Vaelira "Vae"

Vaelira doesn't remember much about the people who gave birth to her. Whatever life she might have had with them was lost before she was old enough to understand it. What she does remember is the castle.

To Vae, Chirt's castle was never really a fortress. It was home.

She grew up alongside the other Teratodrakon, exploring the endless halls, finding secret passages, learning which doors not to open and which parts of the castle were probably trapped. Getting caught by a trap usually meant a lecture from Chirt, while successfully avoiding one might earn some praise, or sometimes just lead to Chirt adding another trap somewhere else.

Vae spent a lot of her childhood around the guards. To most people the armored trolls were intimidating warriors, but to her they were simply part of everyday life. She would watch them train, listen to their stories and eventually started joining them whenever they allowed it.

They taught her how to fight, how to use a bow and how to keep calm when things went wrong. She ended up looking up to many of them, and even now she still remembers the soldiers she grew up around.

She also picked up something that was probably less useful than everything else they taught her.

Cards.

The soldiers would play during their downtime and Vae eventually started joining them. At first she mostly watched, but she slowly learned the games and became quite fond of them. She likes bluffing, taking risks and reminding people when they still owe her money.

Even now, if she sees some of the soldiers she grew up around sitting down for a game, there is a good chance she'll join them.

Her first mutation, Light Bane, was another strange part of growing up as a Teratodrakon. Natural sources of light go out whenever she gets too close to them. At first it was mostly annoying, especially when she accidentally put out someone's torch. Eventually she learned that darkness could also be useful.