One of Cain's Founder and Four Pillars, specifically one of the pillars.

She has inherited the memories of every previous "Uriel" and in so doing has inherited their shared name and objectives. Said objectives being to oppose the Immortal Clan and the Gods who govern the world that gave birth to them.

She came to the Muspelheim Continent to slay Beatrix, the last survivor of the Lycan Immortal Clan's Matriarchal Bloodline, and obtain her Beacon, which is used to summon the God worshipped by her people.

To this end, she aligns herself with Mourn of Mercury, and her kin includes the former Metatron, who was the Founder among the Founder and Four Pillars of Cain during her mother's generation.

Mourn of Mercury is the son of General Avance of Mercury and older half brother to Rapture. Due to poor treatment that spans back to before his tenure, he wishes to overthrow the Jupiter Royal Family, and allies with Uriel and Cain to achieve this goal.

He has a personal dislike towards Beatrix and her son Rapture, due to the former's relationship with his father, which resulted in the existence of the latter. However, he has moral objections towards Cain's methods, such as making a child like Uriel inherit the memories of other beings, and is opposed to Metatron in that he does not find such things justified.

The father of Rapture and Mourn, as well as the former lover of Beatrix. Due to the trade-off of his powers as a Platinum Class, he is closely approaching the average limit of his lifespan at 37 years old, meaning his sole concerns in recent years are for his sons and no one other. He is a war hero and nominally considered the strongest individual on the continent. He is the present master of the Dragon Fafnir, which originally belonged to the Nidhogg Empire, the Centurion Kingdom's sworn enemies, this fact alone implies a bloodline connection between him and that nation, but this is a common enough occurrence to not draw unsavoury glances.

The female Commander of Venus City's all female armed forces. She is Rusalka of Venus' combat instructor and Rudolph of Mars' partner in marriage. She fought during the Third Invasion of Alfheim and was present when Beatrix joined them on the way back. She became the woman's apprentice soon after and has learned to wield her powers as a Platinum Class fairly well because of it. She is one of the few who knows all of her mentor's secrets, and with Lady Nymph out of commission she is the strongest fighter in Venus City. She is considered a harsh but fair individual, the reality is that she's considerably softer than that.

Metatron is one of Cain's former Founder and Four Pillars, namely he is the Founder's last generation incarnation. Having passed on his memories to a new vessel, he is now obliged by his oath to perish in battle. Hence, he followed the newly appointed Uriel together with the loyal men and women who wished to accompany him to his end. This includes his Lieutenant, an unnamed woman who has been beside him since before he became Metatron.

He is at odds with Mourn, despite their alliance, because the Centurion has fundamental disagreements with him over Cain's treatment of individuals like Uriel.

Amelia is the youngest and last Platinum Class born to Venus City. She fought in the Third Invasion of Alfheim against the forces of the Nidhogg Empire at the age of fourteen. She later became the student of Beatrix, and then became Venus City's Enforcer, essentially an assassin who works for the city state to keep 'undesirables' in line. To say this life has left its scars on her would be an understatement.

She is prone to drinking when depressed, but remains a responsible enough person for the present to be entrusted with her duties. At the behest of her mentor, Beatrix, she takes on Rapture as her student.

Rapture's mother, Avance's former lover and Melany, Rudolph and Amelia's teacher.

She is the last blood Matriarch of the Fenrir Immortal Tribe, who finds their origins in the Lycan Immortal Clan of Svartalfheim and the God Rognir, who she worships. This leaves her with an extremely prestigious legacy on her shoulders, but also makes her a hated enemy of Cain, who they seek to eradicate at any cost.

Being an Immortal Princess, it is more than reasonable to assume she is far older than most, and had lived for at least two and a half centuries according to her own recollection.

Son of Beatrix of Fenrir and Avance of Mercury, his place of birth is technically nameless, hence, he has no real last name to address him by.

He is Mourn's half brother, and initially possesses no powers whatsoever, which necessitates Beatrix' sacrifice to the God, Rognir, in order to empower him and grant him the means to survive in the harsh world around him.

The God granted Rapture a great blessing to evolve and adapt, increasing his powers at a faster rate to help him catch up with his peers. However, he has no other inborn talents, and though his bloodline itself is extremely prestigious, he has no one to learn from who can teach him how those powers work.

The Heiress to the City of Venus, which has been run by women since its inception, though for far darker reasons than it seems on the surface.

She is in some way the disciple of three individuals, Amelia, the Enforcer, Rudolph, the Scholar and Melany, the Commander, and she is the somewhat unloved child of Nymph of Venus, the previous Lady and governess of the city. She was also meant to marry Rapture, in order to bind him to her city, but she herself rebelled against this and wed Alexander of Saturn instead.

Concept

Rusalka's character has gone through a number of revisions in the past, so many that I can not recall all versions of the character. I recall one previous instance where the only thing planned for both characters was their deaths, in which Rusalka, who at the time had the provisional name of Ru Salka, and her husband would perish protecting their child in a forest. I have absolutely no recollection of this concept beyond those factors in depth, and I believe Rusalka was meant to hold the line while her husband fled, directly contrasting what would be considered the norm.

In later versions, I wanted to make Alexander come off less wimpy than that image places in a reader's mind, and I wanted to make Rusalka herself come off as someone who was more traditionally feminine, again, than that concept. The reasons for this aren't easy to pinpoint, but I'd say it's just a product of their natural evolutions towards a more realistic pair of characters.

They were both conceptualised and created simultaneously, because the original story I wrote was meant to occur much later than the time period this book is set in, thirty years to be exact. During the events of that Prototype story, which still exists and I still plan to adapt into the flow of events eventually if I can, the child of these characters was an important actor, but neither of them were present. I only had plans to implement the concept of them later on when I decided to start the stories from an earlier point, and chose Rapture's childhood. They were created as a pair, simply being X character's mother and father.

it was hard to display Rusalka's complexes and sympathetic emotional problems while also making her come across as someone capable enough in her own right to become what she needs to be, the leader of a city. There was a point where her sub-plot revolved around Alexander struggling to just get her out of her room, which persisted until the death of her mother. This idea was ultimately evolved out as I decided it didn't fit well with what I wanted her to be. I wanted her to come off as someone capable, but also in dire need of both approval and affection from the world around her.

Her relationship with Alexander was a particular point of contention, it was very hard to get those two from where they start to where they are supposed to be. Ultimately, it was originally a more solid example of an arranged marriage, which meant there was intended to be some dissatisfaction between them which they would eventually resolve.

Ultimately, Rusalka was probably the single most difficult character for me to create, which has ended up making her my favourite out of what I'm calling the Main Four.

The husband of Rusalka, son of the fallen heir to Saturn City and nephew to it's current ruler. Primarily, he married Rusalka as part of an ultimatum from his uncle to avoid being killed, as men who marry into Venus City forfeit any political power and are expected to move into the city with their wives, which has become a more merciful manner of dealing with "inconvenient" individuals. Ultimately, he is a diligent but jaded man, a hard working individual who nonetheless tries to come across as lacking in ambition. He is aware of the precarious position he holds both back in Saturn and now in Venus too, but is smart enough for his age to navigate the worst of it. He is largely considered the strongest Gold Class in his age group, and is expected to mature into one of the strongest individuals of the nation with the Platinum Class in rapid decline.

Class: Platinum Class Settlement

Notable figures

• Lord/Lady: Sovereign Julius of Jupiter
  
• Heir Apparent: Prince Erus of Jupiter
  
• Princess Lucretia of Jupiter
• General Avance of Mercury
• General Mortuus of Pluto
• General Aegis of Apollo
• General Sibyl of Neptune - Wife of Erus

Population: 50,000(Est)

• 200(Est) Platinum Class

Kingdom: Centurion Kingdom(Capital City)

The capital of the Centurion Kingdom that has stood for roughly two and a half to three hundred years. They are an extremely wealthy and powerful force on the continent, with a population five times greater than the next leading settlement. However, due to mismanagement by the most recent monarch, they are currently in decline. They are the oldest enemies of the Nidhogg Empire, who employs dragons as well as soldiers. Because of this, they have two major styles of combat, one for fighting men, one for fighting dragons.

Class: Platinum

Population:

• 2000 Knights(Platinum Class)
• Unknown civilian number

Notable Characters:

• Metatron - Theodore Rosemary of Cain
• Uriel of Cain
• Lieutenant Angela Cairn of Cain  
  

Culture

• Cain has a tradition wherein the child inherits the name of their parents, the same sex parent's name becomes their forename, the opposite sex parent's name becomes their middle name.
• The Fonder, Metatron, and Four Pillars, Mikhail, Uriel, Raphael and Gabriel pass down their memories to their successors, in essence achieving a form of pseudo immortality.
• Each Squad of Cain Knights are made up of fifty knights, and among those is a Lieutenant who commands them.
• The ultimate goal of Cain is to oppose the Yggdrasil Race, as well as the Immortal Tribe that were created by them. 

Class:

• Gold Class Settlement

• Lady Nymph of Venus - Current Ruler in name
• Lady Rusalka of Venus - Future Ruler in name, Current in practice
• Commander Melany of Venus - Commander of the Guard
• Amelia of Venus - Enforcer, Spy
• Rudolph of Mars - Husband of Melany, Scholar
• Alexander of Saturn - Husband of Rusalka
• Beatrix of Fenrir - Mentor of Melany and Amelia, Mother of Rapture
• Rapture - Son of Beatrix

Population:

• 12,000(Est)

Kingdom:

• Centurion Kingdom(12 Major Cities)

Venus City is one of the Centurion Kingdom's most unique cities and the main setting for the first story. They appoint women to positions of power and authority while men born to them are sent off to be raised in their brother city of Mars. Contrary to stereotypical assumptions, Mars and Venus cities both have a relatively good relationship. Usually politically inconvenient men are married off to Venus where they have no political power whatsoever and they simply disappear from the public eye, however because Venus' women are considered some of the most attractive in the world it's not uncommon for men to be simply willing to submit themselves to marrying in anyway. They host the north-eastern navy of the kingdom in their ports, but do not own it themselves. 

Years: - 5498

Sides:

• Nidhogg Empire(Defending)
  
• Centurion Kingdom(Invading)

Casualties

• Sovereign Drakus of Jupiter(Centurion Kingdom)

Details

A major conflict between the Centurion Kingdom of Muspelheim and the Nidhogg Empire of Alfheim. The Kingdom invaded Alfheim in the hopes of gaining access to the land and resources, of which Muspelheim is scarce.

The war ended when Prince Sigurd of the Nidhogg Empire dealt a heavy blow which, while he was forced back, left Sovereign Drakus of Jupiter dead and heavily wounded Lady Nymph of Venus.

Introduction

The power of Ash heavily influences the mind and body of any organism, humans included. Differing amounts lead to awakening further abilities and also strengthening the older powers. There are considered to be four "powers" in general, but in reality they are just two split into basic and Advanced categories. These two powers are called Mutation and Manifestation, and they are simply put the methods for using Ash inside the host body and outside respectively. The more Ash one has, the more of the four recognised powers they come to possess, and this has formed the class system that divides the people of the world. Those bearing the strongest Ash, considered to belong to the Platinum Class, are the strongest in the world of mortals and are considered to be equivalent to royalty, whose without Ash at all, conversely, are basically outcast from society and usually cannot fend for themselves in the harsh environment.

Bronze Class

Social Status: Common.

Awakened Power: Mutation

Description: Simply bearing Ash allows it to refine and strengthen the host body. This makes them stronger, taller, more healthy, attractive and better built than typical humans. The stronger the individual, the greater these benefits, but the shorter their lifespan in turn, with the Platinum Class only living till around forty as an average.

Silver Class

Social Status: Lesser Nobility, Knight Equivalent

Awakened Power: Manifestation

Description: Manifestation allows the user to summon Ash and manipulate it at will outside their bodies. This power is capable of destroying anything it comes into contact with, and only metals are known to be capable of showing anything resembling a durability against it. This power is noted to be the reason why the Bronze Class can never defeat the Silver Class, because even in full plate armour, the power still can easily kill them. The more Ash one has, the more they're at liberty to use, and the more pliable it becomes. There are several applications for this power, such as using it to reach out and feel one's surroundings, or simulating flight.

Gold Class

Social Status: Middle Tier Nobility.

Awakened Power: Advanced Manifestation

Description: The Advanced form of Manifestation can compress one's Ash to fashion structures such as weapons and armour. This power is extremely powerful and versatile, but also temperamental, requiring a great degree of practice and concentration to properly employ. This power also carries a risk of psychological harm, which increases drastically with overuse, but very rarely is this issue particularly evident outside those already in their later years. This power is also near impossible for the Silver Class to triumph over, as their Ash will be deflected by Ash manifested into the shape of armour and will be unable to defend from an Ash forged sword.

Platinum Class

Social Status: High Nobility, including Royalty.

Awakened Power: Advanced Mutation,

Description: Allows Ash to remodel the flesh, muscle, bones, organs and everything else in any way the host so desires. This process caries extensive risks that prevent overuse or diehard experimentation. Any changes to the human form might render the user incapable of knowing how to reverse the effects, so most Platinum Class tend to maintain a human shape at minimum. Finally, there is the risk that overuse of this ability will degrade the body of its user and eventually break it down. This limits most people to using this power only as a means of regeneration, and the shapeshifting properties are exploited instead by creating an external layer(Like clothing) which the user can alter without fear of much self harm. This use is also fairly convenient, as it means the user doesn't need to change clothes when assuming a new shape or form, since the external layer will change shape with them. The user can also introduce foreign elements, such as Dragon Blood, to adapt the traits of other creatures or materials to their bodies, and finally it is known to be possible to achieve immortality through this power, which no small number of people have tried to achieve. Because Ash is thinning out and the Platinum Class have a very short lifespan, they are more or less dying out.

The Yggdrasil Race as depicted in the story are beings commonly seen as the Gods of the setting by mortals.

In reality, they aren't Gods and don't think of themselves collectively as such, but they are powerful enough that it's simply easier for the mind of men to consider them divine.

They are known to make deals with humans in exchange for their lives, similar to demons in more common depictions, but they serve as a more indifferent or even benevolent example in some cases.

They are named after the World Tree of Norse Mythology, and this fact is very important for a number of reasons in story and out.

They are divided into Classes, like humans, and their system is also based on power, however, they function as a meritocratic example rather than their power being linked to their bloodlines.

These Classes are:

Einherjar - a human transformed by the Beacon, through a deal with the Vanir, to become their servant, a Lesser God.

Vanir - The main Gods of the setting, who make deals with mortals to make them into Einherjar. They are not necessarily aligned with one another. They are also called Middling Gods.

Aesir - Unknown as of yet, a Higher God.