We’re back with another edition of the Hash Rush Lore Spotlight!
As you may remember, last week we took a look at the mechanical history of the Marauders, and how after the Crypto Crystal Storm, for a time they had lost the ability to construct new droids. However, as the surface world cooled down and the humans of Rustaria reclaimed their planet, they set about rebuilding their mechanical workforce, starting with the scrapbots!
So, for this week’s edition, we are going to jump races again! Previously we had written about the Ernack Troggs, then the Marauder Scrapbots, so this edition will focus on the Highborn Elves, with a special look at the faction leader, Madame Violet.
So without further ado, let’s begin!
Before the Crypto Crystal Storm, Violet was a young alchemist’s apprentice, who was raised from a very young age by her teacher. During her younger years, before the Crypto Crystal Storm, the highborn still openly practice the arcane arts, and the alchemists were a respected figure of society.
However, the Crypto Crystal Storm changed everything. The Highborn Elders decreed that the storm was the fault of the Alchemist’s who had caused a shift in the natural order of life and needed to be eliminated or exiled, and so an order was sent to capture the alchemist’s and execute those who resisted.
When the order was given, Violet was out in the forest gathering herbs that were essential to her and her master’s potions. This meant that when the soldiers arrived at their house, she was not present and was spared certain death. Her master, however, was not as lucky. When the soldiers came they destroyed everything in the house, smashing many vials of potions, breaking the alchemy bench, and finally murdered the alchemist in cold blood.
When Violet finally returned, finding her house destroyed and the master nowhere in sight, she instantly feared the worst and ran to the city to find out what had happened. What she witnessed there scarred her for life, and set her on the path to eventually taking over control of the Highborn from the council of Elders. She saw first hand how the Crypto Crystal Storm had crippled the elvish grace, aging them well beyond their time, and perverted their mental state. The more she witnessed, the harder it was for her to hold back her tears, until finally, in the middle of a crowd, filled with the mindless laughter of her people, she saw her teacher’s lifeless body thrown into a pile of dead alchemists. With that she broke down in tears and ran back to her ruined house, swearing revenge against the Council of Elders.
While living in exile in the wilderness for several months, Violet experienced first hand how the ecosystem had changed and discovered a glowing tree sap. Intrigued by this new discovery, Violet began gathering what she could in her remaining vials, near the source of this strange discovery, Violet also discovered a cave that was recently penetrated by a giant crystal that had a strange glow. She decided that she would set up camp in this cave, and use the magic of the crystal, alongside the strange glowing sap to create a potion that would cure the insanity of her people and reverse the aging process. Little did she know that while she was working on her new potion, the situation for the elves had deteriorated. The Council of Elders continued to abuse their powers and ordered the Lowborn elves out of the city, and into the caves and forests, leading to frequent violent clashes between the casts.
In her cave, Violet endured failure after failure as she attempted to create the cure for her people, and ultimately resorted to using the glowing tree spa, the mysterious crystal, and her own blood. While brewing this elixir, a Lowborn elve stumbled into her cave and collapsed. Shocked to see one of her own people so terribly aged, she dragged him into the cave and attempted to preserve his life with her potions; ultimately, nothing worked and the old elf passed away.
In a fit of rage, she kicked over the cauldron and stormed outside, noticing how she too had grown wrinkles and had aged and had begun to lose hope for her mission. However, at that moment, a venomous green glow started to come out of the cave and she ran back in to inspect it.
“How curious” she whispered as she saw the liquid on the floor, she then dipped her finger in the elixir and passed a few drops into the mouth of the dead elf. Within seconds, the old elf’s wrinkles had disappeared and he opened his eyes again, now glowing with a violet flame.
Shocked at what she had just witnessed, she quickly gathered what remained of the elixir and told the resurrected elf to run back into the city and inform them that she had found a cure. Though the elf ran out of the cave in high spirits, he did not return, and after several days of waiting, Violet concluded that he was likely killed, or presumed mad and locked up.
Violet then resolved to create more of the elixir and head towards the city herself, if they would not come to her for the cure, she would bring it to them. The sight of the city was shocking, both Highborn and Lowborn elves lay on the ground motionless, covered in wrinkles, and at death’s door. Ignoring whether they were Lowborn or Highborn, Violet gave her elixir to everyone, and in turn, they pledged their loyalty to her and followed her. Tens became hundreds, and hundreds quickly became thousands, until they made their way towards the city’s main square, all with glowing violet eyes.
There she stood in front of the old and withered Council of Elders, but now with an army of Highborn and Lowborn elves standing behind her.
“Witch! What have you done? This was not supposed to be our destiny” — shouted one of the Elders, who started coughing.
“I am tempting fate, too bad you won’t be there to see it” — With that, she revealed her old and wrinkled face, then drank the last of her Elixirs. Within seconds, her youth returned to her aged body, and she removed her long cloak, awing everyone around her.
Violet, now dubbed Madame Violet ordered the Lowborn to harvest all of the glowing sap and Crypto Crystals, met with all the Highborn elite and prepared everyone for a massive modernization of Eldraria.
