Iria Starwild

Iria Starwild (Born 65 AU) is a famous explorer and a honorary vice-dean of the Universtiy of Erwy. She was the captain of Brave, the first ship which reached the continent of Zea and came back.
Iria grew up in Port Leosta, a major shiping and fishing hub in south-eastern Erwy. She was a daughter of an experienced fisherman and a University biology lecturer. The main influence on her life, however, was her brother. Egor Starwild, unlike his mother, very early in his life took interest in geography, and was able to secure a position in a satellite History and Geography office. He quickly infected his ten years younger sister with the desire to discover and explore new lands.
Unfortunately, it was easy to dream, bu not make the dream reality. Most of the Dain continent is an explored, even if not well mapped, territory, and there was little chance of discovering new species of large animals or cultures. With the exception of eastern Dain, where people hoped to unearth more relics like the Sky Tower, finding sponsors for research expeditions was near impossible. It didn't help, that sea journeys to the notrh and west returned empty-handed or not at all, while in the east Yellow Storms awaited to tear any approaching ship apart.
When Iria was twenty two, her father died in an accident during a fishing route. Iria was not present, but was at this point an excellent sailor. The crew saw her as a competent comrade, but was not ready to simply accept her as a captain. Iria's mother was never close to her children. She dislike her life in Port Leosta, even more now that the sea took her husband. She decided to sell the ship and the house, and move to the old Wyeh capital to have easier access to the University resources.
This is where Iria and her brother made their gambit. In a desperate plea to save their father's ship they made an offer to the History and Geography Department. If the University purchased the ship, they would mount an expedition to seek new lands in the south. It worked. Soon, Iria made the Brave her home and office, repairing the ship and preparing it for the journey. She re-hired large part of the old crew and, to appease the University supervisors, started more gaining experience by making a first catalogue of deep-sea fish. The sea exploration earned her a title of Stormbrave in 88 AU.
Finally, two years later, the expedition was ready to take off. With forty eight other souls, Iria set the sails for south-west. She had better idea than most where the Yellow Storms reached, and decided to move in the opposite direction, encircling the south of the continent from east to west in a wide arc. This way, she woud make sure she ends up back in known lands, but hoped to see new ones in the south. They agreed that her brother, Egor, would not join her on the first journey to preserve the family line and tell her story in case of a catastrophic failure.
The Brave's journey quickly went off-course. As soon as Iria and her crew reached unknown waters, the ship hit a powerful current, bringing them much more south than the navigators anticipated. After several months, as the time to make a decision to make a sharp turn north approached, Iria saw a land. In late 90 AU, first contact of Dain and Zea was made. The Brave made its landing on the eastern edge of the Jaba-Dal marsh. Celebrations of the discovery were cut short as several members of the crew complained of shortness of breath and fell unconscious. The deadly vapors claimed three victims, a minor miracle considering their potency. Mourning her comrades, but determined to explore the new continent, Iria made the decision to venture back west. She argued that if the land continued this way, she might be able to return to the point of origin by sailing straight north.
She was right. After several weeks, they encountered a tribe-unaffiliated village, who allowed the strange visitors to recuperate and directed them further west, to Nata-Got tribe capital. Iria Starwild spent a little over a year exploring central Zea. This resulted in creation of the first tome of the Starwild Compendium, the first ever guide to Zea.
Iria and her crew returned home in 92 AU. What followed was a lengthy string of invitations to various noble homes and lecture halls for everyone involved. The public was engossed in the tales of the strange lands, quickly blowing them out of proportion, which the Compendium barely held in check. Iria herself accepted the position of a honorary vice-dean of the University. She knew she wouldn't be able to perform any real duties, as she was already long planning her return to Zea.