Campaign: Illumina
Konikryyke of Veiligheid, or Ryyke for short, is eccentric even by drifter standards. Hailing from the sunbaked deserts of the Dirt Spire, she comes across as alien in both appearance and mannerisms. She has a deep reverence for both the living and the dead, each of which she interacts with regularly. This is because Ryyke is a necromancer. Unlike most nations, in the Dirt Spire, necromancy is a venerated and necessary craft. The boiling heat and vicious sandstorms make it very dangerous for the living to work outdoors. Instead necromancers, or Gravewakers, such as Ryyke raise the dead as laborers to perform these treacherous duties.
Because of her heritage and the vital role her work plays in her society, Ryyke is both confused and saddened by others disgust towards necromancy. She has difficulty understanding why others would not want their dead to pass on or why they force their living work instead of play. While her quirky mannerisms and happy-go-lucky demeanor usually allow her to ignore the sideways glares, she has no patience for those that disrespect the dead or kill unnecessarily. Killing a body without freeing the soul is the most heinous act one can commit; murder damns a soul to a torturous prison and leaves the body unable to serve its master.
In spite of their cultural differences, Ryyke is always eager to make new friends with the locals while she travels. In casual conversation she is bubbly and curious, though can come across as a bit ditzy. Optimistic, eager,and selfless, she always seeks to help as many people as possible, though her unusual ideas about death often makes her definition of “help” dubious to others.
As a changeling, Ryyke’s appearance is a matter of whim, though she rarely chooses to leave her natural form. Tall and lanky with slick pale skin, she wears her purple antennae pulled back in a loose bun. By far her most striking feature, however, are her large balck compound eyes. Though they give her very astute vision and the ability to see light polarization, their unblinking gaze can often unnerve the more squeamish. Her long arms end in delicate six-fingered hands and each foot in two long fleshy toes which, due to their sensitivity to vibrations, are left uncovered by shoes. Ryyke speaks with a nordic accent.
Ryyke’s preferred attire consists of a baggy black turtleneck sweater and purple sarong. Each garment is decorated with the circular patinated coins of her homeland, indicating her status as a Gravewaker. Her thick belt is adorned with the many accoutrements of her work, both practical and spiritual. Like much of her garb, Ryyke’s knee-height laced footwraps are perpetually stained with mud and ash from rooting around in cemetaries for work.
Like the rest of her kind, Ryyke has rudimentary shapeshifting abilities, though these are limited to mainly shape and color. While she can mimic the appearance of nearly any humanoid creature, she cannot change her height or mass, and as such has difficulty passing for a different race. Due to these limitations, this ability is mostly used for her funerary performances or to fool enemies in combat by blending in with her entourage.
Ryyke’s early years on the sunbaked mesas of the Dirt Spire were quite uneventful. Born in the changeling village of Veiligheid to a family of farmers, Konikryyke took an interest in magic and the arts at a young age. After training to become a Gravewaker, she found moderate renown in the steppes for her cheerful demeanor and lively passage ceremonies. She married an old childhood friend, with whom she had a son named Verlange. She wanted little more than a quiet life with her husband and child. These halcyon days were brought to an end with the arrival of a small contingent of Bellguardian troops, lost on their way to an unknown battle.
The city welcomed the outsiders and offered them food and shelter from the heat. While unsettled by the unusual appearance and mannerisms of their hosts, the soldiers accepted and decided to stay the night. The potent cactus wine of Dirt Spire quickly melted away their inhibitions and they began trading tales of war and their homes. The tavern’s music played long into the night as the stories and wine continued to flow.
The lively mood of the night was abruptly soured when one of the soldiers mentioned the company’s current mission: to slay a cult of necromancers that had fled into the mountains. A silence fell over first the changelings. It quickly became apparent that the outsider held nothing but contempt and disgust for the school of magic and its practitioners. Sensing their hosts discomfort, the soldiers changed the subject, assuming that the subject was too taboo to even speak of. While the festivities recommenced, a cloud of tension remained in the air until the soldiers finally were taken by sleep.
Town leaders quickly gathered to discuss how to proceed. If these soldiers found out about their traditions and rites, there was little doubt that they would attack, or send for a larger force to wipe their people out. If they did not return, more would follow surely in their wake. It was decided to let them go in peace, much to the dismay of many of the Gravewakers present. Among them, Ryyke hoped to show them the error of their ways and demonstrate all the good that necromancy can do, but such things were deemed too great a risk to the survival of the village.
The next morning the soldiers thanked their hosts and went on their way, leaving behind an atmosphere of paranoia in Veiligheid. Constant fear of another army or a wandering group of intolerant outsiders attacking. The inhospitable landscape of the surrounding desert provided some comfort, but the seeds of doubt were now planted. Passionate young Gravewakers began leaving the town on pilgrimages to the surrounding territories to inform the world of the good side of necromancy. Ryyke is one of these pilgrims; After many sleepless nights, she made the decision to leave her home and devote herself to creating a better world for her family.
Her travels took her all across Gottland, where she made a living as a traveling undertaker. She would befriend a population and gain their trust, before revealing who she was. Some came to accept her ways, others chased her out of town in an angry mob. Along the way, she found many fiercely loyal allies who, when they inevitably met their untimely end, swore to continue serving their friend as a Benedicted.
Ryyke joined the Drifters after being hired (or volunteering) to orchestrate Athil’s funeral. While the service was met with some confusion due to its theatrical nature, she and Sun were introduced on good terms. Unlike many of the Drifters, Ryyke chose to join the crew of her own volition, claiming “Death follows in your wake, bright one. I fear you will have much need for my services in the future.” It is currently unknown if her hand possesses a scale or not.
In the cavernous city of Ebongarde, Ryyke split off from the group and befriended the young tiefling Anne after attempting to reason with a mutinous mercenary. She rejoined the group as they attempted to enter the Yuzug family outpost. Her attempts at infiltration proved ill fated, and she was forced to stand by while Lady Parhelion cleaned up the mess. Events seemed to only get worse after leaving; unfortunate timing combined with the machinations of Storyweaver sent the city into a panic over her undead allies. Unable to perform damage control, she and the group retreated to the now friendly Yuzug safehouse.
In combat, Ryyke prefers to play a more supportive role, empowering her allies with buffs and inspiration while hindering enemies with crowd-control and distractions. Her offensive capabilities mostly center around her undead entourage, which is usually used to overwhelm smaller opponents or open up larger foes for allies attacks. Ryye’s favorite spell is Hold Person, the magic of which she is known to embellish with ribbons and bows. All of her spells exhibit a pale purple tone and have been noted to smell vaguely sweet. While certainly not skilled in melee combat, her trusty Speaker’s Spade can be used as a bludgeon to ward off aggressive foes.
Storyweaver: His arrogant attitude and reckless use of illusion magic have made Ryyke incresingly cautions of the divination wizard. Storyweaver is hiding something sinister and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. Chadwick’s sudden affinity for Storyweaver only makes Ryyke more nervous.
Lady Parhelion: Both a talented fighter and musician, Ryyke has both a professional and personal respect for Lady Parhelion. As one of the few among her new companions that both has compassion in her heart and doesn’t seem utterly repulsed by her culture, Rykke hopes the two can become friends.
Megurin: A disintegrated corpse can’t be benedicted. Megurin’s wanton use of highly destructive magic is deeply troubling to Ryyke. She is a sort of necessary evil for the party’s continued survival, though this is likely a rationalization to avoid becoming the next smoldering pile of ash on the ground…
Sun: Sun is a sweet girl, if a bit headstrong, though something about her makes Ryyke uneasy. An omen of misfortune seems to flow in Sun’s wake, and while her homeland had little use for flippant gods and their fickle blessings, she feels it is her duty to assist the souls left behind.
Orro: Silly, but kind. His devotion to his craft is very admirable and his knowledge of the world will be a valuable resource to help Ryyke integrate better into this culture. She regards Orro with respect.
Ferdinand: A latecomer to the group, Ryyke has not interacted with Ferdinand very much, though first impressions are positive.
Spacejam: Spacejam’s innocent capriciousness fills Ryyke with joy; it is so infrequent that one is able to hold on to such a child-like sense of wonder in the face of adversity. While their ideas about necromancy are quite opposed, Ryyke hopes she can soften the tabaxi cleric’s views on the undead. Showing a cleric the positive side of necromacy would be a great leap forward in Ryyke’s pilgrimage.
Chadwick and the Benedicted Boys: A troupe of Benedicted assistants Ryyke has collected over her travels. She regards each as family and is eternally grateful for their service. Chadwick in particular inhabits the body of a dear friend, and the two share an even closer bond. Lately though, he’s been acting strange, even for a reanimated corpse.
Verlange: Ryyke’s son, for whom she cares deeply. The original impetus of Ryyke’s pilgrimage was to show the world the positive side of necromancy so that her son need not face the same discrimination that she had. Though they have not met in person in many years, the two remain in contract through letters and sending spells. The bonds of family transcend any distance.
Minnaar: Ryyke’s husband and childhood friend. While the two are polar opposites in many ways, Ryyke’s cheery optimism contrasted by Minnaar’s gruff humorlessness, each has a way of bringing out a different side of the other. Around his wife, Minnaar becomes jovial and boisterous, while Ryyke takes on a stern motherly demeanor. When she left on her pilgrimage, Minnaar stayed behind with Verlange. Though they too stay in contact, Ryyke longs for the day when her mission is finally over and they may embrace once more.