#Ayleth

[as-divinity]

Voice of the Ascended, Ayleth.

[invinciblerodent]

the problem i have is that i can't make just one character

no, it has to be five at once, or none at all

[im-not-an-artist-either]

again, severe lack of fanart for venatrix chronicles so i took it upon myself to draw my favs

presenting ayleth di ferosa, resident badass, takes no shit and is quite in love with terryn du balafre. be not fooled, she can and will kill you :)

please step on me

if you're looking for a cool fantasy series with good plot and characters, please check out venatrix chronicles by sylvia mercedes!! it has got amazing world building and a badass female lead. it has 7 books and every single one is so good!

it has a rivals to lovers trope too! ;))

the lore is exquisite and detailed and the writing is descriptive and easy to follow, it just pulls you in! there's a summary on goodreads, so if the above appeals to you, you could check that out ;D

[swemtpotamtam]

Ayleth and Hrotmar had a full day of adventuring and finally got a moment to rest🎇

Ayleth belongs to BoneMoth and Hrotmar belongs to their friend💕

–✧✦✧✦✧✦✧–

commission info b/w portrait comms (5 slots available)

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the wickedest of them all? Snow White’s dark queen tells her side of the story in the first book of a queer, witchy duology that reimagines the classic fairy tale—from the author of Malice.

“An alluring, vengeful origin story that brings tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale.”—Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Longings

Legends tell of a witch who became a queen—the heartless villain in the story of Snow White.

But now the wicked queen is stepping out of Snow White’s shadow to become the heroine of her own legend.

Her real “once upon a time” begins when she is just Ayleth, a young witch who lives in the forest with her coven. The witches practice their magic in secret, hiding from the White King and his brutal war against witchcraft.

Ayleth, however, faces a war of her own. Her magical gifts have yet to reveal themselves, and as the threat of the Royal Huntsmen intensifies, Ayleth fears she will never become the witch her coven needs.

To prove herself, Ayleth sets out on a perilous quest that sends her to the White Palace, a decadent world of drama and deceit. There, Ayleth encounters an unlikely figure from her past: Jacquetta, a witch who once held Ayleth’s heart—and betrayed her.

As events at the palace escalate, Ayleth finds herself caught in the web of the White King, whose dark charisma is as dangerous as the sinister force that seems to be haunting the palace—and perhaps even Ayleth herself. With the threat of discovery looming, Ayleth and Jacquetta must set aside the wounds of their past and work together to survive.

As she uncovers the secrets of the White Court—and those of her own heart—Ayleth must find the strength to transform into someone she never imagined she could be.

A powerful witch, the very wickedest of them all.

Book One in The Crimson Crown series.

Review:

The first book in a sapphic fantasy duology reimagining the origin of the Wick Witch from Snow White. Ayleth is a young witch who lives in the forest with her coven and her beloved sister, hiding their magic from the White King and his war against witchh craft. Yet when Ayleth's sister dies and she blames herself.... Ayleth's life is changed, but when she reaches into the Veil and touches her sister, she knows she'll do anything to get her back, even run away from her coven to infiltrate the White Palace and steal gemstones that could help her reach her sister. What Ayleth doesn't expect on her quest is to run into her ex, Jacquetta, a witch who betrayed her and left her behind. Jacquetta is also hiding in the castle working on her own plans... but now both girls must find a way to face off against the sinister forces haunting the castle while dealing with their complicated relationship. Yet the closer Ayleth gets to her goal the more things get complicated and soon... she'll have to pick what and who she wants to follow. This is definitely a whole new interesting take and I didn't expect any of this story. It feels so new and does make an interesting backstory for a classic character. I will say though, I just never really connected to any of the characters or the romantic relationship between Ayleth and Jacquetta. Despite everything that happened between them, it just never really felt like the romance was fully fleshed out and I just didn't really care all that much. Overall, if you're looking for a witchy sapphic reimagining of a classic villain story, I'd say give it a go!

Release Date: August 27,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[bakrahispul]

i ship halsin and ayleth aynel

Pensive, he placed a hand on his chin. Those words definitely struck something in him.

"She's the... young lady settling herself by the log over there, no? She seems to be rambling about some 'fantasy' like it's her last. Petite, well-kept and bountiful in knowledge about otherworldly information, among other things..."

He seems genuinely immersed in the statement told.

"I've got quite a fascination about her family name, though. I don't believe I have ever come across such an evoking surname before and I've come across many in my life."

He turns to Caleb, utterly serious and inquisitive.

"Do you think her lineage partakes in it? Perhaps in a ritual of some sorts?"

He has gone off the deep end.

[escherstrange-ffxiv]

18: A Fish Out of Water

The patrons of the Hole in the Wall were used to seeing the boss bring home an oddity or other; a man was the first.

"What y'all gawping at?" The boss scowled. "Never seen a man before?"

O'sana hugged her tray. "Well, not one that looks so...drowned? Where did you pick him up from?!"

The boss looked at the elezen hovering behind him: Gegeruju's staff dried him off but coastal humidity was a bitch. His long hair hung limply from his head, partly stuck to the sides of his face. His beard and mustache were unkempt and in dire need of shaving. Perhaps the most disconcerting were his yellow eyes: disoriented, wary, darting between the unfamiliar faces around him. "The sea." he answered.

"Oh. Right. Right." O'sana kept watching from the safety of her tray.

"[Who are they?]" He asks the boss. Someone audibly gasps. A large hand gently pats his shoulder. "[Customers. You are safe.]"

"'e don't speak our tongue?" One piped up.

"He's not from around, aye," the boss made a face that silently added "and you won't ask" to it. That one understood and returned to their ale and archon loaf.

The man hugged himself, stepping back from the crowd. He didn't speak their language. He couldn't remember who he was, what he was even, but everything screamed [you don't belong here]. His broken capsule - even the sea was more inviting.

Large brown eyes smiled at him. "[Introduce yourself. It helps.]" He pointed to himself. "I."

The Elezen raised a hesitant finger to his chest. "...Ai..."

"Am..."

"E-ehm..."

The boss rolled his hand, mimicking the sound of hopping over syllables. "Rossss.....?"

"Ro, Ro...Rossignol?"

"Yes!" The roegadyn clapped, prompting the rest to clap and call his name.

"Hi Ross'nol!"

"Pleased to meet'cha Ross, I'm O'sana!"

"Ayleth, Ross."

The frowned slowly bent up into a tiny smile, and he nodded.

[yuri-cocaine]

ffxivwrite 2023: fair

Edda Puffin knew she wasn't exactly anyone's definition of a fair maiden, but she still tried her best. White sundress, big straw hat stuck with daisies, chunky coral jewelry, strappy sandals. She was in charge of the flower stall this year at the Aleport County Fair, although she wished she wasn't. Her big sister Ayleth fit the image of a flower seller much better, with her pink dress and pink ribbon and braided hair. As she carefully packed bouquets onto the family chocobo, Edda calculated all the different ways she might shirk work and go eat her weight in fair food.

The Puffin Flower Farm was one of many farms in Halfstone that had a stall at the fair, for it was one of the biggest money-making events of the year. Visitors from all over came to sample Aleport's brews, and the more they drank, the more they spent on food. Enterprising culinarians bought so much local fruits and produce that chocobo carts carrying farm fresh crops ran nonstop back and forth from Halfstone to Aleport all hours of the day. The fair was also a popular destination for lovebirds, and the Puffins made a pretty penny selling bouquets and corsages and flower crowns. They also sold flower garlands and streamers to the fair staff in all the colors they asked for--crimson Bloodshore roselles, soft pink lilybells, glowing white raincatchers, cerulean moongrasses, bright yellow sunflowers.

Last time she was at the fair, Edda had been seeing a Highlander girl called Marnie, whose parents were sommeliers. Marnie was tall and graceful with a sailor style dress and a delicate parasol to shield her from the sun, and she seemed too high class for a farm girl, but Edda impressed her by flawlessly playing the entire fiddle solo for Menphina's song. The bowstring snapped afterwards, and Marnie laughed delightedly as Edda struggled to find a replacement. Then Marnie went home back to Aleport, and Edda never got in touch with her again.

Such was the way of things. No use leaving a heart in pieces over sudden summer romances. Edda bundled away the last of her flowers, and set off.

[siriuslygrimm]

Coven Coup

#BOOKREVIEW - Coven Coup - #TheCrimsonCrown #blog

With witches hiding their magic for fear of being hunted down at the order of the White King, a young witch embarks on a journey to the White Palace to try to save her coven and become the witch they all need in The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter. A young witch, Ayleth is set to become the Second to her mother as leader for the coven of witches living in secret in the forest as they hide from…

[thepaintdragon]

I just realized I forgot to say what I finally decided to name her. 😅

Her name is Dame Ayleth, which means "seasoned warrior." So far she's definitely lived up to her name, because she was a huge help in capturing Jetragon (even though we were both kind of underleveled). She's super tanky.

After dozens of attempts, I finally managed to breed a Knocklem with the 3 abilities I wanted. But... not only that, it happened to be an Alpha, and female (which is rare for this species)!

I really think I should give her a name, but I don't have any ideas so far...

[j5daigada]

commissioned by DoofMcWhalen; his and his friend’s ffxiv characters Ayleth and Loco

thanks for commissioning!

lewd version on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/J5daigada

[invinciblerodent]

those character names sound cool, id like to heear more about the backstories please!

ooh thank you for giving me an opportunity to rant a little!!!! (this is also reference for myself- i had to list them all out on the front page of my new notebook just so i won't forget any of their names lol)

Backstory characters

Gemria Bozzahr: Arvid’s mother who, as a young gold dwarf girl, got pregnant out of wedlock in a short and tumultuous relationship with a kind duergar soldier (Arvid senior, Arvid Vicehold). She gave birth in the nearest monastery, in secret, and left the infant there when she realized that the boy was born a corpse-blue that betrayed his duergar blood. Arvid understands and is happy with her decision, as he knows this was the best thing she could have done for the both of them. (He might seek her out post-game. I’d like it if they had a nice relationship, and I think it’d be cute if the first time they really met was at his wedding.)

Father Ebrum: the Warlyon (head) of the Tempuran monastery where Arvid was raised- an old shield dwarf who took a quick shine to the boy who proved a quick study and a talented acolyte. He was Arvid’s unofficial guardian and mentor.

Parker and Redd: Arvid’s childhood friends- two village boys (a human and a halfling respectively) who didn’t mind that their friend was blue. They kept a very close relationship until Arvid moved to Baldur’s Gate (and rekindled their friendship once he moved to Waterdeep).

[Honestly, I kind of love how that wedding, there would be 1 (one) little dwarf lady with her partner, 1 (one) wizened old dwarf, 2 (two) friends and their families, and Shadowheart sitting on Arvid’s side, and half the Blackstaff faculty, two wizards of literal legend, and like 150 assorted Dekarioses on Gale’s.]

Herric Birchlight: Iona’s human ex-husband. Iona considers the version of her that was his wife to have died at his hands. He's about 52-53 years old now (he was 18 and she was 27 when they married, and were "together" for 34 years).

Karissa Dawnbreath: Iona’s tiefling friend and sort-of-ex-lover- it was more of an emotional affair than anything else. She was the one who revealed Iona’s magic to the rest of the compound out of fear when she found out about it herself. It kickstarted the events that resulted in half the village burning down and Iona fleeing to Baldur’s Gate.

Sylhorn Raedir: Iona’s father- a mature elf in the most typical way (he was around 230-ish when Iona was born). Very passive, stayed even after his daughter’s magic would have gotten them cast out from the Emissaries of the Immaculate- essentially he didn’t see the weight of a few decades of repression and low-grade crappiness as being too steep a price to pay for their comfortable life.

Jadwiga Raedir: Iona’s human stepmother and Sylhorn’s second wife. She was the one who brought Sylhorn and his then-young daughter (13-ish at the time) into her religion, which is a strange offshoot of Ilmaterian faith. Fundamentally kind, but very ignorant and fearful of magic. (She's almost 100 years old now, pretty impressive. Sylhorn is a very devoted caretaker for her.)

(Petyr and his brother were raised by a polycule of four adults- not an unusual family structure among at least that particular grove of druids. They chose a last name that felt right for all of them.)

Sionn Wildbrook: Petyr’s older brother. Also a half-elf, a very talented druid, and essentially what Petyr would be if he wasn’t…. well. himself. If he was better. Sionn may just be the sole source of his bitchiness and general inferiority complex. (Technically, they’re probably not biologically related though, but the boys do look rather alike for two people who aren't strictly related- only Sionn kind of naturally is everything Petyr would have wanted to be.)

Ayleth Wildbrook: Petyr’s biological mother (he calls her “mum”), a half-elf woman and a gifted healer.

Lorabellis Wildbrook: Petyr’s other mother (calls her "mother"), a human and a very talented and well-respected warrior of the grove. Sort of their equivalent of a guard-captain and Sionn’s biological mother.

Gilnian Wildbrook: One of Petyr’s fathers ("father")- an elf, and a general trader in he grove. Going by his looks, he’s most likely to be Petyr’s biological father as they look a lot alike.

Ciaran Wildbrook: Petyr’s other father ("dad")- a half-elf and a forester/druid himself. Likely Sionn’s biological father.

(these I just adapted from the backstory I wrote for him as Inquisitor!)

Bann (here Duke) Hanley Trevelyan: Ray’s father. In this universe, he died fairly recently, as an elderly and well-respected man, to run-of-the-mill nobles' heart disease brought forth by a life lived in leisure and luxury.

Lady Adeline Blanchefleur Trevelyan née d’Argent: Ray’s mother- a tall and imposing, statuesque beauty even now. Elderly recent widow with a tenuously warm relationship with her (also recently widowed) son.

Edmund Lawrence Trevelyan: Ray’s elder brother- an enchanter originally, now a wizard. Doesn't have a whole lot to do in this universe, lol.

Lydia Ambrosine Trevelyan: Ray’s elder sister, a no-nonsense and politically shrewd woman and the owner of vast swaths of lands through her husband’s family. She’s one of the most influential names in the Sword Coast’s wine industry.

Elora: Ray’s old elven nanny/caretaker who was a mother to him in all the ways Lady Adeline wasn’t. She died when he was just around 20-21 years old.

Ser Bradamante: Ray’s old teacher- a respected chevalier who taught him all he knew initially about swordfighting. He still visits her often.

Lady Angélique Léontine Sauveterre Benoit née d’Arlesans: she was originally Ray’s betrothed. They thankfully never wound up going through with that marriage of convenience (for reasons outside of their control- which is how they got engaged in the first place), and now in their later adulthood have an unexpectedly warm friendship between them. She used to be actually kind of in love with him, but she was very young then (only 16 when they got engaged, 18 when he disappeared for two years, and 20-21 when he became Inquisitor and met his future husband), and as an adult is overall understanding and grateful that he stepped out of the picture before they could have been wed.

Richard “Rich”, son of Thierry: Ray’s first love, when he was just a teenager. That relationship was a very formative experience for him.

Assuran: one of the avatars of the god Hoar, the Doombringer, and Phyr’s ex-lover. It’s... a long story.

Kismet Zarali: Phyr’s mother. Dipped shortly after Phyr (then Glory) was born- Phyr to this day doesn’t know the reason.

Prospero Zarali: Phyr’s father. To describe their relationship would be very long and complicated, but what really matters is that he was pretty resentful and neglectful of his daughter and died in a mugging when she was 17.

Fentoris Mistborn: the elven captain of the order of oath of the crown paladins acting as the guards/Flaming Fist in Warford, and the person who pulled Phyr literally from beneath the gallows to recruit her. He ended up being both her teacher and her closest confidant, and the only person she said goodbye to when she left the order and took an oath of vengeance instead. (he was one of my partner's characters in Neverwinter, we kind of came up with part of Phyr's story together)

Lochledge: Phyr’s ex-employer. He's a prominent underworld figure (and landlord, and loan shark) in Warford, and ran events called “Fight Nights”- essentially an underground boxing/MMA ring. Phyr, went to him for work after her father's death, and was his prize fighter for years, because nobody expected such a small girl to be as vicious, ruthless, and resilient as she was. She just... kept getting up, biting, goring with horns, etc. While not without animosity and devoid of trust, their relationship was not entirely hostile- she was sort of his favorite little attack dog, and he liked keeping her around as insurance when he was throwing his weight around. (She had intended to give him her name as "Fear", and he was the one who decided that it should be "Phyr" instead- then he expanded it to "Phyridia" to sound fancier, and she just adopted it.)

[goldbasar]

Hyur NPCs ! Tristan, Rhoswen, Jacke, Averil, Adalberta, Asahi, Azami, Brithael, Ardashir, Maria, Avere & Ayleth

[creethebard]

I had originally intended to finish this for the birthday of my very dear friend @tigerwriter-art. Then I was offered a job in another city, and having to move and start in the new position threw my timeline wildly out of kilter, resulting in this being almost a month late. But I was determined to see it finished!

Tiger, you are an amazing person, and you've stuck with me through the good times and the bad. Together we've told countless fun and engaging stories, and you never cease to impress and entertain me with how fabulous of a writer you are. Here is just a small sampling of your awesome characters in (belated) honor of your special day. Much gushing under the cut.

Qlu- The aaracockra tailor NPC from the Temphere campaign. I thought about drawing Hush, but we always draw Hush to rep you for that campaign and I thought you might enjoy seeing someone different! Qlu has a ton of personality and passion, and is always great fun to talk to whenever he appears in a scene.

Shadowstep - The mischievous deinonychus from Naelus: The Isle of Mist. The raptors were still great characters, full of snark and big of ego. Their jovial but fiercely loyal natures were a blast to play against, and Shadowstep's gentle chiding to keep his headstrong mate Driftstone in line was always entertaining.

Leif - The OG, the first character of yours I had the pleasure of reading and interacting with, the archmage of House Jade from Medieval. It has been a joy to see this character's growth over the years, from a short tempered, antisocial loner who likes birds more than he likes people to a compassionate person who helps others as much as he is able (though still with a short temper and a fondness for birds, because it wouldn't be Leif otherwise). And of course, I had to include his black-shouldered kite Ayleth, because it wouldn't be Leif without one of his raptors.

Harper - The half-alien teenager from Wrighton: Strange Memories. Can I just take a minute to enthuse about how well you wrote this character? They read very much as a realistic, believable teenager. They understood serious, heavy situations and treated them with the appropriate gravitas, but also had times where they could be mulish and immature. It was always fun to see what they were going to do next, and their more childish point of view helped bring levity at times to my far-too-serious character from the same story.

Iskender - The sapient, super-powered, talking Turkish Angora cat from Hero City: Capital of Justice. The fluffy white cat who isn't just there for the supervillain to stroke, but IS the supervillain, and in fact the boss of the supervillains. Clearly a delightful character in concept alone, but Iske was also a blast to play against. Gleefully evil, he delighted in everything from orchestrating the break-in of high security government test facilities to shedding on the sofa just because he was told to stay off it.

Metastophelous - The demonic parole officer from Mafia 2 & 3. Technically an older character than Leif, but I wouldn't meet him until much later, lol. A 4th wall shattering, scathingly sarcastic agent of divine retribution, as like to make critical remarks about your writing as on the mafioso ghost he was in charge of. He's always got a fun take on any given situation, delights in watching his repentant sinner struggle, but also genuinely wants him to succeed and shows no such callousness towards the innocent. An enjoyably complex, nuanced take on the typical "demon who punishes sinners" trope.

Doryen - Last but certainly not least, the lizardfolk sorcerer from the Thrrasir Campaign. Often the voice of reason (considering his party members are either too idealistic for their own good or swing hard into the "neutral" end of the morality spectrum in their suggested approaches to problem solving) and yet delightfully short-tempered such to the point that it's almost a meme at this point for him to exclaim "can we just fight you already?" to monologuing villains. I look forward to seeing how he continues to grow as the campaign progresses.

Happy belated birthday, Tiger. < 3 Hope this year is a good one to you.

[path-of-fire]

Ayleth you deserve the world and I love you 😭😭😭

A red hue grows on her face because of your words— her eyes widening at their sincerity that was woven within the syllables. Her heart constricting with all the new feelings that they evoked in her. “I already have the world, my dragon,” she murmurs, a soft quality to her countenance that few ever saw. “With you I have more than I could have ever hoped for.”

[kisa-rara]

To work at your FC’s Starbucks and catch your twin reading NSFW when he should be actually working.