| Dawnbreaker | |
|---|---|
| |
| About | |
| Associated With | |
| Heroes | Keeper of the Light 20px|link=Io|class=noprint Io Chaos Knight 20px|link=Phoenix|class=noprint Phoenix 20px|link=Morphling|class=noprint Morphling Mars 20px|link=Night Stalker|class=noprint Night Stalker |
| Races | Stars Creatures of Darkness |
| Factions | The Continuum |
| Gods | Children of Light Solar Goddess |
| Artifacts | Brightmaul |
| “ | ▶️ I've learned a lot about serving truth instead of light. But in the end, I was still made to hit things.
— Valora tells us that battle never gets old
|
” |
Valora the Dawnbreaker is the living weapon of the Children of Light, forged from the purest elements of a young star and infused with the essence of her gods' breath. Entrusted with and inseparable from the Brightmaul that once lit the darkness of space with celestial flame, this shining automaton is compelled to see to the tasks of her creators who had wished to continue the Bright Rider's quest against darkness and chaos, while spreading their inner glow to the very ends of the cosmos.
A great tragedy soon befell Valora and her masters, leaving her virtually lifeless and inert in the cold black space between the stars and the planets. Her uncontrolled course through space brought her into the planet where the Nemesis Stones crashed upon, laying dormant for aeons until a star in the far reaches of space revived her with its spark. She rises now from her dark sleep to witness an unfamiliar world beset by the same chaos that her masters yearned to oppose.
After many years of inactivity, the stakes of the fight before her have not changed, and so she wields her Brightmaul once more to bend chaos to order and shine brightly upon the darkness, honoring the memory of her beloved masters.
Biography[]
Valora, the DawnbreakerValora, the Dawnbreaker, most prized warrior amongst the Children's ancient creations, is the shining herald of the majesty of order and light. Molded from the heart of a young metallic star, and charged by golden breath with new life, Valora was called to spread the glow of the Children's wisdom to the darkest reaches of the universe — setting fire to the heavens with each swing of her celestial hammer amidst an endless battle to keep chaos at bay.
In time, the Children also revealed another purpose for the Dawnbreaker. They had discovered a means of permeating the entirety of the cosmos with their inner light — to obliterate all aspects of darkness forever — and they sent Valora to seize a source of great power, the final piece of their ultimate plan. But for the first time, Valora and her hammer met with failure, and the price she and her masters paid was vast. The Children of Light's spark was utterly extinguished, and the Dawnbreaker was left adrift in a black expanse, lost for untold millennia before crashing on an unfamiliar world.
There she rested, dormant, until the presence of a wandering young star gave fuel to an ancient energy forge — a relic of the Children's that, like her, lay buried for countless ages beneath a blowing red waste. Now, with a small measure of her former powers restored by the forge, Valora wakes to a land beset by war and the unrelenting forces of chaos. She knows her gods may be gone, but the heft of the Dawnbreaker's hammer remains — matched only by her will to wield it justly in the name of goodness and light.
Creation[]
Among the progeny of the Keeper's first sun, there was the Children of Light, a constellation among the many stars born from the crucible of its supernova who bore witness to a world beset by the chaos that chased after their ancestor's maker. Taking up the Keeper's abandoned mantle, they continued his work in bringing light and order to the realm, while establishing their own goals to purge the cosmos of every creature of darkness.
To aid them in their endless endeavors, they molded a warrior from the elements in the heart of a young star and animated it with their golden breath. This golem would soon be known as Valora, the Dawnbreaker, who would become the sole owner of the Brightmaul, a hammer capable of lighting the dark vacuum of space with celestial fire. The shining herald of the majesty of order and light, Valora's sole calling was to join the Children in spreading their glow to the darkest corners of the universe, initially oblivious to her own sense of self.[1]
Missions[]
Although the Children of Light's goals of spreading light seemed righteous, there were some among the vast lineage of stars who refused to align with them and rebelled. True to their dedication to order, the Children sent their enforcer Valora to break the opposition—either by destroying them or intimidating them with a demonstration of their power to join their cause.[2] Time after time, she was tasked with more missions, each one more daunting than the last.[3]
One such task was the purging of the creatures of primordial night, of which Balanar was once a member of. On the dawn of the First Day, all the night creatures perished save for the one we know as Balanar. She also joined Ares in a century long campaign against the forces of The Continuum, which resulted in Ares' and Valora's forces toppling them.[4]
None of these missions were as daring and high-stake as their final mission to obliterate all aspects of darkness and chaos forever. In spite of the foreknowledge that their failure was invincible should they choose to partake in it, they dispatched Valora to seize an unobtainable power to bind chaos forever—the power of a Fundamental, whose charge binds all of existence together.
For the first time in her ageless life, Valora and her hammer finally met with failure. The spark within her masters was obliterated, and Valora, having a life link connected to them, shared the same fate for her complicity on their attack against Io. Without the Children's spark to animate her body, she was left adrift in the vacuum of space as she faded into a dark sleep for untold aeons, until her aimless course was caught in the pull of an unfamiliar world.
Reawakening[]
Somewhere in the cosmos, the star that gave the form of Valora had turned into a cold neutron star.[5][6] This star was among the many things that were left abandoned by the late Children of Light, such as the abandoned solar energy forge of the Children that was buried beneath a blowing red waste (possibly a nebula given the description) somewhere deep in the cosmos. A young wandering star who inherited the spark of her masters gave it fuel to ignite its spark once more, bringing the Dawnbreaker back on the verge of consciousness and restoring an infinitesimal portion of her former powers.
But Valora did not fully awaken just yet. Even after she reestablished a link to her old source of life, she still did not arise from her slumber, spending her time in the darkness of sleep dwelling on her failures and lamenting the loss of her masters. But she would soon realize that the world could still use her light, and she woke up to a world beset by the chaos her creators attempted to stop. With the Brightmaul in her hands to accompany her in this unfamiliar world, she wields her newfound powers to finish what her masters started.[7]
Personality and Mannerisms[]
- Hailing from a time where powerful, ancient beings were once commonplace, Valora looks down on the world that she sees nowadays, seeing its inhabitants as weak and lesser things. She doesn't relate with the mortals and modern gods that she meets, because she has been around much longer than them with her expansive perspective on existence and greater combat experience with creatures and entities much more powerful than the ones today.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Valora belongs to a vast lineage of stars dating back to the first sun to ever exist in the universe, created by their great grandfather Keeper of the Light. The progeny of this sun included her creators the Children of Light, who forged her body from the elements of a young star's core and gave her life with their golden breath. As their most powerful enforcer, she carried out their tasks without question, which would soon cost both of their lives in their final mission. After deep reflection on the things she did in service to her masters, she feels regretful on what they made her do, but continues to honor their memory.
The Solar Goddess is a descendant branched from the lineage of the children of the Keeper's first sun, hinting at a very distant connection between 20px|link=Lina|class=noprint Lina and her goddess with Valora's kin.[8]
Towards Ezalor, she has many mixed feelings. While humbled by the presence of the creator of all her creators,[9] she expresses her regret about Ezalor not remembering things, like the grim fate of the Golden Lords (who were his descendants)[10] and him not knowing how to "set this all to rights",[11] indicating something wrong with their lives. She is also angry at him for abandoning his descendants.[12]
Eons after being put out of commission, Valora was infused with new life when the light of 20px|link=Phoenix|class=noprint Phoenix ignited an ancient Solar Forge that gave her new life. Because of this, she is grateful to the young star who revived her.[13] This gift of life has stimulated in her a deep respect for Phoenix that she would have regarded the young star as her master, were she still bound to such concepts.[14]
- Phoenix carries an echo of the Children's spark within him, which means that they were his solar ancestors, and that Phoenix and Dawnbreaker are connected on a deeper level of familial ties.[15]
In an unknown point in time, long before she was made dormant, she used to be lovers with Mars back when he was still known as Ares. Together, they toppled the Continuum in a campaign that lasted for centuries. They broke up soon after for unknown reasons. To Mars, he calls her by the name Valor.
Acquaintances[]
As an ancient being, Valora seems to be quite familiar with a number of other ancient beings like herself: gods, eldritch creatures, ancient beings, etc. Before her decommission, she lived in a time where ancient beings were commonplace, hence her familiarity with these entities.
For the gods and deities that she is familiar with, Valora seems to know who the Dead God is, having known him before he was killed.[16] She remembers Void Spirit in a time before he took on a form that made him look old,[17] but never met him personally.[18] She is one of the few who seems to have partial knowledge on what the Omniscience really is.[19] She also knows Enigma.[20]
Valora seems to be oblivious to the fact that Outworld Destroyer is the last of his kind, hinting that she knew his race before they dwindled in numbers.[21] On the other hand, she seems to know the people of Claszureme and the Weavers, two extradimensional beings beyond time.[22][23]
Her masters have connections with 20px|link=Morphling|class=noprint Morphling's master, and they almost agreed to help his furious master find the missing elemental until more pressing issues arose, forcing them to drop the matter.[24]
Enemies[]
Valora was made to see to the goals of the Children of Light. That includes purging the universe of every creature of darkness, which includes the likes of 20px|link=Night Stalker|class=noprint Night Stalker. But her and her masters' true enemy was the Chaos Knight, who they sought to bind as part of their master plan.[25] They dispatched Valora to seize the power of 20px|link=Io|class=noprint Io so that they may use it to bind the chaos, but Io retaliated by extinguishing the spark of both her and the Children.[26]
In the first moments of her reawakening on the planet where the Nemesis Stones crashed upon, she wanted nothing more than to take revenge on Io for destroying her masters. She has sought absolution after pondering on her masters' true motives and no longer bears any negative feelings towards Io for their demise.[27]
Powers and Abilities[]
Structure[]
Valora's body is forged out of celestial materials—the purest elements found in the metal-rich core of a young star. This empty metal shell was animated by the breath of its creators, forming the life essence that came to be known as Valora. Before her demise, she drew endless life and power only from the spark of the Children,[28] an irreplaceable source of energy that no other star can provide, much like the compatibility between a blood donor and a blood recipient.
Although she had lost her very source of life and power, she would soon find the same source of light once again from an ancient solar forge that also belonged to the late Children of Light, which came to life when it was ignited by a young star that inherited the same spark of the Children.[29] She returned to life in a vastly weakened state with most of her powers restricted due to the young star's spark being diluted by the dwindling power of his lineage,[30] but what matters to her the most is that she has found her long-lost life again.
Valora implies that she once had the ability to see through invisibility before she lost her masters' spark.[31][32]
Powers[]
Besides its effects in gameplay, Starbreaker doesn't have much lore to it since it's just a simple hammer technique.
Celestial Hammer demonstrates the strong bond between Valora and the Brightmaul, allowing her to recall the hammer to her hands whenever it leaves her grasp. The trails of fire left in its wake is but a shadow of what it used to do under the spark of the Children, back when it was able to light the cosmos with its heft.
Luminosity is an interesting metaphysical ability. She can create "order" from the "chaos" that resides in each battle to recharge herself and nearby allies who are in the battle with her, restoring their essence at the cost of her enemy's.[33][34]
- This process seems to be the same ability that cosmic entities like Enigma utilize to reform their existence.[35][36][37] She doesn't seem to use it like them, however, only being able to manipulate order and chaos via mundane combat.
Solar Guardian is a mere remnant of her restricted ability to fly through space at the speed of light. In her weakened state, she can no longer afford cosmic flight as a luxury, so she uses this sparingly and only in defense of her allies who may beckon her during times of need.
Friendships and rivalries[]
Allies meeting Dawnbreaker
- ▶️
r Where do you find the time for all this? - ▶️ r Together again. This time will be different, I promise!
- ▶️ r Where does the time go, my dear? You've been away too long...
Enemies killing Dawnbreaker
- ▶️ r You think you're special or something?
- ▶️ r After all I've done for you!
- ▶️ r I cannot see your wounds for the tears in my eyes...
- ▶️ r Guess your mettle don't match your steel.
- ▶️ r Too ruled by fear and emotion to choose the winning side.
Others
References[]
- ↑ Dawnbreaker's "First Days" monologue.
- ↑ Starbreaker description.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker's "Test" monologue.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r Much of the ancient times are lost to me, Mars... But I do remember toppling The Continuum.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ Shaped from the heart of a dark star yearning to return to life and light.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ Passive and cold as the faded star from which I was shaped.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker's "Awakening" monologue.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ Your goddess was just a dilution of a greater line, Lina. In case you didn't know.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ Great grandfather, I am humbled by your light.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ I wonder, great grandfather... Do you even know what your children became?
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ Will you set this all to rights, great grandfather? If you only cared to remember how...
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ You could have saved your wayward progeny, but you let them flicker and fade.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ Thank you, young one. Without your light, the solar forge would have never called to me.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r Were I still beholden to such things, you would be my master now. Given the circumstances.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ And from this forge I began to draw some echo of the Children of Light --
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r No one considered the consequences when your god was killed. But some argue he serves a purpose.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r You've grown old, Inai. Was that intentional?
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r I know your eldest brother, but I don't believe the two of us have had the pleasure.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r After the fight, show me this omniscience. I have an inkling of what it might be.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r At least there are a few familiar faces around here.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r I did not think to find one of your kind here, watcher. Are there more of you to call on?
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r What is one of your kind doing in this place, faceless one?
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r I never thought to see one of your kind here, Weaver. Is it allowed?
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r My masters almost agreed to send me looking for you once, Morphling. But more pressing issues arose.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r The golden ones were wrong. We did not need Io to bind you. I was enough.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker's "Darkness" monologue.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ When I first awoke in this place, I wanted nothing more than to kill you, Io. But that cannot be the way.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ My powers, like my life, were given to me. The will to wield them justly I found on my own.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r The golden ones would marvel at you, young lord. You carry their spark in you still.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ The Children of Light may be gone, but my awakening is proof that some of their spark burns in the cosmos still.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️
r I must say, it feels good to be able to see again.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️
r An annoying necessity. For now.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ Your essence will do.
- ↑ Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ A forceful restorative.
- ↑ Enigma response: ▶️ Order from chaos.
- ↑ Enigma response: ▶️ From a deeper order, I return.
- ↑ Enigma response: ▶️ Out of chaos, my pattern reassembles.