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Belladonna Hemlock

"I am a queen before all else, Darling. I will give my people a proper chance."

0 · 1,413 views · located in Aeos

a character in “Aeos: The Dark Lord”, as played by LuckyNumber24

Description

Image


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:

The Black Forest Crown~ Belladonna's head is always graced by the Black Forest Crown, an ancient artifact that identifies the ruler of the archaic and mysterious land that is the Black Forest. The crown connects the wearer with the very life force of the Black Forest and they become one in a sense. The wearer may create almost anything they desire within their domain from walls of thorns to fertile pastures to glorious castles. The Crown, however, comes with a price. It's wearer is forever connected to the Black Forest and will die if enough damage is dealt to the life within. They will feel every strike of an axe, every tree set ablaze, and every lake poisoned. Many have died wearing it.

The Mother's Claw~ Worn by the leader of the hags for generations, the Mother's Claw grants it's owner the service of several spirit familiars that have protected the Witch Mothers for as long as hags have existed. The familiars take the form of several animals that often accompany the Witch Mother, but they may be concealed within the claw. The claw's owner must also give a portion of their energy to summon a familiar to their side, which will cause the master to become significantly weakened if they are forced to summon over three of them to their side. Though the familiars serve the Witch Mother, they have free will and do as they please. There have been familiars of the claw that have left the service of the hags or, even worse, betrayed them for new masters. The familiars of the claw can be made completely subordinate, but this is only done through the darkest and unethical magic. Though the familiars cannot be easily killed, as they are spirits, they can be harmed and temporarily sent back to their ethereal plane if they sustain enough damage. Once they are sent back, it can take several days for them to gather the energy to return to their master's side. Their master will also be significantly weakened by the departure of their familiars.

The Current Familiars and Their Animal Forms:
Lunara - Wolf
Noche - Bat
Chiro - Bat
Motty - Moth
Felix - Cat
Kira - Fox
Avia - Eagle

Broom~ Belladonna's primary mode of transportation is a magic broomstick that she uses to fly across the sky.

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.

So begins...

Belladonna Hemlock's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The Dark Lord Character Portrait: Belladonna Hemlock Character Portrait: Anvarwel
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"Mortiphone, Goddess of Love and Death, please allow your energy to cleanse us of impurities and protect us from evil. Lord Espiritus, Shepard of Souls and King of Spirits, please guide us in our time of need. Sweet Trinity, Sisters of Fate-"

"I'm so sorry to disturb you, My Queen, but Avia has seen something of interest." A small white fox and golden tom cat rubbed against Belladonna's side as she kneeled before the altars of her gods. She had been praying for over an hour at this point, but a part of her still feared that her pleas fell on deaf ears. She opened her eyes and they drifted to the furry figures near her. "It's of no trouble, Darling." She smiled softly, stroking the feline in a gentle manner.

"She claims that the Lich King is to meet with the Dark Lord." Belladonna sighed, rising from her kneeling position. She didn't know what to make of this. She had sent Avia to follow any messengers leaving the Dark Lord's palace and it seemed that he deeply desired Anvarwel to join his ranks. Belladonna had not yet received a request, but she was positive that it would eventually come. The Dark Lord would come to desire every piece of land in his reach.

The queen sighed and rubbed her temples. She knew the Undead King would not bend so easily, but still, if the Dark Lord added his hordes to his already endless army, she knew that the Black Forest would be no match for his power. "Please bring me the mirror. I need to see for myself." The animals nodded at her and scurried off, only to reappear after several moments with an ornate golden hand mirror.

Belladonna smiled at them, nodding graciously as she took the item. "Please" She whispered to it. "Allow me to see." She lifted her left hand, bringing the ebony claw on her ring finger to the mirror's surface. The reflection morphed and changed, replaced by the image of a red and black carriage pulled large horses and protected by undead soldiers. A feeling of fear gripped her stomach and dragged it down. Belladonna swallowed slightly. What could she do?

She put the mirror down on the altar and sighed once more. She turned and began walking out of the room. "I need to request a council with the Undead King before he speaks with the Dark Lord." The fox's ears pricked up. "How? He's on his way to meet with him at this very moment." Belladonna smiled. "You should know that when a witch wants something, she'll find a way to get it. Let us see what the Lich King has planned."

A heavy white fog drifted over the road on which Anvarwel's carriage traveled. His horses and men with silently engulfed by the mist, which clouded their slightly. They panicked, but there was nothing to fear. Some of the white whisp seeped into the carriage, slowly taking a feminine shape. After several moments, a ghostly apparition of the Witch Mother sat across from the Undead King. "Hello, Darling." She said with a polite smile. "Sorry about the fog, it might delay your journey a bit, but it's the only way I could make sure the spell would catch up with you."

Her golden eyes stared deeply into the red pits that were his. "I just wanted to pay you a visit. See if your kingdom was faring. Just a queen checking in on her fellow monarch." Her eyes traveled the interior of the carriage as she spoke. "Also, I've heard that you're currently on your way to speak with the Dark Lord. Now, I know you aren't one to submit to another, so I'm curious of your plans." Her smile grew ever so slightly. "I'd like to know just in case he tries to recruit the Black Forest into his ranks."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The Dark Lord Character Portrait: Belladonna Hemlock Character Portrait: Anvarwel
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#, as written by claw
Anvarwel had in fact gotten bored and already started to read some of the books that were in his carriage. Right now he was reading a book on the correct application of certain types of toadstools to hallucinogenic potions, a book he had little interest in frankly though he was subscripted to the belief that information was power, and there were few more powerful than him in that respect.

Despite having little interest in his book he was engrossed enough to hardly notice the magical mist entering his carriage chamber, that was until it talked to him. 'Hello, Darling' came a pleasant and familiar voice from just across from him, which made him look up over the lip of the book, which he quickly placed back down on the pile next to him.

"Lady Belladonna, it has been far too long since we last spoke." He said in a voice of genuine surprise and delight. He had always enjoyed the company of the Witch Queen, and not just because it sounded good next to his own title of Lich King. He inclined his head as a way of forgiving Belladonna's explanation of why his journey would be slower than expected. "I can hardly be angered now can I? If memory serves I pulled much the same trick on you the last time we spoke." It was here he would have given a smile, if he possessed flesh.

The Lich leaned back into his chair, though not needing comfort he did not enjoy the feeling of hard wood underneath him. "I think you would be pleased to learn that my kingdom has grown in recent years, I'm sure you heard of the Goblin clans that live out in the Eastern Waste beyond the mountains?" He casually raised a hand to inspect the back of his knuckles. "Suffice to say that I now enjoy a larger realm and a greater number of Thralls. I myself am most curious as to hear what is happening to the north, seeing as your realm borders mine from there and the Elves in my employment have been getting rather... Jumpy of late, I was hoping you could shed some light on that patch of grey. Which I remember as a skill of yours."

It was with some disappointment on his part that the meeting was moved on as swiftly as it was, but then again immortals didn't have all the time in the world. "Your ability to find out important details never ends does it? Indeed I am planning on meeting this upstart Dark Lord from the west, I am most curios how he has been able to achieve in 100 years what took me 300 to accomplish." He leaned forwards here to look the Witch Queen in the pits of her golden eyes. "So far I wish to discover who he is, as best I can. To learn the extent of his power, and of course how much he is willing to give away to earn my aid. I after all recently came across a rather juicy piece of information." He paused for a second. "Of course this information has little impact on one such as yourself, but for me it is the most important thing I have ever encountered." He watched her smile grow, knowing full well where her mind was going. "My Lady, if you think after this time I am simply going to betray you, I'm utterly hurt. You should after all know we are the powers here in the east, and if this Dark Lord decides to wage war on one of us, it is with both of us he fights." He put particular emphasis on this, to demonstrate that he if he could not defeat an invasion then Belladonna would have little more hope. "No. I am simply here to make the initial demands and political trading of blows that must of course happen, I'll of course inform you before I make any decision, what would a tyrant be without advice after all?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The Dark Lord Character Portrait: Belladonna Hemlock Character Portrait: Tharac Galbash Character Portrait: Hel Hemlock Character Portrait: Anvarwel Character Portrait: Fathom
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Hel held her smile, though she was less than ecstatic about having to spend more time than necessary with Fathom, who was increasingly annoying her. Sacrificial divination was the least effective? Not a single one of her predictions had been wrong during her time as an advisor to the Dark Lord or as a servant of Mother Mal. And even Hel had to admit that Tharac, as savage as he could be, was far more cunning than others gave him credit for. It took more than brute strength and a knack for destruction to get to the rank he had risen too.

But, regardless of her feelings, she bowed to her lord. "As you wish, my Lord. I'll return to the Red Palace and put together a party of my best before departing for the Orc's forces." She stood as the messenger came in, relaying news of the Lich King. Hel raised an eyebrow. "My Lord, what are your plans of negotiating with the Lich King?" Her voice was filled with sincere concern, though she didn't intend for it to sound as feeble as it did. She swallowed, composing herself. "The Lich King is unlike the other monarchs you've faced. I'm not questioning your strength or wisdom, but-" Her voice drifted off. "I simply wish for you to be careful. He's a crafty creature, my Lord."
_________________________________________________________________________________

Belladonna smiled at the Lich King, laughing softly as he recounted the last time they had spoken. "Yes, I suppose you did use this same trick, didn't you?" She listened intently to his words, taking a small sigh of relief when he said that their kingdoms would fight together should the Dark Lord attack either of them. That certainly put her mind at ease.

The Witch Mother sat up straight and pushed a strand of her fair blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm glad your land is faring so well. Those goblins must have been nasty to deal with at first. I remember several centuries back when the little buggers invaded the Black Forest. Killed a good number of my people before we drove them out." She looked out of the carriage window, seeing nothing but the screen of white fog she had summoned. "Things in the North are well. We've had successful crops, healthy babes being born, and the Forest itself is stronger than ever." Belladonna's hand went to her crown, which connected her to her land. She could feel the pulse of every creature, the growth of every plant, and the vibrations of the magic within it's borders.

"Oh yes," Belladonna began. "Tensions are high between my subjects and your elves, but nothing extremely out of hand has happened. A couple of scuffles here and there along the border, but they're usually quick and there's been no casualties." The Witch Queen chuckled. "Some of them have discovered that hags may appear like fragile flowers at first, but we're forces to be reckoned with." She toyed with the gold chain around her neck as she looked to the Lich King.

"It gives me great relief that my kingdom is still not alone in the shadow of the Dark Lord's army. Our numbers are growing, but we're still not strong enough to stand a chance against a force such as his by ourselves." Belladonna's hand went to her bosom, right over her heart. "As a ruler, I hope you can understand my concern. It's comforting to have an ally like the Bywnans Boragweyth." She glanced coolly into Anvarwel's eyes. "The Black Forest will support any decision you make." She paused, thinking about the piece of 'juicy information' that he had. "I'm curious, old friend, what is this knowledge you possess?" She leaned forward. "Perhaps we can make an exchange of knowledge? I've caught wind of a certain item that the Lord is looking for. Well, not exactly an item and more of a person, but I digress."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The Dark Lord Character Portrait: Belladonna Hemlock Character Portrait: Anvarwel
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#, as written by claw
The Lich had remained in the same casual position whilst he and Belladonna were speaking. Now he leaned back a bit, the talk of Goblins was bringing back enjoyable memories, he had not fought a true war in decades and the Goblin conquests were little more than pest control after the first few months. That was after he was able to get past their fortifications of course. The Goblin invasions were however an interesting time for both of the Eastern Realms.

He leaned forwards slightly as his fellow monarch discussed the goings on in her own realm, he had no concern for the lives of newborns, after all the deeper on dug the more skeletons they were likely to find, and who has time to wait to train a soldier when you can simply raise one? It took a second for him to remember that not every magic wielder was a powerful necromancer such as he. The talk of scuffles however intrigued him. "I personally think Elves have always found something... Unsettling about Hags, then again I have yet to see an Elf not of use to me. Until that day I think we can stand a little racial tension, it always keeps things fresh when there has been no wars." He would however make a note of that bit of information, for one he would have to add some knights to the northern patrols to keep things in check, or maybe he would let the Azure Knight deal with them.

He had to agree with Belladonna that they could not stand alone here. No doubt that the two nations standing together would draw others to them, maybe even powerful allies. He had almost fazed out when he realised Belladonna was still talking. "The Black Forest will support any decision you make." He bowed his head slightly "An alliance as old and powerful as ours, well now. We cannot allow a simply difference of opinion to tear us apart, neither of us wishes to loose power here. Immortality is rather dull without something like politics to pass the time I find."

If Anvarwel had possessed any flesh it would be now that he would have grinned, the posse sing and sometimes sharing of information was something of a joy of his, particularly when that piece of information was thousands of years old. "Some time ago I came across a legend, well several legends with one major connection actually. You do not want to know how I found them nor how long it took me to get them. Tell me, have you ever heard the of the God of Undeath?" He paused for a moment to let the title sink in. "It is said many millennia ago an ancient Lich discovered, through dark magic, a way of becoming a creature of dark power. To do this it searched for decades, eventually discovering the last piece of the puzzle, a black Dragon. It was here were the lines between fiction and legend begin to become harder to define, the most realistic source I could find was this God of Undeath began to rule a mighty empire. A common theme that seems to repeat on a cycle, but I'm distracting myself. This so called god was eventually defeated after nearly 1000 years ruling by an unnamed saviour, who seemed to simply vanish into time itself. Of course, the likelihood of this tale being true is small, but stranger things have happened even in the last 100 years and the rewards... Well I think you get the picture." He stopped for a moment to look out of the window, he considered whether this Dark Lord would listen or simply think he was being mocked, at least he could come up with a secondary bargain, he turned back to Belladonna. "I believe that holding an edge over this Dark Lord when I go to meet him may work in our favour. If I am aware of secret knowledge it may unnerve him into making a foolish decision. So tell me, what does the man who has everything but us seek?"