A chill wind blows through the cemetery. Crisp autumn leaves swirl in the air. You shiver and pull your coat tighter around you, one hand pushing your tangled hair back from your face. You wish you hadn't as your blood runs cold at the sight on the path ahead of you. The Necromancer chants an ancient rite from her Almanac.
Flickering candlelight casts shadows over her pale inhuman skin and dead, empty eyes. You're frozen as you hear the scrape of moving earth, the rustle of footsteps on leaves. With every ounce of willpower you can muster, you whirl around and start running. You stagger blindly through the dark forest, The Necromancer's low, mechanical laugh echoing in your ears as her Undead Army draws ever closer.

Eleanor the Bloody was once a noble woman whose greed knew no bounds. She committed numerous evil acts to obtain her desires. Yet there was one thing she could not seem to obtain - eternal life. This led her to the path of black magic to try to obtain what could not be bought or taken. Finally, she was able to summon a demon that was as hungry as she was. A pact was made but she was horrified to find herself now an undead. She is forever doomed to walk finding prey for the demon she's bound to.

Araleth

Ae woke to the light of the swollen harvest moon shining through the trees, casting silver shadows onto snow and the scraping gray bars of the trees. Ae - did not remember who ae was, why ae was waking between the cradle of an oak and the frozen ground.

The name came slowly, piecemeal, as ae watched the moon sliding down, down, down below the branches, beneath the horizon. As the eye winked half-shut, Ara spun into aer mind. When there was only darkness, the second half came - Lef. Arrrleff. Aralef. Araleth. Araleth. Ae liked it. And that - ae could like things. Ae sat beneath the thin pinpricks of stars through the trees and thought on this until blue bled gold-pink.

...Ae did not think ae liked being alone.

Below aer, the earth began to turn. Something pulled itself up and out from the soft dirt, beneath the wet, clotted leaves. Ae watched, calm moreso because ae did not know how to not be calm.

Bones emerged, pale and aged and tinged with green-gold light. The skull tilted, tipped, appraising aer with blank sockets.

Ae reached out, bones and joints creaking, light starting to dapple across snow. The skull tipped into aer hand, bony neck articulating gracefully. The ribcage began to rattle, just a bit, and ae pulled aer hand back, suddenly startled, worried ae had done some damage. The creature followed, pressing more firmly against aer palm, and a quiet noise filled the snow-muffled forest. It was purring.

Ae stroked gently over the delicate planes of bone, rough wood-whorled fingers dragging just a little. It purred louder, tail lashing with pleasure.

No. Araleth did not like to be alone. It was good, then, that ae was not.

The Chill
You're sitting down with your family and friends. Enjoying some hot cocoa outside. You are all by the fire. It's hot, the flames tickle your toes and warm you from the inside out. Everything is nice and warm...
"Gasp!", you tense up quickly.
You feel an overwhelming feeling come over you. A small tingle starting in your toes starts rolling up your entire body. Your whole body shivers as a tide of cold rushes over you. You can't stop it, it rolls over your spine.
"When will it end?", your friend looks at you concerned.
Then as fast as it happened, it leaves. The warmth comes back, and you sigh in relief.
"Are you alright?", your friend asks.
"Yeah, it was just a chill."
You both laugh, and continue to enjoy the evening. You can't help but wonder where it came from. It bothers you a little. What if it was something else?
"No, it's nothing. Just, a chill.", you tell yourself, reassuringly.

Come down, wander 'way to my shore
Let rest your burdens, and admire my livery
For I beg thy heart and need you more
Lyubov moya, pridi ko mne

Join me 'neath these waters
Peace be yours at last
With joy I fill my coffers
and what is given is what is asked

Come down, wander 'way to my shore
Let rest your burdens, and admire my livery
For I beg thy heart and need you more
Lyubov moya, pridi ko mne

Heavy is my dowry and low is my price
With pearls and ripples in my embrace
Where ne'er shall you feel struggles' vice
But yield your heart to my serene grace

Come down, wander 'way to my shore
Let rest your burdens, and admire my livery
For I beg thy heart and need you more
Lyubov moya, pridi ko mne

Slip 'neath the surface to see my gown
My hair is dark as midnight
Such beauty would let sense drown
To glimpse skin burnt with moonlight

Come down, wander 'way to my shore
Let rest your burdens, and admire my livery
For I beg thy heart and need you more
Lyubov moya, pridi ko mne



Notes:
Whew, just got this finished. The actual image is my best attempt at creating a Rusalka with the avi items available on the site (crown of bones when???). Rusalki are a creatures from Russian/slavic folklore - river nymphs who lure men into the water to drown/eat them. Vampire-y mermaids seemed spooky enough for me lol.

Avi specific notes:
Rusalka images I could find usually portrayed them wearing thin, pale/white-ish gowns (makes sense, who wants to swim in a full ballgown). I found equal amounts of dark hair/light hair, but went with dark for contrast against the pale skin. The betta fins and kelp/vine strands are more for aesthetic than mythological accuracy, but I thought they added a nice sense of atmosphere. Rusalki were also associated with a lot of woodland/forest spirits in mythos, so picked the "forest guardian" held. Rusalki are technically freshwater spirits, but I couldn't resist the deep sea with the monster fish hanging out in the back.

Poem/song notes:
I don't think Rusalki actually sing to lure people the way sirens do in Greek mythos, but it seemed an appropriate vibe for them. "Lyubov moya, pridi ko mne" is a Russian phrase meaning "Come to me my love", and a HUGE thank you to Typhlosion for helping with both transliterating + pronouncing it. "Mne" roughly rhymes with the ending to "livery", though it's not exact.