Lady Ariela Samhradh ni Scathach
Ishraqi Sayf, the Niteblade
The Niteblade
Agent of the Cat's Cradle
Sidhe Wilder of the Unbroken Dreamers
Description
Mortal form: ~Brilliant beauty, as dazzling as the sun, shines on the dismal scenery. Shadows are chased away with this angelic young woman’s entrance. Ariela is most often clad all in the expensive finery befitting a silver spoon girl. Whether that encompasses an evening gown, lady’s business suit, party dress, or even a vinyl cat-suit is irrelevant. Regardless of mode of dress, Ariela favors black. This is perhaps because it brings out her bright features. Hair like woven gold is prepared to match her attire in any number of simple or stylish, elegant manners. Sea-green, star-struck eyes sweep over her surroundings. Ariela’s creamy skin boasts sheer perfection. Her sweet lips command attention with that terrifying, rakish smirk. To sum up, the slender and athletically-toned twenty-ish girl stops traffic and inspires artists. She is more than a supermodel beauty. Ariela stands like a modern-day Aphrodite. What the hell is a girl like this doing here?!~
OOC: Appearance 5 (radiant); Surreal Beauty, Surreal Quality
Fae mien: ~The “inferior” human façade vanishes to the fey eye. And when the Mists are cleared away, the goddess is realized. Her stately nature becomes a symbolic stature of quiet authority and flashing, danger-seeking eyes with the depths of the ocean. Her golden hair drifts long and soft, as if caught in a sea-breeze, revealing gently pointed ears. Her elfin beauty becomes almost incomprehensible, and lesser minds may even shut down in bedazzlement. She seems to stand so tall that she must look down upon all others. Yet her black silk trousers and vest (with a sleeveless shirt beneath), along with leather boots and a fine cape wound up over her chest and under arm tempers her noble bearing. She is not a princess after all. Ariela is clearly an adventurer and warrior-woman. If the chromatic hues failed to give her loyalty away, the pin on her cape by her breast depicting the unicorn might give away her heritage. Regardless, the sword-belt around her waist - apparently absent of weapons - can clue a fey observer into Ariela’s intent and purpose. Beautiful but deadly, refined but determined, Ariela is like the Sidhe heroines of myth. What the hell sort of quest could bring such a noble here?!~
OOC: Appearance 6 (radiant); Surreal Beauty, Surreal Quality
"The destination doesn’t mean a thing if the road is old and gray!”
History
Youth
Twenty-six years ago, Ariela became the third and last child of Nils and Ariel Samhradh. Born into the heritage of Scathach, blessed for her soul to stir as Sidhe, her parents raised her properly in the secret realities of the world. Her father was a great Scathach warrior and demon-slayer trying to settle down; her mother was a wise and powerful Verbena witch helping her father do just that. Ariela’s older sister, Dawn, seemed likely to Awaken like her mother. Her oldest sibling, her brother Nils II, had already undergone his Chrysalis and was learning the arts and skills of the Scathach from his father. The whole family made their home in the knolls and woodlands of Ireland away from towns and cities.
Chrysalis & Tutelage
The only serious disruption Ariela experienced was her Chrysalis at the age of eight. And so expected was this awakening that it did not shock her nearly as much as other changelings. She was comforted and guided by family and family friends. She was taught how to harness her Glamour. And she was more than happy to take her place among the nobles of Scathach.
But tragedy would strike this happy, magical family. Nils was away, questing to earn the privilege and honor of the Niteblade. Ariela and Dawn were at the beach together with their aunt and uncle. Dawn, introspective and quiet, stayed on shore and pondered the beauty of the world. Ariela dove in head-first, literally. She loved the sea. Yet while they were away, an ancient foe beyond any of their power discovered their family home. Count Manar ap Balor stole upon the Samhradh cabin as husband and wife slept and murdered both before they could awaken with a cold iron axe. The butcher was long gone by the time the children returned, all three shocked and horrified by the grisly remains. The three all dealt with the deaths of their parents in different ways. Dawn retreated further into herself, refusing to speak at all -- until the day she Awakened only a couple years later. Nils, as expected of a dutiful son, sworn an oath of vengeance, and was re-Sained the Niteblade. He took up his fathers’ deadly Nightblade swords and went on the hunt. Ariela, overcome with sorrow, sought comfort in nature.
Both Ariela and Dawn were brought into their aunt and uncle’s home at the coast. Ariela began to spend all of her time on the beach, swimming further and further out: building her stamina was the excuse she gave her family. It wasn’t long before her young beauty attracted the attention of Merfolk. The young Sidhe found the aquatic fae curious to say the least, and made many friends among them. As she grew older, she shared affections with some of her Merfolk friends. When it was time for her Saining when she was fifteen, Ariela demonstrated all the skills and magics she had learned from her parents before their untimely demise. And she showed the elder nobles some of the new tricks she’d picked up in the past few years during that test. Impressed less by her magical secrets and more by her outgoing, friendly attitude that let her learn those secrets, Ariela was granted the title befitting a lady and full membership into the great, secret House of Scathach.
Early Years
Another noble was watching the Saining, a guest from the Kingdom of Concordia. Lady Sierra ni Gwydion was granted witness to Ariela’s victory over sorrow and loss of family. Why would a Gwydion be permitted to observe a Scathach proceeding? The reaons could have been numerous: she was old friends with the present nobles, she was a friend of the family, and she was old enough to know about the Scathach and wise enough to keep secrets. It was Lady Sierra who approached Ariela after the rites and invited her into a secret organization that would help bring peace, glory, and Glamour back into the world of man and fae alike. The Cat’s Cradle it was called, and this small society made it a task to reconnect ancient alliances between Prodigals and fae, establish new treaties, and help dissolve old feuds. Ariela, intrigued and yearning for something greater, agreed. Her first mission was to the Merfolk, and she went back with pride and confidence. The Mer welcomed the beautiful noble and for the next few years, Ariela did her best to play the middlewoman between the ears of the Mer and Sidhe of Eire. She was largely successful, and her skill at arms and gae-bolga helped keep unhappy Fomorians and other villains off her back.
With this demonstration of utility to the Cat’s Cradle, Lady Ariela received a summons from Queen Mab herself! She was invited to travel to Concordia and help the society in this troubled New World. Gallain and Prodigals alike needed to be bonded with ere the Long Winter. Ariela was sent first to Kansas City, where she learned to tone down her youthful arrogance when dealing with the strange Gallain of Little Asia: the hsien.
The Kingdom of Grass was never an extravagant region. But Ariela didn’t care: she fell in love with the wide grassy plains. She stayed longer than she had to in the region, meeting more with hsien and then Nunnehi on occasion. She spent a lot of time with local commoners, protecting Dreamers and battling wicked Prodigals and Fomorians alike, when she realized the local nobles were more concerned with controlling their freeholds and trods. But in time, she yearned to visit her homeland again and voyaged to do just that. She met with her sister who was in the process of becoming a well-rounded, wise young woman of the Verbena, and the two caught up with great joy in both their lives.
It was a half a year after she turned twenty-three that word came to her at the beach that Nils had finally found the evil Count Manar and slew him. Although overjoyed that her family was at last avenged, she was also disturbed. The accounts that reached her on somber lips conveyed that Nils himself had become wicked. They said that Nils had given into the rage and hate. Not only did he finish Manar off with cold iron, but eyewitness accounts insist that Nils battered Manar’s spells (which grew more and more desperate) away with nothing but pure hate and disregard. Nils had given into the Banality of his life-consuming quest and become the most fearful of all fae: Dauntain.
Pursuit
Horrified, Ariela returned to America and to her lodgings in the Kansas City area. Her brother would know to find her there. And so there she waited for several months, fighting off bouts of depression and panic attacks. One day in 2000, her worst fears were confirmed. While sitting out on the porch of her home, her brother simply walked up. Ariela’s head swam from the mind-numbing coldness swelling up from her dark sibling who didn’t give her time to recover and speak. “Here, Ariela,” he said, “You are the Niteblade now.” And then he was gone, leaving the dual swords, the family heritage, behind.
Naturally, Ariela was stricken. But there was nothing she could do. She didn’t know where Nils had gone and was quite frankly terrified of him and his newfound power. She knew one day she would have to find and save him…one way or another. She took up the swords to become the Niteblade, returning to Ireland for the grim re-Saining. There she uttered the Oath of the Niteblade: And now am I bound in blood and darkness. Until death steals the strength of my hands will I hold these blades of the night and stand against the wickedness of the shadow. I shall carry on this quest of poetic justice and strike my enemies down with these mirrors of their shattered souls. Henceforth, I am the Niteblade, and they will know me for my forebear’s swords. Should the day come that I lay down these arms, let ignominy cloud me in its mists. Embracing her sister for the last time since, she returned to America. She suspected she would still be needed here and besides, Nils was most likely somewhere in this vast country...
The Search
For two years after, Ariela maintained this woodland home in the hills. But she traveled regularly into the city to help her commoner acquaintances and Gallain contacts. All the while, she searched for clues for her brother's whereabouts and specifics regarding his fate. Luckily (perhaps), House Scathach gave priority to the traitor's acquisition. Ariela partnered up with Countess Caera. Together, they scoured the Kansas City area, but found only dead ends and old clues. It seemed Nils long since abandoned his roost in the City of Fountains. Though Nils' powers continued to defy Scathach Soothsay, Ariela suspected her brother might be found on the West Coast. Contacting her sister back in Ireland and requesting her assistance to handle Dauntain enemies, Ariela and Caera moved to San Francisco. From there they would restart their search earnestly. She dearly hoped to confront and rescue Nils before other heroes simply destroyed him.
Remembrance
Lady Ariela didn't use to have much connection to her past. She was all too content to contemplate the present-past (that is, today and yesterday, not 100 years ago). She occasionally had spurts of memory and flashbacks regarding an ancient past, particularly as her great-grandmother. Her great-grandmother was named Jilliana Samhradh. She was a fearsome -- and considered sociopathic -- Scathach warrior-women who protected the innocent and punished the wicked. Though Ariela is not quite as driven to demon-hunting as her ancestor, she is more than happy to relive those moments when appropriate.
Treasures
The Nightblades
Level: 5
Origin: These nigh-Legendary blades are heirlooms of House Scathach, and particularly of the Samhradh family. They passed from Nils to his son with his murder, and with Nils II betraying the fae by becoming Dauntain, the swords have fallen to his able sister.
Description: The Nightblades are two slender scimitars made of matte black steel. The hilts are strapped with leather and the curved blades stay razor-keen without need for sharpening. A sense of quiet nihilism pervades the weapons when they are drawn and held together; when only one sword is drawn or held, its power is much more negligible. To fae eyes, they are beacons of dark power -- pinnacles of "fight fire with fire". They were designed to take on "monsters of the night" in their own darkness. Their nihilistic essence is chilling and almost banal -- but they are merely weapons of pure darkness, not emptiness.
Effects: 1) inflict aggravated damage, 2) damage bonuses, increasing as ambient lack of light progressively darkens, 3) minor aid to blind-fighting (in the dark)
Glamour Costs: Treasure: 0, Effect #1: 0, Effect #2: 0, Effect #3: 0
Activation: Unsheathe them and swing away. They must be used together for their powers to function.
Chimera
Coral Comb
Level: 1
Origin: This was a parting gift from the Mermaids with whom she befriended, back in Ireland.
Description: This is a simple comb made of sea coral, designed for beautification of the hair.
Effects: none
Glamour Costs: none
Activation: It's just a fancy comb.
Bunk Styles
Style: War & P.E.
Examples: Leap, flashbomb, spin around, do a backflip, get limber, assume a fighting pose, clash two swords together
Significant Other
Countess Caera Buchanan was sent to the area in 2003 to make sure Ariela was not failing in her House obligations and that her treacherous brother, Nils, was brought to justice. Caera acts as a guide, patroness, and even a lover. Their romance took off in short time, and the beautiful Sidhe women just can't get enough of each other. Only their Scathach duties keep them grounded and geared towards their inevitable destiny: confronting Nils together to save or destroy him. Ariela dreads the day, and is very glad Caera is there to help. She has already promised herself to the Countess in a lady-like fashion. But she wants to belong to Caera in every way. And quite likely, the higher-ranked Sidhe feels the same way.
Caera
Weakness
Fear
Ariela is not afraid of much. The one thing she is absolutely terrified of, however, is confronting her brother.
Likelihood of Corruption
Low.
Ariela is a fun-loving sweetheart and generally content, not easily corrupted at all.
Well, even Scathach have their Unseelie days...
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Fearless Dreaming
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