History

Though from a long lineage of mage-sailors, Xeru Lochllewlyn, lacking in magical talent himself, moved to Tusa to pursue his passion for cooking. There, he met a lovely innkeeper, and together, they started a restaurant. Reza Lochllwelyn soon followed, practically born with a wild, cavalier outlook on life. Her grandmother, Lorri, would visit often, leave on some grand adventure, and return with stories of the sea to tell her. Compared to the tales, home felt dull.

As Reza grew, a magical inclination towards water appeared. While fun, she had bigger dreams than practicing piddly water tricks in a desert. While her parents weren’t angry with her lack of interest in the family business, they also didn’t expect much from her. And if her parents wouldn’t ask it of her, she reasoned, then they must not want it of her. Besides, restaurant work was a chore. What she really wanted was adventure.

When her father took an apprentice, Reza took it as a sign. With the barest excuse of a note left behind, a foolhardy Reza followed the next caravan out towards Linhythe, her grandmother, and assuredly, adventure.

When she arrived, another surprise awaited. Her grandmother’s ‘adventures’ were long over. Instead, Grandmother Lorri ran a modest dock, making her living through the boats that paid to anchor there. Many were fishing boats- hardly anything that reached the deep sea, much less another shore.

Lorri could sense the disappointment in her granddaughter, though Reza was too stubborn to admit defeat. For years, Lorri appeased her sense for adventure through education. From knotwork to the magical manipulation of currents, Reza studied it all. She joined her grandmother’s crew, aiding ships and lightly flirting with the sailors that would come through.

One day, as Reza helped a new ship dock, an impulse took her. Unless she took action, she would be stuck here like her grandmother, attached to a dock for life. There were maybe dozens of Lochllwelyns, out seeking fortune and never once visiting. Why shouldn't she be one of them? The thought arrived with this ship- one that journeyed, instead of fished. It wouldn’t stay more than a night before sailing for grander horizons.

Again, Reza left only a note in the night, clambered into a lifeboat and waited. By dawn, the docks were a speck. It was exhilarating, and very foolish. Eventually she needed to board, which made for quite the shock on deck. She was reckless, yes, but also resolutely determined. With utmost confidence and charm, Réza offered her skills to the captain to avoid being thrown overboard. To her surprise, she was allowed a trial run, and eventually a permanent spot.

Life working on the D’Wälder’s crew was enjoyable. Here, she was no longer Reza Lochllwelyn, dockhand. She was simply Reza. A ship’s life was more boring than expected, but was a good learning process. While chores hardly changed, the ocean itself was plenty spontaneous. She learned to make her own fun, falling into sibling-like banter with the captain’s son, Urûvion. As time passed, she found a permanent place by his side. He became captain, though the new seniority didn’t stop her teasing. Crewmates came and went. One, a spark of fire on the waters, challenged Uru to a bar fight. While Réza often flirted for fun, more teasing than sincere, with Tess things were different. Tess made the ocean a comfort. Joyous. Reza didn’t show it, but beneath the bantering, she fell. Hard.

When Uruvion disbanded the crew, Reza tried to enjoy time with Tess on land as best as they could. She crewed a few ships, none of them filling the hole her old crew left. When Uruvion eventually brought everyone back together, she tried profusely to convince him to return permanently. It was futile- both because marriage had changed Uruvion, and because the ship was violently attacked. Réza tried to stay, determined to use everything at her disposal to get them out safely or die trying, but all for naught. His summons wrenched her away, carried unwillingly to safety.

After a frustratingly alcoholic few months, she found Tess again. Her lucky star. It was easier to sink into the comfort of romance this time. Tess was impulsive, and charming, and had all of the strength Reza projected but never felt. It was its own kind of intoxication, to be with her in grief. One night, Reza let herself be genuine. She asked for something serious, barely allowing more than a whisper. She asked for commitment. It was too much. In the morning, she was alone with an old gifted ring and heartbreak.

Averse to returning to old haunts, there was only one option: another ship. As the war picked up, her new ship found itself in battle often. In battle, she stalled flooding, kept sightlines clear, and grew more confident in using her craft offensively.

To no surprise, they too pursued the Crown Prince’s kidnappers. As a smaller ship, they usually made it out of danger with surface scrapes and lightly tattered sails. This time was different. As she worked water to weapon, Reza could’ve sworn she saw a familiar face in the distance. A sage, hauntingly familiar, snapped her spell. The careful magic turned to chaos. It was all she could do to try and manipulate the remnants of her control on the waves to get Tess- it had to be Tess- out of danger. If it had been, there was no trace of her when Reza reached shore again.

Once again, Reza ran. She found her escape in the Rapace, and a familiar face. With Seoras’s referral, the sea witch took to the air. The airship was new, though Reza enjoyed the challenge. Her magic wasn’t as necessary here, but still came in handy to keep members of the crew dry, or chase dew off the deck. Mostly, she was an extra pair of hands, and that was enough. Soon, however, Reza’s desires would turn to filling an ever emptier hollow in her heart.