#18. Ember

Lore

The Fangwild's Daughter

"Scholars propose the Fangwild Forest is a space time anomaly much like a black hole. It borders many realities, and in theory travelers might pass through it into other worlds. But they would inevitably be torn to shreds along the way."

– Smith's Miscellany Cryptobotanica


"If I have to separate you two again, neither is staying in the Fangwild. And that goes for every dragon here."

– Ember

As the story goes...

No mortal has seen the center of the Fangwild Forest. The magic is too dense, the peril is too deep. Not the elves who live on the edges of the Fangwild. Not the adventurers and fools who brave the forest in search of paths to other universes. Not the ghouls and beasts drawn in by the call of magic. No mortal but Ember.

For thousands of years, Ember hunted the ever-changing paths of the Fangwild. With the wolf Ash and her raven Yarra, she guarded the Fangwild from itself, and protected the bordering worlds from the eldritch wood. She fought the Primordials. She befriended a lonely Minotaur. She rescued a furious Viking lost in deep in the Fangwild's heart. She rode a wild dragon through the maelstrom at the heart of the forest. In ancient days before Valhalla, Fangwild's borders touched even Asgard, and Ember walked with the first warriors among the mighty trees that would form its rafters.

Now, amidst the glory of her afterlife in Valhalla, Ember's mind is fixed on the Fangwild, and the Fangwild mourns its daughter. With Ember gone into Valhalla, the Fangwild has slipped into madness. Twisted and impassable, its wilds threaten to spill out across the many realms it touches. Ember knows there are paths both to and from Valhalla.

She fights in the tournament, hoping that in victory she can find a way back and set things right in her forest home.

Connections

• The first years of Ember's disappearance from the Fangwild were good for dragons like Ragnir, but as the forest descended further into madness, he found Ember in Valhalla, urging her to return the the Fangwild to restore its Heart before things get much worse
• She and Ragnir loathe Dusk, viewing him as a betrayer; it is also likely that it was Ember (acting as The Guardian of the Fangwild) who was not prepared for Dusk's new weapon, falling to his ambush (this is likely how she was killed)

Context

Ember is the elf ranger. She is also the legend who debuted the bow weapon. If "elf ranger" is a familiar trope to you, that could mean one of three things:

1. You've played Dungeons & Dragons.
2. You've at least heard of one of R.A. Salvatore's most popular fictional characters/novel series.
3. You're a Legolas (or general Lord of the Rings) fanboy/girl.

To me, "elf ranger" brings to mind two well-known characters: Legolas and Drizzt Do'Urden.

Many people know who Legolas is. He's the member of the Fellowship of the Ring with amazing archery skills, as well as acute elf sight and hearing. He's not a "ranger" in the Lord of the Rings stories (that title belongs to Aragorn), but he is an elf with tremendous skill with a bow and blades. He is almost certainly one of the sources of inspiration for Ember.

Fewer people know Drizzt Do'Urden, but the character still has a lot of fans. He originates from The Legend of Drizzt series of novels written by R.A. Salvatore, whose novels are inspired by the game Dungeons & Dragons. As a character, Drizzt is actually rather unique. He is a drow (a dark elf) separated from his underground home. He wields two scimitars and has a black panther companion named Guenhwyvar. The character has since become so popular, however, that any drow ranger (especially if they carry two blades and have a feline animal companion) is instantly compared to Drizzt. It is a little less likely that he has inspired Ember's design in some way, but he is notable enough that I felt he was worth a mention here.

A ranger of the wilds (especially the crazier wilds of the Fangwild forest) would certainly use a bow. As for katars, Drizzt is known to wield two blades. If we consider that the other available weapons at this point were hammer, sword, blasters, lance, spear, and axe, katars seem like a very good second weapon for Ember.