Dame Moira Celyn Callindraes

Knight, Defender of the Balance of the Church of Mikon
Common Housewoman of M'Chek, representing Mikona's Lower East Residences
Ordained member of Mikon's Council of Balance
Chair of Twostep Hall of the Avlis Arms and Armor Association
Master of the AKN
Member of the ANRA

Appearance and Personality

Moira is a tall woman, somewhat pale, with copper-colored hair and sky blue eyes. Due to her many hours dedicated to smithing, weaponcrafting, and several other arts, her hair is kept in a chin-length, practical cut, her nails trimmed short, her muscles toned and lean. She is graceful, but certainly not delicate, with an air of wary calm about her.

Moira is a student of life, and will sometimes sit and quietly watch as the day-to-day dramas unfold before her. But she will act if the drama turns to conflict, often seeking to diffuse the situation, though not afraid to wade into a fight, take the opposing sides by their respective ear, and bonk heads together - if necessary, of course.

She is a devoted servant of Mikon, recognizing that each philosophy has a meaning and a place on Avlis, and also recognizing her own part in Mikon's highest teaching, "Be disciplined, if you may. But let the present moment decide when discipline evaporates and gets replaced by freedom."

In this freedom, she chooses her place in Mikon's Balance, to be the voice for those who have no voice, to help those she can to be able to live in a harmonious world, come what may.

Early Life

Moira Celyn is the daughter of Bernart Celyn and Priena Thendrin. Bernart was a caravan leader and merchant who preferred life on the road and traveling. Though considered georgio, he drew on his mother's romini roots for many of his beliefs and customs. Priena was an herbalist and the principal healer for the people who traveled with the caravan. The two met in the large Romini camp near the Fairy Gardens, and were soon devoted to each other.

For most of Moira's childhood she was traveling with her parents, returning only once in a while to the Celyn family homestead found northeast of M'Chek's Finmaegan Keep. But danger pressed in as Sereg attacked M'Chek forces along the border, then in Mikona, then even Elysia. Her parents decided it was for the best that Priena and Moira stay in the relative safety of their small village while Bernart led another caravan to Elysia. It was a decision they would bitterly regret.

When the Spite first made its appearance in a nearby village, Priena made her way there to try to help with this strange new sickness. She contracted the very disease she had hoped to cure, locking herself in her room to try to stop from spreading the disease further, and there she died.

The village was in turmoil as the warnings and rumors of this new illness spread. The village elders moved quickly, and put to the torch any house where the Spite was found. Moira watched in helpless terror as her home became her mother's funeral pyre.

Bernart returned only a few days later to find this disaster. He quietly gathered his best gear suited for hunting in the underdark, gave his daughter his holy symbol, kissed her goodbye, and disappeared from Moira's life.

The Choice

Moira's village was eventually abandoned by all but the most stouthearted. Heart-sick, she made her way to Mikona, taking jobs wherever she could to try to get by. To escape the city for a while, Moira would often visit the Lifestone, and spend a few hours quietly helping its keeper, a druid of Skern named Drem. Then a single, chance encounter changed everything when she stopped a man to ask him for directions. The man was Darent Webber, then a high journeyman for the Avlis Arms and Armor Association, and not only did he give her the directions she asked for, but a whole new purpose that was yet to be discovered when he offered to take her on as his apprentice.

Striving to do as much as she could to prove herself to her guild and her mentor, she travelled north to Dwarftrade, west to Elysia and Ferrell, into the depths of Deglos, and up to the heights of the T'Nanshi canopies. Contact with her mentor was brief, but always insightful, and she never knew where she would meet him next.

After working hard and witnessing much, Moira thought she had found her place in life with her guild. Then Darent asked her, "have you no faith in any gods?" Bringing her face to face with her dilemma.

With her father's holy symbol in one hand, and her mother's in the other, she spent many days in quiet contemplation. But as much as she respected her mother's love for her god, she did not feel the same devotion. Instead her mind turned more and more to Mikon's precepts. Donning her father's holy symbol, she felt a strange calling for home. For all its faults, for all its troubles, her heart was drawn to Mikona.

Presenting herself to her mentor, Darent formally asked her to join Mikon's Council of Balance. She dedicated herself to Mikon, and swore she would help his people any way she could.

An Interlude

During all this, there was one constant distraction, a red-maned wemic by the name of Kai'Ral Windspar. He was many things she was not, and there were many disagreements and debates, sometimes discussions between the two would continue for days. Amid the growing tensions of the war, the Gentleman at the height of his strength, a strange new power making its presence felt in Mikona, as powerful political and metaphysical forces swirled round the couple, Kai'Ral and Moira fell in love and were married.

Into the Fray

Foremost among many of Moira's concerns was the suffering of many due to the lack of food. The harvests continued to be poor, and there continued to be uneasy rumors of certain noble families selling their grain harvests to the Seven Cities and other foreign markets. She tried to see a way to help however she could, but the barriers at each turn seemed formidable. Then circumstances opened a way she could never have imagined.

Various peoples began to draw attention to the Mikona lifestone, a place Moira knew well. She spoke with those druids and rangers learned in such things, including the lifestone's keeper, Drem. He said the nearby fire giants had created an imbalance in the stone, and had weakened it greatly, which in turn affected the lifestone's role of providing natural aid to the people, plants and wildlife in its area of concern.

With this in mind, a new threat to the city of Mikona rose up. Years before, Fulfordis the Frost Giant had tried to intimidate the city into submission by causing it to snow year round. The local crops were ruined, and many died from the cold, weakened by lack of food and illness. The cause of the snow was found to be a machine which had linked to an elemental plane of cold. The machine had been destroyed, the link severed… But now something had followed that link to Mikona.

The Shadow of the Void hid in the Ice Caves, assessing and learning of its new surroundings. To add to the confusion, there were problems in a nearby crypt caused by the return of an undead young boy name Joriah. He ran about the outskirts of the city wanting to play games, but when people disagreed with him, he would unleash startling powerful spells. Though for all his powers this undead was still a young boy, and admitted to certain persons that he was scared of something in the Ice Caves.

The Shadow then manifested itself, sending a legion of winterwights into the city, slaughtering many innocent people. It demanded Joriah be destroyed, or it would send more. The Joint House made a bargain with the necromancer Isamu, who tricked and trapped the young boy. Moira witnessed much of this, and could only be comforted by the fact that now Joriah would be finally be allowed to rest in death.

But the Shadow still had to be dealt with, as it then threatened to attack again unless it's minions were allowed to search the city. Rumors about what it might want spread quickly, and due to the Shadow's nature of being able to control undead, quickly turned to the remains of Sorvanok's deserted lair.

In the meantime, the Shadow was not idle, and set out a horde of undead to attack the Fire Giant Tollgaroth. With the aid of adventurers from Mikona, the undead were driven back, deep into the Ice Caves. There they found a ghastly scene. The bodies who had died from Fulfordis' cold and snow had been hastily buried in the Ice Caves, and were now being called forth by the Shadow as his minions. The spells to create the winterwights had stripped off what flesh and skin had remained on these bodies and left scattered across the cavern floor…

A deal was struck with Tollgaroth, a treaty signed. He would supply the means to create a construct, a ruby golem, which would have the strength to combat the Shadow and keep it from escaping back into the link to its icy plane. Tollgaroth and his ilk had stolen and kidnapped from the nearby farms long enough, now he and his minions would repay their debt by providing M'Chek with a contingent of fighters for the war against T'Nanshi.

And there was one clause of the treaty, one agreement which Moira made certain was completely understood. Tollgaroth and his kind would leave the Hills of Tumult, they would join their brother-giants on the far northeastern edge of the M'Chek Warrens.

And the greatest threat to the lifestone's strength would finally be removed.

Contest entry for Rochin Thistlepants the Third - First Quest

PCs:Moira Celyn Windspar

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