Shardanna

Player character in the Pioneers, and later with Rhae and Larindel.

Shardanna was born on October 14, 2664 in the village of Arta, on the outskirts of the Greek-influenced kingdom of Tibaraî. Arta was a small community whose people maintained small orchards and relied heavily on trade with the nearby city of Dramaî. During Shardanna's early childhood, the lord of Dramaî imposed unrealistic tariffs on goods coming from the outlying villages. Arta felt the brunt of this new law more than her neighbors and within a single season, its people became the poorest of the region.

Shardanna's parents fared better than some and decided to stay in Arta, rather than emigrate to Dramaî as so many others were doing. It meant an increased workload for both adults, though, and with three daughters to feed, the burden became almost unbearable. On April 29, 2666, during the birth of Shardanna's only brother, her mother died, leaving her father with four children, the oldest of which was only five years. Despite the new burden, her father remained in Arta and raised the four children by himself.

Arta's only religious shrine was a small chapel dedicated to Apollo. The people prayed to the sun god to protect their crops, but were otherwise not devoutly religious. This shrine proved to be a favorite spot to Shardanna as she was growing up, because in many ways it represented the only link to the great world beyond. Her father told her stories of other lands and of the gods, but Shardanna yearned to learn more.

When she was sixteen years old, in the fall of 2680, a Norse swordsman named Tilden came to town on the trail of a fugitive who had fled all the way from the Norse kingdom of Vollarin. Tilden confronted the criminal in the village square and carried out the most spectacular and exciting sword battle the villagers had ever seen. Tilden emerged victorious, but was sorely wounded. He collapsed shortly afterwards and remained bed-ridden for two weeks. Shardanna's father offered to aid the wounded warrior, but the task soon became Shardanna's alone. After he awoke, Shardanna and Tilden became fast friends. Tilden told her of his magic sword, whose name was Galt, and of healing magics and other wonders of the world. Shardanna returned the favor by telling Tilden of the Greek gods and of Tibaraî. When Tilden was finally able to leave, winter had come and the trek home was impossible. As he waited the winter out, Shardanna and Tilden became much more than friends. They were married in a simple ceremony on January 21, 2681. Despite a thirteen-year age separation, Shardanna's father could not have been more pleased with the union.

When spring came, Tilden and Shardanna left Arta and Tibaraî behind and returned to Tilden's homeland, Vollarin. With a young wife, though, Tilden's outlook on the world changed. Shardanna had impressed in him a love of poetry and song and he had impressed in her a fascination with all things magical. In Vollarin, though, strength and fighting were predominant. Shardanna was scorned by Tilden's friends and Tilden himself began to feel stifled by Vollarin customs, which were now more alien than was comfortable.

On May 27, 2682, Tilden and Shardanna had a son. They named him Bernard and immediately decided that Vollarin was just too mean-spirited of a place to raise him. That summer, they emigrated to Kearalor, where Shardanna began studying magic and Tilden gained employment with the Lord of Donegal, a modest-sized township near Rep Klin. The three lived in Donegal for twelve years, during which time Shardanna demonstrated a considerable talent with magic. Tilden became very popular with the local nobles and rose in the power structure. Due to “unmatched bravery” during the orc invasion of Lural in 2688, Tilden was knighted by King Dusan and stunned the nobles by declining a small barony, choosing instead to remain with the Lord of Donegal.

In the spring of 2694, Tilden celebrated his 43rd birthday. He had grown weary of being a swordsman, but craved little for the comforts of upper class. Meanwhile, Shardanna yearned to visit the elves, having endured years of stories from Tilden, who had visited them two decades earlier. The two almost instantly decided to take an extended vacation to the main continent. They arranged for transport and began a six-month odyssey which eventually ended in the elves homeland. During the winter of 2694-5, the family shared the hospitality of a friendly elven family in the village of Brethildil. The following spring, Shardanna picked a spot on the fringe of the elven kingdoms where the family began construction of a fortress. The spot was rich in mana, and Shardanna felt it would be an ideal site to study the non-spell-oriented magics. They moved in that fall, though it was not fully completed for two years, and their “vacation” became permanent.

In fact, the location that Shardanna had chosen for their home lay near one of the many portals that dot the world. When the wizard Bar assembled the Great Map and began his private battle with the demon Kost, it was inevitable that it would soon reach Shardanna and Tilden. On September 23, 2701, Bar appeared at their fortress with the demon in hot pursuit. A great spell battle ensued, with Shardanna's skill adding to Bar's to defeat the demon. The price, though, was steep. Kost, being a master of illusion, tricked Tilden into a vulnerable position by convincing him that his wife was in danger when she was not. Tilden, at age 50, was also not the warrior he once was. Kost destroyed the sword Galt and without it, Tilden was no match for the demon. An enraged Shardanna then charged Kost, despite Bar's warning. Kost was badly beaten by her onslaught, but succeeded in enslaving her. The respite given Bar by Shardanna's sacrifice, though, was enough for him to prepare a banishment spell.

(more details belong here)

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