Veruca Darrius

Veruca I Darrius is the current reigning Queen of the Ashenbay. Daughter of a Darrius changeling woman and a Gantan duke, Veruca was sold into slavery as an infant. After violently escaping, she began a crusade against slavery that led her to the Ashenbay Freehold. Veruca established royal claim over the city of Stalwart and by extension the entire Ashenbay in 1148 CA. She then manifested an Elytran Mark of Making and used the resultant power to create the new capital city of Evytum overlooking the bay. Called "The Volcano's Wrath" by the Tall Eshrid and "the Darrius bitch" by the slavers of Telane, she is known simply as "The Dragon" by her subjects and by freed slaves the world over.

**Early Life (1124-1140 CA)**

Veruca was born in the city of Avandonne to a woman on the run. A Darrius changeling woman whose name is lost to history, but known to be the daughter of Vinlis Darrius and the granddaughter of Garial Darrius, had been engaged, consensually or otherwise, by a high-ranking nobleman in Ganta, and had fled to Avandonne pregnant by him. Once there, she gave birth to twins: Veruca and Cadrin, though she didn't name them such. Less than a week after their birth, agents of their father caught up with the woman. She hid Veruca and died trying to stop the men from taking Cadrin, who was spirited back to Ganta.

Veruca, an infant alone, was promptly found by street thugs who had seen the affair and hoped to rob the house. When they discovered she was a changeling, they sold her to a local brothel.

After 13 years in the pits of Avandonne, in 1137, Veruca manifested arcane powers--specifically those that focused around her natural changeling abilities. Locals describe a demonic woman with the claws and fangs of a dragon tearing her way through the brothel before escaping into the dusk.

At some point in the next three years, Veruca found her way to Ganta, where she fell off the historical record for most of the next decade.

**Campaign in the Ashenbay (1147-1148 CA)**

Veruca reemerged in Ganta in 1147 with little memory of her life. In the company of Cora Fellgod, Destino D'Ignasias, and Brother Mathias, Veruca participated in the Battle of Adamas where she convinced the Tall Eshrid to join her against the armies of Bloodbath. She then waged a brief but bloody sea campaign across the Teylan Seas sweeping aside any slavers she found before finding her way (with a rather large bank loan) to the Ashenbay Freehold. There, she demonstrated her capability and ruthlessness by burning 300 captive slaver crewmen who had been besieging the city before declaring herself the Queen of the new Ashenbay.

While initially her rule was met with skepticism, the manifesting of Veruca's Elytran Mark of Making allowed her to construct the city of Evytum, which as a far superior capital to Stalwart solidified her rule.

**Crusader Queen (1148 CA)**

Following her rapid ascension in the Ashenbay and a series of quick reforms and appointments (supplemented with a copious amount of arcane magic of her own volition) Queen Veruca declared a crusade against the Red Empire of Klrakthia, hoping to galvanize allies to the defense of her fledgling queendom. While the crusade's intentions appear to have been partially genuine, it can now be speculated that they served primarily as cover for the Queen's real crusade--a massive, multi-army assault on the slaver-city of Tapinek.

Queen Veruca's army (predominantly composed of Tall Eshrid contracted from Sirali) swept through the lower city in a matter of hours, securing the street level. Following a protracted air battle which saw the killing of three adult yellow dragons (two by her Marshal, Destino ind'e Ignasias) but also the loss of one of her elite Dragoons, Queen Veruca's forces broke the defenses of the upper city and destroyed the palace. While fighting would continue as the city was cleared over the next week, Queen Veruca was able to quickly assemble the bulk of the city's population to present her brand of mercy--Marks of Justice that would prevent thousands from engaging in slavery in the future. Queen Veruca then began the arduous process of shipping over three million freed slaves and citizens away from the now burning city as her dragoons reduced it to a wasteland of molten glass and charred black stand, all around the lonely Cathedral of the Greater which stood impotent to protect its city.

After the Destruction of Tapinek, Queen Veruca made several rapid political adjustments to the situation throughout Ama'as, unseating the current Queen of Ana Ama'as in favor of King Andan Al-Shilai as well as releasing the tributary cities of Keranis and Dinis from the Red Empire's suzerainity. With a focus toward consolidation, the Queen has begun construction of a number of cities and fortresses throughout the Ashenbay.

**Relationships**

* Cora Fellgod - Lover
* Cadrin Tash - Twin brother
* Destino D'Ignasias - Former party member, current employer
* Gavin Isani - Betrothed

**Personal Abilities**

Commander Traits:

*Queen of Making -* General - Units in Veruca's army suffer no penalties to order relay or cohesion due to factionalism, species, culture, or creed.

*Memory of Tapinek -*  General - Any units led by and/or primarily composed of those tied to the practice of slavery operates at -1 stage of morale for the duration of their presence on the same battlefield as Veruca. Units primarily composed of slaves on the battlefield operate at -2 stages of loyalty.

*The Broken Links of the Once-Chained Dragon -* Commander - Enemy units adjacent to units under Veruca's command operate as though two morale stages lower for the purpose of loyalty checks. If units under Veruca's command inflict 20% score damage to a unit in a round, it must immediately make a loyalty check or cease combat and (depending on the disposition and type of unit) rout from the battlefield at full speed or join Veruca's army.

*Voice of the Dragon* - Personal - Veruca's voice can be heard up to eight hexes away, at her desire.

*Dragon -* Personal - Veruca can occupy a hex as a unit alone or with her dragon cohort. She acts as a Dragon typed unit.

Elytran Mark of Making:

**And the Dragon be awakened to protect her young**

* SHE WILL SUFFER FOR BEING ABANDONED,
* SUFFER FOR BEING ATTENDED.
* SHE SHALL BREAK AT THE HANDS OF HER CAPTORS--
* BREAK, AND BE OF FIVE MINDS.
* SHE SHALL BUILD THE SHIELD OF THE WEST.