Kajura of the Darkening Sky CR 2

Kajura is vicious warrior born deep in the Mwangi Expanse and hardened by years spent mostly in isolation and surviving entirely off the land. She keeps a loose set of morals to guide her actions but remains single-minded in her endeavors and lacks regard for laws and ethical codes that don't align with her goals. However, she is not entirely selfish, and she usually does her best to work with others, though when she feels cowardice or stupidity are slowing her down she often resorts intimidation to get her way. Though always armed with magic, Kajura is only rarely encountered without an additional complement of mundane weaponry, the primary of which is a spear, as well as her wooden armor.

Kajura was born to a wild elf mother, a warrior of one of the many Ekujae tribes inhabiting the dark places in deep Garund where humans dare not go. Her mother always told Kajura her father had been an avatar of the sea itself, one that she'd encountered while on a hunt and separated from her companions. According to her tale, she wandered too close to the Sodden Lands and was forced to take shelter in a small cave by a sudden gale. A strange being in the shape of a man emerged from the storm, walking calmly through winds easily capable of sweeping any normal human right off his feet. At first, she sought to fight the stranger off, thinking him to be a monster, but he left her offerings of food at the mouth of the cave until she relented. It took a week for the downpour to pass, and in that time Kajura was conceived. Her mother never again encountered the stranger, but always believed Kajura to be linked inextricably with both sea and storm.

Kajura grew to resent this fantastic story when it became clear to her that the rest of the tribe thought her to be merely the bastard child of some inbred human and her mother to be a mad fool. Kajura's resentment lingered even when she manifested unusual talent for the green magic of the jungle, a skill that earned the respect of her tribe. Kajura's magic only strengthened her mother's belief that her daughter was destined for greatness. After enduring decades of mockery at the hands of her tribe, Kajura's mother swore to all who would listen that her daughter's power would continue to grow until she came to rule the tribe, and only then would she return. With that, she set out into the jungle to track down her mysterious stranger.

Most of the tribe thought nothing of this at first, but soon Kajura manifested the first hint of storm magic—a sign that her mother's omen was coming true. The tribe elders, fearing she would one day cast them down, accused her of being touched by the evil of the Eye of Abendego and had her exiled. Filled with rage at both her mother and her tribe, she set out on her own, using her skills and magical connection to the land to survive.

Kajura avoided the company of Mwangi elves from then on, though she would occasionally spend a day or two with humans whose paths she crossed, but for years she was largely isolated. Only after encountering a barge on the Vanji River beset by lizardfolk did she return to the society of other humanoids. After healing the barge's captain and helping the crew fight off the scaly threat, she spent several days with these humans, and when they invited her to join their ranks, she accepted. When they asked her which tribe she belong to, she told them, “I am not of any tribe. I am of the darkening sky.”

With her human companions, Kajura explored the lesser ruins along the river and translated the dialects of local tribes for her captain, but abandoned him when they reached Bloodcove. She didn't believe him to be an evil man, but she saw how many Avistanis, and especially the Aspis Consortium, sought to rob her native land of its treasures, its magic, and often even its people.

Her human companions were soon forgotten, as when she reached the sea she felt her true calling. For the first time, she began to believe her mother's story—the tides called out to her, and she felt at home swimming among the waves.

Kajura has worked on several crews in her time, seeing most of the humans in the Shackles as exiles from their tribes, much like herself. Though she still has little patience for human affairs, she is willing to play along with all but agents of the Aspis Consortium, who she will attack on sight. But in truth, Kajura has little concern for the success of the ventures she takes part in, for all she truly seeks is to be close to the sea and—secretly—the fury of the storms it bears.