Iris Miron

Iris Miron was born in the Southern village of Oakhurst. Growing up, she was always in fear of the abuse dealt by her alcoholic father, Kent Miron. Kent was a notorious drunk, but being brother to the sheriff, he suffered little consequences for his actions, no matter how violent or outrageous. Such is the way of small-town politics. It was on a brisk autumn nigh in 3587 CE that her father and his brother, Sheriff Sallas Miron, both mysteriously disappeared. It was well known that a mysterious stranger, claiming to be the long-lost son of Robert Napier, had recently come to town. 10 years ago, Robert, a local famer, had been another victim of Kent Miron's drunken rage, resulting in the man's death, and the common wisdom was that vengeance had finally come to the brothers. Nothing could be proven, as the stranger disappeared from Oakhurst that very same night.
Rather than mourn the man who abused her, Iris found herself newly liberated with Kent Miron's disappearance. However, she was still a young woman, only 15, and did not relish the idea of asking her neighbors for charity, or the possibility of indentured servitude to another farmer. Her mother had long ago escaped her father's abuse by leaving town but had abandoned Iris in the process. There was no love lost there, nor between Iris and her fellow villagers, who had never lifted a finger to help her, and now could not even look her in the eye. She had heard whispers of a place in the foothills of the Zaradahn Mountains known as the Twilight Monastery. Perhaps she could find solace there. The journey through the Highland Woods was dangerous, especially for a young woman, but she was determined, and so packed the last scraps of food from the home to which she would never return and set out.
During her journey through the dark forests, a run in with a wild boar had left her gored and dangerously ill from the wound, but she had killed it nonetheless with her father's hunting spear. When she finally reached the crest of the cliff known as Griffon's Roost, upon which sat the monastery, she threw the dressed boar down at the front gates, collapsing next to it moments later. She awoke to find herself in a clean but spartan cell, her wounds dressed. Standing over her was a stern looking woman with clouded eyes whom she could only assume was Izenfen the Occluded, legendary sensei of the Twilight Monastery, and mistress of blind-fighting. She thanked Iris for the boar and offered to let her stay. Iris accepted the offer.
For 5 years, Iris learned the ways of a Twilight Monk. Then, on the 28th day of Fos in the year 3592 CE, something else happened to alter Iris's destiny. A Twilight Warden, one of the elite team of Amita K'un ninja who trained tirelessly and served as the Twilight Monastery's silent guardians, left his post and abandoned the monastery. This bizarre act sent ripples through the structured lives of the monks, among them, a young acolyte named Joras, with whom Iris had begun to form a bourgeoning romance, in defiance of the strict rules of the monastery. Joras saw the Twilight Warden's departure as a sign, and urged Iris to run away with him, to the Northlands, which he painted as a virtual paradise compared to the hardscrabble up-bringing they had experienced in the South. Iris found herself pulled into Joras's scheme, this young man who had begun to make her heart swell in a way she never felt possible. And so, 5 days after the Twilight Warden's departure, she and Joras departed in the dead of night.
Remarkably, their journey though the Barren Lands was for the most part without incident, and within days they found themselves wonderstruck, passing through the great gates of Liem. But they desired a peaceful existence, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, and so they journeyed further on into Veluna. This was their downfall, for it was on a secluded road through the hills of Veluna that they were set upon by highwaymen. Both having been trained in the ways of the Twilight Monks, they fought like tigers, but were brought down by sheer numbers, and Iris watched in horror as Joras was slain before her eyes. The despicable bandits kept Iris alive, however, and it was obvious they had even worse things than death in store for her. Iris found herself close to giving in to her despair as she was trussed up and put across the back of one of the villain's horses, but suddenly, with a battle cry, everything changed again. A platoon of grizzled mercenaries charged into the midst of the bandits' camp, cutting them all down, and quickly freeing Iris. They introduced themselves as the Iron Band, one of the most famed team of mercenaries to come out of Dram. Their captain, a man by the name of Muldor, saw that Iris was homeless and adrift in a strange land, and he offered her the protection of the Iron Band as they escorted her across the border into Dram, and to his own hometown of Brannon. Though Muldor could not stay, he used his fame and influence as a renowned warrior of Dram to secure for her a place to stay in the basement of his friend Gurney's tavern, and a job as courier. Iris, still numb with the loss of her beloved, accepted the fighting man's charity without question, before he once again departed with his soldiers.
Iris now found herself in the exact position she tried to escape in Oakhurst, that of being indebted, and an outsider to boot. She knew she could never return to the Twilight Monastery. Thus she kept mostly to herself, ignoring the whispers and odd looks the other residents of Brannon gave her. All except Kelsey Kincaid. The brewmistress had given Iris several jobs, and had always treated her not only with respect, but even a strange sort of admiration, one that Iris had never seen Kelsey show to even the workers at her own brewery, whom she routinely berated. Iris also noted that she had at times seen Kelsey in the company of another woman, dark eyed and raven haired, whom Kelsey had never introduced. Perhaps her admiration was actually attraction, Iris wondered, before quickly pushing such thoughts away.
Brewmistress Kincaid always tipped well, and so Iris was eager to accept the newest commission; collect a book from that strange old bookseller, Vester Burford. Her education at the Twilight Monastery had given Iris a mastery of her letters, and perhaps Kelsey Kincaid was somehow aware of this, for she advised Iris under no circumstances to read the book. Not wishing to jeopardize future commissions, Iris agreed. Brewmistress Kincaid also told Iris that due to the value of the tome, she would need to identify herself using a code word and a sign. The sign was an amulet of dull red stone mounted on a silver chain. A strange rune that Iris did not recognize was carved into the stone. "Make sure I get that back as well," Kelsey said with a wink, which Iris chose to ignore. "Now just show this to old Burford and tell him 'I require the Irkalla Kur.' He will recognize these words and comply. Make haste with my book." Iris departed that same day to Vester Burford's book shop. The old man sat behind the counter, reading, of course. Iris followed Kelsey's directions and noted with slight alarm that the amulet seemed to grow noticeably colder in her hand when she gave Burford the directions. Vester Burford stared at her blankly for a moment, then said "Of course, just one second." He returned with a vellum package that obviously contained a heavy tome within. Within the hour, Iris was back at Kelsey's Keep, handing off the package and the amulet to Saban, Kelsey Kincaid's half-elven butler, who collected the items and handed Iris 10 gold pieces, a more than generous amount for a job that would normally fetch no more than a few silver. Satisfied with her earnings, Iris returned home.

Current Location

Brannon

Species

Human

Ethnicity

Anorian (Southern)

Year of Birth

3571 CE 22 Years old

Current Residence

Kelsey's Keep

Gender

female

Other Affiliations

• Twilight Wardens