Shirimani

Shirimani was a promising researcher at the Aravian Academy of Arcana who pushed the boundaries of what was possible with frost magic. So far that she drew the attention of the Academy Elder. The two Elves argued about the limits to which arcane knowledge should go, such that Shirimani declared her intention to leave and establish her own academy. She needed the help of no one, she claimed. All anyone else would do was hold her back. The Elder disagreed. She warned that Shirimani’s stubborn self-belief was dangerous and would draw the ire of the monarchy. Nonetheless Shirimani, thoroughly convinced of her own brilliance, reaffirmed her intentions. The Elder conceded, telling Shirimani that she would inform the relevant authorities of her decision – and warning her that such actions in Aravia often attract unexpected and unwanted consequences. Shirimani left the city and headed northward, to the stark slopes of the Mountains of Despair. Here, she found, occupied, and restored an abandoned stone fortress, giving it gleaming towers of ice, repairing its crumbling walls, and seeing it as a temple to her achievements and a testament to her bright future. She lived there in total seclusion, devoting herself to uncovering the highest forms of frost magic. Before long, without warning or apparent reason, Shirimani’s bastion was attacked. One pale evening, a horde of beings composed entirely of flame washed over the horizon and attacked her refuge. Unleashing a dozen avalanches, Shirimani repelled them. The onslaught was nearly too much even for Shirimani’s extraordinary power. Stubborn as she was, and loath as she was to admit even to herself, Shirimani realized her decision to set out alone may have been a rash one. She was weakened, her fortress was damaged, and she feared any future attack might be the end of both her plans, and herself. For perhaps the first time in her life, she doubted her abilities, whether she really could go it alone after all. But the moment passed, her pride taking over: she wouldn’t flee or call for help. Not until she had no other choice. The fire-beings attacked again the following day, at the exact same time of night, but in greater numbers. Again, Shirimani beat them back. But her fortress was almost ruined, and she herself was almost spent. Once more, Shirimani considered asking for help. Once more, she stubbornly denied herself the easy way out. As she convalesced, Shirimani pondered deeply: the same creatures, the same method of attack, from the same direction, regular as clockwork. To put those pieces together, she surmised, was to discern exactly how to stop these terrible beings. Shirimani remained in her chambers that night, wide awake and deep in thought. She recalled the Elder’s words concerning unexpected and unwanted consequences, and flew into a rage. It dawned on Shirimani that these elemental horrors were coming from Aravia. They weren’t wild. They were created and directed. The evening after her realization, the latest, and largest, invasion of the entities came. They advanced over the horizon, marching towards Shirimani’s crumbling keep like a wall of flame. This time, she was ready. She stepped beyond the mangled gateway and stood before the fire-creatures, who halted. Shirimani demanded the true architect of these attacks to reveal themselves. Silence followed. The entities could attack at any time, and Shirimani knew she could not hold against all of them. Nonetheless, she repeated her command. Suddenly, each and every creature was extinguished as if some fire-quenching breeze had swept through them. Now only a single old woman stood before Shirimani: the Academy Elder. Calm and poised, Shirimani faced the Elder. The Elder smiled at her, and then spoke. The Elder revealed she had indeed informed King Hatharil of Shirimani’s secession, but had recommended the monarchy allow it on one condition — that she be tested. Shirimani was stubborn, temperamental, and, ironically, hotheaded. She had run to the hinterlands without a second thought. But Shirimani was also an exceptional sorceress, and the Elder wanted to see just how exceptional. The ice sorceress had kept fighting these creatures despite the toll it took upon her, refusing to give up, and through careful analysis, found a solution to her problem. The Elder was proud. Shirimani understood. She had proven herself, not least of all to herself. From that day forward Shirimani remained independent, but maintained strong ties with the Academy of Arcana, and, in time, she transformed her fortress into a schola to which acolytes flocked from all corners of Aravia. Knowledge of ice magic in the wider realm expanded tenfold, and mages who have learned from Shirimani have used her teachings to thwart the forces of Darkness on many battlefields.