Akura Malice

Akura Malice
General information
Rank	Monarch
Faction	Akura Family
First Appearance	Skysworn
Family
Home	Western Ashwind Continent

Rank and Territory

Akura Malice is the Matriarch and Monarch of the Akura Family. She presides over one of seven Monarch factions. Her lands and vassals cover slightly more than half of Ashwind continent — the western half, including the Blackflame Empire and the Seishen Kingdom, as well as the Frozen Blade School, the Temple of Rising Earth, and Sky’s Edge wintersteel mining region, etc. etc. The main control hub of the Labyrinth is in her territory, also, in Sacred Valley, but her influence there is only as a gatekeeper. No tresspassing.

• see also Ashwind Continent History

Emblem: Three Stars

Akura Malice rules with her strongest sacred artsists at her back, her son Akura Fury, a Herald, and Fury’s daughter Akura Charity, a Sage.

The Akura family emblem glowed at the center. One large star and two small stars, all over three mountains. The stars and the mountains glowed purple. The star on the left represented Charity. Fury was the star on the right, and Malice the largest star in the center. The one that rose over them all. (Uncrowned ch 6)

Early Life

• Malice was named for the trait her family wanted to promote in her —- malice towards her enemies —- because in infancy she lost her entire family to an attack

Everyone in the Akura family is named after a virtue. Even Malice. When Malice was born, the Akura family was a tiny band of humans in a vicious wilderness. They were destroyed by a rival when she was only days old, their members dispersed. She was named for the quality of ruthlessness, spite, focused hatred that her parents hoped would guide her to avenge them. (Wintersteel ch 26)

• “Akura Malice had not been a Monarch during the Dread Wars, but she had seen the memories of others.” (Reaper, ch 1). This implies she was alive at that time, but not yet a Monarch. The Dread Wars occurred more than 500 years ago.
• She manifested the Shadow Icon as a Sage, and uses her Authority to try to read the future

Path / Sacred Arts

Shadows, shadows, and more shadows. She manifested the Shadow Icon. Her Path is Eternal Night

Path: Eternal Night. Though she is famous for the creation of the Path of Seven Pages, Malice herself has no Book. She is the practitioner of a pure shadow Path with an emphasis on Forger and Ruler techniques, and she sees her madra as a perfect blend of power and utility. However, her dissatisfaction with her own Path led her to create an idealized version: her Book of Eternal Night. (Wintersteel ch 26)

All Akura Paths, to current knowledge, are of the shadow aspect. However, they can have others as well.

Several premier Akura-family heirs follow the Path of Seven Pages in the Book of Eternal Night. This is the ideal Path, created by Malice herself, even though she herself doesn’t follow it. Branch families follow other shadow Paths.

Malice created the Akura bloodline ability, a unique genetic legacy composed of madra that enables expanding purple crystal armor, with amethyst crystallized eyes , which is related to eye color trait — all of Malice's blood descendants have purple eyes.

Relationships

• She protects her family, the Akura Family, including Akura Charity, Akura Fury, Akura Mercy, Akura Pride and Akura Justice, etc. etc.
• Her vassal-state rulers respect, fear, and obey her, including emperor Naru Huan of the Blackflame Empire, and the Seishen Kingdom king
• She is loosely allied with Northstrider, but he’s an independent Monarch
• Occasionally she can call on help from The Beast King and other Heralds and Archlords of the Wasteland (Reaper)
• Her mortal enemy is the dragon faction, led by dragon-boy Monarch Seshethkunaaz
• Her newest mortal enemy is Reigan Shen

Appearance

"She was beautiful, with a full figure and the poise of a queen. She wore a rich, black dress of silken fabric hung with a web of delicate silver chains, as though she had been draped in the world's most expensive spiderweb. Each of those chains bore fat amethysts, which flashed in the light streaming from above. One silver chain wrapped around her forehead, holding the largest amethyst over her eyes. Her hair flowed down to the small of her back, darker even than the night surrounding her. It hardly looked like it was made from real strands, but from liquid smoke or boiling shadow. Her hair billowed behind her, twisting and curling with a mind of its own. Her skin was pale, her lips painted black. At least, Mercy had always assumed it was paint. And her eyes blazed with pure, endless purple light. [...] Her nails had been painted the same purple as their bloodline armor... or maybe they had crystallized that way."

Abilities & Icons

• Master of shadows, she manifested the Shadow Icon as Sage — see list of Icons
• “She had far more talent in reading the future than Northstrider did, the Shadow Icon being more connected to fate.” (Reaper ch 1)
• Archery, uses a bow as a superweapon
• Hear her name spoken anywhere in the continent, an ability of Monarchs
• Can call upon her bloodline madra — expanding purple armor and crystalized eyes — see Bloodline Abilities
• Reverse a person from near-death, rebuild lifelines, untangle a mangled spirit, etc
• Touch the Way and use it to travel, teleport, create portals, etc
• Ascend

Descendants

Akura Malice has many children, and she habitually gives birth to more. She chooses her consorts from people with talents or bloodline abilities she values, but the father usually has no contact with the child. She is at least 500 years old, and she has a child every 4 or so years. However, only the children who inherit enough of her power are her true children.

Her known and accepted descendants are the Akura head family, including Akura Charity, Akura Fury, Akura Mercy, Akura Pride and Akura Justice.