Niaro

**Niaro** is a stormspeaker employed at the Tits & Slither tavern.

## Biography

### Early Life

Born into a long line of water genasi in the Enisti capital of Baston, Niaro grew up surrounded by elemental magic. With a varied and diverse background, each of Niaro's relatives possessed a unique affinity for a particular sect of water-based magic and Niaro discovered at a young age that she could manipulate weather.

However, it was not long before Niaro's cousins all began to display their own magical abilities and Niaro was instantly envious of each of them. In particular, Niaro longed for mixed powers similar to her cousin Raina, who's fire genasi father granted her steam para-genasi abilities, such as boiling water, dousing fire, generating clouds of steam, scalding and burning - all of which mesmerised the young Niaro, who was used to seeing only water-manipulating magic.

With her magical interests and natural curiosity piqued by the talents of others, Niaro would spend much of her childhood studying under various family members and even inherited her own Wand of Waves from her grandmother. As the eldest of her cousins, Niaro's skills grew fastest and she quickly picked up on many spells and rituals passed down through oral tradition. More than anything, Niaro hoped to attain enough skill to one day wield the Cadthrillac Sea Staff - purportedly one of the most powerful aquatic-based magical items in existence, which had been passed down through the generations and lay in the possession of her mother.

By the time she finished her schooling, Niaro decided to move out of Baston to live with her aunt Ruphde and two cousins, who lived by a river in the town of Broadford. Here, she intended to study under her aunt and learn the intricacies of river magic, hoping for the opportunity to one day train under a powerful wizard.

### Surviving Broadford

However, Niaro's time in Broadford was ill-fated. Several months into her stay, she began to regularly have a strange feeling that something was wrong, but whenever she thought about it, seemed unable to remember what it was. There always seemed to be an extra seat at the dinner table and a room in the house that she avoided but did not know why. Her aunt and cousin both seemed to be experiencing the same anxiety, but not one of them could vocalise what was amiss. More and more businesses seemed to have closed in Broadford, even though Niaro knew they had never been open. In fact, every time she walked down the main street, she felt like there were fewer people walking about, but couldn't for the life of her remember a time when there were more.

When she one day arrived at the post office only to find it boarded up, the sinking feeling deepened in her gut. The post office had always been boarded up, but she had sent and received many letters from home. Still, she knew the post office had been this way ever since she arrived, even if the boards looked freshly nailed to it. Returning to her cousin's house with her letters, wondering how she ever intended to send them and why her instincts had led her there in the first place, the two shared in their sense of unease when realising neither of them had made dinner. When both cousins could not remember why they had expected the other to cook, nor who had cooked last, a screaming memory charged to the front of Niaro's mind before disappearing completely, just as an expression of sheer terror flew across her cousin's face.

In the next few days, Niaro found herself suddenly unsure why she had opted to move into such a large house when she was only one person. She left a note on the door thanking the owner for their hospitality, but felt embarrassed that she had completely forgotten their name. She did, however, make a point of apologising for the mysterious scratches and dark stains that dragged from the empty room next to hers and down the stairs along the hallway to the front door, but she could not remember how they got there.

Moving into a shared house with friends of friends on the outskirts of Broadford, Niaro became unsure why she had arrived in the first place, especially since finding a job had proved to be a great struggle in a town with so few businesses open. Eventually, Niaro decided it was time to visit home and made her way back to Baston. Though she slept most of the carriage ride, she noticed feeling far less confused and figured she'd needed some fresh air and a change of scenery. Only when arriving home was she suddenly bombarded with the truth - that a monster had been feeding on the Broadford townsfolk. Memories of what she had witnessed began cascading into her consciousness as she learnt the news that Broadford had been set ablaze. Still reeling from the returning memories, Niaro was forced to tell her mother that her sister, niece and nephew had all been killed and that she had narrowly escaped with her own life.

### After the Fire

With Broadford burnt to cinders and the remaining townsfolk evacuated by an unknown group of adventurers, Niaro recuperated from her experiences at home in Baston. Despite knowing there was nothing she could have done, Niaro was unable to let go of the survivor's guilt she felt. Eventually, she decided to return to Broadford to aid in the relief efforts and search the rubble for undamaged valuables and any survivors of the fire. To her horror, the town had been reduced to a still-smoking collection of crumbled buildings and belongings, charred beyond recognition.

Moving into a room at the Flagon's Drury inn, Niaro discovered Welfer's Wizardry was the sole building untouched by the fire, thanks to Welfer's own enchantments. With his surviving staff relocating along with the other Broadfordian refugees, Niaro secured a position as his new assistant and aided in attracting some business, whilst returning to the study of the arcane arts under his tutelage. Several months passed before living next to and working in the ruins of the town, as well as Welfer's own grating personality, began to take their toll.

When Lacey Stain arrived at Welfer's Wizardry - their first customer in almost two weeks - Niaro quickly became entranced hearing that not only was she part of the group that defeated Monarch, but also that which had killed the false hydra. As she prepared the enchanted item Lacey requested, Niaro listened to the rest of her story and why she was looking for magic to disguise her identity. As Stain left the shop, Niaro realised she needed to experience something away from Broadford and immediately handed in her resignation to Welfer.

Coincidentally, while preparing to return to Baston, she ran into Stain on her way back to Axis through Broadford. Suddenly struck by the idea, she asked if she could join her instead, to which Stain responded by asking if Niaro could pull a pint.

### Fear and Loathing in Tits & Slither

Arriving in Axis, Niaro was instantly awed by the sights and sounds of the Plostrian city. Admiring Lacey and feeling fortunate to be in the presence of such a famous yet elusive character, she began to feel rather timid. Despite her nerves, she was readily welcomed by the bar staff at Lacey's tavern Tits & Slither. Lacey gave the young weather witch a brief tour of Axis and had Caithera show her the ropes behind the newly-established bar, where she was offered room and board.

Lacey made it clear that Niaro was more than welcome to make the tavern her home and could occupy a room of her choosing, provided she worked at the bar. Since Niaro had enough savings set aside from Welfer's for a deposit, Lacey suggested that Niaro live at the tavern rent-free but would only be paid for her labour once she found her own place and moved out. Niaro agreed to the arrangement and was invited to celebrate her arrival with that evening's bar staff. She quickly took a liking to Étienne and Caithera, who, without warning of the high alcohol content, introduced her to many of their signature drinks.

The evening became an even hazier blur as the young stormspeaker, inexperienced with alcohol on its own, mistakenly ate some mushrooms that had come from the Grove of Whispers below, provided by Silk - a shareholder in the tavern. As Niaro's good times quickly turned into bad times, she found herself puking against a cairn round the back of the tavern, with Caithera holding her hair. Whilst the next morning's hangover and subsequent come down over the following days made her first few shifts harder than they needed to be, Niaro enjoyed feeling young and surrounded by friends.

As she detailed in the letters she sent home, the positive experience so far in Axis felt like a fresh start she sorely needed. Her weather magic even came in handy, as she proved able to keep outdoor seating areas warm and dry no matter the weather. With renovations underway at the tavern, Niaro used her magic to help pitch in here and there and kept the sun shining over her new lodgings.

### A Fateful Encounter

One evening, however, Niaro had an experience that forever changed her. Having remained at the tavern for some months now, she knew she could not rely on Lacey's charity much longer and needed disposable income of her own. Despite this, she had been taking advantage of the lack of customers during the renovations and enjoyed having more of the tavern to herself. By now well-acquainted with the tavern's workings, Niaro become lost in thought considering her options whilst half-listening to Caithera drone on about the importance of ensuring any gases from the sewers got effectively pumped away from the bar. As this was her first night being left in charge of locking up, Caithera spent most of the working day painstakingly drilling Niaro on some of the more boring and unsavoury jobs, including how to divert sewage fumes that emerge from the Grove of Whispers in the tavern basement. After what seemed like the thirtieth time going over the lock-up procedure, Caithera finally handed over the keys.

When taking out the bins that evening, Niaro stubbed her toe on the cairn round the back, still matted on one side by her weeks-old vomit. She proceeded to kick the assorted stones so that they toppled to the ground, though there was no way for her to know the horror she had just unleashed. As she returned indoors, she began locking up and whilst putting out the lanterns, heard a creaking noise from the kitchen. Returning to the back door, she noticed it ajar, though thought little of it and quickly locked the door. As she returned to locking the front door, however, she noticed a shadow dart across the walls. Frozen in the kitchen, Niaro slowly picked up a cleaver and carefully stepped out into the bar. The pounding in her chest quickened as she scanned the tavern floor, then along the bar and up the stairs. Only a sharp breeze from the open window made its presence known, flickering the candles and casting brief dancing shadows. Feeling rather juvenile, Niaro put down the cleaver and went to close it.

With the doors and windows locked, she returned to the bar and, giving the tavern one last scan to make sure she was alone, turned to blow out the final lantern. As her breath dispersed the flame of the last remaining candle, her eyes widened in fright at the grotesque grinning face on the other side of the lantern that instantly vanished into the darkness with a disturbing gurgled chuckle. Niaro threw herself back, too terrified to scream, and frantically thrashed about in the dark as she heard the pitter-patter of quick feet scurry towards her. She suddenly heard a tearing sound as she felt sharp claws slash her arm. The immediate searing pain made clear to Niaro she had been poisoned. With an instinctual thrust from her fist, she felt her knuckles collide with soft, rotten flesh and heard the thing tumble behind the bar, wheezing in a bizarre way like a deflated toy. Gathering herself, she scrambled to the front door only to remember she had just locked it. Fumbling in the dark, she quickly unbolted the door, but it merely rattled as she pulled on it. Realising the deadbolt lock was still in place, Niaro hurriedly fished for the key amongst the tavern's several jangling around the large keyring, only to be met with the gnashing of sharp teeth behind her.

Quickly flinging herself to the side, Niaro heard the creature crash into the door and took the opportunity to run toward the stairs. Climbing them on all fours, she shrieked as she felt a decayed hand grab at her foot and pull her down several stairs, her face colliding with each along the way. With a wild kick, she threw the monster from her and began racing back up the stairs. Hearing the deft speed of the horror marching up behind her, she gathered her wits and reached for her Wand of Waves, quickly turning to cast a thunderous shattering spell at the stairs below. Though the light from her spell illuminated the being, its ineffectiveness told her everything she needed to know. With an instinctual thrust, Niaro struck the thing's putrid face with her wand and leapt over the bannister, crashing into a table on the way down. As she sprinted into the kitchen, Niaro slammed the door behind her and tried desperately to catch her breath. She had read about topis and their deformed corpse vessels, venomous claws and resistance to magic. What she didn't know was the kind of creature used to create this one, as it was decayed beyond recognition but seemed reptilian. She likened it to a corroded, miniature version of what the Tarrasque might look like, but with human eyes and expressions.

Knowing she would have to outsmart the monster, she grabbed some uncooked pork from the cooler and headed down to the basement, where she dropped the meat in front of the furnace and turned it on. Hiding behind the crates on the opposite side of the room, she watched as the menacing creature scurried in and inspected the meat. Noting its hideousness silhouetted against the light of the furnace, Niaro mustered all her courage and charged into the beast, shoving it into the roaring flames and slamming the door shut. As she slid down to the floor, her victory punctuated by dripping sweat and the squeals of anguish amidst the flames behind her, Niaro examined her wound. Just as her heart rate began normalising, a firm punch to the inside of the furnace sent waves of chills down her spine. As more and more punches drummed a foreboding percussion, Niaro started to think that whatever being was made into this undead monstrosity might have been more resistant to fire than she realised.

As the furnace door lost the battle with the topi and bent open, the flaming creature emerged - its fetid skin now illuminated by fire and decorated with plumes of smoke. The enraged monster lunged around the room, swinging its white-hot claws randomly as the rancid smell of its burning rotten flesh spilled around. Suddenly inspired by the stench, the young mage directed her magic toward the sewer fume pumps and allowed the powerful gases from below to fill the basement, further fuelling the creature's fiery aura. Already lightheaded from the gas as she ran back into the kitchen, Niaro heard the shrieking monster's pain and confusion as it charged after her and readied herself by the cooler. As the screaming flame monster neared, she pulled the chain by the cooler door, sending a meat hook from the conveyor belt into its back which carried it into the cooler. The rotten beast was no match for Niaro's magic as she locked the door and froze the creature inside, finally bringing the night's horror to an end.

### Moving Out

Though hurt and shaken, Niaro was ultimately proud of her quick-thinking and survival instincts. The arrival of Barf as a resident and coworker at Tits & Slither helped her regain some confidence being at the bar at night, though she knew it was time for her move out. After recovering from the experience, Niaro's determination and newfound belief in herself quashed any nerves she had about living alone and she secured her own place in Axis, moving out of Tits & Slither where she now worked as a paid employee.

## Personality

Niaro is a strong-willed and persuasive young woman who, though hardworking and measured, can be somewhat instinctive. She relies on her wits and quick problem-solving, traits that saved her life from the monstrous topi at the tavern.

Niaro is an avid reader and is enthusiastic about the study of the arcane, particularly in druidic magic. As a product of her schooling, she is well-versed in the study of magical and religious texts and is interested in the histories of genasi and other elemental magic users.

## Abilities

All of Niaro's family look different in appearance thanks to their genasi heritage and Niaro is no exception. Since her heritage comes from all manner of marids, fey, water nymphs and other genasi and planetouched beings, Niaro has deep midnight skin, highlighted with glimmers of bright cyan markings and glowing white hair.

As a water genasi, Niaro has a natural affinity for hydrokinetic magic. Due to her family's rich and diverse heritage, there is a large gene pool of abilities from which to inherit, though each genasi's expression of their heritage is typically unique to them. Niaro is proficient in the use of weather magic, naturally able to summon clouds, rain, fog or mist and to affect tides and currents, as well as winds. She is able to use her abilities to divert wet weather and trap heat, as demonstrated at Tits & Slither, and to summon storms with some focus, though this requires sufficient energy on her part. As with all weather witches, Niaro is limited by her surrounding atmosphere and cannot generate weather if lacking the conditions.

Niaro is also well-versed in spells relating to weather and has made vast improvements in her magical abilities since training under Welfer. She is able to cast spells that summon thunder, powerful bolts of lightning and even hail.

## Equipment

* **Wand of Waves:** Niaro possesses a Wand of Waves, a glowing crystalline wand that allows her to channel her hydrokinetic talents into casting powerful weather spells. For Niaro, this wand doubles as a melee weapon.
* **Moon Pool Water:** Niaro keeps a vial of water from the moon pools of Enisti's shores, blessed by her mother. This enchanted water is often used as an ingredient in her magic.
* **Wizard's Pauldron:** Ever since her encounter with the topi, Niaro often wears an enchanted pauldron that affords her some decent protection from physical attacks, as if she were wearing heavy armour.

## Relationships

* Lilirtha - Great-Grandmother
* Tokiro - Grandmother
* Elraphet - Great-Aunt
* Stenel - Great-Uncle-in-Law
* Rina - Mother
* Geph - Father
* Lorelei & Ruphde † - Aunts
* Mal & Lupher - Uncles-in-Law
* Arianne & Rory - Second Cousins Once Removed
* Raina, Nira † & Marro † - Cousins
* Mari - Second Cousin

Allies* Tits & Slither
	+ Lacey Stain - Employer and Friend
	+ Caithera - Manager and Friend
	+ Étienne - Colleague and Friend
	+ Barf - Colleague and Friend
	+ Peg - Colleague
	+ Bury - Colleague
	+ Phaul - Colleague
	+ Fill - Colleague
* Topi at Tits & Slither † - Attempted Killer

## Trivia

* All born members of Niaro's family have an 'R' in their name.
* Niaro has heterochromic eyes.
* Niaro stands to inherit the Cadthrillac Sea Staff, which is capable of casting any aquatic spell.