Callista Miursa
Callista Miursa
Callista Miursa is the wife of the current High Rider of Elturel Alcor Miursa and the mother of Arcus Miursa, one of the members of the Lost Star Detectives that ended the Damnation of Elturel.
History
Callista was born in 1449 in Triel, a small village that would join the newly formed nation of Elturgard while she was still a child. Callista's parents were farmers and she spent most of her childhood helping them in the fields and gardening, but even from a young age she was defined by her neverending curiousity, sneaking into warehouses and through the stores of passing trade caravans to see what she could find. In 1466, two Hellriders were sent from Elturel to serve as the foundation for a permenant garrison in the village. These two were the mother and son Tori and Alcor Miursa, and Callista was instantly intrigued by the latter. The two of them formed an instant connection that was solidified through marriage in 1468. Alcor and Callista remained in Triel for the next several years as Alcor slowly gained more and more command of the garrison in the village. During this time, Callista gave birth to two sons: Kaiden in 1469 and Arcus in 1472. In 1478, Arcus fell victim to a curse by the hag Zilly Redwood, who "took Arcus's voice," rendering him mute. Alcor and Callista tried everything to dispell the curse, even taking Arcus to Elturel to try and take advantage of the city's increased resources, but nothing worked. However, knowing that Elturel had a small mute community and believing that a change of scenary would do Arcus good, the Miursas relocated to Elturel permenately. While in Elturel, Callista missed her farming roots and started gardening around a small pond an hour away from Elturel, which was unbeknownst to her a spot favored by the goddess Eldath. Arcus began joining Callista, and the developed a close bond. This time spent with Callista inspired Arcus to pursue a career tending to the Gardens of Elturel, which Callista encouraged. In 1491, the pair devised a plan to impress the staff tending to the Gardens with a bloom of Grizzly Tide the two had been growing for the past year. However, the night before the presentation, Callista disappeared from the garden, stolen away by Zilly Redwood, the hag that rendered Arcus mute, as Arcus's ability to start working at the Gardens would be finding his metaphorical "voice." While her loss was mourned by her family, Callista was, in fact, working a slave for Zilly in the woods outside of Triel, magically aged up to an elderly woman to keep her from escaping and forced to perform household chores for her hag enslaver. Years later, in 1497, Arcus had joined a group of adventurers called the Lost Star Detectives in their efforts to end the Damnation of Elturel. Arcus, now an paladin opposed to all extraplanar creatures, began to find a presumed role for himself in Avernus by slaying devils. However, upon exagerrating his exploits to a pair of storytellers, the storytellers were stolen by Zilly to prevent Arcus's exploits from traveling, finding a new voice for him. However, one of the storytellers, Envy, ensared the Detectives in his teleportation, bringing them all to the Material Plane. Realizing where they were, and needing to return to Avernus, the group hunted Zilly, finding her hidden cabin and Callista. The Detectives fought and killed Zilly, freeing Callista, and returned Arcus' voice to him. After catching up Callista on what she had missed, the Detectives left her with her mother-in-law Tori in Triel and returned to Hell to free Elturel. After the 1498 Battle of Elturel, the city was returned to the Material Plane, and Callista left Triel to reunite with her family. After a tearful reunion, Callista found herself unexpetedly at the center of politics, as her husband Alcor became the High Rider of the city, almost entirely as a result of him being the highest ranking Hellrider left alive. Though Callista would often counsel her husband behind the scenes, she rarely engaged in politics herself, changed and more melancholy as she was as a result of her captivity. Instead, Callista preferred to continue tending to the garden she had started, and Arcus had maintained, years earlier.Mental characteristics
Mental Trauma
Callista was known for much of her youth for her inquisitive nature, creativity, and excitement about life. Though these facets about her remained following her freedom from the hag Zilly Redwood, Callista in her later years was noted for being far more reserved and weary. Though she would still find great joy in gardening, one of the few activities that kept her sane during her imprisonment and magically-induced aging, moments of open and expressive joy were often only seen by family and close friends.
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