Saria au Gruhen

Personality
"Saria is soft-spoken and usually shy, but not afraid to speak out when she needs to."

Biography
"Saria was a middle-class daughter of a blacksmith. She learned from an early age to take care of herself. She prefers to work for herself, and has never relied on the help of slaves. Her father brought her to the Templar Academy to work on building armor for the Templars. It was there where she met and fell in love with Trace. They were happily married for a year. However, their marriage was short-lived."

Extended Biography
Saria is the ex-wife of Trace.

Trace was about 18, he saw Saria for the first time and became smitten, trying to win her attention by going on foolish, usually dangerous quests.

He fought a dragon in her honour, though Saria took no notice.

Lady Nora, noticing this would usually tell him to just go and talk to her, in attempts to stop him from injuring himself or others with more pointlessly dangerous displays of power, and after the previous Grand Templar found Nora and Trace fighting on her courtyard, Trace was made to promise not to destroy the academy for a third time, and to pay for the damages already caused in the skirmish between himself and Lady Nora at that time.

Afterwards, Trace gathered himself and went to talk to Saria, (Nora mentions this being far more effective instead of fighting) and afterwards, Trace and Saria become very close.

On the first winter after they struck up a relationship, they chose to get married, and Trace bought their very first home together.

Trace also bought a slave, a female Keidran canid, which Saria was more than happy to voice her displeasure about. (Nora again mentions that the entire town probably heard the entire argument)

Trace and Saria decided then on to travel only as a couple, and on their journey Saria happens to notice Flora, four years previous to Flora meeting Trace.

She points this out to Trace, calling her cute, and Flora waves to them.

It's possible that this is the reason Trace spared Laura when he found the village where she was kept, as he mentioned Laura "looks like her."

When they (Trace and Saria) arrived at their home, a male Keidran thief from the wolf clan shoots a couple of poisoned arrows at them, attempting to rob them.

The first arrow, intended for Saria, barely managed to hit her, leaving an open wound on her left arm.

The second, aimed for Trace was deflected by way of a shield spell, after which the Keidran thief fled.

Trace asked Saria if she was okay, to which she replied she'd be fine.

He then tells her to lock the door, and begins to chase the keidran, though it's not mentioned whether or not he actually succeeds in catching him.

He returns eventually, to find Saria dead, long before he arrived, as the two of them were unaware that the arrows were poisoned.

.. Trace attempts to ressurect her by way of magic, which ends in disaster.

The resulting spell created makes use of both natural and black magic, and ends up nearly killing Trace in the process.

He's found, half dead, by Saria's body, his mind corrupted by the very magic he used in trying to save her, and in the years to come that corruption set into madness.

He spent the next two years in his room studying, gathering his strength in an effort to challenge the Grand Templar herself, and succeeds, cursing her in the process of doing so by imperfectly transforming her into a Keidran.

The current inner-circle council is killed shortly thereafter, replaced by another of his own choosing; Euchre takes the place of Master Spy and Strategist.

Trace's mind is still twisted in trying to ressurect Saria, and as a result the Templar's focus is redirected to that of an army, rather than a mage guild, though he also came up with the idea of building Mana towers.

Spoilers ahead, be warned.

Around two years after Trace became Grand Templar, he was attacked whilst hunting Flora, his memories sealed away by the mask known as Ephemural/Neutral, just as he nearly succeeded. This is where the story begins.

Saria is later met in what appears to be a very powerful illusion manifested by Ephemural. A whole city, in fact.

Trace finds out that Saria is his wife, but retains no memory of her, and once Ephemural is defeated after possessing Flora, the illusory city fades.

Keith notifies Trace of this, and the two of them exit through the back of the cabin they'd been staying in, to find themselves surrounded by forests, and a stream.

Saria speaks to Trace once more, asking him if they remembered this place, as they used to visit it all the time, before Saria died, and Trace became power hungry.

Trace admits he has no memory of the place, and Saria decides that it's best he doesn't remember after all.

Saria then lies that they were not married after all, and instead says that they once knew each other, a long time ago, and her only reason for returning was because of Ephemural bringing her - She had to see Trace one last time.

She's later seen fading away as a spirit above her grave, with the markings returning, detailing the following

"Saria Legacy

449 - 477

Loving wife of an honourable Templar, Killed by Keidran.

May your soul rest, and your death one day be avenged.

-Trace Legacy."