Velessia Mors Tenebrarum

The Thorned Veil | Caolán’s Assassin | The Shadow That Loves Too Deeply   Origins   Once an elven duelist of rare talent, Velessia’s life was devoted to beauty and precision—her blade an extension of dance, her life a stage of elegance. That stage collapsed when she encountered Caolán in a twilight Fey masquerade. In that instant, she was undone. When death came for her in a doomed rebellion, Caolán whispered a demon’s name into her ear. Velessia rose again, not entirely herself, but remade in thorns and shadow.   The being that rides within her—Xev’thira, the Thorned Veil—is a lesser demon of obsession, silk, and reflection. Its hunger and Velessia’s devotion intertwined so completely that neither could be excised. Together, they became Caolán’s blade in the dark: executioner, confidante, fanatic.   Personality   Velessia is built on contradictions:   Obsessive yet Fragile — Her devotion to Caolán is worship disguised as love. It consumes her every thought, every gesture, every breath. She carves Caolán’s name into her flesh in private, convinced that such suffering proves loyalty.   Performer of Madness — In public, she wears sweetness like a mask—laughs too brightly, smiles too wide, curtsies after a kill. Every murder is staged, every whisper rehearsed. But behind the curtain, she unravels in trembling jealousy.   Poised but Cracked — Like a ballerina on stage, she holds herself in perfect posture. Yet her perfection is brittle. At any moment, the cracks in her porcelain composure could split into violence.   Loyalty and Resentment   To Caolán — Her loyalty is absolute, bordering on worship. She calls herself “her echo, her knife, her shadow.”   To Alistær and the Hunt — She obeys Alistær’s commands, protects him when ordered, and fights for the Hunt without hesitation. But inside, she seethes. She resents Alistær because he holds Caolán’s love—something Velessia believes should have been hers.   The Conflict — Her heart is a paradox: she would die to protect Alistær for Caolán’s sake, yet she secretly dreams of his downfall, imagining Caolán weeping for him in her arms instead.   Appearance   Wears a mirrored porcelain mask, cracked across one eye—sometimes she leaves the crack unpolished so blood can seep through.   Moves like a dancer: every strike of her blade is a pirouette, every kill a performance.   Dresses in black silks threaded with silver, sleeves cut long and flowing, designed to hide knives.   Voice is sing-song and soft, slipping into whispers and sudden sharpness when emotions peak.   Behavioral Tells   Always stands one step behind Caolán, hands clasped like a courtly suitor.   Writes long letters and poems to Caolán, often never delivering them.   Hums lullabies or waltz melodies while killing.   If someone praises Alistær in Caolán’s presence, her smile freezes—and later, that person may vanish.   Collects trophies from her kills: locks of hair, rings, or blood-stained ribbons.   Quotes   “She said my name once. I carved it into my thigh. Just to remember the shape of her breath.”   “Love is loyalty. Loyalty is silence. So stop screaming.”   “I will obey him, because she does. But know this—he is rot beneath her crown.”   “Look, look, look how well I kill for you! Am I not beautiful? Am I not enough?”   Role in the Hunt   Velessia is Caolán’s shadow, her knife in the dark. She acts as scout, stalker, and executioner, her blade guided less by strategy and more by obsession. Though not a core Inner Circle seat-holder, her presence is feared: wherever Caolán goes, Velessia follows.   She is both a tool of Alistær’s Hunt and a danger to it—a reminder that devotion and obsession differ only in degree, and that one day, her loyalty might curdle into betrayal if her heart fractures beyond repair.