Sorcha Saughfein
Storm Queen
My thoughts are my thoughts... my voice is my voice... My thoughts are my thoughts. My voice is my voice. My life is my life. There's no one else here! IT'S JUST ME! IT'S ONLY ME! Isn't it?
The Stormlands is, by the very nature of its people, a nearly impossible realm to hold in check. It is a collection squabbling warlords bent on seizing each other's land and pillaging nearby communities for wealth, slaves, and personal glory. In fact, only one thing truly binding them together into a sustainable and cohesive nation and that's the Storm Queen, Sorcha Saughfeign.
Early Life
Sorcha comes from one of the many Stormlander ruling clans. The Saughfeins, like so so many others, were dedicated warriors who believed their destiny lay with sacking coastal communities and bringing coin into the coffers of the clan. That wealth was funneled into the building of raiding vessels, specifically the construction of naval rams and ships with inverted bows. Sorcha, like most daughters belonging to a Lord of the Stormlands, was expected to either marry to forge stronger alliances or take to one of the warships and bring glory to her family name. It was the latter that she choose and from the young age of twelve she began her life as a bloody butcher for the Saughfeign Clan. The years of vicious fighting both abroad and at home were little more than a crimson blur to Sorcha. Seventeen years of killing transformed the child into a leader of men and name known (and feared) across all the island. On the open water her ships thirst for the opportunity to slam into the enemy with their rams and the weight of the inverted bows would push the wreckage beneath the waves to quickly sink. In raids along Tairos' coast she would choose only the most hardened and profitable targets like dwarven merchant convoys, Tengu caravans and even military targets from Ghal Ankhar or Ghal Pelor. In campaigns against rival clans in the homeland mere rumor of her impending arrival was enough to cause enemy forces to quit the field or offer to treat. Thus it came as little surprise when the Storm Sworn offered formal invitation for Sorcha to come to Shattermast Fall and accept the honor of becoming the new Storm Sovereign.Coronation and the Blessing of Bitter Winds
Sorcha, like so many before her, was fated to play host to the secret master of the Stormlands. Abon, the Tempest. The spectral dragon had long hungered for a host body that would allow him to take to the fields of battle again and when word of Sorcha's exploits reached him he tasked the Storm Sworn with preparing the way for her. They tested her by engineering conflicts with rival houses, by revealing irresistible targets for raids, and cultivating the legend around her. Abon wanted a host who's myth was not only fitting for his grandeur but that would allow him to unleash some of his rage in combat without drawing undo attention. The rite known as the Blessing of the Bitter Winds is meant to culminate in Abon's transference from the dying host to the new chosen one. The soul of the host is consumed, fueling the process like wood cast into bonfire. That, at least, is how it has always been host after host. This time was different. This time was a disaster. What emerged from the effort was a new Storm Sovereign, one thrust into this new existence wreathed in a cacophony of screams and madness. Sorcha's strength of will was unlike any of the petty rulers chosen before. Rather than shatter, it endured. Sorcha endured and Abon crumbled. The dragon became trapped within her fracturing mind and the Storm Sworn quickly realized their master was sealed within this living prison. Simply killing her could be fatal to the entangled spirit and trying to transfer him to a new host could be equally dangerous. Instead, Abon would reign during brief moments of control where he could speak freely to his loyal agents. Outside of those handful of minutes during a week or month the dragon would have to work in the shadows of Sorcha's mind trying to influence her actions as best as possible.To outside observers this would look as though their Queen suffered from extreme bouts of manic behavior and then long periods of debilitating paranoia, depression, and auditory/visual hallucinations. Many assumed a terrible illness of the mind afflicted their Queen and only the cult-like Storm Sworn knew the truth, that this was the manifestation of the war being waged inside Sorcha's soul.
War Within
Abon has become a prison who must watch the fate of the Stormlands unfold from behind the eyes of his host. And, though he is firmly bound in this cell he is not powerless. Every day that passes his strength grows and that strength us exerted against the walls of Scorha's mind in the hopes of breaking her fully. Her nights are sleepless and plagued with anxiety and panic attacks. When she can sleep it restless and steeped in nightmares. The waking hours of the day see her assailed by phantom voices and nightmarish visions unless she relents to the urges of the parasite within. When she resists things become worse but when she surrenders to Abon's direction it is equally horrifying. She makes decisions without understanding where the motivation came from. She catches herself deep in thought but the thoughts seem foreign and not her own. During the times when Abon does manage to fully break through and take control Sorcha experiences this as blackouts and stretches of missing time that cannot be accounted for. This war is far from one sided though. Sorcha fights back by indulging in passions that center her and repair the cracks in her psyche. Those activities generally take the form of bloodshed. Any excuse to join a raid or harshly punish wayward lords are seized upon with furor. It's where she feels the most at home, the most herself, and where Abon is weakest. When a battle is not availiable she will test herself in armed combat against prisoners, Harrowhold soldiers, or beasts from the wilderness. Otherwise, the deck of a ship out on the open waters is equally as centering for her. Abon has little interest in wasting his strength trying to take control while she is so far from the throne so he retreats into her mind to bid his time. These conflicts within Sorcha have had dire consequences for the future of the Storm Lands. Abon has been working to strengthen alliances with Cinderstone and their dread god Ephias The Chain Maker. He hopes they can eventually build him a new body and grant him a proper army to reclaim the north... and sunder the nations that took it from him. Namely Frostmere. However, Sorcha's thirst for new victims to raid is pushing the Stormlanders into more frequent and direct combat with the Frostmerites far ahead of Abon's schedule. She's also made a habit of preying upon Duergarian outposts and caravans at the edge of Cinderstone's territory which is further endangering the dragon's plans. The other Storm Lords are starting to show concern as well; watching the strength of their raiding parties be spread thin across so many targets. The struggle between Abon and Sorcha continues to spiral out of control and threatens to drag all of the Storm Lands down with them. Without some kind of quick intervention the north will soon find itself trapped within a war from which there is no escape and likely no chance of survival.Mental characteristics
Mental Trauma
The impact of the Blessing of Bitter Winds and the failure of the ritual has resulted in damaged mind that is in a constant state of struggle between the two entities trying to take control.
Alignment
Neutral Evil
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Children
Current Residence
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
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