Zara was born to a family of Free State airship traders who walked a fine line between legitimate commerce and less-savory ventures. From a young age, she learned the intricacies of airship navigation, trade negotiations, and, more importantly, how to slip past Imperial patrols and outmaneuver rival traders.
One day, on a routine trade expedition, a devastating magical storm ripped through the sky-sea, shattering her family's vessel and leaving her the sole survivor. Though she was trapped upon a crippled and dying airship, she refused to succumb to despair. Drawing upon everything her family had taught her, she kept her ship airborne until she stumbled across the town of Haven's End. The inhabitants of this town, a notorious pack of smugglers, pirates, and privateers, heard her tale of survival and immediately broke out into drunken celebration. They dubbed her "Stormbreaker" and adopted her into their gang.
Once of age she gathered a small crew of like-minded individuals, misfits, and those who shared her thirst for freedom and fortune. Together, they rebuilt her family's ship, christening her The Harbinger. Thus began Zara's reign as a notorious sky pirate, striking at Imperial convoys, outwitting authorities, and building a reputation that echoed across the sky-sea.
Despite her ruthless methods, Zara developed a strict code of honor. She targeted Imperial ships, seeing them as a symbol of the Empire's oppression, but she never took lives needlessly and often shared a portion of her plunder with struggling communities in the Free States. This duality earned her the respect of many within the Free States, even as the Empire branded her a criminal and placed a hefty bounty on her head.
When war broke out between Sanctum and the Empire, Zara found an unexpected opportunity. Recognizing her skill and disdain for the Empire, Sanctum offered her a deal: a generous commission and official pardon in exchange for her services as a privateer.
Comments