Aveline Lightborne grew up on the road, raised on stories and half-beliefs rather than temples. Her mother often told her that an angel watched over her, not to protect her from harm, but to make sure she was never alone when it mattered most.

Years later, while traveling aboard a smuggling ship, a catastrophic storm nearly tore the vessel apart, with the crew breaking and the ship moments from sinking, Aveline reached out in her thoughts, hoping that her mothers story might have a grain of truth and there indeed is something watching over her. And something answered, guided by a calm, radiant presence, she was given the power to endure the storm and help save the ship.

When they reached port in Bazagon, the miracle meant nothing - the ship was seized, the passengers arrested, and despite her being just an unlucky passenger, Aveline was condemned alongside smugglers and criminals, sentenced to survive the Gauntlet or die.