Sage Gaffney

## Sagellyn Gaffney

By @Caffeinated\_Dreams

**Sagellyn "Sage" Gaffney** is a Gardnerian whose family lives next door to Elloren Gardner's family.

## Physical Appearance

Like almost all Gardnerians, Sage has black hair and green eyes. Her hands and arms are covered with deep, bloody lash marks that are the result of breaking her wandfasting. Her skin used to be pale with the green shimmer of all Gardnerians, until her light magic turned it purple. Her eyes also turned a plum color and her hair is also purple. When she turned twelve, she began developing a curvy figure that she can't hide despite the modest style of Gardnerian clothing. She has small, golden chains she wears on her hands and looped around her fingers, palms, and wrists that lessen the pain from breaking her fasting.

## Personality

Sage loves her siblings very much, especially her half-sisters. She is very protective of them. She desperately wants to please both her father and stepmother, and never wants to anger her father. She is smart, creative, and artistic. But because Gardnerian culture doesn't support women, her talents are not given the attention they deserve. She teaches herself every runic system and commits them all to memory in about six years.

## Biography

### Early History

Sage's mother died when she was five-years-old of the Red Grippe. Her father, Warren Gaffney, fasted to Eliss not long after. Her older brother Shane has been sent away as a result of constantly arguing with their parents.

Sage's family lives next door to Elloren Gardner's family in Halfix. Sage used to weave Elloren wreaths of ribbons and meadowlark flowers when they were children. Sage let Elloren play with her little goats. As teenagers, Sage patiently taught Elloren how to embroider intricate designs. They would sit quietly sewing Ironflowers along the hems of their garments. Elloren always admired Sage for her quiet grace and artistic ways.

### Light Mage

Six years before the birth of her son, Sage is twelve-years-old. She has been struggling to contain her burgeoning light magery. Before now, her artistic hobbies, painting, weaving, and drawing, were sufficient for her to control her magic, but not anymore. Her skin has been changing colors, particularly her fingers on her wand hand, when she sees colors due to her affinity.

Sage eavesdrops on her father and stepmother discussing her. Her father has decided the best way to control Sage's magic is to get her wandfasted, despite the fact that she is not even thirteen yet. He claims that because she "has the figure of a much older girl," her young age doesnn't matter. Sage learns that she is to be fasted to a boy named Tobias Vassilis who is from a good Gardnerian family. Furthermore, her younger sisters Clover and Retta are to be bindingly promised to Tobias's younger brothers as well and fasted to them when they turn thirteen. Three weeks after learning she is to be fasted to Tobias, Sage travels to Valgard with her parents to be fasted to him.

Now eighteen, Sage has arrived in Verpax City to seal her fasting to Tobias and to attend Verpax University. She is going to apprentice with Gardneria's premier textile artisan and work towards her goal of becoming a master weaver.

After fleeing from the inn upon both her parents and Tobias's parents accusation that she enticed Tobias, she seriously contemplates throwing herself off a bridge. Ra'Ven sees her and stops her from jumping. He tells her that he almost did the same thing himself, but Zeymir saved him. She asks if he made the right choice and he firmly tells her that he does.

Sage and Ra'Ven spend hours talking about the politics of the Realm, ways to strengthen the Smaragdalfar Resistance, how the Mage Guard is massing on the Keltanian and Lupine borders, and that they are threatening invasion if they don't turn over large swaths of their land. They discuss how there is an increasing flow of desperate Urisk, Elfhollen, Smaragdalfar, and Fae refugees out of the Western Realm. Ra'Ven tells Sage that she is a revolutionary because she turned her back on everything she's ever known, and at great personal risk.

Believing she has found a way to remove the fasting spell, she and Ra'Ven sleep together. That night, her fast lines return. She is feverish and a fire is burning her insides in a degree of pain that causes her to fall unconscious. Ra'Ven brings Sage to the Amaz lands where the Vu Trin maintain a military outpost. The Amaz owe the Vu Trin a war debt and they ask to have it repaid by allowing Sage and her baby to be sheltered there. It is the only time a male has been allowed to exist on Amaz territory.

Sage is constantly suffering from fever and the pain of fire burning her inside because her child is an Icaral, and thus part dragon, but she is not dragonkin. As her pregnancy continues, she does become dragonkin herself. Sang Loi is her midwife and becomes her friend.

Sage tells Sang Loi that she wants to make it to the Noi lands so that she can learn to use all of her power. Then she will come after the wandfasting spell and destory it. She feels remorse for how she mocked the religions of other races, and resolves to learn all she can about the other cultures, religions, and magical systems of the Realm. She wants to learn all the runic systems, join the Wyvernguard, and learn everything she can do with her magic.

Sage gives birth to her son. The White Wand is nearby. It sends her an image of a starlit tree. The Wand has been calling to her for months. As she looks into her baby’s eyes, she finally understands what the Wand has been trying to tell her. The Wand wants her to bring it to Elloren Gardner.

### The Black Witch

The Watchers bring Elloren to Sage the night before she is to leave for Verpax University. Elloren is shocked to see Sage because no one has seen or heard from her since her disappearance. She is further shocked to see that Sage has given birth to a child and the father is not her fastmate. Sage tells Elloren she needs to give her something, and the gives her the White Wand. Sage tells Elloren that the wand wants to go to her. Sage begs Elloren to not let the Gardnerians get it. Sage tells Elloren that the Mage Council wants her baby because they believe he's the Evil One and that is the reason Elloren's Aunt Vyvian is in Halfix.

At Vyvian's ball a few weeks later, it is revealed that Sage has been Banished. It is a ritual cutting off of a family member. It's reserved for those whose actions are so heinous, "their very existence is to be erased to restore honor and purity two their family."

### The Iron Flower

Sage's baby is thought to be the Icaral Child of Prophecy. Sage and Fyn'ir are living in the Amaz capital of Cyme. The Watchers lead Elloren to them while she is there petitioning the queen to help rescue the Selkies.

## Power & Abilities

Sage is a Level Four Light Mage, the rarest of all Mages. She struggled to learn how to control her power. Her light magic favors the purple end of the spectrum. Sage can do a variant of a glamour by changing people's skin colors. For example, she turns Rivyr and a group of Smaragdalfar Elf refugees grey to look Elfhollen. Sage can magnify faraway images if she tightens the affinity lines around her eyes. She can also see in the dark if she concentrates, but everything is lit by a reddish glow. When she becomes pregnant with her Iracal son, she develops affinity lines for fire.

Gardnerian Light Mages can use the runes of all magic systems, and are extremely rare, especially at Sage's level. Light Mages can use all the runic systems because all runes are made of light. Unlike other rune-sorcerers, Sage can work the runes of any system and link them together into new powers because Light Mages can fabricate and charge any rune. If Sage masters Smaragdalfar runes, she will have demon-slaying powers.

Sage is also a talented artist. She is skilled at embroidery, drawing, weaving, and painting. She creates various toys for her sisters.

## Relationships

### Ra'Ven Za'Nor

They are lovers and have a son together, Fyn'ir Za'Nor. The two were drawn to each other almost from the moment they met, in part due to their power. He stopped her from throwing herself off a bridge after Tobias abused her.

### Fyn'ir Za'Nor

Fyn'ir is Sage's son, and she is incredibly protective of him. She is willing to sacrifice anything to keep him safe.

## Memorable Quotes

* "No one has ever talked to me like this, as if the workings of power are something I havve the right to dissect. And it's a heady idea, that change could be possible."

## Trivia

* As a twelve-year-old, Sage has developed a crush on Rafe Gardner.

## References

1. ↑ *The Black Witch*: page 95
2. ↑ *The Rebel Mages*: page 441