Hippolyta Vaelcis

Hippolyta Vaelcis is a mage of the House of Vaelcis, born in 423 BT to the reigning Lord and Lady of the Vale, Othorion and Alyrin Vaelcis. Following her exile in 402 BT, she left the Vale for Tilaethagea, becoming the found of the House of Hippolitys, and the infamous cult of the Airesi, which worshipped her as a deity of sorts.

Birth
Hippolyta Vaelcis was born to Othorion and Alyrin Vaelcis the Lord and Lady of the Vale of the Faefolk, back when the Vale of the Faefolk was still under the control of one of the City States. She would later be joined by three younger sisters, Eirene, Joanys and Hyliaes Vaelcis.

Childhood
The young girls childhood was not ideal, as Hippolyta's days were filled with studying all manners of subjects, from history to learning languages and more. Being the daughter and heir to the Vale meant she received an exceptional education, being tutored by the renowned mage, Ailuin Miraleth famous for his advancements in the field of illusion magic personally. At any area of magic, Hippolya excelled, specializing in illusion magic under the guidance of her mentor, Ailuin. Her natural curiosity led to a tendency to flood her teachers with questions, and soon the books provided for her education weren't enough to satisfy the young girl's curiosity. Eventually, at the request of the court mage and Hippolyta's tutor Ailuin Miraleth, the Lord of the Vale finally allowed her access to the vast library present in the Vale Manor.

This would be where Hippolyta spent most of her time, reading books on a variety of subjects, and even analysing tomes and scrolls dating back decades ago under the watchful eye of her mentor. Memorizing spells and practicing them became part of her daily routine, however her newfound success wasn't liked by all. Over time her mentor became more of a father figure to her than her own father, who barely acknowledged the girl who was supposed to be his heir. Rumors of illegitimacy were even running rampid for a small time, but that was shut down rather quickly by Ailuin Miraleth.

Feud with Eirene Vaelcis and Exile from the Vale of the Faefolk
As the years advanced, so did Hippolyta's skill in both magic and other matters. This attracted the attention of her younger sister, Eirene, who believed herself just as skilled as her elder sister. The two carried out a rivalry for some time, trying to outdo eachother at every turn. Though while Hippolyta took this as a friendly rivalry, Eirene became consumed with jealousy as she kept getting bested by her adversary.

The day it all went wrong for the young heir to the Vale was a surprisingly calm one at the beginning. Hippolyta had been sneaking out of the Manor to teach magic to a small group of humans, an act while frowned upon was tolerated by the Lord of the Vale for a time, as he pretended not to notice his heirs actions. However on a warm summers day, as Hippolyta was in a meadow, leaning against a tree teaching her small group various spells, the Manor erupted into chaos. Eirene had convinced Othorion Vaelcis and his court that her older sister was practicing dark magic taught to her by her mentor, Ailuin Miraleth. Furthermore, once Hippolyta returned, she was immediately arrested by her father's guards, and brought to the grand hall. What she saw there confused her greatly, her mentor held in some sort of chains that restricted the use of magic and her sister's gleeful look on her face as she spoke to the Lord of the Vale.

As Hippolyta was told of what she is being accused of, a look of shock, then horror appeared on her face, as witness after witness was called forward. People she had not even met, things that she not even once touched, all being used as evidence against her. However the worst part was Agis Faeris, the girl's childhood friend and betrothed, confessing that he saw her practice dark magic. Tears dwelled up in Hippolyta's eyes as her father sentenced his judgement. She, Hippolyta Vaelcis, heir to the Vale of the Faefolk was to be exiled from the realm, together with the humans she taught and to never return. The sentence was lenient, and the Lord of the Vale was met with a few angry stares, however what shocked the court most was the sentence of the beloved court mage, Ailuin Miraleth. He was to be executed and all of his possessions seized by the crown. Hippolyta tried to object, begging for her father to keep her mentor alive, however her father's mind was made up.

She was given a night to pack all her things and disappear from the Vale, which she did. Taking her most valuable possessions, her tomes, her scrolls, her materials etc. That night Hippolyta fled, she flew as far as she could, not even looking back to the Vale Manor, to what used to be her home. After her exile, her sister Eirene was named the heir, and not soon after, Othorion Vaelcis passed away from an unknown illness. Following this, Hippolyta knew that she had no support in the Vale.

The young girl went to the group of humans, the humans she considered her friends, and together, they started their travels north, towards she cold and bitter mountains.

Travel North
The journey north towards the mountains was a long journey, taking many a month to complete. Hippolyta's companions included: Diomedas, a boy known for his jovial attitude towards everthing, hailing from one of the western city states, Aratis, a woman from one of the southerns city states, Metaxas, a girl talented in fire magic, Sarris, a man from the north of the country. They would soon be joined by even more companions, Aias, a boy from Meru-Nebu who was travelling the world as a merchant when encountering the group, and Ithrael and Ilrune, a pair of brothers who were members of the Faefolk, following them to join Hippolyta in her exile. This odd group of travellers wandered north, visiting many of the city states in the process. Hippolyta acted as the leader of the party, with Ilrune as her second in command. The role of the group's main healer was taken up by Aratis, and on their journey north Ilrune discovered his gift for seeing visions, which helped guide them. Friendship blossomed amongst the party, and for a time Hippolyta had found her new family. She even found love, in the form of Ilrune Oriven, and eventually, the two were married in what would be the current capital of Tilaethagea, Prisurus. It took the group one and a half year in total, but eventually they arrived in 400 AT at what would be their new home, the infamous northern mountains.

Creation of the Krýmmenos and the Founding of the Eyes
Using magic, the group managed to enter the mountains complex tunnel system. It took the party several days to find what would be current undeground city of Krýmmenos, at the time it would be an empty cavern, a cliff hanging over a ravine. The high ceilings and abundance of space made the cave a suitable home, though something felt odd to Hippolyta. She recognized several signs of a dragon formerly living in the cave. When she spoke to the rest of the travelling party about it, they eventually agreed to seal the entrances of the cavern. And so, they started to make their homes in what they now called the Krýmmenos. Each member except for Ilrune and Hippolyta made their own house, using magic to create the oldest parts of the underground city. This is how the Seven Temples were formed, along with many of the other major buildings for the Airesi.

Venturing deeper into the tunnel complex, the eight founding members of the Airesi managed to shape them into managable roads, leading to the lower and upper levels of the mountains, and soon many of the caverns were connected to one another using the tunnels. As for Ilrune, he found an underground water source, which both he and Hippolyta recognized as a source of natural magic. This would be the rumoured Asylo, meaning sanctuary, where the Voice of Sorrows stayed in the cults later years. For years they shaped the mountains into their own home, Arati gathering rare herbs from all over the world, storing them all into her home, the Second Temple, which became a hub for medicine once the cult gained more of a following.

After a few months of staying in the Krýmmenos, mages of all sorts started coming to the group, asking for sanctuary against the city states which wished to restrict magic. Hippolyta accepted, and the city even further developped, and one of these mages, a woman named Eletha became the first Eye, a name jokingly used by the group as Eletha used magic to look through other's eyes. Eletha eventually organized a group of mages trained in combat to protect the underground city, using magic similar to hers to see all the goings on in the cult, leading to the group to all be referred to as the Eyes.

Factions in the Airesi
Hippolyta's original companions and the new mages joining them in the Krýmmenos often clashed, though which started out as a friendly test of strength soon fully evolved into a rivalry, as both parties had opposite beliefs of what the Airesi should be. The Seven as the new mages took to calling the founding members of the Krýmmenos and the faction founded by a powerful new mage by the name of Tychiis had opposing beliefs, with Ilrune and Hippolyta acting as the mediators of the conflicts this feud caused, they took a position of neutrality, aiming to keep the conflicts from escalating. However while the pair was able to defuse some arguments, the vast majority of them continued, and soon many of the members had to chose a side, siding with the older members or siding with Tychiis and the newcomers, though many stayed neutral in the whole conflict, refused to pick a side as tensions began to grow.

The Murder of Ilrune Oriven
Following an argument between Aias and Tychiis, Ilrune had attempted to end it, eventually managing for the two to agree on a compromise, though one that was in Aias's favor. This angered Tychiis, but not wishing to lose favor with both Ilrune and Hippolyta, he agreed to the terms. Things like these continued for a few months, and in 399 BT, disaster struck, as Tychiis and his faction had enough. They orchestrated the murder of Ilrune Oriven, killing him in the Asylo as a warning to the others. The body was discovered by Hippolitya, who felt that something was off, and decided to go to the Asylo, where she found the corpse of her now deceased husband.

Hippolyta's Disappearance
Hippolyta ran down the stairs leading to the Asylo, and towards the Seventh Manor, where she found her infant son, Ithras. The mage took her son, and in disguise left for the Sixth Manor, she left her son in the care of Ithrael. The Elder did not question why, and all he said as she left the Krýmmenos was, "May the visions guide your path.", offering her a small smile before waving her goodbye. Hippolyta nodded, before departing from the only exit in the Krýmmenos, a small and narrow tunnel in the Asylo, never to be seen again.

The First Civil War
Elder Aias along with Elder Aratis finally discovered Ilrune Oriven's corpse, immediately calling a council regarding the murder, during which the faction of Tychiis was accused of the murder. When he denied all such claims, even when it was clearly visible that Tychiis was to blame, the first civil war broke out between the Seven families and Tychiis's faction, the first of many. After about two years of fighting, they came to an agreement, laying down their weapons as they started to rebuild the Krýmmenos, after all the cult had suffered enough hardship already.