Sol

Overview

Sol (whose full name is Soledad), born 364 AC, is a Bravos Exalt and commander of The Ascalon, a Leviathan-hunting Company. She wears the Palladium, the highest honor a hunter can earn. Sol is bonded with Halua as her Alter Ego through a Skein-facilitated connection created by Kauri, mirroring the bond between Niavhe and Kaibara.

Appearance

Sol wears two notches on her breastplate marking the Company’s two Leviathan kills. The Palladium is visible at her collar.

Background

Childhood and Brother’s Influence

Sol’s older brother Saul was a Leviathan researcher whose office was always cluttered and pungent with acrid smells, lined with jars of preserved tissue—skins, glands, and specimens from Leviathans. Sol borrowed books from the library about legendary hunters: how Nuur Tamrat stopped Annoba with a massive cannon, or how Kasanji severed one of Garuda’s six wings with a snare of steel cables.

Saul’s Final Mission

Sol was present the day Saul departed on his final reconnaissance mission. Garuda had been sighted to the northeast, beyond Abelena Isle. Saul had waited months for this opportunity, scanning frequencies from dawn to dusk listening for emergency dispatches mentioning “Leviathan.” He chartered an old seaplane fitted with a weather balloon to serve as an observation tower and convinced an Axiom pilot to fly for him.

Before boarding, Saul hugged Sol and promised to bring back photographs. Sol watched as the airship departed down the grassy slope and vanished beyond the bluff.

Saul had explained the mission in detail: tracking the Leviathan, riding currents to slip into its wake, dropping the gondola while the balloon rose high to capture images. Sol spent weeks afterward sketching Saul standing on the beast’s back or holding an enormous plume.

The Letter

An Aegis officer delivered the report of Saul’s death. Sol’s father received the news at the window. Her mother wept in the winter garden.

They dug a grave, but it remained empty. That evening, while mourners gathered downstairs, Sol sat alone in her room shredding her drawings.

Path to the Bravos

Sol became the squire of Mungonna, an old Seiringar, rose to join the Bravos, and from there to the prestigious ranks of the Tagmata.

Combat Style

Sol operates as an acrobatic harpooner alongside Veora, using mobility rather than ship-based turrets. She uses a jet board for aerial maneuvers and carries a harpoon. Sol can summon fire and fury through Alteration, referring to this as summoning “Red.” She channels rage through The Avgrunn to manifest Eidolons including Tengu and Beowulf.

Hunting Tactics

The Ascalon employs Aerolith barrel charges against Leviathans. Barrels of Aerolith are chained together on ejection rails in groups of six, weighted to plummet toward the earth. Lancers guide them toward the Leviathan in freefall, then drop ballast and fire propulsion javelins to anchor the charges to the beast. A series of detonations triggers the mineral’s exothermic properties.

Service in the Rediscovery Endeavor

The Ascalon safeguards the aerial convoys of the Rediscovery Endeavor against titanic aberrations in the cloud sea. Sol seeks to recruit Basira al-Arshad as the Company’s Alterer, as the Ascalon requires one now that they contend with The Tumult.

Imhallat and Eidolon Bond

During her Imhallat in 384 AC, Little Red Riding Hood showed her support. Little Red Riding Hood had been taken under The Huntsman’s wing, and in turn took Sol under hers. Following the ceremony, Sol received a tattoo commemorating her induction into the Bravos.

Timeline

384 AC - Imhallat Ceremony

Sol underwent her Imhallat, during which Little Red Riding Hood showed her support. She subsequently received a tattoo marking her induction into the Bravos.

393 AC - Leviathan Spotter Reflection

Sol reflected on Maanus, her Company’s beater, who polished his conch in solitude while others drank at the bar, using it as a horn to sound attack alarms and as a trumpet at dawn to wake the troops with a brief melody that had become routine.

393 AC - Harpooning Partnership with Veora

Sol and Veora operated as acrobatic harpooners who relied on mobility rather than ship-based turrets, considering themselves invisible to Leviathans due to their small size compared to skiffs and cruisers.

393 AC - Wingsuit Team Operations

Sol commanded Magdalena, Zeke, and Chalbo as wingsuit jumpers who served as both bait and beaters using Aerolith belts, jet packs, and parachutes during Leviathan operations.

393 AC - Priya Guiding Axiom Operations

Priya, the Ascalon’s signaler, guided Axiom operations by locating Aerolith deposits and later guided AES Tempest to the ambush site, using her talents to track Leviathans through thick cloud cover.

393 AC, October - Beowulf Battle Against Halua

Sol summoned Beowulf during combat with Halua, and the Eidolon struck the Leviathan with his blazing axe, slicing through its skin, but a Woollyback collided with Beowulf and Halua’s tail struck him, allowing the Leviathan to escape.

393 AC, October - Rallying Hunters After AES Sune Destruction

Following the destruction of AES Sune by Halua, Sol rallied hunters in the mess hall to hunt the Leviathan. She called for immediate action rather than mourning, declaring that Leviathans are beasts meant to be slain. When Basira al-Arshad refused to lead the hunt, Sol accused her of cowardice. Multiple Companies volunteered to join: The Ascalon, Afena, Requiem of Seti, and Gift of Nuur. Kauri attempted to advocate for a peaceful solution citing Niavhe and Kaibara’s example, but Sol dismissed this as believing in fairy tales.

393 AC, October - Argument with Basira

Basira al-Arshad confronted Sol about her intentions, questioning how Sol could protect anyone when everything she did was guided by hate. Basira later reflected that she had accused Sol of wanting revenge while recognizing the same rage in herself, and that watching Sol harangue the crowd had made Basira feel ashamed of her own similar impulses.

393 AC, October - Tengu Summoning

After Halua escaped beneath the clouds, Sol slammed her fist against a rock wall in frustration. Dwelling on her argument with Basira, Sol channeled her rage through The Avgrunn and summoned Tengu, who challenged her motivations by stating her mission “pretends to be a noble cause, but it’s no more than vengeance at its core.”

393 AC, October - Flying Dockyard Strategy

At a Bravos advance base—a former bastion covered in inactive Sap and Aerolith—Sol reflected on two failed clashes with Halua and proposed a new strategy that was approved, though other captains made clear it was The Ascalon’s last chance.

393 AC, October - Sol’s Hunt

Sol pursued Halua in an extended cat-and-mouse confrontation, drifting on her jet board while the Leviathan’s lobes crackled with blue plasma energy, and summoned fire, fury, and “Red” through Alteration before leaping toward the beast.

393 AC, October - Halua Hunt Operation

Sol led The Ascalon and allied hunters in a coordinated trap against Halua using the battleship AES Tempest as bait to lure the Leviathan into an archipelago hollow. Lancers deployed in freefall, firing kelonic-propulsion spears to detonate an Aerolith mine field above Halua, then a kiloton of stockpiled Aerolith detonated in the depression. Despite the massive explosion that vitrified surrounding islands, Halua survived wounded but not defeated. Sol used Alteration to summon a spear and board, riding the winds toward the Leviathan for direct confrontation, but Kauri mounted on Puff in armored bird form intercepted her, blocking the attack.

393 AC, October - Mental Connection with Halua

During the hunt, Sol opened her mind to Halua while the Leviathan flew over the Thessalian Quadrant. Through this connection, Sol experienced Halua’s memories of being raised among humans with reverence before being betrayed and exiled. Sol began to understand Halua’s perspective.

393 AC, October - Facing Halua’s Charge

Sol stood her ground as Halua charged directly at her, the Leviathan decapitating mountains and pulverizing hills in its path, fins beating to trigger tremors and mouth wide open, while Sol clenched her jaw and faced the charge head-on.

393 AC, October - Skein-Bond with Halua

Kauri established a mental link with Sol through The Skein, transmitting her own childhood memories of loving Leviathans with her brother Saul. When Sol resisted, Kauri extended his Skein toward Halua, and Sol witnessed the Leviathan’s memories of his origin, imprisonment, and exile. Through this shared experience, Sol recognized that Halua’s pain mirrored her own—both had loved and been betrayed. This Skein-facilitated connection formed a bond between Sol and Halua equivalent to the relationship between Niavhe and Kaibara, making them an Exalt pair.

Relationships

• Afena: Bravos Company that volunteered for Halua hunt (393 AC)
• AES Sune: Cruiser destroyed by Halua; Sol rallied hunters in response (393 AC)
• AES Tempest: Battleship used as bait in Halua trap operation (393 AC)
• Basira al-Arshad: Bravos Exalt Sol seeks to recruit for the Ascalon; confronted Sol about her motivations (393 AC)
• Beowulf: Eidolon Sol summons; wounded Halua before being disrupted (393 AC)
• Chalbo: Ascalon wingsuit jumper
• Garuda: Leviathan that killed Sol’s brother
• Gift of Nuur: Bravos Company that volunteered for Halua hunt (393 AC)
• Halua: Alter Ego; Leviathan Sol initially hunted before Kauri facilitated their Skein-bond (393 AC)
• Hossam: Childhood acquaintance Sol recalled during mental connection with Halua
• Kauri: Muna Exalt who advocated peaceful approach; intercepted Sol during Halua hunt and facilitated her bond with Halua (393 AC)
• Little Red Riding Hood: Eidolon who answered Sol’s call during her Imhallat
• Maanus: Ascalon beater; coordinated attack from AES Tempest deck (393 AC)
• Magdalena: Ascalon flier and wingsuit jumper
• Mungonna: Seiringar mentor who trained Sol as squire
• Priya: Ascalon signaler who guided AES Tempest to ambush site (393 AC)
• Puff: Kauri’s Alter Ego; blocked Sol’s attack on Halua in armored bird form (393 AC)
• Requiem of Seti: Bravos Company that volunteered for Halua hunt (393 AC)
• Sae: Ascalon scout
• Saul: Older brother; Leviathan researcher killed during Garuda reconnaissance mission
• Tengu: Eidolon Sol summons through The Avgrunn; challenged her motivations (393 AC)
• The Ascalon: Bravos Company Sol commands
• Veora: Ascalon lancer; Sol’s trusted partner in acrobatic harpooning
• Zeke: Ascalon wingsuit jumper