The Life and Times of Ashtiroth Isperium

Ashtiroth's conception was by all accounts an accident. Her father, Anthony Isperium, was a high-ranking Ukatae Sorcerer, and her mother a popular courtesan. Still, Anthony was not without honor, and took some responsibility for her birth. His visits were infrequent, but warm and affectionate.

After years living life on the fringes, using whatever means necessary to survive day to day, Ash's potential was seen by the leader of a shadow organization. The criminal collective had noticed her, and her life was about to change. She was picked up by these outcasts and brought into the fold, told she had value. The Leader adopted her personally, educated and trained her, taught her to survive in a world that gave no hand outs. Ash stopped just surviving and started to truly thrive.

The shadows of the criminal Underworld moved, and unrest over new stricter policies in the Capital had everyone on edge. Ashtiroth's beloved mentor tried to keep things as stable as possible, but it was all for naught when the authorities had him assassinated, with the help of anonymous rivals. This loss, after everything, was too much for the young woman. The bodies of the men and women responsible were hung from the government building in a gruesome display of rage. It was time someone reminded the Ukatae elite that the Underworld was ruled by a different set of powers, and they were not to be trifled with. Ash assumed her mentor's throne, and put plans into motion.

If knowledge is power, then Ash would always be the one with the most knowledge in a room. This included self-knowledge, and with an empire to protect, Ash realized she needed to make sure there would be no surprises that could come to haunt her. It was time to find out what happened to her father. She started with her mother, an exceedingly unpleasant experience that left her with more questions than answers. She was finally able to find the land he had fled to, and came across some startling revelations. While she had known Anthony had left to marry, the thought of children from that union had never really crossed her mind. There were two in fact. Brothers from another land and lifetime. Ash found herself struck by a terrible need to know these people, her half-siblings. But it wasn't possible at the moment. The Katagi needed her, and she could not abandon them. At least, not yet.

After many years building the Katagi and ensuring their survival and success, Ash was finally able to step away from leadership and move towards a more advisory role. This allowed the Ukatae woman far more freedom, and she used that to pack her things and book a one way trip to Uthrandir....the land of her Father. She had no idea what she would find when she arrived, or if she would be welcome, but she had to go nonetheless. She had to know, to see for herself this other family she had been abandoned for. It would be a long road ahead, full of unknowns, but Ash was confident in her ability to meet any challenge thrown her way.

When Ash finally managed to track down her errant family, it was....interesting to say the least. The news of the death of her Father and his wife hardly fazed the woman, but meeting her brothers was an event she'll never forget. She finally found them both in a small, isolated town in Southern Caerundal called Elra. The oldest was a tormented drunkard, full of resentment and envy. The younger had more blood on his tiny hands than she did, and was a magical prodigy with the morals of a spoiled feline. Still...there was something in each of them that called to her instincts. They were shocked to learn of her existence, but far more accepting than she'd thought. Ash resolved to stay with them for the year, to try and forge some kind of familial bond...though her expectations were quite low.

Unfortunately, this happiness was not to last. The oldest brother Nico's mental instability and resentment found focus on the King of Elra. He wished to kill the man, committing treason, murder, and various acts of cruelty to achieve his aims. Ash and Cole struggled to keep their brother in check, but it proved impossible. His obsession proved to be his end, and Nico was executed by none other than Cole after being imprisoned by the Elran King. Cole left after that, to parts unknown, and Ash withdrew from everyone to mourn alone.

Nico Isperium's will revealed a child of his blood, a possible heir to the Isperium fortune, alive and alone. With the mother's whereabouts unknown, and her status assumed dead, Nico tasked Ash with the responsibility of caring for the child. This was beyond the realm of anything she had expected, and threw her mind and heart into turmoil. After losing two loved ones through her own perceived inability to protect them, taking on a helpless child seemed the antithesis to sanity. But...the child had no one else at the moment, and he reminded Ash of her own beginnings. With Cole only occasionally dropping by to visit and Nico deceased, Ash tried to care for her nephew Seth alone in the family manor she helped create. She struggled, having no real experience with children, and felt more conflicted every day in his company. She did not want to form an attachment, only to have it ripped from her. In the end, she was right to be worried. Seth ran away to live with his extended family in Lenera, and seeing that he was happier there, Ash let him go without a fight.

Because of various stresses, Ash went into labor far too early. Things did not look good. It seemed as though she would not survive, but her Alpha mate managed to perform something of a miracle, and the lives of both her and her child were spared. The Circle welcomed a premature, but healthy baby girl on a crisp summer morning, and Ash found her world changing once again.

Sky, who had remained a good friend and trusted person to Ash in the days of her pregnancy, stumbled across her by chance alone in one of the forests surrounding Portovento nearly fifteen years later. Emaciated and catatonic, he rushed her to his home and endeavored to slowly nurse her back to health. The process was agonizing, with Ash regaining her sanity bit by bit, and with it the memories of what had happened. Her daughter was long dead; her tiny body giving out from unknown causes not days after Ash had left Elra. A small, unmarked grave beneath a weeping willow was all there was to mark her existence and her passing. Coming to terms with this truth would take Ash a very long time, though with the support of Sky to help her, it at least looked like a possibility.

In the coming years, each Isperium would drift from the manor. Leaving for a few months or years, only to return for a short time. Ash decided to travel back to the Ukatae Realm and see what had become of her beloved Katagi. Luckily they had fared far better than she did, and were thriving in their element. They welcomed her back with no hesitation, and for a time she enjoyed the security of being back in her homeland. Some years later, she received a letter from Cole. Apparently he had sent Nico alone to a new world, and only now realized the folly of this decision. Who knew what kind of shenanigans and trouble the errant brother might bring upon himself. Ash had never packed so fast in her life, and bought fare upon a ship headed towards a place called Ezarion.