Rei'nia Saph

Rei'nia "Nia" Saph
Official art of Rei'Nia Saph, by Hannah Friederichs.
Type	Player Character
Actor	Celia Rose Gooding
Character Information
Also known as	Nia
Race	Half-elf
Class	Cleric (Moon domain)
Age	At least 19 (in the Divergence)
Languages	Common, Celestial
Place	Rybad-Kol (formerly)
Family	Casimir and Marsa (parents) Liana (younger sister)
Connections	Starmian Fiddleflask (traveling companion, deceased) Gond Gulfsome (traveling companion) Erro Mordaurum (friend, deceased) Luz (friend, deceased) The Moonweaver (deity)
Profession	Healer
Stats
Level	1
HP	10
AC	10
DC
Str	8
Dex	11
Con	14
Int	12
Wis	16
Cha	16
Reference(s)
Appearances
First seen	"Give and Take" (E4x01)
Last seen	"By Heart Alone" (E4x04)
Stream	Exandria Unlimited: Divergence (4 episodes)

“

Change is coming, and I am change.

”

– 

Rei'nia

[!h]

Rei'nia Saph is a half-elf nurse and cleric played by Celia Rose Gooding in Exandria Unlimited: Divergence.

Description

Rei'nia was young, with dark brown skin and silver white locs that she tried to keep from fusing. She saw herself as very observant, and tried to hide her intense hope that things would someday be different while keeping the workers functional as long as possible. She was naive enough to believe that she knew better than those who had been beaten down by years of experience.

In the years following the Divergence she became more confident, left her hair grow slightly longer, and started wearing silver, white, and blue clothes.

Biography

Background

Rei'nia grew up during the Calamity with her younger sister Liana. They were both friends of Luz, a tiefling that shared stories about Sehanine the Moonweaver, causing them to develop their own personal beliefs connected to the goddess and Catha.

At some point towards the end of the god war the half-elven sisters got separated from their parents, and they ended up traveling across Gwessar with other companions. Eventually Liana decided to go out and search by herself, agreeing with Nia to meet up at Torm's Hill. Nia was left with other companions (including Starmian Fiddleflask and Gond Gulfsome), and traveled with Erro Mordaurum, who was supposed to guide them to Torm's Hill, but they all ended up being captured and brought to the prison fortress of Rybad-Kol.

There, after some time, Nia started acting as a "nurse" whose duty was in The Mop, the infirmary area; as such, she had permission to walk freely looking for injured prisoners who needed medical treatment. Although she tried not to anger their captors, she also forced the boundaries of her role protecting patients that in other circumstances would have been killed. She and Erro remained close friends during their time there.

"Give and Take" (E4x01)

Around a year after being captured, and just a few days before the Divergence, Nia saw the vampire lord Azmog killing a prisoner for worshiping the Changebringer and being hopeful, so she started walking across the prison looking for injured people. When she saw that an inmate, Garen, had fallen asleep and was being punished for it, she tried to take charge as soon as possible so that Kuzzle (a goblin torturer) wouldn't hurt him too much. Although there were already several people in the Mop she brought Garen, and his dwarven constitution helped her treat his injuries. Shortly after, however, one of the resident warlocks, Barbithrix, appeared with his gnomish servant, Rufus, to inspect the wounded and determine how long should be allowed to stay before they became a nuisance; Nia, after clarifying that Garen was almost completely healed (and remarking that many of the injured were so precisely because of Barbithrix), convinced the torturer to return at nightfall instead of executing people immediately. Later Fiedra Marrow, a halfling from the kitchens, arrived to the infirmary and told her that the dragonborn in Rybad-Kol (including Erro) were going to be sent to serve as the soldiers or the food of the Scaled Tyrant; Fiedra suggested they could use the dark markings Crokas (her own friend) had in his body to trick people into believing there was some sort of plague and those prisoners should stay quarantined instead of sent to Tiamat. Nia agreed and told the authorities about the contagious "plague", and when she located Erro, she even touched him to make it look like he had markings of that illness, and he played along by coughing. High Priestess Sata'al agreed to quarantine some of them within the Wandering Walls, although she rejected Nia's request to personally treat Erro and Crokas, threatening if she ever dared to interrupt her again, and telling her that given her utility the Strife Emperor wouldn't want her to get sick. Erro was thankful to his friend, but before entering the Walls he told her that if she had the chance to run away she should do so instead of worrying about him. The half-elf returned with Fiedra and Garen, and when they caught up they went to look for a point of the Wandering Walls that Garen knocked down with a hammer blow; on their way there Nia noticed her locket was glowing, producing small fireflies that bit her, making her feel a rush of energy she associated with the effects of the Bless spell. When they gained access to the Wandering Halls, Nia whistled to call Erro (who helped rescue her when she almost fell through the floor). They all moved through the tunnels back to the door, and they started trying to open it; as that was happening, the nurse's locket kept producing fireflies, and she was sure that her sister was somehow helping them, while outside that space a cataclysmic battle shook the entire prison. Erro recognized it as gods fighting. While they waited inside the Wandering Halls Nia confirmed to Celeste (a dragonborn mother) that she had lied and no one was actually sick; when her son Celwyn declared that lies were good sometimes, the half-elf agreed, adding that he should only lie to help people, and telling them the truth later (which confused both the kid and Crokas).

Fan art of Nia in the rain, by Natalie Williams.

When they finally got free they found everything destroyed, although with signs that most of the victims were followers of the Betrayer Gods. While others looked for survivors, Nia prepared a healing kit, although shortly after she herself located both Starmian Fiddleflask and Gond. They debated for a bit about what to do next: Erro insisted that the larger their group, the harder it would be for them to move, while Garen prioritized finding more people and taking care of them; Nia tried to agree with both, wanting to go north as fast as possible, but refusing to leave anyone behind. In the end they agreed to move with all the survivors to the point on Erro's map, staying hidden under the trees. The more they traveled, the less provisions they had and the more tired they were; as they kept going Nia prayed remembering Liana. At one point, when they didn't have more water, Nia and Starmian decided to venture beyond the treeline to see if they could find some, and Erro, despite his exhaustion, followed his friend; since Starmian was too tired Nia advised him to stay in camp, but the old halfling died as he was returning, whispering that maybe he would find water on the other side. A storm was unleashed shortly afterwards (brought by the Stormlord as he walked through the land), and Nia firmly believed that Starmian had made that possible; she didn't look at the Prime Deity nor at her fallen friend, and instead focused on the water in her hands, whispering in gratitude repeatedly. The god of storms announced to their group that they were witnessing the last miracles, and that the age of deities helping them directly was coming to an end.

"Seven of Them" (E4x02)

The group continued moving, and when Fiedra was too weak Erro started carrying her on his back, and Nia covered her with her cloak to protect her from the rain. When they finally arrived to Torm's Hill, they were welcomed by the local matriarchs, and one of them, Klasara Bandy, showed interest in Nia's healing abilities, but also told her that she needed to rest first; the half-elf stayed with Fiedra for a bit, feeding her bread and medicinal tea (taking some for herself) and then going to bed. The next day she started helping in the infirmary, focusing on a routing she knew from back in Rybad-Kol; at one point she started flirting with one of the wounded, Ondetra (a water genasi woman), but got immediately distracted when Erro arrived with Luz, her childhood friend. They were very happy to see each other, and the tiefling told her that her parents and Liana had been in town at different points, but the latter had gone to Snowgrave Pass because of a vision, but she was alright last time Luz saw her. Nia took a moment to check on Erro to see if he had wounds, but he smiled at her for the first time, and declared he had finally brought her to Torm's Hill, apologizing for taking so long. Then Nia continued her conversation with Luz, but noticing that Ondetra seemed annoyed by it they moved away.

Shortly after seven soldiers of the Strife Emperor arrived to Torm's Hill, killing people and demanding the others to return to subjugation; however, when Erro attacked them with his fiery breath and encouraged the townsfolk to fight back, a battle ensued. Initially Nia made Luz walk away with the most vulnerable people around, but moments later she changed her mind and encouraged her friend to stay and fight alongside them, telling people that if they had no courage they should just pretend and take action anyway.

Fan art of Nia at the kill, by Elaine Tipping.

The enemy captain, who had noticed Luz's holy symbol, cut it with his sword at the same time he caused a fatal wound. However, when he fell to the ground after Garen attacked him, Nia took the symbol of the Moonweaver her friend had been carrying and feeling strangely calm, she channeled divine magic for the first time, casting Inflict Wounds and killing the captain. Seconds later she cast Cure Wounds on Erro to wake him up, but then another enemy knocked her unconscious; Garen protected her from a killing blow with his own body, giving Erro enough time to heal Nia with his own magic. When the battle was over Nia started trying to reanimate Luz, who was already dead, and didn't stop until Erro put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her; after that she pointed at the sky, in the direction she felt the moon would be, and told Sehanine to take care of Liana, since she had taken Luz already. She focused on helping other people, and prepared the funerals of the fallen in battle, as well as that of Starmian.

The group rested for the rest of the day, recovering from the fight, and Nia went to the new cemetery, near the Larksbrook river, bringing with her some of Luz's belongings she had adapted to use as a new cleric. Crokas, who had been in the water nearby, approached and told her he was sorry for her loss; when she mentioned they were sort of similar, being away from their families, he admitted he never knew his, and that Fiedra had raised him. The half-elf declared that Fiedra clearly cared about the dragonborn, and that she missed Liana, who was the one that cared for her; she showed him the portrait of her she had in her locket, and said she wanted to find her that same night. Erro arrived at the same time one of the Roaches called Crokas, so he left, telling the older dragonborn to make sure she didn't leave. Erro told Nia that he understood how she felt after losing Luz, and sat with her; when she asked him what he wanted to do next (ignoring the many questions she had about his past), he told her that he wanted to find something different. She liked the idea, and declared that she wanted to look for Liana in Snowgrave Pass in two days, to give their group some time to prepare in case they wanted to come with them; before she left, she pressed some of Luz's grave dirt into one of her locks. After sunset, Nia found Garen, who had been drinking with the Roaches, and stayed with him to thank him for saving her life. They talked about Luz, their shared childhood, and how she had had a lot of dreams of the future, and Garen comforted Nia by telling her that even if she was gone, she would be able to watch the change coming to Exandria from the moonlight of her goddess; as he was saying that, the dust in the sky started clearing, and for the first time in centuries, they saw Catha shining upon them.

"Mirror and Key" (E4x03)

Before he and his group left Torm's Hill Nez gave Nia her condolences for Luz's death, and told her that she was sure she would find Liana. She and his friends traveled until they reached Snowgrave Pass, where they found an obsidian tower with only one soldier: Gubbling, a former follower of the Strife Emperor. Nia convinced him to deal with them and give them weapons in exchange for food; while they were talking he revealed that four months before Liana had been seen there, and had left untouched by the soldiers' weapons. They convinced Gubbling to redeem himself in Torm's Hill, and he left them in the tower. They spent the night there and took some gear (Nia chose two daggers and a hand crossbow); before Nia fell asleep she noticed that, when the hammer-like symbol Garen had carved in basalt shone the moment it was touched by moonlight, as if the influence of the All-Hammer and the Moonweaver recognized each other.

Fan art of Erro and Nia, by Ekaterina Victoria.

Next morning they arrived to Erro's former home, next to a lake, and he told his friends about his former partner, Donaea (killed there) and about his own past as an Issylran refugee, and how he had given up, crying a bit. He was comforted by the others, and Nia assured him that the love he and Donaea shared lived on through his actions.

Fan art of Nia crossing the chasm, by GalacticJonah.

They kept traveling until they found a promontory in which Fiedra (despite Garen's concerns about her methods) revealed a secret sanctum filled with trinkets, documents, and magic items. Nia examined a mirror and looked at herself in it, feeling strangely solemn. As she was doing so, Liana appeared in the reflection, silently asking her sister to follow her, which she did, activating the properties of the magic item and turning Invisible to leave unnoticed. Shortly after Nia saw her on the top of a nearby mountain, where Liana told him she knew he would find her, and apologizing because "they" had not been able to find a better solution; her body then collapsed. The cleric was feeling devastated and angry, and screamed to her goddess that they had a deal, demanding her to bring her sister back. She then heard Liana's voice in the wind, telling her to come, and promising her she wouldn't fall; when Nia reached her crossing a bridge made of pure moonlight, Sehanine revealed herself, still with Liana's familiar features. The goddess and the half-elf greeted each other, hugging and crying, and the Moonweaver revealed her story to the one that had been her mortal sister, identifying herself (as Liana) as the mortal avatar of the goddess of the moon; she told her that she had always known that there was something strange with herself (Nia corrected her, saying that whatever it was, it was beautiful), and that as she grew up she started getting visions and dreams for different tasks, such as finding their parents (she confirmed that they were safe and in Vasselheim). Sehanine explained the creation of the Divine Gate and how important her connection with Nia was, since it would serve as an example of love defying the new barrier between gods and mortals; Nia agreed, believing their love would be strong enough. When the cleric asked about Luz, the spirit of her fallen friend became visible for a moment, and then, excited and surprised, tried to get confirmation about the fireflies that had come out of her locket back in Rybad-Kol, causing and Sehanine/Liana to express genuine confusion about it. Eventually, they had to say goodbye, and after kissing her sister's cheek and hugging her one last time, the goddess abandoned Exandria. Nia returned to her friends, strangely proud, and when Crokas asked she confirmed that that was her sister; when he answered that that didn't make sense, the half-elf replied that it didn't have to. After Nia told the others about her new purpose and the situation of her parents, the group decided to travel to the coast, with Vasselheim being their next destination, although Garen pointed out that eventually he would want to travel north as a last journey, wanting to return home (when he insinuated he didn't have much time Nia told him not to say that, since they still had a lot to thank to each other). As they were leaving the cleric took some books about the Moonweaver, and a blank one to start a new self-imposed project: to write down the chronicle of her sister.

One night on their way to the coast they found treants that gave them magic nuts. Days later that, after Nia confirmed through Augury that they had to move through an area, the party ended up in the middle of a battle between the armies of Asmodeus and Corellon; Nia used her Healing Word to help Fiedra, who returned the favor using one of the nuts to wake the cleric up after an imp knocked her unconscious; Nia then used another nut to wake up Garen, and helped defeat a devil by shooting her crossbow. When the battle was over they were approached by unicorns, Nia (delighted by the situation) asked one of them, Lumia, about potential troubles and abut assistance with their wounds, receiving healing tears and the revelation that only two Betrayer Gods remained free. When the unicorns were leaving the half-elf whispered in Celestial that she loved them, and one of them actually reciprocated, noticing her connection with the now absent Moonweaver, and acknowledging how important her magic and mortal belief was (the cleric declared she would also try to promote the belief in unicorns, so that mortals thought of them even if they didn't see them); after the creatures left Garen and Nia shared a moment of gleeful excitement, having interacted with actual unicorns. Eventually the group arrived to a village near a road, where they got a guide (Tristan, a part-merfolk young man) to the area of the coast in which they might find a boat. When they finally arrived there was nothing there; that night, Nia was woken up by Fiedra, who told her that her new key sensed the presence of a boat nearby, and after seeing the halfling arguing with the item, the latter produced an intense red light. Everyone went to bed after that, but the cleric watched the key for a bit, concerned about its influence. Next morning an Issylran vessel arrived, and a very old friend of Erro's family, Grenalin, announced that they were looking for survivors. Nia explained to him the situation about the Divine Gate and divine magic (making her eyes shine like moonlight for a moment to be more convincing), and although the old man was initially wary (since he had heard the Prime Deities intended to live among them after the war) he agreed to take them to Issylra. When Garen told his friends that he wasn't sure if he had enough strength for such a journey (despite Nia wanting him to come with them), Erro assured him that he did, and that he would personally help the dwarf get to Uthtor after their current mission. With that, the five members of the group left Gwessar together.

"By Heart Alone" (E4x04)

After days of journey the group arrived to the Dawn City, and while her friends were impressed with it, Nia was too concentrated on preparing a potential speech. Accepting Grenalin's offer, they were guided to the Shadowbrook neighborhood, where they saw many distressed followers of the Moonweaver talking to High Priestess Eldanwyn. After Crokas whispered to her to be careful, Nia approached, and tried to offer some help; initially Eldanwyn didn't pay much attention to her since she was a self-taught cleric, but then she proved her worth by cutting her own palm and healing the wound (something the other divine casters weren't able to do at the moment). Crokas and Garen persuaded the High Priestess to listen to her, and when Nia explained the situation regarding Sehanine and the Divine Gate, Crokas showed Eldanwyn the memories recorded inside his orb as proof. After that they were all brought to the Runekeep, to help Far-Seer Volsting, who had fallen ill. The moment they arrived Nia noticed that although divine magic was working for some people trying to heal Volsting, it wasn't finding proper purchase; she offered her help, and her friends supported her. She comforted Eldanwyn, who despite her years of experience was feeling lost, and told her she had to keep faith in their goddess, even if she was far away; the High Priestess then declared that it would be an honor for her to learn divine magic again. Thus, she watched Nia as she touched Volsting and channeled healing power using the strength of her own belief, as she talked to her patient sending love, hope, and safety, and using Moon's Mirror to show him she was holding his hand. The Far-Seer, somewhat recovered, thanked her, and when he said that the easy days had been left behind, Nia told him that they would create more; at her request, Crokas showed his orb to explain the situation to him. Nia was asked by the other holy people to stay in Vasselheim and teach them her ways, and she told them she would do it for as long as she could, not wanting to make any promises without her friends' approval first. Shortly after, back in the streets, she reunited with Casimir and Marsa, her parents, and hugged them; she started to tell them about Liana's identity, but that was confusing them, so Crokas used his orb again to clarify things. They were happy that one of their daughters was safe and immortal, but that made Marsa worry even more about Nia's mortality; they, however, focused on thanking Erro for helping their child when the latter introduced them to him.

Before catching up with her parents Nia visited the Platinum Sanctuary with Erro, and when he admitted that he wasn't sure of what to do next, she told him that since she had found her calling in the Dawn City, maybe he would too. When the old dragonborn argued that he had promised Garen to take him home, Nia replied that she would respect Erro's wishes, but whatever happened she didn't want him to be alone again, because he was family to her now; she then joked that someone had said something about change coming, but couldn't remember who, and then laughed and leaned on him, declaring that although change was beautiful, there was some value in permanence. When they returned they found Crokas with an injured Fiedra, so they brought her inside Nia's parents' home and the cleric cast Healing Word on the halfling; Crokas immediately reproached her for her actions, since she had almost died chasing Lord Callister. Moon's Mirror Awakened, and Nia used it to Commune with the Moonweaver, visualizing her through the glass in the Fey Realm; she confirmed that Lord Callister was a worshiper of Asmodeus, that he was still in the city, and that he wasn't leaving because he wanted to use the Infiltrator's Key he had taken from Fiedra. Sehanine then told Nia that if she asked broader questions she would be able to tell her more, since the new rules about divine magic were still new; she explained she couldn't reveal Lord Callister's location, since his patron was hiding him, and when she noticed that Nia was trying to force the limits of the mirror, she shared more relevant information: she revealed to her how the Divine Gate had began, and how the All-Hammer had disappeared as a mortal avatar working on it, followed by the Platinum Dragon, due to a curse cast by the Lord of the Hells. The goddess told her sister that it was a priority to find the missing gods before the Betrayers did, for the Divine Gate couldn't be closed until the last deities had crossed it too; Nia thanked her for all the information and kissed the mirror as she ended the spell. She then shared the information with her friends and family.

For almost two weeks the group investigated, but Nia divided her time between that mission (asking her new contacts for information) and her task teaching the local clergy about the new form of divine magic, as more people noticed that their deities were leaving Exandria; during that period of time she got new gear, and Garen enchanted a new sword for her. Eventually, they located Lord Callister in an empty chapel of the Moonweaver, and although there was chaos in the streets (since the fall of Ghor Dranas had just been announced) they decided to face the warlock. As they arrived to the chapel Nia tried to shoot their enemy in the hand but missed; devils started appearing, but Erro protected her with his now Exalted vestige. Although Crokas killed Lord Callister, the devils kept fighting, as the Lord of the Hells himself, through a planar rift, commanded them; Moon's Mirror got Exalted to protect Nia for more attacks, and she focused her magic on supporting Erro and Garen. When an imp poisoned her, she used Greater Invisibility and cast Healing Word on Garen, since Asmodeus (despite being contained by the holy presence in the temple) seemed interested in killing him. Erro helped Nia and then tried to protect Garen, being killed by the archdevil's Fire Bolt; the cleric saw it happen, thinking on how each person she considered family died, and as she and her friends started to flee, she took a final action against the Lord of the Hells: casting Major Image, she made Sehanine's statue come to life and look at the Betrayer God, telling him that he hadn't and would never win. The power of that act made the actual Moonweaver manifest through that spell, shocking Asmodeus as he was slapped and the rift connecting his realm to Exandria was closed. Nia left a kiss in the floor of the now crumbling chapel, and then went outside, where the Platinum Dragon had just arrived to the Dawn City to announce the Divergence.

Later life

Acting as she thought her friend would have liked, Nia made sure that Erro's body was brought back to Gwessar to bury him next to Donaea, and she, after taking a stone from that place, returned to the Dawn City. Over the next few years she threw herself into her work, teaching divine magic, and honoring her fallen friends. One day she reunited with Ondetra, the woman she had met in Torm's Hill; they spoke about their previous encounter, and the water genasi explained that she had been rude to her and Luz then because her own parents had been killed by followers of the Strife Emperor without the Moonweaver (their goddess) ever responding to their pleas. Nia told her that she was sorry, and spent some time walking with her, and eventually introduced her to her parents, since she thought her influence (especially Marsa's, as a priest of the Moonweaver) could help Ondetra's resentment fade.

At some point, due to her valuable labor sharing her teachings about divine magic, a unicorn became her companion.

Relationships

Nia kept a locket with a picture of Liana, her sister. She fervently hoped to see her again, and whenever something magical happened, she instinctively thought of Liana. After she saw her sister "dying", Nia had many conflicting feelings, but despite the tension, she accepted those contradictions within her, without letting them affect her love for her sister and her goddess.

Nia had a loving relationship with her parents, an elven woman named Marsa and a human man named Casimir; her parents wept with joy upon finding her again in Vasselheim.

Character information

Official art of Nia (cropped from a larger image), by Hannah Friederichs.

Notable items

• Locket holding a portrait of her sister Liana
• Piece of crystal
• A letter opener that used to belong to Starmian Fiddleflask
• Healer's kit
• Holy symbol of the Moonweaver, formerly Luz's, left at her parents' home in Vasselheim
• Sword, a few daggers, and a hand crossbow
• Some of Luz's white robes turned into a pouch
• Moon's Mirror
• Books about the Moonweaver
  • A book in which she's writing her own chronicle about Liana/Sehanine
• Water from the pools of Shadowbrook
• A glimmering breastplate and +1 sword of the Moonweaver, enchanted by Garen
• Stone taken from Erro's tomb

Abilities

• Skill proficiency: Medicine
• Two-Weapon Fighting

Half-elf abilities

Unless otherwise noted, the following abilities are assumed from the standard Dungeons and Dragons materials.

• Darkvision
• Fey Ancestry

Background

• Outlander
  • Wanderer: Has a great memory for maps and geography, and can find fresh food and water for up to five people each day if the land offers such things.

Feats

• Observant

Cleric abilities

• Spellcasting
• Channel Divinity: Turn Undead
• Divine Domain: Moon Domain
  • Domain Spells
    • Faerie Fire
    • Silent Image
  • Clarity of Catha

Spells

• Thaumaturgy^[presumed]
• Guidance
• Cure Wounds
• Inflict Wounds
• Healing Word
• Augury

Appearances and mentions

• Exandria Unlimited: Divergence
  • "Give and Take" (E4x01) (first appearance)
  • "Seven of Them" (E4x02)
  • "Mirror and Key" (E4x03)
  • "By Heart Alone" (E4x04)

Quotations

• (to Starmian Fiddleflask, talking about both rain and hope) "If the rain never comes, we make our own."
• (as she killed an enemy with her first spell) "Change is coming, and I am change."
• Nia: (after Erro healed her) There's my miracle.
  Erro: Thank you for helping me find my way again.
• Fiedra: This is going to sound crazy, but hopefully not as, about as crazy as everything else that has happened
  Nia: My sister's a god. Nothing's crazy. Go ahead.
• "Faith cannot protect us from fate. Faith is the fate-molder."

Trivia

• Celia Rose Gooding created her character and her dynamic with Liana as a way to honor sisterly love and her own sister, Zaya.
• When they were younger, Nia and Liana believed that they could connect with each other in dreams and visions and they would always meet on the moon.

References

Art: