Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia, sometimes known as Cassiopeia the Bold, is an elven wizard.

Early life
Cassiopeia grew up in an elven mountain community loosely associated with the Free Cities of the South, near the border with the Land of the Cleavers. Her village's location near a strategic mountain pass allowed easy travel to obtain necessities from the Free Cities, but also put the villagers at risk of attack by Cleavers. Being the oldest of 11 children, Cassiopeia was expected to defend her family against orc invaders, so she trained and became proficient with elven bows and in hand-to-hand combat. At her coming-of-age ceremony, she was granted the title of "Cassiopeia the Bold," awarded in recognition of her great bravery and chivalry. However, she grew discontented with her life in the village. Her community and its leader were deeply devoted to the elven god Corellon Larethian, and this theocratic society did not suit the strong-willed Casseiopeia, who preferred to worship the goddess Erathis. She led a revolution against the village chief based on a heretical doctrine of her own creation. Her uprising succeeded, but Cassiopeia had had enough of village life. She left a compatriot in charge of the village and left in search of a new community.

Travels and religious mission
After leaving the village of her youth, Casseiopeia travelled for some time as a nomadic missionary, stopping in other mountain villages and satellite towns of the Free Cities to convert others to her heretical sect. Eventually her travels brought her to Rubia, where she met Kelara, an attractive human wizard with an interest in joining Casseiopeia's sect. The two enjoyed several happy years together, during which time Kelara instructed Casseiopeia in the arcane arts. Unfortunately, Kelara was killed by mysterious hooded strangers in an apparent robbery around 20 years ago. Devastated, Cassiopeia sought solace in her faith. She was rewarded for her many years of service to Erathis in the form of a divine message that the tragedy was the work of Imperial mages. Casseiopeia had already suspected that Kelara's death was not as simple as it seemed; after all, ordinary robbers could never defeat such a powerful wizard. She vowed to devote herself to defeating the cabal in the Directorium.

Magical training
Casseiopeia journeyed to the Arcane University to study magic, intending both to continue Kelara's life work, and to amass enough power herself to avenge her love's death. Over the next 20 years she became a powerful wizard in her own right. Knowing that the Directorium mages were responsible for Kelara's death, she will stop at nothing to exact vengeance. She also continues to worship Erathis and to spread her heretical teachings.