"
Please tell me you're not serious." Iladora blinked and stepped out of the summoner's circle. Her large black raven's wings were folded behind her back, out of sight. Her plate armor and scythe, however, were not. Her dark hair, black as pitch, fell straight to her shoulders. Hers was the deadly beauty of a black widow spider, a rose dripping poison, a panther poised to strike. At her breast was a holy symbol bearing a skull-shaped fly-- the symbol of the Pallid Princess Urgathoa, queen of the undead.
"Oh, yes!" a very overweight man-- whom Iladora supposed was the one who cast the spell-- responded. "You're going to be my champion and win me the Festival challenge!"
Couldn't reach any higher than me, huh? Though formidable, Iladora was by no means the strongest of her goddess's servants-- a junior lieutenant, in fact. "I have a better idea. I can either go back now, or kill you where you stand and then go back. Come to think of it, I like that option." She raised her scythe.
"Y-you can't!" the man stammered, though to his credit he stood his ground. "I p-put a geas in the circle!" He yelped and squeezed his eyes shut as Iladora swung her scythe-- but an invisible force intervened and stopped her weapon mid-swing. Despite her strength, her arms refused to move any further. Damn. Was hoping he's as incompetent as he looks. Bolstered by proof of his success, the man continued more confidently. "You can't kill me, you can't kill anyone attending the Festival, and you have to try to win! Winning the Festival will bring me lots of--"
"Fine," Iladora cut him off abruptly. "Don't care about the rest. Just tell me where this stupid thing is. And make no mistake," she added, curling her lips into a dangerous smile, giving him the customary loathing that summoned demons always showed to mortal summoners (in truth she rather liked trips to the Material Plane, but customs must be observed), "when you die, you fat piece of scum... I'm going to enjoy seeing you again." Once she had the information from the stammering wizard, she spread her wings and took off.
* * * * *
With that, Iladora's fate was sealed. For the Festival tournament she was summoned to attend, she was made to team up with a group of other competitors. Unfortunately for her, two of her new companions had been instrumental in spoiling the return of the lich-king Tar Baphon, whom Urgathoa had hoped would herald in a new age of undead dominion and mortal subservience on the Material Plane. The goddess was furious that one of her own was forced to help them, and when Iladora was killed in the tournament and sent back to the lower planes-- without taking any of the others with her-- Urgathoa stripped her of her titles and powers and sentenced her to eternal torture.
In her desperation, Iladora used what influence was left to her-- a tiny imp who was the closest thing she had to a friend-- to send a message to any of the goodly gods willing to listen. A servant of Sarenrae saw her plight, and in it an opportunity to redeem someone once lost to damnation. He agreed to help, on two conditions: that Iladora renounce her goddess completely in devotion to Sarenrae; and that she vow to pursue and destroy undead wherever they are found.
Iladora agreed. The Sarenite turned her into a human, to release her bonds and prevent her from being subject to any future summoning spells, then sent her to the Material Plane. Mortal, powerless, and with no resources available to her, she joined the Pathfinder Society in the hope that enough good works and devotion to Sarenrae would help her avoid a second damnation upon her death.
