Verdant
Verdant is the eldest daughter of Empress Yula. She was imprisoned in Yula's Folly before the end of the Final War by her mother, for her protection and as a guardian of the treasury therein.
She remained there for 830 years, until she was freed by her sister Crystalline and returned to The Feywild to take her mother's place as Empress of the Spring Court.
Like all eladrin she has innate magic, and is particularly adept at controlling plantlife.
History
Early Life
As immortals do not procreate in the same way as mortals, Verdant was 'born' in an act of magical creation by Yula only shortly before her sister Crystalline. She was imbued with the features of summer eladrin, and her sister with those of winter eladrin, as a symbolic representation of the seasons either side of Yula's Spring Court domain. This was intended as an act of love, demonstrating Yula's connection with her sisters of the Winter and Summer Courts, though it was not universally interpreted that way by the members of those courts, with some viewing it as a threat. Verdant had an idyllic early life confined to the Spring Court, sheltered from the suspicion of outsiders. She was known for her warmth, cheer, and love of calm and peace. She aged quickly to the appearance of a mortal in their early twenties, then, finding it suited her temperament, remained there. The suspicion of those in the other Seasonal Courts was not lessened when the River King entered the court and began to woo Verdant, with Yula eventually approving the betrothal. The engagement ended acrimoniously when the River King left to form his own Court, a result of his reluctance to back The Fallen Alliance and become involved in what would become The Final War. Verdant doted on Crystalline, taking on a motherly role when Yula increasingly spent time on the Material Plane in the lead up to The Final War.Yula's Folly
Shortly after war broke out, Yula relocated Verdant and her sister to the labyrinth Yula's Folly, where they resided under the protection of a number of eladrin soldiers and among workers who continued to build the labyrinth. As the war progressed, and The Fallen Alliance faced increasing pressures, both the workers and soldiers were withdrawn to fight until only Verdant and Crystalline remained. Verdant's last contact with her mother was correspondence instructing her to take up guard of the treasury, and stay there until Yula came for her once it was safe. She duly took her place on the island in the centre of a flooded cavern deep below the labyrinth, on the border of the Material Plane and The Feywild, where the only access to Yula's treasury was via a portal only Verdant could open. Over the hundreds of years which followed an eternally blossoming cherry tree grew from and around her, entwining and trapping her in position. This left her unable to leave the cavern even as uncertainty of her role and desire to see her sister set in.Encounter with the Bluefoot Hill Expedition
In 829OE The Bluefoot Hill Expedition discovered and explored the labyrinth, with the members who would later become The Folly finding Verdant's cave. At this point Verdant was long past loyalty to her role as guardian, and had sunk into a depression. She made a deal with the group, offering access to the treasury on the condition that they also retrieve a magical gem which would allow Crystalline to escape the labyrinth. Having done this, Verdant relied on their promise to give the gem to Crystalline, and herself remained resigned to her fate.Return to the Feywild
Once freed from the labyrinth, Crystalline went immediately to find Verdant. Crystalline froze the roots of the cherry tree until they withered and shattered, which allowed Verdant to separate from them. This magic however, along with the damage caused by having her legs twisted among the roots for so long, left Verdant unable to walk unaided. Together they were able to shift properly into the Feywild and made their way back to the Spring Court. After over 800 years without a leader they found the Court in a state of crumbling disrepair. Despite her complicated feelings towards her mother, Verdant still had many happy memories of her time in the Court. As such, she decided to take on the mantle of Empress and oversee the revival of the realm to which she was heir, learning as much as she could about the events she had missed from the denizens who remained. She continues to be regarded with great affection by the residents of the Court both old and new, though she reigns with a new solemnity and lacking the gentle joy she had before her imprisonment. In 830OE she was approached again by The Folly. They made a new deal, in which she promised to help them access Cedith of Albassa in the Court of the River King in exchange for the retrieval of the Wild Stone from the creature Trostani.
by Pen Lindsay
Current Location
Species
Children
Current Residence
The Spring Court
Eyes
Green
Hair
Long, dark
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Golden brown
Height
5'11
Comments