Ember was born Ember Grandtomb – youngest daughter of a conservative, academic and loveless family with political aspirations in the city of Highhurst. Her gleaming rosy skin, shining copper hair and feathered wings made it undeniable that she was Aasimar; the touch of celestial long dormant in her family shining through like a beacon. The family immediately used the notoriety of baring an Aasimar for their own political gains, though the nature of the god Scanlan (for whom they shared heritage) was met with a mixed reaction amongst the elitist noblemen that the Grandtombs so craved respect.
As Ember grew the stark differences between her natural instincts and personality and the ways of the family were too much to bear. When she was just coming into her adolescents when she ran away while the household slept, taking some family heirlooms to help her on her quest for adventure, exhilaration and most importantly freedom. She learnt long ago that her strange looks could get her many things, including a long look at the darker side of humanity and she sought a nomadic life free of responsibility and reputation. She fell in with a troop of players and felt a true family form around her. She took the name of a married couple that mentored her, Maude and Willard Windchime.
She soaked up music and performance like a sponge, favoring lute and singing, though she was mostly called to dance by the troop; the use of her wings always brought the money rolling in. She also learned how to be handy with a glaive; something one of their troop’s ‘muscle’ taught her after a few run in’s with over amorous patrons and other admires. She took pride in taking on a secondary role in the troop - as protector, fighting off bandits and others that would underestimate the preforming group on their travels.
She soaked up music and performance like a sponge, favoring lute and singing, though she was mostly called to dance by the troop; the use of her wings always brought the money rolling in. She also learned how to be handy with a glaive; something one of their troop’s ‘muscle’ taught her after a few run in’s with over amorous patrons and other admires. She took pride in taking on a secondary role in the troop - as protector, fighting off bandits and others that would underestimate the preforming group on their travels.
By night she began to receive potent dreams from her God calling to her to take up her true calling and serve. By morning she would wipe the sweat from her brow and say that the temple would have to wait. But her past would finally catch up with her. She had been naive to think that word of a winged Aasimar performing with a troop would not get back to her family and instead of tracking her down and dragging her home her parents methodically used their influence to sully the troops name, making it impossible to perform, or gain patronage. Her performing family wouldn’t turn their back on her, though.
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They continued to travel, being turned away time and again, growing more and more poverty stricken. Soon members turned to other means by which to earn a living. One day, when Ember saw that her beloved family had become a travelling flock of thieves and prostitutes she could stand the guilt no more and, for the second time in her life, she fled in the dead of night, this time with nothing but her lute and her glaive.
The following years were lonely for Ember. Still a nomad, she resolved to be a lone wolf and sang for her wine in each inn she came to, hoping for enough drink to blot out the nightly dreams calling to her. She made some friends through taking on jobs when she felt she could do some good, never wanting to stay too long with any one adventuring party for fear of sullying their name. During another raucous drinking session with her druid friend, Rein, she heard of an expedition through a newly repaired magical gateway to a long forgotten land. By the time the night was through she had charmed her way onto a team that was travelling through the gateway on a possible one-way ticket. Surely now she can stick to one set of people with out the risk of the Grandtombs catching up with her…?
The following years were lonely for Ember. Still a nomad, she resolved to be a lone wolf and sang for her wine in each inn she came to, hoping for enough drink to blot out the nightly dreams calling to her. She made some friends through taking on jobs when she felt she could do some good, never wanting to stay too long with any one adventuring party for fear of sullying their name. During another raucous drinking session with her druid friend, Rein, she heard of an expedition through a newly repaired magical gateway to a long forgotten land. By the time the night was through she had charmed her way onto a team that was travelling through the gateway on a possible one-way ticket. Surely now she can stick to one set of people with out the risk of the Grandtombs catching up with her…?