Mentality
Personal history
The Gneshgnesh clan made their living traveling the desert, migrating with rain to cultivate and farm patches of wild crops, then leaving when the rains stopped. They didn't have much, only a few turquoise or copper trinkets. Sventisko was born the third of six children, and was loud and vivacious very early on. She occasionally got into fights with her siblings or other children in the clan, but they never got serious--it was always in jest or a misunderstanding, and she was quick to make up with them. More than anything, Sventisko loved being surrounded by her family and kin and was always excited when they picked up stakes and moved on to greener pastures. Whenever they traded with outsiders or shared hospitality with travelers, Sventisko had to be physically separated from them or she'd bombard them with questions. Even then, she found ways to get around it.
When Sventisko turned 8, life had already begun to change. Suddenly soldiers wearing bright gold-marked armor moved through the lands. They didn't want Bothotlo hospitality and they were the ones asking the questions. Even at such a young age, Sventisko was bright enough to know that they were looking for something, and they thought her family had done something bad.
Gneshgnesh began moving more frequently, leaving behind perfectly good seasonal farmlands to get out of the way of the Bronthan soldiers. But they could only move so far. A year later, when Sventisko was 9, a group of Phoenix Knights entered their camp by surprise, announcing their presence with the sounding of trumpets just as they took control. Panic spread through the camp as Gneshgnesh's warriors and sorcerers fought back. The Bronthans demanded that the clan surrender to a search for a supposed Infernal Warlock they were harboring. When Gneshgnesh failed to comply, things got heated, and someone drew steel or let loose a spell, and before Sventisko knew what was happening, violence burst across her nomadic home.
Her younger siblings all hid, but Sventisko went out to find her parents and older sister. She arrived just in time to see blood streaming from her father's hand and her sister's head, and saw a Bronthan blade deal her mother a lethal blow. She screamed out for her mother-- "Dask! DASK!" and drew the attention of the armored figure, sword still stained with Bothotlo blood.
Sventisko's sorcerous gift manifested at that exact moment, and without intending to she concealed herself and her siblings behind a veil of invisibility. The Bronthan searched for the source of the scream, but left without finding them.
In the aftermath, Gneshgnesh buried their dead. Her father and oldest sister were severely injured, bearing scars and chronic pain from that day forward.
The Academy
Some months later, a recruiter from the
Muinteoiri arrived to offer Sventisko a place at the Academy. Her father was eager to put her out of harm's way, somewhere her natural curiosity could flourish again, away from the painful reminders of her recent trauma. Sventisko was sad to leave her family behind, but tales of a floating school of magic sparked something with her, something that'd gone out since her mother's death, and she went off to school.
In her first year, she was assigned to the Grove, where she met
Alyxander Cowles-Blythe,
Athalor An'Andarud,
Arianna and
Garnet Tohsaka. Surrounded by more non-Bothotlo than she'd ever met in her life, Sventisko became absolutely hyper and peppered everyone with questions. Unsure of how to make friends, she fell back on the way she'd interacted with her siblings and fellow Gneshgnesh children--getting into trouble, playing pranks, and breaking rules.
Her life changed when the recent violence she'd experienced came back to haunt her. Halfway through the room, she had a dream of Bronthan trumpets, and in a flash she relived the death of her mother all over again. A few sobering conversations with Alyxander and Garnet later, and Sventisko realized that she'd
never be able to leave what'd happened to her behind.
She started thinking--if all this magic and power existed when the Bronthans attacked her family, why didn't they do something? Why didn't they stop it? Why were so many people still running or hiding from monsters and Infernals?
From that moment forward, Sventisko gained focus. She wanted to learn everything about the school and the world so she could
understand the suffering and sorrow, and the answers did not make her happy. There was power in Anacra she'd never even dreamed of, and those who wield it were using it to hide and protect themselves. Over time she started talking with other students, arguing about her ideas, finding like-minded peers even at such a young age.
It was in her third year that Sventisko met
Kepesk--a dragonborn in the refugee settlement surrounding the academy--inside the Causeway. Suddenly, all her ideas made sense. There were
adults who agreed with her and were
doing something about it. It was time for her to do something as well. Kepesk gave her a blade that could let her slip in and out of the Golden Sphere, and she started sneaking off to talk with him and the others--the
Eluitholel. That planted the seeds of her own student organization, the
Kisjan, an unsanctioned group of like-minded children who all shared one belief: the Academy was failing the world by hoarding its power.
Later that year, the
Raveners bore down on the settlement. Sventisko slipped out to help Kepesk and the others protect the people, but on her way she ran into another student--Mason. He was hellbent on breaking out to attack the Knights of Terranimbus, who'd joined the fight against the Raveners. Hearing the fire in his voice and the deep hurt, she urged him to help the innocent instead. The poor are always the most vulnerable, and they don't deserve to suffer for any of this. Mason joined the
Kisjan
Mason became more than another comrade--Sventisko started relying on him more and more. Despite his moment of pained anger, most of the time he was calm, thoughtful, centered, and Sventisko found she could confide in him. Maybe even more. It took some time for their friendship to develop into a full fledged romance, but the roots were there from the moment they met.
In her fourth year,
Kepesk told Sventisko secrets about Master Untermauler, and urged her to break into his office. There, she and the other Kisjan would find powerful magical weapons that should be used instead of hoarded. He armed her and the Kisjan with a healthy supply of magical resources, and thusly urged Sventisko plotted a heist, to take place the night of the Green Gala. This is when Mason met Kepesk for the first time. Mason invited her to be his date to the dance, but she couldn't go to a party while so many outside were still in need. Mason helped her plan the logistics of the heist, but she insisted he stay out of it--she didn't want to put him in danger, and if she was caught, she'd need help from outside.
The heist was very nearly a disaster, but with unexpected help from
Garnet Tohsaka and the others, they managed to pull off a watery escape. It was Sventisko's first major contact with the kids for several years.
When the Wrath of Boreas fell upon the academy in their fifth year, Sventisko worked with Mason, Balvarax and the other Kisjan leaders to aid in the defense of the camp. They encountered magical threats on their way there but managed to do some good.
After the death of Buta, Sventisko went on the run, and underwent a crisis of confidence. The Kisjan questioned her leadership entirely. Mason remained by her side, and the Kisjan eventually accepted her back, but demanded more egalitarian leadership.
Later in their fifth year, Sventisko joined a diplomatic mission, alongside Mason, to the
Bothotlo tribe, interceding to prevent an all-out war with
Brontha. The mission took all her control and willpower, for she has neither forgiven nor forgotten the harm done to her family.
Education
- Year One: Pottery
- Year Two: Magical History
- Year Three: Alchemy
- Year Four: Draconic Studies
- Year Five: History and Tactics of Battle and Warfare
Mental Trauma
Sventisko's mother died at the hands of Phoenix Knights from Brontha.
Intellectual Characteristics
Insatiable curiosity combined with focused discipline.
Morality & Philosophy
- Those with power have an obligation to those who don't.
- Authority that doesn't use its authority to help others, is no authority at all.
person.sexuality
Bisexual, semi-polyamorous
person.gender_identity
Female
Known Languages
Common (Okarthel), Draconic (Bothotlan), Primordial (Ignan)
Social
Current Residence
Tarslemoor House
Contacts & Relations
Wealth & Financial state
Has a supplier somewhere outside the Academy who provides magic items.
Family Ties
Born to the Gneshgnesh clan of the Bothotlo tribe. Third of six siblings.
Religious Views
Was never particularly spiritual, but recently encountered the Dragon God Bothotlo.
Social Aptitude
Sventisko is a fiery and passionate speaker who's gathered a group of loyalists around her.