| Relatives | Deceased |
|---|---|
| Languages | Common, Celestial, Draconic, Deep Speech |
| Affiliations | The Order of the Necrolord Prime |
| Aliases | Reverend Daughter |
| Marital Status | Single - not looking |
| Place of Birth | Isonhound |
| Date of Death | N/A |
| Place of Death | N/A |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 5' 2" |
| Weight | 100 lbs |
| Eye Color | Pale blue |
Adira Graven is a human artificer/necromancer wizard. She was raised as an acolyte and priestess to the Lord Undying, the Necrolord Prime, creator of necromancy, and lord and master of the stellar realms.
Physical Appearance
Adira Graven has dark brown hair that runs in tightly-bound braids down her back, and beneath her cowled hood. She has pale skin, but this is difficult to discern beneath the thick makeup which she ritually applies each and every morning: a stark black and white bone mask reminiscent of her skeletal companions. She wears solid black clothing that obscures her figure, but beneath the robes, has been seen to wear a set of black studded leather armor. Her eyes are a pale blue, and she is 5' 2" tall. Her figure would best be described as frail, but she has a strength that belies her appearance. She is perhaps 100 pounds, and carries a dagger as an emergency weapon, but prefers to remain at a distance and act through magical means. Her preferred weapon in combat is her spell tome, which she carries with her constantly, and also serves as her prayer book. The arcane inscriptions within have been passed down through the generations, and it merely takes time for the well-prepared mind to decipher the secret powers contained within.
Personality
Adira is a reluctant adventurer. While she intellectually values the experience she has gained since setting off, she wishes this entire task could be completed back home. She is also endlessly tired of explaining to people who attempt to prevent her from traveling with her companions, that, no, these skeletons will not harm anyone, and in fact, they are her family. No, she will not leave them behind or bury them. They willingly provided their bones for ritual resurrection, and it is in fact an honor to carry the bones of her dead parents with her on her adventures.
Yet, even with all that, Adira rarely gets the peace she most desires. She would be perfectly content to study mathematical and arcane formulae uninterrupted for days, even weeks, barely even acknowledging the needs of her own body. She also has little patience for fools, braggards, and "comedians." Even so, she acknowledges that all sorts of these characters make competent adventurers, and she cannot discount their contributions.
She absolutely takes herself seriously, and will not permit mockery of her faith or her ideals. Aside from that, she will put up with nearly anything in the name of furthering her goals. She will not acknowledge any other source of necromantic energy, describing it as a perversion of the unnatural order, and will gladly assist in destroying any other undead. She is unconpromising and rigid, and will not allow things to stand if they are at odds with her beliefs.
As a lawful good person, she sees a right way for herself and others to be treated in the world, and she will do whatever she can to ensure everyone can experience the peaceful paradise she wants to help restore/create. But she lacks empathy, and social experience, and does not truly understand how anyone else could want something good, but different from her vision of the future.
History
A brief history of your character's life.
The followers of the Necrolord Prime (not to be confused with false gods of undeath) form a very minor religion with only a few dozen adherents (sometimes uncharitably called cultists) that operates a small chapel and graveyard where those who believe that the dead should be honored by being able to continue to contribute to the living world. The religious order operates a small farm, run primarily by skeletal laborers. Or, they did until ten years ago.
Ten years ago a plague ravaged the order, and the vast majority of its members died. All but two of the children perished, and in a desperate action, the high priest and priestess, Adira's parents, ritually sacrificed themselves in order to both prevent the disease from killing her and the remaining few members of the order, and prevent such a deadly disease from spreading across the greater world of Quelmar. They unleashed a wave of cleansing necrotic energy that reduced them to skeletons, but also destroyed every last trace of the contagion. However, the bulk of the damage was already done. Only a few of the more ancient members of the order, and two children remained alive, and the entire chapel seemed doomed to die even after the powerful sacrifice.
Over the last 10 years, Adira has trained and studied, poured over countless ancient texts, and discovered there is only one way to restore vitality to the house of the Necrolord: walk his path herself. Thus, Adira gathered her will, her supplies, and her knowledge and set out as an adventurer, just as the Necrolord Prime had prior to his ascension. While the exact paths he walked may be lost to time, the secret texts show that through study, experience, and exploring the far corners of the world, great powers can be achieved. Far greater than that gained by mere introspection and examinations of the texts themselves. Only this power could possibly be enough to restore the House of the Necrolord to its former glory, and bring its people back to life.
Languages
Adira speaks Common, Draconic, Celestial, and Deep Speech fluently, and has a basic grasp of many other writing systems. She knows the Comprehend Languages spell, and is comfortable using it regularly to assist in understanding any strange text or conversation, although she generally leaves it unprepared and ready only as a ritual.
Powers and Abilities
Adira hangs back, using her skeletons as shields to block incoming attacks. She prefers to offer support to her fellow combatants in the form of debilitating effects and necrotic damage against foes. If that is not viable, she is unafraid to retreat, and does not consider battle a source of individual pride so much as the ability to solve puzzles, which may include combat as a solution.
Her skeletons are her family (she keeps an extra couple sets of bones in the bags for once her powers grow and she can invite more extended family to join her) and fellow members of the house of the Necrolord. She most commonly travels with her parents, aunt and two cousins.
Adventuring in the Greedy Green
Adira has gone on multiple minor adventures so far: defeating an owlbear, unblocking a spring that had been infested with smoke mephits, and even negotiating a dragon wyrmling a safe lair after it was caught harassing a village. Yet, she has only recently come to the attention of the other adventurers of Isonhound and the greater threat they fight. Where her path takes her next remains to be seen, but she will soon find herself in the thick of things: In the Greedy Green!
An academic escort: (12/18)
Adira accepted a request from a Katharda Academy Professor Miranda Wright to investigate an increase in psionic activity in the region. As her first opportunity to work with the more organized groups of adventurers in Isonhound, she took the opportunity carefully. She intended to face a simple mission with plenty of opportunity to introduce herself and her family to the others she is likely to encounter as she adventures as a group. In addition to meeting the adventurers Harold, Airavata, Durian, and Zoya, she also met an entity known as Silent who assisted the group on their mission. Silent was also (uncharacteristically?) chatty, taking an active interest in the group and the mission.
While traveling downriver to the site of the psionic energy, the group encountered a large amount of smoke in the distance which led them to a group of kobolds seemingly trying to start a forest fire. These kobolds were especially hardy, and even when given the opportunity to surrender opted to flee instead. Unfortunately for them, the reach of death's hand was further than they could all run. A few escaped down a tunnel, but before pursuing them down the group stopped the growing forest fire from spreading out of control (mostly with the assitance of Harold's decanter of endless water. During this battle Harold also exhibited strange hallucinations of some kind of fox creature that drove him into a frenzy. He did not seem to be fully in control of his mind in general. Adira used the few moments on the surface to speak with one of the dead kobolds to learn why they were setting fires. It was to benefit a creature known as Smargarg who can apparently see through the fires.
Upon delving into the cavern we passed an illusory wall of stone adjacent to a lava fall, encountering several psionic projections from Smargarg who claimed that Silent has some type of corruption in them from The One That Waits. The group was briefly faced with an encounter of a projection of this One that Waits before eventually finding their way to confront Smargarg in the heart of his lair. This is when the party discovered that Smargarg is an Emerald Dragon. Discussing with Smargarg our mission and the greater threat looming over Isonhound, the party learned several pieces of valuable information including the fact that TOTW con corrupt dragon eggs as a means of returning swiftly to the world even if he is defeated. Furthermore, one of Smargarg's own eggs was recently stolen and corrupted. The group was tasked with recovering this egg in exchange for a boon. [This task has since been accomplished, and the group has now gained a semblance of psychic power to communicate telepathically as a result.]
Professor Wright and Durian also thoroughly questioned Smargarg about the emerald dragon Feredemius, Thane of Sardior on the Council of Gem Dragons--a powerful and ancient dragon who is missing, but is known for his psionic energy (and the reason for the Professor's interest). While Smargarg did not know where Feredemius could be found, he indicated that the energy was everywhere across Isonhound, and that the great dragon is still alive somewhere.
