Aetheris

A former Architect initiate, Kaelen grew frustrated with the guild's slow, consensus-driven approach during a crisis where his home continent was attacked by sky-predators. He defected to the Ascendant Vanguard, mastering aggressive applications of Skyheart Ascendancy to become a formidable protector. He is fiercely loyal to his new faction but wrestles with guilt over his perceived abandonment.

Born on a continent slowly losing its Aetheric cohesion, Lyra's early life was spent in a village clinging to crumbling earth. She was discovered by a Celestial Architect who saw her innate, untaught talent for stabilizing loose stone. Trained rigorously, she now dedicates herself to healing fractured landmasses, but carries a deep-seated fear of total collapse that can make her methods risk-averse.

An elderly Master Architect, Orin is a living repository of Aetheric lore. He has spent centuries charting the subtle flows of sky-energy between continents. While deeply committed to the Architects' ideals, he possesses a pragmatic streak, often secretly sharing restricted knowledge with trustworthy Vanguards to prevent larger disasters, making him a quiet, gray figure within his own faction.

A drift-born orphan with no memory of their original continent, Renn survived in the chaotic sky-lanes between landmasses. They possess an instinctual, wild form of Skyheart Ascendancy, unattached to any formal faction. Viewed with suspicion by both Architects and Vanguards, Renn acts as a smuggler and messenger, selling their unique skills to the highest bidder while secretly searching for a place to belong.

A rising star in the Ascendant Vanguard, Syl is a prodigy who can manipulate light and gravity with stunning precision. Born into privilege on a stable core continent, she sees her power as a right and a tool for personal glory and expansion. She is ambitious and sees the Architects as sentimental hindrances to progress, but her confidence sometimes borders on arrogance.