Dawn Priest

The Dawn Priest was the name of the strange magician who took over Curaheim in AeP 446. Drel’Mareath sought her out and obeyed her orders. Using this she took over the town just before the Winter. A group of Winter’s Hand found the town next spring and worked with several people who had escaped to take back Curaheim. The Winter’s Hand stopped her there and she died trying to awaken a Behemoth.

The Dawn Priest possessed innate day magic. She had given herself this power through human enchantment. She helped develop the ritual during her time in the Order of the Burning Palm. It was likely this power that let her control the Drel’Mareath. By the time of her death, she considered herself a god. The Dawn Priest was the primary antagonist of The Tale of Storms and Clay.

History
Originally a member of the Order of the Burning Palm, The Dawn Priest was the name of a woman who helped develop the human enchantment ritual which granted innate day magic. During her time in the Palm she went by a different name. She was a friend and romantic partner to Warren Kassett. She was partially responsible for the system of kidnapping children and testing the ritual on them. Her greatest success was Ingrid, a seven year old girl who was capable of innate magic without any side effects. The Dawn Priest was not present for the fall of the Burning Palm. Word got back to her of Kassett’s death and she fled. For the rest of her life she harborded great resentment against the Silver Circle and their allies. The Priest wandered around Eastern Carufell for a few years, trying to meet up with other members of the Palm who escaped. At one point she came across a group of bandits who had burned a town library. She killed them with fire magic. Tales of this story spread to nearby villages, giving her a reputation as a monster. She was not able to find shelter for many months. Eventually she encountered one town where a priest of Yaerrin tried to attack her. She killed him and took his books. She hated the priest for the betrayal of her god. This incident set her resolve, and she decided to try and enchant herself. She finally did it years later, though it caused her great pain. Using her new power she set about trying to rebuild her life.

The Dawn Priest arrived in Curaheim after the winter of AeP 446. She was welcomed into the town as a magician. The townsfolk would go to her for help, offering her what they could. In a short time, she began to feel at home. The townsfolk welcomed and respected her. Originally, she had planned on moving on soon but the longer she stayed, the less she wanted to leave. In the fall of that year, some Drel’Mareath appeared outside Curaheim. The people of the town raised money and paid her to get rid of the clay men. However she soon returned followed by the Drel’Mareath. They listened to her and obeyed her commands. Soon more started to arrive. The Dawn Priest found she had an army. The clay men taking her orders reminded her of her origins and made her feel strong. She reasoned that through her innate magic and clay army, she was a god. She used her army to take over Curaheim. When the snows of winter hit none of the townsfolk could flee. She took over the temple, killed the priest, and destroyed the idols. As winter progressed and her army grew, she built a wall around Curaheim. When a Drel’Mareath Behemoth arrived, she ordered it to guard the temple. She also sent people to cut Northern Pine and mine coal and iron in the West. She was going to march somewhere East when the snows melted.

In Ghuramus of AeP 447 a contingent of Winter’s Hand arrived in Curaheim. She took some hostage and sent Drel’Mareath to kill the rest. One group of Hand, Deryl, Jessie, Tarron, Valera, Zek, and Zonah, defeated the Drel’Mareath sent after them, and started an uprising. They freed a group of workers and later attacked the mine to the West of Curaheim. The Dawn Priest had been using that mine to gather iron and build extra armor for the Drel’Mareath. By that time she had built a group of loyal followers from Curaheim, who also believed she was a god. She sent some of them to parley with the uprising. The cultists took a group of hostages with them. However the cultists were defeated and the hostages freed. After this the Dawn Priest walked out with a host of Drel to find the uprising herself. She left the protection of Curaheim to her Behemoth. At one point one of her cultist scouts came across the Hand and was captured. The Dawn Priest had imparted magic to the scout in the form of incanted red paint. The scout killed herself using the paint to send up a signal of flame. Using this the Dawn Priest sent a barrage of fireballs in that direction, killing a few townsfolk. With the Dawn Priest gone, the town fell. She fled with a few cultists to the vault which she had been trying to find. It took ten days and she travelled deep into the Frozen Wastes. In the Vault she found a shrine of Hlesmil and a thousand dormant Drel’Mareath. She woke up some in time to fight the four Hand who had come after her. In the resulting fight her Drl’Mareath were killed and she was all but defeated. She died using the last of her innate magic to awaken a Behemoth, which was then crushed by the falling ceiling.

Appearance
"“There's something off about her. I don't mean how she acts. But she always seems like she's in pain. She walks with a limp, and she looks old too, but she can't be more than forty. She always keeps herself covered, wears gloves and has her hood up. Not weird for here, but I swear once when she let her guard down, I saw her glow.”" "-Rayna describing the Dawn Priest to the Winter’s Hand"

☀The Dawn Priest wore a patched orange robe and a golden pendant of a palm. She had black hair. streaked with grey and blonde. Her skin emitted a faint golden light. Like all members of the Pam, her right hand was ritualistically burned.

Relations
Before his death, Warren Kassett was romantically involved with the Dawn Priest. The two were close. She also had many other friends in the Order of the Burning Palm, who died.

After moving to Curaheim and declaring herself a god, the Dawn Priest built a cult following. Her followers were imparted power through red paint and were willing to die for her. In the style of the Burning Palm, they all scarred their right hands with fire.

Powers
The Dawn Priest was able to communicate with, and command, Drel’Mareath. This was a power that was unheard of in the Modern Era. The Drel’Mareath seemed to be drawn to her. They would wander to Curaheim. Once there she would paint their right arm red and command them to control the town. By the end of Winter in AeP 447, she commanded an army of over a hundred Drel’Mareath including several witches and a behemoth. She was able to do this through her innate magic. The Dawn Priest had enchanted herself to generate one day stone worth of magic a day. This gave her a unique edge. Until her death, she was one of Var’Tareen’s most experienced Human Enchanters.

List of Appearances
Campaigns Supplemental
 * 1) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Four: The Sunshine’s Lost (Mentioned Only)
 * 2) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Five: The Force of Cold (Mentioned Only)
 * 3) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Six: A Host of Force (Mentioned Only)
 * 4) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Seven: In Frozen War (Mentioned Only)
 * 5) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Eight: Beneath the Cold
 * 1) ToSC Supplemental: The Dawn Priest’s Journal
 * 2) ToSC Supplemental: The Emissary