Dae'avel Somnia

Emperor Dae'avel Somnia in his prime (Circa 2018-2019) (Photo by Kaitlyn Black)

## **Personality:**

Dae’avel is a man who thinks carefully before he speaks, a shrewd politician by upbringing he is well aware of the power of words and symbolism and is often motivated he believes is best for his people. A Narcissist by nature, he believes his decisions are for the best of all and while open to the ideas of others to make the best decision possible, once committed to a path, it is exceedingly difficult to dissuade him from it. He will make these decisions even if it angers those around him, such as during the Crisis of time when he refused to back a side in the war, strictly maintaining neutrality on the belief that it would guarantee his and his people's safety regardless of what side won the war.

A man of his word, he takes the concept of loyalty and honouring his word quite seriously, to those who have proved their loyalty he will assist and protect however he can within the limits of his station, but woe to those who betray him.

Dae’avel is also a difficult person to get close to, he is very well aware of how people view him and his station and has been since he was a boy, all too aware that people would prefer to get close to him due to his power rather than who he actually is.

Dae’avel is a progressive person politically, having in his rule, not just moved away from the old traditions of operation, with regard to lesser fairfolk, now treating them more towards a status of equals rather than servants, but he has also maintained peace with many of the surrounding nations of the Empire, including notably clan Faebane, and an exceedingly tenuous peace with the Gemna, despite his inherent distrust and animosity towards them for their actions prior to his ascendance.

## **History:**

Dae’avel was not born a Somnia, like all Brea’s children in her long reign, he was adopted into the family.

Dae’avel was born to a minor house, which one he claims to not remember beyond that it was under house Serta, and lived near the border between the Fairfolk and the Gemna, during the Third Gemna Fairfolk war, Dae’avel and his family, suffered one of the many atrocities of that war. His family were captured in a raid, but upon realization by the Gemna that they could not feed their prisoners without giving up their own rations, and not wanting to deal with it further, they decided to “Free” them. By which they meant, they were free to run for the forests while the Gemna used them for target practice.

What followed are simply pieces gathered by those who were close enough to the man to learn. His mother, upon realizing they wouldn't survive the hail of arrows, took the then-toddler known as Dae’avel to the Dream, where she then succumbed to her wounds. Dae’avel being too young to understand or know how to utilize his inborn power of the dream door spent at least several days in the Dream, hiding from the nightmares that dwelled there. That was until the Empress through some unknown means, caught word of it, and sending her agents, led by General Otavek in to scour the dream, to rescue the child. Why is unknown, Though some speculate that the Empress, in her infinite wisdom, simply knew the value of the boy, while others speculate that she might have been afraid what a fairfolk truly returning to the dream might do. The reason is lost to the realm of death.

What is known is that upon his being brought back to Levant is that she adopted Dae’avel as one of her children, and the boy did not speak for the next 5 years, traumatized by the loss of his birth parents and what he had seen in the Dream. The only thing that would soothe him was Brea’s soft voice, and with time a Nurse named Ellawyn. After 5 years of silence, his first word would come at a question from the Empress, asking if he still saw the dream while waking, his response, a simple “No.”. But it was a start, a slow return to normality and his new life as a prince.

As he grew, he began to require less supervision, and it did not take long before he had his first taste of alcohol, Shaata left a half-full cup of fine wine in the dining room as they were clearing out and Dae’avel decided to take a sip. He liked the taste. It took no more than a couple of months of periodically stealing a bit here and there before one night he consumed enough to learn that the drink sent away his nightmares, and thus he developed a dependency on it. His teacher did not care as long as he could focus on his studies, and hardly anyone dared refuse him due to his status, the only one that kept him in line and is the reason he never drinks enough to be drunk is because Ellawyn scolded him and warned him of its dangers. He made sure to learn his tolerance and walk the fine line, to always be presentable and professional, but to have enough in his system to numb the nightmares and help him deal with the derangements he was still coming out of. It was also during this time that other manifestations of his time in the dream appeared to manifest. He was ageing slower than other children of his age, much slower, his time in the dream appeared to have strengthened it beyond any living fairfolk aside from Brea, who had been born in the dream.

Having been taught magic and the ways in which politics worked, when he began to come into his own the Empress began to send him out on tasks for her, to settle disputes between houses, advise new lords, settle border disputes and so on, it was during this time he began to develop an irregular friendship with his assigned bodyguard Uzak, coming to trust the ogre and value his opinions, there was no politics with him, just honesty, along with the occasional automatic compliance, it was an interesting relationship, to say the least.

At the age of 30 (though he mentally and physically was still somewhat younger due to his time in the dream), he was dispatched to the township of Compass Rose to advise and report on its progress under Baron Finean. It was in this hamlet that Dae’avel would distinguish himself from his siblings, and prove himself worthy of ascendance.

Shortly after Crown Prince Dae’avel’s arrival within the town, a group of adventurers also arrived with an artifact of great importance to the town, and shortly after, world history: the Keystone. After its return, those who delivered it decided to stay within the township, and Dae’avel began to make friends with a number of them. One such person was another Sidhe named Anada, whom he grew close with for a time.

It was with her, at her Sister’s wedding, that Dae’avel saw firsthand the kind of cruelty his people were capable of. Anada had been close with a Sluagh of the house, too close for the house’s liking, and to avoid such fraternization in the future, they had the boy killed. While disgusted by it internally, Dae’avel was well aware of his position and how he could not voice public disproval of it without drawing undue ire to himself at the gain of nothing, and so he helped her to escape the wedding so Anada might recuperate.

The following month, while Dae’avel was away from the township to take care of some land issues in Levant, the Baron opened a portal into Death’s realm using the keystone, an action previously thought impossible. While the trip had in fact been a gain, Dae’avel was furious. The Baron had neglected to inform him, the crown on his frankly dangerous actions. Still, despite his fury and yelling, what was done had been done, and there was naught he could do to change that.

Unfortunately, however, Dae’avel’s warnings fell on deaf ears, as it was only a few months later when the Baron decided to open the realm for a second time, this time with more dire consequences. A group of tentacle ridden mutants escaped into the forest, along with the wraiths of long-dead Sidhe lords.

Now having proof of the very real danger the Baron had unleashed, Dae’avel relayed a warning unto the Baron: He was to deal with the monsters and wraiths, quickly, or he would find himself with a fate most unpleasant that his station as a Royal of House Finean would not save him from.

While the town was able to deal with the escaped monsters, It seemed that the Prince’s warning regarding the wraiths had fallen on Deaf ears. They regained somewhat physical forms, and with their influence and power, along with the at the time betrayal of house Harena, plunged the Empire into Civil War.

THIS IS WHERE THE REST OF THE CAMPAIGN HAPPENED. BLAH BLAH BLAH THIS IS HARD TO WRITE

## **POST-WAR OF TIME**

When the details of wars between gods reached Dae’avel’s ear’s, ever the politician, he came up with a most elegant solution for his Empire and his people. He decided that by not having his Empire not take direct part in the war, he would gain favour with all the present gods involved and ensure the best odds for His peoples survival. Tanana was the patron god of his people, and by not actively going against her, that favour could carry them to any potential new timeline, Zet’allen abhorred needless violence and war, and so by avoiding putting more people at risk, he fulfilled a requirement of Zet’allen, By minimizing death and simply sending observers and minimal agents, he gathered and preserved knowledge for Sensus, And by waiting until the time was right he played the best moves possible in the Game, satisfying the Gamemaster.

When the war suddenly stopped, all its major players, including many of the emperor’s friends, vanished, There was a rift left. And opportunity waits for no one to grieve. With all the other major powers of the world seemingly in chaos or uncaring, He sent his armies to take Compass Rose, to protect it, and then rebuild it. After he was satisfied, he declared it a semi-autonomous state under the permanent protection of his Empire in exchange for taxes to be paid to the Empire.

With his grasp on Compass Rose now secure, he set his focus inward on his own people and a culture that needed to change. Slowly, over the next 200 years, he made slow deliberate changes in national policy, switching to more protectionist policies, and, changing the way in which other races, sluagh, and ogres were treated. So that the Sluagh and ogre were treated more fairly, and the members of his Empire, or at least, the peasantry, were free to love those outside their own race.

Much later in his life, after many changes had been made, and as his first true signs of aging began to show, he met his would-be wife Lady Runa the Indomitable, on a Pilgrimage of Frost to Shaata’s mountain while in disguise as he frequently was when he made the pilgrimage, as he did not wish to be hounded on such deeply personal journeys. The two courted over severall years before they were wed, and eventually the couple had 3 children.

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Eventually, Dae’avel succumbed to his old age before he could officially name which of his children would be his successor. But his legacy of justice and equality still lives on