Vali (also known as the Ash Empress and The Mother of Grey), a character from the Blades of Light and Shadow series, is an Old God, and the leader of the Empire of Ash. She is first seen in Book 2, Chapter 14, although she is mentioned for the first time in Book 2, Chapter 1.
She becomes Fern/Wes's love interest in the non-canonical side-story Villainous Valentine.
Quick Answers
Who is the Mother of Grey's love interest in Villainous Valentine?
What are the physical characteristics of the Mother of Grey?
When is the Mother of Grey first mentioned in the Blades of Light and Shadow series?
Appearance
The Mother of Grey has long grayish black hair, long black flaming horns, light blue eyes, gray skin, pointy ears, and flaming veins. She wears a black and silver leather dress, and she has a flaming crack in the middle of her cleavage.
Personality
According to Aerin, the Ash Empress is not pleasant to work for.
Background
As it is revealed in Book 2, Chapter 15, the Ash Empress is the Mother of Grey, an Old God. In the very distant past, she used to value all creation and accept the world as it was, and even though she sometimes disagreed with the rest of the Old Gods, they were able to create a better world for all. It was said that after the creation of the elves she sacrificed herself to give them their long lives, although given that she's currently alive, this is most likely a myth. When the rest of the Old Gods realized that they had had to split the Realms to prevent their decline, the Mother of Grey attempted to lead a coup against Nifara, but when that failed, she fled Elhalas and sought sanctuary among the dwarves. However, after she was recaptured and the Old Gods prepare the ritual to divide the Realms, the Mother of Grey and her supporters interrupted the ritual, and as a result they were sent to the Shadow Realm for eternity, with the Mother of Grey becoming the Empress of the Ash Empire.
Chapters
Blades of Light and Shadow
Book 2
- Chapter 1: Through the Looking Glass (Mentioned)
- Chapter 2: Coming Home (Mentioned; Determinant)
- Chapter 5: Into The Woods (Mentioned)
- Chapter 6: The Other Side (Mentioned; Determinant)
- Chapter 7: Conflict and Compromise (Mentioned; Determinant)
- Chapter 8: The Hero Of Riverbend (Mentioned; Determinant)
- Chapter 11: Healing and Hard Truths (Mentioned)
- Chapter 12: Surprises in Shadow (Mentioned)
- Chapter 13: Just The Two Of Us (Mentioned)
- Chapter 14: A Night to Remember
- Chapter 15: Watch Your Back
- Chapter 16: Pirates and Thieves (Mentioned)
- Chapter 17: The Longest Night
- Chapter 18: It All Comes Down To This
Book 3
- Chapter 1: One Day More (Determinant)
- Chapter 3: Here at the End (Mentioned; Determinant)
- Chapter 4: Connections and Consequences (Mentioned)
- Chapter 5: The River of Seekers (Mentioned)
- Chapter 7: Rage and Ruin (Mentioned)
- Chapter 8: Trespasser (Mentioned)
- Chapter 9: The City of Light (Mentioned)
- Chapter 10: Into the Deep (Mentioned; Determinant)
- Chapter 11: Abandon All Hope
- Chapter 12: The Pit and the Pendulum
- Chapter 13: All Shall Fade
- Chapter 14: The Queen's Cage
- Chapter 15: For One, For All
- Chapter 16: Life, Death, and Beyond
TTRPG Companion
- Chapter 1: The Adventure Continues
Villainous Valentine
Villainous Valentine
- Chapter 1: The Empress
Relationships
Your Character
Valax
The Ash Empress is Valax's mother and creator, and although Valax considers her her favourite person, the two don't seem to have a particularly close relationship. According to Valax, the Ash Empress trained her ruthlessly, and once she thought she was ready, all of the Empress's top mages did their best to destroy her. In Book 2, Chapter 14, Valax betrays you to her mother, claiming that it is for her people.
When you see her in the afterlife, she is cleaned of the shadow's influence, has reclaimed her true name of Vali, and regrets not being a good mother to Valax.
Nifara
Vali and Nifara are scorned lovers. Nifara refers to Vali as her wife, and Vali angrily stops herself short of referring to Nifara the same way. Nithrax describes their relationship as tempestuous.
Gallery
Other Looks
Miscellaneous
Trivia
- She is shown on the cover of Villainous Valentine.
- Her crimes include treason, murder, and conspiracy.
- Her character model, particularly her horns, resembles that of Lilith, the main antagonist of the video game Diablo IV.
- On August 22, 2024, Pixelberry asked again for players's "hear me outs", meaning attractions to monsters and villain antagonists, while giving Gaius Augustine from Bloodbound, the Ash Empress, Jack from The Cursed Heart, Sofia Russo from The Nanny Affair (misspelled as Sophia), Lewyn Junius from Immortal Desires, and Poppy Min-Sinclair from Queen B as examples for Choices villains.[1]