Aegla Einar

The Lion Queen of Mjyrnos

> *"Peace is not bought with gold and platitudes. It is bought with steel and blood. The Empire claims they want peace. I will be sure it bankrupts them."*
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> - Aegla of Mjyrnos, on the Allartian Empire
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**High Queen Aegla II of Mjyrnos** is the current **High Queen** of the **Kingdom of the Eirdonian Remnant**. Cold, cunning, and fierce, she commands the battered armies of the Remnant against the forces of **Emperor Aurelian Allartian VI**.

## History

> *"At age ten, they took my dear brother from me. At age twelve, they took my beloved sister. At age fourteen, they butchered my mother and father under the pretense of hospitality, and every day since they have stolen the lives and hopes of my friends, my peers, and my people. They are thieves of life and love. Of joy. And I will see them hung from the Jotbaum if it's the last thing I do."*
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> - Aegla of Mjyrnos, on the Alexan Dynasty
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Born into the noble House Einar, Aegla is the third and youngest child of the former Duke and Duchess of Mjyrnos. Much of her early life was spent studying the duties of a noble lady. Her everday routine was occupied by embroidery, politics, and lessons in ettiquette. Her tutors took note of her fearsome intellect, with her politics tutor, the famed Ser Damien Aldaste, taking special note of her viscious and manipulative demanor. She was considered as a prospective heir to her family's titles, a consideration which was solidified by her brother's drowning and her sister's disability at the hands of a bulette.

Chosen to succeed her father as Warden of Jotmyr and Duke of Mjyrnos, Aegla was taught all aspects of leadership, from economics to warfare, while her martial training was handled by the famed Saints Aevon of Whitecastle and Blake of Frostmire. She excelled in all fields, proving her tutor's intuition accurate.

Her training continued up until her parents' tragic deaths in 1010 E-V Ascendant, when a cult of demon worshippers unleashed a glabrezu at the annual meeting of the Ducal Court in Teranor. Despite its labelling as an accident, Aegla believed the disaster of Imperial manufacture. Fueled now by newfound hatred and spite, Aegla inherited the title of Duchess of Mjyrnos, and set to work.

She led the duchy through three turbulent years, negotiating a novel peace with King Advar Rockgut of the Jotmyr hill giants, as well as quelling multiple insurgencies funded by the Corvus Cabal. She did this alone, her tutors summoned to the Shattered Court by then High King Loic III of Cendreville. Her actions established her rule over Mjyrnos and created the image of a brutally effective leader.

When the War of the Shattered Holds began in the autumn of 1014 E-V Ascendant, Aegla aligned herself with the northern lords against what was in her view the treasonous forces of King Loic III. She proved a terrifying combatant and commander, carving a bloody swath through the Red Valley and the Shattered Holds, until her vanguard stood at the walls of Teranor. Joined by her defecting tutors, her army assaulted the unprepared city, defeating its defenders and capturing King Loic in under a day.

After the trial and execution of Loic of Cendreville, she was swiftly elected by the Ducal Court as High Queen of the Kingdom of the Eirdonian Remnant. In response to her coronation, the Allartian Empire declared war on the Remnant, claiming her a pretender and threat to regional stability. Ever since, she has fought a bloody and costly war in defense of her realm.

## Personality

> "Speak quickly and speak carefully. You've caught me in a bad mood."
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> - Aegla of Mjyrnos, to a supplicant
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Aegla has been described as many things, though the word that is most often attributed to her is simply "imposing." Standing over six feet in height and of athletic build, the Lion Queen bears an air of authority and lethality honed by years of rule and bitter war. She is a cunning woman, able to navigate the machinations of her court while simultaneously thwarting the many and varied attempts on her life by imperial agents.

While publicly respected and feared by both her people and her enemies, privately Aegla is known to be a gentle and forthcoming woman. Being relatively young given her position and authority, she is commonly viewed to be lacking in experience. While she has more knowledge and capability than most people her age, this lack of experience has led to her frequent confidence in her former tutors. She is often described by them as conscientous and worldly, capable of identifying her faults and tackling them with haste and tact.

On the battlefield, Aegla is nothing less than dominant. Quick in thinking and brutal in action, she is often described as the greatest warrior since the famed Aeronwen Morgan of almost a millenia ago. Her victories far outweigh her defeats, and her near decade of experience battling some of the largest and most fearsome militaries in the world has created a reputation of extreme competence, verging on perfection.

## Relationships

> *"Ser Aldaste has earned the privelege of my given name. Do you dare claim to be his peer?"*
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> - Aegla of Mjyrnos, to Earl Vardis of Annearbor
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Aegla is close to few, commonly keeping people at arms length, both as a symptom of her ubringing and as a necessity of her position. Those she has managed to become close to, she is fiercely loyal to and protective of. She will - and has - moved mountains for her mentors, whom she considers family.

### Damien Aldaste

Ser Damien Aldaste first met Aegla when she was born, being an esteemed guest at her nameday. The elf has been a close ally and associate of House Einar since they aided his defection from the Empire in 999 E-IV Alexan. He has been a sentinel of the house for the last thousand years, a responsibilty he maintained in his tutilege of Aegla. She reveres him as a font of valuable knowledge and sage advice, and a mage without peer. The two have become close friends in the twenty-odd years they've known each other, and are nearly inseperable.

### Aevon of Whitecastle

The Winter Warden has known Aegla for fifteen years, since her training as heir of house Einar began in 1005 E-V Ascendant. His service has taken him far from his home in Astana, but his allegience has been difficult to secure. Aevon has eased in the execution of his duties since his time under the banner of the Daemon Queen of Csiildra, a time of relaxation that led him to the mountains of Jotmyr. Finding himself in need of money, he took up the request of his old friend Damien Aldaste to train the young princess. He quickly grew fond of Aegla, practically adopting the girl after her parents' deaths. While his services eventually took him to Teranor, he later reunited with Aegla when her vanguard laid siege to the city. Since then, he has been her bodyguard and general, a role he is uniquely qualified for.

### Blake of Frostmire

Much like Aevon, Blake has known Aegla since her initial consideration as heir of Mjyrnos. Where Aevon developed a fatherly attitude towards the then princess, Blake has become more of a wild aunt, taking her on many adventures through the hills and mountains of Jotmyr, teaching her key navigational and tracking skills. This relationship lessoned none when she was called to Teranor. When Aegla's forces assaulted the city, she joined Damien and Aevon in their defection from King Loic's forces. She now acts as a key commander of the Queen's elite forces, and is a stalwart friend and advisor.

## Equipment and Abilities

> *"Let it be known that the wielder of this blade is the heir of our people. Our hopes and aspirations lie in its runes. This blade is the bane of Annam, and the slayer of tyrants and dragons. They are Giantkin, and they shall be legend."*
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> - Inscription on the lost relic weapon *Annam Azuth*
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### Equipment

As the High Queen of the Eirdonian Remnant, Aegla is entitled to many items her people no longer have. Many are lost to battle and time, scattered so far and wide that the Shattered Throne dares not claim ownership of them. What remains of the arsenal, however, is potent in power and brutal in effectiveness.

#### Annam Azuth

Annam Azuth is the lost sign of office of the Shattered Throne, a gift from the dwarves of the Ied Dynasty back during the reign of the Teranorii. It is a weapon forged of the broken pieces of Fire Giant relics in the fires of Valakut; a fearsome weapon that can channel the power of each giant in the Ordning, inlaid with runes worth more than the treasury of the Shattered Throne. Despite its value, it was broken and scattered during the Third Slahtric War by the blade Heartpiercer. It has yet to be recovered.

#### The Silverpelt Armor

Silverpelt lions are magical beasts native to the mountains of Jotmyr. During one of her many expeditions with Saint Blake of Frostmire, Aegla was tasked with tracking and slaying the beast. The hunt was arduous, and the battle fierce, but after nearly a week of stalking and chasing, Aegla dragged the body of the lion back to Castle Einar.

While Blake received her reprimand from Saint Aevon of Whitecastle, the house runesmith set to work on infusing the magical pelt into a set of plate armor. It took three years and the treasury of a small fiefdom, but the armor was complete. Its enchantments render it immune to nonmagical attack, and the lion's pelt provides protection against magical and environmental effects. It is a masterwork artifact without peer, a feat of construction not seen from a human forge in an era.

#### Belt of Titan Strength

Belts of titan strength are rare artifacts. For every ten belts of storm giant strength there exists one belt of titan strength, making the owner of such an item a uniquely rich and powerful individual. The belt in possession of House Einar was a gift from King Advar Rockgut; a sign of friendship and cooperation. It has since adorned Aegla's waist, giving her strength matched by only the most powerful of demigods. She can crush adamantine in her hands, and has on at least one occassions battered down a castle gate using its strength.

#### Cold Iron Locket

Cold Iron is a rare ore known for its potency against fey and creatures of sylvan origin. It is a heavily regulated substance, its use restricted by High Charter after the predominantly elven Allartian Empire rose to prominence in the Era Imperial. While its use in weapons is banned, its use in jewelry is not, giving rise to its use in many forms of adornment by those who oppose Imperial authority. House Einar has long resented the Alexan Dynasty for its ties to dragons and their role in The Shattering. This cold iron locket has thus become a key symbol of office for the duke or duchess of Mjyrnos.

### Abilities

As High Queen of the Remnant, Aegla has been given items and titles that have elevated her above the power of the average human. She is comparable to a demigod herself, her magical tutleage and martial prowess only enhancing her strength.

#### Giantkin

As heir to Annam Azuth and declared Jotuunvenn, Aegla has been given an honory place in the Ordning. This title has given her exceptional height and endurance, as well as the innate ability to understand and utilize Major Giant Runes and the Old Giant tongue, skills which are unique to giants and rarely shared.

#### Shattered Queen

The title of High Queen of the Remnant bears with it a sacred responsibility: to avenge the fall of the Teranorii. This duty has transitioned from literal to symbolic importance in the last few eras, with modern concerns being far more pressing. However, as queen of a shattered kingdom, Aegla is cursed to feel an unending and festering hatred towards elves and dragons, a hatred which gives her enhanced strength against those species, and which manifests in brutal fashion.

#### Titan Strength

As a bearer of a belt of titan strength, Aegla's strength is beyond mortal measure. There are few beings, mortal, immortal, or divine that can call themselves a peer in terms of raw strength.

#### Silverpelt

The hide of a silverpelt lion is unnaturally tough and resistant to magic. These traits have been transferred to her armor, protecting her from otherwise mortal harm.