freed the feykind from the harsh traditions that bound them and that his father loved so much, and the court soon became decadent. Darker, too. The Fae, nightly at heart, simply… liked it, even if Lorian usually punished offenders and those who deserved it harshly, even cruelly. They preferred it to stagnation. When he bonded with Nymre, the raven spy, his eyes lit up with new fire. He loved his life, dangerous and wild, even more than in his youth. His intensity grew, and he hated as much as he loved. Something was in the air as the shadows began to thicken around him, a promise of the deep night.
Lorian had no descendants, so he could not be replaced, but the woods were silent about it, as if they forgave him, as if they knew he would not stop until the Fae ruled all the lands. Until forest magic spreads. That one day he would send winter through south and east and north and west.
The dark, wintry forest was hungry, and so were the Fae. So was Lorian. The barriers between the Fey land and the other kingdoms were slowly breaking down, and no one knew why, even if it allowed the Fey to feed their curiosity and darkness on the lower races – but Lorian learned the reason.
In those days Lorian read a lot. He knew old stories that only a royal lineage would know. And he took a chance. With the gods, thirsty for souls and life, and in their slumber, they unconsciously broke all barriers, their power shattering the magical bonds of Ain’asel.
They slept beneath the temple in Natsel’sorl, where changelings guarded them, silent priests performing rites in their name. The old stories hinted at something no non-royal Fae knew – that no matter what, every 20,000 years they would awaken to drink from the Unseelie, and then fall asleep again, sated and filled with their magic. And this time was coming fast, the gods were already awakening, slowly opening their inner eyes. Lorian used every dark and vile means at his disposal to trap the gods in a limbo between reality and sleep. And he began to slowly strip them of their power.
He did it mostly to save himself, and Nymre, person he loved, truly. But the god’s power became a drug for him, and he changed even more, into a much darker person. But it didn’t create a new person out of him – the thirst for the god’s blood only intensified his traits, which he kept under control most of the time, not allowing them to be seen. The power, moreover, was stronger than anything the Fae could endure, and he suffered terrible pain.
And so he suffered and ruled for countless more years, growing more corrupt, more vile, more bloodthirsty. He became “The Shadow”. He never told anyone of his pain. Not even Nymre. Not even when he thought she might suspect; but he would never hurt her, even if he was now disposing of the lives of others with a light hand, enjoying their pain, feeding on their fear, killing his own emptiness and suffering with screams. He felt the call of the forest, the winter in his veins, calling him by name… luring him deeper into the cruel pit of no return. And he hated it and loved it, absolutely. He loved his darkness, it became his cruel friend, his shadowy bride… but at the same time he longed for his youth, when everything was… simpler and purer.
But Lorian is not violent without reason – he has his boundaries. Yet he knows where an apt punishment needs to go, what he can allow his Court and what not. He is master of political strategy and his pawns always are placed in most functional and suitable places.
“I want to hear the gods scream as I scream in my head. To hear them as I rip out their souls and replace them with void”.
Short info:
Gender: Male
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black
Complexion: Pale
Personality: Sadistic, cruel, proud, unforgiving, intense, passionate towards those he likes, cold towards everyone else.
Love interest: Nymre (raven fae), Leira (human)
Family: Lerrel (brother – deceased), Marnsul (father – deceased), Iri (mother – deceased)
Power: Shadow Magic