Cerise

> I am Cerise of the Ortu! For what you have done to my people, I will not rest until History itself forgets your name!
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- Cerise in Episode 81 The Darkest Night

A late addition main character on the Realms of Ukodor. She comes from the Fey Ward and is determined to take down Lord Viktor Keiran to save her family.

## Backstory

Cerise grew up on a cherry orchard in a region of the Fey Ward called the Ortu (ohr-TOO). Her people are/were very agriculture oriented and lived in matriarchal family groups. She lived with her nuclear family, and maternal grandparents. There would be festivals bringing families from different farms together frequently. Farms in this society while providing food are also works of chaotic art. Magic is a major element in their tending and festivals often compete on things like the uniqueness of produce.

#### Viktor's Attack on the Ortu

When Cerise was 13, 90 years ago before Cerise's joined the Light Bringers by the Fey's calendar, creatures of the Shadow Ward attacked. It was the Winter Festival of Renewal where the Ortu would gather in the sacred grove of elder trees to pray for a good new year and elders would perform a ceremony supposed to reconnect the magic between the land and the people. During that ceremony the demons from the shadow ward attacked. Many were killed, many were taken, the trees were destroyed. In the Chaos when Cerise had been grabbed, someone tried to cast banishment on the monster, but instead hit Cerise. Cerise was sent to the fire ward, and burned badly. When she was finally released, her wings had burned off, the Orchard was in ruins, her maternal grandmother, Vishnya, was dead and the rest of her family was missing.

Cerise returned in time to see a few monsters obliterated by Fecina and beaten back by some of the Ortu who were able to escape the initial wave. When Fecina had finished mopping up the creatures she stabilized Cerise. She took Cerise with the other wounded to wait on more thorough healing. After a few weeks Fecina was able to cast Regenerate on Cerise and she was going to be send home. Cerise begged Fecina to let Cerise stay with her. Cerise wanted to learn how to do what she did. Fecina was a bit uncomfortable, not wanting to encourage this child to fight but ultimately agreed when she realized the extent of damage done to the entire Ortu region. Fecina saw this as a portent of a particularly aggressive new cycle with Viktor.

#### Growing up after the attack

After the massacre at the festival, crops started dying. Magic was unable to revitalize the land. Some of the survivors found their powers waned and many grew sick. Then more people died from a wasting illness parallel to what hit the crops. Possibly some of them became shades, creatures that terrorize the dead fields. In the end a few hundred survived of the previous thousands, mostly those who fled in the early days.

While growing up at Fecina's side she would ask every question she could. Would study fighting with the Tiefling guards and got very good at sneaking around, pulling tricks and being entertaining to get herself out of trouble. She spent her time studying whatever she could about Viktor, and trying to find magic that could help her bring her family back.

The one relative Cerise has had much contact since the fall out is her paternal grandmother Zelka, but Cerise didn't want to live out on a farm she wanted to live with her savior (and coolest most powerful woman ever: Fecina). Zelka would make the trek to visit her, and helped her with her coming of age ceremony when she turned 100. Cerise appreciated it on some level, but feels like it's a distraction for her real goal - avenging her family. Her Grandmother put a lot of emphasis on how important it was for Cerise to carry on Ortu traditions when there were so few of them left, but Cerise was determined not to be held back.