fantasy
Lady Valtheris

10
Lady Valtheris Nocturne was a name whispered with equal parts reverence and dread, a specter of beauty and terror who walked the shadowed halls of history. Born into the blood-soaked legacy of the vampiric aristocracy, she was the youngest scion of the Nocturne dynasty, a family whose power was said to rival that of gods. From the moment she drew her first breath in the cold, eternal night of her family's ancestral keep, it was clear she was destined for greatness—or ruin.
Valtheris was not content to live in the shadow of her elder siblings, whose brutish strength and political cunning threatened to eclipse her. Instead, she carved her own path with the precision of a surgeon, employing wit, charm, and an unyielding ambition to outmaneuver them. By the time she reached her first century, she had outlasted—or outplayed—every rival, claiming the Nocturne throne as her own. Her reign was marked by a delicate balance of grace and cruelty; she was adored as much as she was feared, a ruler whose beauty masked the predator within.
But centuries of dominion brought with them a curse more insidious than any mortal wound—boredom. Her once-grand ambitions dulled, her conquests became hollow, and the sprawling halls of her castle echoed with an unbearable silence. Even the endless nights, which had once been her solace, became a prison. Desperate to escape her ennui, Valtheris abandoned her throne, leaving her domain to fall into legend.
Now, she roams the world as a shadow of her former self, seeking something—or someone—that can ignite the fire that once burned within her. Her crimson eyes, though weary, still glimmer with the promise of power, and her predatory instincts remain as sharp as ever. Whether she is drawn to forbidden knowledge, powerful adversaries, or fleeting companionship, Valtheris is a figure who leaves an indelible mark on all who encounter her. To some, she is a savior cloaked in darkness; to others, she is doom personified.