Lydia Starguard

Zinnia Starguard (Daughter)

Aidan Starguard (Son)

### Cause(s) of Death

1. Beheaded by Riza with S'gail, soul trapped and tourtured by Tharizdun. (Soul unintentionally released by Riza and resurrected by Williner)

Lydia Starguard is a half-elf rogue and noble of Kymal. She is betrothed to Roland Songsteel and grew up alongside the twins in Kymal.

## **Description**

### **Appearance**

Lydia is a 5'3'' half-elf woman, although she looks mainly human, her elven lineage originating several generations earlier. She has dark skin and deep brown eyes. Her hair is often either in a messy afro or tied back in dreadlocks.

Prior to her resurrection, her hair was dark, yet afterwards, it became white as an effect of her torture by Tharizdun. Since being resurrected she also has a thin scar around her neck where her head was re-attached.

Lydia tends to wear long, colonial style coats. Often these are enhanced with ornate, yet functional armouring.

### **Personality**

Lydia is confident, almost to the point of cockiness, yet she is also capable of keeping a level head, particularly when faced with danger. She is extremely intelligent and charismatic, having grown up navigating the nobles of Kymal. Following her resurrection, she has become more reserved and quiet. She also often suffers from nightmares and elements of PTSD from her time imprisoned with Tharizdun.

Her alignment is Chaotic Good. Lydia's birthday is Brussendar 11th.

## **Biography**

### **Early Life**

Lydia was born in Kymal to the Starguard noble house and there she grew up alongside the Songsteel twins, Roland and Rosalind. She quickly befriended Rosalind and the two became best friends growing up. Around the age of 15, Lydia began to date Roland Songsteel and the two fell very deeply in love with one another. When she was 17, both of Lydia's parents died in Emon during the attack of the Chroma Conclave and she took on leadership of her house. This, combined with the fact that both of the twins were leaving Kymal to pursue other things, led her to end the relationship with Roland as he left to become a private investigator in Emon following the Conclave's defeat, a decision that weighed heavily on both of them. Over the next few years, Lydia raised her family's influence in Kymal, at times seeking advice from the Songsteel family retainer, Bishop.

### **Meeting Hindsight**

Towards the end of 822 P.D. Lydia reconnected with Roland who asked her to take Bishop and his new party to an auction in the "Maiden's Wish" Casino as a form of reward for saving his sister from a deadly attack on the city of Westruun. She agreed and met the group at her estate, where she asked them what they called themselves as a group at which point they decided upon the name "Hindsight". The next day, Lydia, along with the newly named group headed to the auction. There, Lydia introduced the group to several important members of Tal'Dorei's high society, including Ira Starheart, who turned out to be Harvan Dain's sister. The group also met Theodore Balmhand, a gnomish cleric of Erathis and Sisava, a Yuan'ti pureblood who showed a particular interest in Bishop. Just before the auction began, the guest of honour was introduced, Baroness Riza Whispercreek, who Lydia explained was the head of the Whispercreek winery. Lydia then spent the auction sat with Bishop, both of them laughing quietly to themselves when the auctioneers discovered that Roland had stolen his family sword back from the auction and left a spinning cut-out of a middle finger in the display case, that Bishop then went on to purchase. After the auction, the group returned to Starguard estate and slept. The next morning, at breakfast, the party were interrupted by the arrival of Lindal Greenbottle who asked to join Hindsight on their travels. After this, Lydia saw the party off on their travels to Emon and Roland, asking Bishop to give her love to him and ensure that Rosalind recovered the memories she'd lost during the attack on Westruun.

### **Death**

A few days after Hindsight left, Lydia met with Lindal's mentor, Theodore Balmhand to discuss the recent events. The meeting was suddenly interrupted by Sisava and a force of Myriad troops who subdued and captured the pair. For over a month, the pair were held captive and tortured until the early hours of New Dawn of 823 P.D. the first day of the new year. At this point they were dragged out and held as hostages before the Council of Echoes and their leader, Riza Whispercreek. Hindsight were also captured and Riza held Lydia, along with several other prisoners as bargaining chips to gain their allegiance. Due to the fact that he'd long been a thorn in the side of the Council, Theodore was instantly executed by Riza. In response, Lindal refused to be subdued by the Council despite Riza warning several times that there would be consequences. These consequences soon showed themselves as Riza simply turned and beheaded Lydia with her sword, *S'gail,* which condemned her soul to imprisonment alongside Tharizdun.

### **Torture and Resurrection**

For a month following her death, Lydia's soul was held prisoner and tormented by the God of Madness within his prison. However, after the month had passed, Riza's mission was successful and she opened Tharizdun's prison, releasing him and, unintentionally, all the souls that were imprisoned alongside him. Following this, her soul was restored to her body through a resurrection ritual carried out by Williner and assisted by Bishop, Argos, Pseuda and the Songsteel twins. The trauma of her experiences turned her hair white and left a thin scar around her neck. Lydia was then taken back to her estate by Roland and the two reaffirmed their love for one another and later, Lydia accepted Roland's proposal.

The next day, the group attended the war council at the Farnell estate and discussed Tharizdun's invasion of Emon. There the twins, supported by Lydia, revealed their intentions to lead their forces into rescuing the innocent people living in the city while also avoiding the main conflict. During the battle, Lydia brutally slew a Goristro demon that wounded Roland badly.

### **Echoes Crisis Aftermath**

Following the Echoes Crisis, Lydia started a charity to help those whose families and homes had been lost in Tharizdun's invasion. About a year after the crisis, Lydia gave birth to a daughter, who shared her white hair yet possessed her father's green eyes, who they named Zinnia Starguard.

## **Relationships**

### **Roland Songsteel**

Roland is Lydia's betrothed, someone she had loved since they had both been in their late teens. Lydia cares deeply for Roland and became almost blinded by rage following his wounding in the Seige of Oblivion.

### **Rosalind Songsteel**

Rosalind is Lydia's best friend and has been since they were children. Lydia was visibly concerned by Rosalind's state following her encounter with the Oblex in the Westruun terrorist attack. Lydia is one of the few people, Rosalind allows to call her "Rose".

### **Hindsight**

Lydia found Hindsight to be powerful allies and maintained a strong friendship with all of them. She was exceptionally grateful to them all for her resurrection, but in particular Bishop for never giving up on her and Williner for being the main conduit for her resurrection.

## **Equipment**

Lydia wore studded leather armour and carried two magically enchanted daggers. She'd also created a pistol from designs she'd purchased at an auction in Kymal.