Song of Heroes OOC (Fantasy RP, CLOSED)

[Nuridia]

I FINALLY got a post up, y’all. Sorry for the delay.

[Solisian Union]

Just got my xmas break. Catching up. Hope to still write for Arialista and my new character coming to the guild

[Radea]

Hey fellow paid killers and mages, I'll be out of town for about a week starting tomorrow. I'm gonna get one more solid post in before I go. So, if I don't post for awhile I am still here. I'll be delighted to read what you guys have in store.

[Union Princes]

So when do the caravan mission continue?

[Bentus]

So when do the caravan mission continue?

Probably pretty soon or after all the interactions wind down. If you're stuck on what to have Stauch do, you could have him notice Yvonne healing Hadrian. He could offer to help out.

[Sil Arion]

Well. Been a little while. Is there room for one more lost soul? If so, I may have an app incoming later today...

On that note, any sort of characters or foils that need playing? Or specific adventures that need another party member?

[Solisian Union]

time for the second part. Let's get that sand mage into the action!

[Zarkenis Ultima]

There we go. Put up some pretty short posts, but they'll do.

[Absolon-7]

Well. Been a little while. Is there room for one more lost soul? If so, I may have an app incoming later today...

On that note, any sort of characters or foils that need playing? Or specific adventures that need another party member?

Apologies for not responding right away anyways, there's always room for more. I'd say more melee or magic oriented characters would be nice. As of now the only one that lends itself to having more characters introduced is the Caravan quest which I can clue you in on.

Anyways for those of you who want your character to explore a bit before coming back to the caravan this is what they can find out from any of the locations described in the post introducing the city.
-goblin attacks have spiked in the past 4 months
-a lot of magical objects have been bought out/cleared out of stock recently from shops and stores by a single person as well as being stolen by unknown forces
-several trade and merchant companies have been run out of town recently besides Red Hill

[Bentus]

Any idea when we will get a response from the mercs?

[Absolon-7]

Any idea when we will get a response from the mercs?

I'm aiming for tomorrow, bentus.

[Sil Arion]

-snip-

Quite alright! I should have an app up tomorrow. I may try something a touch different from my usual and app a pair of chars for the roles you suggested. Plus a lore app built on what's already here. And hopping into that caravan quest - I'll skim the IC tomorrow as well. Anything I specific I should be aware of related that?

[Union Princes]

-snip-

Quite alright! I should have an app up tomorrow. I may try something a touch different from my usual and app a pair of chars for the roles you suggested. Plus a lore app built on what's already here. And hopping into that caravan quest - I'll skim the IC tomorrow as well. Anything I specific I should be aware of related that?

There's a couple of paladins and a Witch Hunter in the caravan mission. I suggest reading up o their apps and lore of the Free City of Faith

[Sil Arion]

There's a couple of paladins and a Witch Hunter in the caravan mission. I suggest reading up o their apps and lore of the Free City of Faith

Thank you, I'll do so. Til tomorrow then, cheers!

[Union Princes]

Wait, what's going on with the caravan mission? I dont understand what's happening with the wagons

[Absolon-7]

Wait, what's going on with the caravan mission? I dont understand what's happening with the wagons

The wagons are stationed outside one of the Red Hill Company's buildings and some hired thugs are wanting to steal whats in the wagons.

[Solisian Union]

Heh. Arialista is getting itchy with her spear against those thugs

[Sil Arion]

Apologies, apps will come tomorrow. Got a touch too busy. Til then, cheers as always -

[Radea]

Heh. Arialista is getting itchy with her spear against those thugs

The murderous vixen that she is.

[Absolon-7]

Apologies, apps will come tomorrow. Got a touch too busy. Til then, cheers as always -

Good to hear!

In other news, apologies for the delay but I posted updates for the Caravan and Heirloom group. It was supposed to be up yesterday but Chrome acted up an i lost it as i hit submit. I'll edit in progress for the goblin group tomorrow.

[The Twelve Isles]

Name: Siona Willun
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Appearance (pics if possible):

Statistics: (All stats are at 1 by default, you have 8 points to distribute and you can only put 5 points maximum at the start to any stat)
Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Endurance: 2
Magical Prowess: 5
Bio: Siona Willun was born on the day her mother died, in a small, cold town on the northern coast of the Heartlands. Her father always felt that it was Siona's fault his wife died. But still, despite the resentment he felt for his only child taking away his wife, he was still an honorable man and vowed to raise her. He was a sellsword, but couldn't travel with mercenary bands with an infant daughter, and so he instead signed on as a guard for a travelling entertainers troupe, and Siona found herself being raised by actors and jugglers more so than her father. In particular, an elf family named Maadran who owned a nice covered wagon became much more like her real family, after Siona's father left her with them while he worked. She grew up with their children, was fed by their mother, and was taught how to trade by their father. She loved the Maadran's, and the Maadran's loved her.

She was a smart child, and was well loved by her family of drifters and rogues, who all made sure she was fed and happy. She played with the other children, quickly establishing herself as their unofficial leader, and began to lead them on various missions to get sweets whenever they were in a town. They would steal from food carts, sneak into farms and steal chickens, and steal what few coins local children had by hustling them in various childhood games. In the towns their families visited for trade, the children of the caravan, and Siona in particular, were hated. There were many occasions when local guards and angry shopkeepers would tan the hides of the kids, but as far as Siona was concerned, there was safety in numbers for them. A shopkeeper could only catch one of them at a time, and with fifteen or so kids it greatly increased ones chance to escape with their plunder of sweet rolls and apples.

One day, when Siona was 10, her father took her aside and informed her that it was time he taught her to use a sword. She hated it, and her father was far from forgiving for her missteps while he taught her to fight with sticks. If she made a mistake, that was too bad, and he would bring his blows home with the same force as if she was a soldier in training. It made her want to win even more, and as she grew and got better, every time (though they were few and far between) she managed to hit her father back was a small victory. He not once congratulated her.

However, as she trained with the sword with her father, she learned something else about herself. She found that she could set things algiht with her mind, or cause the leaves on tree's to freeze and wither. It scared her, and she was worried she would be seen as a freak, until she went to Ms Maadran, who told her that what she was doing was magic. Ms Maadran was a mage, though not a very proficient one, and when she wasn't out running with the other children or training with her father, Ms Maadran was helping to teach her to control her magic. It was slow going at first, but eventually she managed to learn to keep her magic in check, and began to buy (or often times steal) books on magic from local towns. She would practice on her own when the caravan was stopped, learning to control the wind, create fire at her fingertips, and chill the air around her. It made her feel powerful, and like she had a purpose. And one day, she even managed to summon a spirit animal, a black Raven.

When Siona was 17, she continued to travel, trade and swindle, but had grown sick of the passive aggressive and increasingly toxic relationship with her father. The training he insisted on continually left her covered in welts, and his lack of attention given to her as she grew up had left a mark on her opinion on the man who still insisted he had been the one to raise her, when in reality it had been the kindly Maadran family with the wagon who had. One day, as they trained, her frustration finally snapped. After her father had knocked her down one to many times in a single day, Siona stood, parried his next blow, and blasted him across the camp with a rush of wind. She flipped a small wagon, and toppled the stage back for the production the troupe was putting on. It was a moment of truth for her, one where she truly learned what it was that she was capable of. She did not speak to her father after that, but made her decision. It was time to leave.

Siona's goodbye was a painful one for most, as the caravan had come to love her for her mischievous nature. She always brought a little extra experience to their lives, and one never knew what kind of trouble she would bring on them next. But it was almost always fun. She hugged the Maadran family, who had become her true family, especially Ms Madraan who cried and insisted on sending Siona with plenty of home cooked food. She took one of her fathers swords with her. He protested, but did nothing to try and stop her. She knocked around with the guards, before giving them all hearty hugs. Margrub, the only orc she knew who would openly cry, cried. With a wave over her shoulder, Siona set out on her own for the first time. Come sunset, a horse approached her from the direction she had come, her father sitting atop it. Siona met him in the middle of the road, and though they never exchanged a word, he extended his hand and she shook it. That was the last time she saw him.

Siona walked the roads, making her way north again the to the town where was born in. It was cold, colder than she expected, but a place where she was quickly welcomed when she told the people who her mother had been. Apparently, though she had never known it, her mother was the daughter of a rich merchant family in town, and had run off with her father in what had been a big scandal. They were called the Allescredts, and welcomed Siona into their home with open arms, showering her in gifts and attention. She liked it at first, especially the admiration they gave her for her magical ability, but soon she grew tired of it. It all felt superfluous and cheap, and was an apparent use of her presence to prove to the townspeople how good and kindhearted they were. But, there was one good thing that came form the Allescredts, and that was Josah Whels. He was an old and accomplished mage, a master of summoning, the magic school that Siona hoped to learn. Josah was kindly and understanding, and the two shared a mutual dislike of the Allescredts, only remaining in their household for the advantages it brought them. He encouraged Siona to leave, as she was still young and spry, and able to walk the roads.

Josah taught Siona for a year, helping her learn the ways of summoning. Siona learned to bring forth weapons from air, summon creatures from other realms, and signed a contract with Ravens, her spirit animal that allowed her to summon them to her at any time. She was informed by Josah that, had she been attending a magical college, she would likely be at the rank of adept at this point, and that if she wanted too, she could become a great mage. And then one day, a year and a half after Siona had arrived in the north, Josah died. He was an important part of the Allescredts household, giving them an air of mystery and advising them on many things, so his loss was a big hit for the house. They buried him like a king, and Siona said goodbye. She gathered up a fine cloak gifted to her, her sword and a pack full of books and scrolls, and set out into the cold northern winter, when the sun never rose and the Aurora shined in the sky. She promised to write the Allescredts, but never did. She didn't like them enough.

Siona traveled far and wide in the coming years, using her skills as a mage to earn her money. She grew colder, but never crueler, and took every opportunity that presented itself to learn. Much of her time was spent as a guard for caravans, just as her father had done, but she did much much more. She visited the campuses of the magical colleges, and read through their libraries. Many of the books she acquired she stole from those places, and she delighted in showing off to the mages there. But she never enrolled, preferring the wanderers lifestyle. After all, it was how she was raised. However, with no caravan of her own, life was lonely. She forgot how to interact with people outside of business deals, and grew detached from humanity. She was alone, and though she had seen the snow covered north and the vineyards of the south, it did not change the fact that she had no one to talk to.

Now, growing tired of her lonely existence, Siona approaches the Legion, and hopes to find brothers and sisters arms amongst them, and grand libraries to learn from.
Heroic Boon: Reach Beyond The Pale - Allows the holder of this boon a greater knowledge and comfort when striding beyond this mortal realm. This gives the user a better affinity with spirits, demons and other creatures that are not of this world. With this, the user is more effective in combat against spirits, and is better able to understand them and gain their trust.
Abilities:

• [Mist Wraith]: Allows Siona to summon a Mist Wraith who she signed a contract with to fight by her side.
• [Flock of Crows]: Allows Siona to summon a large flock of crows, which she will often times use as a diversionary tactic or to harass her enemies.
• [Soul Of The Damned Lord]: The soul of a long dead warlord, who Siona has signed a contract with after meeting him in the Pale. Allows her to summon him to her side to fight for her.
• [Cold of the North]: A spell in which Siona can summon a blizzard from the north.
• [Winters Touch]: Allows Siona to cool the air around her, making her immediate surroundings intensely cold. However, this spell requires her to sacrifice the life of all that surrounds her, which she usually does with plants and tree's. If she is not near any of those, this spell will not work, unless she uses the life force of her friends and enemies, which is much harder to pin down than the life force of something stationary.
• [Salt the Land]: Siona can dry something living by replacing it with salt. This could be done to anything that has water in it. However, she only has a limited amount of salt on her at all times, so this spell is only so effective for so long.
• [Bring The Wind From Afar]: A blast of wind. It wont topple a tower, but it can topple a person who isn't ready for it, or slow them down if they are.
• [Flame Wreathed Hands]: Allows Siona to cast a jet of flame from her fingertips. The only pyromancy spell she knows.

Limitations:

• Siona is a talented summoner, but the creatures and spirits she summons only have so much power. Each one is probably only roughly equivalent to about two or three humans, and they are not invincible. Furthermore, she has only signed so many contracts with so many spirits and creatures, and that amount is b no means the size of an army.
• Most of Siona's non summoning spells require her to replace on thing with another for it to be effective. This means that they are often times far from infallible, or can only be used for so long.
• Though Siona carries a sword, and does no how to use it, she is far from good. She could defend herself from a bandit with it, but anyone with real training would quickly get the better of her.

Equipment:

• [Short Sword]
• [Dagger]
• [A few lockpicks]
• [Roughspun pants]
• [White cotton shirt]
• [Black silk cloak, with gold trimmings.] (A little frayed around the edges, and showing its age and wear, but still elegant in its own right.
• [Bronze earring]
• [x37 Coins]
• [Fine leather boots] (Now much less fine, due to all the walking Siona does.
• [Master Ial Alachi's Book Of Spells]
• [Places Beyond, The Study Of The Wandering Spheres And The Heavenly Bodies]
• [The Book Of Shadows]
• [Jashe Miskatonic's Book Of Otherworldly Beings]
• [The Grimoire Of Lactiel Lamens]
• [Writ Of Sealing - Mist Wraith] (The scroll in which Siona has sealed the Mist Wraith, so that she can summon it.
• [Contract - Crows] The written contract between her and Crows, allowing her to summon them and stating the parameters of their contract.
• [Writ Of Sealing - The Damned Lord] The writ binding the Damned Lord to the realm of the dead, and binding his soul to Siona's. In effect, its states that when he is summoned, he must protect Siona, for if she dies he will die. However, if she has not summoned him, her death will only hand his imprisonment back over to his Guardian, Lascats The Watchful.
• [Contract - The Damned Lords Guardian, Lascats The Watchful] The contract written between Siona and the spirit guardian of the Damned Lord, a creature named Lascats. In effect, it makes Siona the guardian of the Damned Lord until her death.
• [Bag of Salt] For a spell, or for summoning circles if she is trying to summon something particularly large.
• [Rabbits Foot.]

Optional
Likes: Cool air, honor, respect, kindness, nature, sunsets, rain.
Dislikes: Needless cruelty, ignorance, racism, superstition, cities.
Greatest Fear: That she will be seen as insignificant, and will die alone with no friends and family in the world.
Theme Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKjtqJ- ... W&index=20

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Hey there, welcome to the roleplay.

While you wait for the OP to respond, I'd recommend outlining the special abilities of the Mist Wraith and the Damned Lord, if they have any.

[The Twelve Isles]

Hey there, welcome to the roleplay.

While you wait for the OP to respond, I'd recommend outlining the special abilities of the Mist Wraith and the Damned Lord, if they have any.

Sounds good, Ill get on that.

Thanks.

[Sil Arion]

Here. We. Are. Finally. Was abroad and away from my computer for a few days. Just returned and finished touching up what I'd written before that. Got a race app and two char apps. Trying something different from my usual; asking many what ifs blended with a touch of originality and the controversial. Lots of blessed with suck and cursed with awesome gone wrong taken to the logical conclusions of how would people exploit such for their own gain? Inspired by Tolkien's legendarium, Star Wars Legends and Warhammer Fantasy lore, the works of Brandon Sanderson, as well as many myths: Odin, Thor, Tyr, King Arthur, Heracles, Cu Chulainn, Achilles and Karna, and the story of Joan of Arc. And word play. Because the English language is weird.

I, ugh, tried kept them shorter than normal. Don't worry. Much. But it's all spoilered and split up for convenience, and certainly not due to overrunning post character limits. If needed, I can do a faction app too for the antagonist force present in the char apps, and in the racial lore under the OP. I've skimmed the IC regarding the caravan quest and the relevant apps listed under the OP. I haven't skimmed through the OOC yet, unless it's unnecessary?

Note: I didn't explain absolutely everything in exhaustive detail in the apps. Somethings are only implied, alluded to or hinted at. Because that makes it more fun to read and write, right?

Group Name: Half-Elves.

Habitats: Known World.

Group Appearance: As hybrids born of unions between humans and elves, half-elves may share traits of both parents or only one. Which traits dominate appears to depend on the gender of the child related to the gender and race of each parent. Appearances vary from perfect mimics of one parent to uncanny balances of both.

Lore: Historians usually place the first half-elf birth over a thousand years before present when the Tyr Hasdrubal sailed from the Western Heartlands and encountered humans living on the coast of the Northern Reaches. The ancient epic based on the eponymous older legend, the Song of Heroes, recounts a peaceful meeting where humans welcomed the elves with legendary hospitality and festivities that laid the foundation for millennia to follow. Here, Tyr Hasdrubal, Tyrant of Thapsus, arranged the marriage of his eldest child and only daughter, Elyssa, to Aeneas, Kaiser of Norska.

Within a year, Elyssa bore twins – the elder daughter, Lassyvias, and younger son, Karnal. Lassyvias looked like Elyssa, and Karnal, Aeneas. But both possessed the wisp-bond of their mother – or so most assumed. Like many twins, their parents raised them together. Thus, they grew close. Strangle so, history records, as they aged. The twins seemed to sense one another, as proven by experiments from early childhood; when put in two enchanted chambers that deprived all sensation, they somehow moved to closest proximity possible, separated only by six inches of stone. Too, they seemed to share sensations themselves; a cut on one caused pain to the other. Further studies led to belief they shared emotions too. In years to come, they could estimate direction and distance to their twin. They learned to share senses and dreams. Soon, their thoughts and feelings. Eventually, even magical energy. Aptitudes. Abilities. Spells. Effects in themselves. Miracles, some said.

But when the time came for the twins to bond with wisps at the cusp of adolescence, they failed. Further attempts as they matured also failed. Researchers employed by Aeneas, Elyssa and Tyr Hasdrubal himself shortly concluded a terrible truth: the twins had spiritually bonded to each other before birth. And, apparently, irreversibly. Never would they bond a wisp. Never learn the ancient elven rites. A scandal ensued over such an unprecedented event. Tyr Hasdrubal demanded otherwise. Archmages with charged artifacts tried to sever it. Each attempt revealed only one thing: breaking the bond would kill the twins. Indeed, it only caused them tremendous pain. The Song of Heroes records that the Glass Grail floating before the Iron Throne of the North shattered from their screams that last attempt.

After that the twins became even closer. Too close, some said. A rumor rose among the servants, which spread by whispers to the
courtiers. Rumors spiraled into accusations. And the cards fell from there.

Historians debate still the motives of Tyr Hasdrubal, Aeneas and Elyssa in what follows; whether political, familial or both, neither or something else entirely. Many more mourn Lassyvias and Karnal and debate whether they could be held responsible due to what had happened – for what they were. Indeed, some use their story as evidence to support both sides of debates on morality: nature versus nurture, and even free will itself. Others question why even bother applying traditional Requiem taboos to half-elves as they cannot bear children.

Regardless, history then records the twins were separated at thirteen, banished away to what came to be called the Two Towers. One in the deep Western Heartlands where Elyssa hid Lassyvias. The other in the furthest Northern Reaches where Aeneas kept Karnal hidden away. But it is from their names the words ‘lascivious’ and ‘carnal’ appeared as transliteration in modern Common, though meanings shifted slightly over time.

Sixty-six years and six months later, the Two Towers exploded. Mysteriously, simultaneously and without warning consumed by columns and clouds of magical energy that rose from the earth seen from a hundred miles away, leaving behind the new Two Towers, also confusingly called the Twins and respectively named Lassyvias and Karnal; massive, if dormant volcanoes surrounded by an aura which absorbs all ambient magical energy, and steadily drains the charge of mages and artifacts until they die and turn to dust. Many records disagree here, with no single consensus, but most historians posit this as the same day Hammon returned and bonded to Hamilcar, the day Tyr Hasdrubal died.

Since then, many more half-elves have been born and died. Unable to bear children, many half-elves refuse to settle, traveling the world as adventurers, others as warriors. Some become powerful, some wealthy, fewer both. Yet most be said to pursue personal glory of a sorts; a legacy not by bloodline, but sometimes by blood. Indeed, history records many a famed – or infamous – royal or conqueror on Remnant as being a half-elf.

Aeneas and Elyssa bore twenty more children, none twins. The Song of Heroes records each possessed an untethered bond. Three successfully bonded powerful wisps when of age. Seven bonded other subjects – their spouses – and nine bonded objects. One apparently bonded a young dragon. Soon, they were hailed as the Twenty Titans – for they were the most powerful and wealthy men and women of their time beneath their parents and grandfather – helped lead the Alliance of Men and Elves in wars and invasions across the world to reunite the old elven colonies and human tribes. But the bloodline of Aeneas and Elyssa ended with them, for all were unable to bear children themselves. Their daughters infertile. Their sons sterile. But they all became legendary mages and great leaders, if not all good – their discord eventually destroyed the Northern Reaches as a united polity during Heresy of Hera and ensuing civil war which ended in the deaths of the Titans, their parents and hundreds of thousands of people.

Indeed, more recent rumors whisper that Malekith, first Dark Elf and immortal King of Solfatara, is a half-elf himself who rebelled against Tyr Gisco due to the fate of his half-elf sister, Helena, given by their father to Tyr Gisco as a bond-slave in return for debts forgiven and new titles of nobility, power and wealth – and a geass of everlasting loyalty. Some rumors say Malekith and Helena had loved one another and wanted to bond like Lassyvias and Karnal before them. History may support this, as the Tyrant of Thapsus killed Helena and sent her desecrated corpse to Malekith on the thirteenth day of his rebellion, after which Malekith disappeared. Further evidence may lay in Malekith reappearing sixty-six days later at the sixth hour of the day, destroying his father’s fortress with a single, great spell of fiery destruction channeled by his wisp. And sixty years and six months later, Malekith slew Tyr Gisco in a duel.

Additionally, many of the most tragic legends and romance involve half-elves whose bonded partner died or an artifact destroyed, then dying themselves immediately, languishing in agony for years on end, or committing suicide. The memorable play of the half-elven twins, Romeus and Yulienne, is one such tale of star-crossed lovers and the misfortune some half-elves face, ending in their unfortune deaths and the destruction of their home city.

History records many half-elven children of royalty and nobles used as bargaining chips in negotiations. Too, half-elven children bred from slaves for such purposes, and others simply sold to whomever may pay the most. Perhaps among the most feared fates in the world is a half-elf forcibly bonded by to a discipline collar; an artifact that permanently enslaves them to its attuned master who can cause them pain or pleasure with a word. A sufficiently trained master may do so by only intent. Such sensations may reach an intensity which can induce a coma on the collared person, and even death. Removal of the collar also results in death due to breaking the bond.

In the case of half-elves already bonded, history and tales record the capture of a bonded subject or object as a nearly perfect measure to acquiring control over a half-elf; the threat of a broken bond – thus their death – proves a powerful tool of persuasion. Some bloodlines use this measure to permanently subordinate branch families with each generation held hostage as such. Others use this method to create and control assassins – a half-elf with free will typically displays superior initiative and critical thinking skills than a discipline-collared bond-slave – such as the infamous Warrior in White who slew the Kandrian King four centuries before.

Notably, by proportion of individuals to estimated total population of each race, more half-elves are enslaved then any other race. Per individuals to slave role by race, more half-elves are pleasure-slaves than any other race.

Thus, many freeborn half-elves try to bond as early in life as possible, alone or assisted by family or friends. The great saga of the Norskan King, Ar-Thor, tells he ascended the Iron Throne of the North as only a boy after drawing the great sword Eks-Kalibur from the Spell-Stone and bonding it within the waters of the Lake Norska. This tale also serves as a lesson to half-elf children – Ar-Thor thus avoided the fate of his half-sister, Mor-Ana, who failed to bond early. She was later captured by a rival lord to Ar-Thor, then bond-enslaved and used to cause the fall of his kingdom and his death.

Innate Abilities: Half-elves born of an elven mother develop her aptitudes and abilities. However, such half-elves are born without a wisp-bond. Instead, these half-elves possess an untethered bond. Thus, they may bond any magically-charged subject or object that also has a spirit. The bond initially enables sensing the location of the bonded subject or object relative to the bonder. Advanced development enables sharing of senses, sensations, emotions and thoughts. Mastery develops over time and can enable shared abilities and aptitudes, including transmission of magical energy and spell effects. However, all half-elves born by multiple births possess an automatically tethered bond to the members of their litter. In this case, the race of the mother appears to not matter as this bond still enables development of the same abilities as half-elves born of elven mothers.

Innate Weaknesses: Half-elves born of elven mothers develop the untethered bond; half-elves born of human mothers develop no bond unless born of a multiple birth. Public record accords every bond as permanent and irreversible, and each half-elf may have only one unless part of a multiple birth. While bonded individuals may constrict and restrict transmission, doing so beyond brief bursts often becomes physically painful and may result in spontaneous bouts of physical and mental illness. Some suspect the pain is symptomatic of sensory deprivation and something deeper related to the soul or spirit itself.

Further, if the subject or object to which the half-elf bound themselves to dies or is destroyed, thus breaking the bond, the half-elf dies too. Breaking the bond itself may or may not kill them immediately. History records many half-elves lingering for decades in agony before death by broken bond – or committing suicide. But always pain. Sometimes paralytic. Even catatonic. If the half-elf dies, the same may happen to their bonded subject. Additionally, both subjects and objects may disintegrate to dust and ashes immediately, or slowly over hours, days and even years. In several instances, subjects and objects storing significant magical energy deflagrate following a broken bond, while a notable few explode violently and cause extensive damage to their surroundings.

Finally, all half-elves are born sterile if male and infertile if female. While able to experience all aspects of sexual intercourse itself, no half-elf can bear children. Per public records and present research, no artifacts, blessings, curses, potions, spells, surgeries or other methods have succeeded in changing this.

Miscellaneous: Historical records divide the inherited traits of half-elves into four classes: aptitudes, abilities, features and stature. Aptitudes encompass learned abilities; i.e. an affinity for fire magic. Abilities encompass racial abilities; i.e. the elven wisp-bond. Features encompass superficial characteristics; i.e. ear shape, iris color, skin tone, etc. Stature encompasses bone structure and musculature.

With an elven mother, all children develop aptitudes and abilities in correlation to her; daughters also develop more elven features and stature. With human mother, all children develop no elven aptitudes or abilities; daughters also develop more human features and stature. With an elven father, sons develop more elven features and stature. With a human father, sons develop more human features and stature. Multiple births also follow this pattern, but they bond to each other automatically, permanently and irreversibly. Of multiple births, only twins are known in history and myth.

Additionally, public records report the ratio of male to female birth is one-to-four for half-elves. Researchers and historians remain unsure as to the cause of this imbalance. Some believe it correlates with the fact most half-elves that survive to adulthood were born of elven mothers, and most were also daughters. Others posit it correlates with records indicating most half-elves conceived by human mothers being stillborn, particularly males. A few say something else: that the patriarchal cultures which rule much of the world desire female half-elves as wives or slaves due to their perceived beauty, ability and the bond assuring fidelity when coupled with a discipline collar or other enchantments. Modern slavers trade many elven females too, whose owners force to birth more half-elves for trade. Slavers and owners typically train, indoctrinate and bond males as slave-soldiers and pleasure-slaves.

[Sil Arion]

Name: Registered as ‘Wraith’ under the ‘Wrath and Wraith’ dossier entry in official Paean Legion personnel records. Real name is Leiya Sifreiya. Past associates referred to her as her alias, Valkyrie. Her heritage also associates her with the epithet and title of Skaha, as well as the Queen of Runes in recent history. And less favorably, the Queen of Ruins.

Age: 30.

Gender: Female.

Race: Half-Elf.

Appearance: Stands about five feet tall if on her tiptoes. Could be described as very petite, slim and fit. Snow-white skin flecked a few silvery scars here and there. Straight, silky, true-black hair that appears almost blue in light done up in a variety of braids, buns and coiffures. Sharp and slender facial features, with a high, thin brow, pronounced cheekbones, pointed ears, slight chin and jaw under a pert nose. Upturned, almond-shaped eyes with almost crystalline pattern to the very pale blue iris. Often mistaken to be many years younger than she is. Always wears a single earring in the right ear that is a simple sphere of silvery metal.

Normally seen wearing matching thigh-high boots and elbow-high gloves secured with thin belts near the tops and laces near the ends over formfitting full hose and matching long-sleeved shirt with long split tails like a skirt, above which is a wide sash with belt at the waist, a scarf at the neck and a ribbon in the hair. The hose, shirt, sash, scarf, ribbon and laces are of silk-like cloth which appears to absorb light in changing shades of grey. The boots, gloves and belts are of a soft-skinned, thin matte black suede leather that seems scaled. All appears somewhat worn, but clean and well-mended.

Statistics:
Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Endurance: 2
Magical Prowess: 5

Bio: Secretly adopted into the Sifreiya royal family that ruled the small, if prosperous realm of Ys from the port city of the same name, Leiya spent much of her childhood training as heir of the unmarried and childless Skaha Aife Sifreiya of Ys, the so-called Fairest Elf-Queen of Tranquility who ruled the Most Serene City of Peace and Last Homely House of Philosophers famed for its Silver University and equally silver tongues.

Cradled in a fertile river valley on the mountainous north coast of the Western Heartlands near the Tyranny of Thapsus, Leiya first studied grammar, rhetoric and logic as a young girl, then arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music, as well as foundations in several languages beyond the common tongue. Other matters soon followed as Leiya entered adolescence – diplomacy, politics, economics, philosophy and history, as well as civil administration. Too, magic; first abjuration, conjuration and divination, then enchantment, evocation, illusions and transmutation. Riding and unarmed self-defense lessons accompanied these.

Every month, Skaha and her tutors examined her rigorously; every year she exceeded their expectations. But every full moon she also dreamt the same dream; a fit boy of like age beckoning to her. And as months passed, increasingly tall, broad-shouldered and well-muscled, his body bearing more tattoos and weapons, his face becoming a handsome blend of square mannish and sharper elven features with an aquiline nose and sun-kissed skin beneath waves of fiery hair and keen eyes red as blood.

She soon felt a strange sensation during each dream, drawn to his image as if to a lodestone. And with each dream, that longing rose and fell like a tide that washed over and away all else in her heart and mind. Perhaps it was this which led Leiya to never feel romantically attraction to any of her suitors and refuse every offer of betrothal. Perhaps too it was this which enabled her unchanging focus on learning to rule and mastering magic.

After demonstrating her proficiency with personal illusions, Leiya started appearing in public as heir apparent of Skaha, participating incrementally more in administrative activities, leading charities on the ground and initiating new welfare programs at court to help the poor, the orphaned, elderly, discriminated, maimed and more while cultivating a reputation as a very compassionate if naïve young woman. She also initiated new labor laws to steadily eliminate discrimination and wrote the legal punishments for those guilty of offenses thereafter.

Unsurprisingly, Leiya became immensely popular with the common people – if less so the nobility from whom her programs fell hardest for previously paying far less to non-elven and female employees. And when she finally reached maturity, Skaha formally recognized her as heir of Ys and assumed office as her representative in the Solfataran Royal Court, to which Ys was a vassal state. In that pit of vipers, she maneuvered her way to power as prominent leader in minority reformist bloc by using her public reputation to obscure deeper motivations and subtle manipulations of court proposals – and courtiers themselves – to secure broader social and political freedoms for vassal states of Solfatara, as well as slaves.

Perhaps most importantly, Leiya learned of duty by emulating her adoptive mother, and acting in memory of her human birth-mother, Skaha’s dearest friend before her death – Pritha Andana, once elected an Archmagi and later Ambassador of Thayar for her proficiency in governance and spellcasting who died birthing Leiya. Yet such was secret; the Pritha Andana of history died birthing a stillborn child. Too, the Pritha Andana of history died unmarried. Indeed, she had no known lover; nor did Skaha ever learn who he was, for Pritha never revealed him.

However, Skaha suspected Leiya’s father was the famed admiral and Hero Without Fear, Aenarion Windrunner, battle-brother and once apprentice of the Runemaster Lord Ar-Thorodin Tyrion. In parts due to Pritha’s friendship with him, his vows as a Runemaster of the Seidr Order to never form attachments outside their Order and one other thing – a pair of runestone earrings worn by Pritha which she left to Skaha to bequeath Leiya. One side of each earring bore the personal runic seal associated with Aenarion; the other a runic seal she believed translated to eternal love, service and protection.

Of course, Aenarion was dead; Malekith and the Dark Elves of Solfatara destroyed the Seidr Order twenty-two years ago for fighting for Thapsus during the Elf-War decades before. Too, history wrote Aenarion himself died defending Caer Rhonwal in a duel against Malekith about which scores of bards still sing. Indeed, some whisper the enchanted armor and masked helm Malekith now wears are all that prevents him from dying of the wounds which Aenarion left and cursed to never heal after his death.

Worse, her home of Ys was a vassal state to Solfatara, to Malekith, conceded to him per Tyr Hannibal’s peace treaty. But a treaty that failed to return Ys’ freedom from Solfatara – having surrendered early on in Malekith’s invasion. Part of the treaty was that Ys may never raise neither an army nor navy of its own, and no citizen of Ys may bear arms. Similar terms bound other vassal states. Yet dissidents still rose up, even rebellions at times, but never in Ys; never in the City of Peace, the House of Philosophers where violence where the only violence happened by verbal sparring in the debate halls with sharp words and sharper wits.

Now was one such time. And where before she merely disliked Malekith and the Dark Elves for their cruelty and apathy, now she burned with hate. It was then Skaha revealed to Leiya another secret; Ys secretly supported a growing alliance of groups which aimed to rebel against Solfatara. Further, that Skaha herself was one of the three people who led it. And that Ar-Thorodin, once her suspected father’s comrade, still lived, hidden away in the Tejis Desert; he was, perhaps, the last surviving Runemaster in the world. She asked Leiya to join her, and to write Ar-Thorodin about her father, about learning, and their current efforts; Leiya accepted all with fervor.

Thereafter, Leiya also took the alias of Valkyrie and assumed a leadership role within the rebellion. Skaha arranged for her secret training whenever she returned home from her duties to the Solfataran court; in military strategy and logistics, as well as martial arts. She soon specialized in the spear, for she had little time for more than mastering more than that as one more suited to command than combat – and what better than the relatively simple yet most versatile of all weapons? Too, she learned from Ar-Thorodin by the letters and runestones she received via his twin raven familiars; of her father, of history and of magic.

However, Ar-Thorodin always refused her requests he join the rebellion; and never did he share why when prodded, only citing the curious conundrum that is this: only the descendants of Runemasters can Awaken as Runemasters. This is truth, but how then was the first Runemaster Awoken? Perhaps she understood some, then; the pain of a lone survivor, and man maimed for loss of an arm and an eye in the Elf-War. Regardless, she came to love him as a grandfather, discussing with him all her concerns but one – her recurring dream.

Three years passed of her leading this double life. Publicly Leiya Sifreiya, beloved heir of Ys and respected representative to Solfatara; secretly the bloody Valkyrie believed to command the increasingly more effective covert raids on Dark Elven military convoys, bases and industrial infrastructure. Which, while resulting in little lasting damage, caused considerable consternation in the Solfataran court as several officers found themselves removed from command, tried and executed by Malekith for repeatedly failing to crush what was seemingly a rising rebellion.

One such raid secured copies of the technical schematics for Malekith’s newly launched floating fortress-city, another of the feared Solfataran Dark Arks, but this one far more massive than any previous. It was named the Atlantis and Malekith intended the entire Solfataran court soon move to meet and live there permanently, surrounded by his fanatical slave-soldiers and numerous battle-fleets. Worse, it bore a ritual apparatus supposedly able to destroy an entire city with one spell.

However, her mission went awry when Dark Elves discovered one of the infiltration teams. Alarms sounded, skirmishes broke out between Solfataran soldiers and rebel commandos, and soon after a sea battle started in the harbor as secretly armed merchant vessels revealed themselves to distract the Dark Elven defenses and enable recovery of the stolen plans. Many of Leiya’s subordinates died to secure the escape route. More died delaying her Solfataran pursuers.

Then Malekith himself appeared. From his grand flagship and flanked by a full battle-fleet and the Atlantis itself, he led the pursuit. Leiya ordered her group of ragtag vessels to scatter, scuttle their vessels if unable to escape and all later regroup at their secret base hidden within the boggy western coast of Southern Nathmor. However, her own vessel failed to outrun the Solfataran fleet; it was boarded near the Tejis Desert, her crew slain and herself captured. But before that end, she succeeded in sending away Ar-Thorodin’s two raven familiars with a pair of runestones containing her hopes: the stolen plans and a letter beseeching her mentor to send the documents to Skaha – and a plea to join the rebellion himself.

Leiya was then transferred to the Atlantis and interrogated by Malekith about the location of the stolen plans. When words alone failed, he tortured her with such implements and substances, then poisons and potions, then spells and spirits themselves. All attempts failed, for she had permanently eliminated the pertinent memories. After this, she knew only the cold and the damp and the darkness of her cell deep within the dungeons of the Atlantis at sea, hanging there in chains of enchanted steel that left her without spells, without strength and without hope as hours, days and weeks passed.

An indeterminate time later, Solfataran soldiers escorted her to the command room of the Dark Ark. There, Malekith offered her an ultimatum: tell him the location of the plans or see her home city of Ys destroyed. She offered a location, but that of an older rebel base they recently abandoned. Malekith accepted that yet chided her for trusting him so. He then channeled magical energy through his wisp into the Atlantis’ ritual apparatus and destroyed Ys with blasting spell of sub terrible magnitude the earth itself ruptured and sunk into the sea. She could only watch, unable to move or even scream for the Malekith’s wisp held her aloft, forcing her eyes open and forward to stare at the annihilation of her home, her people and her mother. Then Malekith informed her she would be executed when the Atlantis returned to port at Solfatara; another example for other vassals of Solfatara set by her being sacrificed body and soul whole to Malekith’s wisp. Her fate to be devoured alive and sense of self consumed over centuries as had been done to traitors before.

In that darkest moment when all hope was lost, something changed inside her. Something deep. It was then, as she was returned to her cell, that Leiya understood what Ar-Thorodin once wrote her on Primordial Runes: to learn them, one must first discern the Root of the World; to awake the sleeping mind, one must See the Deep. And to do so requires sacrifice; a sacrifice of self to self, ability for ability.

So, hanging chained in the cold and the damp and the dark of her cell once more, her ability to wield conventional spells disappeared. So, the bloody Valkyrie fell yet rose to ascend the throne of sunken Ys as Skaha. So was Leiya Sifreiya reborn, soon to be Queen of Ruins, soon to be Queen of Runes. Perhaps too, it confirmed her belief in the identity of her father; only a Runemaster’s descendant can See the Deep and Wake the Sleeping Mind as the Primordial Runes now carved themselves there in her head forever and always.

More time passed; hours, days weeks, she knew not in the stupor of poisons and potions they forcefully fed her, dulling her senses and mind a dose at a time. But at one time, she woke to the sound of screams and clashing steel beyond her cell as an alarm cried. Soon she heard footsteps outside her door and clanging of a key turning in the lock. Then the door opened and there stood a man dressed in Solfataran armor with a runic spear in hand. With the other, he removed his helm and revealed the face of the boy she’d dreamt of since her earliest memories. But the boy had clearly become a man who towered over her, and that feeling of years soared and burst inside her; relief, comfort and longing. As the man cradled her to his chest and unlocked her shackles, he said, “You’re safe now, Your Highness. You’re going to be alright.” As he fed her healing potions, he introduced himself as Lukas, an apprentice of Ar-Thorodin, who himself was attempting to destroy the Atlantis before their planned time of escape. But as he set about cleansing and binding her wounds there came again calls of alarm; they needed to leave – now.

However, she was still weak from torture, malnutrition and the enchanted cell; indeed, barely conscious and unable to walk at all. So, her rescuer – this Lukas – cradled her in an arm, spear held in the other. Leiya slipped into unconsciousness after that, waking irregularly to glimpses of running battles and one last time to her rescuer leaping onto a ship.

She felt herself carried below deck and laid upon a feather bed as a cleric attended her with healing spells and potions. She only heard more screams and the clash of steel before the splash of oars on the water as the ship swayed more swiftly. Through the wooden walls she heard the roars of manticores – the favored aerial mounts of Dark Elven nobles. She felt and heard the impact of offensive spells on the ship’s wards and orders bellowed above her. Then a sequence audible twangs and thunderclaps, followed by a series of horribly warbling death-cries, massive splashes and cheers above board. That feeling washed over her once more as Lukas walked into her cabin, smiling softly but eyes moist as he knelt beside her bed and laid warm hands atop hers as he related to her all that had happened, and how her mentor – and his – paid for their freedom with his life.

As if a dam broke, tears fell from her eyes. She curled towards him, her hands clenching at the fabric of his tunic. For however many hours, he held her there until she fell asleep.

Days passed at sea as they sailed south to the rebel base in Nathmor. Steadily, she recovered her strength on a regimen of potions and food apparently prepared for her specifically by the rescue team prior to their infiltration. Members of the rescue team briefed her on the state of the rebellion and the aftermath of Ys’ destruction. Too, she recovered her spirit; Ar-Thorodin had left her one of his raven familiars, and the other to Lukas. Leiya soon busied herself analyzing the stolen plans, outlining possible plans to assault Atlantis and destroy it.

Upon landing, days rushed by. A welcome to safety. Further healing. Introductions to the two remaining leaders of the rebellion. Planning and preparing for the coming assault on the Atlantis which rapidly approached. Helping brief the thirty assault team members, among whom she surprisingly found Lukas, chosen by Ferdiand – the rebellion’s most skilled warrior by her measure, who apparently grew up with her rescuer and regarded him as his younger brother and only real peer in battle – to replace a man in his assault team who died in Ys. Thanking her rescuer for what he did. Giving him one of her runestone earrings – her most precious possession. And making him promise to return to her.

As the operation began, she monitored it from the scrying glasses. She watched as the assault team attacked. Rebels riding great eagles dueled with Dark Elves on manticores. Spells and arrows flew everywhere. Other assault teams dove on the slim central exhaust tower of the Atlantis, trying to drop their pair of explosive runestones crafted by Ar-Thorodin into the channel which connected directly to the power core where Malekith’s wisp resided and consumed sacrificed creatures for their magical energy – and powered the ritual apparatus that destroyed her home, and would destroy the Nathmor base and any hope of success for the rebellion if not stopped there and then.

Soon Malekith himself took to the sky upon his own mount as the danger to his great fortress was revealed, engaging the diving riders alongside his royal escort in duels as his honor demanded. Many died, one nearly succeeded and died to Malekith moments after failing. But it was Lukas she watched most; his skill in maneuvering his mount and slaying several Solfataran counterparts surprising her – and her comrades in the command room. Then came his turn to dive. Malekith and his escorts trailed him; but Lukas’ wing mates kept them away briefly, one falling away wounded and another dying to Malekith – and that one apparently a dear childhood friend. But that sacrifice allowed Lukas to succeed.

The Atlantis exploded. A fiery sphere of magical energy bloomed beyond on the horizon and shone like a second sun as a cloud of smoke and steam ringed and surmounted it. Hours later the three surviving assault team members returned, themselves and their mounts all wounded, bloodied and exhausted. But he was among them, smiling softly as he slipped from his saddle and fell sleeping into her waiting embrace.

They held a celebration and awards ceremony for a week after the survivors healed. The two remaining leaders of the rebellion coronated her as Skaha Leiya Sifreiya of Ys, the Queen of Tranquility. She bestowed upon each of the three survivors the epithet and title of Berserker – ’champion’ or ’companion’ in the speech of Primordial Runes. And to Lukas she offered another honor; as he knelt before her in front of thousands, she asked he be her champion, her companion, forever and always thereafter. Per the traditions of a Queen of Ys requesting this of an unmarried man, her action equaled proposing marriage. And by the ancient rites of the Seidr Order, it was a Runemaster contracting a person as their Servant.

He accepted without hesitation and she sealed their contract with a kiss.

Later, Leiya formally succeeded her mother as one of three leaders of the rebellion, spending most of her time attending meetings about strategy, logistics, intelligence and personnel management. In her free time, she trained with Lukas; her to him in magic and rulership, and him to her in martial arts and survival tactics. And developing their relationship; a budding Runemaster and her familiar learning to sense one another, share senses and move in concert. By precedents of historical Runemasters, theirs seemed to develop extraordinarily fast. Almost as if they’d already formed a bond of some sort. Which worried her – she was a half-elf born to a human mother. Then there were her dreams of him which had ceased after the ceremony. And based on history and myth . . . Well. It implied something, but something without sufficient evidence to prove true in her mind. But her heart was another matter entirely, one she couldn’t deny.

Some weeks passed before rebel scouts learned Malekith survived. Moreover, a Solfataran invasion fleet would arrive within a week. Evacuation commenced immediately as the rebellion divided into cells.

Two years passed. Missions to weaken Solfatara and Malekith. Training as a Runemaster with Ar-Thorodin’s writings and leftover runestones. Her reputation soon preceded her as she put those lessons into practice as the Queen of Runes, and always accompanied by champion and betrothed, Lukas, as they traveled across much of the known world. Leiya came to play the role of a diplomat for the rebellion, developing relations and securing resources. While rarely in the field herself anymore, she routinely sent Lukas and his chosen strike teams on special missions: reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence collection, infiltration, sabotage, espionage, item retrieval, assassination and hostage rescue. They earned themselves their own names: her Hellhound and the Wild Hunt. And whenever not together, they communicated using their raven familiars.

Eventually, she settled at the main rebel base, located on the icy west coast of the Northern Reaches in an ancient subterranean fortress repurposed and repopulated by rebels. Perhaps appropriately named Hel since time immemorial. Some months passed there, Leiya focusing on her strategic leadership role while Lukas handled field operations. It was – normal. Almost peaceful for her, and very fulfilling.

Until Lukas returned half-dead from a patrol, teammates missing and left arm ending in a bloody stump. Before falling unconscious, he warned the soldiers on duty that the Dark Elves had discovered their base. Evacuation commenced immediately, but to safely move all their assets they needed to delay the enemy. Once she’d healed Lukas, Leiya ordered him to command the defenses and hold until ordered to retreat, needing his Wild Riders to escort the evacuee convoys and otherwise delay pursuers. A Solfataran invasion fleet arrived on the coast only hours later and started an amphibious assault; it was, perhaps, too late. Hel turned into a literal hell as two armies met and stained the snow red with blood.

Leiya left the base with the last convoy to escape but were soon pursued by Solfataran cavalry as the defenders were overwhelmed. To evade contact with enemy patrols and contracted bounty hunters, she rerouted her company to Escalus, the treetop city surmounting the world-tree of the same name which rose in the furthest north within the caldera called the Womb of the World. Months past, she established friendship with the ruling Exarch of Escalus. Her company reached Escalus safely on a moonless evening weeks later, whose Exarch received them warmly and promised a welcoming feast the next day.

However, it was trap. At the head of the banquet table sat Malekith himself, surrounded by his personal retinue and bounty hunters – among the most skilled and famed warriors in the world. The Exarch pleaded for Leiya to understand; the Dark Elves discovered their secret relation, predicted Leiya and arrived first, threatening to destroy Escalus if the Exarch refused to cooperate. A battle broke out as Leiya’s companions attempted to secure her escape. But they failed; she was captured and her companions killed, including the two remaining Berserkers who accompanied her in Lukas’ stead – and the twin raven familiars. When asked why she still lived, Malekith revealed she was the bait for the hook that would bring her Hellhound to him. She wept then, hanging in chains once more in the cold, damp shadow of a cell, heart and spirit breaking again because she knew Lukas would come. And that he would surely die.

Indeterminate time passed; hours, days, weeks. Perhaps months. But one day she woke again to screams and clashing steel beyond a cell. But it wasn’t Lukas who rescued her this time; rather, a team of his subordinates, riders of the Wild Hunt. They informed her other teams were distracting the Dark Elves while Lukas himself delayed Malekith.

They made good their escape again. But when the surviving teams reunited, Lukas was not among them. Leiya managed to persuade them from Lukas’ orders to evacuate her first, refusing to leave without him – she knew he yet lived, she felt it, felt him. Using that sense – as she’d trained with him for years – she guided the Riders atop their great eagles to the top of Escalus in a running battle against Solfataran manticores. There, they found Lukas, hanging impaled on a branch of Escalus, missing his left eye and nearing death.

She and the surviving Riders then fled, Lukas cradled in her arms as she desperately spent runestone after runestone to bring him back from the brink of death as she cried bloody tears and desperate prayers to save him as she felt his spirit fade, but not disappear; a candle to sun he once was. While she had warded his body from death, his mind would not wake.

Eight days passed before her company arrived at an old rebel base that remained undiscovered and far from Solfataran influence; an abandoned island villa within a crater lake, isolated by the steep mountains surrounding it. There they rested briefly and collected news from abroad. Shortly thereafter, Leiya ordered Wild Riders to leave, hide and create new identities – to survive, whether for themselves or to later support another rebellion if they wished, for theirs had failed: in the intervening weeks, Malekith’s soldiers and hunters had killed the other two leaders and thousands of rebels, along with much of their supplies. Too, he’d ordered a massive wave of arrests, assassinations and ‘accidents’ which removed most of their support within the Solfataran court, its vassal states and other parties that previously supported their rebellion.

There, alone but for the body of her beloved and nothing left to lose, Leiya decided to take one last risk to perform a tantric ritual, one banned centuries before by the Runemasters of the Seidr Order due to its very poor success rate and often lethal effects of failure. A spell of resuscitation only possible for a half-elf to perform for their bonded partner. If she failed, they would both die. If she succeeded, Lukas would wake. But it would also confirm her suspicions about herself – and him.

From dusk til dawn she prepared it, carving runes and geometric figures into the stone floor and filling them with blood – hers and his. And as the sun rose, she charged it with magical energy, performed the actions she must and sang that primordial oath to recall a willing soul from the other side.

On that ninth day since Escalus, he woke. And as she once transformed in the depths of the Atlantis, so did he from Escalus’ deadly embrace. No more could he wield conventional spells, for carved into his mind were the Primordial Runes.

Reunited and relieved as never before despite the revelation of a truth she long suspected, Leiya confessed it all to him, her secret dreams of him for since first memory, their shared heritage and her concerns about them and that truth as twinborn half-elves and married lovers. He listened, accepted it all and confessed his own; he dreamt of her too since first memory, and that he was the son of Malekith, who was once Aenarion Windrunner – what the Dark Elf revealed to him in their duel atop Escalus, and Ar-Thorodin confirmed when Lukas spoke to him at the threshold of Other Side.

In the end, after hours of tears, discussions and resting, they decided none of their concerns truly mattered – others’ opinions, the truth of their relationship or their father’s identity. It their fate, their choice and their happiness. What else mattered more?

They spent several months there; Lukas hunting and foraging while Leiya crafted runestones from the items left in the villa while scrying abroad for opportunities to start anew. Eventually, Leiya succeeded in crafting for her husband a prosthetic eye and left hand of interconnected runestones. Together again, they continued their training; Lukas now as her apprenticed Runemaster, and her once more as his student in martial arts and survival tactics. Soon came a time where they depleted the resources in their little place of solace and were forced to leave.

A month past, Leiya registered herself and her husband with the Paean Legion as the team ‘Wrath and Wraith.’ In the days since, they completed twenty quests of precarious circumstances and no small peril to build up their reputation as acutely competent and committed professionals, while also acquiring new equipment and supplies. Especially precious stones and metals as materials for crafting runestones. And testing the limits of their Heroic Boons provided by the Singing Stone. Which she really, really, really wants to test and measure too. And touch. Because boons.

Until yesterday, when ‘Wrath and Wraith’ were requested to assist in certain caravan escort mission . . .

Heroic Boon: Dun Skaith, as Leiya scribes it in Primordial Runes. An innate bounded field raised by reciting a primordial oath which actively projects her inner world onto reality; Leiya believes it switches her soul with the outside world but maintains the boundary between the two as separate objects. Per her testing, it consumes magical energy to function, its scale and control of manifestation scaling incrementally with energy consumed – that is, diminishing returns. Levels of scale and control can be manifested independently. She can collapse the field by reciting another oath. The field will automatically collapse if not fed magical energy.

Scale refers to the spherical area where the bounded field manifesting and moving centered on her. Scale ranges from within arms’ reach to around five times that at her current limit at about ten-foot radius around her. However, that level of scale requires reliance on multiple magical energy storage artifacts – her runestones.

Control refers to her relative power to sense and control actual and conceptual shadows within the bounded field. Leiya senses all shadows within her bounded field and anything in direct contact with them. Then she can select up to five distinct subjects or objects within the field to not suffer its effects; this usually includes herself and Lukas. From there, her control ranges from shaping and stretching actual shadows for personal concealment and small illusions to acting like a mobile fortress by forming bulwarks and blades of shadow to block, bind and attack. The latter is very energy-intensive, requiring usage of storage devices. Finer control enables remote manipulation of items, like picking locks. Her shadows normally act as solids, but she can liquify or sublimate them to create pools and clouds. Leiya can also alter the viscidity, viscosity and opacity of her shadows to create pits of tar-like darkness or nearly invisible and frictionless planes. She can also stretch such shadows over people, items and structures to obscure or secure them, if costing her active concentration and incrementally more magical energy per unit volume or mass dependent on whether obscuring or securing, respectively. She can also ‘dive’ into and out of shadows within her bounded field to ‘teleport,’ though shadows must connect the space between points. She can bring up to five objects or willing subjects with her, but this costs incrementally more magical energy per object or subject and increases incrementally with linear distance traveled.

Additionally, ambient temperature drops within the radius of her bounded field, decreasing further the more magical energy she feeds it. Vapor immediately starts to condense into cold, cloying mists that darken the sky within the bounded field, followed by frost forming on terrain and items. Equally, liquids eventually turn entirely into ice, and the mists too in time. In the mist, light and sound fade away while plants wither and die. Creatures with souls – animals, people, spirits, etc. – appear protected from the withering effect, but may feel drained of positive emotions, confronted with fear and suffering from cold and sensory-deprivation. Creatures with endurance superior to Leiya can better resist the cold. Similarly, those with superior magical energy can better resist the fear. Creatures unable to see well in darkness or rely heavily on hearing will suffer sensory-deprivation from the shadow and silence effects. This can cause confusion and poor coordination. Leiya cannot directly control this effect; she believes her bounded field may automatically consume ambient mana found in emotions, heat, light, sound and unprotected life-forces to supplement itself. What that says of her soul, she has only hypotheses.

Further, Leiya can currently summon and control up to five shades of the dead as conceptual manifestations of shadows within her bounded field by reciting a unique primordial oath that suits each soul. She names them her einheryar. To enable summoning, she must first touch a corpse, using her boon to cast a shadow from their soul by the light of her own; she calls this ‘choosing the slain.’ Einheryar are both ethereal undead and familiars; purely physical phenomena pass through them without effect, though they react normally to magically-charged artifacts or purely magical effects. As undead, einheryar feel no fear nor pain, nor require rest or sustenance in any form. As undead, shades cannot heal or replenish magical energy naturally. Leiya can restore shades to their prime in statistics and abilities. Likewise, she can channel magical energy into them to heal them or replenish their own energy. As shades can interact with magically charged items, and as her familiars, they can use her runestones. She cannot restore any items they possessed in life but can form shadows into likenesses of such be reaching into shades’ memories; arms, armor, saddles, bridles, keys, etcetera.

Moreover, einheryar always appear as shadowy, colorless, somewhat transparent specters of their former living selves. Einheryar possess an echo of their original personality, some independent agency and the ability to speak, but Leiya can selectively suppress these at increased cost to exercise extreme control. She can control them by telepathic, vocal or somatic commands. As familiars, Leiya can possess them, perceiving through their senses and puppeteering their bodies, though only one at a time. While preferring the shades of dead humanoids, her only limit is creatures that have an available corpse and a soul. For typical violent encounters, she summons two humanoid soldiers with statistics on par with and abilities to complement her and Lukas; she believes that the most efficient balance in cost versus combat effectiveness. Increasing the quantity or quality of einheryar results in incrementally increased cost – again, diminishing returns. Despite that, Leiya favors summoning twin ravens and multiple monstrous wargs for reconnaissance and surveillance, and a great horse with eight legs for far overland travel.

Einheryar can move outside the bounded field, but their forms fade away swiftly, incrementally faster the farther they go and longer they stay out, with maximum range for extended engagements being near ten yards from her. Concentrated sunlight and high heat also affect their duration beyond the bounded field. Their actions are likewise affected, such as ranged and magical attacks.

Leiya can cause her Einheryar to act as nodes within the bounded field and emanate an aura of shadow, cold, silence and dread. Again, cost increases incrementally with scale and intensity of the aura. Subjects adjacent to einheryar will slow due to the cold, shadow, silence or fear effects. Surprise, sudden or first contact with may induce terror and result in the affected creature fleeing. Creatures with endurance superior to the einheryar affecting them can better resist the cold. Similarly, those with superior magical energy can better resist the fear. Creatures unable to see well in darkness or rely heavily on hearing will suffer sensory-deprivation from the shadow and silence effects. This can cause confusion and poor coordination.

Finally, Leiya coupling the bounded field, her einheryar acting as nodes and active concentration on her part can target up to five creatures within the area of effect with a conceptual shadow-weapon or sorts. If a target fails to resist the effect due to inferior endurance or magical energy to her. Based on past evidence – usually targets’ reactions – she believes manifests as a conceptual shadow of a creature, item or phenomenon only the affected creature can perceive for as long as they remain within the affected area of the einheryar or the bounded field itself. The illusory effect appears to deal psychological and physiological damage to the affected creature, which seem to experience extreme anxiety, horror, terror, stress and pain as evidence by targets’ typical reaction: screaming, crying, vomiting, convulsing and pleas of denial, cessation and fear aimed at the illusory creature, item or phenomenon. At this stage, targets usually bleed from sensory orifices such as the eyes, ears and nose. With extended exposure – by her observations, this depends entirely on targets’ endurance and magical energy compared to hers precisely when she concentrates on them – creatures often attempt to cover or remove such sensory orifices. Some attempts are very forceful and have led to the death of the target due to self-inflicted wounds or bleeding from the other orifices, such as the mouth and skin pores. Other targets appear to become catatonic, comatose or apparently die.

Abilities:

• Link: The spiritual bond Lukas and Leiya share as half-elves. They believe themselves to be one soul within two bodies instead of two souls bonded between twin bodies, perhaps evidenced by their shared reserve of magical energy greater than the sum of the previous parts. Further, they can selectively share their senses, as well as sense the relative direction and distance of the other. They can communicate telepathically alike speaking aloud. Memories, emotions, sensations and imagined scenes can be shared voluntarily and involuntarily; this can result in shared dreams. They may share a united life-force; if one died, they could be resurrected should the other still live. With more training and time, they may be able to share individual abilities – as history recounts with most twinborn half-elves.
  
  
• Primordial Runes: Supposedly, these are the original magic crests of the twenty-four primordial beings which first inhabited the world but sleep now on the other side; twenty-four words of power now inherited as symbols of their souls by the few mortals in the present era who survived the trauma of Seeing the Deep and Awaking the sleeping mind, as well as being a descendant of another Awakened. Neither can happen without the other being true; the conundrum of all Awakened descending from other Awakened. Which leads to a certain hypothesis, but one that matters little for our purposes . . .
  
  The Primordial Runes are not the mortal symbols commonly used in ritual circles or artifact creation; nor are they conventional spells fueled only by magical energy and intent to manifest physical or metaphysical phenomena. Primordial Runes require sacrifice: first the ability to cast conventional spells, then the attribute one intends to store in properly crafted runestone for later tapping. The runes themselves do not require magical energy to function. Stored attributes also depreciate over time.
  
  While Primordial Runes differ from conventional spells in many ways, the creation of runestones bears some similarities. As many conventional spellcasters use verbal, somatic and material components to enhance their spells, so too do Runemasters with their runestones. While intent and sacrifice are the only real requirements, reciting the word of power while carving it into select materials serves the same purpose in affecting efficiency and effectiveness. Storing and tapping require direct contact with the intended runestone.
  
  Runemasters are limited to storing attributes of the self; their own body, mind and energy. They cannot draw on sources beyond their own body, their own mind or own energy. Additionally, the action of storing requires concentration; it cannot be done while sleeping. Furthermore, runestones can accumulate multiple iterations of attributes stored at different rates relative to the Runemaster’s self; these pool at an absolute amount which can be tapped at rates then proportioned relative to their present self.
  
  Tapping an attribute at a rate equal to or less than it was stored results in no loss nor gain of the attribute. Tapping an attribute at a rate greater than it was stored leads to diminishing returns. The Seidr Order called this action ‘burning.’ Additionally, an Awakened – oft-called Runemasters due to the historic influence of the fallen Seidr Order – can only store an attribute at a rate less than the current limit of that attribute of their self. Historically, every attempt to do so ended in failure and death.
  
  In example, a Runemaster could store half their strength for an hour. If tapping at the same rate, the Runemaster would have one-and-a-half times their strength. Conversely, for that hour they stored strength, they’d have one-half remaining. If one tried storing all their strength, they’d die as their heart become too weak to beat. If that same Runemaster grew stronger by half by fitness training over several years, then tapped from the same old runestone at the same rate as before, they would only have one-and-a-quarter their present strength.
  
  Furthermore, if one burned at twice the rate, they may only have nineteen-tenths their strength instead of twenty-tenths due to diminishing returns. If one burned at four times the rate, they may only have thirty-five-tenths instead of forty-tenths. This diminishment is not absolute, only a baseline; the Runemaster’s tapping prowess, the runestone’s material suitability and amount of direct contact proportional to the runestone’s total surface area affect how much is lost when burning one.
  
  Runemasters can also ‘flare’ a runestone. This results in burning all the stored attribute for an instantaneous discharge of an attribute or energy or multiples previously stored. However, flaring dramatically increases diminishment. Similarly, a runestone may be ‘broken’ by the same means as its creation, instantaneously discharging all stored attributes and energies like flaring. While breaking a runestone results in no diminishment, but also destroys the runestone.
  
  But an attribute stored is also an absolute truth; a concept in total. Storing strength also means strength of mind, beliefs and more. The same applies to agility, endurance and magical prowess; body, mind and energy. Strength, agility, endurance and magical prowess are four such concepts, yet only four of the twenty-four Primordial Runes, if the ones that are the four corners which form the foundation of a being. Beyond are stranger things: energy itself as light, heat and sound; its absence as entropy, darkness, cold and silence; space; time; weight, awareness, sharpness, fortune and so much more.
  
  These may appear increasingly abstract concepts. To store these requires not only sacrifice, but creativity. Energy itself, and in light, heat and sound from oneself: the energy of one’s movements or spirit; sacrificing one’s sight, one’s warmth, one’s own voice and hearing; the light of an idea; the heat of emotions or sensations like lust and anger, and the fires of resolve in one’s heart. Entropy, darkness, cold, silence: one’s diminishment by time, illness and wounds, both seen and unseen; the darkness within the body, the mind and the heart which one denies and hides from; the chill of fears and horrors become real; the silence of peace and solace. What is space in terms of oneself? It could be the space in the mouth, throat and lungs. The space in the mind. The space in the heart left by lost loved ones. And time; one’s own future. Potential lifespan. A moment itself.
  
  Combining multiple runes and stored attributes can expand or create complex effects. Some manifest similarly to conventional spell effects. Others as something unique to the Primordial Runes. Runestones can offer superior finesse and flexibility compared to conventional spells due to the entirely controlled nature of storing and tapping, which bears no chance of failure or mishaps even if concentration is lost; such as timed discharge of a specific number and amount of select attributes or energies based on certain conditions being met within the local environment. Runestones can also offer superior force, though that necessitates serious investment in time, attributes and material – and more so if breaking.
  
  Material matters with runestones; type, purity and shape. Per the tests and traditions of the fallen Seidr Order, gemstones are the best material for storing attributes; their storage capacity is superior to all other substances, and attributes stored in gems depreciate far slower. The purer and larger the gem, the better still; the Seidr Order notable preferred diamond over all others, or settled for sapphires, rubies and emeralds when diamonds were unavailable. Additionally, the lower the ratio of surface area to volume, the slower attributes depreciate due to less direct contact with the world; a sphere is the most efficient shape for storing attributes.
  
  Precious metals are the best material for tapping attributes; their conductivity is superior to all other substances. Also, the purer and wider the precious metal, the less the attribute loss when burned or flared. The Seidr Order preferred platinum for such purposes, though they also used gold, silver and copper when platinum was unavailable. Additionally, the lower the volume to surface area ratio, the faster stored attributes can be tapped or energies discharged due to increased direct contact with the world; a plane is the most efficient shape for tapping attributes.
  
  Runestones can be safely divided or adhered together to create many smaller or one greater runestone. This action requires proper attunement. Division and adhesion can be attained by the effects of other runestones or by mundane actions, such as cutting or reforging. If divided, attributes will divide proportional to the type and amount of material present in each smaller piece. This results in diminishment, with amount lost dependent on materials and method used to divide. No diminishment occurs when adhering runestones, low prowess may result in a flawed final runestone of which stored attributes depreciate faster and diminish more when burned or flared.
  
  Since a Runemaster stores their self in a runestone, normally only they may tap it. Certain exceptions exist, such as half-elves exploiting their bond to a partner or vice versa; the Primordial Runes seem to interpret half-elves and their bonded partners as one being, the same self. The only other is a Runemaster attuning another’s runestone. Here, one must identify the stored attributes by identifying the rune or runes carved on the runestone. If no runes are present – as may be with the runestones of the most proficient or paranoid Runemasters – attunement may be impossible. Whether or not the stored attribute or attributes are successfully identified, one may still store and tap their own attributes from that runestone. However, if one intends to tap the stored attributes of another, one must first store their own sacrifice of the same attribute or attributes until theirs dominates then subsumes whatever was initially stored. Essentially, one must overpower others’ investments of self.
  
  Records attest an ideal runestone combines the best of material type, purity and shape; a spherical diamond encased in a layer of platinum one can hold in hand. But also, something else; the best in type, purity, and shape of its history. An ideal runestone was created entirely by its attuned Runemaster; they mined the materials, cut and cast them, then carved and bound it as their own without any assistance. And that they alone ever used that runestone.
  
  There may have once existed another form of ideal runestone, one only alluded within a few ancient texts as ‘ambrosia’ or as an elixir of some sort. A secret practice, some scholars concluded, perhaps passed down by rote memory alone from Runemaster to disciple. But whatever it was, no evidence appears to remain in a world now without the Seidr Order of old.
  
  Leiya can create and expand complex runic seals; she is currently limited to five runes per runestone, thus five manifested effects – attributes stored for later tapping. She cannot create or expand complex seals of six runes or more without explosively destabilizing them but can fully use them if properly attuned. She can also identify most common and many rarer conventional spells and effects within the disciplines of abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusions and transmutation due nearly twenty years of studies as a conventional spellcaster prior to learning the Primordial Runes.
  
  
• Military Arts: Adept with a spear and in unarmed combat. Fairly proficient in the traditional wood elven martial arts. Performs best simultaneously combatting multiple opponents of equal or inferior ability with and in support of one or more allies. Not an expert combatant but experienced in small-scale battles.
  
  
• Rulership: Trained from childhood as heir to her adoptive mother, the Queen of Ys. Extensive education and experience in grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music, as well several languages beyond the common tongue, diplomacy, politics, economics, philosophy and history, and civil and military administration regarding strategy, logistics, personnel management and intelligence collection and analysis. Familiar with the court procedures and politics of most realms, as well as their histories, leaders and relations.

Limitations:

• [As already detailed per descriptions of abilities and Heroic Boon.]
• [Material and metaphysical cost of crafting runestones.]
• [Magical energy cost of her Heroic Boon.]
• [Less well suited to direct combat.]
• [Vertically challenged.]

Equipment:

• Runestones: Gaebuiderg, a runestone spear five-and-a-half feet long created by her and Lukas. Weighs around forty pounds. Steel blade and hollow haft, both chased on the surface and latter filled within by bronze. Butted by a bronze-embossed spherical silver pommel within which is layer of gold encasing a diamond of not inconsiderable size. Surface chasing and embossing appears as twining vines, leaves and thorns. Requires her tapping strength to carry, and more to wield in combat; Lukas normally carries it for her when not in combat. No runes carved on surface. Is heavily invested with five attributes: strength, agility, endurance, magical prowess and entropy. Nullifies foreign magical energy or related effects on contact and leaves wounds which won’t heal by any means fueled by magical energy due to entropy curse.
  
  Twenty other runestones at present; spherical precious stones encased in a layer of precious metal. All are an inch or less in diameter. Each is invested with five attributes and energies, but in a variety of combinations and amounts to manifest many different phenomena. Always hidden and secured on her person, including ten thumb-sized nondescript steel flasks holding strangely lustrous solutions. As well as the earring in her right ear.
  
  
• Miscellaneous: Hm. Many things. Lukas carries all that, or her shades do.

Optional

Likes: Wine. Winter, twilight and night. Walking beneath the moon and stars. Mists and snow. Dark forests with beds of moss. Ferns. Flowers. Heights. Horses and riding. Ravens. Reading. Romance. Him. History, legends and magic. Charity. Challenging herself. Personal empowerment. Individuals with initiative. Leading and managing. Being in charge. Debating. Dancing. Playing her half-harp. Writing and drawing. Art and architecture, especially elven, human and half-elven. Teaching and discussing logic, magic, rhetoric, politics, economics, philosophy, history, military and civil affairs. Battle. Obedience. Discipline. Duty. Freedom. And music singing.

Dislikes: Whiskey. Wet clothing. Gaudy garments. Dark Elves. Solfatara. Senseless stupidity. Marshes, deserts and tropics. Inefficiency. Disorder. Disobedience. Traitors. Poor liars. People who ask foolish questions they could answer themselves with a little effort. Inequality. Rape. Slavery. And Solfatara.

Greatest Fears: Failing to fulfill her goals. Losing him again.

Life Goals: To destroy her enemy. To reclaim her heritage. To rule well. And to be with him, forever and always.