Aria Stormsong

[kore]

Background

Aria served aboard the Midnight Squall, a Lyrandar elemental galleon, commissioned as part of a campaign to disrupt the operations of the Wind Whisperers and their leader, Sea Prince Koulton Brightwind, in the Lhazaar Principalities. An excoriate of House Lyrandar, Lord Brightwind also gained infamy committing a series of revenge killings against the house which collaterally resulted in the death of Aria's husband and daughter. Pursuing a personal vendetta against the sea prince, Aria eagerly volunteered for the campaign hoping to have the opportunity to kill Lord Brightwind herself.

Aria survived an ambush of her ship when an elderly half-orc monk named Ugashk narrowly rescued her. A slave-sailor aboard the attacking Wind Whisperers elemental galleon, it was earlier during the same assault that Aria saved Ugashk aboard the pirates' ship. A gruesome scar stretches across Aria's neck at her jaw as a reminder of the fateful encounter. Though he escaped with the remaining crew of the Midnight Squall, Ugashk's intercession cost him his left arm and eye when he fought Lord Brightwind. Aria felt an obligation to stay with Ugashk until he recovered from his wounds at his home in a small mountain outpost in the Mror Holds.

Her experience during the ambush by the Wind Whisperers caused Aria to become very introspective and Ugashk eagerly provided her counsel, in many ways serving as a mentor. Sensing a lack of purpose in her life, he confided to her his life's work as a keeper and seeker of an obscure, ancient text called the Talaric Codex. Seeking fragments of the text throughout Eberron, it was during his travels that the ship he chartered was attacked by the Wind Whisperers. Though his copy is incomplete, he explained that an intact codex contains a plenary knowledge of psionic techniques for combating the powers of Xoriat.

Ugashk taught Aria the history of the mythic warrior society that sacrificed itself by wading into Xoriat to combat the daelkyr while the Gatekeeper druids sealed Xoriat out from Eberron. Only a sparse remnant of the Talaric Order remained to protect the few remaining codices that survived the Daelkyr War near the end of the Age of Monsters. Over time the remnant and their tomes scattered across Khorvaire and faded into legend.

Before passing, Ugashk entrusted his fragmented copy of the Talaric Codex to Aria, entreating her to study and master the text. Most importantly, he asked her to remain vigilantly observant for other fragments of the codex, to collect them at any cost as one day it may prove to be the salvation of Eberron. If there are any others alive who keep the legend of the Talaric Codex, Ugashk never met them and so Aria is the last remnant of the Talaric Order. Though Aria respected her mentor, the weight of his admonition did not become evident until the Day of Mourning.

Goals

- Bring to justice the individual/group that betrayed House Lyrandar and slaughtered her family.
- Complete the Talaric Codex and defend Eberron from the corruption of Xoriat.
- Redeem House Lyrandar.

Secrets

- Aria is concerned that her betrayal of the Lyrandar Raincallers is known by her house.
- The death of her family was not caused by Lord Brightwind but by someone she may trust.

Allies/Enemies

- Debra: a mysterious woman who "pulled" Aria from Xoriat and claims to be the author of the Talaric Codex; she has chosen Aria as one of her champions to preserve the world and commissioned her to gather more champions.
- Ugashk (deceased): teacher and mentor to Aria; keeper of Talaric lore.
- House Lyrandar: Aria has always been a loyal vassel of the house, but given recent events she is unsure of who she may trust.
- Lord Koulton Brightwind, Sea Prince of the Wind Whisperers: a sadistic pirate from the Lhazaar Principalities and excoriate of House Lyrandar; he was the focus of Aria's revenge before she received new information regarding the death of her family; during their last encounter he tried to kill Aria for which Aria wouldn't mind returning the favor.

Traits

- Though a woman of good character, Aria will meet mistreatment and brutality against children with excessive brutality of her own. This flaw originates from the grim memory of finding her husband and 6 year old daughter executed.
- Though vigilant and confident under pressure, Aria has a tendency to dwell on the unexpected consequences of her decisions in ways that are sometimes...unhealthy.
- Aria feels most "at home" in inclimate weather: rain gives her a sense of newness; snow/snowfall give her a sense of peace; sailing rolling seas in a galleon or gliding through the sky in an airship bring her the most joy.

[kore]

With dull, thudded strides Commander Aria Stormsong glided across the soarwood deck of the Coral Moon to the airship's port bow. Lieutenant Beacon's report was no fantasy; Aria bore witness as the Raincallers summoned flash floods upon the Cyran farms leagues below the flotilla. She turned sharply to the lieutenant with a serene face, save the sternness in her eyes, and he returned a knowing nod before hastening back to her men. Watching civilians die at the hands of the Raincallers and the ensuing starvation that would befall the region did not fall within the parameters of her assignment: "protection detail for a flotilla transporting Raincallers on mission of aid to a strategic agricultural center in Cyre."

Aria's marines handedly took captive the Raincallers performing their rituals from the open ventral bay doors of the Coral Moon. However, one individual was seen speaking into a sending stone before leaping from the airship, his message unintelligible. Aria raced from the hold, knowing she had little time to overcome and board the other airships. In the bridge Lieutenant Beacon was already giving the Windwright captain orders to steer the Coral Moon over the nearest airship in the flotilla, but as Aria reached the helm a flash of light reflected in the bridge windows before they shattered with the succeeding boom of thunder and the airship then heaved skyward.

The dorsal strut broke free, crashing through a starboard rail before being swept into the maelstrom that was beginning to form around the flotilla. The partially bound elemental began to writhe above the Coral Moon like a colossal fiery whip, colliding with the deck and hull with jarring thuds. After each strike the elemental licked across the airship's surface, leaving thick stripes of scorched soarwood and dragging those unfortunate to be near into the open, roiling sky.

The Coral Moon began to descend in a slow outward spiral and as she reached lower altitude Aria noticed that the bound elementals of most of the ships in the flotilla were breaking free, thrashing wildly in the sky. The descent accelerated and with one final lurch, the Coral Moon rolled further until Cyre seemed to be overhead. A moment later the airship exploded with thousands of sharp, thunderous cracks and Aria found herself plummeting to the flooded land below amidst the flailing elemental, her marines, and debris of the Coral Moon.

[kore]

- Aria awoke in an unfamiliar coastal villa and outside the window of her room loomed a massive stone dragon's head carved into the nearby bluff.
- Aria began to see visions in the third-person of the party's adventures in present-day Eberron.
- Aria met Debra, the author of the Talaric Codex, who has declared Aria as one of her champions for preserving Eberron.
- Aria observed Debra's brother in an adjacent room, pouring over papers strune about his desk and the floor around him; he was diligently tending to a map with tears in it.
- Debra states that her brother's champions failed at their task.
- Debra states that an "old foe" named Acererak seeks to escape his prison and that his freedom requires nothing less than the destruction of Eberron.
- Debra states that House Lyrandar is a threat to Eberron, though it could be redeemed as its salvation.
- Debra tasks Aria with restoring her copy of the Talaric Codex.