Arvus, the Grey Spider
Iriansi, the Veiled Lady; Haqat-Ajo, Truthweaver
"Arvus! Silver-veiled seamstress;
illumination in deception!
In her webs all mortal truths
are woven into lies"
The Grey Spider is an Exalted, made immortal by the power of the Bright Dawnrise Wolf and granted dominion over illusions. Her radiant gaze pierces mortal hearts, gleaning all that they most fear and desire. Secrets, regrets, dreams - she sees, and she spins. Reality and fantasy merge within her webs, which make all illusions corporeal. Yet even she has cast a veil over her golden eyes, and secreted herself away within the shadowed eaves of the Westerwoods.
Aspect of Revelation: Mirage
"Only by discerning the purest truths may one construct a flawless lie."
The most popular story of Arvus' ascension links her to another Exalted: the Nameless, a figure who has practically been erased from history. As the legend goes, the Nameless had become the patron 'deity' of the nation of Rethir - an insurgent state that wanted to seize the ley lines for themselves... in other words, to usurp the Great Wolves. Coveting what did not belong to mortals, they marched to overtake the Imlieg. Originally among Rethir's forces, Arvus understood the pride and fear that motivated her leaders; she cast illusions over them, preventing them from assaulting the Imlieg. And the Bright Dawnrise Wolf, witnessing her strength of discernment, placed His blessing upon her.
Solitary Spiritsearcher
"An enigmatic wanderer would appear among the people. Those who she saw as having the purest intent would awaken one morning to a perfectly carved mask, and the promise of hope."
The Veiled Lady is not a personal figure to mortals, and this has not been aided by her historical attitude towards them. She seems to regard the sapient races similarly to how the sapient races might regard an ordinary spider: generally unpleasant and easy to crush. Perhaps this is merely a byproduct of her ability to discern the unvarnished truths of the soul; the obvious irony of the Exalted of illusions becoming disillusioned is something few have been bold enough to speak of.
Nevertheless, when she considers a threat great enough, she will aid the common folk... in a manner somewhat different from her peers. The Grey Spider's most coveted power lies in the silk that trails behind her, which holds the ability to turn whatever illusions she wishes into tangible objects. Weapons, buildings, even those once dead - all these, she can and has created before, in response to the wishes of those who pass beneath her golden gaze. Many civilisations have tried to steal this power, which may be part of the reason behind her mistrust of mortals.
Those who begged for the Veiled Lady's aid often found a caravan of 'merchants' arriving at their beleaguered civilisations, seemingly with neither clear origin nor destination. The rarely-seen leader of these strangers always wore a veil. This was the Exalted herself, disguised in mortal form. She would examine all those around her, gauging their true intents. Only once she found a certain number of people with the strong, pure desire to protect their loved ones or destroy the threat to their homes, would she grant each of them the tools they needed: a mask which once contained a guise, and a single strand of hallowed silk. She and her spider familiars would then shed their masks and watch from a distance.
Among the Shadowed Eaves
"Her radiance was once veiled. Now her presence is, as well..."
The Veiled Lady has granted her boons to many over the years, and done far more besides. Alongside her sister, the Amber Serpent, she aided in the construction of the great city-state of Khiloa Woln, and watched over it as it grew. Yet with her eyes so all-seeing as to pierce the soul, she was never particularly revered by mortals. It is unclear whether she was particularly bothered by this; however, she would eventually carve her own place into public consciousness.
About a century after the devastating Endwar, a mysterious stranger led some desert thieves to unlock a mysterious vault in the barren Wastes. The monsters within had only grown more powerful over their centuries of imprisonment; once they had gorged themselves on the thieves, they set their sights on the nearest source of power: the Grey Spider's abode, the Westerwoods.
The ensuing battle could be seen from the nascent city of Axu leagues away, lighting up the night sky. It ensued for weeks, only ending when - as one old devotee says - the Grey Spider tapped into a 'deeper power' to isolate and then suppress each beast in turn. But the sheer amount of power unleashed on both sides was too great to dissipate easily; the wyr sank into the ground, and grew with the trees around. Within less than a generation, the entire Westerwoods had changed... and the Grey Spider had secreted herself away, behind an impenetrable illusion.
Slumber, O wanderers of the shadowed eaves. Purge the malice from your souls, and the aurous gaze of Haqat-Ajo shall make your wakening as the radiant dawn.
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