SOREN

Divine Magic Sorcerer (level 9)

22 years old, he/him/she/her, bigender bisexual (tends to use he/him by default and she/her depending on her mood, any gendered terms ok!)

Soren grew up in a commune of individuals that follow a very particular spiritual order. Led by her parents, who claim to commune with a pantheon of greater celestial beings. They proclaim any mortal can ascend through the ranks of angels. Soren was their only child, and had a very particular role in the cult. Her birth was said to be divine conception, and her aptitude for magic was presented as proof. She was revered as an oracle, a divine body that would herald a great age of prosperity and enlightenment. Soren grew up with her every need cared for, but was isolated and kept away from the other children, so as not to be tainted by their earthly spirits.

Despite this, Soren eventually made her first friend. A young boy named Marcus who was the son of the choir head. They saw each other on occasion, and over the years grew closer. In secret, Marcus would tell her he thought the whole cult was a sham, and they would daydream about running away together. Unfortunately when Soren was 15, things took a drastic turn. Marcus overheard his father talking to Soren's parents about their plans for her. Soren was to be sacrificed on her 18th birthday as part of a ritual to have her "ascend" to her new divine body. Aware of their new time limit, the two hatched a plan. Less than a month after their discovery, they ran away from the cult, stealing food and enough money to pay for a wagon into a neighboring country.

They sang on the street for money, and found a community of local musicians who took them under their wing. Soren played a dulcimer he took from home and enjoyed it well enough, but his attention was more so on the people. Aside from Marcus, he had never been able to interact with people he considered his peers before. While Marcus focused on music, Soren was going to parties, drinking and kissing and exploring new ways to navigate the world. It was at one of these parties he met Diela. The two of them hit it off instantly, and after a couple weeks of not-so-subtle flirting, began a relationship. They played music together, and got Marcus to agree to starting a band. They traveled as a group for a while, touring around villages and cities, and everything seemed perfect. Then one night while camping on the road, a group of bandits attacked. Marcus was killed almost instantly, an arrow straight through the head. They held Diela captive as they began raiding the camp, and Soren ran as fast as he could, leaving Diela for dead.

He managed to make his way to a nearby village, where he wallowed in depression for several months. Through a series of events he made his way to the city of Pemmald. There, he had an encounter with a new adventuring group, which he learned was being led by Diela. Apparently she was trying to start up her very own adventurers guild. She clearly held a grudge for his betrayal on the night of Marcus' death, but let him join her party because she knew his magic can be useful. In his role as a party healer she kept him at an arms length and treated him like a servant. He hated it. Still, he couldn't bring himself to leave, as that would be akin to a second betrayal. Despite everything, he saw her as the only stable thing in his life that remained.

One average day he happened to be on the ferry when a rift suddenly opened and sucked the boat inside! In this strange new dimension, the passengers watched as another rift opened above and a spacecraft crashed through. From the wreckage came a strange robotic man who spoke a language no one recognized. Luckily the passengers of the ferry were quite capable, so everyone managed to get back to Pemmald. Aside from the Ranger and Council member who already had ties to the local government, the remaining 6 passengers (and their new intergalactic companion) had to go in to make a statement. This is how Chroma first met! They were later hired by the Rangers to investigate the strange colourful rifts that had begun opening all across the continent.

pixel art by Willabell's player Eilidh! @smallnico on tumblr!

Vyth: Chroma's Artificer! He specializes in firearms but can make all kinds of useful gadgets, and can even modify his own body! Vyth has a very paternal energy Soren finds off-putting, but she's starting to be able to see beyond that now. The two of them collaborated to try and cure a plague, and Soren respects Vyth's knowledge and expertise. They're nowhere close to being friends, but when the going gets tough, Soren knows she can count on Vyth to see things through. Eventually they might get closer, maybe in an apprentice/mentor type relationship.

Rat Tail: Chroma's necromancer (death domain cleric)! Though they keep that on the down-low since not everyone in the party likes messing with corpses. Soren is much more lax towards it than others (*cough cough* Aani *cough*) but he wishes they could maybe be a bit smarter with how they go about it. Rat Tail worships the Rot, aka. the Vulture, one of a collection of spirits worshipped in Noctyl collectively known as the Poch. The Rot watches over the cycle of life, death, and decay. Rat Tail is Soren's #1 poetry buddy. She adores them, and is also frustrated by them to no end. They're gross, blunt, and do things she finds utterly baffling. But she takes comfort in their honesty, and knows that no matter what, Rat Tail will have her back. Probably for the best they didn't become roommates though.

Willabell: Chroma's rogue/fighter multiclass, quick on her feet and talented at fighting, though it's 50/50 if she'll have a panic attack once the battle is over. She is royalty of the island nation of Felingrad, but was forced to flee her home when the Regent declared a competition between siblings would determine the next ruler of the country, and she was almost murdered by her own brother. Soren and Willabell have had some nice conversations here and there, but they both have a bad habit of talking around their issues. Since things have become a bit more open in the group recently, Soren feels like they could become better friends. He wants to help her reach her goal of saving her siblings and taking back her kingdom, and as they've become more embroiled in the political games affecting them, Soren wants to step up and be not just a friend, but a useful ally.

Rhea/Aani: Chroma's bard/sorcerer multiclass and political face. She has a sharp tongue and a stong sense of right and wrong, which can sometimes cause conflicts between her and other party members. Soren's relationship with Aani is complicated. They met briefly when Soren was 16, so when they started adventuring together as a party Soren instantly saw her as the leader of their new group. When he betrayed the party for Diela's sake, Aani was the most upset, and Soren avoided talking to her for a long time. Aani eventually confronted him about it, but there is still tension between the two of them. Because of this Soren felt like he had a precarious position in the party, and like he had to prove himself. When Aani left the group to take care of other matters, it gave him a chance to breathe and start taking charge in the group more often.

Alex: Chroma's wizard/rogue multiclass and cult-curious friend. Soren thinks Alex is great. She's fun, stylish, and mean in a way Soren finds very entertaining. He was attracted to her when they first met, but the crush faded pretty quick when it was clear Alex wasn't interested. He became her roommate after Diela broke up with him and he had to move out. Soren thinks Alex's magic is interesting but doesn't really understand it. However, he is very interested in her magic book. It has a symbol in it he swears he's seen before, but he just can't place it..... and he forgets the symbol's appearance as soon as he looks away from it. She left the party recently as the pressure of intergalactic invaders ON TOP of all the cult nonsense wasn't something she wanted as her responsability. She's currently exploring magical portals with her retired adventurer great aunt and uncle.

Xander: Chroma's paladin and good Catholic boy. Soren was pretty immediately attracted to Xander, flirting with him during their first interaction on the ferry. He didn't expect anything of it, and stopped when they started travelling in a group together. Then he learned more and realized they have a lot in common. Both grew up in religious environments where their families hold a lot of power, and both are chosen ones... kind of. Soren feels a lot of kinship with Xander because of this, and sees himself in Xander's experience, his guilt and shame and disconnect with the world around him. As they talked about their experiences and worries more, Soren's feelings started to shift from "Oh this man is cute and hot and also very very nice to me, I like him " to "Oh. Shit. I'm falling in love again." It took many awkward conversations and stumbling confessions, but eventually the two began a romantic relationship. They haven't told the rest of Chroma this yet, though most of the party already assumed they were together anyway.