Atziri

Atziri was the last queen of the Vaal civilization before it was brought to ruin by the Vaal Cataclysm. She was a vain, narcissistic, and beautiful ruler, obsessed with achieving immortality both for herself and her beauty. Although dissenters in her court were usually sacrificed, she sometimes took matters into her own hands. Atziri is often depicted holding her mirror, a longstanding symbol of her vanity.

Early reign Atziri held court naked in a "throne room of mirrors", demanding the same of anyone wishing an audience with her. Scholars believe that she used her "striking physical appearance" to solicit "courtly engagements in her favour", especially from men. This follows her stated philosophy.

'When you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.' — Atziri

Atziri was reported to having had many "lovers" during her reign. However, not all of them came to her willingly. In those cases, the Elixir of Allure.

Zerphi During Atziri's reign, a Vaalish noble named Zerphi caught her attention for having lived to 168. He was a serial killer; over a period of 128 years, Zerphi abducted, tortured, and murdered thirteen victims, all Gemlings of noble descent at their twentieth year of life. Post-mortem revealed that each victim had been tortured and mutilated slowly, all while they were still alive. When Zerphi himself was found dead next to his thirteenth victim, (whose body appeared untouched) instead of that of a centenarian, it was discovered that his body resembled that of a twenty year-old.

Atziri tasked her premier thaumaturgist Doryani with the task of researching Zerphi's methods of achieving his longevity and vitality, ordering him to "make any effort within the realms of possibility, and to act without fear of question or consequence". Doryani's methods were brutal - countless Vaal between the ages of 16-26 were sent to him, yet none survived and his experiments proved unsuccessful.

The beast The Beast, Nightmare or Darkness is the name given by the people of Wraeclast to the ancient divine creature that is the source of all Thaumaturgy. It described the Beast as "the one power in this world that transforms 'what is real' into 'what is imagined' and 'what is imagined' into 'what is real'. The Beast possesses corrupting powers, devouring the souls of his prey and mutating whoever comes in contact with it. Those consumed become a part of the creature, existing forevermore as a thrall of twisted nightmare. The Beast itself has no will or ambition of its own, which has allowed many beings like Atziri to tap into its power for their own use.

Atziri's reign Despite the failures with exactly replicating Zerphi's success, Atziri never lost her desire for immortal life. Under her reign, she began demanding sacrifice from the Vaal - of life and blood. As Atziri grew more desperate and the blood of the empire began to run dry, more and more Vaal were sent to the altar every day - from the common thief to the most devoted thaumaturge or most trusted advisor, none were exempt. However, it was the lower classes that suffered the most. The Vaal used these souls of those sacrifice to power their Vaal gems.

For their sacrifice, Atziri promised immortality not just for herself, but for the entire Vaal population. However, due to her history of vanity and narcissism, it is questionable whether she had ever intended to save the other Vaal as opposed to keeping immortality only to herself.

Some of the Vaal were fully accepting of Atziri's sacrifices and rituals, but others expressed disillusionment and dissent. Any such protestors were quickly arrested and sacrificed at her altars.

Atziri became obsessed with gems as well as sacrifice. Soon, they were too ubiquitous in Vaal society. Historical recountings of the Vaal describe their bodies as were glittering, adorned with gems all over.

Signs of the Vaal civilization's decline began showing even before The Fall. This may have been caused by the excessive sacrifice.

The Fall Under Atziri, Doryani's experiments grew in size and scope, until he began work on his final project. The exact details of his experiments and its fallout are extremely nebulous due to lack of documentation. However, it involved manipulating the powers of the Beast, its thaumaturgy, corruption, gems, sacrifice, "communion", the "harvest moon", "sleep", "nightmare", maps, and possibly The Elder. Doryani did not appear to be successful. His actions led to the end of the Vaal civilization - "The Fall", a cataclysmic event that led to the deaths of all but 3126 survivors, who sought refuge with the nearby Azmeri. When asked about the Fall, none of the survivors could say what had happened. Over time, they assimilated into the Azmeri population until no Vaal remained. Despite the ubiquity of gems in the Vaal civilization, none of these survivors had any; when shown an image of one, a "great panic arose". As for Atziri, she managed to preserve her beauty into as the cost of sacrificing her humanity, relegated to a "nightmare realm" and unable to return to Wraeclast. Doryani's fate is unclear. In Atziri's "crimson nightmare" realm, she is joined by other Vaal who continue to sacrifice themselves to her over and over, only to rise again each time.

Post Fall Milleniums have passed since Atziri left the mortal plane. However, her influence has begun creeping back into Wraeclast.

Davaro of Theopolis Main page: Research Journal Templar thaumaturgist Davaro of Theopolis discovered a "hidden frequency of corruption" emanating from certain Vaal relics brought to Oriath by Dominus, being able to hear them "sing" to him and describing them "as mirrors, dimly reflecting shadows and echoings of the past".

He traveled to an ancient Vaal ruin, possibly led by the "singing" of his relics. With his thaumaturgy, he was granted a "special sight" of the ancient Vaal city that used to exist there.

'I saw the ancient Vaal city that once stood in this place. All around me were signs of the legendary Queen Atziri ruling from afar. I saw, as I stood at the base of a great pyramid, the sacrifice of new harvest unfold. The steps ran red with a river of blood, a crimson tide, cascading towards me and washing over my skin.' — Davaro, "Research Journal" II

After this vision, Davaro was plagued by a sickness, described as a "blood marking". The relics that previously sang to him of power turned to screaming of hunger. He purchased three young Karui slaves and brought them back to the same ancient ruin, slitting their throats and sacrificing them to "Atziri's altar". As he did so, he was granted a vision of Queen Atziri herself, bathing in a "pool of blood".

Following this event, Davaro kidnapped two Oriathan children - one boy and one girl and sacrificed them to Atziri. As he did so, he dreamt of being united with Atziri as "Husband, Wife, Daughter, Son" in "eternity".

Davaro was not the only one to have developed an obsession with Atziri after The Fall.

Appearance Deep, rich brown, bordering on blood red skin tone. She wears an ornate golden helmet with 6 large, curved horns and a glowing gemstone at its center. Her face is adorned with elaborate markings, possibly ritualistic, complementing her intense, piercing gaze. She has four arms and 4 breasts, Her outfit is composed of intricate golden accessories, including chains, armbands and a waistcloth, as well as primal elements like bones, 3 skulls attached to her hip, and fabric strips. her chest remains mostly uncovered, her only modesty being 4 golden plates to cover her nipples, each interconnected with loose golden chains, claw-like golden footwear, staff with a glowing red crystal and fleshy structure, she is tall, muscular, and imposing, She has four arms and 4 breasts