Dramatis Personae of the Transient Realm
Eric (age 20, he/they) is a Plainperson traveler and current possessor of Patil's Key. After being found abandoned as a young babe at the Third Hunter's Outpost, he was raised alongside Langley at the Agaskolten Clearing, a trading town near the center of the Beoralheome Forest. After retrieving Patil's Key from the throat of the dying dragon Aummal Claven (whom he stumbled upon while trespassing within an older stretch of the Forest), Eric was determined to use it to restore the Five Shrines of the Globe to their former glory, an adventure which would result in the loss of an eye and the finding of several good friends. While certainly not the brightest member of the group by a long shot, Eric exhibits a frankly concerning lack of fear in the face of danger and an admirable sense of determination that warrants him the position of leader in the group. He knows magic, but his practice of it is volitile; for starters, rather than determining what magical effect any specific spell will have, he instead takes whatever effect the Globe offers to him at that current time and location. Additionally, the intensity of the spell's effect scales with the intenisty and clarity of Eric's motivating emotions when casting the spell, so while Eric tends to feel all emotions more strongly than most, conflicting emotions will often stifle the effects of his magic. Because of the emotional control needed for this, he tends to rely on his sword more than his spells.
Langley (age 21, he/him) was raised alongside Eric at the Agaskolten Clearing, similarly discovered abandoned in the Beoralheome. While he appears to be a Plainperson like Eric, he's actually a Drakeblood whose wings were removed as a young child, as he was found with them too mangled to heal. This helped him fit in a lot when growing up in the predominantly Plainpeople-occupied Clearing. Being initially raised as a girl, Langley would come to discover that he preferred to live as a man, something which Eric was very quick to accept. While Eric grew up with hopes to explore the world, Langley hoped to study and understand it, becoming an avid researcher and scholar. His knowledge of the workings of the body, when paired with his later discovered affinity for blood magics, made him quite a gifted healer (which has ended up helping Eric more times than anyone can count during their more dangerous travels). While perhaps the most learned and responsible member of the group, he is also the second most anxious, only after Mab, primarily only joining Eric on his travels out of a perceived obligation to do so. As time went on, though, he would become more confident in his own abilities, even if they weren't conventionally adventurous.
Arvil (age 21, she/her) was born in Dragascelge, the Shrine of Dragons, raised by the priests of the Shrine after her mother's passing during childbirth. A prodigy in magics, hunting, and prayer, Arvil was believed by the scholars of Dragascelge to be the destined inheritor of Patil's Key and savior of the Globe. When she eventually met Eric on her journey to the Beoralheome, she was understandably confused and upset to find that he had already received Patil's Key, even though he seemingly had no idea what it was or why he had been given it. Being perhaps the most wellspoken member of the group, and having been raised to believe she was fated to be in charge of restoring the Five Shrines, she would consider herself to be the de facto leader of the group (though perhaps only Mab would see it that way). Her magics give her masterful control over the wind, allowing her to make otherwise impossible shots with her bow and replicate the powerful breath of the Air Dragons of old. Though her pride may be a bit much at times, her expertise in many fields makes her an invaluable member of the team.
Mab (age 19, she/her) is the only daughter of the late Alrin, Lord of House Vardefange and King of Alchascelge, the Shrine of Elks. Born out of wedlock and under a strange moon, she was believed by the people of Alchascelge to be cursed, a view not helped by her apparent ability to see the souls of those around her. Despite this, King Alrin tried his best to give her the life a princess deserved. Sadly, he was killed during the Fall of Alchascelge, and Mab was left to flee the kingdom for fear of her life as his sole heir. It was only by chance that she would run into Arvil at this time, with whom she became almost immediately smitten by her competence and charm. Her ability to detect and read souls proved invaluable to the group's journeys through the Beoralheome, and Mab was happy to see her gift valued instead of feared. Her cloistered upbringing has left her anxious and far from the most comfortable with conversation, but her insightfulness and earnestness have made her fast friends with the others of the group.
Lyllin (age ???, they/he/she), the Changeling of Sirin's Firth, was a mercenary and assassin of some great renown, having been spoken of on the shores of Eftascelge, the Shrine of Lizards, for as long as anyone can remember. World-weary and smug, Lyllin excelled at infiltration and espionage, helped in part by their ability to change their body into that of any animal (but often preferring to take the form of either a salamander or a Shorefolk human). Lyllin first met Eric after being hired to kill him by Byrin the Twain, a powerful and influential mage from Eftascelge to whom Lyllin had at one point owed their life. Perhaps through sheer force of will, Eric was able to get away from them time and time again, often taking advantage of Lyllin's distrusting and animalistic instincts to do so. Over the course of several run-ins and one or two tenuous temporary alliances, Lyllin would develop some sort of fascination with Eric, as his sincerity and their derisiveness made for a good rapport. After being betrayed by Byrin and falling out with the rest of their underbelly connections in the process, they would come around to helping Eric and Mab reclaim Alchascelge, an act that would eventually lead to them joining the group. Though a bad history with the actions of the Goddess Patil has left Lyllin hesitant to help with the restoration of the Shrines, they respected the others enough to continue helping where they could.