Next week, a Vila from the noble Strivozha lineage, Vesna, will become playable. And although the Vila were the first to join the Belyi Tsar, they did not remain loyal to the Archons throughout the entire history of Snezhnaya. Let us learn more about the Vila, a type of Fae from the snowy tundra.
After the Belyi Tsar died during the Cataclysm 500 years ago, Anastasya Feodorovna ascended the throne and became the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya. Not all Fae were pleased with her policies, and in the century following the start of her reign, some were killed in purges, others fled the country, and some rose in rebellion. Among the descendants of a noble Vila lineage was a maiden as beautiful as a pearl. Feeding on cruelty, she took the title “Burner of Cities” and was proclaimed a ruler of destruction and emptiness. The Fae loyal to the Tsaritsa, led by the young Domovoy Izmaylov, head of the Energy Commission, established the High Table to ensure that, amidst the ash and rust, everyone followed the Law. Izmaylov forged weapons for the Luchkin, and it was thanks to them that the rebellion was quelled.
When the Domovoy swore allegiance to the Tsaritsa alongside Prince Alvis, the Domovoy Varenukha, who was born smaller even than his kin, could find no place for himself. Other Fae mocked his hunched frame, and his strange appearance made humans wary. The Burner of Cities and her followers welcomed Varenukha, believing there was no room for them in the state the Tsaritsa had built. Thus, the Domovoy stood alongside fierce wolf-fae, heeded the wise one’s lofty speeches, and marched under the banner of destruction and oblivion.
"Seek vengeance against humanity, for their sowing of discord and their preposterous plays at power. We fae were the original masters of ice and snow."
Yet one day, the Burner of Cities’ followers exposed him as a secret spy, but neither the clanking of chains nor promises of forgiveness could make the Domovoy speak. Enraged, the rebels moved to execute the Domovoy cruelly, all the better to warn others of a traitor's fate. Yet, facing death, Varenukha suddenly stood tall. He served not merely people, but a future where all beings could coexist, so he didn’t fear death. Ideals masking greed and hatred must no longer deceive the world, and the plot to destroy Kresnik’s Torches was bound to meet resistance from those who championed justice.
Through echoes in the relics he left behind, he was able to bring a secret report to his companions, along with the bright future he would not live to see. His sacrifice went unrecorded in the chronicles of the era, and only the guiding one swore to avenge his loyal comrade, ensuring the world would know that, to the very end, Varenukha didn’t bend.
Long before she became the Burner of Cities, the young Vila clashed in a duel with a youth from Kitezhgrad. Upon his defeat, he offered a handshake and proposed they work together to clear the long street of dirt and dust. The maiden, however, told him to remember both his loss and her name, vowing to reclaim all that had been lost and foretelling a day when none would dare speak the sacred name of the royal lineage in vain. Dismissing the sting of defeat, the youth became a guiding one, leading people along the path of justice. He founded the Luchkin — a gang of humans operating within the united alliance of the High Table’s Fae.
When they met a second time, their old rivalry had evolved into a battle for the safety of the people in the city. The guiding one emerged victorious, yet, having encountered a worthy adversary so kindred in spirit, he felt a pang of pity and offered to spare the Burner of Cities. She refused, declaring she would never bow to Snezhnaya and that a bed of ash was no fit destiny for scions of noble blood. Their third encounter became the last for both. The Burner of Cities and her followers sought to detonate the Kresnik Torches, intending for the entire Snezhnaya to toll a funeral knell for her ancient lineage. The guiding one and his men blocked her path, and the tale of their battle was recounted for a hundred years thereafter. At the decisive moment, the Burner of Cities and the guiding one soared to the summit of the great furnace and plunged together into the flames, turning to dust.
500 years ago, a human and a pale Fae grieved over the injustice of the world and lamented its senseless feuds. Bound by shared ideals and equal strength, they forged an unexpected friendship in an era of irreconcilable enmity between their two races. But when faced with a choice regarding the path this land should take, the man and the Fae parted ways, and their friendship ended with a vow never to meet again. The man, Eprokin, took command of the "Chicota" transport authority, becoming a guardian of the law and a sentinel of order. Meanwhile, the Far adopted the title of the wise one and joined the Burner of Cities and, using the name of old royalty to incite the masses who longed for destruction, all in the name of rebirth.
When the wise one fled during the battle against the Luchkin, he could not escape Eprokin’s gaze. The leader of "Chicota" raised a bow on the Fae, but as the wise one turned to face him, Eprokin felt his own tirelessly beating heart turn as cold as snow and frost. The memory of the guiding one’s death was still vivid before his eyes, and he understood better than anyone just how dangerous the wise one was. While it is fitting for a man to know sorrow and compassion, the leader of the Chicota must judge in accordance with the law that governs all living beings. Years later, Eprokin surrendered his life to a moving train and his soul to the boundless snowstorm. The promise he made when he first took up the bow and arrows became the oath sworn by every Chicota head upon taking the seat:
"We shall conquer humanity's weaknesses and bring peace to these long borders."
"We shall forsake useless emotions and keep our frozen hearts beating."
"Let me exercise humility in my authority, and keep my conscience as I fulfill my duty."
"Let cowardice and arrogance be far from me, that I may never betray this oath."
Among the followers of the Burner of Cities was a Volkodlak named Rafalovich, who believed that all living beings would inevitably come to love one another in the new land. For the sake of that pure, promised homeland and the new order, the Volkodlak burned and killed. The wise one serving the Burner of Cities claimed that showing mercy to an enemy would lead only to a more disastrous future. Yet, with every swing of his sword, he asked himself:
"Were one to commit a sin that even they know in their heart cannot be forgiven, is he still worthy of seeking forgiveness and redemption from others?"
Eventually, Rafalovich chose exile and joined the guiding one, hoping to atone for his past crimes. The souls of the innocent victims haunted his memory, condemning the cursed warrior to relive the agony of senseless deaths and rebirths over and over again. He sought to let time cleanse his heart of turmoil, accepting solitude as the price for his sins. When the Burner of Cities’ forces clashed with the guiding one and his people, the warrior stayed behind to cover the retreat, protecting the wounded and fighting his former comrades. Unwilling to kill again, he allowed the wise one to escape. But when a fellow Volkodlak mocked his soft heart and told him to meet his end, Rafalovich ran him through the heart with his sword.
"I have stored up for myself evil and catastrophe — redemption is but an extravagant hope for my sins of deception and violence..."
"...But I still have the right to pay you back, blood for blood."
Once, the young wolf-fae Manechka would demand food from people by falsely borrowing the guiding one's name, until the day she encountered the very man whose name she had been using. The young wolf began to apologize and offered to share bread with him as a gesture of reconciliation, but he simply laughed and promised to care for her as she deserved. Manechka followed the guiding one, setting out to punish evil and defend the good. At times, she led a wolf pack and, guided by his teachings, defended the ashes with innocent devotion. When the hour of the final battle against the rebels arrived, and she was to embark on a long journey with the guiding one, she warned everyone against committing evil or harming the weak, lest they lose their peace. Yet only Manechka returned from that battle. Mindful of the oath she had sworn to the guiding one, she has since borne the burden of protector alone, learning to lead the pack for the sake of a peace won at such a high price.
