Soirse
From BluWiki
(117 FS - ) Soirse was born in the village of Westerwale on the border between the Figaro and Regai Counties and grew up caring for the land. Like most in the village, her family made its living farming and hunting, but where most cared for the land because it helped them survive, Soirse cared for it because she loved it. Even from a young age, she loved the open lands and the forests untouched by buildings or roads, and she had a special way with animals. She and her childhood friend Zeke would explore the territory surrounding the village each day, reveling in its beauty.
It came as no surprise when Soirse took up the druidic path as a teenager. She spent her nights away from Westerwale, strengthening her bond with the land. After two years of preparation, the night finally came. Out from the shadows of the trees, a young wolf cautiously approached. Soirse extended her hand, and the wolf nuzzled. She had met her companion, and she named him Fenrir. Soirse was finally a druid.
Over time, the land became less productive. It seemed to dry up, the life seemingly drained out of it. This distressed Soirse and Zeke, and they left Westerwale to seek a solution in Altair. The overwhelming presence of civilization all around her was disorienting, but soon Soirse found a mentor in Orrin Bannock, an up-and-coming scholar focusing on the interactions of the elements. Zeke, meanwhile, devoted himself to the priesthood of Layla.
Soirse's search remained largely fruitless until one morning when she received a mysterious letter claiming to have the answers to Westerwale's problem. It also claimed to be covered in contact poision, and that Soirse's only hope of finding the antidote was to meet the sender. When she arrived, she discovered that two others, Ghaleon Ebonheart and Malcolm, had been drawn in using the same tactic. Presented with precious few alternatives, the new adventurers embarked on several various tasks for their mysterious masters until they befriended Siobhan the Wise, a former member of the same organization who explained to them the true nature of their "employers," the Shadow Veil. He helped them to develop a cure for their "poison," which turned out to be a deadly alien parasite.
The new party traveled together for some time, but their freedom was short-lived, as they were attacked and captured by Shadow Veil agents. When Soirse and her fellows awoke, they were trapped in a mysterious tower and Varliith, a mind-flayer, was extracting a greenish-silver substance from them known as Quintessence. After the extraction, the group escaped into a twisted demiplane called the Cusp. There they met the ice devil Thraxis, and they agreed to perform a task for him in exchange for return passage to their home plane.
The task was to face Lepida, the fey spirit that rules the Wilderness in the south, and either convince or force her to drop the barrier that would prevent Thraxis from entering. After reflecting on the nature of the task, Soirse could not bring herself to embark upon this task. Thus she sought out Orrin for advice, and he informed her and her companions that the only way to revoke a diabolic contract such as theirs was through divine intervention. Here the plan to resurrect Vivec was born. Orrin traveled with the group for a time, but he was slain while the adventurers were exploring a tower lost at sea in an effort to locate Draconis for Ghaleon.
In pursuit of this quest and other personal goals, the adventurers found themselves in several run-ins with a draconic cult of monstrous humanoids calling themselves the Fire Legion. Through a series of slowly encroaching raids, this cult army sat poised to strike at the city of Altair itself, and when the Figaro family left the Treaty of Five Swords, the Fire Legion attacked. Unbeknownst to Soirse, Ghaleon had almost single-handedly caused the controversy that set into motion the entire course of events leading up to the fall of Altair, and the adventurers were inside the city when the legion laid seige. The city fell quickly because of the betrayal committed by the Gro-Bannor family, but Soirse, Ghaleon, and Malcolm helped refugees escape from Altair to Darvin.
During this time, Soirse was tapped into a secret society known as the Seekers of the Star. They were the heirs to the priesthood of a dead god, keeping their faith and awaiting the time that he may be resurrected. Like Orrin before her, Soirse was to wear a mystical ring as a symbol of her allegiance, but she did not know at the time that the ring was passed down from Vivec himself. Kerrick, the group's high priest, vowed support for her cause and sent her to discover the location of the scion, the mortal in whom dwells the remaining essence of the god of magic.
As time passed, Soirse began to grow suspicious of her companions' motives. Ghaleon had always been selfish and cunning, but since taking up the dread sword Draconis these qualities had become vastly more prominent, and Malcolm bore a strongly different demeanor after returning from a summons by his father, though he refused to disclose its nature. When finally the time grew near, Soirse fled with Fenrir into the night, sensing her friends' impending betrayal. She fled for days, making for the ancient temple where the resurrection was to occur.
When she arrived, she was met by a majestic young dragon named Antares who introduced himself as the Scion of Vivec. The Seekers of the Star followed shortly behind, ready to defend her as she began the ritual of resurrection. But halfway through the ritual, Ghaleon, Malcolm, and the Dogs of War launched their attack. They easily outclassed Soirse's wizard-priest defenders, and though Antares fought valiantly, hope was fading fast. Sir Gareth Ebonheart, Zeke (now called Ezekiel), and their companions arrived to help, but Xavier, Malcolm's brother and duergar reinforcements arrived at the same time. The tables turned, however, when Malcolm revealed his second betrayal and began attempting to steal the essence of Vivec for himself with a magical amulet. Now a three-way melee, the battle turned against the divided attackers. Ghaleon fled into the night, and Malcolm used an enchanted armlet to cross to another plane, taking with him much of the essence.
Soirse completed the ritual, but Vivec could not be resurrected with so much of his essence imprisoned. Instead, his vestige used what power it had to free Soirse from her contract with Thraxis and then charged her with the duty of the next scion. His essence entered her, and she set out on her quest to revive Vivec.
In 135 FS, she rejoined with Malcolm along with Zeke, Gareth, and Relena to seek out and destroy Ghaleon. A fierce battle inside an ancient and mysterious city ensued, but Soirse finally struck down her foe with a blot of lightning. Tragically, Ezekiel was slain by Ghaleon first, and Malcolm escaped with some of the mysterious essence that Ghaleon was trying to utilize.
Having forged an alliance with Lepida, Soirse now dwells in the Wilderness under the fey spirit's protection. She was last seen speaking through a raven at the negotions for the Treaty of Altair, where she represented the interests of the Wilderness-dwelling elves. She spoke of her inability to leave the vast forest but did not specify the reason. She invited Ceralin de Roisin, Oleron Lethos, and Aldaren Sterenfeuer into the Wilderness to help with the encroaching forces of Thraxis.
