Queen Aria of Concerto

Previously known as Oratorio, Aria is the queen of the island nation of Concerto. As a powerful Scribing and Binding mage with the ability to rewrite the memories of herself and others using her Dragonsoul Implement, she was originally a cruel monarch who would for the slightest crime rewrite the memories of her subjects to make them fanatically loyal to her and transfer their souls into stone statues and krakens to serve as her army and navy.

This all changed when she shared her memory with her lover Cacophony to convince her that her feelings for her were real and that she hadn't rewritten hers, at which point Cacophony turned the power on her and rid her of her own memories, binding up the book that is her implement and leaving her blank and unable to form new memories.

Over some years, she then lived out various different lives and experiences, often happening upon the solution of writing her memories in a book in a manner that paralleled her missing implement, never remembering at the points where she lost her means of keeping track of her experiences and starting fresh. Then, after several years in Acryn as an adventurer, she joined an excursion to find the original owner of some items that happened to have been stolen from Concerto, her implement among them. After unbinding the implement and regaining all of her memories, she and the other adventurers defeated and exiled Cacophony and she took her place as monarch once again.

Regretting her former actions, she rewrote all of her disjoint memories into a single consistent narrative, focusing on her time spent in Acryn (during which she had also become a blessed champion of the Traitor), to ensure that she would always do what she felt was right for her people (and Acryn where possible), as opposed to holding the cruel temperament that she used to. Resolving to change things so that Concerto could prosper and its people could be content to live under her rule by their own free will, she resumed her rule under the name she had used in Acryn and implemented new laws, reserving a variation on her old punishment for the equivalent to the death penalty. It remains to be seen how well this all work out.

Aria remains committed first and foremost to her people, and second to Acryn and its people, and ensuring that the two can coexist peacefully. Though she has regained her magical talents, she still tries to remain agile and in shape as a Skirmisher, wielding a pair of mana-infused knives. She's probably also picked up the Traitor's “Cold Heart of Reason” ability by this point, too.

The items still in her possession include her Dragonsoul Implement, a horn that can transfer souls between bodies, a ring which allows remote access to her mana stores and the dagger in which Booker stole a small part of the Rampant's power. She also remains subject to the uses of “Always the Correct Path” listed below.

Aria remembers next to nothing. Her only persistent memory is of floating in some dark void. She's not even sure for how long. There might have been a light, it's all a bit vague.

And not only are her past memories missing, she is unable to form new ones. Her short-term memory seems to be good, but with time anything new she experiences or learns fades away and is forgotten again. On occasion, she has also been known to just immediately forget it all in an instant.

At some point in the past, she seems to have overcome this limitation by starting to write a book of her experiences, from which she can remind herself of important things until she next forgets. This book contains everything from where she lives to information about the city, the people she meets and what food she keeps, and proves vital on adventures to remind her of what she's trying to do and whom she travels with.

Whilst she has no memories of her experiences, she still seems to remember by instinct some of the things that are second nature to a city-dweller, such as the name of the city's currency. Her procedural memory is also very good, and she has an exceptional skill with knives, moving instinctively and reflexively to eliminate potential threats, though she does not recall where these skills come from. She has also been known to experience a sense of familiarity on seeing some scenes, such as an alchemy lab or a magic sign, but has no actual memories to back up these feelings.

Class: Skirmisher [S]

Path: Dashing Swordsman [D]

Background #1: Very Tough [V]

Background #2: ???

Extra Background: Divinely Favoured (Builder) [B]

Extra Background: Divinely Favoured (Traitor) [T]

Epic Tree: True Face of the Traitor [F]

Skills

• S1 - Use Dagger [+THROUGH]
• S1 - Nimble [+1 DODGE]
• S1 - Tough [+2 Body]
• D1 - Signature Move (Free)
• S1 - Light Armour Training [+1 Armour]
• S2 - Dagger Mastery [+1 DODGE]
• S2 - Dagger Talent 1 [+2 REND/dagger]
• V1 - Tough [+2 Body]
• D2 - Roll With the Blow [effect → STRIKEDOWN 2 times/encounter]
• S1 - Survivalist [+1 DODGE in rural terrain]
• V2 - Tough [+2 Body]
• S3 - Dagger Mastery 2 [DOUBLE]
• D3 - Poise of a Dancer [+1 DODGE against each monster]
• S3 - Master Survivalist [on DODGE, can reflect 3 times/adventure]
• S3 - Improved Agility [+1 Agility]
• S2 - Main Gauche Swiftness [+1 DODGE]
• S3 - Weapon Catching [+1 DISARM]
• D4 - All Against One [ignore alternating blows when 2+ vs. 1]
• S2 - Using the Land [+1 ENTANGLE in rural terrain]
• S3 - Edificeer [urban terrain also valid for terrain skills]
• S4 - Dagger Talent 2 [+1 REND/dagger, +1 WEAKEN/dagger]
• B1 - Miraculous Power: Concussive Strike
• S3 - Using the Land [+1 ENTANGLE in rural terrain]
• S4 - Whirling Dervish [10s Agility duration in rural terrain]
• S4 - Two-Defence Swiftness [+1 DODGE]
• S4 - One With Your Dagger [IMMUNE DISARM, IMMUNE SHATTER]
• S5 - Dagger Supremacy [TRIPLE]
• S5 - Twin Dagger Disarm [DISARM on block with both daggers/20s]
• D5 - The Perfect Dance [on DODGE, can reflect 1 encounter/adventure]
• S2 - Tough [+2 Body]

Level
★

XP: 0

• 418 Riel
• 1x Superior Dagger containing part of the Rampant's power [One use of Whisper of Temptation per encounter]
• 2x Superior Dagger
• 7x Standard Dagger

• The favour of Vincta Terrec
• The enmity of Willie Altieri
• Minor blessing of the Traitor on memory book: can once ever write a question to the Traitor in the book to receive a response in line with the Traitor's goals
• Major blessing of the Traitor from Booker's church: is a champion of the Traitor, agents of the Traitor will and worshippers of the Traitor will probably “respond well”, and gains a Divine Favour miracle: Glove of the Poisoner
• Has been reforged, spine both literally and metaphorically strengthened, to be always capable of standing up for what is right. May use the Always the Correct Path miracle on herself with 30s meditation once/encounter (with result sticking in memory), and may request help from the Traitor once/adventure in the form of a minor blessing (duration and potency dependent on how important goal/subject is to Traitor
• As long as she cares for the plight of children, has Divinely Favoured (Builder)

• Cutting open the Builder's body: must be opposed
• Lynndis the Warrior drinks poison: must happen
• Tarkus the Builder is crushed beneath his creation: must happen
• Darak the Leader's throat is slit at his coronation: must happen
• Abraxis the Traitor stabs Alyssa the Tender in the heart: must happen
• Killing the fire spirit that Booker became: must happen