Verzsou Triad

Overview
The Verzsou Triad is made up of Aster Aira, Casimir, and Neve Winter. The Triad is caught in a reincarnation loop due to Casimir's wish in the River Ophelia. The three are eventually rescued from the loop by other spirits.

The Verzsou Triad create both the Verzsou Red and Verzsou White line of spirits.

Pre-Loop
the Ophelia and Firebird, seeking to better understand each other, agree to create a child each. The children, they decide, will be sent into a section of the otherworld co-created by the Ophelia and Laetha. (This world later becomes North-South.) Their children will be born as siblings and only peripherally aware of their divine origin, and by observing the two the gods intend to better understand their own conflicts.

Aster Aira is born first; Neve Winter is born a year later, both of them as royalty. The two originally seem to get along and enjoy each other's company, surprising the gods. However, tensions between the two grow as they mature and Aster begins to understand the implication of Neve being given the crown instead of him. Tensions also rise as Aster subtly fights for the attentions of the spirit Casimir, a human assigned to watch over and protect Neve.

Aster effectively wins Casimir's affection and trust, with Neve largely unaware of the resentment growing in her brother. On the eve of Neve's coronation, Aster persuades Casimir to spend the night with him. Instead of seducing him into bed, as usual, he tricks Casimir into a powerful trap of magic, using Casimir's body to summon the sword Casimir is named for. The sword is manifested partially inside Casimir, nearly killing him. Aster leaves his lover half-dead and proceeds to go Neve's room, unhindered in his murder of his younger sister.

Casimir, guilt-stricken, drags himself to the river nearby and drowns himself. Aster is later executed for his murder of Neve.

Aftermath
the Ophelia immediately tends to Neve after she is killed and transported back to the West. She is distracted, however, when Casimir does not turn into dust as intended and instead appears in the West through her River. Unknowing of the truth behind Aster and Neve, he wishes that he could try to save the two siblings. the Ophelia is compelled, since Casimir perished in a river, to grant his wish, though she immediately realizes she's doomed the three spirits to a reincarnation loop.

Aster is transported back to the West after being executed. He assumes that a grand afterlife awaits him, as he views his murder of Neve as reclaiming his proper role in the world and doing honor to the gods. the Ophelia and Firebird both greet him, explaining briefly that he has failed instead of succeeded, and the Ophelia strikes him down in retribution. However, due to Casimir's wish, she has to restore Aster's soul, along with Neve and Casimir's, to the time stream.

In-Loop
The Verzsou Triad experience hundreds of different versions of their lives. Sometimes the loop incorporates only two of them; in some extreme cases, the loop takes only one of them and runs a life based on the individual. Some lives are full, lasting decades or centuries, while others are brief, existing only in strange half-worlds with the Triad only half-manifested.

Most often the loop establishes their original life again, changing the situation or roles the Triad is in. In some Neve is the murderous sibling. Other times the Triad suffers natural disasters, war, or outside violence. Through each repeat of their lives, the Triad develops in different ways, though they inevitably all go through horrific mental breaks from the endless repetition.

In-between lives the Triad is fully aware of what is happening. Awareness in the looped lives only occurs near the end of the loop, briefly before the Triad is pulled out. Awareness of their existence in-loop cause the loop to break faster, usually with one member of the Triad not being able to handle the weight of their remembered lives.

Creation of Bysiri
Due to the high percentage of loops in which Aster Aira brutally murders Neve and/or Casimir, the Ophelia and Clarene take steps to bind the violent energies within the fire spirit. This leads them to create the garment Bysiri, a gown of gold, red, and white. When Aster dons the garment, his powers as a fire spirit and his latency toward homicide are diminished.

Creation of Orreine
Encouraged by the success of Bysiri, the Clarene and Ophelia decide to create a gown for Neve as well. Intended to empower the snow spirit and also help in recovery from the many traumas she's experienced, they sew together a white and blue dress called Orreine and let Neve don it before returning to the loop. Unfortunately, Orreine causes an extreme reaction in Neve, driving her more easily to madness and homicide than before. Her powers become destructive with the aid of Orreine. The gods swiftly remove the garment, realizing that the combination of both Bysiri and Orreine being worn would lead to Neve taking the murderous place of her brother.

Rescue
Eventually, sick of seeing the Triad being effectively tortured by the reincarnation loop, the Ophelia reaches out to a variety of spirits. Finding the appropriate spirits to pull the Triad out of the loop requires time and innovation. Aletheia 059 and Alice 60 are created to pull Aster Aira and Neve Winter out respectively, and Asier-Laetha rescues Casimir. The Triad spend a fair amount of time simply recovering from being stuck in the loop and reorienting themselves to a more natural flow of time.

Post-Loop
The Triad adjust slowly to life in the West. Eventually, Casimir decides to go on as a guardian spirit to Neve, vowing to protect her properly and fully in their new life, leaving Aster in the lurch. The fire spirit is completely lost, having been refused by his father and even on tense relations with the other Western spirits. the Ophelia takes Aster in and adopts him, deciding to give the boy direction in life. Casimir and Aster eventually patch up and reunite as lovers, and the Triad falls into a healthy relationship.

Honoring the Verzsou Triad
The following are suggestions of offerings to the Verzsou Triad or actions that can be done in their honor.
 * Flowers, particularly amaryllis, carnation, and chrysanthemum together
 * Candles in red, black, and white
 * Strings of red, black, and white, preferably tied together
 * Volunteer at a domestic abuse shelter
 * Learn sewing