Tilly

Hailing from the city of Almilh, on the desert continent of Iobof, Tilly has no memories before the day she turned eight. Or at least, the day she thinks she turned eight. On the third day of the First Burn approximately 16 rotations ago, they walked out of a sandstorm they never walked into, with no name, guided by a small, masked bird, wearing only rags and a perfectly pristine white cloak.

Taken in by the clergy of Volana, she spent many rotations amongst orphans and street rats, with their guiding light being the kindly and soft-spoken Moonpriestess Constance. There, she was given a name, and she learnt how to read, speak, and write several languages, basic arithmetic, and the value of kindness.

They found friends, they found family, and they even found love. But it all fell apart one horrible afternoon. On a perfectly normal day, in the early period of the Long Summer, she was attacked in the streets. As if by instinct, she summoned for the first time, calling forth a psychopomp soul guardian to protect her. The unexpected presence was enough to scare off their attacker, as well as several passers-by. Although grateful for the presence of the creature, their life began to unravel following that incident. People she used to be friends with whispered about her when they thought she couldn't hear them. Strangers that used to smile at them and make conversation now went out of their way to avoid them - sometimes turning around and taking the longer route just so they wouldn't cross paths.

In the months that followed, they managed to summon the creature again, and began to forge a friendship with them, and they learnt from each other. The creature how to interact with people, and her how to defend herself - both physically and with her words. After many moons, the magic tying them together solidified into a soul bond, and they eventually named each other. The creature gave her a new name that she decided to shorten to Tilly. And she gave the creature the name Edelgard.

As time progressed, the change in how she was treated became so unbearable for Tilly that they fled the city. They found the first ship they could, and left. With no direction, they were running *from*, not to. Eventually, after several months of aimless travel, she arrived in Merterra, and was told that they might find answers amongst the followers of Kifa. And so, Tilly and her bonded companion made the journey northwards to seek answers, understanding, and hopefully a place to belong.