Anura Cunningker

> *I've already been put through hell and back. I can do it again.*
>
>

• Tacitus Cunningker (father)

• Helianthe Cunningker (cousin)

**Lady Anura Cunningker**is an elven Eladrin noblewoman and researcher. She indirectly formed the party.

## Description

### Appearance

Anura is a tall Eladrin elf who appears to be in her Winter form. She has light blue skin, curly hair of a slightly darker blue, and wore dark silken dresses with sapphire jewelry. She is rather round and chubby.

### Personality

Anura showed to be very caring and gentle towards the members of the party, and acted generous when a beggar came for their help. She, however, was always accompanied by an aura of mysterious sadness, melancholy and anxiety. She seemed scared by whatever she was dealing with, but was firmly decided to deal with it, and did not hesitate to destroy her own research to prevent an unknown threat from getting it.

## Biography

### Early Life

Anura's early life is somewhat mysterious. She grew up an only child, but alongside her same-aged cousin Helianthe Cunningker.

Her father died when she was young, leaving her to the care of trusted friends and teachers. She then went on to study very hard in prestigious magic schools, and early on in life threw herself into deep study of the arcane, early aware of the curse of her bloodline to attract the resurrection and wrath of Taskar.

### Budding Mage

Anura remained very secretive about her stages of research as she ventured into her professional life. At some point, her talent was noticed by highly placed members of the Fields State, making her responsible of arcane defense and transportation as her focus was on planar travel.

She eventually realized Warmaster Sare was actually Taskar, and had been using them to instigate wars and release information from one side to the other, realizing her "mistakes" were actually deliberately caused by Taskar. With the help of Nakshatra, Ka'eo and others, they could together slay Taskar once and for all in the last years of the Architect Era.

### Meeting the Party

Anura technically met the Party at different points of time. She met them in the The Trial of Eternity as she tried to find Crescent Strike herself, but failed at Celanil's trial. During his moment, Anura met the Party for the first time in a strange shift through time and space. This allowed her to recognize members of the Party as they "first" met, and know she could trust them right away.

Eventually, in Poppy, CE 45, Anura hired the party to accompany her to Towergreen. She was clearly mentioning she did not want to talk about it to the Party until she arrived under Lady Willow Appleport's protection. She "met" every original member of the party as she traveled from the Arcane State, hiring some and asking for other's help along the way. She was carrying a leatherbound tome with all of her dangerous research.

### Abduction

She was attacked by a mysterious Old Man, actually Taskar on the road between Mardrie and Towergreen, who seemed to be a mere beggar but knew about Anura's research. She managed to destroy the tome when she asked Toot to open it, crystallizing it in shards of ice and breaking it in tiny crystals. However, Taskar managed to grab Anura, and teleported to Miner's Rest with her.

Some people, including Sacristya Mirmillion and Pasifae, called her "The Lady of a Frozen Heart". It seems she had a leading role in the last war for the Kernel, and is not remembered in good ways by the people.

### 'Final' Meeting

Anura was found in a strange stasis in Miner's Rest, in the Tiger's Maw Casino, where she was held captive. During this time, it was revealing she was weaving a long, diffuse ritual to trap Taskar and to bind him to her at the moment of his death.

She ventured into Hell with the party, joining with them to kill Taskar. She had her own moments of despair and weakness, but overall stayed strong, still processing everything that happened to her.

She eventually reunited with her wife Willow, staying together. She offered to create a permanent teleportation circle in the Party's future house.

## Windows to the past

* **Night of Celebration.** During the night of Poppy 24th to Poppy 25th, the party had a strange vision-like dream; where they were transported to a seemingly past version of the location they were sleeping in. It seemed to be a party hosted by Wilow Appleport herself; and during this event, Anura was found saddened and stressed away from the crowd. She shared some of her fears and feelings with her lover, expressing how she feared she was not "happy enough", and showed that it "did not change her".
* **The War Council.** During the night to Myosotis 4th to Myosotis 5th, the party had a vision of a war council that happened in Fieldbell during the last war with the Holy Kingdom of Humankind. During this council,it was revealed that Anura worked as Arcane Master and was commissionned to protect a Falon'Rakkian fleet to sail to the Kernel. It was revealed that the fleet was decimated before arriving, as magicians of Humankind unleashed three adult krakens upon the seas, destroying both armadas. She dismissed these as "unforeseen casualties", but was still held partially responsible by Warmaster Sare. Lady Willow Appleport seemed to be very disappointed in Anura in that moment. After the council was dismissed, she approached Willow and spoke of a spy within the council that might play as a double agent for Humankind.
* **Aftermath.** Anura was seen after killing a demon in the cathedral of Fieldbell, while Willow Appleport was holding the body of her deceased father, in company of Ka'eo and Nakshatra of Saintgrave.
* **First meeting, first of many.** In The Trial of Eternity, in Celanil's trial, an Anura from the past met with the party. She came from Architect 498, 47 years prior to the current events of the campaign. She had failed the trial, coming alone and not being able to protect her torch; but she managed to discuss with the party of what was bound to happen in vague and loose terms, hearing of the circumstances of their first meeting. Anura seemed a lot colder and harsher in personality, visibly moved by cold rage and cold guilt towards her past failures. She also revealed that Warmaster Sare had been an alias of Taskar.

## Connections

### The party

* **Ma'al Jedd****:** Ma'al explained to have met Anura in Ornell in the Incense State, where she was impressed by his extensive knowledge on arcane fields, and invited him to join her to help her on her research once they arrived to her destination.
* **Pyra** : Pyra quickly mentioned that Anura was a pen pal of her sister, and took her protection.
* **Teeth** : Teeth said he has been hired to protect Anura.
* **Toot** : Toot talked about following the party, eventually tagging along.

### Others

* **Lady Willow Appleport****:** Willow is her long-date lover, although it is unknown their exact relationship status. She seemed to seek protection from her.
* **Dashim** : Dashim was a former colleague, and seemed to bother Anura in her research, making her uneasy. Upon this uncomfort, Willow Appleport forced Dashim to quit his job and move somewhere else. When speaking to him, he mentioned that Anura was investigating transport between planes and space, with an interest for the lower planes, including the Limbo and the different hells.

## Abilities

* **Winter step :** Anura showed the ability to teleport by turning into a mist of tiny ice shards, leaving behind her a horrific skeleton shape howling with despair, frightening the creatures nearby.
* **Ice ward :** She had instilled her leatherbound tome with the power of ice runes, which upon unlocking by an unapproved user had the effect of destroying the item into ice shards.