Nera
The Divine Tide-Weaver
Through depths untold she danced and dreamed,
Where coral whispered secrets gleamed.
A daughter born of tide and time,
Her soul a song of sacred rhyme.
Birth of Creation's Child
In the crystalline spires of Merr-Metrianus, where sacred waters sang primordial songs of power, Nera emerged as daughter to mighty Eadrasa and luminous Naerwen in the year 5101. Her birth transformed an entire quarter of the divine realm, causing coral spires to bloom in impossible patterns while pearls arranged in prophetic runes. The very currents shifted to cradle her, forming spirals that would perplex divine scholars for centuries to come."When the Princess of Tides drew first breath, the waters of seven oceans rose as one, and the deepest trenches bloomed with light unseen since creation's dawn."
The Age of Awakening
From her earliest moments, Nera displayed an uncanny affinity for both water's fluid grace and its inexorable strength. At merely one hundred years old, she caused whirlpools of radiant light to form spontaneously along the sacred pearl beds, revealing hidden paths to long-lost underwater sanctuaries. The waters around her moved with conscious purpose, forming shapes that echoed her thoughts and dreams."She reads the seas as others read scrolls, finding in each current a story, in each wave a whispered truth."Under her mother Naerwen's guidance, she mastered hydrokinesis—the art of water manipulation—with unprecedented speed. From her father Eadrasa, she learned how to harness water's power not just for creation but for protection, spending decades perfecting the art of channeling torrents into protective barriers. By her third century, Nera had created the legendary Chalice of Infinite Tides, an artifact forged from pearl and coral that could summon restorative waters capable of healing both physical wounds and spiritual fractures. This masterwork marked her transition from student to innovator, earning her recognition across the divine realms.
Wanderings Through the Five Realms
Nera's journeys took her far beyond the waters of her birth. In Zerthia, she learned to merge water's fluidity with earth's steadfast nature, creating the fabled Still Pools of Sarenar—sacred sites where the elements met in perfect harmony. The earth spirits taught her to perceive the world not in moments but in eons, adding depth to her understanding of power's true nature."The stone taught her stillness, the earth gave her endurance. In her, the balance of movement and permanence took root."
The Great Wandering and Divine Love
Fate led her to an extraordinary meeting on the fog-laden shores of Novgoria, where she encountered the divine brothers Branon and Thanon. What began as a quest for guidance transformed into a profound connection that would alter the course of divine history. Their travels as a trio became legend, as they braved the burning wastes of Malondria and scaled the heights of Gerlandria's cloud spires."Three stars walked the endless skies, bound by tides, by stone, by fire. Their steps left echoes in the void, and their names are whispered still where the realms meet."
Bearer of Life and Legacy
In 7450, Nera bore Bron, a child whose destiny would reshape the foundations of power throughout the realms. From his earliest moments, she recognized in him a questioning spirit that mirrored her own approach to divinity. While Branon grew concerned over their son's unconventional interests, Nera saw deeper truths in Bron's endless questions about power's fundamental nature.
"From mother to son flowed wisdom deep as trenches, fluid as thought, eternal as the tides. In her teachings lay seeds of revolution."
The Age of Storms and Sacrifice
General Nera When the Black Fire War erupted across the realms, Nera emerged as an unprecedented unifying force. Her strategies flowed like the waters she commanded, using the natural strengths of each realm to outmaneuver the unpredictable chaos of the corrupting flames. She created the mighty Tideward Bastions—fortresses of liquid energy that held the dark fire at bay."Watch how she moves her forces like tides - gentle here, devastating there. She has made an art of war none can match."Her most crucial contribution came in the deployment of the Matrix of Water, though she never knew that Zastor, its architect, was her own son Bron. Her unparalleled understanding of fluidity and transformation proved essential to the project's success in preserving parts of Marenwē.
The Final Tide
In the catastrophic aftermath of the Matrix of Earth's failure in 7714, Nera made her final choice. As reality threatened to shatter, she channeled her divine essence to contain the explosive energies, absorbing chaos into her being until nothing remained but legend. Her sacrifice brought the fractured divine houses together in shared grief and renewed purpose."Even as the world cracked and burned, she stood unmoved. Like water wearing down stone, she absorbed destruction into her being, until nothing remained but legend."
Legacy of the Waters
Today, in the deepest reaches of Merr-Metrianus, coral still blooms in patterns that mirror her ancient dances. Pearl-beds arrange themselves in prophetic runes, and the waters remember. Through her descendants—her son Zastor and great-grandson Bruinan—her influence reshaped the very nature of power throughout the realms. Her story endures as proof that true strength flows not from dominance but from understanding, that the gentlest currents often carry the greatest power to shape divine destiny."Let those who seek power's truth remember the lady of tides—she who taught gods that strength flows not from force, but from understanding's gentle hand."
*Content Warning: The following contains themes of mature romance, cosmic horror, and epic adventure*
The period known as The Great Wandering began when Nera, after centuries of solitary exploration in the northern waters of Marenwe, encountered the divine brothers Branon and Thanon on the fog-shrouded shores of Novgoria. The meeting was no chance occurrence - the brothers had heard tales of a water goddess who could walk between raindrops and speak to the ancient creatures of the deep. They sought her wisdom for their own grand explorations.
In those first days, as mist curled around the three immortals on that distant shore, none could have predicted how their fates would intertwine. Thanon, the elder brother, was immediately struck by Nera's ethereal grace and quick wit. Branon, more reserved but no less affected, found himself drawn to her deep understanding of the natural world. And Nera, who had spent centuries in solitude communing with primordial ocean beings, discovered in their company a spark of adventure that had long lay dormant.
Their early travels took them through the sunless depths of Marenwe's oceanic trenches, where Nera guided them to ruins of civilizations so ancient that even the gods had forgotten them. In one such city, built from black coral and gleaming pearl, they discovered texts that spoke of realms beyond the known five, and entities that dwelled in the spaces between reality. These revelations would haunt their dreams for centuries to come.
As they ventured into Malondria, the realm of fire, their bond deepened. The brothers' strength protected Nera from the realm's savage heat, while her water magic created safe havens in the burning wastes. It was during a month-long shelter from a fire-storm that the first sparks of romance kindled between them. The arrangement that followed was unconventional by divine standards, but they found in their triad a balance that seemed ordained by forces greater than themselves.
In the cloud cities of Gerlandria, they spent decades learning the secret songs of the wind from mystical aeromancers. Nera's ability to control water vapor complemented the brothers' mastery of earth, allowing them to shape weather patterns and travel on clouds of their own making. They became known as the Stormbringers among the air gods, who both feared and respected their combined power.
Their journey through Thiandalune was marked by both wonder and terror. The realm of light held secrets that strained the boundaries of comprehension. They witnessed the birth of stars in the forges of celestial smiths and saw colors that had no names in any mortal tongue. But they also encountered things that lurked in the shadows between light rays - entities that even the light gods feared to name.
Yet it was in Zerthia that their most profound adventures unfolded. The earth realm called to all three of them in different ways. For Branon and Thanon, it was their homeland, the source of their power. For Nera, it represented something new and fascinating - the perfect counterpoint to her fluid nature. They explored endless caverns that contained oceans of their own, mapped mountain ranges that reached beyond the mortal sky, and discovered valleys where time flowed backwards.
Their love flourished in these Years of wandering, defying the conventional boundaries between divine houses. Thanon's passionate nature complemented Nera's fluidity, while Branon's steadfast strength provided an anchor for them both. They created wonders together - lakes that could heal any wound, mountains that sang with the voice of the earth, storms that could wash away corruption from the land.
In the depths of the Crystal Palace of Fold, they uncovered ancient prophecies that spoke of a coming darkness. These discoveries led them to spend decades preparing defensive measures across all five realms. They established hidden sanctuaries, forged powerful artifacts, and taught select mortals the secrets of combining earth and water magic.
The centuries passed in a blur of discovery and passion. They witnessed the rise and fall of mortal empires, the birth of new gods, and the death of old ones. They walked through places where reality wore thin, glimpsing truths that mortal minds were never meant to comprehend. Their combined power grew to such heights that even the major gods began to take notice.
As they traversed the frozen wastes of the North, they encountered beings that predated the current universe - crystalline entities that spoke in geometries and thought in eons. From these ancient ones, they learned of cycles greater than even the gods had known, and of threats that lurked beyond the boundaries of existence.
Their adventures took them to the very edges of reality. They sailed across seas of liquid light in Thiandalune, danced through ribbons of fire in Malondria, and soared through storms of pure thought in Gerlandria. Each realm revealed new facets of their relationship and their individual powers.
In the deep places of Zerthia, they discovered caverns where crystals grew in impossible patterns, forming images of possible futures. It was here that they first saw shadows of what was to come - visions of fire that burned darker than the void, and of a war that would shake the foundations of all realms.
Their time in the mysterious forests of Gerlandria's floating islands led to encounters with creatures that existed simultaneously in multiple realms. These beings taught them secrets of traversing the spaces between worlds, knowledge that would prove crucial in years to come.
The waters of the great Aegel-Fariel ocean became their proving ground for combining their powers in new ways. Their experiments created phenomena that continue to mystify gods and mortals alike - whirlpools that lead to other dimensions, waves that carry memories, and rains that grant visions of possible futures.
As their wandering drew to a close, they had grown into legends even among the gods. Their feats were sung in the halls of every realm, their names whispered in prayers by mortals who had benefited from their passages. But with their growing power came growing responsibility, and the awareness that their time of carefree exploration was ending.
The return to the House of Aranon was marked by both triumph and sorrow. The combined weight of their discoveries and the looming shadows of prophecy made it clear that changes were coming. The unique balance they had found in their triad began to shift as duties and destinies pulled them in different directions.
Their final year together was spent in the great mountain halls of Helebost, where they recorded their discoveries and prepared for the roles they would soon have to play. The decision that Nera would wed Branon alone was not made lightly, but was shaped by political necessities and the complex prophecies they had uncovered in their travels.
Gods still speak of those centuries of wandering, when three divine beings defied convention and explored the deepest mysteries of existence together. Their adventures changed the very nature of how the realms interacted, created wonders that would last for millennia, and set in motion events that would ultimately shape the fate of all existence.
Their tale stands as a reminder that even for immortals, some periods of time are more precious than others, filled with discoveries, passion, and the kind of love that transcends the boundaries between realms. The Great Wandering came to an end, but its effects would ripple through the ages, touching the lives of gods and mortals alike for millennia to come.
5101-5401: THE AGE OF AWAKENING
5101: Birth of Nera to the union of two minor water deities in the crystalline spires of Merr-Metrianus
5201: First manifestation of her divine powers, creating whirlpools of light that caught the attention of Daeranon
5301: Begins formal training in water magic under her mother's guidance
5401: Masters the fundamental arts of hydrokinesis and weather manipulation
5401-5417: THE YEARS OF PREPARATION
Studies in her parents' house, learning divine etiquette and the sacred laws of water
Develops unprecedented ability to perceive and manipulate water in all its forms
Creates her first divine artifact: The Chalice of Infinite Tides
5417-5715: THE COURT OF WAVES
Apprenticeship in House Daeranon begins
Studies divine diplomacy and the intricate politics of the water realm
Masters the art of storm-calling under Nalsiana's guidance
Creates complex water-based divination techniques
Becomes known for her skill in mediating conflicts between water deities
5715-5790: THE MARENWE WANDERINGS
Explores the depths of the great oceans
Communes with ancient sea creatures
Studies with the Merrvesine sages
Discovers forgotten underwater cities
Develops deep connection with marine life
5790-5858: THE ZERTHIAN SOJOURN
Travels through earth realm's heartlands
First meetings with earth spirits and elementals
Begins developing theories about water-earth magical harmonics
Studies mountain springs and underground rivers
5858-5983: THE CLOUD CITY ERA
Lives in Gertasa under Or Drianor's tutelage
Masters the relationship between water and air
Studies dream-magic and prophecy
Creates innovative techniques for weather control
Develops theories about elemental convergence
5983-6258: THE LIGHT REALM STUDIES
Apprentices in Thianon's court
Studies the interaction between light and water
Masters the art of creating rainbow bridges
Develops methods for purifying corrupted waters
Creates several legendary healing fountains
6258-6346: THE SECOND ZERTHIAN JOURNEY
Deeper exploration of earth realm
Growing fascination with the stability of stone
First encounters with earth gods
Beginning of her love for Zerthia's unchanging nature
6346-6679: THE FIRE REALM SOJOURN
Studies under Anvirthiel in Malondria
Learns secrets of steam and vapor
Masters temperature control of water
Studies the opposition between fire and water
Creates techniques for protecting water from fire's corruption
6679-6744: THE DREAM MASTERY
Returns to Gerlandria
Studies under Sonimon
Masters the relationship between water and dreams
Develops prophetic abilities
Creates her famous "Mirror of Future Tides"
6744-7010: THE GREAT WANDERING
6744-6750: Solo adventures in northern seas
6750: First meeting with Branon and Thanon
6750-7009: Travels with the brothers throughout the realms
7009: Return to House of Aranon
7010: Marriage to Branon
7010-7450: THE YEARS OF DIVINE UNION
Period of relative peace and creation
Works to bridge understanding between earth and water realms
7450: Birth of Bron (later Zastor)
7450-7600: THE YEARS OF STRAIN
Growing tensions with Branon over Bron's nature
Continues diplomatic work between realms
Develops protective magics
7600-7714: THE BLACK FIRE WAR
7600: Separation from Branon to lead different fronts
Coordinates defense strategies across realms
7699: Aids Zastor in deploying the Matrix of Water
7714: Falls defending against the Catastrophe of the Matrix of Earth
Her death in 7714 came during a crucial moment in the Black Fire War, as she sacrificed herself to protect others from a devastating magical backlash. Her legacy lives on through her son Zastor and the many magical innovations she created throughout her long life.
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