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Deep within the remains of a castle long since abandoned lay an ancient crypt, the only place untouched by the ravages of time and the destruction wrought by the Tyrant.
His steps are soft but sure, not wishing to disturb the peace that flowed through the hallowed halls. The stranger comes to a stop at the foot of a gilded sarcophagus, the inscription upon it faded away save for a few words.
'Here lieth Iona, Queen of ---, May she find eternal rest in the arms of the Maker'
The man runs a hand across the lid as he moves to side and gives it a heavy shove. It falls off to the side with a thud that echoes loudly through the silent mausoleum. Within the sarcophagus, nestled in cushions of green silk, was a skeleton. Dressed in a vibrant gown of crimson and a crown of gold the bones were undoubtedly that of the queen named on the lid.
It is not the bones that interest the man however, but what lies around them. A sparkling chain of silver filigree and upon it an iridescent white jewel. With great care he slowly removed the beautiful necklace from the body, thankfully leaving nothing disturbed in his gentle prying. He looks over the jewel with satisfaction, then looks back down at the body of the queen, his lips curving downward in sadness but his voice was filled with resolve.
"Forgive me Great-grandmother, but I need this far more than you."
He slipped the amulet over his neck, the gem shimmering in the morning light that streamed down from the stained glass windows above the coffin.
"Spirit of the Heart I know you can hear me. Bloodshed and suffering have plagued the lands and I beg of you to help me now. Grant me use of you magic that I might put an end to the evil that casts its long shadow across the kingdoms."
There was a long stretch of silence and the man felt despair grip his heart as he wondered if the magical spirit had fled its confines. The despair quickly evaporated as the amulet flared to life, bathing the crypt in cool silver light, and then came a voice.
"I will grant you the power you seek. Welcome home Prince Elysian."
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• The Heart of Aternia once belonged to a long dead queen named Iona. The kingdom she reigned over has been lost to history and no official records of its name exist.
• The Heart is inhabited by a magical spirit named Astralis that gained sapience thanks to the long term symbiosis he maintained with previous sovereigns.
• Astralis is the one responsible for choosing all of Aternia's sovereigns. When he chooses someone to be the next ruler, Astralis forms a symbiotic connection with them. In addition to imbuing the host sovereign with his magic he also forms a mental connection with them.
• Astralis is very selective in terms of who he picks to wield the Heart's power.
• If the person Astralis picks abuses the Heart in any way he will break the connection with his host, and the amulet will drop from the sovereigns neck and disappear.
• Astralis gained his sapience due to all of the exposure to both mortal customs and to the multiple people he's bound himself to over the centuries.
• When most people first meet Astralis, he usually comes off as a condescending jackass. This hasn't earn him many friends but it does earn him a scolding.
• That being said once you get to know him he's actually quite nice. He's just not that good at interacting with mortals.
• The first person that Astralis chose to be Aternia's first sovereign was Prince Elysian, the great-grandson of his former master Queen Iona.
• If Astralis has any memory of his time with Queen Iona he's not telling. He has admitted that he has some amnesia brought on my his time laying dormant in Iona's sarcophagus but whether or not those lost memories returned is unknown.
• Astralis' primary job is to advise the chosen ruler. He tends to be pretty successful but he's usually contending with other advisors that the sovereign hand picks to help them.
• Astralis once got into a screaming match with a previous member of Merlyn's Council. Merlyn had to threaten them both to get them to shut up.
• Astralis smells like ozone and cold mist.
• He hates getting mistaken for a ghost.
• Astralis actually has the misfortune of disrupting nearby technology with his presence. He usually won't leave the amulet when he's around alot of electronics.
• Merlyn is the one of three sovereigns Astralis has actually become very close with. They refer to each other as brother and sister.
• There's speculation that Astralis might eventually become mortal the longer he's exposed to them. The thought secretly excites and terrifies him but he'll never admit it.
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