Celiia

Epic Duel Moderator

 Biography

Celiia's life began in an unnamed village located somewhere in Greenguard. She was adopted by a warmhearted family of three after the disappearance of her mother and father.

Spending most of her time with her brother, the two practiced the art of swordsmanship. Inspired by King Alteon's knights of Good; Celiia and her brother imitated the lunges and stabs with wooden swords, and while their skills were exceptionally crude at first, the two gained experience over time.

At some point, Celiia came to the conclusion that the normal life of a village woman; growing up and being wed, and spending the rest of her life doing chores, just wasn't the path she wanted to take.

So when Celiia's brother left to become a knight under the forces of Good, so did she. Celiia cut her hair and dressed in her brother's clothes, then vanished into the night while the village slept, armed with only a map and a knife.

Upon reaching Swordhaven and enlisting in King Alteon's army, Celiia signed up as a male by the name of Einhardt. She went through training just like every other knight, and even encountered her brother during her stay.

### Swordhaven Invasion

On the day of the Undead invasion of Swordhaven, Celiia was stationed within the castle, just outside of King Alteon's chamber, alongside the Pactagonal Knights.

During a violent altercation between the forces of Good and Evil, Celiia was blasted into King Alteon's chamber by a strong magical attack that sent her flying over a window.

Managing to grip tightly onto the edge of the window with the possibility of death looming over her, Celiia hung on for her life. It was on this ledge that Celiia observed the deadly exchange between Sepulchure and King Alteon, and the first time she had ever witnessed the power of Evil. A power unlike any she had seen before.

Celiia, in awe and admiration of Sepulchure and his authority over darkness and the Undead, could only watch,

*“If my parents had been on the side of Good, then I will be their opposite. Maybe then, I will be able to cross paths with them someday.”*

The slip of her fingers brought her back to reality, and before she could do anything, a purple explosion inside of King Alteon's chamber blinded her and caused her to lose her grip on the window, sending her plummeting into the darkness in a fall that to Celiia, was happening in slow motion.

### Joining the Shadowscythe

*"I knew now, more than ever, that I needed an ally like the Shadowscythe. To have countless Undead under your command, to strike fear into the hearts of people the moment they lay eyes on you. The slightest chance that if, by making this decision, that perhaps one day, fate may align itself and allow me the chance to meet my parents."*

It wasn't until much later that Celiia blinked her eyes open to find herself laying on the ground without equipment. She was in her brother's clothes again, just like the day she had left the village. After coming to her senses Celiia looked around. She was surrounded by Undead, their red eyes gleaming in the darkness. Celiia scrambled helplessly, her arms and legs bound.

The Empress loomed over her. Celiia pleaded, insisting that she wanted to help. The Empress listened, surprisingly, and Celiia went quiet as she thought carefully about her next few words, but before she could speak, the Empress laughed, amused. Celiia's facial expression must have given something away, for the Empress appeased her.

To prove herself to be a trustworthy ally, Empress Gravelyn gave her an ultimatum: Destroy her home village, or be sent back to Swordhaven.

*"My duels with my brother, joining the knights, the shining armor, the fancy swords, our rough training, our preparation, the defense of Swordhaven, loyalty to the forces of Good. For what? The glory? The fame? Noble status? No. None of it mattered. I was doing this for myself and myself alone."*

Celiia's next choice might possibly have been the biggest regret of her life. Preparations were quickly made, and Celiia was sent on her way to make her decision a grim reality.

### Becoming Evil

Sometime later, the DoomKnight gryphon rider transporting Celiia touched down on an open field close to her home village.

*“... To prove your loyalty to me...”*

Celiia, armed with her equipment from her time in King Alteon's army, took unsteady steps towards the village. Most were asleep, but she managed to spot a villager that had gone out to check his crops. It was dark, but she knew that it was most likely someone she knew. Her hand shook on the pommel of her sheathed sword...

..She performed her deed and moved on without stopping to look.

*“...I want you to perform such a dastardly deed that will…”*

It was here when Celiia was taught how to use basic magic by her DoomKnight escort. The target of her newly found magical abilities: the village well. With a tremendous amount of focus and mana, Celiia managed to evaporate all of the water contained in the well.

*“...Make people despise you, make people curse your name when evil…”*

With the only available water source nearby gone, Celiia could continue. The DoomKnight watched from a distance as Celiia approached one of the houses. She took deep breaths and placed her palm on the wooden frame of the house. One spark, two sparks, three sparks, and finally, the wood ignited. The dark flames weren't much, but the wind would help it spread.

Moving hasitily from house to house, Celiia repeated the process, igniting houses one by one, until...

*“...Befalls them.”*

... She reached her home. Her brother's home. Her family's home. Celiia glanced back at the DoomKnight who was still watching her. Even the tame gryphon at the knight's side seemed to be piercing her with its sharp gaze. Celiia placed both palms of her hands against the building, and stared down at the ground, biting her own lip.

She had come this far. There was no turning back. After a few seconds of hesitation, she ignited the house and ran, hoping, wishing, that nobody had been home. Celiia came to a halt beside the DoomKnight, her hands on her knees, sweat dripping from her forehead. Her mind was cluttered with different thoughts, and different images. A pang of guilt struck her heart.

The knight said nothing and merely watched Celiia's work. Celiia turned around to stare at what she had done. The wind had picked up, helping spread the dark flames faster and faster. The homes of people she had known for years were burning, but those buildings didn't matter to her as much as the one building, the one building that housed the people she could call family.

Then came the screams, someone must have seen the dark outline of the flames, or maybe they had smelled burning wood, maybe they felt the temperature in their homes rise, maybe someone had been licked by a flame's burning tongue. Celiia had no way of knowing, but the curse was already in place; the screams would haunt her forever. The DoomKnight signaled for Celiia that it was time to go. The knight mounted the gryphon, followed by Celiia and as they took off, she couldn't help but keep her eyes focused on that one building.

That, was how Celiia joined the Shadowscythe. From that day forward, Celiia's emotions had gone half numb, but her loyalty to the Shadowscythe and the Empress never wavered. So resolute in her desire to aid the forces of Evil to acquire the power she had witnessed in Sepulchure and King Alteon's fight. So devoted to taking the wrong path, just for the slim chance of meeting her real parents someday. Whether she had done right or done wrong, it was too late now. Celiia had given her soul to the Shadowscythe.

Year by year, mission after mission, month by month, quest after quest, day by day, errand after errand, Celiia worked her way up through the ranks of the Shadowscythe. Even if there was no one else left to care about, as long as she had the Empress to serve, it would be alright, for as long as Celiia remained by the Empress's side, the power she sought, she would obtain.

Little did Celiia know that somewhere out there, in the world of Lore, her brother was out seeking revenge.

Now, Celiia is a distinguished soldier in the Empress's army. Celiia never tired of the blade and made it her preferred weapon. She also learned to better her magical abilities, of which she excelled in the fire and dark elemental magics. She pushed herself to become a capable gryphon rider, and eventually, she earned the right to become a DoomKnight, and later on, the honor of donning DoomFire Guard armor.

## AE Lore

The character of Celiia has not been featured in any AE games yet.

## Fun Facts

* The name Celiia gave herself upon joining King Alteon's knights, Einhardt, is a German derived name, which means, "Strong with a sword."
* Wants all of your lemonade, strawberries, strawberry milk, glazed donuts, and other delicacies in the name of Evil
* Was the guild leader of Evanescent

## Real life story

Rewind back to the near end of 2015, a call for moderators was made on AQW by Sora to Hoshi. I was at the campus library at the time, listening to music and watching movies since I had completed my work ahead of time, while everyone else stressed out over finals.

I saw the design note on AQW and went, "Sure, why not?" and applied to be a moderator. It would be an opportunity to gain a credit I needed here in college, for which I had to work with a community outside of the college to get. It'd also be an opportunity to give back to the community that I have been a part of since 2009.

Naturally, I forgot I had applied shortly after. Events on campus had my attention, and I didn't expect to get the position either, considering how many players probably apply. There was no way, right?

It was the winter vacation of 2016, in January. I was finally home for the break and happened to check my emails by pure chance. Because who checks their emails when they're on vacation, am I right? Well, I'm happy I did that day because in bold text was an email from AE, but that couldn't be right. Surely, someone was playing a prank on me. Maybe it was just a phishing email.

I mean, I was excited I had received a response, but I was also skeptical. Part of me was like Newyork on New Years, parties and celebration happening everywhere, while part of me was also a detective looking through a magnifying glass for any evidence that might tip me off that it wasn't the real deal. Sure enough, the email had been very real.

Funny thing is, even after I was accepted as a moderator for AQW and had received the gold name, I still couldn't believe, but here I am.

Big thank you to Sora To Hoshi and the rest of the staff, I appreciate the opportunity that I was given, and really appreciate the work that you all do.