Nanav

Scintillating Sorcerer

Overview

An orphan of Toret, she earns her keep with street-side illusions. She claims she can summon myriad beings, however she is truly a mistress of avian conjuration. She has cultivated bonds of trust with her coterie of doves, a feat she doesn't realize is rare.

Chapter One

(17237–17276, Era of Frost Veil) Nanav grew up in a wealthy merchant family. Her father wanted her to learn noble manners and make friends with noble ladies, hoping it would benefit both her and his future.
Her mother, however, had different plans. She wanted Nanav to live a carefree life as a wealthy young lady. Ideally, Nanev could marry a local from Toret.
So her daughter and son-in-law could manage the family business. Even in the Golden Age, the world was dangerous, and Nanav's mother feared her daughter befriending elves, disliked by traditional Yagol people.
Nanav's father highly respected her mother's way of educating. Their doting made Nanav focus on fun over studies, so they sent someone to keep her out of trouble.
Toret, a neutral city, drew a diverse crowd. Due to the governor's policies, merchants brought goods from Zinew Archipelago and Elgron, and adventurers sought refuge here. The outer city, Lunaris, was even more prosperous.
Street buskers often swindled coins from Nanav, and tavern bards got adventurers' drinks paid by her. Growing up like this, Nanav became bold and unruly.
Even the old mage hired by her father was helpless. Despite her magical talent, Nanav preferred using mind-reading spells to tease pigeons.
As Nanav's magical power grows rapidly, she should be taming powerful creatures like direwolves or sirens. Instead, more pigeons gather around her.
All this might come from her childhood love for buskers. The old mage had never seen someone control so many creatures at once, even if they were just pigeons.
Nanav's talent caught the attention of inner city nobles, including Commander Mysaris. As a young, gifted mage from a wealthy family, Nanav was a highly desirable marriage prospect.
The traditional Yagols disliked Mysaris, a banished Derya and Long Ear. They thought the governor must have been bewitched to trust such an outsider.

Chapter Two

Her mother forbade the despised Long Ears from coming near her daughter, while the once-friendly nobles now stayed silent. Who would challenge the "Horror Fang" for a mere trader?
When Nanav was ten, she saw soldiers taking her parents away, her mother's half-finished rabbit-eared hat left behind, never to return.
In a surprising turn, Mysaris spared vulnerable Nanav, sending her to an orphanage and quenching the once haughty girl's heartless joy.
Nanav felt joy slipping away like a kite without a string. In her despair, she saw the enemy's indifference as the ultimate tragedy, believing death or suffering would be kinder. Being completely ignored erased her significance and her connection to her parents.
Society's labels—prodigy, pampered heiress—meant nothing to her now. She was simply Nanav, an orphan in a welfare home.
The difficult life her parents had endured vanished, leaving no trace. In her solitude, Nanav yearned to see her mother again and hear her father's counsel.
Thankfully, she was unaware that her misfortune was caused by her own virtues, or that the culprit was the Lost Elf, a name whispered in dread.
Nanav learned her foe had been defeated by the city's ruler. Mysaris's wealth was taken, and the people cheered the wise sovereign.
Few cared to investigate why the ruthless Lost Elf became legion commander or who its victims were.
Nanav felt no relief or vengeance upon her foe's demise; she had never met Mysaris in person. Her hatred for Mysaris had driven her, but now even that goal was gone.
Performing magic was her lifelong dream. Yet, whenever she wore her mother's hat and hit the streets, she'd hear: "Here comes clumsy magician Nanav!" Despite her precise control over pigeons, she preferred not to flaunt it.
It might have been a nod to the artistry, but Nanav sought different results.

Chapter Three

\u3000What does Nanav truly want? She isn't quite sure. Sometimes, the person who knows you best isn't yourself, and the demons within often hide in unseen corners. But don't worry; Abyss demons, experts in human nature, know your true desires.
The eldest daughter of the Ansus Demons, who has influenced Nanav's journey, has long coveted this city. The Abyss has waited too long; during the Golden Age, capturing this neutral city is their only chance to break through.
Nanav, the misguided mage, merely seeks to prove her worth—not as an orphan or a foolish mage, but as Nanav, the daughter of her esteemed parents.
To live as Nanav, she believes she must become an avenger, seeking retribution against this hypocritical city-state. Guided by the Ansus demons, Nanav forms the Scarlet Liberation, masquerading it as her own desire for freedom for those dissatisfied with the governor.
This organization lurks like a dark behemoth in the shadows, wielding immense power. Regardless of their motivations, the outlaws of Scarlet Liberation share one goal: to obliterate the city they view as filthy and corrupt.
However, few realize that while Nanav promises to destroy the old world, she never commits to building a new one, a fact that doesn't concern her followers. Those driven by ambition often ignore inconvenient truths.
Toret becomes a neutral city-state navigating various races not through mercy, but by daring to challenge the order, ready for death. Biologically and instinctively, even renegades fear death.
As Scarlet Liberation teeters on the brink of collapse, the governor sends his heir. Is this a ploy to persuade them to surrender? To Nanav, bowing to the enemy is more terrifying than death. Her parents wouldn't, and neither will she.
Everything unfolds as the demons intend. Once the governor's heir reaches Lunaris's outskirts, they will find a way to force the arrogant noblewoman to comply and open the connection between Holyscape and the Mortal Realm.
During the heir's visit, the eldest daughter of the Ansus demons, whose power far exceeds mortal limits, will come to Ciaran herself. However, all these plans are derailed by a sudden rain of fire from the sky.
It's the dragons. From the distant Mountains of Madness, these future rulers of the continent awaken, arriving unexpectedly and displaying their unmatched power.
They attack all non-dragon beings indiscriminately, sparing no one. The earth dragons upheave the land, causing it to crack, and Nanav is injured by the shockwave. She looks up to see a pair of slender arms, still bleeding, attempting to save her.
After hesitating, Nanav refuses the hand. She knows this girl is Lido, the heir of Toret. The great mage Nanav won't ask the enemy for help.
The initial battle to defend Toret city temporarily repels the dragons, but at the cost of the governor's life. Ultimately, this northern industrial hub and Nanav's Scarlet Liberation do not survive the dragons' flames.
The fall of Toret also signifies the end of the Golden Age. But Nanav's story is far from over.
"If there is no anger and revenge, we will not be here together; but if there is only anger and revenge, we can never move forward."

Historical Notes

Piñata:
A tranditional game in Toret during festivals and birthdays. Piñatas are crafted from paper, clay, or cloth and festooned with colorful papers. Filled with toys and sweets, they are hung during celebrations. Blindfolded participants need to break it by swinging a bat. Some contain mere flour, water, or confetti. Less fortunate kids get small treats as consolation prizes.

Toret City:
Established during the mid-Golden Age as a northern colossus of industry, Toret fostered strong relations with the Sugeth Dwarves and maintained a neutral stance. The city's founding time is debated. Some attribute it to when Myllis unified local factions as the governor. Others credit the Bladekeeper Trey, who expanded into the northwestern wilderness and befriended the Sugeth Dwarves. The city met its demise in dragon fire, marking a poignant end to the Golden Age.

Derya:
Identifying themsElves as Lost Elves, they are those having not migrated to the Yarve Archipelago or lost the Heartwood's protection. They integrated into human society much earlier and deeper. The Elves of Yarve call them Deryas, meaning those who refused the grand voyage.

Mysaris, the Horror Fang:
(17009–17244, Era of Frost Veil) Calrissian of the Savantis chose to give up his claim to the Elven Sovereignty upon Queen Candice's return to the Heartwood, leading to his exile. Venturing alone to Ciaran, he honed his skills, eventually earning the admiration of Toret's governor and a position as legion commander.

Abyssal Nobility:
Primarily refers to the Campbells, among whom Lilium, the Nest of Chaos, stands as the only lady of the Abyss. She once helped Trey, the Bladekeeper, in subduing city factions. Her attempts to establish Toret as an Abyssal outpost were thwarted by the Bladekeeper and a weapon forged by the Sugeth Dwarves named Ash.