Aurora Korlat

Lady Aurora Korlat, also known as Aurora the Sweet was a Yutemond noblewoman and the second Duchess of Korlat of the Korlat dynasty. She was the daughter of Namidia Korlat, the founder of the Korlat dynasty by her legal spouse, Thaddeus of Dalmacia.
Aurora is popular amongst the people for her sweetness and good-governance over the Duchy of Korlat. She is not seen as someone who was extremely intelligent and capable but overall was polite towards others and displayed her goodness wherever she dwelt; providing support for the families that suffered due to her mother's reign. She is also popular for her progresses across Yutemond intended to support women.
Though Aurora lived only to the age of forty-five she left behind positive remarks regarding her leadership, however was a symbol of incest and therefore was met with some negative sentiments about her particularily by men due to her role in abolishing mysognistic rights.
== Appearance and Character ==
=== Appearance ===
Aurora was a small woman, slim of waist and slight of frame. According to a semi-canon source, she was small of breast, with a long neck, a fair complexion, a high forehead, and high cheekbones. Aurrora was described as "pretty", but seldom as "beautiful". She had blue eyes and honey-colored curls. She strongly resembled her late maternal grandmother, Amalia.
=== Character ===
Aurora was bright but unremarkable as a young girl. She was courteous and biddable, and had a sweet smile and a pleasing voice. As a child, she was neither timid nor did she have a willful and stubborn temperament. According to her tutors, Aurora was a proud girl at the age of thirteen. 
Aurora was considered to be gentle, kind and loving. Aurora loved her subjects, both of noble birth and common birth, and was well loved throughout Yutemond in return. However, many sources support the idea that Aurora was "too kind" and was easily manipulated by those around her.
According to a semi-canon source, Aurora's hair turned white as snow in her old age. She wore it in a bun, pulled back and pinned behind her ears. Her lack of the classic Korlat coloration of silver-white hair may have been due to the fact that her father was Thaddeus of Dalmacia.
== History ==
=== Origins ===
Aurora was the daughter of Lady Namidia Korlat by her legal consort, Thaddeus of Dalmacia. She and her brother, Galerius were born only two years part from each other. Her mother was popular for her cruelty and her aggressive campaigns against the tribesmen of Yutemond located in the mountain regions, her father had a disputed reputation.
Aurora was present during the burial of her father in 685 BE. During her teen years, Galerius took Aurora's maidenhead and promised someday that he would marry her, despite the fact they were siblings. According to popular sources, Galerius introduced oral and anal sex to her. 
It was long rumoured that Aurora was actually the daughter of her mother's paramour, Claudus instead of Thaddeus so that the House of Korlat-Dalmacia could claim the stronghold, wealth and properties of the Korlat dyansty; in an attempt to illegitimise Aurora. However, this claim was widely denounced as Aurora strongly resembled Thaddeus and all claims about her being baseborn were not believed.
=== Duchess of Korlat ===
==== Early Reign ====
Aurora's mother, Namidia was disposed of and placed under house arrest by Aurora's regency council which consisted of at least five of the most powerful clans in the Yutemond region. Though, these were her mother's worse enemies many of them fought to have custody over Aurora and her brother, Galerius in an attempt to claim Korlat lands for themselves.
When Aurora turned sixteen in 696 BE, she was originally intended for Cassius of Lesbos, a wealthy merchant in the far east of Yutemond who intended to improve the economic status of Yutemond as a nation and supported Namidia in her brutalistic campaigns. However, Aurora strongly disliked Cassius as she felt he was "too old" and "crusty." This jape made the court laugh and Cassius returned to his homeland.
Aurora banned the book A Necessity for Cruelty sometime around late 696 or 697 BE as she did not want to be reminded of her lady mother, Namidia who was held in a private prison at Korlat Castle. The book was later unbanned on the persuasio nof her brother and husband, Galerius a few years later when Namidia's imprisonment was discussed again.
==== Marriage ====
For many years, people contested over who should wed Aurora, many of the patriarchal familes in the realm offered their own sons feeling as if it would befit them to hold the reigns over a "mere woman," however Aurora was infatuated with her brother, Galerius and decreed that she shall marry him over all of their sons. The council debated for some time before coming to a closing decision.
Still recalling the religious high tensions that had followed the scandal of her children, the council decreed Aurora and Galerius should not be wed to one another, and after Archpriest Mattheus agreed that such a marriage would likely again inflame the pious of the realm, the council agreed to find other spouses for the siblings. The council was quick to agree on a husband for Aurora: Orryn of Roevelle.
Aurora informed Galerius, who acted immediately, ordering his guardsmen to discreetly travel during the night, while he and Aurora hired their own troops to re-capture Korlat Castle and dispose of all the garrisons owned by the regency.
At Korlat Castle, Aurora and Galerius were married in secret, with Priest Oswyck performing the ceremony. A month later after securing the castle for themselves, Aurora and Galerius married in a small, public ceremony; this time the ceremony was followed by a consummation - in spite of this occurance not being the first time Aurora had sex with Galerius.
==== Law of Incestious Exceptionalism ====
The Law of Incestious Exceptionalism or Exceptionalism for short, is the precept that Aurora Korlat worked out with the priests in order for them to tolerate the continued practice of incestuous marriages by the Korlat dynasty. It was developed by Aurora herself with help from Priest Oswyck. The supporters of this doctrine are called Exceptionalists with the ideals that no Korlat's were damaged due to incest.
Apart from incest, one of the key beliefs of Exceptionalism was that the Korlat members were immune to common illnesses that could kill other men and there was historical evidence to support this claim.
=== Progress in Yutemond ===
In 700 BE, a pregnant Aurora accompanied Galerius on her first progress, touring Yutemond. At Roevell, Aurora held the first of her famous women's courts, where she heard women of all ages and births bring her their fears, hopes and consternations. These progresses widely improved Aurora's image as the House of Korlat became a wealthy one and charitable under Aurora's early tenure; in exchange she was dubbed Aurora the Sweet.
Though the Law of Incestious Exceptionalism had won over most of the pious in the realm, but not all. Some of the women who tended to the bathouses believed that the bath's sacred waters would become polluted if the duchess, pregnant with an "abomination", were to enter the waters. While she was inside, Aurora was attacked by three of these women with daggers. As only women were allowed in the bathhouse, Aurora was accompanied only by her maids and priestesses, who did not hesitate to protect Aurora by stepping between her would-be assassins. Their shouts alarmed two knights who stood outside, who burst in and slew two of the attackers, sparing the third for questioning. 
Under questioning, the remaining would-be assassin revealed the names of half a dozen more in the order who had helped plan the assault. The local lord hanged the guilty women.
===== Reformations =====
In 701 AC, Aurora, together with Priest Oswyck, and Osmund, began to aid Aurora with codifying, organizing, and reforming all Korlat's laws. The project would take decades. That same year, Aurora traveled to Korlat Castle where she gave birth to her first child, Livia Korlat. She would later bare another daughter named Anastasia; much to the disapproval of her husband who hoped she'd bare a son to keep him company.
The next year, Aurora supported Oswyck's plan of constructing wells, pipes, tunnels, and cisterns to provide the Yutemond people with fresh, clean water. Oswyck pointed out to Aurora that the defouled river water was the only source of water for the smallfolk, suggesting his plans would provide the smallfolk with clean drinking water instead. When the duchess and her financial advisor, Osmund, balked at the costs, Aurora served them a tankard of river water and challenged them to drink it. Instead of drinking the water, the duchess and Osmund approved the construction of the fountains, which would become known as "the Auroran' fountains."
=== Progress in Pithia ===
At Pithia, Aurora was hosted by Lady Claudia of Pithia. She held a women's court at Lady Claudia's hall, where two hundred women laid their grievances before her. A tourney was held in her honor, and Aurora's sworn sword sparred with a woman during the event, much to the approval of the Pithians.
During her time in Pithia, she had heard tales from women during her women's courts concerning the right of the husband, and the horrifying experience it was for the women who suffered through it (this practice included the right of the husband to pick at least three men to bed his bride before he does). During the council session hosted at the behest of Duchess Aurora, with the help of Osmund, she convinced the lords of Pithia and their counselors, to abolish this practice and outlaw it throughout Pithia.
This became known as the second of Duchess Aurora's laws. By this time, Aurora was overwhelming loved by the people across all the realms, especially the smallfolk.
==== Death of Namidia and Galerius ====
In the year 710 BE, Galerius had suffered a horsing incident and died after she confined him for a year. This left Aurora devastated as he was the only other family member in the Korlat dynasty that she truly knew (despite claims that Galerius was a manipulative husband) and due to her motivation in improving her family's image she disdained her imprisoned mother and was reluctant to meet her, let alone release her from confinement.
In 720 BE during the many of her progresses across the realms, with the Korlat lands prospering thanks to Oswyck and other intellectuals of her court the reputation that Namidia brought upon the dynasty was widely dimished as most of her rivals died due to old age, battle or another sort of incident and the younger generation slowly succeeded the older one.
Aurora was in the region of Boustare hosting her popular womens courts when she recieved news from Korlat Castle that her long-tenured imprisoned mother, Namidia the Cruel was about to die. Before Aurora and Galerius could visit their dying mother, she died suddenly at the age of 60; this slightly upset Aurora as she never had the chance to meet her mother since she was a child, however never cared to release her from her confinement and many sources support the idea that Namidia was not able to be a mother to her children due to her predicement and disposal.
== Later Life ==
=== Retirement ===
In the year 723 BE, three years after being heavily impacted by the death of Galerius and her mother, Namidia the Lady Aurora decided to retire from her position as Duchess of Korlat and became known as Lady Mother Korlat in favour of her eldest daughter and successor, Livia Korlat.
As she aged, the joys in Aurora's life were slowly taken from her. She became too unsteady to travel; and wept in pain due to losing two of the most important people in her life, including Oswyck and Osmund.
Two years later, Aurora slipped in the bathouse and broke her hip, and had to use a cane to walk thereafter. Her hearing began to fail, leaving her unable to enjoy music anymore, or participate in discussions of her daughter's advisory council. Her memory also began to have trouble, leaving her unable to recall the names of all the new people in the court. She aged poorly, many of whom mistook her for being at least seventy or eighty while only being in her mid-forties.
=== Death ===
Aurora was bedridden for weeks due to the fact that she contracted illness, showing clear signs of pneaumonia. Sadly, Livia wasn't able to save her lady mother from the inevitable and Aurora died in her sleep. She was only 45 years old.
== Legacy ==
There is a sad song, "Aurora", that may be about the duchess. The fleet of Empress Julieanna Korlat contains a war galley called Duchess Aurora. She is remembered in Yutemond, Pithia and Rovell with great love by the smallfolk and others of the nobility. Some people suggest that Aurora was a vulnerable in her youth but later grew into a "motherly" figure for the people she cared for during her tenure.
However, some Pithian lords of the modern day hold a grudge against Aurora for abolishing the right of the husband.
Category:House of Korlat
Category:Early Korlats
Category:Early Century
Category:Celebs
Category:Females
Category:High Peers
Category:House Heads
Category:Nobility
Category:Noblewomen
Category:Tribeswomen
Category:Victims of illness
Category:Deceased