Shira vas Otten hails from Blackmoor, daughter of a moderately successful seamstress. Her talent for magic was apparent even as a child, when she would scribble arcane formulae in her school notes. As a young adult, she left the city for Cirta's Athenaeum to study magic. It was in Cirta that she discovered her passion: evocation magic, a powerful school that seemed at odds with her frail body and uncertain demeanor. Her professors referred to her as "the fireball menace," a moniker that stuck and was occasionally used as an insult. However, no matter how often she missed, her magic was undeniably potent, and she graduated as a mage at age 27.
After graduating, she joined a group of adventurers. They traveled across the land for seven years until a mysterious disaster fragmented their group and sent her to the hospital in the city of Cirta, where she met
Lady At Fangrys Eyel . Knowing she would never be able to roam the land as she once did, Shira decided to become an initiate of the
Silent Priesthood and embraced the role of a silent sister of the goddess. She never imagined becoming the next Lady-In-Waiting-- and yet. Lady At, in an unprecedented pivot, chose her as her successor a mere month before she departed on her final journey.
Terrified of the scrutiny of the Silent Priesthood's high ranking clerics, as well as the vast responsibilities that suddenly fell into her lap, Shira scrambled to appear dignified as Lady-in-Waiting. On top of the upheaval in the Raven's Descent, her dreams began to be plagued by visions of apocalyptic events. The arrival of
Abiyr Arsolum ,
Alden Blackwell ,
Katarine de Masque , and
Bill Stoneheaver was a relief, as their presence offset some of the disapproval leveled her way. Over their time in Cirta, she came to trust and rely on them quite a bit.
While in Cirta, Shira helped the party several times and gave them guidance as to their main objective-- stopping the descent of
The Godbreaker into the Material Plane. She allowed them access to death record at the Raven's Descent, taught Abiyr how to perform funerary rites, and gave a funeral for the fake Gotha the Bloodied that the party defeated in the city sewers. When the party departed Cirta, Shira sent an acolyte with an elven tabard of
The Raven Queen to Abiyr. Bill spotted her hiding on a bench a ways away in plain sight, out of her formal robes and revealing her actual appearance. Realizing she had been spotted, she waved goodbye to the ship as they set sail.
Physical Description
Shira is a very diminutive moon elf, bearing traditional tattoos across her face, neck, chest, and hands. She has short pearlescent white hair and eyes, pale skin, and is mostly wheelchair-bound. She can walk for short distances using mobility aids such as crutches. Shira's chair is a magical item that levitates, despite the fact that it also has wheels in case of an anti-magic field or other emergency. However, it is unlikely she would be able to get far in it, given her frail physical state.
Successor (Vital)
Towards Lady At Fangrys Eyel
Predecessor (Important)
Towards Lady Shira Vas Otten
History
Lady At's reasons for appointing Shira as her successor were never clear to the acolyte. Lady At was always very kind, and is the reason Shira joined the Priesthood, but they were not really friends. Shira has deified Lady At in her mind somewhat, and is terrified of failing her somehow, but with no way to achieve closure.
Paladin (Important)
Towards Lady Shira Vas Otten
History
Shira feels a large measure of fear for Abiyr, as one of the few Raven Queen paladins left in the world, and feels as though she is responsible for sending him into danger. She is very aware of her position as Lady-in-Waiting and tries not to let her unsubtle crush on the paladin get in the way of being a resource and ally.
To Abiyr, Shira initially represented the Raven Queen herself, which complicated his admiration and respect for her. As he becomes more familiar with the goddess, the equivalence is beginning to fade, and he may begin to see Shira for who she actually is.
- Shira's playlist is called objects seen from far away.
- She is a known menace in the local chess tournaments, to the point where contestants will walk out when they notice her.
- Shira graduated third place in her year at the Athenaeum, and second in the class of evokers.
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