Cordelia Harker

Evelynn Harker (Mother)

Arthur Harker (Brother)

Benjamin Harker (Brother)

Evan Draculae Harker (Uncle)

Grace Harker (Great Great Aunt)

**Cordelia Harker** is an aasimar bard and follower of the Raven Queen. She was born as a human with an innate connection to the spirit realm, allowing her to communicate and interact with the souls of the dead. This inherited trait is an ability gifted only to Dusk Maidens, individuals chosen by the Raven Queen to bridge the divide between the living and the departed.

After being experimented on by her uncle — the vampire lord Draven — she was partially transformed into a dhampir for a time. Her body was slowly poisoned by the alchemical concoction known as Sanguine Ichor and, eventually, turned her undead. It was only after she, her fiancé Herron, and the Victims of Circumstance recovered the cure for the Sanguine Ichor that the Raven Queen reversed her undeath and transformed her into an aasimar.

## Biography

Cordelia was born to the Harker family, a prolific lineage of monster hunters that established the city of Stonehollow in the country of Silverland. The Harkers have ruled and lorded over Stonehollow for several generations, ever since the original Harker first slayed a prolific vampire lord. Since then, Harker children have been taught the techniques and lore of their ancestors to maintain their position as rulers of Stonehollow.

Cordelia was the youngest of three, with two older brothers named Arthur and Benjamin. She was the most musically gifted of the family and, although she didn't know it at the time, used music as a conduit for both magic and spiritual contact. She was taught to play instruments by a woman named Lyra, who she originally thought was a living member of the Harker staff. Instead, Lyra was actually a spirit sent by the Raven Queen to guide her. Cordelia was known as a Dusk Maiden, a chosen soul of the Raven Queen gifted with the ability to speak to the dead.

One day, Cordelia and her brothers were tasked with hunting down a vampire lord known as Draven. They were joined by a cleric of the Raven Queen — Herron Belmont — and worked together to find Draven's hideout in the city of Old Bichwood. Yet, instead of defeating the vampire, the siblings and Herron were captured and experimented on. Cordelia was injected with a chemical called Sanguine Ichor, a combination of tainted blood and cursed magic that caused its host to slowly transform into a vampire without forcing them to die.

Draven then altered the memories of the siblings and Herron, and allowed the Harkers to walk free. Cordelia's affliction was almost immediately visible and she ran from her brothers, afraid that they would turn on her. With their memories altered, none of the siblings or Cordelia could remember what happened to them or to Herron. They believed that they had killed Draven, and that Herron had vanished after spending the night in Cordelia's bed.

Cordelia then wandered Silverland, aimless and afraid, before finding a ticket to the Witchlight Carnival on the doorstep of an inn. She decided to visit and met the Victims of Circumstance, who then traveled together to the realm of Prismeer to rescue the archfey Zylbilna. Cordelia's condition deteriorated rapidly while in the Feywild, causing her eyes to turn red, part of her hair to turn white, and her teeth to grow fangs. She also learned that her family — and all of Stonehollow — believed she was dead. Somehow, a body thought to be hers had been discovered and news had traveled fast about the untimely death of the Harker daughter.

When Cordelia finally returned to the Material Plane, she and the Victims of Circumstance raced to Stonehollow and reunited her with her family. They were at first suspicious, but eventually Cordelia's parents — James Harker and Evelynn Harker — accepted that their daughter was alive. Through some investigating around Stonehollow, Cordelia eventually deduced that the vampire Draven was behind her condition and Herron's disappearance. She uncovered the shocking truth about her family — that Evan Draculae Harker was her father's long-forgotten twin brother — and that Herron was being kept prisoner in Draven's castle.

During this time, Cordelia was also visited by her spirit guide Lyra and given a trial by the Raven Queen. She, along with the lost souls of Ẹsan, Skailius Aurum-Ignis, Via, and Prince Castien Leomaér IV, completed the challenge and fought the spirit of a dragon named Decay. Decay gifted Cordelia a topaz gemstone — an artifact from her ancestor Grace Harker — and gave her the blessing of the Raven Queen.

Cordelia, the Victims of Circumstance, and the golden guard soldier Sankari Balasar then worked together to set a trap for Draven outside Stonehollow. However, the trap backfired and Draven used the opportunity to release a plague of Sanguine Ichor on the city. All of Stonehollow was infected and turned into vampiric creatures.

Cordelia, Sankari, and the Victims of Circumstance traveled to Old Bichwood and broke into Draven's castle. They discovered horrific experiments and evidence of Draven's insanity throughout the manor, eventually finding the vampire lord himself in a laboratory underground. After a tense battle, Draven was defeated and his body was turned to mist. Cordelia and the Victims of Circumstance went on to locate Draven's coffin, wait for him to reform, and convince him to create a cure for the Sanguine Ichor.

Cordelia and the Victims of Circumstance then returned to Stonehollow and released the cure over the city. Cordelia's affliction had already turned her undead and completed its transformation, but her and Herron were blessed by the Raven Queen and turned into aasimar as a result of their heroic deeds. They were also tasked with hunting down the few Stonehollow citizens who had managed to escape while infected with the Sanguine Ichor, and left the city shortly after its restoration.

## Description

### Appearance

Cordelia, like most Harkers, has vibrant red hair and gray eyes. She is very beautiful and dresses formally even while adventuring. While she was infected with the Sanguine Ichor, a streak of her hair turned white and her eyes became red. She even grew a pair of fangs and feasted on fresh blood. After the Raven Queen transformed her into an aasimar, her gray eyes returned and her fangs disappeared.

Cordelia also carries the skull of a harengon on her hip. This skull — the skull of Agdon Longscarf — is affixed with the Eye of Grace, a topaz gemstone gifted to Cordelia by the dragon Decay. These items serve as conduits for Cordelia's magic and channel the powers of the Dusk Maiden.

### Personality

Cordelia is rather prim and proper, with a bit of a spoiled attitude at times. She fusses over small details and takes things personally, but her loyalty to her family and her fiancé is hard to doubt. As a Dusk Maiden, she has the unique ability to speak with spirits and communicate with the dead. She has used this to uncover truths about her family and stop the nefarious plans of her uncle, the vampire lord Draven.