Arzela Corbyn
Countess of Corbyn Arzela Corbyn
Social
Religious Views
Follower of the Keltori trinity
Wealth & Financial state
Head of a noble family, among the highest ranked not in line for the throne.
Daughter of a mage father and a warrior mother, both of whom fought in the war to free Vostoria. Heading out on her own adventures.
Character Location
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Countess of Corbyn, Queen's Blade
Age
27
Birthplace
Unknown
Children
Current Residence
Starlium
Gender
Female
Eyes
Green
Hair
Black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Tanned
Hi, I'm Lorella!
16th of Diur, 535 CE
I don’t really remember my parents. My birth parents, that is. I remember red hair that shone in the sun. I remember the kindness of a mother’s touch, though I only know that’s what it was because it was so like Mummy’s. I remember a deep, rumbling voice that soothed me to sleep when the world got scary. Deep, kind eyes looking down at me.
And I remember screaming. A scream that seemed to tear out my soul when the masters came. I remember shouting, and Father bleeding from his head when the masters hit him. We ran after that, climbing out a window in the dead of night and sneaking out of the city. I remember a broken land full of monsters that Father said we must never go near.
And I remember the kindness of a stranger’s hand, words that soothed a frightened child when I was found curled up next to the cold, still body of my father. Two people little bigger than me, but they saw me for the child I was and took me in.
That’s how I ended up raised by Azurians in Aredenn. Breena and Sebo Springons found me by the side of the road just this side of the border with the broken lands, by father dead beside me. With no idea where we had come from other than the ragged clothes and brand that marked a keltori slave, they could not return me home. They certainly were not willing to take me back to shilen territory to be a slave again. They had no children of their own, due to an accident my father had when he was young, so they had love to give.
I have had a good life. I love my parents very much. And while I sometimes wonder why my father and I were in that forsaken place, or what happened to mother, I have never wanted for anything. And I love the azurian people. They are so quick and clever. They have always been kind, though I have always been something of an outsider, seeing as I am so much taller than any of them. My parents told me the tale of how they found me, but that didn’t really explain to me why I was so different. I just knew I wanted to fit in.
The town we lived in still largely followed the old ways, with the menfolk learning to make golems and massive machines to do the things they couldn’t. The womenfolk focused on making potions of all kinds and handheld weapons. My mother, the best alchemist in the city, took me on as her alchemy apprentice, letting me help her in the still room at an early age.
But when Mummy found me fiddling with some of Papi’s small clockwork devices, she talked him into getting me training in that field as well. They took me to Lilli Sprockets, who was the best female in town at clockwork. She taught me to make small golems and tiny devices the menfolk could only dream of creating. Ms. Sprockets was also the one to discover that I could do things azurians could not do, using a type of magic they knew nothing about. She had heard the keltori people could magics like that, and that the shilen enslaved them for it. Somehow, she got her hands on a book of basic magical principles and let me study it alongside my studies in azurian rune magic.
It was around that time that I met Orryn Woddelsworth at school. I caught several of the other boys teasing him. Orryn is a rolly polly little thing, short even by azurian standards. So, he got picked on a lot in school. The other kids called him Wobbly. I interfered and sent the other boys running. They didn’t know what to do about the small giant in their midst. I got Orryn back on his feet and walked him to class, saying, “Come on, Wobbly. We’re gonna be late.” I flashed him a big smile and threw my arm around his shoulders when I said it, and he realized I was joking. To this day, I’m the only one who can call him that and not get kicked in the shins.
One evening, near the end of my apprenticeship with Ms. Sprockets, something odd happened. I was working on the device for my final test with Ms. Sprockets. I suddenly felt a surge of power inside me, power that swelled through my hand, down the screwdriver I was using to tighten the last of the screws, and into the device. It soaked in, making the clockwork creature in my hand glow like a trapped lantern flame. When the glow subsided, my little creature started to move. And then it started to talk.
And that was how I ended up with Monksy, the Sentient Clockwork Chipmonk.
Yes, you read that right.
The Queen is Dead. Long Live the Queen.
5th of Duir, 535 CE
I have been remiss in my journaling recently because so much has happened recently. Someone attacked my father, tricking him and the Council into changing the way the "Arcane Dragon" title is treated. We found evidence that Albion was behind it and managed to fix the issue, but it left my father shaken. During our travels, I also met someone that might... Well, more about him later. I had my first party as Countess Corbin and took control of the family estate. That wasn't easy to do. It brought back all the grief and horror of Eagle's Keep. As always happens at keltori's parties, someone tried to kill us. A few guards died, and my father was poisoned. His magic is altered permanently, and we nearly lost him. The doctors say he will never be the same. During his recovery, his second-in-command, Vonn, took over as Arcane Dragon.
All of that led up to the day we had been both planning and dreading since Eagle's Keep. Amelia's birthday and coronation.
There are no words to describe the emotions of that day. My baby sister, my little troublemaker, is now a woman.
By the gods, she was radiant! During the birthday party, she was smiling and laughing, dancing and charming the crowds. She was everything they wanted in their princess. She and Conrad dazzled, and she forced me out onto the dance floor with Tomas, the arcane blade I've been flirting with.
Then came the coronation. She changed. She became more mature, truly a woman for the first time. She accepted the crown with grace and made a beautiful speech to the crowd. Afterward, I took my place in front of her, kneeling to my queen and pledging my fealty to her. She confirmed me as her Queen's Blade, her personal guard, her right hand. I stepped behind her throne, back straight, pride and sorrow flowing through me. My father took his place in front of her, kneeling down to pledge himself to her as the Arcane Dragon. The Queen got quiet, looking at him with love and sympathy. She thanked him for his service and acknowledged what happened to him. And then she dismissed him. Part of me understood, but part of me was pissed! How could she do that to him in front of everyone? Later, when I thought about it, I realized that it really was for the best. Once he stepped away, she confirmed Vonn as the new Arcane Dragon. After the rest of the nobles bow to her, Amelia leaves the room for the first time as Queen.
I am both proud and saddened by this day.
The Pirates and the Dragon
16th of Fearn, 535 ACE
Having survived the fight with the vampires, our group decided to follow up on a rumor we had heard-- there was a red dragon deep in the caves. It was true! We met a lovely red dragon who was intrigued by a group of adventurers coming in just to talk to her. Most tried to steal her gold, but we were interested in her, not her wealth. She sensed the Sun Rune in me and talked about missing the sun. Amelia offered to build her a new cave entrance so she can more easily get out to feel the sun. In the meantime, I offered to cast the Sun Rune for her. Knowing that we had enemies coming, we asked that she help us if we call. She gave us a horn to be able to call her. Amelia taught her to polymorph herself into a human so she can get out while we wait for the entrance to be built. In exchange, the dragon taught Amelia to fly. To fly!!! Now, I'll never be able to keep track of the child!!!
On the way out, we heard about the pirates having a little shindig, and the captain is someone "Ruby" apparently knows. We had a bit of a debate about going to meet her. Ruby got very uneasy. Turned out, she had once blown up a ship owned by Captian Isabella and owes her a great deal of gold! We went to meet her and make arrangements for the the debt to be paid. This adventure just keeps getting more and more interesting.
Vampires
15th of Fearn, 535 ACE
Oh, my Princess! Oh, my Queen! What trouble you get us into!
We had heard rumors in Starlium of a new breed of creature-- vile things that only come out at night and feed on the blood of the living. They can make more of their kind through their bite. The temples had only just begun to explore this new disease. It takes time for the change to happen, so if they catch it in its earliest stages, they can often stop it. But for most of us, they were only rumors.
"Ruby", our dear red-haired friend, led us into a cave outside Lionsfall where they was the rumor of a necromancer controlling the undead, and possibly a chimera. It was unclear if the two were connected. After a... interesting night on the beach during which we were attacked by pirates and demons, and learned more about Ari than we ever wanted, we headed into the caves. A few more battles with pirates led us to a buried shileen city, where the residents are all adventurers, pirates, and ghosts.
We made our way further in to the necromancer's lair. Turns out, he wasn't a necromancer, he was a vampire! We run into the first of his followers, a fairly powerful vampire with mindless minions under his control. They attacked. Ari transformed, which only made the vampire more excited, stating his master has not eaten one of "her kind" in a long time. At first, the vampires overwhelmed us. They didn't take damage the way we expected, and several of us were bitten. We quickly discovered that magic doesn't work well on them, but fire does. I called fire to my sword and laid into them. Pretty soon, the minions were down. Ari tore the arm off the big one and ate in front of him. That terrified him! He turned into a pack of bats and flew away. The remaining minions turned into mist to follow. Continuing on, we found a room with a "scientist" and a man being trained of blood. Ari got pissed and tore the head off the scientist. We found a door, which we suspected led to the chimera. The group cannot agree on whether to go through or look for the necromancer. The debated was cut short when the necromancer/vampire showed up! She seemed dismissive of Ari, focusing instead on all the mages of the group. He pointed at me and tried to cast a spell, but Ari jumped in the way, vanishing. Her husband became enraged. The necromancer then cast something on Ash, causing her to attack Ruby. He focused on my, dismissing Cate and Oakmane completely. He asked me if I wanted to dance before attacking. A heavy battle followed, during which he used his magic to draw the blood from all of us. Oakmane turned his attention to healing spells. The vampire rushed me, blinking behind me at the last second. I summoned fire to my blade and thrust it behind me, catching him. He screamed and bit my shoulder. The effect was immediate and so much worse than the bite from the other one. I pulled away and attacked for all I was worth. It didn't do much good. Realizing that Ash still had not killed Ruby, the vampire told her to do "that one spell"-- the last resort fire-wall that all wizards learn to do. I spun away from the vampire to knock Ash into the wall before she could cast. Ruby followed it up and knocked her out. She spun toward the vampire and cut herself, summoning the magic in her blood. He got excited until he realized that gave her the upper hand. She cast...something. He exploded! We eventually found Ari, who had been teleported to another room with a partially completed chimera based on a black mane werewolf-- the bane of Ari's existence. She killed and ate it easily.
As we made our way out, I started feeling odd-- sick, pale, thirsty. My teeth ached. Several of the others felt off as well, but not as bad. We traveled back to Lionsfall and headed for the temple. It turned out we had been infected with vampirism. The others could be cured with the known methods. My case was more advanced. The priests put me in a room with light therapy and the usual treatment, hoping for the best. I settled myself into a meditation while I waited. I-- I can't really go into what happened next. But I woke up healed, feeling amazing, and with a new spell in my mind. A Sun Rune. The next time I meet a vampire, the fight should be quite different!
Battle of Eagle Keep
6th of Fearn, 535 ACE
I can't quite wrap my mind around what happened. It should have been an easy fight. Kimbra should have been able to take those blasted elves out with ease. Especially with the Captain of the Elite Guard by her side. Her Blade. I vaguely remember the war, the tales of the battles they fought. It always seemed like nothing could stop them. As long as Kimbra and Armela were side by side, nothing could stop them.
Not this time. As I walked the Keep, searching for answers, I had this feeling of a job unfinished. All those lives, cut short, many of them in their prime. Magic hovering in the air, shivering along my skin. When I found Kimbra and mother frozen in the act of dying, my world shattered. They were not the epic heroes of my childhood. We could see how badly the battle was going. They were surrounded. My mother was seconds from death, enemies were about to get Kimbra.
And then something happened. Whatever spell Kimbra used went wrong. But exactly what the hell was she casting? There's no spell I know of that would do what she did. Only it wasn't her. We found out later that there was a half-Shilen in the woods nearby that was attempting to cast a spell to drive the Shilen from our land. Her spell collided with Kimbra's, whatever she was attempting to do, and the result was every living creature within a certain range being turned to stone. All except the Shilen, who crumbled to dust.
No one knows exactly what happened to all the others. Are they dead? Frozen? Can we reverse the spell and save them? That's what everyone hopes, especially Amelia. But the one mage in the queendom who might be able to find the answer has crawled into a bottle and refuses to come out. I don't know what to do about my father. He's not mourning. Not really. He's hiding behind the haze of alcohol and I can't reach him. The princess has responded by ducking her responsibilities whenever she can. Poor Conrad seems at a loss for how to deal with her, but is stepping into his role as her adviser beautifully. I can focus my attention on keeping the two most important people in my life from completely falling apart.
Red Wyvern Hunt
20th of Nion, 535 ACE
Went out with Coryson again. This time he had a line on a red wyvern nest. The blasted things were harassing one of the newer settlements north of the city. The locals finally called for help when someone's toddler wandered off and got eaten. The nest was easy to find. Just follow the smell of sulfur and rotted bodies. We found a dame and two babies.
Coryson drew the mother's attention. I used flashy magic to draw the babies away. The little buggers are fast! They quickly flanked me. One of them was apparently having fun practicing its paralyzing gaze and kept trying to freeze me. I used small lights to distract it or threw dirt and rocks in its face to break eye contact. The other one nearly set the forest on fire. I've never used so many fire suppression spells in my life! I finally got them tangled up in each other. Never underestimate the power of sibling rivalry! They started fighting each other over which one got to eat me. While they fought, I got in behind the Paralyzer and sliced off his head. Fire Breath was surprised by this and spit fire at me. I managed to get out of the way, drew ice along my blade, and killed the second one.
During that time, Coryson had been fighting the dame. He was injured but holding his own. He was spending too much time trying to avoid the paralyzing gaze to get in a real hit. I used a quick light spell to distract it. The dame saw her babies on the ground behind me and came after me. That gave Coryson his opening. He leapt on her back and drove his sword down into her neck. He got quite the haul out of it and will be toasted well in the Hunters' Lodge tonight.
Necromancer Faultus
27th of Nion, 535 ACE
Father sent me out to investigate reports of Restless Stalkers in a cave to the south of the city. The guards in the area had cleared them out several times, but they kept coming back. So, we needed to find out why. He sent me with a couple of student mages and some soldiers for backup.
At first glance, it seemed like a normal magical phenomenon. Creepy cave with rotting bodies, palpable magical energy. We were attacked almost as soon as we left the sunlight behind. We dispatched them quickly and I could understand why it took the local garrison so long to call for help. The Stalkers were easy. They fell with little resistance.
And then they got up again. They reformed with a speed that belied the idea of this being a natural magical occurrence. Every time we cut one down, it got up almost immediately. We fled further into the cave, trying to figure out what was summoning them, thinking it was a magical item of some sort. Unfortunately, what we found was a necromancer's lair. The necromancer attacked before we had a chance to react.
The guards froze. They were almost useless against the mage himself. They finally broke out enough to fight back when the Stalkers attacked from behind. The mage students flanked the necromancer while I moved in to keep his attention. I had no idea who he was. Necromancy was frowned upon and highly restricted, so many mages who follow the path train outside the school. He had enough power to cause trouble, but he was sloppy. It didn't take long before he was overextended trying to summon and control Stalkers to fight the soldiers while throwing magic at us. We quickly disabled and bound him.
He was an arrogant one, that's for sure. Despite being captured, he kept trying to tell us how powerful he was. The good thing for me was that meant he told us his name. A lot. So, we now have the "infamous" Necromancer Faultus" in custody. Dad's thrilled. Mom is trying to figure out exactly how he managed to send his only daughter up against a necromancer without preparation. I'm planning to spend the night in the bar to avoid the ensuing arguement.
