Aegis
Ancestry: Aetheris (Orderborne) Community: Orderborne Class: Seraph (Winged Sentinel)
At a glance
- Born Thalen of House Xenidor, a child of Meridian’s Rest, a wealthy desert trade town built on water rights and caravan hospitality.
- The town was destroyed long ago. Thalen was its only survivor — or so they thought.
- It is said Ourania, Keeper of Thresholds, lent Thalen her own wings the night disaster struck. Whether true or not, Thalen took a vow: to serve.
- Now named Aegis, a Sentinel of the Order of Ourania — Hilltop’s standing army of devoted, part knightly order, part monastery. Has grown quietly certain the Order may not actually represent Ourania. Faith in the goddess herself has not wavered.
- Childhood friend of Ransom Rúni Sullivan, from before either of them remembers clearly.
Build (player-safe)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Class / Subclass | Seraph / Winged Sentinel |
| Level | 1 |
| Heritage | Orderborne Aetheris |
| Traits | Agility +1, Strength +2, Finesse +0, Instinct +0, Presence +1, Knowledge −1 |
| Max HP / Hope / Stress | 7 / 2 / 6 |
| Armor / Evasion | 4 / 10 |
| Primary weapon | Mace (Strength, melee, 1d8+1 physical) |
| Secondary weapon | Round Shield (Strength, melee, 1d4 physical, protective +1 armor) |
| Armor | Gambeson Armor |
| Domain cards | Mending Touch (splendor), Forceful Push (valor) |
Ancestry feature (Aetheris): Hallowed Aura — once per rest, when an ally within Close range rolls with Fear, you can make it a roll with Hope instead. Divine Countenance — advantage on rolls to command or persuade.
Community feature (Orderborne): Dedicated — record three sayings or values from your upbringing; once per rest, when you embody one through your current action, roll a d20 as your Hope Die.
Subclass feature (Winged Sentinel): Wings of Light — you can fly; while flying, mark a Stress to pick up and carry another willing creature roughly your size or smaller. Spend a Hope to deal an extra 1d8 damage on a successful attack.
Equipment
Minor Health Potion. Gold: 1 handful.
The markings
The binding rite overlaid the Order’s shield-and-eye sigil across the sacred aetheris markings Thalen was born with — uniform, symmetrical, official. The natural patterns still show where the Order’s sigils will not reach: the hairline, the nape of the neck, the inside of one wrist. Aegis keeps those.
Communicating with Ourania
No voice, no visions. The markings on Aegis’s skin run warm or cold — a pressure change, like weather, rather than a message. It can feel like being left to one’s own devices; it is also the one thing that is theirs.