Age: 29

Starting level: 4

Backstory: Lydia was born twenty-nine years ago in an Altharion that no longer exists.

She grew up much like anyone else, though few would have described her as ordinary. Confident to a fault and carrying an ego large enough to rival some nobles, Lydia had a habit of throwing herself into challenges simply because someone said she couldn’t do something. Yet beneath the bravado was someone fiercely loyal to the people she cared about.

As she grew older, she traveled throughout Altharion, slowly building a life for herself. Along the way she met people who would shape her journey in ways she never expected.

She spent time with healers and priests, learning that strength was more than simply winning battles. She traveled alongside adventurers and off-worlders whose stories came from realms she could barely imagine. She crossed paths with thieves, guardians, hunters, and wandering souls, learning that every person carried burdens invisible to everyone else.

Some became trusted companions.

Some became respected allies.

A rare few became close enough to be considered family.

Among them was Aeven, one of the people Ace trusted most. The two spent years traveling, fighting, and talking together. While Lydia rarely trusted others with her vulnerabilities, Aeven was one of the few people who managed to see beyond her confidence and understand the person beneath it. The trust between them became so deep that Aeven eventually shared her true name with Lydia, a secret she entrusted to very few.

Life wasn’t perfect, but it was hers.

There were quests to complete, festivals to attend, people to laugh with, and futures to look forward to.

Then everything began to fall apart.

At first it seemed like isolated incidents. Strange magical disturbances. Places appearing where they shouldn’t. Scholars reporting impossible readings. Rumors of entire locations briefly vanishing before reappearing again.