Myra Hawthorne
Brilliant, beautiful, and totally impossible to live up to.
Introduction by Kaia
It's a little hard growing up when your mother is basically the blueprint for magical perfection. People still call her "The Dawnstar", because "The Most Brilliant Mage Who Ever Existed and Also Devastatingly Gorgeous" wouldn't fit on the plaque.
Myra Hawthorne could outthink every scholar, out-duel every master, and wrap my brilliant father around her pinky finger. She was kind, fearless, humble, and unfairly beautiful; the kind of woman who could stop a council meeting just by walking in and smiling.
And then there's me: the follow-up act no one asked for. I didn't inherit her elegance or her impossible talent, but I do try to keep one small thing the same. Dad says she loved painting her nails with the polish he made for her. New shades for every season, colors that shimmered like the Myrwood at dusk. So now I do too. It's silly, maybe, but it feels like holding her hand through time.
I don't really remember her, not in a real way. But sometimes I catch glimpses of her memories through the trinkets she collected, and the journals she wrote. Then there are the things I just can't put my finger on: the scent of lavender, the hush before rain, a laugh that feels like mine but isn't. Maybe that's her. Maybe that's wishful thinking.
Dad keeps one picture of her pinned above his workbench. On the back, in his handwriting, it says: "Luminous Veil - Just before the rain. She looked back once...those violet eyes... I knew I'd follow her anywhere."
To the world, she was a legend. To my dad, she was everything. And to me… she's the question that never stops echoing.
I wonder what her voice sounded like when she told stories, or if she laughed at her own jokes like I do. I wonder if she ever burned dinner while practicing a spell, or stayed up too late just to see what the stars might say.
I'd give anything for a day, just one. To walk with her through the Myrwood and hear her tell me who she really was.
It's strange, missing someone whose voice you've never heard… but somehow, I still do.
Overview
Myra Hawthorne is remembered throughout the Dominion as the most gifted mage in the history of the Arcanum of Aetherion, a prodigy whose brilliance shaped a generation of magical thought.
Raised in the small village of Lysara's Watch at the edge of the Myrwood, she was discovered as a child by Corin and Mira Hawthorne, who adopted her and nurtured her early fascination with the natural world.
Her affinity for Aether manifested early, and by the time she arrived at the Arcanum, her instructors knew she would become extraordinary. Within a decade, she would be hailed as the most accomplished mage since the age of Kael Drakkar.
Arcanum Achievements
- The only recorded mage in Dominion history to achieve mastery in three Orders: Tempest (battlecraft and dueling), Genesis (creation and natural studies), and Arcanis (mental and theoretical disciplines).
- Designed protective enchantments still used across Dominion academies today.
- Conducted groundbreaking research linking natural magic with biological instinct, paving the way for the modern fields of Thaumaturgic Zoology and Verdancy.
- Served as instructor and collaborator to the High Warden of the Arcanum.
- Remains the only duelist in Arcanum history never to have been defeated in sanctioned competition.
- Holds the all-time record for victories in the Order Games, a mark that still stands.
The Dawnstar of the Arcanum
Among students and faculty, Myra earned the title "The Dawnstar." Her peers gave her the name to honor her brilliance, kindness, and the sense of renewal she brought to the study of Aether.
She embodied mastery without arrogance and intellect without distance, mentoring younger students and treating every apprentice as an equal mind in the making.
Appearance
Myra Hawthorne was striking even among the gifted ranks of the Arcanum. She stood tall and graceful, with an ageless poise that made her seem part of the Aether itself. Her hair was a deep, glossy black, falling in loose curls that caught a violet sheen under moonlight: a trait that became a defining mark of her lineage.
Her eyes, bright amethyst and clear as crystal, seemed to hold a quiet understanding of things yet to come, the unmistakable gaze of a true Seer. She often wore layered robes in muted shades of plum, silver, and ash: garments woven with light-reactive thread that shimmered faintly when she channeled Aether.
Philosophy & Character
Myra believed that knowledge should serve life rather than control it. She often challenged the rigid traditions of Elyndor's upper scholars, arguing that true mastery of Aether required compassion as well as precision.
Despite her fame, she remained humble, devoted to teaching, and driven by curiosity rather than ambition. Her favorite maxim: "Power without purpose is waste; purpose without kindness is ruin."
Personal Life
During an expedition through the Myrwood, Myra met Galen Hawthorne, a traveling scholar and inventor whose understanding of science fascinated her. Their shared curiosity grew into deep affection. The two later married and settled in Lysara's Watch, where Myra continued her research while mentoring young mages from nearby provinces.
Their daughter, Kaia Hawthorne, was born there and now follows in her mother's footsteps at the Arcanum.
Legacy
Myra's death during childbirth was mourned across the Dominion. The Arcanum held ten nights of vigil in her honor, and her name remains etched in the Hall of Masters. Her writings, journals, and lecture notes continue to guide Arcanum students, and many scholars still quote her favorite maxim:
"Power without purpose is waste; purpose without kindness is ruin."
Her home in Lysara's Watch has become a quiet place of pilgrimage for students who wish to honor the woman who redefined what it meant to be a mage. She is buried at the edge of the Myrwood overlooking the Luminous Veil, beneath violet-leaved willows, where students and travelers leave candles and flowers in her memory.
Known Associations
- High Warden of the Arcanum: Colleague and collaborator.
- The Orders of Tempest, Genesis, and Arcanis: Myra was the only known Tri-Master of these disciplines.
- Lysara's Watch: Her birthplace and later residence.
- Kaia Hawthorne: Her daughter and inheritor of the Hawthorne legacy.
Titles and Honors
- The Dawnstar: Given by her peers during her lifetime.
- First of the Tri-Masters: A title used posthumously in Arcanum texts.