Venewrynd

> "When will I return from my time at sea"? Pirr'amare mie, the sea is my soulmate! I'd not be troubled if I never set foot on land again!
>
> - Prince-Exalt Demonte, to one of her many lovers

**The Reaper's Kiss** is a supporting character in Alcaeus. He is the official **Prince-Exalt** of **Mont Alto**.

## Appearance

Venewrynd Beowynn Demonte is a nymph of average height and lithe, androgynous build with a slim waist. She has long black hair that fades to white around her face and bright, golden eyes that turn crimson when she uses the forms of pyromancy that she knows. Her skin is porcelain pale, but she has a few freckles here and there. Scars like tiger stripes frame her lower legs and shoulders, and she has two surgical scars beneath her pectoral muscles.

As a nymph, he has pointed knife-ears and a lion-like tail ending in a tuft of black hair, and an unnervingly fang-filled smile where it counts. Unusually, he also has a unicorn horn, but it is unknown where in his lineage this may have come from considering his pureblooded nature.

Venewrynd enjoys the dramatics of fashion, usually dressing in a feminine or androgynous way, especially in public. She enjoys being looked at and spoken about, and therefore often dons elaborate, gaudy jewelry or other nonsense accessories, though it's "all in good fun." As a pirate, she has to wear flowy, open clothing that suits the acrobatic leaps, dodges, kicks, and tumbles required to stay alive on the unforgiving seas (and against other pirates) but on land her wardrobe is not so restricted. She could live in her dressing room, she says, but then the ocean would miss her.

## Personality

Venewrynd is the only heir (and only child) of **King-Exalt Godriel** and **Queen-Consort-Exalt Eia**. Their inability to carry another child to term frustrated Eia, and as they continued trying throughout Venewrynd's childhood, effectively neglecting him, eventually they found success. It was short-lived, though, as both Eia and the unnamed child died during labor. This shook Godriel to his core, leading him to take his own life only a few years later out of grief and guilt. This left little Venewrynd parentless and in possession of Mont Alto's throne. He wasn't alone, though; the castle's capable staff put all hands on deck to raise him to be a competent adult and ruler.

The Prince-Exalt's childhood still haunts her, especially with the official coronation she keeps delaying, but somewhere in her young-adulthood she found refuge in **the Death Rattle**, Mont Alto's most infamous pirate gang. They quickly accepted her within their ranks, every grand feat bringing her closer and closer to being the captain. Little did they know, Venewrynd had befriended local legend **C'yricchueule, Endless Hunger**: a kraken-like eldritch being that enjoyed feasting on ships that strayed too far from shore. Completely unrelated, some freak accident had killed the Death Rattle's previous captain, making Venewrynd the sole option as their replacement... at least that's how she recounts the story.

Clever and dishonest, Venewrynd builds relationships by compulsively lying to everyone but especially himself. It is only around those that have broken down that hard outer shell caused by past neglect that he will truly shine as a great friend and competent ally.

Venewrynd distrusts Dio as they've "been around for too long" but secretly appreciates the effort they put into including her in their and Siegyth's "girl talks". She gets along marginally better with Siegyth alone, who is, in contrast with the Prince-Exalt herself, a completely open book. She believes the Imperator to be "a crazy warmongering bitch," but loves her for it and forgives her transgressions as Venewrynd knows she is no saint either. Her feelings towards Osmar are complicated because he reveals so little about himself aside from the teasing, but views him as an older brother on good days and a weird uncle on bad ones.

## History

As Venewrynd was born in a (quite famous) noble house, he had just about every material thing one could think of. A beautiful bedroom, a majestic view of Mont Alto, toys, clothes… but one living heir was not enough for Godriel and Eia. As previously mentioned, they tried and tried until Eia eventually passed on during labor and Godriel passed on to the afterlife with her out of heartbreak.

Though her teenage years, Venewrynd made sure to be as unobtrusive as possible. She stopped dressing flamboyantly and announcing herself wherever she went. The castle maids, guards, and other staff always made sure she had at least a few adults to confide in, as the throne had belonged to the Demonte family since Mont Alto was founded and a change in families may have signified economic collapse for the pink oasis-kingdom, but she understood that in life, royalty was just one big unfair game of chess (of which she didn’t know the rules anyway).

Venewrynd tried to enjoy royal duties, but the sea just outside his reach was ever-tempting. He says he joined the Death Rattle of her own accord, but really, they had begged him to. No noble had ever joined a pirate gang before, and naturally, Venewrynd’s influence on the surrounding gangs brought the Death Rattle more gold than they knew what to do with. He sailed with them for quite a long time before becoming captain, and learned a lot about both the high seas and the impulses of others in his time on the water.

Currently only 600 years old, the Prince-Exalt is the youngest ruler in the area, though he keeps delaying his official kingly coronation to raid faraway kingdoms. She is slowly earning her sense of childlike whimsy and confidence back, and her appearance reflects it. She has a small but effective support system in the rulers of the surrounding kingdoms, and knows they at least somewhat wish for her to succeed.