Aule the Faded

Aule Eliende Ráviel Astaseul is a princess of the Queendom of Tacua, Governor of Tacua, scholar, botanist, and wife to Ilo Astaseul, princess of Borhammar. Born into the world of Rathnir during the time of warring states in south Syltor (409 ACA), she has since been rebirthed into the world after her tragic death in 427 ACA.

Aule would be known as "the Faded" after her reincarnation in 946 ACA (Jan. 15th), where she was mostly resurrected by Bodynwedd the Firbolg. Due to the death of Bodynwedd during Aule's resurrection, she was not fully reformed and became ghost-like, with a partially transparent body and greyed out features.

Ancestry
Aule was born into the Royal house of Tarmon. Her mother was Princess Ráviel V (later Queen) with the father being Lord Moren of the house of Maxion. Aule had two sisters and one brother, with Princess Ráviel VI being the eldest, Prince Hatea being the second born, and Princess Anon XVI being the youngest.

Aule's grandmother, Queen Ráviel IV, was known as "the collector" for having 5 husbands, each of a different race of elf. Queen Ráviel IV was a racial scientist and studied each of her spouses and how intermingling between the races would turn out. Her five husbands in order of marriage include: Hateith the Nivosus, 'Childless' Elfaen the Erut'ani, Taritel the Tacuan Noble, Lord Alcon of the line of Picunada, and Nashatei the Ashuran.

The House of Tarmon goes back to King Tarmon I "the Usurper", who overthrew the Kingdom of Almador in the region of Tacua in 1082 BCA. This family would rule peacefully over Tacua from their capital Ardol. This line of succession would pass from King to King till the reign of King Picunada II, who, having only daughters, would change the laws of the kingdom in 126 BCA to allow his eldest daughter, Queen Ráviel III, to inherit. This rule would pass down until the time of Aule, where it met a fateful end.

Early Life
Aule Eliende Ráviel was born on the 2nd of the Sixth Month of 409 ACA in the Tarmon Palace at Ardol. Her hair was a reddish-orange, unlike her two siblings at the time. It was believed to have passed down from her grandfather Hateith, who had bright orange hair and very pale skin. While slightly shunned for this difference by the rest of her family, her grandparents found great interest in her; Hateith for their similarity, and Queen Ráviel III for research purposes.

Her early life was as uneventful as it can get for a child. Aule lived without worry of the wars going on outside the borders of Tacua. During her education, she found she had a fascination with botany and the growing of plants. She was starting her full fledged pursuit of this when the then-warlord Sareariel Lelya-Earcala would begin war upon the Queendom of Tacua in 419 ACA. While most historians believe that Tacua declared war, Tacua still held the belief that Lelya-Earcala struck first.

The Weary Wars
The Weary Wars (as called by the Tacuans) would begin a long and bloody struggle between Lelya-Earcala and the combined forces of Tacua, Hampo, and Ashura. The war between Lelya-Earcala and Tacua would last for 8 years, much of which was held with both sides sending out raiding parties into each other's lands. Aule would live these years somewhat oblivious to the horrors of war beyond the safe sea-walls of Ardol. Her brother Hatea would study as a commander under her uncle and Captain of the Guard Taritel II.

Tacua's part in the war would abruptly end on the 12th of the second month of 427 ACA, when Sareariel Lelya-Earcala would launch a surprise assault upon Ardol and take the capital by force. The Tacuan army, caught unawares, was overwhelmed and defeated within a few hours. The city of Ardol was burned to the ground during this battle and hasn't been rebuilt since, with much of the ruins and lands becoming enveloped by the jungle. The Royal House of Tarmon would be executed there, except for Lord Hateith, who would be kept alive in remembrance of the defeat of Tacua and ending of the line of Tarmon.

Here Aule would meet death, being executed on the Tarmon Palace grounds along with the rest of the surviving family. Aule would then find herself stuck in the Vale for close to 519 years, her soul restless from unfulfillment and uneasy death.

Resurrection
Aule would have a second chance with life due to the works of Bodynwedd the Firbolg. Bodynwedd was a druidic keeper of the forest north of Lhûmar and servant of the goddess Carn Adar. Bodynwedd had extensively studied botany and herbology and had started the creation of an encyclopedia of all the plants and fungi in Rathnir, known as Plantas Mundi Rathnir.

In Bodynwedd's dying moments, he reached out towards the Vale to speak with those already there. Here, Aule called to Bodynwedd and asked that he help her return to the physical plane. Bodynwedd, using the last of his energy, did his best to fulfill this wish and began the formation of a new body for Aule. Unfortunately, Bodynwedd passed before finishing this body, but was able to place Aule's soul inside it.

Aule rejoined the world half alive. She wasn't fully formed, and as such, was somewhat transparent with a grey overtone to her once-colorful body. But, at least she was alive.

Second Chances
Aule, while still shy to the new world, quickly adapted to her surroundings and began work on reclaiming her old city. While sad to hear of the ruins of Ardol, Aule took Governship of Tacua, and by extension, the city of Estecónmar as well. She would begin work on building up Tacua to its former glory. While still not achieved, she hopes to continue to grow Estecónmar into a thriving city again.

Seeing the works of Bodynwedd and his encyclopedia, Aule swore to continue their work and finish the encyclopedia. While simple in nature, the true collection of information on all living plants and fungi in Rathnir is no small task and she continues to work on it.

While working on the encyclopedia, Aule came across an organization called The Gaians, whose goal was to sustain and rebuild the wildlife and habitats of Rathnir and Eldham. Aule, intrigued, joined this group of people and took up residence in Iabet. There, she met Mother Adashi, leader of the Gaians and mayor of Iabet. Aule would grow quite fond of the Bug Queen Adashi, and became more involved with the Gaians because of it. It was through the Gaians that Aule would meet his future wife Ilo Astaseul. Ilo was also a resident of Iabet, and later joint mayor. Being of the house of Astaseul, Ilo was the daughter of Fury Astaseul, Archduke of Borhammar. After the extensive courtship of one date, Aule and Ilo would be married in Borhammar City on the 26th of Febuary.

During the time of the wedding and afterwards would mark an important time for Aule as a governor in Aurlûnor Velande, as the threat of barbarians and religious zealots would march upon the land bringing stress to all involved. Here, Aule would practice being the role of diplomat, going between Aurlûnor and the various groups, communicating wishes, demands, and other requests between each other.

With many more events and activities on the horizon, there is sure to be plenty for Aule to do.

Credits
Special thanks to:


 * Sareariel (Coffeeccubus)
 * Adashi
 * Ilo (Rhea)

for all the help they have given me on this article :)