#[ aylin default verse ] — her face lights the shadows .

[ferinehuntress]

◈　 ⇢  @inxumerable　 ⋯　 Closed Starter . 　　　❝ Aylin sees her appearance for the first time in a century. ❞

A brief reprieve, staying at Last Light Inn. The Shadowcurse already waned, with Ketheric's defeat and the rest of the cultists out of this place, it would finally have peace. But everyone needed to rest for the evening before heading on the path to Baldur's Gate, and Aylin had promised their companions she would join them and Isobel had agreed. However, she needed time to recover, her joints ached and her body waned. It had been a century since she had been out, a century since she had seen the moon and Aylin knew the adrenaline high of the fight was starting to break way.

Armor had been shed and instead, she wore a simple white dress, draped around her neck and down to her waist, leaving her back fully exposed to her wings. Around her hips, two long slits rested on either side with her legs exposed. How long had it been since she wore something so soft? Her hands brushed along it before staring up at the sky and seeing the moon. Icy blue eyes stared, unable to look away as a few tears dotted her eyes. "I'm home, Mother," The voice whispered, no longer booming as she had done so before.

But what truly made her break was stopping in front of the mirror. For a moment, Aylin stared at the woman opposite of her. The platinum blond hair fell around her shoulder, what used to be long and luxurious down to her ankles, was now cut and severed up to her shoulders. It broke her heart the day one of the Justiciars cut her hair, taking away her braid. And as it grew out, they would always cut it back to her shoulders. Soon, Shar continued the ritualistic haircutting, never letting it grow past her back.

However, her fingers reached up and touched the face. Her face.

Her throat tightened as she lowered her eyes to look at her arms. The scars cracked all over her skin, not a part of her was spared. The large golden scar around her heart, where she had been stabbed over a thousand times. Each death was worse than the last, each scream echoing in her ears. Her hands pressed against them as if trying to cut out her screams. "Being quiet. BE GONE!!" Aylin shouted in anger as she did not want to go back there. She collapsed to her knees, unaware of the tears falling from her eyes. Her hands fell to her lap as she tried to wrap her wings around her to hide herself in the protective hold of her wings.

Perhaps Shar had broken her, she thought she had clung on, fought so hard but seeing herself, the scars that graced her once perfect pearly silver-blue skin caused her to snap. She daresay she could hear Shar laugh with those taunting words. She hadn't noticed the running steps of another as she tightened her wings around her. The woman she remembered was not the woman she saw in the mirror. Even the base of her wings was twisted golden scars, from all the times her wings had been cut off, forcefully ripped from her back.

[ferinehuntress]

◈　 ⇢  @lunarrepel　 ⋯　 Continued Ask. 　　　❝ A better conversation started off at the campsite quiet. ❞

Aylin pushed her platinum blond hair back behind her shoulder, looking down upon the smaller woman, yet it did not hide the forceful ferocity she held. A strength she would need in the coming days, Aylin vowed not to let dwindle with the change of her life. It took a strong-willed heart to do what she had done, and Aylin would not allow her to travel that road alone. "Ah, I cannot speak for much of my kind, other aasimar or devas. I, for one, enjoy being in Faerun though. Tis many wonderous beauties this continent has to offer, and my father lives among them," Aylin smiled, offering a small inward offering of her life.

The darkening tone to Shar caused Aylin to frown a little. "Shar.... is a cruel mistress. She contaminates the minds of those who follow her, ensuring only her voice remains. For those who follow, she is everything. For her, you all are nothing but tools. It is a cruel fate, and I am sorry, Shadowheart, for the poisoning voice of her words that made it hard for you. I swear on my oath and my sword that my words are not lies. I, too, suffered her voice for many centuries. My aunt is the  definition of a tormentor in beautiful garbs," If Aylin could, she would remove her curse, and ensure that Shar could not harm Shadowheart for her decision. Everyone deserves free will, to choose. Not everyone follows Selune, but that does not mean Aylin forbade them from her protection. She protected anyone innocent of heart and kind of soul.

"Ease, my friend. No vitriol when speaking about the validity of past events. Despite her venomous words, you choose your fate, and that is commendable. You may not know now the impact of your choice, but I am sure it will prove to be a momentous wave of change that others will see. As Shar took you, no doubt there are others just like you, chained in the servitude of a goddess they are forced to worship, believing to be their choice," Aylin reached over and placed a hand upon her shoulder. Despite still wearing the metal armor of Shar, it was clear the woman already found herself deviating and changing. But a ripple set off that would soon become of wave. Aylin hoped to ease Shadowheart's apprehension as she tilted her head and moved over to sit down on the ground. Aylin had foregone her armor, set underneath the tent to wear a tunic and some comfort pants that puffed around her legs.

The question came and Aylin's heart faltered as she took a breath. For some time she sat quietly, formulating her words. "No, my mother could not reach me. I speak with her, in my dreams and when she comes to me during these moonlit hours. She does not hide from me, the moon maiden. But in Shar's domain, the moon could not touch," She glanced down at her hand, the cracked scars bearing proof of a century of torture and abuse as she turned her icy blue eyes to the not-so-sharran. "I did not lose faith in my mother, I knew she would have been there if she could, but Selûne could not enter the Shadowfell without yet another war ensuing. I do not reproach my mother, the previous war with Shar was bloody and many decades of death," Once more, Aylin fell quiet as she reached for a flat stone. It was perfectly polished from years of travel, rounded to perfection with the use of erosion from the great mountains down to this river's edge.

She drew her arm back and tossed it forward, as the stone bounced, causing ripped along the water's edge before it plunged into the waters below. "I nearly lost faith in myself," Aylin finally admitted, finding it easy to talk to Shadowheart. "When you are tortured for two centuries, or so I think it was two... perhaps longer. time is hard to process in the shadowfell. But the silence was longer, and Shar tormented my mind, bleeding lies and regrets and whispers of the ongoing of the world why I was chained to the stones. She enjoyed making her "nightsong" scream," Aylin bitterly stated the title. It was one she did not like, and she hated anyone who used it. her name was Aylin Silverblood, daughter of Selûne. the nightsong was nothing but a curse, forced upon her by the malefactors of death and darkness.

[ferinehuntress]

◈　 ⇢  @sanguisarcana　 ⋯　 Continued Ask. 　　　❝ Dame Aylin meets the vampire Astarion as she joins the party companions. ❞

Aylin still needed to settle within the camp, and yet a variety of tents lingers like little homes; each unique to the companion. She could read each one of them, each holding a form of a story in itself. Some were more secluded, hidden away in the area and others were more boisterous in their show. Despite Aylin's bold voice, she was cleverly perceptive to read each one. It's what made Ketheric's betrayal worse, as she truly thought he was a family friend in the worst of times; only to learn he was a viper among the bushes.

"To be among friends and companions, where there is not a secret to hold," Aylin grinned and waved her hand toward Astarion. "Though, you are not the first vampire I have met and certainly will not be the last," Aylin shifted on her foot to rest her weight against her left as her wings shifted slightly to become more comfortable against her back. Her eyes followed his condemning gaze upon the teal blue tent and the man buried deep within his books of knowledge. Icy blue eyes turned back to the silver-haired man and hummed a little. "An advantage among a disadvantage. I cannot say I understand your strife, friend, but not all is lost despite the inefficacy to be bathed in sunlit rays. I find myself preferring the moonlight to the sun. Perhaps there is but a blessing among what might be considered a curse," As would be for the daughter of the moon.  

Her head canted slightly, almost animal-like as a wolf watching in the interest of his detached actions. "Tis I, Dame Aylin, yes. She has done me a great service, to which I hold my sword up to your cause. I will fight by your side now that Ketheric has met his timely demise," The words that came forth though caused a darker glare to cross her eyes, as if death shadowed just the word Sharran.

"If they do not repent and seek to free themselves from the chains of that accursed shadowed goddess, then I will free them myself by blade and fire. They would all sooner drive a dagger in my heart than see me walk free. There is no mercy for those who seek to harm and imprison others all for the sake of their twisted means," Words of ice dripped from her lips as she cured her hand into a fist. "A life is meant to be free, to do and choose as you please. The Sharrans are a plague upon this land, and I will not see them continue to poison the mind of others; just as our dear Shadowheart was poisoned. She has freed herself, and I intend to aid her as she needs, as too the rest of you,"

[ferinehuntress]

◈　 ⇢  @sharransepulcher　 ⋯　Continued Ask ♡ 　　⸻ Aylin and Shadowheart deal with the afflictions of Shar.

The air was thick with darkness, as Aylin shot upward and tried to hold back the whimpered pain. Her hands scratched against her scars, and they pulsed with the echoing resentment of her aunt. If she didn't know better, she could hear it, in the air, the whispers through the tree. Aylin had to get out, she had to move, had to find some way to breathe. It suffocated her throat and made her reel with a fear she had never known until the Shadowfell. Claws ripped back her blanket as she climbed out of her tent, her throat clenched so tightly as she swore the shadows choked the very life from her.

Her eyes cast upward, noticing the new moon. No wonder her scars hurt, always on new moons, when the light was cloaked in darkness and she could not feel its gaze. She crouched down next to the fire, using its light to chase away the pain, it was the only thing that helped. She couldn't even summon any moon motes, not in this state. Her arms wrapped around herself, squeezing tightly as she pressed her face up against her shoulder.

But then she felt the shadows again, brushing against her spine as she shivered. "Shar, what nefarious plot are you doing now? Who do you..." And then she knew, it wasn't just Aylin Shar tormented. Another, another who spurred her dark Mistress, who rejected her to save her life. Aylin moved away from the comfort of the heat and followed the shadowy pull, the pain echoing against her scars as she sucked in a breath in pain. She pushed back the tent flap and immediately reached out to wake up Shadowheart. "Shadowheart," Aylin spoke, shaking her shoulder until suddenly she jerked forward. For her comfort, Aylin pulled her hand back and took a step back. Her hand reached out, grabbing her own forearm as if trying to quell the pain of the scars. Away from the fire she could feel it again and small beads of sweat appeared against her forward.

"Aye," Aylin nodded, as she took a breath and closed her eyes before opening back up. "Sleep is a foreign passenger within my mind tonight, for I cannot find rest," Her head shook in disappointment, for she could not tell her it was dawn. "The night still cloaks the outside world, little warrior. No, I could feel her, sense her. Even now, she continues to torment her," Aylin's voice cracked, holding back the pain that dug into her shoulder blades, the continued cutting slices over her skin as she leaned forward just slightly and flinched. "Come..." Aylin's voice tried to speak as she sucked in a breath.

"Sit by the fire," She turned to walk out of the tent, and her wings dragged behind her as she quickly made her way to the fire. An audible gasp left her lips as she closed her eyes, feeling the pain fading. It didn't disappear, on nights like this it never went away completely but the light of the fire kept her safe. Aylin's arms fell against her knees, bent as she lowered her head and golden hair fell around her face. She hoped the not-so-sharran would join her, and allow the fire to chase away the shadows as well.

[ferinehuntress]

◈　 ⇢  @hellscaress　 ⋯　 blood, blood, gallons of the stuff ! 　　⸻　" the fucker deserved it. " / moraena to aylin

Aylin's sword was thick with blood and gore, dripping from the tip of her sword like the retribution she cleaved through. There was minimal trust between the Aasimar and the drow before her, however they had a common goal. She couldn't help but wonder if not for the threat of the chosen, the elder brain, and more if they would not meet blades. There was much she did not know of her and Aylin knew deep down, that their blades would no doubt clash if ever came a time when the greater evil was defeated.

Still, the absolutists were troublesome and she would not allow such darkness to spread upon Faerun. "Indeed, not a single absolutist will walk this realm while I have breath in my lungs," Aylin swung her greatsword, allowing the blood to fling off of it as she pulled out a rag to pull along the sharpened edges to clean the blood from its metal. "Anyone who comes to face me will procure my wrath, anyone," Aylin spoke, glancing up toward Moraena, a subtle hint that even she could one day encourage such dealings.

Her sword flipped and slipped into the holster upon her back as she brushed her fingers up against her hair. "I say we have a week til we arrive at Baldur's Gate unless we are presented with more trouble upon the road. Onward,"

[ferinehuntress]

◈　 ⇢  @faerunscursed　 ⋯　 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 　　⸻　[ 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 ] : sender has gotten injured protecting the receiver. (Also some Aylin and isobel action because why not)

"ISOBEL!" The fight for the selunite caravan took all of them, every able fighter against the absolutist, not realizing there was no real god. They had been back to back, fighting the goblins and the bugbears, along with their pets. Aylin's sword was slick with blood, her resolve ever-strong against these villainous creatures. She might have forgiven the thralls with tadpoles, unable to make a choice; but some of these choose to follow the absolute without a tadpole. They all were a threat and so her sword showed no mercy though her kills were fast. She was not a woman to make someone suffer, to watch them bleed out with some kind of gleeful notion. No, it was a horrendous concept to perceive. She was merciless but swift.

But as Aylin was taking on her fight against a bugbear, she was unaware of the archer on the cliffside. Her sword cleaved the bear in half, fire burning flesh and the smell of carnage on the land. It was just a split second but too slow, as Isobel had shouted and moved to her side, trying to deflect the arrow only for it to make contact with her shoulder.

The flames of holy fire licked over Aylin's wings, her eyes silver as she let out a war cry of fury and rage to deafen the ears around her. She forced herself into the air and flew toward the goblin that had shot her love, and he was dead in a second, lit aflame by fire. As quickly as the battle had started, it ended and Aylin quickly threw down her helmet, dropping her sword as she landed quickly in front of her sweetheart.

"Easy, my love," Aylin whispered, as the droplets of sweat covered her forehead and she settled her down onto the ground. She quickly pried off the gauntlets on her hands as she looked up toward Isobel. "On three, I will remove the arrow and then help heal you. Ready?" Aylin said, as she waited, and then at three, she pulled the arrow quickly from her side. She tried to ignore any cries of pain or shouts, as she quickly pressed her hands the pools of blood wept from her wound and quietly whispered. "Sana," The word left her lips as silver light glowed from her hands, coating the wound in magic as it healed her wound, leaving just a silvery scar that would fade in a few hours.

[ferinehuntress]

In-character meme asks for the resplendent Dame Aylin, if she feels inclined to answer:

🌙 CRESCENT MOON — what would you say is your current biggest dream and/or career aspiration and why? 😶‍🌫️ FACE IN CLOUDS — is there something you're hiding from the people you love? if so, how urgent is it for them to hear it? what's holding you back from sharing it? 💄 LIPSTICK — have you had any romantic or sexual experiences that made you realize something about yourself?

◈　 ⇢  anon　 ⋯　 DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS

Aylin sat on the chair with one wing unfolded as she carefully started to preen at the feathers. Some of them were easily pulled, a stage of molting that she had to take care of. It wasn't uncommon for people to come by and ask her questions, so when the mortal showed up and cautiously asked her question, Aylin just smiled.

"Come, sit my friend, I will answer to the best of my capabilities," Which wasn't hard for Aylin. "Ah, such a vague question, with so many tangles of vines that could go any way. My immortality leaves much to think on, as I will outlive your life, and the lives of many others," But even Aylincould have dreams as she sat quietly, thinking on this. "There is so much of Faerun, and I wish to see much more of it. From the glorious seas to the great mountains, there is much to explore. Perhaps over the years, I will take my leave and move from city to city, and see what this world has to offer,"

However, the next question came as Aylin's face soured and brows lowered. "Tis a reason for such a question? I do not lie to my beloved, my Moon Lily matters more to me than such secrets!" Aylin stated with clear determination but she let out a sigh. "I do not hide it, for I do not know how to face it. How do you put into words such torments from the mind? But my love is patient, the patience from the sweet goddess Selune herself. I'm blessed to have such a darling who treats me so tenderly, with no selfish expectation. In time, I will find the words to express, but I do not wish to make her suffer from such knowledge either," Aylin whispered and went quiet as she continued to preen more of her feathers.

Such traumas pained her heart, worried she may never be the same. A soft breath left her lips but then grinned at the final question. "No limits to your imagination, mortal? Everyone desires to know the carnal desires of such?" Aylin lightly jested, having no problems expressing the way she loved to pleasure her lover. "Tis love at first sight, with my sweetheart. Confidence lies within the veins, I did not doubt my hopes and wants for my love. What I knew, most of all, was my love for women. Tis a glorious thing, the way a woman speaks, how she moves, upholds herself. The strong and the meek, the rich and the poor. A woman is one to be revered, to worship, to seek solace in: for a woman is more than what anyone tries to define her as. She is undefinable, everything in all. and my dear Isobel is everything to me. Tis a woman of great fortitude, of compassion and kindness, of everlasting love,"

[ferinehuntress]

💧 DROPLET , ❤️ RED HEART, 💀 SKULL — how has [Ketheric Thorm]'s death influenced your outlook on life, if anything? ((for dame aylin :y

◈　 ⇢  @necrophcge　 ⋯　 DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS 💧 DROPLET — are you grieving something or someone? do you feel like you lost something or a part of yourself with it/them? / ❤️ RED HEART — what is/are your love language(s)? how do you use it/them to communicate your feelings about others? / 💀 SKULL — how has [name of person] 's death influenced your outlook on life, if anything?

Even as the dead king lays in ash and blood, his name continues to haunt her mind and many questioned her of him. Her fingers curled as she growled, a wolfish action that she did not care to hide. "Why must you wrought my mind so with the cursed man's name?" Aylin demanded the nameless one as she turned her head away from him and threw her wings outward, stretching them far and wide as they shimmered in the sun's rays. Those wings flittered once and then folded against her back. "He did not influence my outlook on life, any more than Mykrul has. I still believe in the good of people, and that most are searching for a path to live their life. Men like him should have no bearing or influence over the minds of others. All he caused me was a bitter hatred til I saw him dead. He deserves no more words from my mouth than what I spoke to him the day I killed him. He is a traitor, a betrayal, and the likes of the world she has never seen," Aylin snapped her lips in fevor rage before taking a breath.

"Enough of him," She demanded and waved her hands. Instead, she turned her thoughts to the next question, yet still more somber than the last. Her icy blue eyes turned to look at her hand, flexing the massive palm to see the rippled scars upon it, tracing up her arm. Cracked and glittering underneath the sun, a reminder of all the torture the Sharrans and Shar herself had wrecked upon her. "I...I do not know, how to speak of such thoughts," Aylin whispered, her voice sounding less angelic and more down to earth. She struggled, her brows pressed downward as she brushed her palm against her chest, tugging out her shirt, and shook her head. "Something is... amiss. Shattered glass where once solid stone stood. I feel it, at night. Tossing, turning, wrought in a battle of nightmares and terrors. Only when I wake up, does the loss torment me worse. Something... something is gone, and I don't know what it is, nor where it has gone. All I know, is I wake up crying, the breath gone from my lips as I mourn what used to be. I grieve myself, mortal. I grieve for what I used to be, and wonder if I shall ever be whole again. My dear Isobel provides me the strength I need, but even I find it difficult when those horrors haunt the edges of the mind,"

Aylin faded from her speech, for now, no longer talking. Her eyes stared into the distance as if piercing through the clouds and sky and looking into nothing but emptiness. Despite standing there, she didn't know what she was staring at, as if the world continued to move and yet she wasn't there. Briefly, it felt dreamlike as Aylin shook her head, trying to ground herself again. Isobel would always rub her wrist to her palm and so she reached down and started to press her thumb against her wrist, pushing upward to the center of her hand. Her mind silently listed things she saw around her before blinking and returning to reality.

"Tis the third question, that, I can answer," Aylin grinned as she gave a flap of her wings. "My moon lily, my lovely Isobel, I love to sing songs and speak with such poetic rhymes to her. Such words of affirmation, sweetly speaking with delightful memories of words I once read. Yet she is my living poem, my beautiful book open for me to read over and over. So perfect, tis she. But, I also love quality time. One of the first nights with my dear love was in the middle of a rose garden. Not only did we speak poems to each other, but she showed me all the night flowers that blossomed in the rays of the moon. It was such a beautiful time, and at times we would walk silently, and yet, I could not be more enamored by her time. tis hard, to claim one love language, when I like to grace my love with all of them. I will shower her with gifts, kiss her hand, help her dress, and aid her in any way possible. My heart yearns to always offer her what she needs," She finished off the questions with the last one, one that held my love in her heart then the heavy topics from the first ones. She hoped it satisfied the mortal, though she was more than willing to talk about the light of her life even more if they gave her a chance to.

[ferinehuntress]

LOYALTY. -Does your character have any loyalty to any group? (all muses)

Caitlyn gave a little smile as she leaned back in her chair, the unlikely group sitting together to answer the question. "There are only a few who can garner my loyalty. Naturally, there is Vi. We've been through too much and she knows me better than most. I would say Ekko as well, he's a good man and cares about his people. And naturally, my family, Tobias, and Cassandra," Caitlyn said as she lifted the drink to her lips and took a sip. "Besides that, no one else. I'm not exactly a people person, being a misfit within Piltover and not exactly following the rules. But that's okay, I don't need a ton of people to like me. I have the few who matter, and that's enough for me,"

Vi had kicked her feet up over the Kiramman's couch, her hands propped behind her head as she clicked her tongue. "My loyalties are also very few. One who used to was Powder, but... who she is now," Vi let out a kitten-like whimper as she closed her eyes. "I want my sister back, but I cannot align with how she does things. So she and I are... complicated at best. But Caitlyn has my loyalty, as well as Ekko. Ekko is my brother, and Caitlyn has given me more than I could ever wish for. No one else has proven themselves to me, and it's not like I'm out here to make people like me anyway. I don't give two shits if people like me or not. I know who matters,"

Against the wall leaned Karlach, the fancy house was something she would see in Baldur's gate no doubt, not a place she would be found in. Hell, the drapes would get set on fire with her engine roaring as it did. "Loyalties? Well, if you are from the hells don't count on it. However, there are a few who earn it. It all depends on who I'm traveling with and if they can handle me. Not everyone likes a wild barbarian, but hey, I have a good heart. Er... engline? You know what I meant," Karlach flipped a knife around in her hand as she grinned. "Besides, who doesn't love a lovable Barbarian? I can tell you know, every animal I mean hands down has my loyalty. How could I not? Have you talked to a dog before? They are so sweet!" Karlach grinned as she reached down to scratch one of the dog's ears that lived in the house.

Aylin had set down on the large windowsill as a rock ground up against the steel of her silver blade, sharpening the edges without fail. "Ah, of course, the Moon Maiden has my loyalty. My dear mother matters the world to me, and I shall not fail her. My father, too, his dear heart and kind soul, Nothing could make me betray the man who guided my hand in lessons of goodness," Aylin set the sword down and spread out her wings, flapping them a little to correct the positions of the feathers before folding them on her back once more. "And my dear Isobel, my moon lily of the night, forever has my loyalty. Tis not a day I do not think of her and the beautiful heart she has shown me. I am loyal to the innocent and downtrodden, not all have to follow Selune to gain the protection of my sword. I will do my duty as does my oath command. And at the same, those who are evil at heart, who lean to the whispers of darkness with be struck with nary a thought. It's best to have my loyalties,"

[ferinehuntress]

[ aylin shadowfell verse ] — trapped within a prison of loss . [ aylin default verse ] — her face lights the shadows . [ aylin post canon verse ] — striving in the moonlit rays . [ aylin lol verse ] — a paladin of vengeance .