Cerrule (Rhuka)

Cerrule

Age	25
Race	Female Air Genasi
Alignment	Neutral Good

Appearance

Height	168cm [Medium]
Weight	40kg (53kg energy spent)
Body	Petite
Skin	Blue
Hair	White
Eyes	Amber

Played by
Brenda

A druid air genasi with a small build, pale blue skin and floaty white hair that resemble clouds. The aura of air is influenced by her moods and can change the appearance of her hair as well. Her amber eyes have a slight sparkle in them and hint to the presence of a different element. 

Coming from Avalon, she joined the Adventurer's Guild to get around the world and find her own truth, ending up with the party and getting caught up in their adventures. Generally she has a kind and caring soul, but her moods can be as changing as the wind and she can quickly become riled up and fiery instead.
Albeit planning on travelling solo at first, she couldn't help but grow attached to the colorful bunch that has adopted the name of 'the Four Feathers' and caring for them greatly. 

She grew up close to some  Aaracokra tribes in the mountains of Avalon, learning the ways of nature pretty far from most of civilization. Here she learned a lot about beastly forces, elements, and healing.
The tribes have gifted her the robe and staff, that show birdlike features and elements, when she went away on her travels. She also wears some exotic looking jewelry that don't quite fit the rest of her druidic attire.

Cerrule seems to be prejudiced against some organisations like the Academy, and groups of bandits like the Getaways and the Obsidian Fist, while groups like the pirates don't seem to bother her quite as much. 

Background

[...]

In a Far future, big portals have brought all kinds of elemental creatures from other planes into this world, terrorizing everything on it, and most of the land has died following the arrival of a great being born out one of the biggest portals. humans, elementals, elves and dwarves are fighting for the last pieces of fertile land or safety. It is said that this second calamity started a few decades ago as a result of the endeavors of a group named ‘the Wardens’ who, in their quest to deliver their chosen ones to the promised land, left the world to be ruined by devilish fiends from the darkest corners of reality. The war is a heavy one, that is destined to be lost.

Another 30years later most of the population has been exterminated and the remainder has been driven back to the far west, where a continent has been built into a giant fort managed with an iron fist by a group called ‘the obsidian league’. A general hate against elves and dwarves remains as a result of the Warden’s actions. Young children were abducted from their parents and trained to be assassin’s by the League, to protect the continent against outsiders. Anapah Rhuka, 7 years at this time, is recruited as well.

It takes another 15 years for a strange group consisting of Aasimar, Elementals, Dragonborns, Tieflins and Aaracokra to arrive at the south coast of the continent, when everyone outside the walls were thought to be dead. Aside from the Scarlet Academy, who have been looming right over the continent, watching everything happen from afar. Even when the continent’s inhabitants want to reach out a helping hand to the refugees, their new government won’t allow it. They can’t be trusted, they must be spies. How else could they have survived out there? And thus it is decided. At night when everyone has fell asleep, a group of assasins is sent outside the gates and onto the rafts of the refugees to kill them. But just as Anapah is ready to strike, she sees the elderly, defenseless Aaracokra. Just woken up and looking at her with fear in his eyes. She decides not to kill him, and drops her weapon. Knowing this will not be tolerated and looked upon as an act of treason, she knows she has nothing left to lose. Luckily some of the assasins in her group respect her deeply, and help her escape. Knowing their cause might not have been the right one, they are willing to lay down their lives to set it right and fight their own people to protect Anapah and the refugees. They set sail back onto the vast oceans, without a destination.

Months later, the refugees see the most bright moonlit sky they have ever seen. The elder Aaracokra looks surprised, and gets everyone together. He tells them it must be a sign, and shares with them some anciend Aaracokra knowledge about the Silver Moon. A supposed event that would be the salvation of certain death. It is activated through a gateway, guarded by the God of Time, Anarath. He remembers the old temples are somewhere in Avalon, where his people used to live. That’s where the gateway would open. But getting safely into the demon-ridden continent was not gonna be an easy feat..

The refugees spent five years trying to get to the temples. In which time Anapah met Bodaano, and had a child named Cerrule. Cerrule is 2 years old when they finally get their way into the mountains of Avalon safely. And now they wait. Wait for the sign. Meanwhile the elder continues to share his knowledge and they discuss who would be the chosen one to travel through the gateway. It must be someone with lots of strength and wisdom.. but the group was tired and broken.

The group survives here for 15 years (cerrule is 17) with very little means, using magic and cunning to stay hidden from the monsters. But one day a group of corrupted wolves have sniffed them out. They don’t stand a chance. When most of the group has been torn to pieces and all hope seems to be lost, a pure white pillar of light appears on an altar near the old temple. Anapah doesn’t hesitate for a second and pulls cerrule towards the temple. Bodaano throws himself before the wolves to help them escape. Cerrule tries to wiggle her way to freedom, but Anapah’s grip has never been stronger. When they arrive at the altar, there is no time for goodbye. After a quick embrace, Cerrule is pushed into the light. Cerrule starts to be engulfed by the light and slowly sees her mother disappear into the distance.

When she wakes up, the sun warms her face. Birds chirp, and the air is crisp instead of thick. A friendly voice greets her. ‘Welcome’... an Aaracokra stands next to the altar, a bit surprised but collected. Cerrule is confused. A feeling of horror is left but quickly fades away, along with any memory she might have had. She knows nothing now.Cerrule is brought to the tribes in the mountain, who take her in as one of their own. Strangely enough, they don’t ask any questions about her origin. As if it was meant to be. Cerrule is fascinated by the nature that surrounds her, brimming with life. The tribe is fully commited to this nature, and teaches everything there is to know about it for generations.

But the longer Cerrule lives this peaceful life, the more something starts nagging at her. Why is she here? what is her purpose? Her past is deluted into a distant dream until one night she wakes up soaking wet, when everything comes back to her. She looks outside to see a bright full moon. How… how could she forget? the sacrifice of her mom and dad.. of everyone. She is 24 when she decides to leave the tribe looking for answers. The Aaracokra once again saw it coming, and prepared for her some parting gifts. They clothe her with a cloak resembling bird wings. ‘May this cloak give you the wings you never had, and remind you of the mountains that will forever be your home’. They also give her a staff made out of the finest wood and decorated with the skull of an owl, considered to be their wise ancestor, which would always lead her to the right path.

Her first stop is Esterwood, the nearest big city. She enters the local library and notices some official looking people talking about all kinds of things that caught her attention. Something about research for elementals, planes of existence… She approaches the group asking for more information, but she was clearly not supposed to know. The group appears to be some members of the Scarlet academy and Guild leaders. She figures joining a guild might be a good way to travel around the world looking for answers without raising suspicion, so she went for it and asks the leaders straight up. They laugh. Most of the guild leaders weren’t inclined to take in this random stranger, but the Adventurer’s guild leader decided to give her a chance. ‘Meet us in Brassdorf’, she continued. ‘I’m sure you know where that is..’. With a slight smile, Cerrule left them. Looking for the first freight ship heading to The Eastern Kingdoms.

As part of her quest for immortality, Cerrule joined the druidic circle of Wildfire to learn more about healing and necromancy. The Circle of Wildfire, contrary to what other druid circles believe, think that revival is just as natural as death itself. For when fire takes, new life is always given. They are aware of the controversy surrounding the subject and generally stay away from other druids, which made them hard to find.
[maybe add a place where they gather? maybe a ritual was involved in order to join the circle. Does this have consequences for Cerrule’s character?]
As the Aaracokra tribes were the ones originally teaching her about nature and helping her overcome her fears, she feels conflicted about taking this path. She is afraid they might not accept her back home like this. Because of betraying one of their core beliefs for her own merit, she feels morally weak. Her fears grow stronger when watching the fire emerge from her hands, staff or spirit, which tend to be more violent than a gentle campfire.

remaining knowledge:

-the first portal was supposed to open in the white mountains. Energy creatures would come out of the portal and take over surrounding settlements, including Brassdorf and Elderwalk. This is consistent with Delbellis’ dream. Brassdorf is destroyed in the process. Help was on the way but arrived too late. A cultist group called ‘the Cultists of the Talon’ finds the vestiges soon after.

- The Cultists of the Talon are connected to the ‘Talon cultbook’ that was taken from the Mindflayer.

-the Fold, Golden Guard and allies from Avalon were quick to respond to the threat.

- The Elder Aaracokra from Cerrule’s past once made a drawing that depicted this event/Delbellis’ dream.

-Cerrule respects Aaracokra and believes they have special senses. She is quick to trust Delbellis’ visions and opinions and considers all of her dreams premonitions. They can also serve as anchor points to help her know where in time she is now and how much time is left, or if she succeeded in making a change. However, the 9 portals from Delbellis’ dreams are not consistent with her knowledge.

-The vestiges are a terrifying thing to Cerrule, for the peak of the 2nd Calamity is not the portals per se, but the arrival of what is called the ‘sleeping god’ which happens when all vestiges are used together. Gamal mentioned sleeping elements, and things that are in motion. They are preparing for the real deal.

-Cerrule only knows the location of 2 portals. The second one was the entry point of the sleeping god. Big parts of the world were sucked dry of life energy. The sleeping god won’t be defeated, but eventually will be contained.

-she knows the scarlet academy is constantly moving, even flying in the air, capable of teleporting at will. They study all kinds of conflicts. They were very involved with the 2nd calamity. They have the most powerful wizards among their ranks and research old magic and natural history, including forbidden magic and scrolls. The scarlet academy ruled over the Western continent before the Obsidian league took over, who didn’t trust the leadership of a bunch of ‘cowards’ safely drifting high in the sky.

-Cerrule’s father, Bodaano, always held a grudge against the academy for allowing the League to take over.

Goals:

-stopping the New War or 2nd Calamity
-find out where it started
-find out who were the key figures in this history
-actively sabotage any potential tool that might have aided towards the 2nd Calamity, like the vestiges

Subgoals:
-living long enough to meet her parents and(or find another way to) live a happy life with them. She considers druidic immortality a viable option if she trains hard enough.

Dilemmas:
-She doesn’t know what changing history might do to the future. Because of censorship and a lot of lost cities, documentation of history was bad. Her knowledge of the past might not be completely true or complete
-Because of the time travel, her memories are partly blurred. She might not remember some things correctly.
-She doesn’t know if changing the past will wipe her from existence.

–

Dreams:

18/05/21
Cerrule takes a deep breath, uncertain by the group decisions going forward but acknowledging the protective yet comfortable bubble confjured by Aragir. As you and your team mates seek comfort to rest, your vision starts to fade.... As the darkness takes you, your consciousness wanders... You open your eyes as the harsh wind demands your focus, the cold catching your off-guard. You find yourself alone on a large open, destroyed, region of grassy and dirt patches filled with holes and charred foliage; the aftermath of a great battle, perhaps? Though, after a moment passes; you remember this place. It's the Redfox Fields, connecting the great city of what once was Brassdorf to Abador and the great White Mountains watching over it, now the fields are but a no man's land between obliterated sites of historic value. You remember this place, you've travelled here in a different... time. Is that Brassdorf? In the distance, you see the ruined buildings of a great city though they resemble only some of what you know as Brassdorf in your memory, as among it you see strange new architecture poking out from the crater. Yet it, along with the rest of Brassdorf, stands destroyed all the same, levelled and reduced to ruins. You look around, regaining more of your bearings; this where you are from. The future...? No, this is the present... your present. What part of Brassdorf did you forget.... Why is it so alien to you? And it hits you. The architecture is distinct elven, and the name Myrneas echoes in your mind, spoken by the Guildmaster Hillbrad in that meeting. Myrneas... This is Myrneas. Deep below Brassdorf, the lost city of Myrneas was buried and sealed. You don't remember what for, but you know the Second Calamity uncovers it in the future... your present - here. Was Brassdorf always there...? Did Myrneas hold anything worth sealing...? Who built Brassdorf over the city...? Why? As more questions begin to fill your mind... The edges of your vision begin to blur, your gaze chasing whatever you can see clearly, clinging to stay here, to see more. Your family, your friends, this is your world! As your surroundings lose saturation, you notice a crack in mid-air, like glass breaking, it derails your panic into a moment of disbelief. More cracks appear. And more. And more, until it shatters into a hole peering into, what looks to be, a dark lit chamber room of greyish-brown bricks, like a broken window into another space floating off the ground. And in that opening, an individual stands looking back through to you. Long dark-red robes, grey skin and long silver-white hair, deep set eyes with bright red pupils under a blaze like a small fire over their eyes. On their head, an ethereal - almost glitching - crown of gold and white colors, sparks of energy visibily countouring its edges. And as they recognize your presence, the red blaze in their eyes alights intensely and on its old face a wide grin slowly appears. In that moment, the cracks begin to undo and revert - seemingly running backwards reversing the shatter, while your vision completely fades to black.... You wake! The dream leaves you sweating and, for a few moments, confused by your surroundings as you re-settle in your new reality... you're back

11/12/21
Her mother and the Aaracokra elder are featured briefly in Session_20

12/3/22
Parts of her past and a premonition featuring the Aaracokra elder are featured in Session_23

You can hide things (but still show hint of hidden texts) by putting text between this span secret tag, see? or completely like this. Check that in Edit Mode!

Family, Friends & Allies

-Grew up close to Aaracokra tribes called the 'Illumus', or 'enlightened ones' and interacted with them closely.
-Has a mother calle Anapah Rhuka
-Has a father called Bodaano

Trivia

Speaks and can read Common, Druidic, Elvish and Primordial.