Gera Synnefo

## **Appearance**

Gera is 20 years old, 5 ft. 6.

Gera only takes after her human mother in the way that she has a physical form, she otherwise is a bright blue human made of air, the air currents that run through her seen as patterns on her skin. Her hair is always moving strangely, and it is through her meticulous styling every morning that prevents it from going away. She is built quite strong, but due to her cloudy nature she hasn’t been able to hold abs without sculpting them. She is held together by some strange genetic magic from her parents.

Gera physically changes based on her mood. She goes dark grey and overcast when sad, a deep orange when she is very calm (her hair thins out a lot like sunset clouds), a deep sunset purple and pink for embarrassment and romance (or when she's lying), and particularly when she rages, she goes a stormy black with swirling hair and tiny bolts of lightning spark from her clouds.

A very notable part of her is that she is missing her right leg, which is replaced by a peg leg carved into the shape of a crane. The beak of the crane and some feathers enclosed in the statue are completely real, and act as her totem object.

## **Personality**

Gera is mostly bright and communicative, albeit a little awkward. A lot of her low charisma comes from the fact that she is so incredibly easy to read (can’t lie when your clouds get thicker and darker, or pinker.)

When you first meet her, she isn’t very barbarian-like. It is hard to tell where her rage comes from, but although she has a short fuse, she moves on quickly (even when others didn't realise it yet)

She likes to take a role of a councellor, rather than speak about her own issues - she enjoys listening to others and consolling them. She thinks of her own problems as unimportant compared to others - even if it's literally the main point of the quest.

## **Family**

Gera has a human mother (Sarah) and a genie father (an ever-nameless immortal being that she just calls dad), with no siblings. She has grandparents and cousins on her mums side that she sees mostly when they need to celebrate something.

She grew up living with both parents around.

During the events of the campaign, it was discovered that 'Dad' had a child with a woman called Iris De'Azzio (before he married Sarah) named Khorys De'Azzio.

## **Background**

### Childhood

Gera grew up quite normally in her town. She was considered quite strange by a lot of people there, but they grew accustomed to her presence. She has two wonderful (according to her at the time) parents, one of which is a genie who abandoned everything to stay with this human woman. To a kid, he seemed happy. However, many of the adults around the town gossip about her mother, saying he has been trapped into a deal. Despite this, she was much closer with her mother. Her dad was very mysterious all of the time, left for some periods to clean up the mess he created by staying with the family, and as such, though she loved him, she never really built trust with him. Her and her mother would do everything together though, and she loves her dearly. She was able to make friends after some effort, though she is slow socially, she found a lot of people (a lot of extroverts) took interest in her and took them under her wing, and she had solid relationships growing up.

She never knew how she lost her leg; no one had told her. According to her mum she was very young when it happened but refused to say more. She just told her to not let it get her down and to learn to be as graceful as a crane. She was already as beautiful, and she was filled with air, she just needs to never take her injury to heart.

When she turned 18, her friends all encouraged her to join them in fighting monsters and travelling the world. She was extremely excited to go along with them. (Her friend group was: Francis, Elethena, Gobrash, and Bag: the Light Chasers) She began preparing and training for it, honing her fighting skills, learning to communicate in battle with her friends. She intended to be a second fighter alongside Francis.

Then, suddenly, her mother got very sick. Gera began speaking less with her friends and taking care of her mother more, and they drifted off to adventure while she stayed behind. She became angrier and angrier, especially at her dad. This man who could do miracles couldn’t even heal her? All of a sudden, he’s staying around more? She felt rage build up inside of her as she took it out on her dad out of earshot from her mum. Her mum was getting worse every day, and the family weren’t earning any money. As soon as Gera realised that her mum was not getting better any time soon, she went and joined a fleet of ships, desperate to give her family money for treatment.

### Adulthood

She was trained by seamen for a long time and learned to make her own way in the world. She already had a peg leg, why not keep with the theme? Over the years she had been earning as much money as she can, making a name of herself as a woman who will do almost any job for the right price. She’s made alliances, made enemies, worked on multiple sides of conflicts she knows and cares nothing about. She’s an odd-jobs traveller.

During her time on the ships, she worked with many different companies. She worked with the Queen's Company, following the Northern Trading company, which put her in bad water with the latter. As she was out on work, she survived an attack by the Ember Mask, and has not spoken much about it beyond that. However, it seemed to drive her to land in which she worked for the Axis Academy, before finding herself in St. Requiem.

## **Events During The Campaign**

### Introduction

Gera found herself in the middle of a festival in St. Requiem, the first festival she had attended leasurely since she left her home. There she met the rest of the party, introducing herself to Confidence first (in which she was called pretty and blushed), before being introduced to Architeuthis Helicon and Charlie Riverbloom.

After participating in some games (and doing shockingly well in the strength based game), her and the party went to the theatre. After fighting the main dancer-turned-monster Gwen the Grey, the party investigated a brothel, Confidence flirted with a bartender. There they found Gomez, who is a lower henchman of The Gardener, the leader of the Red Lillies. As well as Desmond, who was leading some spontanteous crab fighting and offered them a job, presumably from the Helicon Family. The party left without exposing the brothel, but handing over the drugs for investigation.

Gera then went to send some money to her mum (20 gold and 5 platinum), and found that she had recieved a letter from 'Dad' saying "Gera, you need to come home. I'll tell you more when you get here, it is better said in person. In good faith, 'Dad'"

After breifly stopping at the Axis Academy to help Victor Von Kharn get saved from a displacer beast (and to deliver some magic) we arrive in Bard's Landing.

### Mummified Madness (Arc 1)

After saving Victor, the party began to make their way towards Bard's Landing. It was clear that Gera was feeling upset that she had to visit her Dad - surely her mum isn't dead is she? She was piggy backing Archie and Charlie in turns, but remained a grey colour and distant.

They arrive in Bard's Landing and immediately travel to see 'Dad' and Sarah. Arriving at the house, tensions are already high. 'Dad' reveals that Sarah seems to be under the effect of a curse, rather than regularly sick, and that the one who cursed her is likely Khorys De'azzio. A half-brother of Gera's that he had with Iris De'azzio. It was likely that the artefact that had the curse on it was on Iris' Vault, though he didn't know what the artefact was. This only made Gera angrier, and she yelled at him, claiming that maybe he could just wish her better. The rest of the party remains behind to answer some clarifying questions, and Archie finds Gera in a pub angrily drinking.

After recovering from her episode, the party head to a warehouse overcome by kobolds, and find Dario De'Azzio - a rich, good looking gentleman who had been roughed up by the kobolds (and hadn't been connected to the rest of his family at this point). After some back and forth with the kobolds, Dario explains that he has an identical friend named Flune (not related) that was mistaken for him and had been kidnapped. The party proceeds to go with Dario to save Flune (who had been accosted by a magical bugbear), and Gera went unconcious in the fight - causing her to reflect on where she's at more than she had before.

After saving Flune's life and dealing with the bugbear, Dario (as the owner of a bank) offered to purchase a tavern originally referred to as Skyshade Manor. After meeting a ghost named Leif, and defeating a snake found in a vat, the party renamed it as Snake in The Vat - and have begun creating a residential and tavern space. The party then had a week of downtime, in which they bought clothes, had sleepovers, and many shenanigans (for example, cleaning the sludge out of the secret room (see: Snake in The Vat) by blowing it all up). Much was revealed about Charlie and Archie in this time in particular, but both of them chose to go and speak to 'Dad' without asking Gera first, setting up for tension later. They discovered that 'Dad' had possibly used all of his wishes - likely on the bith of Gera and Khorys, and something else. He also has a job, and had known what the party was doing.

After this time, Flune found Dalakthar - who holds the Stone of Golorr, which is the key to opening Iris' Vault. After the party killed his meeting partner, they chose to attempt to meet Dalakthar at the Founder's Festival. Dario and Charlie had gotten particualry romantic over the week of down time, and Dario invited the party to meet the Duke George Maine. While there, the party saw Dalakthar and Raven - the leader (Queen) of The Queen's Company. He apparently is working with both Raven and Iris. The party agrees to kill Khorys in exchange for entry into the vault.

The party then proceeds to find Khorys in the mines in Bard's Landing. Attempting to get information through charismatic means, Archie and Charlie approach him claiming that they are getting the atrefact for some money. Khorys reveals that the artefact cursing Sarah is Gera's severed leg - cut off by Iris when she was an infant, and then a death curse was placed upon it, and had gone into full effect two and a half years ago.

After killing Khorys (very dramatically and under the fear condition), they returned to Raven. There, Confidence was chosen to attune to the stone, and bet an Abboleth. They made a deal, saying that the location of the vault will be revealed if Confidence remains attuned to Golorr forever, so that he may gain more and more knowledge.

The party then travel with the Queen's Company, on a smaller boat to their flagship (The Snow Leopard), and meet Tommy, the knight of Raven's court. The party head into the vault (Gera single handedly wrestles a Stone Gollum to help them) and confront a gold dragon in his human form. This is a dragon that Archie had gotten to know well through his dreams.

The party honourably choose to take only the leg, and reveal that the funds in the vault are likely embezzled. The dragon being good-hearted, decides to gift them 1000 gold, and then give the gold back to the people. Raven attempts to take it for herself, but Gera punches her, and the Queen's company leave as cowards.

## Relationships

In Hot Water - Her official party.

Charlie Riverbloom - Her relationship with Charlie continually shifts, but they remain good friends. They were very close in the beggining of the campaign, particualrly as Charlie sought advice regarding Dario, but as Charlie began to spend more time with Dario and the tension of Charlie withholding information about 'Dad' from her, the sense of trust fluctuates. Gera genuinely cares for him and hopes for the best.

Architeuthis Helicon - Although not immediately close, Archie and Gera began spending a lot of time messing around as friends, and have become quite close. Recently, Archie and Gera have further opened up to eachother and spent time together. Gera regards him as a good friend.

Confidence - Gera and Confidence don't spend as much time with eachother (due to both being low charisma, and the fact that Charlie and Archie refuse to spend time together). But are friends nontheless. Confidence made a large sacrifice of having an Aboleth read his thoughts for his whole life to help save her mum, so she feels deeply touched by his friendship.

Dario De'Azzio - Dario and Gera don't spend as much time together, but do share the distant family connection. She has danced with him and spoken to him on occasion, and she thinks he's a great addition to the party.

Sarah Synnefo - Her mum, who she loves incredibly dearly, and will do anything for.

'Dad' - She's always had tension with her Dad, and doesn't communicate how she really feels about him often.

Light Chasers - her old adventuring party. She loves and misses them, and often wonders where they are.

Iris De'Azzio - her half-brother's mother, whom she despises and yet fears. She hopes to never meet her.

Khorys De'Azzio - Her half-brother, evil-incarnate.

## Trivia

* Gera has a spotify playlist found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2l52fxHsXahjvv1PV7EDb9?si=117fd245eb5b479e
* Gera's favourite colour is forest green
* Gera is the only martial class of In Hot Water's Player Characters, but is now assisted by Archie (despite being a bard) and Dario
* Synnefo is a reference to one of the Greek words for cloud: **σύννεφο**
* Gera carries a locket with a picture of her mum in it, that grants her a luck point once per long rest
* Gera has been known to be able to conduct electricity through her rage
* Gera's dad is known to make vacuum noises (being an air Genie), and is often compared to a roomba. A doomba, if you will.