Lotus' backstory

The thunderstorms were especially intense the spring Lotus was born, so her cries had to contend with the rolling thunder. Her parents had named her after the hope of peace, but many in Cheela knew her as Nooyahyoulae, the StormChild. The wind blew her out to the woods, and she drifted back in her own time, bearing exotic tales and natural wonders.

Cheela was a small place--the huts and fields of a few simple farmers. The land was common, and all equally worked and shared its bounty. Lotus was far too wild for this mundane system, and did not work consistently. Still, none thought poorly of her for it; the girl was good luck, and had a way with the seeds. Her wild dances through the corn did far more good than anyone else's full day pulling slugs off and weeds up.

Cheela had no army. Really, she leaned more toward plowshares and pruning hooks than swords and spears. She instead enjoyed the protection of the Enchanted Forest. Semferia was dangerous, and the forest itself was wild, but the Ivani were vigilant and rightly feared by the evil and superstitious things of the world. The elves never let vile deeds go unpunished. What was wild and evil looked elsewhere for easy prey, and Cheela remained blissfully unaware.

Of course, old tales are sometimes tested. The Ironleaf orcs were as superstitious as the next tribe, but ghostly elves in the future were one thing, and wealth right before their eyes . . . well, that was something else entirely. Cheela was situated atop a rich iron vein, and the orcs wanted it. Ironleaf led a band of fearful scouts into the forest and to the huts of Cheela, flinching at every step lest man, elf, or tree should smite them. Instead, the Cheelans invited them to share in the autumn feast and rested them for the night. The orcs immediately smelled weakness. The forest had not smitten them; the men were not armed and did not seem to think it constituted a problem that the orcs *were*. And the iron smelled rich indeed. The scouts left with smiles and not a drop of blood spilled. Then Ironleaf returned the next day assembled for war.

The fight was swift and brutal. Many Cheelans fled to the woods. Many could not. Many who did were devoured by the dangers of the wild. Lotus escaped easily, for the wild had long been home to her, but friend and family were gone. In the months that followed, she watched as the orcs burned miles of forest to the ground and tore long gashes in the earth. She smelled the stink of their garbage and the poisons of their machinery, and her tears turned to wrath--no less for the crime against the earth than for home and kin. She named herself an agent of vengence, and sought an alliance with nature.

Her power grew, and in time she chanced upon allies meeting in the woods. Four woodling druids bearing the mark of the Order of the Inevitable Seed were talking with a handful of elven rangers. They were clothed with the grace of the forest, and had an aura of wild power. Heedless of any impropriety or politesse, Lotus burst into their meeting and forcefully demanded their help in avenging her home. It was granted immediately; news of an orc settlement drew grim looks upon the faces of the Ivani, and the mine set flames in the eyes of the druids. They set out at once for the ruin of Cheela.

The fight was swift and brutal. The elven arrows were sharp, but the druids were deadlier. No mercy was shown to miner or merchant, slave or master; all who contributed or profited from the mine were fair game. Rocks burst in violent explosions, and the ground shook and opened crevices to swallow the villians. Lotus herself wove slithering vines over the barren ground and entangled many of the orcs--then suddenly created razor sharp thorns as they grappled with them. The mine was flooded, and the stink of it purged. Cheela was avenged, and the superstition of the Enchanted Forest vindicated.

At their parting, the druids told Lotus, "Rightly do they name you Nooyahyoulae; you are a storm in spirit, and shall grow to be the master of storms. Anor shall summon you when the time is right, and your storm shall wash away the shadow."