Also known as the Vice Queens, Audrae's Daughters, and the Wicked Council, these seven Naerikk women govern Augiery. Each of the women focuses on a different functional component of the city. Despite the suggestion that the rank brings, the women are not Mortalborn daughters to Audrae. They are women that have been hand selected by their Queen for their leadership and knowledge in a specific sector that might help her city grow. Although every citizen is entitled to choose which Vice they follow more closely, all citizens are expected to respect the rules and regulations that the Vices place upon them. The Vices report only to Audrae and have complete freedom to do what they like to anything and anyone within Augiery.
Odessa is the most feared of Audrae's Daughters. If any of the seven women were ever to elevate themselves into Audrae's place, it would be Odessa. She runs the slave component of the city with a firm hand, sharp mind, and a thick whip. She had originally been hand selected by Audrae due to her brutality and malice towards her enslaved men. Her predecessor had been much softer, and the city has since thrived in their slave trade since Odessa has come into power. She holds the title of Vice of Combatants and Slaves although she is colloquially called the Vice of Wrath.
One of the key aspects to Odessa's rule has been the creation of the Anthelmitzal Coliseum. The former Vice of Slaves had been benevolent to her subjects, expecting them to get better on their own accord. Instead, the slaves wasted and died or became fat and lazy. Jobs were put to the wayside as the slaves believed it would be best to let the city rot for their freedom. Odessa thought otherwise. She incentivized them. She gave them a way to elevate themselves above another through combat. This allowed the strong to survive and the weak to fall into place. Some became cattle while others became revered by other men. Those that were able to become champions became the Vices' personal slaves.
Although Odessa is often considered scary, she has the best interests of Augiery in mind. She particularly holds her predescessor at fault for the previous failures of the city, making her more dangerous in her position. Audrae is her personal savior and role model. She is the best combatant in the city and in war, will lead the soldiers against any force. Audrae considers Odessa her right hand and the captain of her personal guard. Odessa's weapon of choice is the bull whip. She carries a cat-o-nine-tails whip on her hip at all times for more personal punishments.
Aurelia focuses on the wealth of the city. Her greed knows no bounds and she was hand selected by Audrae for her ability to amass nel. Aurelia is well versed in the art of global trade, negotiation, and finances of the city. Through her position as Vice of Economy and Commerce, she manipulates the rest of the world to get the best deals for Augiery. Many in the city feel that she is altruistic. The rest of her have renamed her the Vice of Greed.
Unbeknownst to the common citizen, Aurelia has amassed a private collection that is kept in the Ganga. The Ganga or "Vault" holds additional funds that she has taken from taxes as emergency funds for times of war and economical disaster. Aside from this secret, Aurelia also supervises the gambling sector of the city. Although her dealings with Odessa and her slave fights were limited, she became interested the moment gamblers started throwing down large sums of money on fighters that were predicted to be the next champion. She is not beneath tipping the scales in her favor, especially if there is a particular prize she wants.
Aurelia rarely descends in the Hive Sector or below. Occasionally, when a particular fighter or bet interests her, she will preside over a battle in the arena next to her sister, Odessa. Aurelia is tanned and wears bright golds and silvers, accentuated by a vast array of jewelry. She has never been seen without finery. She believes that it would be unbecoming of her station to dress down. As a Naerikk, she holds Audrae above all other Immortals. As an avid trader, she keeps a private relationship with Chamadarst.
Runash is easily one of the finest pirates that Augiery has ever produced. She states that her fascination with the outside world as 'curiosity' when in reality it is envy. She desires all that other cities have to offer. Runash has procured shipments of wood from Desnind, glass from Niomyr, and slaves from around Idalos. If it belongs to someone else, she wants it for herself and the city of Augiery. She claims the title of Vice of Navies. In public and global settings, Runash does not acknowledge her position as a pirate. To provide a rather shoddy cover, she claims her pirate fleet as the city navy. Amongst her fellow Naer pirates, Runash is one of the strongest, most ruthless, and successful pirates that the oceans have ever seen. Her Grovokian pirate name, Inbidia, was translated into common to Vice of Envy.
Her envious nature has bled into the relationships with her sisters. This has been an ongoing battle that she faces every day. Although she was picked for her prowess on a ship and her ability to procure rare items, Audrae has often doubted whether or not Runash is capable of being a part of a group as an equal. Runash desires to rule over the Vices and control every sector in some fashion.
As a method of preventing her jealousy, Runash is rarely found in the Vice Sector. She will take to the ocean on her ship, the
Emerald Serpent, and lead groups of pirates on pillaging trips. She has private offices in Sarraski, the underground coastal town that protects the main entrance into Augiery. Her sisters have permitted her extended excursions with the understanding that she cannot take more than 20% of the fleet at any given point unless the city is at war. If Augiery is besieged, she is to return immediately upon notification to help defend Audrae and Augiery.
Casia promotes the arts and theater in Augiery as a means of spreading their culture around the world. Many of the artisans will appeal to her vanity by placing her in a piece of art. Artists will hide a cameo of her in scenes while troupes will create a role with an actress that physically resembles her. As the Vice of Art, Casia takes great pride in ensuring that the city is well endowed with statues of Audrae and the seven Vices.
Her crowning achievement was the Beldistorio. Known in common as the "dread entry," this is the stone gateway that marks the path that leads into the city. Despite her appearance and her soft hands, Audrae brought Casia into the fold for her quality work as a mason. As a young Naerikk, she worked tirelessly over solid stone to sculpt great effigies of Audrae. Her pride began to grow the moment Audrae requested that she become the apprentice to the previous Vice of Arts. Alongside her mistress, Casia helped finish the Beldistorio. Rumor has it that she shoved her mistress from the top of the arches when it was complete so that she could relish in the glory by herself.
She had murdered the only woman that she could have ever called family. Casia denies it to this day, satisfied in knowing that she would be the only one remembered for the finished gateway. She will attend almost all theatrical premiers. Casia hosts private art shows for high ranking women and artists from distant lands while plotting for ways to expand Augiery's renown in the arts. Her self serving mentality has won her the title of Vice of Vanity.
Tanvi likes to think that she is the one that represents all that the rest of the world should love about Augiery. She also believes that they should only love Augiery, no matter what actions they take against the rest of the world. Idalos is Audrae's playground. Tanvi has made it her personal mission to justify to each city why Augiery's actions are right and theirs are wrong. She is the Vice of Diplomacy. As the representative to the rest of Idalos, she can occasionally be found traveling from city to city bringing gifts of nel from Aurelia, art from Casia, and slaves from Odessa. As the messenger, she will often take most of the credit by providing the gifts from her sisters. To love Augiery is to love Tanvi, the Vice of Lust.
As tenacious as Tanvi is about diplomatic affairs, she is equally passionate about her other activities. When she is not gallivanting in a far off land, Tanvi can be found in the Hive tending to the male brothels. Referred to in Grovokian as egonkors, slaves work as a means to avoid becoming cattle or fighting in the arena. Only the most attractive men are allowed to work for Tanvi. She often picks them for their visual appeal and their abilities, known to her personally.
Tanvi never seems to be satisfied with an interest for long. As soon as she has had her fill of their love and adoration, she moves on to the next conquest. Unbeknownst to many, the only love she will never know is that of motherhood. Her infertility is the reason that Audrae picked her to be the Vice of Diplomacy. Her tongue and her body are weapons for peace, and she rarely has to suffer the consequences of her actions.
Lomela engages in all pleasantries in extreme excess. Her interest, job, and favorite hobby all happen to deal with one matter: food. As the Vice of Agriculture, Lomela's main interest is ensuring that the citizens of Augiery have enough food for their families and then some. If even one belly is left barely full, she considers her job a complete failure. Her philosophy is that food is not only eaten for energy, it is eaten to be enjoyed. Cities that have little more than enough to go around have dubbed her the Vice of Gluttony.
Augiery's citizens had difficulty providing food prior to Lomela's inauguration. She, like many of her fellow Naerikk sisters, went about their day with half-full bellies. Growing food in caves had proven to be difficult. Without sun, plants refused to sprout. Without crops, there was little food to go around. The city relied heavily on trading, bringing in goods that would last long periods of time. Only on occasion would fresh food be allowed into the city. Lomela's great-great-great-grandmother had first discovered the
odol laborantzas, or "blood crops". This group of underground plants provide red fruits, vegetables, and grains through the use of specific plant food. The recipe is only known to Lomela's family and has been passed from generation to generation. Naturally, the Vice of Agriculture position has remained in the family as well.
Lomela will attend the slave fights regularly. At the end of these fights, she will sift through the losing slaves for her key ingredients.Those that are particularly healthy but were incapable of becoming champions become a part of her herd. They are whisked away in chains, rarely ever to be seen again. Most citizens have a basic understanding as to what goes on. Since it is necessary for Augiery's survival, many don't even bat an eyelash at the thought.
Sanja is the most hidden of Audrae's Daughters. She is the Vice of Health and Wellness, mainly concerning herself with the well being of her citizens. Her role is small in comparison to the others, as her sisters believe that healthcare is dismissive. The strongest should survive and the weak should perish. Sanja represents an opposing view. She believes that all lives matter, no matter the age, gender, or race. Even the slaves, much to Odessa's chagrin, are provided healthcare to some extent. Since this seat has little importance in the grand scheme of Augiery, Sanja disassociates herself from her sisters. Due to her lack of interest in her job, she was titled the Vice of Sloth.
The concept of healthcare in Augiery is vague at best. Physicians and nursing care are provided to all that need it. Since many are apprehensive to seek out northern medicine, Sanja is a proponent for basic principles to ensure good health. She insists that all citizens get the appropriate amount of rest and relaxation each day. Shifts were organized throughout the city as a means to create balance while maintaining a fully operational city. Although Sanja expects that the guidelines are followed, she is often too absent to uphold them. It is not unheard of for those that follow her liberal beliefs to shirk their duties, party, and relax frequently.
Sanja has a special, secret relationship with Jesine. Together, she and the mortalborn seek to spread sweet dreams throughout all of Augiery. She has decided that this is her main priority and has worked with scientists and doctors to come up with various ways to induce sleep and relaxation. Although she should focus on the well being of her citizens, she believes that she is doing good from her deeds in Emea. Audrae grows more concerned with each passing trial, wondering when Sanja will grow up and take her place on the Wicked Council.
