Altered Lore

Fen

9 min read

Fen

Overview

Fen, born 373 AC, is a Lyra Exalt and Alterer from the Kasirga Clan. She is bonded with Crowbar, a scarecrow Chimera with a pumpkin head. Fen joined the Rediscovery Endeavor seeking The Song of One and Mnemosyne to lift the banishment of the Kasirga Clan from the Lyra alliance.

Background

Fen’s grandfather was Cayrat Steinn, the great Caravan Shepherd of the Kasirga Clan. She grew up on The Ouroboros, the ring-shaped Sahanka of the Kasirga Clan, waking to contemplate the horizon from bay windows. She would climb access ramps, greet troubadours and herdsmen, and walk along the circus throwing smiles to aerialists and clowns. One day, Fen found a small frail bird on an endless plain of withered grass and brought it to Berchad the pigeon fancier. When she returned home, many people were waiting with tearful eyes. Cao led her to her grandfather’s room where Cayrat Steinn lay with eyes closed, not moving. That night, Fen took refuge in the pigeon loft, stroking the feathers of the small bird she named Juju.

Cayrat Steinn had named Esmeralda (an Eidolon) to take his place as Shepherd, and the elders agreed. However, the Matriarch opposed this decision. The Matriarchs of all the Clans conferred and condemned the decision, proclaiming that if the Kasirga Clan persisted, it would be banished from the Lyra alliance. Fen tried to convince their Matriarch to reconsider, reminding them there had always been nine Clans among the Lyra and they had sung The Song of One together. Esmeralda decided to entrust the fate to the Kasirga elders, and they insisted she take the reins. The banishment was proclaimed. The Ouroboros set course for Arkaster to stay there until the Expeditionary Corps were ready to depart.

Fen attempted to have the sentence lifted, but no one listened. The Song of One had been forgotten, its words lost. With friends, she founded a music group: Fen on vocals, Tamati on percussion, Boona on bass, Orbec on keyboard, and Crowbar on guitar. Together, they scoured bars and concert halls, making a name for themselves. During one performance, Fen met Nevenka who had also been expelled from her Clan. Together, they roamed the streets, Fen keeping watch while Nev graffitied on walls, then fled laughing to take refuge in a tavern. When Fen asked Nevenka why she had joined the exploration forces, Nevenka turned the question back. Fen told her about her Clan’s situation and the search for The Song of One. Nev suggested finding Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory and mother of the Muses.

Fen became a Lyra Exalt and joined the Rediscovery Endeavor to find The Song of One and locate Mnemosyne, whose authority over The Nine Sisters might compel them to sway The Nine Matriarchs and lift the Kasirga Clan’s banishment.

Timeline

381 AC - Serving Tea During Route Planning

Fen served steaming herbal tea to Venerable Ones while Esmeralda traced route from Avesta to capital, requesting audience with Basileus about Rediscovery Endeavor.

383 AC - Inkcasting with Itoro

Fen watched Itoro write about Ouroboros work losing circus for housing, then tried creating playmate for Juju with ink and brush.

384 AC - Summoning Anansi for Song of One

Fen summoned Anansi spider who claimed to own all stories, weaving web with Alteration to catch ideas, but Anansi said Song was impossible task.

386 AC - Twinkle Twinkle Nursery Rhyme

Fen helped Auraq wrangle escaped children, tugging Qannik by ear while Crowbar stood guard, and created lyre for Aruzhan to sing nursery rhyme.

391 AC - Hatter’s Tea Party

Nevenka summoned Hatter with Cheshire Cat and March Hare at tavern, covering table with desserts and cocktails including Stargazer for Fen.

391 AC - All In Casino Disaster

Fen watched Nevenka lose all savings at casino, trying to stop gambling, covering eyes when Nevenka went all in with altered dice.

391 AC - Showing Nevenka The Ouroboros

Fen guided Nevenka through The Ouroboros gangways past construction workers, showing big top and pool with plastic ducks.

392 AC - Lyra Festival Concert

Crowbar played electric guitar with Boona on bass and Tamati on drums while Fen sang, performing last concert in Arkaster before departure.

392 AC - Performance with Crowbar

Fen drew from Ignescence while Crowbar played powerful riff across distance, summoning Sandman, Cloth Dancer, and singing to transform world with music and Asmodeus’s laughter.

392 AC - Waru’s Dismissal

Waru Toowoom dismissed Fen’s claims with single gesture as part of campaign obstructing Rediscovery Endeavor operations.

393 AC, January-April - Hot Spring Discussion at Storvhit

Fen bathed in hot springs at Storhvit alongside Auraq and Nevenka. Fen outlined her plan to Auraq: find The Song of One to reunite the Lyra Matriarchs as Chiara Caceres once did, and seek Mnemosyne whose authority as mother of the Muses could sway the Matriarchs. During the conversation, Fen heard voices carried by the Wind describing a trapped entity of lightning, rain, and ice, and declared it was an Oneiros that needed help.

393 AC, April-May - Conversing with Kuraokami

Fen conversed with Kuraokami, an imprisoned primordial dragon Oneiros at the heart of Cais Adarra, using her affinity with the Wind. She projected her voice to the entity’s dwelling and heard its words with far greater clarity than previous scouts—an actual exchange of intelligible speech rather than mere echo. Kuraokami claimed to be an Oneiros imprisoned by a human seeking to harness its power, embodying rain and snow, and commanded Fen to set it free. Fen’s successful communication provided Temera Singh and the expedition with critical intelligence about the source of Belisenki hostilities.

393 AC, June-September - Pre-Concert Preparation at The Stage

Fen prepared for BLISS! concert at The Stage, applying makeup and warming up voice while the band flew over camp throwing confetti to announce the show.

393 AC, June-September - Sap Duende Rehearsal

Fen summoned Ole Bull, Ethel Waters, and Baishan during rehearsal, with Boona preparing Sap-coated mandolin for Baishan’s synesthetic performance.

393 AC, June-September - BLISS! Concert Memory Loss

Fen performed with BLISS! at The Screed, drawing on Ignescence to maintain energy despite exhaustion from a week of daily descents into the City of Scholars. Mid-performance, Fen and Crowbar simultaneously suffered violent episodes—Fen lost the ability to recall lyrics and stammered before the audience while Crowbar experienced a migraine causing missed notes. Tamati attempted to cover by finishing the verse while Orbec improvised a solo. Fen revealed to Crowbar that she could no longer recall the song’s words.

393 AC, June-September - Investigating Memory Loss at City of Scholars

Nevenka brought Fen into the City of Scholars corridors to search for her lost memories. Fen described the experience as words being removed entirely rather than simply forgotten, requiring Tamati to repeat information and reviewing notes to re-learn everything. While Nevenka activated black memory stones with Ignescence, Fen absorbed songs and lamentations from the sealed fragments—expressions from a lost age. The stones contained sealed memories from another time, preserved within the rock.

393 AC, September - Reaching Sofia Within The Hunger

Fen participated in the Exalt operation against The Hunger in The Maze. While Teija meditated atop a memory block with Nauraa shielding them, Fen sat at Teija’s side and extended her consciousness into the entity. She broke through layers of accumulated memories that had encrusted the creature over ages. Deep within, Fen discovered Sofia, a honey-gold child suspended in a golden bubble, dreaming in fetal position. Fen projected memories of companionship—fireside gatherings on The Ouroboros, the roar of crowds after concerts, Nevenka’s antics—and when Sofia opened her eyes and reached back, the child remembered and spoke her own name.

393 AC - Groundhog Weather Scout

Fen materialized a groundhog Eidolon equipped with an umbrella and climbing gear to scout weather conditions after rain forced the group to shelter in a cave.

Abilities

Fen possesses an affinity with the Wind that allows her to hear voices and communicate across great distances, as demonstrated in her conversation with Kuraokami. She draws on Ignescence to fuel her performances and Alteration. She can summon multiple Eidolons including Anansi, The Sandman, Cloth Dancer, Ole Bull, Ethel Waters, Baishan, and Asmodeus. She is also capable of projecting her consciousness into other entities, as she did when reaching Sofia within The Hunger. Fen is a vocalist and frontwoman of the band BLISS!.

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