DRIFTFEN
ElementalsSky-Scout (Atmospheric Patrol, Storm-Crest Peaks sector)
"I am small and I am fast and I have survived every storm they told me would kill me. Do not mistake my size for my limits.""
Identity
- Residence
- Storm-Crest Peaks, Aerial Heights
- Civilization
- Elementals
Appearance
• Physical: A compact, restless vortex barely fifteen feet tall -- small for an Air Elemental -- with a body of pale grey mist threaded with veins of electric blue that flicker like distant lightning. Their form is in constant motion, compressing and expanding as though breathing too fast, and they leave a faint ozone scent wherever they pass. Their eyes are bright, jittery silver sparks set deep in a face that is more suggestion than structure. • Clothing: Wears a utilitarian harness of woven storm-crystal cord, hung with navigation instruments and a signal-horn carved from sky-iron. • Distinguishing Marks: A jagged scar of dull grey runs through their midsection -- a wound from a Tempest Serpent encounter that never fully re-formed, leaving a permanent turbulence in their core.
Relationships
- Family - Two parent-contributors who still monitor atmospheric currents on the Zephyr-Isles; Driftfen visits rarely, feeling they have little to show for their years
- Allies - Needletail (bonded Gale-Raptor), their patrol wing of six other Sky-Scouts, a Water Elemental bartender at the Confluence Village tavern
- Rivals - A senior Sky-Scout commander who considers Driftfen reckless and has blocked their promotion twice
Personality
- Traits: Impulsive, fiercely loyal to their patrol wing, quietly insecure about their small stature, possesses an instinctive sense for atmospheric danger
- Mannerisms: Speaks in rapid bursts then goes abruptly silent, unconsciously generates small dust-devils when anxious, taps their signal-horn rhythmically when thinking
- Voice: Like a sharp gust rattling through shutters -- clipped, fast, and slightly breathless.
Backstory
Driftfen emerged from Confluence Birthing at a minor Nexus Cradle on the outskirts of the Zephyr-Isles, the product of two Lower-class Air Elementals who worked as atmospheric current monitors. Born smaller and more erratic than average, Driftfen was assigned to the Sky-Scouts -- the kingdom's patrol corps that maps dangerous weather fronts and tracks Tempest Serpents along the Storm-Crest Peaks. They have served for fifty years, earning respect through sheer tenacity despite never being considered for promotion.
Daily Life
Driftfen rises before Dawn Resonance to check wind-pattern readings at their assigned outpost, then spends the active phase flying long patrol routes along the northern Storm-Crest ridgeline with their bonded Gale-Raptor, Needletail. They log atmospheric anomalies, track Tempest Serpent migration, and relay urgent warnings to the Wardens via Ley-Line Relay. Off-duty, they frequent a Confluence Village tavern at the base of the peaks, swapping stories with lower-class Elementals from other kingdoms.
Secret
On a recent patrol, Driftfen discovered a hidden cave system in the Storm-Crest Peaks that contains an unregistered Nexus Cradle -- one that does not appear on any Wind-Scribe map. Faint Resonance echoes within suggest it has been used recently for an unauthorized Confluence Birthing. Driftfen has not reported the find, partly out of fear of the political implications and partly because they sensed the newborn Elemental's signature and felt an inexplicable kinship with it.
Story Hooks
- 1 Driftfen asks the party to help them locate the illegally birthed Elemental before the Equilibrium Guard discovers it -- and before whoever used the hidden Nexus Cradle comes back.
- 2 Tempest Serpent activity along the Storm-Crest route has spiked dangerously, and Driftfen's patrol wing is stretched thin; they need outside help to investigate why the serpents are being driven from their usual territory.
Narrative Value
Driftfen provides a ground-level perspective on Air Kingdom society, access to the dangerous Storm-Crest frontier, and a mystery involving illegal Confluence Birthing that can entangle players in elemental law and underground politics. ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════