Zinnia

Zinnia is a tabaxi druid living in Ghispar of the Catfolk Freehold. Strong-willed and opinionated, she often butted heads with authority figures. She was determine to find or make her own place in the world rather than follow any path set before her by someone else. This conviction eventually led her to embrace the Circle of Stars druidism.
She led a group of rangers, Zinnia's Platoon.

History

Background

Zinnia was born in 3161. The daughter of a powerful druid, she was expected to follow in her mother's footsteps. Zinnia grew to resent this and eventually fled for Ghispar to become a ranger.
In 3201, Catchief Urthpaw promoted Zinnia to Captain and allowed her form a platoon of the year's most promising recruits. This group became known as Zinnia's Platoon. The platoon became very close and Zinnia cared deeply for them. Though, Zinnia was required to follow the Catchief's orders, she often picked and chose which orders she thought were relevant. Zinnia and her crew often went on missions Zinnia herself had planned. She and the Catchief often fought about this, but Urthpaw rarely punished Zinnia or her crew due to their successes.

Meeting the Big HELP

In 3203, Urthpaw ordered the platoon to investigate the crash of the Raziel for survivors. Zinnia stopped in Popoki Village where she and the others met The Big HELP. The HELP had just fought off an attack from skeleton forces. Zinnia told them to report this information to the Catchief in Ghispar, but Larka convinced her that they would be of help searching the Raziel wreckage.
On the way to the Raziel wreckage, Zinnia and Kilgrid were captured by the necro-thralls of Advisor Lemore Mondicrell and taken to his family home on the edge of the Freehold. They were rescued by the HELP before one of the necro-thralls could begin experimenting on them. Zinnia sent Felgo and Kilgrid back Ghispar to report on the necromance while everyone else continued through Church of Gorthag territory to the crash site. No survivors were found so Zinnia and the others returned to Ghispar. On returning to Ghispar, Zinnia was summoned by the Catchief and her council where she learned that King Hespiro of the Rusha Kingdom had launched a conquest of Udarich. At the suggestion of Advisor Lemore, Zinnia's Platoon was disbanded to better serve the defense of the Freehold. Zinnia was sent to scout the battlefields and spy on Hespiro. Wildshaping into a giant eagle, she left in a cold rage.
While spying on Hespiro, Zinnia came to realize Hespiro shared her ideals. Zinnia came to respect Hespiro and eventually aligned with him. From Hespiro, she learned to directly commune with nature without the need of godly magic. She experienced a revelation, adopting druidic powers unheard of before. She called this new druid circle the Circle of Stars. Hespiro showed her visions of a great threat looming over Udarich should the world keep using magic as it is now. Zinnia, horrified at the fate that might come, agreed to serve him.
Later, she was sent to spy on the Cult of Arazid's activities in abandoned mines around Valadris. She was unfortunately captured while in the form of a canary and kept by Royce, the cultist in charge of the operation. Set free when she was reunited with the Big HELP, she learned that the cult planned to attack Valadris under the guise of Hespiro's army, hoping to bring the wrath of the Order of Elements on him. Zinnia feared that Gadorr's theocracy wouldn't stop at ending Hespiro's conquest. Before she could work out a plan, she heard the sounds of battle in the caves and leapt to the HELP's defense when they got into a fight with the Arazid Cult leader, the Fireblood. Zinnia barely held the Fireblood off long enough for the HELP to escape before fleeing to a hiding space. She overheard the Fireblood's frustration that the HELP had killed almost all of her followers, leaving too few to present a major threat to Valadris. Instead, the remaining cultists in the city would assassinate a Gadorrian ambassador. Zinnia fled to ask the Big HELP to find this assassin with her, finding them at the Cerisan Opera House during a performance by Madame Seid.
Zinnia and the HELP deduced that the target was Nascour Varna, a elven enchanter, and helped thwart his murder by a mind controlled pickpocket. They wanted to interrogate the pickpocket but were attacked by the remaining cultists. The leader, attempting to transform with her Arazid powers, lost control and became a monster. Zinnia took her Starry Form and helped take her down with the Big HELP. After the fight, the HELP picked up on Zinnia's anxiety, telling them that she had left the Catfolk Freehold and now served Hespiro. She confessed this and urged the HELP, Larka specifically, to meet with him so he could explain the threat magic posed to the world as it was now. Zinnia returned to Hespiro.