character spotlight: Eris Echina

Amazing original art provided by Emma Skysong!

Eris Echina (pre-married name: Eris Nassor)

At the time of Incursion, Eris is approximately 24 years old. She was born in the township of Shia, in Silverwood Province, to Igraine and Gerald Nassor. Her family was well off, with a prosperous farming business and a large estate. Eris’ childhood was idyllic; her favorite pastime was playing with her beloved pet dove, Lucie.

Like many other mages, Eris did not begin to show signs of her magical abilities until she was a toddler. Igraine and Gerald, afraid that the Circle would send their daughter away to a bastion, ensured that Eris always wore a hematite amulet around her neck to dampen her magical powers. Inevitably, the amulet was lost at the worst possible time. When Eris was eleven years old, her maternal grandmother, Inniss, is a high ranking Circle priestess, realized that her granddaughter was a mage. Furious, Inniss demanded that the girl be sent to a bastion, so Eris was packed off to Starwatch Bastion, the most remote of all the mage holds. (Read this story here.)

Given her second tier status, Eris was initially considered too highborn to be approachable by the few other children at Starwatch. Her only friend there was Kalinda Halcyon, a young girl who had been raised in the bastion. The two became close, developing a strong friendship over the course of eight years.

Though Eris and Kali were friends, Eris never quite learned to get along with the other mages, and was often unable, (and unwilling), to curb her sharp tongue. This did not earn her much goodwill. As she grew older, Eris found herself chafing more and more at life in secluded Starwatch, until one day she requested a transfer to a larger bastion: Whitewater. Too happy to see off the troublesome young woman, the First Mage and the garrison commander happily approved the request. Eris tried to convince Kali to come with her, but for some reason, Kali refused to leave Starwatch. They did not part on the best of terms.

At Whitewater Bastion, Eris resolved to start over and make an effort to be more friendly with other mages. Life at Whitewater was much better than at Starwatch, and although Eris missed her friend, she was glad of her new start.

Approximately four years later, Eris’ life changed again when a young male mage, Gideon Echina, came to the bastion. He’d been caught trying to escape Indigo Bastion, and so was sent to the more fortified facilities at Whitewater. Eris was instantly drawn to Gid’s raffish charm and the two fell for one another quickly; within the span of a year, they were married. Seeing no reason to keep her family’s name, (as they abandoned her), Eris happily took Gideon’s last name.

Magic

Eris cannot recall a time when she used her magic freely. As an adult, her abilities lie mainly in altering her own shape, though she can work minor healing and fire magic. Were it not for the mage mark on her wrist, she thinks she could pass as a non-mage. During her formative childhood years, her magic was bound by hematite; she and Gideon have speculated that this is the reason she is able to shape-change, (ie: turn her magic inward), but not affect anything “outside” of herself.

Special thanks to the lovely and talented Emma Skysong for the picture of Eris. Incursion would not have been nearly as good without her insightful feedback. Not only is she a talented writer and beta reader, she’s one heckuva artist as well! 🙂