Zinnia Starguard

Lydia Starguard (Mother)

Rosalind Songsteel (Aunt)

Felix Bishop-Songsteel (Great Uncle)

Aidan Starguard (Brother)

Zinnia Starguard is the daughter of Roland Songsteel and Lydia Starguard. She was trained from an early age as a spy and works as a part of the information network that operates on behalf of the Songsteel Trading Company. Zinnia is the main representative of the Songsteel Trading Company in the village of Yana.

## **Description**

### **Appearance**

Zinnia is a 5'4" half elf woman with lightly tanned skin. She has the same green eyes as her father and her hair is white, which she inherited as an after effect of her mother's torture by Tharizdun. This hair is often worn tied back as a long braid down the side of her head, similar to how Rosalind Songsteel wears her hair. She wears light, and often very revealing clothing, accentuated with a cloak that blends from Songsteel blue to Starguard green.

### **Personality**

Zinnia is cocky and self-assured, and often lets her heart rule her head. She is strong willed and has what Felix Bishop describes as "a mean streak" that often appears as an enjoyment of tormenting others, which Roland believes to be an after-effect of Lydia's experiences with Tharizdun. She is also promiscuous, flirting heavily with people as a way of getting them to do what she wants, though this has reduced heavily following the beginning of her relationship with Lucan Yaeldrin. She slightly resents her parents' fame and past deeds as she feels like she lives in their shadow, a feeling which eventually led to her splitting away from the other Songsteels to lead troops to Yana.

Zinnia's alignment is Chaotic Neutral. Her birthday is Misuthar 2nd.

## **Biography**

### **Early Life**

Zinnia was born to Roland Songsteel and Lydia Starguard soon after the end of the Echoes Crisis. She grew up during the rise of the Songsteel Trading Company, often being found by her parents' sides or in the care of Bishop.

After a few years, Zinnia was joined by a younger brother, Aidan Starguard who, despite appearing annoyed by the existence of, Zinnia loved deeply. She also played an integral role to the defeat of her grandmother, Clara Songsteel, using her first piece of innate magic to give her mother the upper hand in a duel between the pair.

Over her years of growing up, Zinnia showed an aptitude for bardic skills, which she was trained in by her aunt, Rosalind Songsteel. She also became a skilled swordswoman and adept at gathering information. She eventually began to exhibit a "mean streak", using her skills to gather information on people that she would then use in blackmailing or extorting them. Though concerning, this behaviour was tempered somewhat by Bishop, who instead taught her how to use these skills to do good rather than causing pain.

Soon Zinnia's skills found a home in gathering information about Tal'Dorei nobles and their affairs through parties with the young heirs of the different houses, drunk teens made for easy marks. Once she was old enough, Zinnia was granted a position in the Songsteel Trading Company information branch, beginning training to take over organisation of the spy network from Lydia.

When she turned 18, Zinnia was given the family sword Steelsinger by her father and took on the role of the Songsteel Trading Company representative in the village of Yana, overseeing the Grey Valley Project.

### **Grey Frontier**

Zinnia encountered the Sterling Rams in the late summer of 843 P.D. while staying at the manse of the town arl, Ahvain Firahel. She explained the mission that her mother had laid out for Karr and offered the kobold favours in exchange for any information she could gather.

Later, she acted as part of the entertainment for the Yana highsummer celebrations and was flirted with by Echthra. Finding the woman's attentions annoying, Zinnia simply intimidated her with Steelsinger and left the tiefling fuming. Unknown to Zinnia this would start a long period of animosity between the pair. Towards the end of the celebrations, Zinnia was called to the walls with the other town leaders when Dread Mother Zilla arrived and demanded the release of Shava Firahel.

Once the Sterling Rams returned from dealing with the Hags, Zinnia took a report in full from Karr before attempting to explain her actions to Echthra, which appeared only to worsen their relationship. She eventually wrote a letter of apology to Echthra, which seemed to smooth things over between them.

When winter arrived in the Grey Valley, Zinnia briefly met with Karr, explaining that she was leaving to spend the winter in Kymal with her family, before leaving Yana. While at home however, Zinnia and her family recieved word that the town was under threat of attack from an unknown army called the Defiant Legion. While Roland Songsteel worked to gather his forces, Zinnia realised that the attack would come before her parents could reach Yana to help. So she broke away from the army and rode ahead, gathering the troops garrisoned at the town of Starfall Hollow before leading them onwards into the valley.

While they experienced a brief skirmish with the Defiant Legion, Zinnia and her army arrived in good time to the town and effectively doubled the size of the defence forces.

The night before the battle, Zinnia met Lucan Yaeldrin as the two drank in the Sanctuary Inn, which resulted in a heart ot heart where they both aired their worries about being involved in such a large battle and agreed to watch one another's backs during the fighting.

Zinnia was barely involved in the early stages of the Battle of Yana, simply directing her troops. But once the Defiant Legion reached the walls and Lizette Scarrow fell to an *Eldritch Blast* thrown by Shanna, Zinnia took a commanding role in the defence. Reminding the defenders of the urban combat tactics they had been taught by Echthra, Zinnia led them against the invaders. She fought back to back with Lucan, with both saving the other's life more than once, which developed a mutual attraction between them. When Lucan was heavily wounded by a Defiant Legion soldier, losing two fingers from his left hand, Zinnia dragged him to safety in the clinic.

On the way there she encountered the Sterling Rams and used Steelsinger and her noble status to formally knight Tred, naming him "Sir Tred Stoneheart."

Following the victory, Zinnia began a relationship with Lucan, finding herself caring far more for him than anyone else she had ever been with. She embraced both her parents and Lum when they arrived to Yana and even seemed pleased to see her brother. Though this pleasure at seeing her family was shortlived, as she soon found herself needing to defend her new boyfriend from their probing questioning.