Profiles in History: Aerfalle
Aerfalle was a noblewoman of Dericost, one of the greatest mages of her people. She was a great beauty, with brilliant eyes and long flowing red hair. She still has the red hair, and her beauty is faithfully preserved in the memory of her lover Rytheran. She is one of the primogenitor undead, one of the first upon whom Geraine worked his second-hand Falatacot magic. As such, she has never lost her intelligence, though the flesh has withered on her bones. Through the long years of Dericost's empire, she was one of Geraine's confidantes, and when Dericost fell she fled with Rytheran and Geraine to Dereth. Centuries later, when the Yalain lord Gevran Loritane came to Dereth and discovered that a little island off its northeast coast harbored great mineral wealth, and magma flows of sufficient temperature to permit the forging of mana-alloy. Rytheran whispered in Loritane's dreams that he should name the island Aerfalle. Still later, Aerfalle took up residence in the island that bore her name. She was by then the acting leader of Geraine's party, the Filinuvekta, in his absence.
Unlike Geraine, she did not cloister herself from the world. She was active in politics and war; her troops joined with those of other Dericost factions in fighting Bael'Zharon, even to the extent of allying with the Virindi and with Asheron (and through him, with the mortals). Intrepid explorers would venture to Aerlinthe and attempt to slay her: if they succeeded, she would laugh and taunt them as she fell, for a primogenitor cannot be slain against her will.
If she stood by Geraine as he stole the menhirs and sealed the doom of the Fallen Kings, none observed it. After the Cataclysm, when Rytheran fled to his new Mage Academy on Linvak Massif, she vanished. After the mortals returned from the Shelters, adventurers began to make their way to the Academy to practice the age-old custom of slaying Rytheran. They never heard him mention Aerfalle.
Then began the Archons' War, when Rytheran left Aerfalle's student Garaena to run the Academy in his place, and went to northern Osteth to gather an army. Some mortals joined his forces; some sided with the Archons; some refused to have anything to do with either side; some waited cautiously to see who would be victorious.
And some went on exploring, and they discovered secret portals that led through Geraine's resting place to his hidden island, Arramora, once called Marae Lassel and Palenqual. They did not find Geraine (he must have been well hidden); but they roused Aerfalle. Before she could raise her hand to destroy them, she snatched directly from their minds the news of Rytheran's battle against the Archons, and went off to awaken Geraine.
What happened then has been told in another place: the Archons were victorious. They struck down Rytheran and Aerfalle, and all Dereth echoed with their cry of victory. And then Geraine appeared, and destroyed them, and took the Book of Eibhil and vanished.
Rytheran and Aerfalle have recently been sighted on Knorr, where their remaining loyal forces have taken partial control of the area known as the Soul Foundry, centering around the ancient town of Vothardun and the Foundry where the great weapons of Atlan Realadain, father of Asheron, were forged. If your valor is great enough, you may someday make your way to that place and behold the Lady Aerfalle. If your imagination is great enough, you may succeed in looking at her through Rytheran's eyes, seeing her fiery and terrible beauty for an instant, before you slay her--or she slays you.
