SOLARIS EMBERVEIL
ElementalsCelestial Beacon Keeper and Starfire Channeler
"A star is a fire that has learned patience. I burn with that same patience, and I will not look away from what the heavens are trying to tell us.""
Identity
- Residence
- The Aetherium, Beacon Spire Observatory
- Civilization
- Elementals
Appearance
• Physical: A tall, luminous figure of white-hot flame wrapped in threads of shimmering aetheric energy, standing seven feet tall. His body burns with the light of a distant star, too bright to look at directly, his outline traced in violet-gold aether that spirals around him like a slow corona. His features are noble and angular, visible only as shapes within the blinding radiance. • Clothing: Wears a high-collared mantle of aether-woven fabric that dampens his light enough for others to converse with him without discomfort. • Distinguishing Marks: His hands trail motes of starfire that float upward and wink out like dying embers, each one a tiny point of aetheric light.
Relationships
- Family - His current apprentice, whom he regards as a grandchild; all previous apprentices have long since died or faded
- Allies - The Celestial Order monks who share his observatory, Inferno Spire scholars who study his starfire research
- Rivals - An Aether purist faction that considers fire contamination an affront to aetheric purity
Personality
- Traits: Contemplative, deeply spiritual, carries an air of quiet sorrow, possesses a razor-sharp intellect beneath his serene exterior
- Mannerisms: Gazes upward at the sky even indoors as though seeing through the ceiling to the stars, places his hand over his chest when speaking truthfully, dims his light deliberately when someone is frightened of him
- Voice: A resonant, warm baritone layered with a faint harmonic overtone, as though two voices speak in near-perfect unison.
Backstory
Solaris was born through Confluence Birthing at a Nexus Cradle atop the highest spire of The Aetherium, where an aether ley-line and a fire ley-line crossed during a rare celestial alignment. The attending elders declared him star-touched, a living bridge between the cosmic and the elemental. He has spent over two millennia maintaining the Celestial Beacons that guide aetheric energy flows across Landorya, a lonely but essential duty.
Daily Life
Solaris tends the great beacon at the top of the Aetherium's tallest spire, adjusting its alignment to match celestial movements and channeling starfire to recharge aetheric conduits. He mentors a single apprentice at a time, studies ancient star charts, and performs nightly rituals to maintain the beacon's connection to the cosmos. He rarely descends below the observatory level.
Secret
Solaris has detected a star dying in real time, something that should take millennia compressed into decades. He believes something is consuming stellar energy, and that whatever it is will turn its hunger toward Landorya's ley-lines once the star is extinguished. He has been unable to convince the Aether council to take the threat seriously.
Story Hooks
- 1 Solaris needs allies outside the Aether kingdom to investigate the dying star, as his own people dismiss his warnings as fire-tainted paranoia.
- 2 The Celestial Beacon is flickering for the first time in two thousand years, and Solaris believes someone is sabotaging it from within the Aetherium.
Narrative Value
Solaris anchors cosmic-scale threats to personal stakes, provides access to the Aetherium's highest levels, and offers a campaign-level hook about a dying star and whatever entity is devouring it. ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════