Johannes (He/Him), Epiphany (They/He), Monroe (She/Her) || December 2022
OOOJohannes was designed by @Kalaiscope.
OOOJohannes was always first to suffer, last to finish, a scrawny boy so harshly tormented by the bandits that stole him that he grew into a scrawny man keen to keep his head down and, against all odds, endure. Even as the resentment in his heart grew, echoed by the calls for rebellion in the washed-out sewers that lay
Underfoot of
Lantern's Light, he kept himself alive by keeping himself useful— and there's nothing a pair of future kings valued more than a subject so ruthlessly, loyally useful. When the new ruling court of those black market bandits came into power, they called upon Johannes to bear the title of Knight Commander, finally granting him the voice and respect so well-earned for his life of pure endurance, and the comfortable position he's proudly held ever since.
OOOEpiphany was a wretched angel, mind ever haunted by a want for something
more, a want so horribly distracting that they found themself chided, chastised at every turn for straying from the righteous path. But all paths, however dark, lead somewhere, and Epiphany's curiosity led them to the archdemon
Velvet's den of langour, and her promises of a world free from the choking bonds of a life spent hunting her kind. Promising their immortal soul to the archdemon, they gracefully endured the corruption of becoming a fallen angel, and were assigned to carry Velvet's vision
Underfoot. It seemed just as quickly that the violent throes of a rebellion overtook the region, and Epiphany was forced back into the embrace of Velvet's den— especially since they now had to grovel for her forgiveness with an egg in tow.
OOOMonroe was born under Velvet's distant supervision, as the archdemon swiftly used her influence to integrate the half-angel and her parent into the aristocracy of
Lantern's Light— at least until the child was grown, and Velvet would call upon Epiphany again. Monroe came to know the world from both halves of her lineage; the occult half from her parent and the demonic pantheon they served, and the mundane half from her education and peers. Still, time would only tighten the expectations Velvet felt she was owed for the pity she took upon the fallen angel, and soon the small family was forced back into the cold stone walls
Underfoot. Only then did Epiphany realize that Monroe's father had not only survived, but thrived to become the area's Knight Commander. They instructed Monroe to keep the fact silent as she trained to become a knight, and promised to do all in their power to ensure the pair's safety in making such a revelation when the time was right.
OOOFor the first time, even after all of his triumphs, Johannes feels as if he has the chance to leave behind a legacy based almost
solely upon his own choice, and has gladly taken Monroe under his (somehow, despite everything, paternal) wing to ensure her success. As Epiphany carefully watches from a distance, they've begun to bask in the sweet pull of freedom once again, though they can't help but question why it feels so similar to their yearning as a righteous angel so, so long ago. After all, though Velvet has yet to call for a favor all that dramatic, an archdemon's silence should not be taken as solace...
