Arties Geodegazer-Shadowbane

Arties is a beautiful female Drow with deep purple skin and long, flowing white hair that cascades down her back, giving her an exotic and mysterious appearance. Her ears are pointed, typical of elven heritage, and her eyes are bright, glowing violet, which adds an alluring and slightly enigmatic quality to her gaze. She has elegant facial features with high cheekbones and a slender nose, usually carrying a confident yet relaxed expression that puts others at ease. Despite her noble bearing and striking appearance, she has a warmth about her that makes her approachable rather than intimidating.

Her most striking feature is her vibrant purple eyes that seem to glow with an inner light, particularly noticeable in dim lighting. She has a penchant for dressing to impress, carefully selecting her attire to suit the occasion while maintaining an elegant style that reflects both her noble heritage and her practical nature. She often hums to herself when alone and has a habit of rubbing her feet together when falling asleep, a small quirk from childhood that has never left her.

In the floating districts of Kristofferson, where magical towers defy gravity and cultures blend like colors in a kaleidoscope, a drow noble named Lysara Geodegazer ran a sanctuary for the city's forgotten. Not a proper healing house or temple, but rather a haven where those who had fallen through society's cracks could find warmth, food, and most importantly, dignity. It was here that Arties was born on Yearend 20, 1282, during one of the worst ice storms Kristofferson had seen in decades, delivered by the very people her mother had dedicated her life to helping: a former midwife who had lost everything in a fire, an elderly healer who had been branded a fraud, and a young street urchin who ran messages between them.

Growing up in the sanctuary shaped Arties in profound ways, with her earliest memories not of toys or playmates but of helping her mother change bandages, ladling out soup, and learning to spot the difference between someone who was truly sleeping and someone who needed immediate medical attention. The sanctuary occupied three floors of a weathered tower in Kristofferson's lower districts, with the bottom floor serving as a communal area and soup kitchen, the second floor housing the sick and injured, and the top floor where Arties and her mother lived, though Lysara spent most nights making rounds among her patients. This immersion in helping others from such a young age instilled in Arties a deep understanding that everyone deserved dignity and care, regardless of their circumstances.

When Arties was five, a plague swept through Kristofferson's lower districts, and despite the risk of infection, Lysara refused to turn anyone away, working tirelessly alongside volunteers to save as many as they could. It was during this time that Arties first truly understood the weight of her mother's work, watching as Lysara would sit with the dying, holding their hands and ensuring they wouldn't pass alone. The plague eventually claimed Lysara herself, and in her final days, she made Arties promise two things: to never stop helping others, and to never let the darkness in her heart overcome the light she carried. These promises became the foundation of everything Arties would become, shaping her choices and defining her character throughout her life.

After Lysara's death, many of those who had been helped by her over the years stepped forward to keep the sanctuary running, with a former patient who had become a successful merchant providing funding while others volunteered their time and skills. They did this not just out of respect for Lysara's memory, but also to protect and raise her daughter, and this makeshift family became Arties' teachers: a retired soldier taught her self-defense, a wandering scholar taught her languages, and a disgraced noble taught her the intricacies of high society. Unlike many drow nobles who saw their heritage as a mark of superiority, Arties learned from her mother that their lineage came with a responsibility to help others, as Lysara would often say: "Our people learned to survive in the darkness, so we have a duty to be a light for others when they find themselves in similar shadows."

As she entered her teenage years, Arties began to venture beyond the sanctuary's walls more frequently, making connections throughout Kristofferson with healers who would treat patients without asking questions, guards who would look the other way when she needed to move someone to safety, and merchants who would "accidentally" leave supplies where they could be found by those in need. Her reputation grew among the city's disadvantaged, who called her "the Shadow's Heart," a play on both her drow heritage and her tendency to appear exactly when she was needed most. During these years, she learned to balance compassion with discernment, becoming adept at spotting those who would take advantage of kindness while never turning away anyone who truly needed help.

As her eighteenth birthday approached, stories reached Kristofferson of growing darkness in the world, of armies gathering and ancient evils stirring, and though the sanctuary was thriving under the collective care of those who had known her mother, Arties felt called to do more. She thought often of her mother's words about being a light in the darkness, and while the sanctuary had taught her how to help individuals, she began to realize that perhaps her path lay in addressing the larger shadows that threatened to engulf the world. This calling would eventually lead her to join the adventurer's path and discover her connection to the Fearless, though at eighteen she had no way of knowing the epic journey that lay ahead or the cycles she would need to break.

Fast forward some time and Arties found herself waking up in a familiar mine, coated in muck and grime, her memories of countless previous cycles flooding back with crushing clarity. Making her escape with her friends Karthos and Hotaru, they fled a small prison-mining compound on a tiny island, stole a boat, and made their way to the nearest landmass. Some time later they arrived at Grafton and met with Hanabyrn, who treated them like family though she'd only just met them, and shortly thereafter the city was attacked by the blue dragon army with a massive blue dragon named Krakstrike, just as had happened during previous cycles, though this time the attacker was Casey rather than Alexis.

In the process of escaping the devastation at Grafton, the group managed to save a young girl from a surging tidal wave that killed hundreds of citizens, and this girl, Emeline, would go on to become very special to Arties, eventually becoming one of her adopted daughters. A few days later they happened upon another girl, Sana, from Grafton who had been taken prisoner by a demon masquerading as a priest, and rescuing her began Arties' journey toward building the family she had always dreamed of creating. Many adventures later, the group found themselves in Eber where they picked up a job to investigate a haunted house to look for a lost noble, and after completing their mission, they were gifted the house which became their base of operations and eventually the foundation for rebuilding Goodberry.

The estate proved to be a highly magical dimensional bubble that could be upgraded and expanded, eventually forming the basis for a new town that Arties named Goodberry in honor of the community from previous cycles that had been lost. As leader of what became known as the Southern Coalition, Arties worked tirelessly to create a safe haven for refugees, orphans, and those displaced by war, building a community that embodied her mother's teachings about helping others and being a light in the darkness. She married Xaneborr and together they built a family that eventually included Sana, Emeline, Eden, Tingle, Elodie, and her biological daughters Celeste and Seylah, though the joy of motherhood was tempered by Xaneborr's mysterious disappearance and her desperate ongoing search to find him.

When Oraeus fell under the tyrannical rule of Verin Nightwhisper and was eventually possessed by an Eldritch entity, Arties led the Heaven's Chosen alongside Karthos and Hotaru to liberate the city from supernatural tyranny. On Mistfall 23, 1303, she personally struck down the possessed Verin, freeing Oraeus from the malevolent force that had corrupted its leadership and bringing hope back to a city that had suffered under oppression. This victory represented not just a military triumph but a fulfillment of her lifelong commitment to fighting injustice and protecting the innocent, proving that the light her mother taught her to carry could indeed push back even the darkest shadows.

Southern Coalition (Goodberry)

Queen of Haven

Spouses: Queen Salia (Wife) King Xaneborr (Husband)

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Family: Sana (Daughter) Emeline (Daughter) Eden (Daughter) Madrov (Son) Liddy (Daughter) Attritti (Son) Tingle (Son) Elodie (Daughter) Celeste (Daughter) Seylah (Daughter) Xander (Son) Xanadu (Daughter) Brammen (Brother)

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Friends: Hana (Best Friend) Hecks (Friend) Raya (Friend) Aroha (Friend) Puq (Friend) Aelindra (Friend) Varon (Friend) Puff (Friend) Calyra (Friend)

Arties's primary goal is to continue building Goodberry into a thriving community that embodies her mother's teachings about helping others and providing sanctuary for those in need. She wants to recreate the sense of family and belonging she experienced in her mother's sanctuary, expanding it to encompass not just individuals but an entire town where everyone can find safety, dignity, and purpose. This includes finding and bringing back all her friends from previous cycles, reuniting the community that was scattered by the cycles and creating something permanent that can withstand the challenges ahead. Her vision for Goodberry extends beyond simple survival to creating a place where kindness and compassion are not just ideals but the foundation of daily life.

As a mother to Sana, Emeline, Eden, Madrov, Tingle, Elodie, Celeste, and Seylah, Arties is deeply committed to raising her children to become kind, compassionate adults who understand the value of helping others and standing against injustice. She wants to pass on the lessons her mother Lysara taught her, ensuring that each child understands that their privilege and power come with responsibility to be a light for others in darkness. This includes teaching them practical skills for survival and leadership while also instilling the values of empathy, justice, and the understanding that it costs nothing to be kind. Her greatest aspiration is to see each of her children find their own path in life while maintaining the core values that make them forces for good in the world.

Arties is desperate to find her husband Xaneborr, whose mysterious disappearance has left a hole in her heart and her family. She continues to search for any clue about his whereabouts while maintaining hope that they will be reunited, refusing to give up despite the challenges and setbacks she faces. Her search for Xaneborr is not just about personal happiness but about completing her family, ensuring that her children can know their father, and fulfilling the promise of the life they were building together. This goal drives many of her decisions and actions, as she balances the responsibilities of leadership with the personal need to find the man she loves and bring him home.

As the Guardian of the Cycles, Arties carries the ultimate responsibility of breaking the time loop that has trapped her world in endless repetition and defeating Oggrishanx, the demon who created this cursed cycle. She fears the past repeating itself and not being there when she is needed, understanding that failure this time means not just her own death but the loss of everything and everyone she loves, repeated endlessly across future cycles. Her role as Guardian gives her unique insights and abilities that make her essential to this mission, but it also places an enormous burden on her shoulders. She must balance her duties as mother, leader, and guardian while never losing sight of the ultimate goal: ending the cycles once and for all and creating a future where her children can live free from the shadow of eternal repetition.