Ascera - Teachings of a Witch-Queen

Teachings of a Witch-Queen Part 1

My name is Ascéra Naïlo, and this is my past...

I was born and raised by my mother, Nacéa, in a monastery hidden deep within the Few Wilds. It was a peaceful place to live. My mother was once a great adventurer, known for a great many feats of heroism. At her side was a pixie named Zorah Neema, who had been with Nacéa since she was a small girl. From what I've been told, Zorah saved my mother's life when they first me and brought my mother to the once young pixie's witch coven for a time.

When my mother's health recovered, the coven told them that Nacéa could not remain there. They argued that elves had no place in their home, and only permitted her to stay while she recovered from her wounds. My mother was just fourteen at the time and had only barely been surviving prior to then. For a creature of the Fey, Zorah was also very young, but she send Nacéa away to fend for herself.

It was then that Zorah and Nacéa swore an oath to each other. No matter the cost, or what they ever faced, they would face it together. Zorah renounced her position in the coven and was banished alongside the young moon elf. Years passed as the two fought for survival, eventually leading them to live as adventurers.

That was almost four-hundred years ago. Centuries passed by as the two grew together in power and knowledge. Then my mother suggested they create a monastery, a home of their own. This monastery would become their safe haven as well as a place to store their collective knowledge, and they would always open the doors for those with nowhere else to turn for shelter. Their adventures led them to the monastery I grew up in, and over the course of several decades, they rebuilt and repurposed a structure to that very end. Still, they continued adventuring through the planes, knowing a sanctuary was always available to them. Then, I came along.

Unlike so many books I read as a young girl, my mother and father had no love story. My father was with Nacea on an adventure, and they shared a one-night bonding. The man disappeared shortly thereafter, and my mother and Zorah continued forward.

After I was born, they ended their adventuring careers; or perhaps they simply put that part of their lives on hold for a time. Truth be told, I've always felt that I was holding them back, keeping them from enjoying the lives they had. One day, while my mother was away, I told Zorah how I felt and that I didn't want to be a burden on them.

"My dear Scer," she responded, calling me by her own shortened version of my name. "We've had centuries to adventure, and possible several more to come. Your mother and I made this place so we could have a real home, but she never called it one until you came along. You make everything else we've been through worthwhile, for both of us."

At the time I was only thirteen, but even now I find myself wondering why. I've never done anything like what they have. They slayed monsters and dragons and even demons. They saved entire cities and gained power beyond my greatest fantasy. I felt so small next to the great Nacéa and Zorah. They were legends in this world and many others, but I was only a small girl.

That was when I knew I had to become an adventurer, to represent the wonderful home my mother's created. Nacea taught me how to survive on my own. She often took me hunting with her in the surrounding forests, and that was also where I first learned to defend myself. It was there that I learned to respect all life, even if I had to end some.

My mother watched my first kill. Not for food, or for sport, but for survival. I was helping her make a fire for the nights meal when a stray harpy attacked. I later learned of their hunger, and that the raw meat we had set aside to cook was what had attracted the creature to us. When it first approached, I turned to my mother, wondering what to do; in the past, she had always handled things like that. Harpies are terrifying foes to a young and inexperienced girl. My mother didn't move, she simply smiled and nodded to me. I knew that meant it was my turn, and chills flurried across my skin.