Rydia

''"Just ask the cat if he knows where the Ouchie Spiky Ouchie Ouches are..." ''

Rydia Galanodel  Rydia is an elf sorceress and a member of the Avalanche. She is chaotic-neutral and is somewhat good-natured but a bit selfish. Unless she is clearly benefiting, Rydia does not pay much attention to what is going on.

Early life
" Wanderlust draws the acorn off / bringing home to wherever it falls "

-- From "Songs of Elvish Roots" by Solostaran Dawnspringer

Youth
Deep in the forests of the Kingdom of Londar, a days journey along the river east of Ylsalon, there is the small wood elf village of Kasalond. The citizens live off the land and generally keep to themselves, traveling to human civilizations for trade in pelts, wood berries, and the occasional magic scroll only on rare occasions. A formal history of this town has never been penned, and for good reason: these elves have done well to keep out of history's way. If pressed, the more wizened elves of the town estimate they have been there for at least 600 human years. The skills of the town ranged, but specialities typically were sought in hunter and carpenter classes, with the occasional sage and magic user.

Rya Galanodel was born in the heart of an unseasonably long winter to her parents Dilanna and Zathhel. Rya never knew her father: days after her birth Zathhel went only a solo-hunting expedition and never returned. Her mother raised her during her formative years as a baby elfling, teaching her basic horticulture, climbing, swimming, and navigation. Rya's magical aptitudes showed themselves early on, but, as was law, formal training in magic could not begin at any point before the ritual of adulthood, performed during the first full Moon of their 100th year of birth.

Dilanna and Rya would frequently travel a short distance out of town, upstream along the river, toward a waterfall that emptied into a small lake. This was their special spot, a location that became so familiar to Rya that she could travel there in the darkest of nights. Dilanna, also possessing magical prowess, secretly taught her daughter how to conjured small balls of light, which danced off the moving water and the mist that often surrounded the lake. Rya had yet to understand hardship, but her gleeful innocence brought moments of calm to her mother. Floating in the sparkling water, Dilanna briefly felt the burdens of her past and future lift.

Thirty years after Rya's birth, Rya had taken up a role as an assistant to the sages of the town, assisting them in scribing scrolls, keeping ledgers of the town, and assisting the older members in their day to day lives. She developed a penchant for writing and debating--though her tendency to have emotional outbursts got her in trouble when arguments were not leaning in her favor. This was the year Rya's life would change forever. Overcome by another terrible winter, Kasalond was struggling. Food was scarce and the fires were barely able to keep the elves from shivering. The conditions had already claimed the lives of two of the elder elves, and it was clear that conditions were not going to improve anytime soon. Even water was becoming scarce, it would freeze almost as soon as you took it out of the pots hanging over the campfire, and the sages were exhausted from casting spells to maintain the water as a liquid.

Late that evening, Dilanna woke Rya. She knew where they could find some water. In this cold, Rya was confused as to where water would not have frozen, but she geared up and followed her mother to their waterfall. While ice has encrusted the falls themselves, the lake had remained a calm liquid body. Dilanna gave Rya several hide pouches to fill. When Rya had filled them, Dilanna turned to her, "You must help the town. Bring them this water, it will not freeze. But do not tell them where this lake is. It must be our secret. Do you understand?" Puzzled, Rya nodded and prepared to return back to the village. Her mother said to go ahead, she would be right behind her, and Dilanna watched Rya run off into the darkness of night.

Rya returned to the village, colder than she had ever felt, but the water remained liquid. The water remained unfrozen even while she carried it from house to house offering it to others. Exhausted, Rya passed out in her home without realizing that her mother had yet to return. The next morning, the freezing chill still existed deep inside her, but the weather had taken a sudden change. The winter storm had calmed, and sun shone through the clouds for the first time in weeks. Rya rushed back to the lake, but her mother was not there. The storm had passed but her mother never returned.

Entering Adulthood
Over the next thirty years, Rya was forced to take on the burdens of adulthood. While the town supported her where they could, Rya was required to take care of herself now, as well as contribute to the town's gardening and hunting tasks as best she could. She could wield a bow and arrow and sword just fine, but not with any proficiency. She did, however, find ways of convincing the trade bands to pick up books and scrolls from their travels to Ylsalon, and she spent her free time reading and studying the histories of the world and the lore of magic. Still unable to practice magic in the open, she often snuck away to the lake, where she would practice incantations and simple cantrips, never really succeeding beyond what her mother had shown her. Even through this constant failure, the lake brought Rya peace. Near those waters, the lingering chill in her heart warmed ever so slightly.

At 80 years of age, Rya had become a strong contributing member of the town, but her magic abilities had not improved. The sages had passed her a book or two of their own to read, but it was clear that she required formal tutoring. She sat at the lake, staring into its glassy surface. She had been overcome with wanderlust--something about the disappearance of her parents puzzled her. According to her mother, her father had mysteriously vanished, and no search party was able to find any trace of him. The same had happened to her mother. She needed answers to her questions, but she needed help preparing for adventure.

The lake provided. From the waterfall, she heard a voice reach out to her, "Ryaaaaa." Startled, Rya stood prepared to defend herself, but her night-vision detected no life nearby. The voice continued saying her name, and Rya felt drawn to the waterfall. The voice was not speaking common or elf-tongue, but she understood it perfectly. As if tranced, she waded into the water and walked to the base of the falls, wherein the shimmering wall of water she saw a face, a large draconic face staring back at her. She had swum in this lake countless times and she knew there was no room behind the waterfall for such a beast, but the image was crystal clear to her: a dragon stared back at her. And staring into its eyes, she felt a familiarity and warmth that she had not felt in years.

Over the next ten years, Rya had made it a habit of visiting the lake every evening, where the image of the dragon continued to speak to her and train her in the ways of magic. Teaching Rya how to tap into the icy coldness within her, Rya gained proficiency in several cantrips and first-level spells, and Rya's power was growing at a remarkable pace. Away from the lake, Rya wondered who the dragon was but could never bring herself to raise the question when face to face with the dragon. How did she understand dragon-speak? Was the dragon always part of the lake?

Ten years out of Rya's adult-ing ceremony, a band of travels stumbled upon their little town. They were brought back with the trading crew that had gone to visit Ylsalon, with this traveling troupe offering a trade of silver and fine goods in exchange for a word with a few of their sages. They claimed to have come from somewhere far north of Londar. They were mercenaries of "The Baroness," a wealthy collector of magical oddities. The mercenaries sought the knowledge of the sages, which they claimed had knowledge that could prove useful to The Baroness. Rya paid them no mind, though several of the troupe seemed particularly interested in her. Ignoring them, she once again traveled to the lake in the heart of night, where she was met once again by the visage of the mist dragon in the falls. This evening, however, the dragon was somber and quiet, speaking only briefly between training exercises. Rya soon realized she was being watched, and soon she found herself surrounded by the traveling troupe. "That's the girl!" One of them explained, and several of them drew their weapons. "The Baroness needs this dragon half-breed alive, so don't get swinging your sword too much." Rya was scared and confused. Lifting her hands to conjure a beam of frost, she fumbled the incantation. She was surrounded, and the band was closing in on her near the foot of the lake, yielding torches and weapons. Then, almost instantly, the temperature dropped, and a thick mist bellowed from the lake. Dazed, the band looked around, until they once again focused on Rya. She stood with her back to an enormous silvery dragon that had emerged from the lake. The band unleashed arrows toward the dragon, dropping their torches and setting the nearby brush aflame. Unphased by their weapons, the dragon picked off one of troupe with a flick of its claw. The remaining mercenaries either fled or made a desperate attempt to snatch Rya, who was frozen in fear. The dragon leaned its head next to Rya's body and released a scream so petrifying that Rya passed out, and she heard only the sounds of screams and shattering ice as she faded.

She awoke to one of the town's hunters shaking her awake. Orienting herself, she found herself sitting in the middle of the lake, which was completely frozen over, with the surroundings decimated by, what could only be explained as, a harsh icy blast. Several shattered icy bodies were present beside hers, but she was unharmed. Confused about what had happened, the town scorned Rya for using magic, and Rya herself could not convince them of the truth. The lake never thawed, and the dragon’s face never returned. The region was marked as cursed by the elves, and it became forbidden to travel to the frozen lake. Rya was again all alone. But, she had a goal: The Baroness. This person was after her specifically. She continued training on her own up to her 100th year, when the town formally held her coming of age ceremony. She adopted the adult name Rydia, and during the post-rite festivities, snuck away back to her house. There she grabbed her traveling bag she had pre-prepared, some gold she had stored away, and a crude staff she had fashioned from a tree near the lake. She snuck out the back entrance of town, turned once back toward lights and sounds of Kasalond, and walked into the darkness toward Ylsalon. Her adventure had begun.

Adventures with the Avalanche
Incomplete

A Perilous Journey
Rydia met the others during a surprise avalanche near Frostpeak as they all traveled together with the merchant caravan. Alone and homesick, she initially took to her new companions (except Estel, the human). The frequent brushes with death bonded the companions and Rydia has warmed up to the idea that her travels in this world need not be in solitude. Even the human has a redeeming quality or two. At least for now, working together seemed like a good plan until she could figure out her next steps toward finding this Baroness.

The City of Opportunity
In Stoneharbor, Rydia gained a better appreciation for the world she lives in. Having spent nearly all her life in a secluded forest village, Rydia was initially overwhelmed by the scope of society in Stoneharbor. Politics, classism, racism, and sexism were all invisible forces that guided the living--but much of this was foreign to Rydia. People had their own motivations and they often conflicted with her own. It seems that threatening to freeze a prized orchid was not how you got what you want. She was frequently reminded of how young she really was.

Continuing to work with her Avalanche companions, Rydia found herself getting into scenarios that were in no way related to her original goal of hunting down the Baroness. How did she now find herself in a pact with a devil? Why are the convictions of this frumpy female dwarf what may determine whether Rydia lives or dies? Why are the times where she feels most at peace the times when she is traveling with the Avalanche?

The Forgotten Truth
In this adventure, Rydia found herself confronted with a challenge. This wish granter said that the next wish they asked for was theirs. How easy it would have been to ask the Wish Granter for the one thing she desired--to be with her mother again. But instead she agreed to the plan the Avalanche had. To see this opportunity vanish as quickly as it presented itself was one of the toughest challenges Rydia has faced since joining the Avalanche. However, the ending result of being able to ease the chains binding the Avalanche to Rhelora freed Rydia's mind to focus on her tasks. Rydia took up an unpaid internship at the Roxfort Academy, doing tasks for the library in exchange for access to their literature. Rydia's spellcasting abilities continued to improve but found herself no closer to uncovering the whereabouts of this Baroness.

The First of Many Favors
Needing to sneak into the Library of the Eternal Fire, Rydia has realized that maybe if adventuring doesn't work out, she will become an actress? Joking aside, these favors with Rheloa is giving her pause--such clearly self-serving acts Rhelora is forcing the Avalanche to participate in seem antithetical to the goals of the Avalanche. She was distracted by these tedious tasks--but also felt a conviction inside of her to make sure he fellow members of the Avalanche were taken care of. With Estel having saved her several times now, it seems that not all humans are terrible.

The Eternal Winter
The Silver Dragon Agarth was the first encounter Rydia had with a dragon since seeing the Mist Dragon, and the familiarity Rydia felt in Agarth's presence brought her a calm she had not felt in years. What is this connection to the dragons? And why are the rest of the Avalanche complaining so much about this cold? The weather's fine...

The Jungle of Daggers
Let's be honest, Rydia was not about to frolic around in a hot muddy jungle and stayed at camp while the Avalanche did their thing. Once they found the entrance to the dungeon, she re-joined the group. (i.e., Aaron was busy with job season stuff and missed most of this campaign...) Rydia did make acquaintances with a particularly interesting cat, however.

The Bay of Lightning
Rydia befriended a small fairie dragon and came to realize that she could understand draconic language, much to her surprise! A deeper connection between her and the dragons must exist. Why was the Avalanche not as cognizant of the fact she just spoke with a dragon? This all reminded her of a quest that she had forgotten now for months. The Baroness. Without any plan on how to find her or deal with her, Rydia was becoming desperate. Perhaps she would need to pay a visit to someone who could help her with this...

The Lady of Hours
Rhelora came through with her promise, and in doing so provided Rydia a clue as to the location of the Baroness. The time of revenge was near, and Rydia could almost taste the blood in her mouth. Why was this Baroness, a person she has never met and has only been alluded to in reference to her past, someone that brings her such anger? The Avalanche's investigations brought them face to face with "The Tower" and his group, and Rydia recognized him immediately. Only one glance of his face and she was back in the forest, a child, seeing him beckoning her to come with him. Only one glance and there it was, the dragon of the Mist, bringing death to them all. Except him. Here he stands. Her brain had lost focus. Her thoughts were mixed with static. And then it all went black.

When her focus returned, she was with him, alone, naked, accepting him within her. She knew a dagger was near, which she would plunge into his heart. The time was coming. Then her focus went black again...

Faces. Three faces flashed into her vision. They all were smiling and watching. Rydia didn't recognize them. Then she was back in the room with the Tower, both of them in a state of release. An intimate moment born entirely of her desire for revenge. Her first. He fell back. Rydia fell beside his sweaty body, and there she would wait until he drifted off to sleep. But then Vistra entered... she was going to ruin everything! Or was she saving her... Rydia's mind was fuzzy. It went black.

When she regained focus Again, the Tower was dead. The Avalanche was on their way to the Baroness. What had she done? Or, why did it take so long? Which is right? Gods her head hurt. And she feels sick to her stomach.

Rydia had lost her ability to seriously focus. Suddenly we are fighting cult leaders, and a demon? No! Rydia refused to let herself be pushed off path again. The rage in her was tangible. "Who am I?" Rydia thought. Become more overcome with random bouts of sickness, she kept these feelings from the rest of the Avalanche. Her illness would pass, and it would not stop her from reaching the Baroness.

Her focus refused to align itself. It was then she realized that she stood before her, the Baroness, the sorceress of time. Claiming Rydia as an oddity for her own perverse desires. This would not be. And there, beside Rydia, stood the Avalanche. They were there for her. They were there to help. They were there to sacrifice themselves for her. She would not fail at this moment. And she did not. Rydia watched the Baroness fall to the ground, her body limp and lifeless. Nothing felt different. Nothing had changed. Then her mother appeared before her. And it became clear...

A Distant Promise
The end of Rydia's time on the mortal realm, most of this will be told in a story, eventually found here: Rydia fulfills a promise. Her passing left the Avalanche with her son, Zephyr, the Harbinger with the cursed heart.

Relationship to Factions of Aegeron
As for the factions: Rydia’s past makes her weary of incredible power being utilized by a privileged few. The individuals that raided her town and (possibly) were responsible for the death of her mother were working for a Baroness, who has amassed wealth and power to do as she pleases, now appearing to collect oddities as trophies. This sort of arrogance enrages Rydia, but also subconsciously drives her as well, since she is seeking out ways to individually bring down this Baroness. While she believes she is doing it to prevent this individual from establishing more and more power and control, the draw of having the power to control her destiny tantalizes.

1) While Rydia is generally fine with the dwarves, she is against the monarchy/war-driven government of the Dwarven Dominion, for obvious reasons.

2) The philosophy of the Reaton Reds generally appeals to Rydia, but she finds this kind of democracy leads to a lot of chatting and little action. She also fears this could ultimately be no different than being ruled by a few powerful individuals, as the charismatic talkative types can lead the rest of the Reds with groupthink.

3) She mostly finds peace with the Status Quo: it’s not the best situation, but it minimizes occurrences where factions and politics get in her way.

4) There is a mystic power with the dragons that draws Rydia. The Gods appear to have created a race with incredible power, and she has always felt a connection with the draconian species and the Dragon Princes ruling the southern peninsula.

5) Wanting to see parts of herself in Andromeda, Rydia is both suspicious and envious of her. She understands the draw of the Magnusson Restoration.

6) Devils are annoying... but Rydia does appreciate how they will manipulate others so to get what they want. She is less a fan of being part of their own contracts, however.