Skania

**Skania** is an arctic gryphon living in Thelaji during the Age of Kingdoms. She was Nix's guardian while she was young, but she left the tribe soon after the deaths of Aubin and Kaithe. She lived the rest of her life in the kingdom of Shumi.

## Appearance

Skania is scrawny and ragged. Her wings are thin and pointed, and her fur is messy. She has a large scar across the left side of her face, caused by a fit of anger from Aubin. Her fur is mottled blue and gray. Her wings are darker blue with two stripes, one dark blue and one gray. Her beak and talons are light yellow, and her eyes are gold. She is missing a talon on her right side, and her feathers are falling out.

## Personality

Thanks to a lifetime of living under and serving strict royalty, Skania is frazzled and weary. She has learned to stay quiet and stay out of the way to avoid angering her superiors. Any hopes she may have had for her future have long since been destroyed.

She tried her best to serve the royals, believing it to be the right thing for Thelaji, but she was secretly relieved when Aubin and Kaithe died.

## History

### Caring for Aubin

Skania was born in Thelaji on Winter 16, y815. Her parents both served in the king's palace, and when Skania was old enough, she joined them. When the king was killed by Liwon invaders in y847, Skania was appointed as the caretaker for his one surviving son, the young Aubin. She helped watch over him, teaching him about Thelaji and about Ankou as a whole. She was still young, and eager at the thought of making a difference in the life of the future king.

However, Aubin did not seem to care about her or any of her teachings. He was moody and sulky, and prone to fits of anger. As he grew, he became more stoic and silent. Once he was old enough to not need a guardian, Skania stopped watching him at all times, but she did still assist him and provide for his needs. Although Skania cared for him like family, he treated her as nothing more than a servant, and over time she grew to resent that. In y879, in a fit of anger over something inconsequential, he lashed out at her with his talons, gashing her face and leaving permanent scars. Skania decided then that she was going to stay out of his way as much as possible.

### Her Humble Duty

When Aubin became king in y893, Skania was promoted to head servant in the palace. This distinction meant little to Aubin, however. Skania learned to stay silent and keep her head down, drawing as little attention to herself as possible. She got by this way for several years, making sure the palace ran smoothly without Aubin even needing to notice she was there. While Aubin was leading the Thelaji Conquest across the continent, Skania was organizing servants, keeping the palace spotless, and making sure everyone was fed and cared for.

### Caring for Nix

In y903, Aubin had a daughter, Nix. He and his partner Queen Kaithe decided that Skania should look after her, which caught Skania by surprise. By this time she had long lost her patience for dealing with hatchlings, but she did not dare refuse an order from the king. And so she cared for and raised Nix the way she had raised Aubin, hoping she might be able to do better this time. However, Nix turned out to be as temperamental and obstinate as her father had been, but with a lot more energy. Skania struggled to keep her out of trouble and out of danger, risking her neck constantly without even a shred of acknowledgement from any of the royal family. Nix was openly hostile to her on many occasions, and even at that age, Skania could see that the royal heir was heartless and cruel. Skania's own heart ached for the thought of the terrors the young tyrant would inflict when she was placed on the throne.

When Aubin and Kaithe launched the attack on Lyndoreth in y914, Skania traveled south with them in order to keep an eye on Nix, who was eager to see battle strategy in action. When Ignis arrived to defend Lyndoreth and the attack turned south, Skania tried to bring Nix home to Thelaji so that she would be safe and away from the battle; somehow, in the chaos of it all, Nix slipped away from her.

Terrified that something would happen to the royal heir and that she would be blamed for it, Skania searched relentlessly for the missing Nix. Before she could find her, however, news came from the front lines of the battle – Ignis had won, and the king and queen were dead. Reeling from this unexpected turn, Skania returned to the rest of the group; along the way she finally found Nix, who had seen her parents' deaths first-hand. The whole group abandoned Lyndoreth and the other nearby territories, ending the Thelaji Conquest and retreating to their homeland.

### A New Homeland

Although shaken, Skania found that she could feel no grief for the fallen monarchs, only relief. It was as though she could breathe again. This feeling did not last, however. As soon as the raiding party returned to Thelaji, Nix declared herself queen. Skania could tell that Nix would be a far crueler leader than even Aubin had been, and she decided she had had enough. That night, under the cover of darkness, Skania gathered what little things she owned and took off.

She flew west for days, only stopping for food or water. The entire time she was unable to stop looking over her shoulder, afraid that someone would come after her and drag her back to the palace. As the days went by, and nobody came for her, Skania finally began to relax. She stopped to rest on the west coast of the continent, in the kingdom of Shumi. The residents there gave her food and water, and she was able to find shelter.

Although she had intended it as a quick stop, the tiny coastal settlement was so warm and peaceful that she found herself unable to leave. And so she remained there, building a small home for herself and even making a handful of friends, although she found it difficult to trust any of them.

In y936, word came from across the continent about the Siege of Lyndoreth. Skania heard all about how Nix had attempted to take control of Lyndoreth, only to be taken down by the Ignis just like her parents. Although Skania had long-since abandoned the world of Thelaji, hearing of Nix's death was the final piece she needed for true catharsis. Skania passed away on a warm summer day in y941, at age 126.

## Relationships

### Aubin

Skania has known Aubin since he was two seasons old, when she was appointed to watch after him. Although she had initially hoped that her influence would help the young hatchling, she found that there was nothing she could do to change his nature. It was a relief to her when he died, as she knew that he had no power over her anymore.

### Nix

As the king and queen were always busy, Skania became Nix's caretaker and almost sole companion. Nix hated her from the moment she was assigned to her, and Skania felt much the same. Aubin would blame Skania whenever Nix got into trouble, which was frequently, and there was nothing Skania could do to dissuade Nix from doing something once she had her mind set to it. When Nix became queen, Skania knew she could not handle living under her rule, and she fled the kingdom.

### Kaithe

Skania did not have much interaction with the queen, but she knew that Kaithe was every bit as power-hungry as her partner. Skania did not grieve when she heard of the queen's death.