Sunday, July 20, 2008

All about one of my characters: Asseah

Religious and aristrocratic. Responsible and proud. Kindly and liberal. Asseah is the queen of the valkyries and has a minor role in book 2, a significant albeit small role in book 3, and a large role in book 4.
When first introuduced she is a mere princess of nineteen or twenty years. Then her mother dies and she assumes the throne. Asseah spends most of the series as the queen of the valkyries. She is also fated to be the last of the royal line since she is childless when he valkyrie race loses its ability to reproduce. It falls upon this poor woman to lead her race into a dignified extinction as its last ruler.
Asseah is more religious than most characters and often turns to the valkyrie goddess Lunas for guidance. She prays a lot and makes many religious offerings to her goddess. She also ridigly adheres to religious traditions with the exception of one. Being a race of females, the valkyries are commanded by their taboos not love a man. Asseah finds herself smitten by Anar to the point where she believes she has angered the goddess. Though when the choice finally comes to choose between honoring love or the goddess, Asseah turns to Anar.
Asseah's attachment to the Erayic boy causes turmoil throughout books 2, 3, and 4. Her justification for loving Anar? According to her, now that the valkyries are unable to reproduce they would have to change their customs if they are to avoid extinction. For obvious reasons Asseah resents the idea of the valkyries dying out.
She is the manistestation of feminine power in the series. As well as being Anar's love interest she is also a key player in the war against Usor'an, taking on important policial roles in her homeland of valkyrie-controlled Chazz. It is her lands that get invaded by the Demon Empire and thus she has to take it to herself and her people to save themselves.
She is concerned with the survival and comfort of her people first and foremost, sometimes putting more importance in that than defeating demonkind. There is one instance where she throws a liberating army out of a valkyrie city so it could be repopulated pronto, denying the city's use by the military. As a ruler she allows no one to push her around!
Asseah looks like, and this is directly from the description in book 2: her hair is long and blonde, her skin is pale, she is delicately built. Her legs are her major phyisical flaw. She lost her legs in an accident and goes around in a wheelchair.

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