The story of Bliss Noire begins more than 200 years ago ...
On a fateful afternoon, a young woman named Arcana came home from hunting to find that her village had been raided by dark elves. The buildings were smoldering ruins, and bodies were strewn everywhere. Frantic, Arcana searched the destroyed village for survivors, but found none. As she fled the destruction, she ran straight into the band of retreating dark elves. One of them grabbed her, drawing a dagger to slit her throat, but the leader of the elves, Cardius, held up his hand, bidding him stop. Cardius looked Arcana over, smiling wickedly, then took her from the other elf, bound her wrists, and slung her roughly over the back of his horse.
He kept Arcana as his personal servant for perhaps three years. She never spoke a word to him, merely obeyed, for fear of ending up as the rest of her clan. Finally, one afternoon, as the elf bade her wash him, she dared to ask him why he had always been so kind to her. Furious that she would speak directly to him, he backhanded her violently, sending her to the floor with her lips bleeding and a large knot rising on her cheek.
Suddenly Cardius knelt beside her, realizing only then that he had grown to love her. Though he knew the others of his band would not approve, and though their sage warned him the woman would be the downfall of the band, he insisted upon marrying Arcana. His band grudgingly agreed.
After a few months Arcana was with child. She and Cardius were thrilled and decided that if the child were a girl, they would name her Bliss as a symbol of their happiness, and for a boy, the name would be Freedom, for he would bring the two races together. But when her time arrived, Arcana grew weak, the labor taking its toll on her, and she began slowly to slip away. Through the birthing Cardius prayed and the sage chanted, but to no avail. As the tiny babe was born into their world, Arcana slipped away, leaving a furious and grief-stricken Cardius with a beautiful baby girl.
The sage looked at him and pronounced that this child would be the death of them all, and walked away. Looking down at the helpless babe, Cardius named her Bliss Noire, for as she was the result of his happiest days, this was also the blackest day of his life.
Cardius raised Bliss in the ways of their tribe until she was 14, the age of ascension in their band. Then she went out on her first solo hunt, but she returned just in time to see the band's second in command strike her father through the heart as a traitor and a human-lover. Meaning to avenge her father, Bliss nearly ran headlong into her death, but her nurse, Lilliana, spotted her and stopped her. Lilliana spirited Bliss away to a nearby village of humans, arranging for her to work for the old blacksmith Talos.
Bliss studied with Talos for three years, then ventured into the realms. At 20 she settled in a small village where she frequented a place called the Peaceful Warrior Inn.
She was 22 when she met Val'n Greene, a kender of the clan Toreador, who became her first real friend since the death of her father. When he offered her the gift of eternal life in the night, she willingly and gratefully accepted, thinking that with such power she could exact revenge upon her father's killers (though this scheme never reached fruition, as ere long she realized those murderers were of little consequence in the larger scheme of things.)
She lived as kindred within the realms for nearly 200 years - and then, by chance, encountered another Toreador ...
Skullhunter was then married to a woman named Lauri'lei, but this did not keep Bliss from loving him almost from the instant of their meeting. Respecting his love for his wife, she kept her feelings hidden, becoming his trusted friend. She even went so far to fill the void she felt without his love as to sire a young pup named Galishan. He, however, soon proved to be possessive and disrespectful, and she laid no further claim to him, rejecting him and sending him off to study in Europe, telling him that whatever happened, she would bear no further responsibility for him.
Lauri'lei was unhappy as kindred, having only accepted the embrace to be closer to Skullhunter. Seeing how unhappy she was, Skull did everything he could to return her to her normal state, and finally the curse was lifted from her. Not long after that, Lauri'lei and Skull parted ways, leaving room for Bliss to try to win his heart - and win it she did. They were married, just the two of them, in the Peaceful Warrior woods.
It was around this time
that Skullhunter underwent some drastic changes, becoming the latest in the long line of
Hunters of Skulls. He was no longer kindred: He had become, for lack of a better
term, pure changeling.
After their marriage, Skullhunter infused Bliss with his blood, removing the curse from her. She became much as he was, a changeling, though she tends to remain in kindred-like form most of the time. They have remained husband and wife for almost thirty years now, living either on their estate near Delium or on Skullhunter's homeworld (though time passes differently on the world Skullhunter calls home). They have one son, Soulhunter, now some 20 years old.
Bliss Noire is a tall, voluptuous beauty, with vibrant, emerald green eyes and burgundy hair that falls in loose waves almost to her knees. Her trademark cloak is a rich purple velvet, trimmed at the edge with silver. Emblazoned across the back is a grinning horned Death's Head, the family crest, so to speak. Beneath the cloak she normally wears long but revealing gowns of many different rich fabrics, most often in black or purple. Most of her gowns will allow her silver navel ring to show, and are cut deeply down the back and high on each side to reveal tattoos. The tattoo on her back traces her entire spine from the base of the skull to the tailbone. It is of withered roses, tiny skulls hidden within, the sharp thorns of the rose vines each dripping a tiny droplet of blood. Rings of a similar pattern encircle each thigh. She carries a large sword, a gift from her husband, christened ScarletSkull.
With a smile, she says her occupation is "Skullhunter's wife." She is, she says, a neutral force in the realms, having been aligned with folks of both good and evil status. (In fact she was once even betrothed to Dark Phoenix.) Because Skullhunter, the realm's official Avatar of Vengeance, strives always to maintain the balance, she sees her role as that of a gatherer, learning all she can about the realms and their inhabitants to share this information with him.
She is at most times charming and charismatic, if not even a bit vain. Although completely faithful to her husband, she is a terrible flirt and enjoys the reactions of people to her overt sexuality.
Bliss's abilities include shapeshifting, regeneration, dominate (a holdover
from her kindred days), exceptional sword skills, and "official bullshit
artist." She also has minor magical abilities from her associations with Dark Phoenix
and Phoenix God. But she is a sucker for a good adventure and can oft times be lured into
dangerous situations by the thought of danger itself. Magic and physical attacks can harm
her, though due to her regeneration qualities, the damage would have to be quite extensive
to cause permanent harm. Rest is required for her to heal herself.
These days Bliss is still troubled by worries that her get from vampire days, Galishan, could be a threat to her and her family, for he is somewhere in the realms. Also, she and Skullhunter have a running conflict with Dark Phoenix ever since Skullhunter threatened to take over Hell. (Bliss's feelings about this are mixed, for as with any old love, Dark Phoenix still holds a place in her heart.)
Because of her closeness to Chantaclair Rose Darkfall, Bliss hired a being named Teron Gorefiend to dispose of a demon, Galacia Talis, who was plaguing Rose and her family. But after Teron completed this task, he no longer needed the services they had agreed upon as payment, so instead she gave him a parcel of land between Delium and Vescule. She now knows this to have been a bad idea, and is searching for Teron's true motives. Teron built a sizable fortress on the land, and now Bliss fears for the safety of the Trianth.
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