WARNING!! The following may contain spoilers, depending on where you are in the story.  This page is best used as a means to catch up quickly, or to remind of past events.  If you don’t want to ruin anything, perhaps you should leave this for later!

MAIN CHARACTERS:

At first glance, one might attempt to write the woman off as simple-minded and shallow. The truth of it is that beneath her extrovert personality lies a brooding creature.  Though she is a determined individual with a cavalier attitude about death and the unknown, Elmiryn fears that her condition will leave her in a place of irreversible solitude and alienation.  In light of this, she tries to find appreciation in all that she sees, usually through humor.  Sometimes she does this in ways that feel bizarre or inappropriate, especially to Nyx.  Despite her damaged perception, the warrior makes every attempt to analyze the situations she is cast therein and weigh the pros and cons.  Her ability to do this quickly is a skill learned whilst on the battlefield–but she has been known to have a “gambling” side of sorts that revels in the uncertainty of a situation.  Since Gamath, her condition has worsened–causing her to “hallucinate” and entertain delusional thoughts more than before.

Currently, Elmiryn has admitted to feeling attracted to Nyx, though the extent of her feelings has yet to be discovered.  Whatever the truth of it, the woman regards her Ailuran companion as someone very important to her–and while their personalities and personal problems can cause friction, Elmiryn delights in Nyx’s intelligence, dry humor, and impulsive compassion.

As a former captain of a company of dragoons in the Fiamman army, Elmiryn appreciates strength, but more than that, a sense of honor.  Her concept of honor is a complicated one, however.  She is not given to escapades of compassion, but also dislikes seeing the strong prey on the weak.  In turn, she believes each individual should be self-reliant to a reasonable degree, and never hide behind others to do their bidding.  For each action, a person must be ready to take responsibility for it.  Loyalty, she feels immensely important–but also conditional.  To have a person’s loyalty, one has to earn it.  ”And,” she would add with a cheeky grin.  ”Wisdom over honesty…because nitwits tend to mistake ‘honesty’ with opening their mouth when it’s not required!”

• Likes: Fighting, chocolate, dancing, music, drinking, sports, and nature.
• Dislikes: The opportunistic, vanity, pretense, and defeatist attitudes.
• Skills of Note: Archery, staff fighting, swordsmanship, fencing, pugilism, and tracking.

First Appearance | Elmiryn POV Chapters

Nyx:
She is an outcast among her people, the Ailurans, a therian race of feline shapeshifters.  Was saved by Elmiryn when cornered by a mob of angry farmers, Nyx now finds herself given the task of keeping an unstable warrior from the brink of destruction.

She feels immense guilt and shame for her past, and feels personally responsible for the death of her mother and youngest brother.  Branded on her back is a mark imbued with an arcane spell that causes her agony whenever she shapeshifts. It also prevents her from entering the sacred grounds of her goddess, Aelurus.

In her youth, prior to becoming an outcast, the girl had been a very spunky, clever, and curious child.  But after the death of her brother Thaddeus, Nyx found herself taking his place as the provider for her family.  When her mother’s physical and emotional health began to deteriorate, the girl found her duties expanding to include that of surrogate mother to her younger brother Atalo.  At this point, Nyx had become a very serious and doting person, one whose duties to her family were rivaled only by her idealistic views for society.  When these things were torn away by tragedy, the strong and hopeful Nyx had been lost.  It is only recently that the nineteen-year-old has begun to rediscover this person, though her self-loathing still runs deep.

Though extremely reluctant at first, Nyx has come to regard Elmiryn as a very special friend.  In many ways, the girl feels intimidated by Elmiryn’s self-confidence and physical nature, but in other ways she admires the freedom such attitudes afford.  Though she loathes violence, Nyx has found herself forced to actively utilize her strength in ways she hadn’t before.  Since Gamath, the Ailuran has trained with Elmiryn in self-defense and general pugilism.  The rigorous work done, coupled with the harrowing experiences she suffered whilst seeking out the Medwin river guardian, has begun to bring her to a point where she sees physical conflict as inevitable, if not necessary.  It can, too, perhaps be that the girl feels the need to rely on herself more than her animal counterpart–given the unstable state of her spirit and the dangerous times ahead of her.

Since Tiesmire, Nyx has found her compassion expanding to include Lethia Artaud, a journeyman enchantress she and Elmiryn encountered during their travels.  She has become attached to the girl, and feels a great need to help her.  Against her will, her heart also goes out to Paulo, whom she dislikes for the most part, but through her experiences a bridge has been created leading her to sympathize with the boy’s pain.  Given Elmiryn’s worsened condition and the new complications presented in Albias, a confidence has started to grow.  Nyx has started to rediscover what it’s like caring for others and using her skills actively towards a higher-minded goal.

Their adventures in Albias has also brought the therian into a great deal of conflict with her animal counterpart, bringing about the second case of switched limbs.  But whilst in Belcliff, the two were forced to work together, and through this cooperation, a shaky respect has been formed in the name of self-preservation.  Nyx still holds no love for her animal counterpart, and the same can be said the other way around, but an intense face-off revealed the possibility of their not being only two, but three separate personalities…

• Likes: The night, water, eating, sleeping, being in high places, and books.
• Dislikes: Loud noises, cold days, aggressive men, dogs, violence, losing self-control, and seeing others suffer.
• Skills of Note: Dodging, stealth, infiltration, pick-pocketing, and broad general knowledge.

First Appearance | Nyx POV Chapters

Hakeem: A quiet man, with dark chocolate skin and brooding eyes.  In his youth, he had been a very volatile young man with no real hope for the future other than to survive; at one point, even living the life of a pirate.  Today, he’s a professional bounty hunter, and a wizard–a magic user who specializes in magical items and passive divination.  The extent of his abilities are still unknown, but he has been through much and his skills appear very broad.  So far, readers know that his chainmail is enchanted, and changes to become black plate armor capable of manipulating space and time.  The armor’s ability to do this is limited as Hakeem can only teleport along created “paths” and he can only go back in time as far as he can exactly measure.  In the latter case, it helps that he has a special attention to time and has an above average ability to count and keep track of passing intervals.  Though he strives for a great amount of self-control, deep down he harbors strong feelings for his partner, wife, and childhood friend, Quincy.  He was working on capturing Lethia for a bounty, but a recent encounter with Elmiryn and Nyx has changed plans for him and his partner both.

After being captured by Elmiryn, Nyx, and the Moretti brothers for a short time, Hakeem escaped after Arduino left to pin the prison break on the wizard and his partner.  After he convinced Argos that he was better as an ally than an enemy, the two traveled into Belcliff–and there the man’s motivation gained a greater purpose.  As a magic user, he was taught to mend abnormal magic as he encountered it–both as a moral and practical principle (black magic can interfere with spells of any sort).  He caught up with Elmiryn and Graziano, and while he had to argue his case at gun point, the man was allowed to join Elmiryn and Co.–so far he hasn’t gone back on his word.

First Appearance | Hakeem POV Chapters

Quincy: She is a stoic woman–so stoic that she has been called cold and unfeeling by many.  Even Hakeem, who seeks to control his emotions, finds her ability to detach completely from the world as occasionally unnerving.  There are few things that can rattle her–one of which being something she only refers to as “the chronicles”…but she was not always like this.  In her youth, the woman had been vivacious, indomitable, impulsive, and even somewhat clumsy.  Ambition led her to do away with these things, which she came to see as weaknesses.  While her knack for getting deeply involved in complex situations seems very much alive, the humor and absurdity she once seemed so naturally inclined toward has been replaced with deadly struggles for power and chilling corruption.

She is a bounty hunter and a wizard.  She’s also married to Hakeem.  Just like her husband, not much is known about the extent of her abilities, but she has been shown to hold an affinity towards light–particularly that of the suns.  Previously, she was focused on capturing Lethia for a bounty, but after an encounter Hakeem had with Elmiryn and Nyx, she has readjusted to include the women in her efforts.  For what, remains unseen.

Quincy wields the golden sword named “Tonatiuh” which draws on light as a source of its power.  The sword seems possessed by a sentient spirit that seeks to consume the woman, and it has been suggested that their tenuous relationship is the reason the wizard buries her emotions so deep.  Tonatiuh feeds off of Quincy’s passion, and for every mistake the sword grows closer to its ultimate goal of spiritual domination.  Still, the woman has shown a sort of competitive side that despises defeat and finds satisfaction in victory.  Her battle with Elmiryn in Belcliff is a sore point for her, as she’ll tell you she was NOT defeated, she just made a tactical choice to withdraw.

Currently, the woman has reunited with Hakeem, and after being updated on the details of the man’s experiences and Elmiryn and Co.’s intentions, she has (with a certain detached flare) decided to go along with the plan.  Gold and information regarding “the chronicles” serve as strong incentives, of course.

First Appearance | Quincy POV Chapters

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

First Appearance | Her POV Chapters

Sedwick: A blacksmith from Gamath.  When the city turned desolate, Sedwick stayed behind to protect those too poor and weak to leave.  He was a capable man, at times weighed down by his own prejudices, but who always meant well.  He gave Baldwin a home after the boy’s family died, and felt entirely responsible for him.  He also felt responsible for the death of Aidan, a mercenary who had traveled to speak with the river guardian only to be turned into a half-crazed spiritual monster.  He joins Elmiryn and Nyx in their attempt to speak with the river guardian, and while there, suffers the same fate as Aidan.  Later, Elmiryn and Nyx return to find that Sedwick, by the grace of the guardian, has had his sanity restored…though he is no longer fully human, and his life now tied to the river.

First Appearance

Tobias: Not much is known about Tobias aside from the stories contained in his book. Nyx recieved the book from him during a chance meeting in Toah.  In it are his thoughts, as well as handwritten stories of three Legends–Earth, Wind, and Flame.

First Appearance

Flame : A character in Tobias’ tales.  Flame is a passionate woman who is at times overtaken by prejudice and anger, but is not without her warm compassionate side.  She is impatient, and prefers straightforward action to trickery and mind games.  She hails from the Indabe continent, specifically the kingdom of the sands.  She often bickers with Earth, irritated by what she percieves as stubborness and slow wittedness.  Her weapons of choice are twin sabers.

Wind: A character in Tobias’ tales.  Wind loves travel, adventure, and women.  His exact origins are hidden.  At his best, his breezy attitude is enough to cool Flame’s anger and lighten Earth’s melancholy, yet at times his nature can stir Flame’s ire and make a stubborn old man of Earth.  He is restless, and cannot cease to move.  At one point, he left his companions behind when they felt they needed a rest from their adventures, even going so far as to leave Earth to care for his only daughter.  His weapon of choice is a long sword.

Earth: A character in Tobias’ tale.  Earth is a quiet, contemplative man.  He is patient, observant, and steadfast in his ideals.  Between his mercurial companions, he serves as the anchor of the trio, and ends bickering with a firm deep voice.  He has an incredible sense of responsibility and honor, and works hard to protect things he loves.  It is never said where he comes from.  His weapon of choice is a heavy wooden staff.

Lethia Artaud: A young enchantress with wavy wheat blonde hair, bright green eyes, and a strong sense of loyalty.  She is barely fifteen years old, yet she’s extremely intelligent and has a strong opinion of right and wrong.  She loathes being underestimated, misinterpreted, or disregarded and has no reservations in showing someone the error of their ways, even standing up to Elmiryn more than once when the woman’s teasing and criticism crossed a line.  On other matters where she’s less certain, however, Lethia can be reduced to a great deal of uncertainty and fear.  Sometimes she feels the need to offer up information, unsolicited–though she isn’t trying to show off.  This is likely due to her unfortunate handicap–her inherent power blocks out portions of her memory at all times.  The power always shifts, and while it typically has been spread out through her mind, it has been known to collect together, blocking out large chunks of Lethia’s memory–such as her childhood, how to talk, or even something as simple as how to breathe.  This power also seems to go on to affect her eyesight, preventing her from making direct eye contact with others lest she steal their thoughts and memories.  To prevent this, she wore special glasses that shaded her gaze.  She currently has a bounty on her head, and is being sought by a number of individuals–Quincy and Hakeem included.  Despite the clear stress this has had on her, the girl’s naive bravery and powerful loyalty to rescue her mistress, Syria, outshines all obstacles.  Previously she had sought the help of adventurers to break Syria free, but after being turned down by Elmiryn and Nyx, she became determined to do this alone.

The girl was in luck, however, when Elmiryn and Nyx decided to help her due to a suspicion that the problems that initially led to Syria’s incarnation could be related to Meznik.  When traveling to Holzoff’s, the girl suffered a near-fatal injury, but was saved by a brutal, yet effective use of bonding liquid typically used on scultones.  The wound was a cut from a daesce, an ape-like monster, that sliced across her chest leaving her permanently deformed.  Despite this, the girl pushed on, making it into the tower and finally reuniting with her mistress.  But upon Syria’s release, things quickly fell apart.  The master enchantress turned out to be guilty of everything she had been accused of, and worse yet, she had used Lethia as a puppet to aid her.  While the girl had no recollection of this, her subconscious remembered, leading to the outbreak of nightmares and unrest that plagued Albias shortly before Syria was taken away.  It was also revealed that the girl’s handicap with her eyes was Syria’s doing, likely to isolate the girl and to put a cap on her powers.  Quincy and Elmiryn speculated, seperately, that Lethia must be of exceptional power for Syria to use her but still limit her growth as an enchantress.

First Appearance

Argos: Lethia’s loyal dog.  He is extremely protective of her, and holds her in the highest regard.  He is massive, the size of an adolescent black bear, and sometimes seems to forget just how large he is.  The reason for his size has yet to be explained, but he uses it to his advantage as Lethia’s personal bodyguard.  Argos’, being Lethia’s chosen familiar, is much more intelligent than an average dog, and can communicate with his owner through telepathy.  Though he thinks in pictures, he still understands things spoken to him.  When attempting to speak with anyone besides Lethia, he uses body language to the best of his ability.

First Appearance

Paulo Moretti: The youngest of the Moretti brothers.  He is rude, though he lacks malice, and he can be superficial.  He can be melodramatic and lose sight of everyone’s problems but his own, and his open mindedness could use with improvement–but the fifteen year old means well.  Paulo has been bounty hunting for only a short time–less than a year–but was an eager learner and a confident fighter.  In pursuing Lethia Artaud, however, he has come to suffer under some sort of spiritual poisoning that causes him to lose time and have terrible nightmares…all of which involve images of a malignant tree and a haunting song.  His ailment also seems to bring him a sort of constant bodily pain, like multiple sclerosis.  Additionally, his eyes, from time to time, blur out his surroundings, leaving only a certain direction free and clear.  It didn’t take much for Paulo to realize that this “forced vision” was directing him back to where his spiritual poisoning first began–Syria’s tower.

After Quincy stole Lethia Artaud from him and his brothers, the boy decided that he wished to help Elmiryn and Nyx rescue Lethia, then aid the girl in freeing her mistress.  He wanted a cure from the unusual curse he suffered.  What he got instead was a complete betrayal on the part of Syria.  Upon her release, the enchantress chose Paulo as her final sacrifice for her long-term spell and burned symbols into his entire body.  Fortunately Elmiryn managed to interrupt the ritual, and the boy was still alive, though unconscious when Syria’s portal opened…

First Appearance

Graziano Moretti: The second oldest of the Moretti brothers, and the most optimistic.  Upon meeting Elmiryn and Nyx, he was goofy and charming.  He was a womanizer, but sensitive at heart, and extremely clever.  He knew many things about magic, though he wasn’t a magic user himself, and he cared very much for his family.  Often, Graziano disagreed with Arduino when it came to Paulo.  When Quincy stole Lethia Artaud away, Graziano decided to help Elmiryn and Nyx find and free the enchantresses so that his brother Paulo could get well.  This was the first time he ever directly went against Arduino’s orders, for the man previously only ever disagreed with him verbally.  It led to a split in the family, and while it pained Graziano greatly, his priority was in taking care of his youngest brother.  This was due to a promise he had given to his father, shortly before he had died.

When Syria revealed herself to be the half-crazed murderer she had been accused of being, Graziano cracked.  Up until their arrival at Holzoff’s, the man struggled to keep upbeat and focused–but pain over Arduino’s betrayal stole away his vitality.  Upon seeing Paulo’s gruesome wounds, the man went into a sort of rage, losing his sharpness and attention.  Despite Quincy’s warning about the deteriorated spell Syria had begun, Graziano pulled out his pistol–and for the first time in his life, fired his gun with the intent to kill.

He fired three times.  One bullet entered Syria’s body.  Then the enchantress stopped the other two, and these she launched back at him–piercing his head and his heart.  The man was dead before he hit the ground, and with his life and blood–the magic ritual was complete.  As Paulo’s sibling, he was enough of a substitute for the magic to work, and upon his death, a portal opened.

First Appearance

Arduino Moretti: The oldest of the Moretti Brothers.  Is very serious and horribly protective over the welfare of his two other siblings.  He feels responsible for them, and though discouraged by the way the bounty hunting life has become filled with magic, he is determined to do right by his family.  When Paulo and Graziano decided to help Elmiryn and Nyx free the imprisoned enchantresses, the man grudgingly went along.  But doubt was strong in him, and with a little suggestion from Hakeem, Arduino decided to betray their plans in the hopes that telling Belcliff’s marshal would spare his family’s lives.  Instead of a guarantee, he was left with a harrowing “maybe”.  The last anyone had seen him, the man had been gathering up the bounty hunters for the march to Holzoff’s Tower.  He was not with the militia marching to Holzoff’s which Quincy stopped, however.

First Appearance

Karolek: A sorcerer who specializes in manipulating metal.  Karolek is a large, robust man.  His exact origins are unknown, but he is fairly familiar with Quincy and Jetswick.  He tried to capture Nyx, Paulo, and Lethia when the three were escaping Belcliff, but failed when Lethia turned his own magic against him.  This was the last anyone had seen him.  He was not with the militia marching to Holzoff’s which Quincy stopped.

First Appearance

Jetswick: An old, frail looking alchemist that is a little too enamored with alcohol.  Cantankerous, cutting, and resentful, Jetswick doesn’t care for anyone’s opinion but his own.  His exact origins are unknown, but he is fairly familiar with Quincy and Karolek. He was not with the militia marching to Holzoff’s which Quincy stopped.

First Appearance

Farrel: A halfling who had been serving as a guard at Holzoff’s as a requirement due to a mild violation of Albian law.  Lethia Artaud nearly killed the man on accident when she took his memories from him, but when she risked her life to restore him, he felt indebted to her for her compassion–and also to Nyx, who had spared the lives of his comrades.  Farrel did not feel any love for Holzoff’s and so had no real hesitation in helping the group to free Syria.  He does, however, have a strong moral sense and objects to any unnecessary wrongdoing.  He was wary of Nyx, having seen her Mark, but the two were able to work together in the end.

First Appearance

Syria: A master enchantress, also known as “Syria of Albias”.  Throughout the world she is known as a wise and benign enchantress who aids others.  Though this was true throughout her life, Syria confessed that in the recent years–she heard a voice.  This voice, referred to Syria as, “The voice that speaks to me always,” compelled her to commit atrocious rituals to feed it.  The voice told her to bring her “rich souls, people of life” that would bring it closer to revolutionizing the world.  She fought against this influence as best she could, but the enchantress was already growing jaded from all the pain and madness she encountered in her life as a mental healer.  Her view on the world gradually changed, and she carried out the voice’s commands with a grim attitude, even using Lethia as a puppet to help in her tasks.  Her final act of rebellion, she claims, was in allowing herself to be incarcerated by the Albian government–but when Lethia set her free, she decided there were purer things in life that could easily conquer the complex and corrupted institutions so many live in.

First Appearance