Sabi
Sabi of the Flame
Sabi was hatched in the cliff city of Tarmalas, a city carved from the rock of a towering cliff wall by dwarves and dragonborn alike. The story of Sabi is an interesting mystery to the people of Tarmalas- the inhabitants are almost entirely follows of Moradin or Bahamut, and the city is of little interest to any priest of the other deities, but even before she emerged from her shell Sabi was marked by Melora. Stranded by the winter colds on their way to the distant town of Fallcrest, an elf high priestess of Melora named Arwyl somehow found her way into one of the most protected parts of any dragonborn city- the nursery. A room kept warm by the forges of the dwarves not far below, it is where dragonborn keep their eggs safe until the young are ready to hatching, and is usually well guarded. Somehow, though, the priestess made her way through the maze of tunnels without any prior knowledge of the city, at a time when the attendant had unexplainably left. Arwyl later claimed to be in a trance, following only where the will of Melora led her, but when the attendant eventually returned, the priestess was found singing to a specific egg, which had somehow been separated from the others. The priestess was quickly sent away from the fragile eggs, and a full inspection was carried out immediately. The dragonborn poured over every egg, checking for cracks or bruises on the fragile shells. While the search didn’t reveal any damage, the attendants discovered they now had an extra egg- the one the priestess was singing to was not one originally in the nursery.
None of the city’s Dragonborn laid claim to the egg, but it was raised with care along with the others, a minor mystery, but not too unusual- a lady coming by an egg in an illegitimate manner and seeking to avoid shame, or a poor couple unable to yet support a child, might leave an egg in the care of the nursery, and the child would be raised by the community, so this egg was treated no differently. Eventually the child was ‘born’- though slightly underweight and undersized for a Dragonborn infant, she was otherwise healthy. This came as something of a surprise- there had been serious doubt if the creature would even hatch, since it was believed the egg had been exposed to cold (a serious threat to any dragonborn egg) for an unknown amount of time before coming to the heat of the nursery. Despite being healthy, the child was unique among the Dragonborn of Tarmalas in two ways- unlike the others, who were drawn to the cooler temperatures of the cliff, and had breath abilities to match, the child displayed a fiery breath, and had an innate talent for using it. Secondly, her coloration was a pale shade of gray- only one other resident of Tarmalas had a matching color, and he was much too old to father a child.
The child was given the name Sabi, meaning “Little Mystery” in the odd combination of Draconic and Dwarven that the Tarmalans spoke, and was raised by Dwarf and Dragonborn alike. As was the Dragonborn tradition in cases where a child had no known family, Sabi was also given a title based off the nature of her breath, in this case fire, and she became known as “Sabi of the Flame”. The child was happy for a time, but as she grew older it seemed she also grew more and more unhappy. The city had been built by dwarves, and for dwarves, so it was within the cliff itself- there was little to see of the sky, and plant life was rare in the caverns. Sabi began spending more and more time outside of the cliff warrens, seeking places were grass was abundant, enjoying the open sky, feeding the wildlife that was trusting enough to approach her. Her behavior quickly distanced her further from the other Tarmalans- the Dwarves enjoyed the closed tunnels, as did the Dragonborn who chose to live there. Already nervous from her coloration, her ‘odd’ behavior led them to begin avoiding her more and more… and her distaste for the underground labyrinths led her to avoid them. Sabi grew more and more apart as the years went by- the subjects taught in the Dwarven schools were of little interest to her, and while she expressed some interest in teachings of Bahamut, by her tenth birthday she was commonly skipping classes and church sessions.
Seven months after her eleventh birthday, Sabi went to one of her favorite places- a sparse grove of trees near the edge of the cliffs. The day went on, and if she dosed off or not is unclear, but some time after noon a hawk, glowing with a golden light of it’s own, descended from the sky, landing on a low branch before Sabi. The animal stared at Sabi with an unblinking gaze before finally speaking- but the words that were said were meaningless to Sabi, and she still questions if she was awake or dreaming. After a moment of speaking the creature faded, vanishing as if it had never been there. Troubled, Sabi returned to the cliff city, stopping at the temple of Bahamut. The priest saw she was troubled and spoke with her, learning of the strange vision. Recognizing there was a spiritual meaning behind this, and that it was far more than a dream, the priest told Sabi to either go home and rest, or return to school if she felt up to it. Being Sabi, she wasn’t up to going to school, so she continued through the cliff warrens, heading back to the set of rooms she called home.
The rest of the day passed without incident for Sabi, but the priest spent the time praying to Bahamut, realizing something important had happened. The priest’s prayers were finally answered, and an angel of Melora appeared before him. Having expected a response from Bahamut, the priest was surprised, but the angel explained, saying that Sabi was the interest of Melora, and that Bahamut had made the priests questions known to the goddess instead of answering them directly. The angel continued on, and revealed that Sabi had a special destiny separate from those in Tarmalas, and that she had the potential to one day become a great hero and a protector of all life.
The angel commanded the priest to tell Sabi nothing of her destiny, but it did explain the meaning of her vision. The vision was an instruction to Sabi to leave Tarmalas and travel towards the town of Aspenwood, and that she would meet a priestess of Melora there who could teach her more.
The next day the priest told Sabi of the angel, explaining that she was being commanded by Melora to go south to the human settlement of Aspenwood. He also told her briefly of Melora- being a dwarven city little emphasis was placed on the goddess of nature, and Sabi’s truant behavior had caused significant gaps in her knowledge. Upon learning of the goddess’s nature Sabi was excited and intrigued, and she thanked the priest for his help. The priest gave her a parting gift of a bow and arrows- though Sabi was young and inexperienced with the weapon, he knew she would have plenty of time to practice in the wilds between Tarmalas and Aspenwood. Sabi quickly packed the remainder of her belongings, and left the cliff city of Tarmalas.
For five months Sabi traveled, learning first hand the difficulty of living under the open sky. After being caught out in her first rainstorm, she became more attentive to the signs of changing weather, and slowly became skilled at finding shelter and cover. She also learned how to find food in the wild, and became practiced with her bow. She discovered (the hard way) when fruit was safe to eat, or when it would leave her sick and hungrier than before. And finally, the day before her twelfth birthday, she reached Aspenwood.
The elf priestess Arwyl was there and had been expecting her, having been told by Melora that a dragonborn would be coming to her for teaching. Though Arwyl knew nothing of her past history with Sabi, she began teaching her the ways of Melora, and how to live in harmony with the world. For six years Sabi traveled with and learned from Arwyl, visiting towns and cities, and spending months at a time in the wild places between settlements. Sabi practiced and honed her skills, becoming a better shot with her arrows, and learning how to pass quietly through the forest.
Finally, a few days after her eighteenth birthday, Sabi received another message from Melora, this time in the form of a squirrel, again glowing with a yellow light. Arwyl immediately recognized it as a messenger of Melora, and both her and Sabi listened to it’s message. This time Sabi understood the words, and listened as the creature told her that her time with Arwyl was at an end, and that she was to travel to Fort Lanton, where an unnatural curse had distorted some of the creatures there. Sabi’s task was to wait for them to attack her, and slay all that came against her, destroying the curse before it could spread further. After, she was to travel with and aid the ones she would meet in Fort Lanton, and who would fight against the curse with her. Arwyl was to continue to the forest of Therndale, where the druids there were in need of her help mending the forest from an attack by undead cultists.
Sabi and Arwyl sadly parted ways, and Sabi soon arrived at the ruins of Fort Lanton. Arriving late in the day, she set up a makeshift camp and settled in for a rest next to her small campfire. Before long she was approached by a group of mercenaries who were traveling through the area. Since they seemed friendly, Sabi agreed to let them share her clearing and fire, introducing herself and meeting Cale Grimaldi. The night soon came, and with it, an attack by werewolves.
Realizing instantly that these creatures were the cursed ones the squirrel had spoken of, Sabi fought back, along with the help of her new companions. The fight was savage and quick, but in the end the werewolves were all slain. Having seen her skill in battle, Cale asked Sabi to join him in his travels, and, remembering the instructions of the squirrel, Sabi agreed, setting out with him first towards Sparrowdale, and from there to Fallcrest...
TL;DR-
Sabi was born in the cliff city of Tarmalas, with no known parents. On her twelfth birthday she recieved a vision from Melora, and left to travel to the wilderness. She was taught for six years by the priestess Arwyl, before another vision took her to Fort Lanton, where she met with Cale and started her travels.
Current Status
At this point in time, Sabi is taking a well-deserved rest from her adventures, recovering from a fierce battle against an undead invasion. Sabi has gradually become an instrument of Melora, following the goddess' will through visions, portents, and direct answers to prayers. No longer the accurate sharpshooter, Sabi's noble heritage has gradually manifested itself, transforming her into a stalwart vision of the Dragonborn race. Wielding a famous halberd of a hero of old, Sabi fights in the front lines with her Spiretop Drake, and their wings protect her companions as they unleash destruction upon her enemies. She remains good friends with Aiden and Bastious, having together saved Silwa Domus and Burden's Peak from certain destruction, though Dorina's recent actions have strained their friendship, to the point where Sabi conceals her actions and intentions from the halfling. Though she has spent little time with other followers of Melora, she has begun mastering the skills learned by the goddess' followers, gaining such powers as walking over water, manipulating flames, and even reviving deceased companions.
Sabi's travels have brought her to the city of Burden's Peak, and while she does not have a permanent lodging there, she or her Spiretop Drake can usually be found either at the temple of Melora, or the Adventurer's Vault with the rest of her companions.
