River Shoon

Art by Dire

**River Shoon** is the village elder of Lindow in Northern Ishtar. A curmudgeonly old woman with a strong presence, she enlists a group of voyagers with investigating the strange goings-on on west of Lindow after they impressed her by defending her town.

## Description

### Appearance

River Shoon is a short elderly woman with tan skin and dark grey hair tied back in a bun. Her face has several signs of age, including wrinkles, bags under the eyes, and crow's feet. She normally wears loose purple clothing consisting of a shirt and cardigan.

### Personality

River Shoon is a responsible and assertive woman, as demonstrated by her handling of the chaos caused by the Faeblood creatures. She prioritizes the safety of her people and takes her position very seriously. She might appear to be a grumpy old woman, because she essentially is, but she also shows a great deal of shrewdness when she negotiates with the voyagers she tasks to investigate the cause of the chaos. Despite such savvy, she can sometimes be a bit blunt and insensitive, not realizing Ribeye's autonomy and inadvertedly upsetting him.

## History

### Background

Not much of River Shoon's past is known. She was probably born in the village of Lindow and spent most of her life there. At some point, she became village elder, and bore the responsibility of running the town.

## Phase 3 Story

### The Skagzag Extravaganza

In River Shoon's twilight years, the Skagzag Extravaganza came to Lindow. The festival was likely allowed to take place with River's permission. It is unknown what River did during the festival, but it is likely she helped by overseeing the event. River also likely attended the talent show later that night, where a young Rift Elf called Pandora left the crowd starstruck with her performance.

### Havoc from Faewunder

Later that night, the inhabitants of Lindow were enjoying the festivities, including River Shoon. However, the merriment soon turned to panic, as strange blue energy began to manifest all across Lindow. From the blue energy, several floating luminous goblins emerged and began to cause chaos all over town. The goblins fired bolts of energy, harassed festival-goers and caused damage to buildings and property as they went. River Shoon was caught up in the chaos, but managed to avoid any serious harm. After some time, a loud horn echoed out to the west, drawing the attention of all the creatures. As one, the creatures transformed into blue energy and began to shoot off towards the sound, where a large blue light could be seen in the distance.

When the commotion calmed down, River stepped up to take control of the situation. She announced that the festival was finished and that everyone should return home. When someone argued this order, she reminded them that she was the elder and that innocent people were injured. That silenced any further protests. River then ordered people to help secure the town and to aid any of the wounded. With her commands issued, she left the town guard and other voyagers to sort things out.

### A Call to Action

As River walked through town, she singled out a group of voyagers who looked to be in the best condition. Said adventurers had just driven off a large ogre and come out of the encounter mostly unscathed. River approached the group and inquired after their health. The group confirmed they were okay. River then began getting the measure of each of them, remarking on their skills and appearance. She was particularly intrigued by the skeleton Ribeye, believing him to be a rather advanced undead servant. Upon learning Ribeye was not only sapient but also one of her own citizens, she expressed surprise and apologized for her assumptions. Ribeye accepted the apology, though he was shaken by the revelation he was different to other raised skeletons.

Finishing her introductions, River then pivoted to discuss business. She explained that much damage had been done to the town and its people, to which the voyagers offered their support in the relief effort. River thanked them but explained that she had a different task for them. The large blue light to the west concerned her, believing it to the source of the energy. Lindow could very well come under attack again if they couldn't get to the root of the problem and the town did not have the resources to spare after the attack. She therefore requested that these voyagers head towards the light in the west and discover what it was. River also offered Lindow's services to support them on their journey. The group accepted unanimously, satisfying River. The topic then turned to payment.

Rather than offer a figure, River allowed the voyagers to make the first move. Pandora jokingly asked for the city in return, which River shot down quickly. Using her knowledge of the Sogu Historia Guild's rates, Gloria Gladeblossom proposed a daily rate of 100 credits per person. Estimating a four day journey, this totaled 2000 credits. River was taken aback, stating the town coffers did not have that kind of money. When Gloria attempted to backtrack, Pandora interrupted and stated that the group knew their worth and suggested they get half now and the other half at a later date. River mulled this over briefly before agreeing, though the second payment might take some time. With this, River directed them to the tavern for free lodgings, saying she would meet them in the morning with the first 1000 credits. River then left them for the night.

### The First Payment

River arrived at the tavern the next morning, knocking on the door to their room. Ribeye opened it to meet her, revealing the voyagers had all stayed in the one room together. Momentarily surprised, she shrugged it off, understanding the group had been celebrating the whole night. She then presented a credit piece to the skeleton chef, confirming that the 1000 credits were on it for their use. Ribeye appeared apprehensive about taking it, but did so nonetheless. River then confirmed that the Skagzag Extravaganza had been cancelled and the circus folk were ready to move on to their next destination. She suspected they would come back in approximately five years, at which she expressed disappointment. River Shoon then gave the group a quick rundown of the facilities that they could avail of. At Gloria's behest, she reminded them of the task expected of them, and stated that if they could possibly dispel the source of Faewunder energy, the town would be forever in their debt. She wished them good luck and the blessings of the gods before leaving them to prepare for their journey.

## Powers and Abilities

It is unknown what powers or abilities River Shoon possesses.

## Etymology

"River" is a unisex name of English origin. It is taken from the word "*river*", describing a flowing body of water. The English word is derived from the Latin "*ripa*", which means riverbank.

Shoon is likely an original name for the Ioverse setting. "S*hoon*" is an English archaic word that is the plural of "*shoe*", a type of footwear.