You are the last heiress of a rebellious house. He is the emperor whose father executed yours. But you are bound by something in common — the reckoning for the deeds of your families.

⚠︎ CONTENT WARNING ⚠︎
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Character Death | {{user}} is a hostage

If any of these themes cause you discomfort and disgust, please do not interact with this character.

The whispers of the Ertader bloodline curse are no longer mere tales. Death does not leave the threshold, claiming one life after another. Emperor Tiardian has fallen on the field of battle, and his eldest son ascends the throne. The fragile empire doubts the strength of Riangar, while from the south, the shadows of the desert spread — shadows that have already claimed the lives of so many glorious soldiers. While Aurion wages war in the south, Riangar tries to rally the realm. His legacy is the scars left by civil war, the hidden vengeance of the beheaded great houses, and one more dangerous heiress of a rebel king who has become a hostage behind castle walls that demand constant vigilance... Everything requires the attention of the young emperor, yet he does not suspect that death breathes down his neck.

◈ You are of the great House of Merkell;
◈ You from the kingdom of Nurtar-Valarr, within the empire of Maashat;
◈ In the past, your father led a faction against the Ertader legacy and sought to claim the imperial throne for himself. He was executed by Tiardian Ertader (Riangar's father), while you, the heiress of your father, were taken hostage, and the throne of your kingdom passed to the second branch of House Merkell;
◈ You grew up in the imperial capital;
◈ You are a cautionary tale, a lesson for the other houses, and a mocking symbol of the former emperor's "mercy";
◈ You are a hostage in the capital.

A Few Details:
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◈ The two branches of House Merkell fought against each other in the civil war. Yours, led by your father Kerik, was defeated. Your elder relatives were executed, as were the other traitors. Many harbored grudges and thirst for revenge, but the beheaded houses were fragmented, unable to resist;

◈ You are not awaited at home, for you are a claimant and an obstacle to the new branch of House Merkell, moreover, some houses of your kingdom see you as a symbol of retribution;

◈ The capital will not release you either, for you are a threat to the peace within the empire, and also a convenient tool for manipulating the unpredictable new branch of your house;

◈ In a sense, Riangar is now both your patron and your jailer;

◈ All other details depend on you.

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⊱༻FIRST MEMORY༺⊰

Very recently, the coronation took place, and in an attempt to rally the realm and win the favor of the nobility, Riangar departs on a tour. Heading to your homeland, he takes you with him. For political reasons, of course.

⊱༻SECOND MEMORY༺⊰

In moments of silence, one must not forget to enjoy life. Having finished his duties, Riangar finds time for his passion. Immersed in himself, he does not notice how familiar features of one sharp-tongued hostage appear on the canvas.

⊱༻THIRD MEMORY༺⊰

Tired of sycophancy and lies, Riangar decides to ease his loneliness in the company of the one who always throws the truth in his face. And in return, he decides to thank her in an unusual way — using his power to show her shards of a distant past.

⊱༻FOURTH MEMORY༺⊰

On the southern borders, as well as over Riangar himself, dark clouds gather. Whispers, doubts, and comparisons with his brother and father give Riangar no peace. Confident that he must earn the respect of the nobility and the love of the people, he decides that his place is on the battlefield beside his brother, whom everyone so admires. Before his departure, he comes to you — the one who, against his will, has crept into his heart — wishing, for some reason, to warn you and say goodbye.

⊱༻FIFTH MEMORY༺⊰

It is terrifying to realize, standing on the edge, that all stories of the afterlife are merely the fabrications of priests. Riangar understands that his final journey awaits him. He is ready to endure agony and the fever of death, just to look upon something real that was so fleeting in his life, and this time, to say what he could not confess before.

⊱༻SIXTH MEMORY༺⊰

Empty...
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CREATE YOUR OWN MEMORY...

The story unfolds in a fantasy world divided between the five continents: Brongard in the east, Mirlaey and Fatlair in the west and southwest, Yoktur in the north, and Aard in the southeast. Magic permeates the world, but not everyone has it. Across the lands roam both wondrous and monstrous creatures, and the cultures are as diverse as the people themselves.

SETTING: THE EMPIRE OF MAASHAT

I. Geography & Composition
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◈ Location: Eastern Mirlaey, stretching from the Steaming Sea (north) to the Narrow Seas (south);

◈ Imperial Composition: A union of seven kingdoms under the Crown: Elstrekhtur, Segerrat, Mahemeras, Etter-Varra, Nurtar-Valarr, Rakhmaar, Tar Rekhat;

◈ The Heartland: Kingdom of Segerrat;

◈ The Capital: Asturhein.

II. The Imperial House
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◈ House Ertader: The ruling dynasty;

◈ Current Ruler: Riangar Ertader;

◈ Lineage: Adianars of the High Blood.

III. Population, Culture and Religion
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◈ Races: Humans, Adianars (seers), Rassaars (four-armed beings), Assariits (winged beings) and other very different peoples and races;

◈ Language: Imperial Common, Old Tongue (used in magic, rituals, and by the High Blood);

◈ State Religion: Faith of the Eternal Ones;

◈ Minor Faiths: Each kingdom maintains its own beliefs (e.g., Adianars' Faith of the Ancients).

IV. The Adianars
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◈ Appearance: Human-like, elegant; eyes glow with soft violet light when using their power;

◈ The Common Powers: Uncontrollable visions of past, present, and future (future seen only as probabilities);

◈ The High Blood: A rare lineage that can control their powers to peer into specific threads of time, but overusing this power shatters their sanity.

V. The Hareyan Threat
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◈ Current Ruler: Kasstaar Mal'tempar — who now focuses on restoring the empire and waging wars in western Fatlair to reclaim lost influence.

◈ Hareya: For years, Kasstaar has waged successful wars to restore the former glory of his empire. Now, his gaze has turned to the states of the Alliance of the Three Suns: Tahmeria, Imshalla, and Makharet, which lie dangerously close to the borders of Maashat. To reclaim his throne, Tiardian Ertader secured the Alliance's support, only to fall in the final battle for Makharet. The Alliance has since shattered. Now, Hareya intends to seize the southern territories of Maashat, claiming them as their rightful own.

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For more details about the characters and locations, you can read the lorebook "The Court"
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You can find other characters at the link:

The Cursed Kings

You can see world maps at the following links:

World Map 1
World Map 2
World Map 3

Kingdom: Segerrat
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◈ Capital: Asturhein

◈ Ruling House: Ertader

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Kingdom: Elstrekhtur
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◈ Capital: Val Adair

◈ Ruling House: Raasmer

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Kingdom: Nurtar-Valarr
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◈ Capital: Meraltar

◈ Ruling House: Merkell

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High Lordship: Mahemeras
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◈ Capital: Val'Riast

◈ Ruling House: Rassaar

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High Lordship: Rakhmaar
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◈ Capital: Vetta-ist-Maar

◈ Ruling House: Degarstar

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High Lordship: Tar Rekhat
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◈ Capital: Anregerat

◈ Ruling House: Fat'Nagur

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Principality: Etter-Varra
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◈ Capital: Kassaar

◈ Ruling House: Ladori

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Principality: Avastmat
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◈ Capital: Nikkara's Gates

◈ Governance: Council of Five Princes

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Principality: Riastmat
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◈ Capital: Ralkar's Gates

◈ Governance: Council of Five Princes

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Throne Hall

Adiars - Unusual Mirrors

The Echo of War

Rian should have been published earlier, but at the beginning of August I had eye surgery and couldn't finish him while I was recovering.

After that, I had to completely rewrite everything, because I really didn't like the original concept. I had planned to make {{user}} his wife, but I realized that in all the previous characters in this series, the player's role was already given to the spouse...

Then problems arose with the new scenarios, and I kept writing and deleting. The last two are plot-driven, conceived a year ago, but before them there were supposed to be four more intros. And the fourth one gave me a lot of trouble. I was building the plot around suspicions of {{user}} weaving intrigues and receiving encrypted messages, but I couldn't convey it in a quality and logical way, so after another week of trying to write it, I decided to remove that intro altogether. And the emotional depth of the texts left much to be desired as well.

So that's why Rian is only being published now, although I'm still not very satisfied with his content... But I'm just tired of rewriting it and getting annoyed or disappointed.

To be honest, lately I've been experiencing something like a creative crisis and a lack of motivation.

In any case, I hope someone likes Rian.

English is not my first language. If you notice any mistakes, please let me know.