"Mortiphone, déesse de l'amour et de la mort, s'il vous plaît laissez votre énergie pour nous nettoyer des impuretés et nous protéger du mal. Seigneur Espiritus, Shepard des âmes et Roi des esprits, s'il vous plaît guidez-nous dans notre temps de besoin. "Trinité douce, Sœurs du destin..."
"Je suis désolée de vous déranger, ma reine, mais Avia a vu quelque chose d'intéressant." Un petit renard blanc et un chat d'or se frottèrent sur le côté de Belladonna alors qu'elle s'agenouillait devant les autels de ses dieux. Elle priait depuis plus d'une heure à ce moment, mais une partie d'elle craignait encore que ses supplications tombent sur les oreilles sourdes. Elle ouvrit les yeux et ils s'enfuyèrent vers les figures de fourrure près d'elle. "C'est pas un problème, chérie." Elle sourit doucement, foulant le félin d'une manière douce.
"Elle prétend que le Roi Lich doit rencontrer le Seigneur des Ténèbres." Belladonna soupira, se levant de sa position agenouillée. Elle ne savait pas quoi en faire. Elle avait envoyé Avia suivre tous les messagers qui quittaient le palais du Seigneur des Ténèbres et il semblait qu'il désirait profondément qu'Anvarwel rejoigne ses rangs. Belladonna n'avait pas encore reçu de demande, mais elle était convaincue qu'elle finirait par venir. Le Seigneur des Ténèbres viendrait désirer chaque morceau de terre à sa portée.
La reine soupira et frotta ses temples. Elle savait que le roi des morts-vivants ne se plierait pas si facilement, mais quand même, si le Seigneur des ténèbres ajoutait ses hordes à son armée déjà infinie, elle savait que la Forêt-Noire ne correspondrait pas à son pouvoir. "S'il vous plaît, apportez-moi le miroir. J'ai besoin de voir par moi-même." Les animaux se hurlèrent d'elle et s'évanouirent, seulement pour réapparaître après plusieurs instants avec un miroir doré orné de la main.
Belladonna leur sourit, hurlant gracieusement pendant qu'elle prenait l'objet. "S'il te plaît", elle lui chuchotait. "Permets-moi de voir." Elle leva la main gauche, amenant la griffe ébène sur son annulaire à la surface du miroir. La réflexion s'est transformée et changée, remplacée par l'image d'une voiture rouge et noire tirait de grands chevaux et était protégée par des soldats non morts. Un sentiment de peur a saisi son estomac et l'a traîné vers le bas. Belladonna a avalé légèrement. Qu'est-ce qu'elle a pu faire?
Elle a posé le miroir sur l'autel et soupira une fois de plus. Elle s'est retournée et a commencé à sortir de la pièce. "Je dois demander un conseil au roi des morts avant qu'il ne parle avec le Seigneur des ténèbres." Les oreilles du renard se sont piquées. "Comment? Il est en route pour le rencontrer en ce moment même." Belladonna sourit. "Tu devrais savoir que quand une sorcière veut quelque chose, elle trouvera un moyen de l'obtenir. Voyons ce que le Roi Lich a prévu."
Un épais brouillard blanc dérive sur la route sur laquelle se déplace la voiture d'Anvarwel. Ses chevaux et ses hommes avec silencieusement engloutis par la brume, qui brouillait légèrement leur. Ils ont paniqué, mais il n'y avait rien à craindre. Une partie du fouet blanc s'est infiltrée dans la voiture, prenant lentement une forme féminine. Après plusieurs instants, une apparition fantomatique de la Sorcière Mère s'assit en face du Roi Undead. "Bonjour, chérie." Elle a dit avec un sourire poli. "Désolé au sujet du brouillard, ça pourrait retarder un peu votre voyage, mais c'est la seule façon pour que je puisse m'assurer que le sort vous rattrape."
Ses yeux dorés regardaient profondément dans les fosses rouges qui étaient les siennes. "Je voulais juste te rendre visite. Voyez si votre royaume était lointain. Juste une reine qui s'occupe de son prochain monarque." Ses yeux voyageaient à l'intérieur de la voiture pendant qu'elle parlait. "De plus, j'ai entendu dire que vous êtes en route pour parler au Seigneur des Ténèbres. Maintenant, je sais que vous n'êtes pas un à se soumettre à l'autre, donc je suis curieux de vos projets." Son sourire a toujours grandi si légèrement. "J'aimerais savoir au cas où il tenterait de recruter la Forêt-Noire dans ses rangs."
Name: Belladonna Hemlock
Titles: The Witch Mother; The Hag Queen; Queen of the Black Forest
Age: Unknown; Appears around early 20's (Rumored to be over 1,000)
Gender: Female
Race: Hag
Appearance: Normally, Belladonna appears as a stunning young woman with flawless pale skin and incredibly fair hair spilling over her shoulders. She is small in stature, little over 5 feet in height and seems delicate and fragile, like a porcelain doll, but one look into her chilling golden eyes will show that she's anything but. As a queen, she has a taste for luxury and wears glamorous gowns and dresses of fine silks and furs. She also has a deep affection for gold, which is always dangling around her neck and off her ears. Her most iconic pieces accessories are the Black Forest Crown and the Mother's Claw. Both have become symbols of her power as a ruler and as a practitioner of the mystic arts.
In her Hag Form, her pupils become catlike slits and her skin gains a gray-green tint. Her mouth becomes full of razor teeth and her finger nails turn into sharp black claws.
Personality: Intellectual and logical, Belladonna is always one to keep calm in the face of adversity. She thinks things through thoroughly, making sure that every detail of her plans is fool proof and will benefit her kingdom. She is rational and level headed, always keeping a calm and frighteningly cool exterior, even if she's boiling with anger underneath. No one can ever be quite sure of how she's feeling or what she's thinking. She's an extremely crafty creature and finds great pleasure in outwitting some of the most clever minds in Aeos. She is quite a skilled strategist, not only in politics and battle, but in almost every aspect of her life. Belladonna loves to have control over the world around her. Every one of her moves is choreographed, every word and phrase has a purpose, and every spell has intent. She can be classified as both a perfectionist and a control freak, as everything must be flawless in her eyes. Belladonna absolutely hates risks and much prefers to know the outcomes of events before they happen. It is thought that she feels this way because, despite her ethereal grace, she has extremely bad luck and has often tripped over her skirts and broken priceless artifacts. As a result of this, she also detests gambling.
Though rumored by those outside of the forest to be a blood thirsty tyrant, the Witch Mother is a just and kind leader, always putting the needs of her people before her own. She adores her kingdom and craves to see her followers reunited with the outside world, but there are still parts of her that holds a grudge against the races that condemned and burned her people. Regardless, Belladonna has forbidden the hags under her rule to kill humans or other races unless they are attacked and have no other option. She is extremely protective of her people and all things that she loves. The Queen can certainly be thought of as a mother, watching over the children of the Black Forest. She's also quite proud and knows herself to be a powerful being, yet she still knows her limitations and will not enter a situation she absolutely knows she cannot get out of. It is just her way.
Weapons: She carries no physical weapon.
Skills/Magic: As the Witch Mother, Belladonna is a very talented practitioner of magic and has dedicated much of her long life to studying the intricate arts of the craft. Her powers are spoken of far and wide, but no one is quite sure of what abilities she truly possesses. She is a skilled healer and has saved the lives of many men, plants, and animals throughout the course of time. She is also a brewer of many potent potions and poisons, which by themselves are capable of many things. Belladonna is also capable of casting quite a large array of spells, from simple love spells to horrible curses and battle magic.
Though she is an exceptional enchantress, Belladonna is beyond lost in combat without her magic. She is a hopeless melee fighter and couldn't handle a weapon to save her life. Physically, she is extremely weak and fragile, which is why she often relies on her familiars to fight on her behalf. There have been several occasions where almost all of her familiars had been defeated and she was left drained, weakened, and extremely vulnerable.
Like all hags, Belladonna has to feed on the life force of another in order to stay beautiful, strong, and alive. She tries to absorb only a minor amount of energy from her hosts in order to reduce the chance of killing them. This comes with a variety of setbacks. Belladonna and her abilities are not to their fullest potential because she refuses to take more than she needs to stay alive. Because of this, murderers, rapists, and other horrible criminals are lured to her castle in times of great need, just in case she needs to take lives in order for her powers to be at their peak. Belladonna also has a hag form, in which she becomes a grotesque ghost of her former self. In this state, she is much faster and somewhat physically stronger, though she's still incompetent in physical battle.
History: Belladonna Hemlock was not always a queen. She was born into the life of the traditional hag. She was raised in a small coven of healers and wise women who lived in the vast forests of Aeos. She and her younger sister, Hel, grew into their powers quickly and were regarded as prodigies by their elders. It was foretold that one of the two sisters would lead their kind into a prosperous new era. Belladonna, whom was constantly tripping over her own feet, was sure that her sister was the one that the prophecy spoke of. She guided her sister, teaching her everything she needed to know and prepping her for leadership.
As the sisters grew older, they grew closer and their powers grew stronger. They broke away from their coven to travel the world and see what Aeos truly had to offer. They wandered, joining up with various hag covens and mage guilds along the way. They learned many things about the mystic arts and gained a reputation as powerful witches, capable of working even the most impossible of miracles. Due to their success, the hags as a race were receiving more recognition and were coming out of the corners of society, taking their first real steps into the light. Then the Demon Lords began to terrorize the world, instilling fear into the hearts of many. Many hags who practiced dark and malevolent sorcery fought alongside the demonic armies, leading many to believe that all hags were in league with the Lords. Thousands upon thousands of hags, a great majority innocent, were hunted down and burned, beheaded, or drowned.
Forced into action, Belladonna fought passionately alongside great warriors and mages again the hordes of demons attacking the land. For a period of time, she even fought shoulder to shoulder with Oonar, the great mage of legend whom would find Aeos' salvation. During their time together, they became increasingly close, sharing secrets of magic and stories from their respective pasts, finding great comfort in each other's company. Eventually, the two became romantically involved and practically attached at the hip, rarely leaving each other's side. Belladonna truly loved the man with all her heart, but her sister was reluctant to accept their relationship. Hel had developed a certain distaste for other races, humans in particular, and detested the fact that Belladonna was sharing her bed with Oonar. She soon left without a word, leaving Belladonna without the only person she had always had. It was hard for her, but she was still able to go on with her lover's help.
One day, a mortally injured hag stumbled into Belladonna's camp and demanded to see her. She rushed to the woman's side and attempted to heal her, but it was in vain. The older hag claimed to be the Witch Mother, the leader of all hags throughout Aeos and gave her an ebony claw. As she lay dying, she spoke of the prophecy of Belladonna's childhood and told her that her destiny was coming. She uttered the words "Black Forest" with her final breaths before she succumbed to her wounds. Belladonna stood up and put the claw on her wedding finger and received a vision of the Black Forest, a place whispered of by hags and feared by all others. That is when she knew what her destiny had come. With a heavy heart and sorrow in her eyes, Belladonna said goodbye to Oonar, who had a destiny of his own, and they parted ways. Belladonna once again travel Aeos and gathered every hag she came across, showing them the Mother's Claw and preaching of her vision and her plan. She gained a massive following and led them where she could feel the god's tugging her. Then, they came upon it.
The Black Forest was long dead when they found it, it's previous king slain by an arrow through the eye and the crown still attached to his skeleton. Belladonna was led to a large tree with images of the goddess Mortiphone and god Espiritus, whom created the forest thousands of years ago in order to give shelter to their followers, the Muertamantes. For centuries, after the mysterious extinction of it's inhabitants, Belladonna believed that the Black Forest could become the new home of her people. She offered herself to the deities of the forest, whom subjected her to tests of the mind and soul, making sure she had pure intentions. She passed their trials and they awarded her with the Black Forest Crown, which allowed her to shape a kingdom for all the hags that followed her.
She ruled as queen after the defeat of the Demon Lords and has done so quite successfully for centuries. There are still whispers of her "wicked ways" and the "evil" of the hags outside of the borders of the Black Forest, but this is nothing compared to the true evil of the Dark Lord. The Black Forest still remains untouched by his forces and Belladonna has not picked a side, but she is frightened that she might be forced to either fight or submit. Neither sound particularly pleasant to her as she isn't sure that there is anything quite powerful enough to fight against the Dark Lord but she not willing to give up her crown and subject her kingdom to the rule of this fiend.