Jesmira the Jaded - Feywalker Ranger

When Elen Estel succumbed to the dark tides of Quorenderi, Jesmira was one of thousands of children left orphaned, alone, wards of a fallen city. Nan Thalias’ nobles and rulers had more pressing concerns than wayward children left on the streets, and commoners like Jesmira were left to their own devices, which for most entailed living in the waterlogged ruins of their former homes. Jesmira was not one to wistfully wait there, in hopes her parents might return. She saw her father swept away with her own eyes as he hurled her to safety, and was sure her siblings and mother had met the same fate. Staying in her home and city only brought these traumatic memories and grief to light, so with no tethers to hold her there, she left. Westward she travelled, into the depths of the forests that surrounded the city, further than she had ever walked before, past the forbidden bounds that gave way to the forest’s heart: where canopies blotted out the sun and the only light that could perforate its blackened floor came from beneath the canopy. Even light from the strongest lanterns was swallowed after mere metres, and into this darkness, Jesmira stepped in despair. In the darkness she prayed for death, yet it was life that found her. A horned owl landed at the lap of the weeping child as darkness enveloped her, and as she looked up, she saw eyes like her mother’s, an esper, radiant and gold, stemming off the darkness with their gilded brilliance. It spoke to her, ushering her to leave the dreaded place, and follow it instead to a place of sanctuary. The creature introduced itself as Istorius, a familiar that was bound to her family: to her mother, who perished in Elen Estel’s destruction. With no other relatives alive, it was now bound to Jesmira, and would do its best to ensure the young girl survived, and if possible, thrived. Istorius led her through the darkness, out to the other side of the forest where he placed the girl in the care of a druidic grove. Though the loyal familiar remained by her side, watching the young girl grow into a woman, one who mastered the bow, tracking and became one with nature. Though she was not a druid, she had learned the art of Feywalking to step between worlds, and become a master of both. Yet in all that time, her heart had never healed from the loss she experienced as a child. Melancholy was always etched upon her face, and moments of joy were rare and fleeting. Still, the druids and Feywalkers gave her purpose, one that kept her alive. Now she and Istorius travel to Formen at the behest of their order, aiming to aid in the search of a village that has mysteriously disappeared.