Almira Vines

"*I know I will wither, so peel away the bark. Alas, nothing grows when it is dark.*"
—Almira casting a siphoning spell upon Mengsk Soulstrider.

## Attributes

### Allignment

Neutral Evil

**Almira Vines** is a witch and practitioner of magic, preferably in dark arts. Once the head of her own coven, she was condemned to death for he transgressions as a witch before Alec Kylar saved and recruited her into his company. After conforming to a life of enthrallment to him, Almira went on to serve Alec for nearly two years before she was given the freedom to choose a new life within the Witchwood Coven.

## History

Almira was born in the prosperous town of Wolfpeak, fifty miles east of Bramwell, Westmarch. Her parents owned and operated a merchant booth in the town market that allowed her family to make a standard of living to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table. Almira had little interest in her parent's business.

In 1241, her father, with enough profit from their merchant business, traveled to the capital of Westmarch to acquire and purchase property outside Wolfpeak. Almira and her family moved into a mansion the same year. Among the servants that joined their house hold was a maid named Lara who took a liking a young Almira.

Ashe grew up surrounded by privilege. Her parents eventually became highly sought-after business consultants and coaches for powerful trading caravans around Westmarch. Though her parents paid little attention to her - mostly leaving her in the care of Lara - they ensured that Almira had every opportunity to succeed. Unbeknownst to her parents and the town folk was Lara's dealings in witchcraft and dark magic.

### ***The Beckoning of the Crimson Moon***

The month of Ratham after she reached puberty Almira began experiencing horrific nightmares that resulted in little to no sleep. One night, during the hour of the wolf, Almira awakened in the middle of the dark forest surrounding her family mansion as a result of heavy sleep walking. Confused and frightened, she wondering the forest in darkness until she came across a black goat. Before long, the goat disapeared into the deep, dark wood. Almira eventually returned home and found Lara in her room awaiting her return.

In the days following her forest walk Almira began experiencing haunting spirits roaming the mansion at night and to her dismay only she could see or hear them. On one occasion she awakened to find a gruesome crone standing over her bed watching her before quickly disappearing into the shadows. When she screamed for her parents and housemaids only Lara seemed to hear her and respond. Comforting the frightened girl Lara begin explaining the origins of the witch and why she was haunting Almira. She was quick to deduce the Lara was somehow involved in the nighttime haunting and devilish nightmares.

Hesitant to inform her parents that Lara may be involved in a coven, Almira kept to herself and began to secretly study witchcraft through the town library. One day, while retrieving a book from under her bed, Almira found a diagram etched into the floor that she speculated to be some form of witchcraft. She confronted Lara on the matter to which the handmaiden informed the young girl that she was attempting to enthrall her, and that the diagram had been placed the night Almira had sleep walked.

Though Lara's plan was to turn Almira into her thrall, ironically Almira had come to embrace the witchcraft that was being used on her; Almira sought to kill Lara, dispose of her body and use Lara's personal items as a vessel for magic. Her parents began noticing her odd and erratic behavior during the day and, through sheer superstition, assumed some for of witchcraft had claimed their daughter. With pressure now coming from her parents and hosehold, and Lara wishing to complete her enthrallment over her, Almira quickly devised a plan to lure and kill Lara.

On the night of the crimson moon, Almira feigned enthrallment to Lara and entered the dark forest at night; once Lara began following her and the two were alone, Almira stroked at Lara with a hatchet from her father's barn. Through her readings of witchcraft, and many conversions with Lara herself, Almira had learned that blood spilt under the crimson moon could be used for a sacrificial practice of dark magic. This meant that upon a swing of the hatchet entering Lara's skull Almira consumed her essence and dark magic, giving Almira incredible mana and might. With the threat of Lara gone, Almira ventured into the dark forest to find the crone she had seen some many months prior and join their coven. The young girl never returned home or saw her family again.

### ***The Coven of Ashwood***

For the remainder of her upbringing Almira served under the Coven of Ashwood located in the north-east region of Westmarch, the same coven Lara once belong and trained in. Having killed the witch Lara and consumed her power Almira was welcomed with open arms; she learned that Lara had been haunting and enthralling unwilling recruits into the coven for years, either to join or be sacrificed. The coven's leader Theodora, the crone that Almira had seen in her bed during her initial haunting, was surprised by Almira's thirst for dark magic and willingness to join. While accepting Almira within their ranks many of the coven members were distraught to learn that Lara had been killed by the young initiate, thus she became known by her peers as **Almira the Wicked**.

## Character and Appearance

Almira is an intelligent and amoral witch. Once the leader of her own coven, she possess leadership and cunning. Hellhands is attracted to her beauty. Alec Kyler, her thraller, has also admitted to her alluring appearance, like a "black rose".