Mazo

*Appeared in chapters*                        22 23      29

Vanir

## Family

* Aki - Mate

Mazo was a surface vanir captured by agents of the Halme kingdom of Nagyescsed, imprisoned for later use by the King and Queen in a blood sacrifice. Though he was freed from captivity during a raid led by Ariel and reinforced by a contingent of Highland raiders, he was ultimately slain in Vanaheimr alongside most of his fellow survivors at the command of the highly xenophobic Synos.

## Appearance & Personality

Mazo was a lean male vanir with golden eyes. He had short brown hair that was left messy and unstyled. Owing to his harsh captivity, his features were gaunt and his expression typically dour. The loss of his mate only deepened his depression. Despite the losses, he was a determined man and

## Biography - Arc I

### Escaping Nagyescsed

Mazo first appeared as Ariel broke into the dungeons of Nagyescsed, huddled alongside Aki. Though Ariel had arrived to rescue Faen, she allowed the other prisoners to accompany them during the escape. After Ariel's group was reinforced by Key'sal and her squad of Highland Raiders, the seasoned squad leader affirmed the decision to allow the captured fae to accompany them back to the underworld. However, many of the prisoners elected to instead travel instead with Chirinide, who sought the homeland of Freyja, a vanir city the young girl claimed had never been overrun. The next morning, following their escape, the two groups separated to follow their own paths.

### Halme Pursuit

The decision to part ways with the well-armed Highland Raiders would ultimately prove disastrous. Following the escapees' trail with the aid of hounds, a pursuing group of halme soldiers were able to track down the group in the Nagyescsed mountain range, northwest of Nidavellir. As the others sought to hide in a nearby hut, Aki was separated and attempted to continue fleeing alone into the fields. Though a pair of halme soldiers and their hound came across the hut the others hid in, they were called away before they could investigate as the rest of the patrol continued to track Aki. In this way she, perhaps unintentionally, saved the lives of the others. Sadly, fate was not so kind to Aki, as she was hunted down and slain by her pursuers. The rest of the group stumbled across her remains the next morning, able to do little but mourn the loss of their fellow. Mazo in particular was stricken by the loss of his mate, sobbing into the mud next to the body of his beloved.

### Continuing Journey

Having finally lost their persuers, the group continued their journey to Vanaheimr. Chirinide took note of Mazo's solitude and grief, and introduced herself to Mazo. Though they both had difficulty overcoming the language barrier between them, Chirinide was able to learn his name and even elicit a faint smile. As the journey continued, so too did the hardships. Passing over the Nagyescsed mountains proved an arduous task, as the lack of clothing or footwear led many of the survivors to develop severe frostbite, despite Chirinide's efforts with her fire sorcery. Many days later, this lacking would be somewhat rectified as the group stumbled upon a small halme outpost. Ambushing and slaying the two guards, Chirinide had their garments shared among the group, giving Mazo in particular a heavy fur cloak.

The group eventually came to the valley of Vanaheimr, encountering the ruins of a small village, the signs of a massacre scattered about. Though Chirnide was initially worried this was all that remained of Freyja's people, the young girl informed the group that the ruins were the remains of a halme settlement that had encroached upon the forests of her people. The mention of halmes brought a dark and grim expression to Mazo's face. Now armed with an axe, he pledged to fight the halme should they reappear. As the group ventured into the forest, Mazo was filled with a sense of deep unease, suspicious of the mana-infused woods around them. As the group made camp, Chirnide received a vision of the woods constricting around her, and called her comrades to arms just as Freyja was taken from them by a cloaked attacker. Ultimately, the attacker was revealed to be Freyja's brother, Freyr, averting further bloodshed. However, the group was forced to press on, as the forest guardians had awakened and the woods were no longer safe. Their mount unfortunately was left behind, ultimately being slain by these very guardians.

### Vanaheimer

At long last, the battered group arrived at the vanir city of Vanaheimr. Though now relatively welcoming, Freyr took the group along back allies and hidden paths, insisting on keeping their presence relatively hidden from the common populace until the council of Vanaheimr could decide what to do with their new guests. After the council convened behind closed doors, the survivors were bathed and ushered to separate quarters. Mazo, as with Chirnide, was deeply suspicious, recalling a similar treatment given to new slaves. Sadly, his unease proved well-founded, as the survivors were attacked in the night by agents under the command of Councilor Synos. While the Kyorl'solenurn survivors were able to escape the attack due to a forewarning vision of Chirnide, the vanir were not so fortunate and were slain in their rooms. Through her visions, Chiri was able to feel Mazo's murder, unable to aid him as he pleaded for help just a short distance away.

## Notable Quotes

"*They don't see. I- They forget already. But I do. I remember. Is like that when new slaves is processed.*" - Expressing his unease with the survivor's treatment by their hosts.

*This article reflects events up to Chapter 54**.***

1. ↑ Chapter 29, page 8
2. ↑ Chapter 22, page 8
3. ↑ Chapter 22, page 19
4. ↑ Chapter 23, page 3
5. ↑ Chapter 23, page 1
6. ↑ Chapter 29, page 3
7. ↑ Chapter 29, page 5
8. ↑ Chapter 29, page 17
9. ↑ Chapter 29, page 9
10. ↑ Chapter 29, page 14
11. ↑ Chapter 29, page 27
12. ↑ Chapter 29, page 43
13. ↑ Chapter 29, page 34