Vengeance Night

Vengeance Night is the key historical event in the history of House Aesin. It is memorialized at a special festival held by the house on April 30th every year.

History

Ingirun's eyes were filled with madness as she plunged the dagger deep into her heart. She couldn't bear the sight of the dead bodies around her and her loyal forces. They were all family members. Her brother's war against her had forced her to take action. This was the outcome. The chilly night held the acrid, copper smell of fresh blood in the air. The odor travelled from nose to nose among those who stood within the fallen stone walls of the stronghold.

The War of Courts

Rigall, Ingirun's brother, had murdered her children, and his corrupted thinking had led him to accuse her of betraying the war order. Of course, their parents had believed Rigall, the rightful leader of the order, and began to hunt down Ingirun's allies. The War of Courts had begun.

The war against the Jotunns suffered because of this. For eons, the war order had protected all living beings against the Dark Dream and its creatures, but when the war began the order had to rely more and more on the support of outsiders. Fortunately for all fae, during the final nine battles, the Ancients kept a truce and once more stood on the same side. This resulted in the Jotunns' defeat and the Ancients' decision to leave for the Far Shores.

From that point Ingirun had to deal only with her brother. She had offered him a truce but he had refused, so she gathered all her forces into one final strike against her brother's stronghold, and this was the result: the almost complete annihilation of the order's Seelie Court. Her mind couldn't bear it. Her heart ached. All her tears were not enough to water the graves of those who lay dead around her. Through blurred eyes, she counted fallen family members, innocent Aesin who had died because of her rivalry with her brother.

She felt no pain as she cut her heart out; a signal to her that it had already broken, and threw it high into the air, as if to satisfy the looming crimson star on the skyline that heralded the end of the war. She had seen it once long ago when the war against the Dark Dream began, and she understood that the Eye of Balor was here to mock her.

A New Beginning

Joachim, Ingirun's lover, stared at the woman he loved as she cut out her heart and with the last ounce of her strength threw it high into the air. He could see the powerful trail of Glamour that followed her heart as it travelled upward, silhouetted against the red star that shone in the dark night. A great explosion filled the area with a light so bright that all present had to close their eyes not to be blinded. When the light vanished, the star was gone as well, and he could see Ingirun falling toward the bloodstained ground beside her dead brother. He rushed forward just in time to catch her lifeless body in his arms.

"The Ancients are gone!" All turned to see who uttered the words. It was a sweet, young voice that lingered in the air. As they turned, the Aesin's eyes met with the Sister Three: the Norns. They stood upon the balcony that extended from one of the towers. It didn't take long to realize that the words were Urd's, the young woman who attracted more men with her beauty than did the most beautiful sidhe.

Her sister Verdandi, a woman who could easily be mistaken for a mother with her matronly look, spoke next. "Past and present have collided."

From the shadows of the balcony's corner the old crone Skuld stepped forward. Her face could frighten the meanest redcap if she wished it to. The future awaits, young ones. Choose one now. Use wisdom in your choice. The paths of sorrow lie ahead. Make the journey a joyful one." No one spoke. No one dared to speak when the sisters were present. Minutes passed and the Norns said nothing.

Not a sound was in the air when the quietness was broken by the sweet sound of a female voice. "I choose. I claim my family's throne." Ragnelf, Ingirun and Rigall's younger sister, stepped forward. No one disputed her claim; no one wanted another succession war. They were all tired of warring amongst themselves. The actions that they had been forced to take that night would never happen again. Seelie or Unseelie, the were all family.

The young wilder gracefully stepped onto the balcony above the large courtyard. For a moment she looked upon all those who lay dead beneath her, then she turned her attention to the survivors. "The war is over. What you see here is the result of the atrocities committed in an act of vengeance and despair. I, who knew of my brother's betrayal, stayed neutral throughout the war. Does this make me less guilty of the events transpiring? No, it makes me even guiltier. I watched as a great injustice was committed, not just to the followers of my sister, but also to those who did not know and were not able to act. My wounds are as large as yours. But they must heal. It will take time, but we will prevail. Our restoration begins now. As is my right, I hereby disband the Aesin war order. We must change with the times, and so we will lay the foundation for a new era. From now and to eternity we will be known as House Aesin, the northern guardians. We will act as one, be as one. We are family and we will never again war among ourselves. We will dedicate ourselves to the true battle against the Jotunns, and all who speak of us will call us living legends!"

Holiday

Even today, House Aesin remembers the terrible night that came to pass several millennia ago. On April 30th, they repay the Dreaming for what they once took. They light a huge bonfire and, under the watchful eyes of the House Ruler, one Unseelie Aesin from each of the House occupations (Volva, Mother, Hunter, Warrior, Berserker, and Skald) each dressed in red, walks into the fire. Some call this "Paying the Tithe to Hell," but House Aesin sees it as repayment for the crimes their lust for revenge caused. It is a great honor to be chosen as a sacrifice for they only chose the finest. They know that such courage is rewarded in an immediate return to Alfheim where the honorees oversee preparations for the coming war with the Jotunns. The ritual also heralds the coming of spring and summer.

References

1. CtD. Book of Lost Houses: The Second Coming, p. 38.