Sophia Averant
"The hope of spring after a dark and dreary winter."
Epithet: Princess of Arcadia[edit]
Introduction[edit]
During the last Convergence that shook the planes, the kingdom of Arcadia stood tall and proud upon the Isle of Sarea. The people there lived freely and efficiently under the rule of their kings and scholars. For many years they prospered as one of the most knowledgeable and ambitious capitals of magic in the world. When the storms of the Convergence darkened the skies and the rifts allowed for demons and fae to invade Rhyst, it was Arcadia that most of the world looked to for guidance, and in turn Arcadia was led by none other than their princess, Sophia Averant.
Background[edit]
Born as the daughter of King Alistair Averant, Sophia was known for her mastery over magic. She took to it at a young age and was very quick at taking to elementalism, the spellcraft most notably tied to the spirits. It was said that she befriended each and every spirit upon the isle, and that whether she walked the forests or hiked in the high mountains, she was not without a friend at her side. Both the world and her people loved her, and many believed that though Alistair did well in leading his people, Sophia promised a new golden age into the future when she would take the throne.
Her coronation day never came, however.
The demons of the Void launched a full scale invasion across Sarea in an attempt to claim the isle due to its unique planar positioning. They believed that should they gain dominion over Sarea, the location could be used as a point from which they could not only further their campaign against Rhyst, but where they could gain access to the Faewild as well. The fighting was violent and extensive, spanning the course of several weeks underneath the sunless skies.
Arcadia and its allied spirits fought back bravely and for as long as they could against the demons. For a bulk of the war, both mortal and spirit actually managed to keep the legions of the Void at bay. Unfortunately, the tides were soon to turn with the intervention of Oberon’s hunters. High Fae began scattered ambush attacks within the forests of the isle where they captured spirits and put down entire battalions of Arcadians without so much as raising an alarm. The demons were presumably affected in equal measure, but they had counted the High Fae as enemies for ages prior to this conflict. The Arcadians, and even most of the spirits of Rhyst, were not so talented in contending with the stealth and speed of these hunters.
With their force crippled, Arcadia faced defeat, but Sophia Averant believed hope was not yet lost. She declared that should the head of the snake be cut, the rest of the body would follow in death. Chosen by the Velin, the Spirit of the Isle, Sophia rode the White Elk into battle against the demon host while her father held the defense of their capital. Sophia and Velin met the Void General Mavkoda upon the battlefield, and though it was said they fought valiantly and managed to disarm the Felfire Demon, Mavkoda caught Sophia in his grasp and crushed her in one hand. Broken and slain, the princess was cast to the earth while her army was routed and forced into a retreat that was soon to become a massacre.
It was with her death that the spirits of Sarea believed that there was no longer a hope for victory, and in understanding that the isle could not fall into the clutches of the Void, they brought ruin upon all. The western forests froze over by Velin’s command of winter, and the eastern coast and cities rumbled and broke as they were swallowed by the molten earth of the Caldera. The demons and the High Fae were both forced to evacuate while Arcadia itself stood no chance at survival. Those who had lived throughout the horrors of the Convergence were left to their doom amidst the Sarea’s rebirth, and thus the kingdom of Arcadia fell.
It is said that Velin took Sophia away from where she died prior to giving his ultimate command, and that somewhere within the heart of the northern wood, she rests in a tomb of ice, a monument to the past and a reminder of what a human can become.
Trivia[edit]
Sophia was the Chosen of Velin, a title that came not only with recognition, but also with the Spirit’s blessings
The staff she carried into battle, Winter’s Lullaby, was broken when Mavkoda killed her, but Velin collected both halves and has kept them near her tomb throughout the years
Despite being their enemy throughout the war, some demons still know the name of Sophia Averant and consider it a reminder that even a lowly mortal may manage the strength to contend with their kind