Cia

## Backstory

Cia was born in Duskwater, Delia, where she has spent her entire life. Duskwater is, as nearly all who come through its meager town square would agree, a backwater. Though a convenient stop for travellers headed through eastern Delia, it is little known. It is for this reason that it is frequented by caravans and local traders, who know there is a reasonably priced meal and board awaiting them. Unsurprisingly, this means the area also has long running bandit issues.

Cia is the daughter of the innkeeper and his wife, Arreth and Velaine. Given that the inn/tavern is by a huge margin the most important part of the town, Arreth and Velaine have been community leaders for a very long time - and it has long been expected that Cia would follow in their footsteps and run the inn. The Doddering Bandit, as it had been called for several generations, employs nearly everyone in Duskwater in some capacity. As far as Cia is concerned, it doesn’t get much smaller than Duskwater.

Serving harsh country folk in her youth quickly grew thick skin for Cia, and a sharp tongue to boot. Though some would lament the position, Cia took pride in becoming the best backwater barmaid around. With her parents tied up in logistical business much of the time, she was the face of the establishment. When conflicts arose and mercenaries stayed on their way to the fight - they saw Cia first. When an Aramoran caravan on its last legs needed a resupply and rest - Cia was there to help. There was a purpose in the responsibility, something that set her mind at ease.

It was around her mid teens that Cia began to grow restless. Terrazael is a massive place, full of wonder and opportunity. Why in the world would she spend it sitting around an old inn and serving people that often treat her like garbage? Of course, her parents had other ideas, spending more time dissuading her from the excitements in the world than they did reassuring her of life in Duskwater. Anyone that knew Cia could have known that wasn’t going to work.

Given that Cia’s closest friends were the inn regulars, often people who killed for money or had been working a harsh farm life for decades, she grew up fast. These were the sort of people that told stories about the greatest of glory - taken from encounters with nothing of the sort. They needed to believe that their lives were something better than what they were. Who knows how they would have kept going otherwise. Cia was a smart girl, but an entire youth filled with hearing such faulty stories would lead anyone to have a bit of a skewed world view.

Though Cia’s parents were unsuccessful in changing her beliefs, her loyalty to her family always won out over her desire to see the world. Every day, there was something to do around the inn. Every day, Cia was there to do it. She very rarely got a day off, and never complained about it. In fact, Cia never complained about anything, preferring to keep a positive outlook. Everyone in Duskwater loved Cia for it, since there often wasn’t much else to do but complain.

A couple months before her 20th birthday, something finally changed. A new face rolled into town, a young Neullaisian man by the name of Elias. On his first night, some regulars were giving Cia a particularly hard time. They’d had too much to drink, not an unusual thing for them, and were far past reasonable joking. Cia, who was used to the catcalling, didn’t think much of it. Elias, who had never set foot in town, did. After several attempts to get the ringleader of the affair, Vedden, to leave Cia alone, things turned violent. Vedden was a mercenary after all, who was this young punk to tell him who to ogle?

Though bar fights weren’t an uncommon sight, this was not a common brawl. Vedden and his gang circled Elias, who seemed unconcerned. When they came at him, he blasted Vedden’s friends to the floor with gusts of wind, and used some unseen magic to hold Vedden in place, struggling against his bonds. In a casual way that Cia found almost comical, Elias punched Vedden in the face, folding him over and dropping his invisible bonds to let him crumple to the ground. Elias promptly sat back down at the bar, raised his drink to Cia, and continued drinking.

Over the next few days, Elias stayed at the inn. He talked with Cia, and they became friends in an instant. Elias figured Cia could use someone to stand up for her, and Cia wanted to hear Elias’ stories of his travels. Before he knew it, Elias was a permanent resident of Duskwater, and helped out with Cia’s responsibilities at the inn in return for room and board.

Little known to Elias, Cia had found her adventuring partner. One was ready to slow things down for a while, and the other ready to chomp at the bit and get moving. Though Cia’s parents would never understand, she began to prepare for life on the road - slowly but surely her departure became a when, not an if. She’s still at the inn, but the day will come soon that Cia finally gets to see the world - and much more of it than she ever could have bargained for.

## In Gameplay

Recruitment: Joins the party in Chapter 2.

### Aptitudes

Personal Skill - Barmaid: +50% effect from healing items

### Bonds

* Irving
* Garrick
* Elias
* Bianca
* Brooke
* Caius
* Helena
* Monroe
* Fenton
* Alexa