Alessa
The Starchild Alessa Lodovka
Alessa was raised by the noble House Lodovka on Acuben Isle in Brevoy, but her parentage was always unknown, and her not-fully-human heritage became visible from a young age. In fear that this might cause scandal among the other houses, she was kept sheltered in the castle, spending most nights confined to her tower under only the light of the stars. As she grew up, she increasingly began to catch wind of plans to exile her or worse, and decided that there could be a better life for her in the world beyond. With the help of her newly discovered magical talents and a new friend in the snow leopard Athis, she escaped the isle and wandered Avistan for some time.
After landing in Taldor, she found her first quest, making fast friends with the silent lizard barbarian Eezag and the capricious fey Lily as they recovered a magical amulet from cruel bandits. More recently, she has found something of a home for herself in Sandpoint, with many places to adventure as well as relative safety, as long as a certain trio of hags leave her alone.
Alessa is a free spirit, mostly happy to wander and shine brightly to those around her. Still, there is a part of her that wants her to know more about herself and her destiny. She has spent many nights gazing up at the stars and wondering if there is any fate written for her in them. One night, outside Sandpoint, the stars answered her wondering. A vessel from another world, carrying a mysterious traveler, crashed into the hills. It was then that the traveler revealed herself to be Zyl'thara, Alessa's sister, and that she is needed to save the world of Castrovel.
Ever since, Alessa has been trying to find a way to her ancestral home. Right now, the path seems to lie in a ruin of ancient Thassilon. But for all the hope she has placed, the ruin has been her greatest trial yet, having cast her out twice and claimed the life of her beloved companion, Athis.
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Exiled from House Lodovka in Brevoy, Alessa wanders Golarion in search of her destiny. Right now, that destiny seems to lie beyond the stars, in the faraway world of Castrovel.
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Taking Flight
Alessa lies down on the side of a hill by the cliffside under the stars. Her divination has yet to give her answers, and the constellations above her are the same she has seen many times before.
If only she could get closer to them…
They’re far too distant, she tells herself, much further even than they look. She’ll have to stay here, floating over the ground.
Wait… floating?
Alessa feels the cool air underneath her as she realizes her body is hovering in midair. Gasping, she rapidly turns around and falls back down, tumbling back onto the hillside.
For a moment, she tries to process what just happened, standing up and letting the momentary pain in her knee pass. She breathes deeply, her legs feeling weak with anticipation. The stars invite her, now seeming ever so slightly closer. She takes another leap, hovering a dozen feet into the air before again descending facefirst back into the earth. But this time she can slow her fall, and after she turns back toward the sky the green star of Castrovel glints back at her.
Without thinking, Alessa rises off the ground higher and higher. The wind is growing louder and stronger against her, and yet she can control her ascent, flying in wide circles as she continues to rise. Before long, distant mountains greet her over the starlit horizon, and the streetlights of Sandpoint are but one tiny glimmer among the vast landscape. She cries with excitement as she soars across the night sky, gazing down at the forests, hills, and mountains below.
Eventually, she stops to hover as she looks back up at the stars. They are still, somehow, as impossibly distant as they have ever been. Still, Alessa doesn’t let this get to her too much, as she feels how much power she has to explore the space between. With wide eyes, she floats down to the side of a mountain peak, gazing in wonder at the world below her.
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