The Lore of Chaos Mage Miyo of the Wood

Origin Story

Since birth, Miyo lived at a cinnabar mine. Mercury, which is extracted from the Cinnabar, is prized among the alchemist community for its unique properties, and among the wider wizarding community as an occasional source of powerful Cinnabar Runes. Unfortunately, unscrupulous Red Wizards created company towns and ensnared poor laborers into perpetual debt. Life expectancy for the mercury miners was low, due to exposure. By the age of 10, Miyo had already lost both parents as a result, but unfortunately their debt was passed on to her (based on the contract they had signed) and so she remained at the mine.

Children were not forced to work deep in the mines where the exposure was greatest. Instead, they acted mainly as gophers and messengers. Still, Miyo was constantly exposed to a low level of mercury, and gradually she noticed that her hands constantly trembled, she kept forgetting things, and she struggled to keep her energy up. Still, the mine owners would not relent; she needed to keep working off her debt as long as she was physically able. Unfortunately, her housing, barebones as it was, exceeded her meager wages.

One day, feeling especially weak, Miyo felt she couldn’t go on. She crawled into a dark, abandoned shaft of the mine, wishing for maximum exposure in order to end her suffering quickly. However, instead of a quick death, she found something else. As she lay there in the dark, she suddenly noticed two luminous eyes looking back at her. A feline form emerged, glowing red with otherworldly cinders.

As she stared at what appeared to be a cat, a symbol formed in her head, the Rune of Cinnabar. It felt like a question. She accepted the power, and the rune became a part of her being. As she breathed deep, inhaling the mercury vapors and the magic both, she suddenly felt more powerful than she ever had before. It was intoxicating. Now she was the one who would be giving the orders. She was the one who would make her will a reality. A floating ball of glowing lava slowly appeared above one hand, and the face that it revealed looked much different from the tired soul that had crawled into that crevice.

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Rumors abound about what really happened to destroy the cinnabar mine. Everyone knows that a freak earthquake struck the mine. At the same time, magma bubbled up from under the mine, flooding the tunnels even as they collapsed.

There were a few individuals who claimed to have formerly worked at the mine. After a few drinks at the pub, some of them claimed to have seen a demon emerge from the mines, wading through the magma as if it were water, and laughing as the magma engulfed everything in sight. When pressed on why they had survived to tell the tale, one fellow claimed that they would have been consumed, but the demon turned away at the last moment to head towards the owners’ compound, allowing him and a handful of others who had been outside the mine at the time to escape.

Many of the self-proclaimed survivors happened to be children, but their tales were dismissed out of hand as fanciful. Particularly the ones about a magic glowing cat that walked beside the fiery apparition.

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These days, Miyo does what she likes. She can be kind or angry, brutal or merciful, according to her whims. She scoffs at wizard conventions and norms, and this can be seen in both her personal style as well as in the way she conducts herself.

Unfortunately, the effects of the mercury have permanently altered her psyche, and her frequent and untutored use of magic hasn’t helped. As a result, anyone who interacts with her is never sure quite what to expect. She tends to make for a powerful but fickle ally - just make sure her interests stay aligned with yours.

Unfortunately, lately she’s learned about the Sacred Flames, and seems to view them as both a source of amusement as well to alternatively punish people, gain more powerful servants, or even just sate her curiosity. However, as she continues to learn more of the flames, they seem to have become an obsession. Her Wizard Burn election ended in a tie, so who will be burned? Stay tuned to find out!

Entered by: 0x510F…AED0 and preserved on chain (see transaction)