Lugnerin

Lügnerin
she/they

She fought off the Shade from within Mother's Embrace
But nobody would believe her


Wandering.
That was the only life Lügnerin had ever known.
Unlike others, she hadn't come from a family background of Necromancers when she decided to undertake the trials.
It took 10 days before Mother's touch infected her, and she quickly fell violently ill with fever as her flesh grew red and sickly.
For 9 days she fought for her life, and by the 20th day her body lay at the edge of the Wyrmwound, heart beating weakly.

It was then that the whispers began, offering her help, salvation from this suffering that was sure to end her life. To raise her from the pain, to grant her power beyond what Plaguemother alone could ever grant her.

The young Aberration's eyes closed again as the whispering voices filled her head and a darkness blacker than the deepest shadows began to envelope her mind, tugging at what little consciousness she had left.

No! her thoughts screamed. I don't need salvation, I need to prove myself to Mother! I am strong, I will succeed with my own will, and Her guidance alone!

Her back arched as she vomited, a viscous black liquid streaked with blood pouring from both mouths before she fell limp and quiet once more.

On the 21st day, she awoke once more to the sun rising above her, a sickly orange glow surrounding her through the mist of the Wyrmwound. She stood slowly, her body aching beneath the scars that tore across her back and wings, but her heart beat strong and true.

She proved her mastery, infecting and recalling the sickness she could now command, but as she did so, the overseeing members saw her darkened eyes.

"Lich," they hissed, backing away not in fear, but rather disgust. "What have you done? Too weak to pass Mother's test on your own that you had to receive help from our greatest enemy... disgusting, disappointing..."

"I didn't seek help," she protested angrily. "It came to me, and I rejected it!"

"Liar!" Her overseer snarled. "Your eyes show your treachery. You may have earned your markings, but your deviation from Mother's path is clear. You are not welcome here, Lügnerin. It's best you leave now."

Without another word, they turned their backs on her, leaving her alone near the Wyrmwound.

Furious, the newly named Lügnerin turned and fled. She ran from the bubbling cauldron of plague, tearing into the Abiding Boneyard. There she wandered for many moons with nothing but her own thoughts, seething with animosity and bitterness.

She left the domain of Plaguebringer, turning her back on those who had refused her. She would find a new home, someplace where others would appreciate her mastery of the elements, somewhere she would receive the respect she felt she had earned.
But wherever she went, others rejected her.
"Shade-touched" they whispered behind her back as they kept their own close... and away from her.

Over time, Lügnerin accepted that she had been cursed to a life of solitude. She may have forced the Shade out of her before it could take hold, but it had left her scarred for all to see. To everyone around her she was a traitor. A Liar.

But Mother had not turned her back on Lügnerin, she had passed her tials after all, and she had been granted her abilities. If Plaguemother hadn't seen her worthy, she would not have been allowed to rise into the light of a new day, and she would not have donned the colors and markings or a true Necromancer. She refused to believe she had disappointed her deity. The others were mistaken, all of them were mistaken!

Someday, somehow, she would prove it.

... ... ... ... ...

Lügnerin found herself in Icewarden's domain, far from both her birthplace and the plaguelands she had called home. As she slowly crept through the scrub, she sensed that something here was out of place.

She knew immediately that another Necromancer was present, the signature of their magic visible to her deviant eyes.
But something about it wasnt... right.
It was as if Mother's sacred gift had been taken and warped to create something... wrong. Death has been denied more than once, a sacred bond broken. Plaguebringer's ultimate will denied.

What kind of Necromancer would commit such heresy? Shunned as she was, Lügnerin knew that this went beyond her own perceived betrayal. She skirted around the area from which the abnormal spike of plague magic ebbed and flowed, taking note of the location before heading off to carve a shelter for herself.

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