Sage

(Deceased-Human)

Autumn Gisseck

(Deceased-Elven)

Children:

Siegmund

(Deceased-Half Elf)

## Early Life:

Sage was not born into any faith; rather, her parents were simple folks: a father who was a stoic and brusque carpenter and a reclusive mother who was an exile from her own village, then a housewife. Sage herself has no siblings, and lived the life of an ordinary village girl, learning simple housework, cooking, gardening, and the like, as well as some extra lessons from her mother--mostly some simple alchemy principles and mathematics, along with history, botany, and the like.

At the age of 11 Sage started making a name for herself, not for her knowledge or ability, but for her generosity. Whereas Davin and Autumn typically stayed to themselves, except when work demanded, Sage spread herself amongst all of Parma, helping any who may have needed it. From this and from watching her dad work, Sage also learned a decent amount of carpentry. She fixed more roofs than anyone in the village (except Davin) by the time she was 14, and she had also gotten more practice gardening than nearly anyone. Even during the occasional trip with her mother to Balandor, Sage would frequently wander away from Autumn to aid the less fortunate. Quickly she had become the pride and joy, the jewel of Parma.

## The Bandits:

When Sage was 19, a strange man wandered into town. He was tall, dark, and handsome, with long dark hair, rugged leather armor and a black stallion beneath him, and his name was Joseph. Joseph got a room at the tavern and noticed Sage helping the waitresses with a large and very thirsty group of adventurers. Joseph approached, started a conversation, stayed an extra day, then another extra day, and before anyone knew it, Sage was engaged to be married, only a month after Joseph drifted into town. Sage became pregnant before the marriage, and Joseph left, leaving Sage alone. As far as anyone knew, Joseph would never return.

Two months later, just after Sage turned 20, Joseph returned, a full complement of bandits following behind. Autumn managed to kill a few bandits, and so she and Davin were killed in return, as well as a few others who tried to resist. Joseph marched away with all the food and wealth in Parma, leaving a pregnant Sage and an impoverished village behind him.

## Life in the Church:

The villagers of Parma felt it best to abandon the village and moved to Balandor, so Sage followed them. Left with no hope in her heart, Sage found herself in an emotional crisis which only religion was able to resolve. Sage found herself frequenting the church of Pelor, and by the time her son Siegmund was born, Sage had decided to officially enter into the clergy as a neophyte. She rose through the ranks quickly, due to Autumn's teachings and Sage's own naturally good disposition, and Sage found herself an official priestess ten years later, taking frequent pilgrimages with her son.

Being literally raised within the church, Siegmund was a natural talent in Pelor's teachings, though his emotional and moral disposition seemed nearly opposite Sage's--more akin to his father's. During Sage's pilgrimages, spreading the love and warmth of herself and Pelor, Siegmund earned his own reputation as a menace, burning the good and accepting anywhere in his so-called 'holy light'.

That's not to say that Siegmund didn't do what he thought was right, and he especially thought it was right to love and honor one's parents. On Sage's 35th birthday, he surprised her with the organized beginning of a project: Siegmund had spoken to the previous villagers of Parma, as well as others willing to join in, about rebuilding Parma. With Siegmund and everyone else, Parma was rebuilt in less than a year. Sage tried to settle down there again, but felt Pelor calling her around the world. She and Siegmund continued traveling, until certain events called them back a few years later. It was during those travels that Sage and Siegmund both discovered that they loved each other as more than just mother and son.

## The Coup:

When Roman Marsk took over Ludas, the aftermath flowed into some other cities and countries, including Balandor. Balandor's nobility started changing their structure based off of Roman's own success, right around the time Sage and Siegmund came back to roost. Sage was uncomfortable with the changes, but did nothing. Siegmund, on the other hand, reacted violently. He started raising a resistance, against his mother's pleas, and soon found himself marching on the front steps of Balandor's castle. Siegmund had grown immensely powerful within the past few years, and nearly succeeded simply by his own strength, leaving most of Balandor castle in ruins, though in the end he failed, and was killed in combat.

As Sage did not involve herself other than to actively protest Siegmund's actions, she was found in no way associated with the coup, and was left alone by authorities--she was even actively welcomed by many whom she had helped earlier in life; however, Sage found herself again unable to stay in Balandor, the weight of her son's death too much to bear. She set out once again, this time not to spread Pelor's warmth to others, but to find it once again within herself. For the first time in her life, Sage was truly alone.

## First Contact:

Sage traveled for just under three months on her own, celebrating her 40th birthday by herself. Without Siegmund's fierce talent beside her, she nearly died on several occasions, and was forced to eventually learn some spells which had previously eluded her. It was with these spells that Sage saved the life of a dragonborn named Torinn, who was being attacked by a bear. After some discussion they decided to travel together.

Later Sage and Torinn met Bridget, a known oathbreaker in the church of Pelor; Arane, a mysterious female elf with the body of a girl and the mind of an adult; and Pakamtu, the eccentric and shamanistic human druid. For better or for worse, they all decided to travel together.