Petra D'Silva, Emissary of Beasts

Half-Elf Rogue, Dread Pirate

Petra D'Silva was a half-elf rogue who appeared in Azimuth Campaign One. She also appeared in Azimuth Anthology: Petra. She was played by I.W.   Petra was an ally of the Zenethian Children on their quest and joined them in the Leviathan Sea. In the course of their journey, they aided King Alphonse Brancana in rekindling the old alliances of the world against the dual threats of Esturk, The World's End, and Psaro the Manslayer. As part of this, Petra received Zenthai's Blessing and earned one of the reforged Zenethian Items. They traveled the world and gathered allies and forces to their banner and became known to the rulers of the world as the Zenethian Heroes. The Heroes were instrumental in the victories in the Fourth Age of the Tarterian War and the Manslayer War.   Petra would be pardoned of her past crimes and would work as emissary for the burgeoning nation of beasts in Parthenia. She was involved with the founding of two new cities, Port D'Silva and Falcon Port, which would help bring Parthenia onto the world stage. Eventually, Petra would sail out with her ship, the Falcon, never to be seen again.    

Description

Appearance

Petra was a half-elf woman with a sun-bronzed skin tone and deep red, waist-length hair. Her hair was kept loose, with a rough part. She had a tattoo of a feather on the right side of her neck. Her eyes were hazel, and she was missing her left eye, which she wore an eyepatch over. As a half-elf, her ears were pointed, and she had them pierced and often wore gold hoop earrings. During the events of the Zenethian Heroes, she wore a white blouse with a blue corset. She also had leather mariners boots.

Personality

Petra was a quick thinker and quick talker. She was incredibly charismatic and skilled at subtefuge, which would allow her to talk her way into or out of most situations. This was shown by how she negotiated passage on the Black Barrow despite her pirate reputation, and with her plan that convinced the demons of Aktempto to allow the Zenethian Heroes direct passage to Esturk, The World's End. This was also shown in her diplomatic skills as Emissary of Beasts, such as her negotiations with the leader of the Tribe of the Golden Fur.   Petra often chose to act solo, a pattern of behavior that put strain on her relationship with the other Zenethian Heroes. This was felt most strongly when she seemed to abandon them as they scouted Parthenia, causing Leo to threaten her life should she return.   Petra was shown to be a confident and determined individual. Her determination was shown when she unflinchingly took her own eye when she convinced the minotaur in charge of the Falcon to let her board as crew. She often would put herself in danger instead of others. In combat, she provided supporting buffs to allies and an intimidating presence to enemies as a dread pirate.   Petra was a skilled sailor and commanded several ships. She was fluent in semaphor.   Though in her youth she was not overly religious, during the course of her journey she grew to admire and respect both the other Zenethian Heroes and Chedae, The Heaven's Light, and she would remain faithful to Zenethia.

Biography

Background

At some point in 4A 948, Petra was born. It is not known where her birthplace was or where her heritage came from.   Petra eventually became the captain of a pirate vessel and garnered a dread reputation that would proceed her both at sea and on land. By the late Fourth Age she had become a well known and infamous pirate. During this time as a pirate captain, she commited several crimes, enough to warrant nations having bounties on her capture or death.   In 4A 996, Petra's ship pursued another vessel before both ships were destroyed by the Leviathan, leaving Petra as the only known survivor.

Campaign One: The Zenethian Heroes

Towards Esturk, The World's End

On the way across the sea, the Zenethian Children and their allies found the wreckage of several ships and one survivor, Petra D'Silva. Petra offered to help the party in exchange for safe passage. Later on, a flock of harpies attacked the ship and crew, and the fighting alerted a Leviathan who attacked the vessel. Joseppe and Ivan formed a magical wall of iron suspended above the creature and dropped the mass onto it, and they repelled the creature, slew the harpies, and continued on.   They arrived at Birdsong Tower on the southern coast of Santeem. Inside, they fought elementals and fire lizards. During the fighting, Petra was killed and then revived by Leo. Brigitte used her gift, a golden locket, and with the activation of the tower's mechanisms, a vortex opened beneath Brigitte, and she disappeared through it. For the party, she was only gone a moment. Brigitte returned as the time ritual spell completed. With her return, all the Zenethian Items had been regathered. With a surge of holy energy emanating from each item, the party were whisked away in emerald light.   On the Eternity Stair, Zenthai, The Dragon King, congratulated the children for gathering the artifacts of their parents and thanked the others for their aid. With a breath, Zenthai recast the Zenethian Items into new crystalline forms. Each took the form best suited for its new wielder, and with his energy they were once more recharged and glowing with holy light, and Petra received the Zenethian Dagger. With these gifts, he named them the Zenethian Heroes, the ones with the power to defeat Esturk, The World's End, and save Azimuth once more. Zenthai returned his Heroes to the Material Plane reenergized and with newfound power. With their task ahead of them, they quickly returned to their ship and set sail for Tarteria, where Esturk stirred.   The party arrived in Tarteria and travelled to the miasma-cloaked Aktempto. They found desecrated memorials to Morazar and Porgorag and the entrance to the mines was infested with demons. Petra was captured at the entrance, and as the party went forward to rescue her, Chedae would not proceed, and they left her behind. Petra had convinced the demons to bring them to Esturk directly, feigning that she had betrayed them. The ruse worked and they were led deep into the mines.   On 2 Avedar 4A 996, the Heroes went before Esturk, The World's End. Trip's soul was claimed by Esturk and she, along with Morazar and Porgorag, were turned into Dark Champions. Tunnelling through the dark and earth, Zenthai, The Dragon King, appeared and forced his way into this space between worlds to face his rival. The Heroes fought against the Dark Champions while Esturk battled Zenthai. Eventually the Dark Champions were defeated and their souls were saved.   However, the battle above went poorly for Zenthai. Alone and still wounded, he had not the strength to hold back Esturk indefinitely. Latching onto Esturk, Zenthai pulled a shining rainbow crystal from The World’s End, and as the dark Dragon screeched, the power exploded, sending Zenthai crashing into the battlefield below. Esturk flew down and landed heavily on the mortally wounded Zenthai. And with a final attack, Esturk killed The Dragon King.   The body of Zenthai scattered into lights that spread through the cavern and coalesced upon each of the Heroes, granting them Zenthai's Blessing, and the strength of resolve to face this fight. Though Johanna, Ivan, and Brigitte fell in the fighting, the Zenethian Heroes fought back against the darkness, and with a final blow, they sent Esturk, defeated, back into the darkness. They revived and recovered themselves, and as they left this place, they sealed the entrance behind them with an explosion. The demons were gone and the mines were empty as they ascended back to Azimuth.   When the Heroes emerged, they were met with the sun breaking through the storm above Tarteria, and their donkey approached in earnest. As Chedae came to them, she glowed with a similar energy to that which had infused themselves and their items. As the last energy faded from her, she transformed. No more was she the color-changing donkey that had journeyed with them from the start. Her true form was revealed, a young platinum-scaled Dragon. Zenthai had a daughter and hid her away on Azimuth so that if he were slain, Zenethia could continue.   Esturk was defeated once more, but Psaro still threatened the world. With the armies he had gathered he could still bring about the end of the kingdoms. The armies they had contacted were gathering in Branca to prepare for battle, and the Heroes would go to aid them. Returning to Leo’s ship, they sailed towards the Endor port and marched quickly towards Branca, the Kingdom of the South.  

Towards Parthenia and Psaro

King Alphonse Brancana had arranged a war council for the leaders to discuss their strategy against Psaro. The Heroes attended and provided what information they could about Psaro and his plans. The armies set out for the eastern coast to board the gathered vessels, but they did not yet know what they were getting into. The Heroes scouted ahead using a Wind Walk spell to see what defenses Parthenia had. They found where the enemy fleet was holding and went to turn back, however Petra split from the party. Without the means to end the spell and not endanger all of them, they had no way to prevent Petra from leaving them as she headed towards the beasts. Thinking themselves betrayed, the party returned towards the gathering forces.   Petra went to the leading ship of the beasts. There, she presented herself to the minotaur captain of the vessel, Black Phillip. Petra said she was a dissenter and wished to help Psaro win the war; all she wanted was her own ship. Black Phillip did not believe her, but offered her a chance to prove her resolve. He presented a dagger to her, and to prove herself, she took her own eye. The minotaur allowed her onboard and threw her to the under decks as part of the crew of the Falcon, the lead ship of a squadron headed to intercept a human fleet in the north. There she met a gnoll named Ringer. The gnolls were being forced to work under the minotaurs and were unhappy with their lot, and Petra convinced them to mutiny. The gnolls threw off the minotaurs and the Falcon was theirs. The squadron was about to engage the Burland fleet. Petra raised a flag with the Zenethian symbol on it, and the Falcon surprised the other beast vessels, sinking them in cannon fire. Petra approached the Burland flagship and explained her plan. Turning around and headed east, the Falcon led the Burland fleet towards Psaro’s.   Leo’s ship was still in Endor, so they joined the forces on Branca’s flagship, the Occidentalis, with King Brancana. Paired with them was the elven warship, the Effervescent. Chedae took to the skies and the fleet set sail and headed towards Parthenia.   In the Parthenian Sea, the allied fleet met the bulk of Psaro’s navy at the Battle of the Bay of Shipwrecks. The Heroes fought their way to victory and into the Parthenian Bay, and Petra aboard the Falcon rejoined them, guiding the Burland fleet to aid them. Breaking through, the Falcon and the Occidentalis landed on the shores of the Iron Marshes, and they made for the ruins of the city of Gardenbur. In the ruins of Gardenbur, they rested in a dilapidated temple. Inside, a spirit assaulted the party and King Brancana was wounded, and the darkness leached into the wound. The spirit was banished, but the King could no longer continue with them. King Brancana ordered the Heroes to head to Psaro's northern fortress, the Citadel of Bronze.   On 3 Janafen 4A 997, the Zenethian Heroes entered the Citadel of Bronze and traveresed through the trapped halls to the throne room. Psaro congratulated them and welcomed them before him. In the rafters of the room were the taken friends of the Zenethian Children, chained and rigged to fall to their death at Psaro’s whim. Psaro offered them their friends and their lives. All he asked for was their blood so he could perfect his use of the Power of Evolution. They refused. With a snap, Psaro summoned music and his minotaur general, Black Phillip, and drew his sword. Of the friends of the Children, only Cher and Gertrude were rescued. Black Phillip initially defeated Johanna, but she was revived by Leo and Black Phillip was slain by Johanna. Psaro forced into an incomplete evolution, and with arrow and spell and blade, the Heroes pummeled damage into Psaro, and the Manslayer was killed.   With Psaro gone, the magic that surrounded Parthenia destabilized and great shards of the anti-magic barrier began falling from the sky. The Citadel of Bronze shuddered and crumbled around them. Johanna used her weapon and cut the head from the slain Black Phillip, claiming it as her trophy, and the Heroes made their escape. They found the allied armies had won the battle in the Iron Marshes. Though there were fatalities and injuries, with Chedae present and with the Zenethian Heroes the victors against both Esturk and Psaro, the world was saved once more.   They eventually returned to Endor, where they found that Trip had recovered, and they introduced her to Chedae. The Heroes worked to aid the recovery and rebuilding of the displaced and wounded, and with the aid of Chedae in her material form, they accomplished great things at the end of the Age.   On 31 Jeran 4A 997, Chedae travelled to Hometown with the Zenethian Heroes. She said her goodbyes to each of them and ascended to Zenethia, succeeding her father as the next Dragon Deity of Zenethia and starting the Fifth Age.

The Fifth Age: The Age of Beginnings

After the end of the war, Petra would be pardoned of her past crimes and would work as emissary for the burgeoning nation of beasts in Parthenia. She was involved with the founding of two new cities, Port D'Silva and Falcon Port, which would help bring Parthenia onto the world stage.   Around 5A 050, the Tribe of the Golden Fur were allowed to settle in the Gorl Forest of the Kingdom of Endor due to Petra's influence and interactions with their leader at the time, Ipoohw of the Golden Fur.   Trip had a long recovery after her resurrection at the end of the Fourth Age. It is not known what became of her, but many years later, her siblings built a monument in their hometown named Trip’s Tower in her honor. Petra attended the ceremony.   Eventually, Petra would sail out with her ship, the Falcon, never to be seen again.

Relationships

Zenethian Children

Petra was rescued from the Leviathan Sea by the Zenethian Children and their allies and jioned them for the rest of their journey together. She was a consistent ally, however her loyalty to the group came into question across several moments in time. Despite this, she never faultered from aiding them and their influence, as well as the influence of Chedae, The Heaven's Light, turned her away from piracy.

Ringer

Petra met Ringer on board the Falcon and learned of the plight of gnolls under the control of Psaro the Manslayer. It was with the help of Ringer that Petra overthrew the minotaur crew of the Falcon and to influence the gnoll forces in Parthenia before the Battle of the Iron Marshes, leading to a decisive alliance victory. Falcon became a close and trusted compatriot of Petra and was instrumental in her appointment as Emissary of Beasts.

Character Information

Legacy

  • Petra was instumental in the founding of the Parthenian Federation and its recognition as a legitimate nation and inclusion in maritime trade.
  • The paired port settlements of Port D'Silva in the Wild Lands and Falcon Port in Parthenia were constructed as a result of Petra's influence.

Notable Items

  • The Falcon: Petra's ship from the bestial fleet of Parthenia. During the events at the end of the Manslayer War, she and Ringer overthrew the minotaur crew and led the ship in battle during the Battle of the Bay of Shipwrecks. The Falcon became Petra's primary vessel in the Fifth Age during her duties as Emissary of Beasts.
2022 Character Art by J Pleshe
Character Type
Player Character   Actor
I.W.

Current Status
Presumed dead
Species
Date of Birth
4A 948
Date of Death
Unknown
Children
Gender
Female
Eyes
Hazel, left eye missing
Hair
Deep red, waist length
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Bronzed
Height
5' 6"
Weight
122 lbs
Owned Vehicles
Aligned Organization
Related Reports
Petra Image 2.jpeg
2024 Character Art by Avocadraw, provided by I.W.