Alinova Dainagon

Alinova Rhessyna Dainagon (b. 118 AG), is the second daughter and the 5th child of Azutoru Dainagon, the reigning 9th and 11th Sun Chief (r. 136-138 AG, 138-139 AG), and the only La'il of Hortezuca (r. 134-166). She was married to Hikaru Nuniq for 38 years with 11 children before Hikaru's death in 172 AG.

Alinova is best known for her affiliation to the mushroom island of Hortezuca, an island just off the coast of the far East Earth Kingdom, and North of the Eastern Air Temple. She was the first settler and had natured the island to a whimsical, oversized forest populated with homes carved of spirit mushrooms. Alinova was known locally to have almost familial connections to the spirits of Hortezuca due to her poor social skills with other people outside her family. This led to her worldwide nickname The Mushroom Lady.

Biography

Early Life (118-121)

Born of a one night stand between Azutoru Dainagon, the then Minister of Forgein Affairs for the Fire Nation, and Suzhi Chen, an Earth Kingdom tourist, Alinova had come at a less than ideal time for Azutoru, as he had just been widowed with four children. Not wanting to start a scandal, Azutoru gave Nova to a Air Nomad couple he knew through his work.

Alinova Pyrite was raised as a nomad for most of her adolescence, visiting the Air Temples and paying respects to who she thought were her ancestors, visiting Caldera City for her birthday each year, she was taught as much as she could absorb from all around the world. Throughout these travels Nova discovered a love for art and history, learning jewellery making techniques from a retired Fire Nation, studying the statues at the Air Temples, and painting landscapes like the Earth Kingdom artists.

On her thirteenth birthday, her parents had taken her to Omashu following the usual Caldera visit. They set up their tent just outside the walls, but within hours they were coughing up blood and growing weaker. Nova ran to get any sort of help, but was dismissed by the tired guards on duty. When she returned to her camp, her parents had passed away.

She buried them outside Omashu and began walking aimlessly until she reached a dock that took her to the Southern Water Tribe, where she walked to the northernmost point her feet would take her before giving out. She fell asleep to a faint blue glow, and woke up three days later after an odd dream of a maternal mushroom spirit.

Enren Era (133-134)

Alinova remained a Nomad for a few more years before settling in as a friendly homeless teen in Bei Da Feng, a small town next to Republic City. She ran for Vice President, making her own posters and petitioning for better education in schools, though lost with only one vote.

During her time as a "one place nomad", as she put it, she fell into a brief relationship with a local Waterbender, which resulted in the birth of Alinova's first child, Mazuli Dainagon. Because her then lover had a stable home, income and was a few years older, he insisted on raise Mazuli, though an offer of marriage or any input did not extend to Nova.

At a festival at City Hall, Alinova caught the eye of Ryuco Enren, who had asked for her hand in marriage before asking her age and quickly proposing an offer of adoption. She quickly accepted and he brought her to his home in Zeizhou. Ryuco and Earth King Helios Tenshio helped her build a tree house just outside the town, and during construction Nova fell from an unfinished platform. As she fell she got caught on a jagged branch that tore half her back open, and she landed on the ground, which earned her a concussion.

After recovering from her fall with the reluctant help of Ryuco and his student Amaris, Nova met a local non bender who won her over with his lack of respect for authority. The two entered a relationship that later resulted in the birth of Alinova's second child, Jaseras Dainagon.

Ryuco had expressed his obsession with having a fire bending heir that he could teach blue fire to. At the time Helios had been training Nova metal bending, and one incident during these lessons led to a long scar that wrapped around her left calf.

At a festival celebrating the Spirits, Ryuco performed a ritual that briefly turned her from an Earthbender to a Firebender. This change was realized as after the ritual Nova blew fire from her feet, badly burning them and affecting how she would walk for the next fifteen years. Ryuco worked her for hours following the ritual, determined to make her a blue fire wielder despite her exhaustion and pain. When she finally returned to an Earthbender Ryuco refused to speak with her for a month after.

During the Succession War and following Ryuco's death in the war, Alinova was left alone again, her boyfriend leaving to join a "life of crime" and everyone she knew either dead or off in the fighting. One afternoon she was roaming around the forest and followed the sound of rushing water. She found Hikaru Nuniq playing in a small pond and Waterbending. Nova introduced herself and the two hit it off, with Nova building her a treehouse in Karnaka that joined to her own, so that Hikaru would have a place to stay whenever she visited.

About seven months into Alinova's pregnancy with Jase, Hikaru and Nova went into Caldera for Nova's 16th birthday. Wandering around the city they were distracted and unaware of the trio of men who had gotten in their path until Nova bumped into Azutoru. She apologized quickly and skittered off with Hikaru.

Days later in Karnaka, while doing chores around town, Alinova saw Azutoru again, only knowing him as "the RBF guy from Caldera". He approached her and began asking questions about Karnaka and herself before offering the opportunity to join his family as his adopted daughter.

Sun Warriors (134-135 AG)

Alinova was given the title of Solar Pontifex upon her acceptance into the Sun Warrior royal family, and was told to choose an island to magister. She chose the island Hortezuca due to it's proximity to the Eastern Air Temple, the Temple that the Pyrites had met in and fallen love at before they had Nova, and for the island's history of belonging to the Earth Sages of the Earth Kingdom.

Alinova was taken by Azutoru to the Dragons, where Nova ended up bonded with Nymysa. The 2 became inseparable after a month of calm meetings.

With Jaseras's birth in the palace, marking Azutoru's first (known) grandchild, Nova was known to be proud of her son and the affection he gained from his grandfather. Hikaru visited frequently during this time, treating Jase as her own.

Construction began on Hortezuca about a year after Jase's birth. Alinova made contact with the Mushroom Spirit of Hortezuca, Flora, who helped grow the mushrooms of the island to incredible sizes. Saplings were planted, mushrooms were nurtured, and within two years the island was beginning to blossom. In 134 AG, Hikaru and Nova held their wedding on Hortezuca for their family and friends.

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Nova met and made friends with a Republic City reporter in 134 AG by the name of Akira Fudo, the two quickly became close as Nova asked Akira to be her Maid of Honour at her wedding, and Akira asked for advice on her love life regarding Destra Beifong.

First Reign (136-138 AG)

When Izocoa first went missing, and so soon after the disappearance of Azutoru, Alinova stepped up to the throne, calling in to question the legitimacy of Zuros Okuno claim that Izocoa had left the throne to him, citing there was no proof and by default she was next in line.

Her reign went smooth at first, she negotiated a trade deal with Fire Lord Lara, where she gave the Fire Lord a dragon as a sign of good gesture and respect, though many in Caldera whispered it was an attempt at courting.

In early fall of 136 AG, Alinova and Hikaru adopted an eleven year old boy from La Bayan, named Rikku.

By spring of 136 AG, Alinova and Hikaru had both given birth to Mirah and Jaku Dainagon-Nuniq, respectively, though Jaku did not survive through the night.

In the summer of 137 AG, the Dragonhawk War began after Akira had shown interest in reviving the Fifth Nation, a pirate nation. The Earth Queen Destra Beifong took great offence to the declaration, stating that the previous pirates that had once ruled the fallen nation had enslaved Earth Kingdom citizens. Tension got worse as Alinova made a trade deal with the Swamp Chief Crato Sport to receive the island of Seilkuq, which she then gifted to Akira. Alinova believed Akira when she'd said she wanted a place more culturally diverse than Republic City, that would provide more opportunities to those who had grown up like Akira, street kids with no family.

Alinova permitted Akira to bond wit the dragon Sixith, a dragon known for it's unpredictable nature and a lineage that couldn't be traced to neither Ran or Shaw. Akira felt close to the dragon for their "shared lack of understanding where they both came from, and where they belonged in the world".

During the Battle of Seilkuq, Alinova was separated from Akira and the Water Tribe forces that her father in law Water Chief Kodi Nuniq had sent, resulting in her getting trapped for most of the battle and unable to escape until it had been over. Following Akira's death, Alinova dug her a grave that overlooked the beach of Hortezuca.

In 138 AG, with the sudden reappearance of Izocoa, Alinova had grown resentful of his lack of responsibility and irritable from her grief, and had refused to return the throne to him. She had the backing of the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes against Izocoa, and called for a trial to convict him of his threats and treason towards her, though when the Earth Kingdom became involved Alinova was still bitter from Akira's death and didn't want to risk sentencing her allies to death.

After relinquishing the throne, Alinova and Hikaru went on a trip with their children around the world to avoid the eyes Nova was getting more paranoid by.

Second Reign (138-139 AG)

After the disappearance of Izocoa, and the assassination of her nephew Ixqui Dainagon, Alinova returned to the throne as Sun Empress and was greeted with an empty court. With no Pontifex's to filter what Nova was supposed to prioritize she fell into work in a desperate attempt to pass bills, approve construction, schedule trials, trying to act as all four Pontifex's and Empress. After months of struggling through the workload, N'jadaka Raa approached her, offering his assistance and his time to any of the available positions.

Alinova trusted N'jadaka quickly, praising his work and referring to him as her greatest asset to the Empire.

In early 139 AG, Alinova was in The Old Main Mushroom on Hortezuca cleaning up after a playdate hosted for Jase and Mirah when N'jadaka snuck up on her and attacked. He dragged her up her stairs to a balcony and demanded she relinquish the throne to him, though upon realizing that dropping an Earthbender off a balcony wouldn't cause any damage, her turned her around and dug the palm of his hand into her shoulder blade, igniting a fire and giving her a severe third degree burn shaped like his hand.

Alinova made a global message that she was passing the throne to the Raa family and declared N'jadaka the new Sun Emperor.

Following the death of Hikaru's sister Kano Nuniq, Alinova and Hikaru adopted her premature baby Kodi Jr. Nuniq.

Post Royalty (140-143 AG)

In the years after her reign Alinova resigned herself to Hortezuca, rarely making appearances off the island and focusing on her family, though many locals and her own family knew she was continuing down a messy spiral that had begun with Akira's death in 137 AG, a spiral that was making her afraid to leave her own home.

In 143 AG, Hikaru gave birth to Koah Dainagon-Nuniq, and a few weeks later Azutoru returned from his seven year absence.

Meeting the Twins (143 AG)

After returning from his absence, Azutoru called a family meeting of his children to introduce to them his twin sons from a relationship he had briefly in 126 AG. Zoka'an and Valistar were not received with a warm welcome by Alinova, who instead gave them the cold shoulder.

At Izocoa's coronation of Earth King, Alinova got drunk and went to Caldera where she yelled at Azutoru about his lack of parenting, his double standards, and how he had replaced the freshly deceased Acalan with two more sons. The situation escalated when Alinova heard Zoka'an whisper an insult to Valistar and she slapped one of the twins. When she had went to leave Azutoru hit her in the right shoulder with a small ball of fire, leading to another third degree burn opposite her one from N'jadaka.

Personality

Alinova is timid, backing down from confrontation with little protest and quick to tears, she has never been described as the perfect Dainagon. Before the final sinking of Hortezuca, Alinova was agoraphobic and plagued with intrusive thoughts of how her family may die, many being as direct results of her actions. She was insecure in her bending, in her ability to be a mother, though always tried her hardest to not let her children see what a wreck she was, though that was nearly impossible. She had been the type to allow her trauma to dictate what she could and couldn't do, believing she was incapable of keeping her family safe and she had no choice in anything, that fate would do what it wanted and she was just the puppet.

Now that she's been through therapy, she's calm, learning self confidence, and finally allowing herself the safety to cope with her past and grow.

Fears

• Fire
• Loud Noises
• Large, Open Spaces
• Confrontation

Abilities

• Earthbending - Messy and uncoordinated, Alinova feels disconnected from her own element and has never been a good bender. Though able to bend Sand, Glass and Metal, Nova primarily uses Metal for defensive moves, anything that can get her out of a fight faster than she can receive a blow.
• Dragon Riding - Bonded to the furred, not scaled, Nymysa, descendant of Ran and Shaw. Alinova is the only non fire bending dragon rider.
• Chemical Warfare - When riding Nymysa into battle, Alinova developed different mixtures of chemicals to throw in front of Nymysa's flames to change not only the colour, but the way in which they burn.
• Handy - Alinova can fix almost anything handed to her besides plumbing or a political issue.
• Friendly - Despite losing her throne, the locals of Hortezuca never lost their respect for Alinova through the years due to her part in the community she built.
• Spirit Communication - Due to what she believes is her poor social skills with other people, Alinova feels stronger connections to spirits such as Flora and Orange

Relationships

• Azutoru Dainagon - Father and source of fear. She respects him and knows what he's capable of. Despite their relationship starting off well, it grew strained over the years due to a lack of bonding.
• Izocoa Dainagon - Barely tolerates him. Alinova believes if he hadn't been a coward Ixqui wouldn't have died so young.
• Izel Eluia Dainagon - Her idol, the perfect sister, perfect daughter, perfect mother. Izel defended her from Izocoa's teasing.
• Valistar Dainagon - Only living friend. Though their relationship started off badly, Valistar has helped Alinova through her hardest times, even when it's been hard to be near her.
• Hikaru Nuniq - Wife of 38 years, even when breifly separated Alinova could never admire or love anyone as much as she did Hikaru.
• N'yubea Raa - N'jadaka's sister, Alinova can never tell if N'yubea is trying to flirt with her or if she'll attack and insult her. It's 50/50.

Songs To Associate With

• Agoraphobia by Autoheart
• Jigsaw Falling Into Place by Radiohead
• Treehouse by Alex G
• How to Disappear Completely by Radiohead
• Wheat Kings by Tragically Hip
• Around the Bend by Pearl Jam
• Nude by Radiohead
• I wanna be your girlfriend by girl in red
• not a lot, just forever by adrianne lenker
• I Bet on Losing Dogs by Mitski
• Golden Brown by The Stranglers