Template:Kestrel Apricity/Background
History
Kestrel was born in Aquvy to more or less human parents, though she'd be the first to say she isn't sure quite how long ago that was as she was foisted into the care of the Spectorate not long afterward -- just that she's certain she's older than she looks by several decades. So, to understand Kestrel, an explanation of the Spectorate is needed.
The Spectorate is known to be a somewhat antiquated body of historians and scholars that formed in the time just following the Collapse. The sect claims that so much was lost during that period of upheaval that it is the responsibility, even the duty, of like-minded individuals to document and preserve the state of the world for future generations, to safeguard against any further devastation on that scale -- both in preserving historical record against it, and in the hopes that such a record will guide the people of Filgaia on a path away from utter devastation. As it became more and more clear that Filgaia may not ever recover from the Collapse, the expressed goal of the Spectorate evolved, becoming a mad rush to document the death of the world as impartially and thoroughly as possible. Chronographers belonging to the sect are sent out into the world to document what they can, not merely events and the profiles of highly public figures but also the interior lives of even the most common and low-born sentient being. They seek to document the essence of Filgaia in all things, examining the fabric of its existence to the most minute detail.
This is the organization in which Kestrel was raised, somewhere in the archipelagos of Aquvy, on an island in the Great Sea. The parents she was born to had little role in her life, trading her for a life of comfort and the assurance that their child would be given the best possible education and opportunities. An essentially scholarly pursuit, the Spectorate invests a great deal of time, energy, and resources in preparing its agents for the roles they'll play. All of them are gifted scribes outfitted with the necessary skills to document the death of a world. They learn calligraphy, how to mix pigments from natural ingredients for inks, illustration and illumination, how to press paper and other mundane things, but they're also heavily trained for social purposes: how to be charming, inviting, and how to engage others, build them up and coax them into opening up about themselves and their lives; how to tell if they're lying; how to remain as unbiased as it's possible to be within the constraints of necessarily caring about their purpose. Pursuant to many of these things they must also take an oath of solitude. They are not allowed to do what they do and also engage in any serious romantic relationships, as it's believed that depth of attachment is compromising and would hinder clear judgement.
Kestrel excelled in two areas of her training particularly. She has a warm and curious personality by nature, fearless in her willingness to engage strangers in conversation and genuinely fascinated with the stories they have to tell, so her gift for interviewing others and putting them at ease was evident almost from the start. Where her knack for symbology came from is less obvious, but she took to it quickly and advanced enough that she's capable of applying runes and symbols to various items to create magitech. Her strongest school is far and away that of Illusion.
With her training complete she's only just been turned loose into the world of Filgaia, sent first to the area of Eastern Ignas to begin her work. She travels alone and to all appearances seems perhaps a little delicate to be abroad in solitude on such an unforgiving continent, but her survival skills are excellent and she appears to have avoided most serious trouble, still bright-eyed and eager.