Rhiana Veritas

A Note: Veritas and I have spoken, and we have agreed that we may as well fill in as many details of our history as we can honestly provide. I will tell our tale up to the point of my twin’s resurrection. Veritas will pick up from there.

Rhiana Veritas (1) was born in Tarabon in the year 3857 CE to Arad Ara’dinh (2) and an as-yet-unknown Phoenix male.

After only a few days, Arad took Rhiana Veritas to Tartarus, where she bargained with the Tartaran gods—mainly Hiito, Moira, and Nyx—for the infant’s safety (3). The gods of Tartarus agreed to protect and rear the infant until she could defend herself…there was a price, though: Rhi Anai had to become the Tartaran Oracle and Hiito’s apprentice; and Veritas had to become Nyx’s apprentice and the Deathsblade’s messenger (4). Arad agreed.

Rhiana Veritas grew to her sixth year in the Tartaran Heavens before Bane—bitch-goddess of Tartaran War, a.k.a. The Wimp—sent her to learn the Aradnian art of war. This was a ploy Bane intended to use to further the cause of her Dragons—led by Kizerrh. A month later, rebellion overtook the entire Aradnian Empire (5). The Rebel armies tore the Empire apart, leaving only Aradni and Nox Aula fighting against the Rebellion. Veritas was killed in the Battle of the White Twin (6). Rhi Anai was now alone…and pissed. She unleashed her most powerful attack, Beauty’s Judgment, and destroyed the remaining Rebels, thus ending the Aradnian Rebellion. From this civil war rose four new sovereign areas: Heliosis, Garia ( 7 ), Draconis, and the Unnamed Isles.

Now known for her power, Rhi Anai was frightened that the Aradnians would not accept her. She fled back to the Heavens and began her studies as Hiito’s apprentice. She asked Nyx to train her to be the best warrior she could ever become. She learned the craft of the Oracle. She wrote several of the most prominent Tartaran prophesies, including the one about the end of Tartarus ( 8 ). Inhiiro—Tartaran God of Fire, loves to dance—taught her several different dance styles. Viirai—Water, very quiet guy—taught her to observe. ((You get the idea.)) All the gods of Tartarus taught her something.

She trained with the Tartaran gods for 250 years. She then returned to Aradni, where Areyiai had succeeded Hiiro (who had succeeded Saiine, who had succeeded Justine, who had succeeded Inhiiro, who had succeeded Atala Nal, who had succeeded Arad Ara’dinh) for the Aradnian throne. Within the year, Rhiana Veritas (9) had become the Empress’ most trusted advisor and Grand General of Aradni.

Rhiana noticed the poverty and Chaos that had come as a result of Areyiai’s—daughter of Nyx—and her father’s rule. She took the root of the ara’dinh, gama’dinh, rhia’dinh and appeilla’dinh roses (10) and crushed them into a paste, which she watered down and mixed with Areyiai’s wine.

The assassination of Areyiai took seven years. In that time, Areyiai became Queen of Dravidia and took Nyx—who had, by that time, been trapped within Areyiai’s body—and Rhiana with her to Argentum. As the poison’s effects became more apparent, so too did Rhiana’s unique position. She took over the positions of Grand General, spy, Ambassador, and confidante, but most of the information she gathered never made it to the Empress and her actions rarely ever got Areyiai’s approval. In the last two years of Areyiai’s life, Rhiana single-handedly secured an alliance with Lucia and her allies (11), started many programs to end poverty in Aradni, helped Areyiai end slavery in Dravidia, and killed Nyx (12)--actually, that was more of an execution; Nyx had been accused of treason.

Rhi Anai soon was the only one who dared sit with Areyiai, who was on her deathbed—she alone, at that point, knew that it was poison, rather than consumption, which was killing the Empress. She told Areyiai that she was poisoning her, and she told the Empress her motive for the assassination. Areyiai did not blame Rhi. In her final hour, Empress Areyiai named Rhi Anai, the White Twin, her successor, with the single condition that Rhi tell her people what she had done for them.

The first thing that Rhi did as Empress of Aradni was to declare war on Draconis and Necrans, calling on the old alliances with Heliosis, Nox Aula (13), Garia and Delphi. However, the Aradnian people were soon clamoring to leave Tartarus behind—permanently. In Dravidia, which was now also under the rule of the Empress of Aradni, the people were unwilling to improve their military. Rhi and Lord Valandres spoke, and Valandres attempted to challenge Rhi for the throne of Dravidia. To prevent the Lord from getting Dravidia, Rhi handed her crown to Lucia Pyriel Magus, further securing Aradni’s alliance with Harád.

Soon, Rhi forsook her title as Goddess of Darkness in Tartarus, using the majority of the powers still remaining to her to move Aradni to Argentum, where Lucia had provided a place for the desert nation and its island province.

Five years after ascending to the throne of Aradni and bringing the Empire to Argentum, Rhi returned to Tartarus to check up with her friends and allies there. While there, Rhi was called to serve the Tartaran gods one last time—they needed their Martyr Champion. She forsook her fate (14). Rhi, the Oracle of Delphi, the White Twin, Champion of Tartarus, killed Moira, Tartaran Goddess of Fate. In that moment, Rhi raised her twin from the dead (15).

Time for Veritas to tell the rest of the story.

Extra Information--I just couldn't get it all in the Bio.

1. In Aradni, it is common to combine the names of twins into a “unit name” and to refer to them, as such, as one person. “Rhiana Veritas” is the unit name of Rhi Anai (The White Twin) and Veritas (The Black Twin), the twins who rule the Aradnian Empire.
2. Arad Ara'dinh is the founding Phoenix of Aradni
3. We still do not know what had endangered us.
4. Seems easy enough, right? Wrong. In effect, I became the Right Hand and Champion of the Tartaran Gods, and Veritas became their Left Hand and Destroyer.
5. At that time, the Aradnian Empire included Heliosis, Garia, Aradni, Nox Aula, the Unnamed Isles and Draconis.
6. The Battle of the White Twin would have been named the Battle of Ara’dinh if not for my response to my sister’s death.
7. Garia had once been an Empire in its own right, before Aradni, spanning then entire realm of Tartarus. It is therefore known as the Phoenix Forest Empire—which is odd, considering its citizens are all Elves.
8. I cursed Moira for months on that one—it included a bit about me sacrificing my own life for that pathetic wasteland.
9. I was using our unit name because my twin’s soul was sharing my body. Besides that, I wasn’t very keen on being recognized for destroying half of Aradni.
10. The Aradnian “Desert Rose,” “Dragon Rose,” “Phoenix Rose,” and “Bloodrose.” This specific combination is a potent toxin that works slowly. It has all the same symptoms as consumption—a fatal disease indigenous to Aradni, victims cough blood—and is, therefore, a very good poison to use for assassinations…provided time is on your side.----SweetPoisonLyn, I invite you to come to Aradni. I will teach you our special poisons—perhaps even sell you some of the rarer ingredients for your own use.
11. During this meeting, I accidentally revealed my true identity. From this point, I will use me real name, rather than the unit name. The meeting in question was also where I fought Lord Gabriel Valandres and earned the scar on my face—I was pregnant and was forced to forfeit because I couldn’t stay conscious.
12. In killing Nyx, I took the powers and title of the Tartaran Goddess of Darkness. I very quickly forced the Aradnians—by that time the only ones still worshipping the Dark—to stop worshipping me.
13. Almost forgot to mention this bit: Nox Aula had left Aradni during Areyiai’s rule. To regain the island, I formed a Blood Bond with Queen-Phoenix Domina Hosetu Ardea—more specifically, she claimed me as her daughter and I claimed her as my mother.
14. Nothing new there. I go against my Fate all the time. For instance, I wasn’t supposed to kill Nyx or Areyiai, but I did. I hate the gods telling me what I can and cannot do.
15. Didn’t you just know that one was coming? Thing is, until that moment, I didn’t have any real control over Veritas’ fate. She wasn’t supposed to come back. When I got Moira’s power, my first action was to cut my wrist and call my twin back from the grave.