Excerpts from The History and Future of Humanity:
"And it was said that in those days, Aroden the Living God walked the streets and trails of Golarion; And at his side walked many companions, but the first and most beloved of these was Anarya..."
It was a name from a forgotten age - one of the companions of Aroden, the living god, from the days when he walked the lands of Golarion as a mere mortal. The Sisters at the Chapel of the Inheritor gave it to the fair-haired infant when she was found on the temple steps one morning. She was an unusual child, even for a ward of the church. She was a quiet child, except for when it became time to sing, which she did beautifully. She loved music, joining the church choir and adding her young voice to the chorus and hymns. When danger threatened the nearby villages, as happens all too frequently in demon-tainted Mendev, she assisted in healing the wounds of the sisters who marched forth to protect the innocent in Iomedae's name. She could heal injuries with but a touch even as a child, her gifts coming unbidden by prayer or words of power.
"At this, Aroden cried out, 'Let the noise of the world cease, this day! I have heard enough.' And at his cry, all was silent."
In her early adolescence, she left the church for some time to tend the sick when a virulent fever passed through the nearest settlement. Her work saved many lives, but she eventually fell victim to the plague she battled against and slipped into a near coma for days. She gradually recovered, but the plague had taken her hearing - even the prayers of the sisters who had raised her could do nothing to recover it. She returned to the church, gradually adjusting to her deafness and learning to read the sisters' lips to communicate.
"In the time of winter, the Living God walked in the guise of the Shepherd, and all of humanity was his flock; And he tended to them with the love and care of a parent."
Anarya grew into a caring healer and fierce opponent of cruelty, and now visits Kenabres to assist in the efforts of the Fifth Crusade as a healer. A flickering halo surrounds her head, growing in brightness and intensity when she channels her magic. Her power seems to stem from its light - her healing touch manifests as a pale glow, and her channeled energy is a moment of blinding radiance that scorches the flesh of the dead and the corrupt. When she speaks, her words have power enough to command the weak of will, and soften even the hardest of hearts to her cause. As a child, she learned that she becomes wracked with pain when her word is broken, and she believes that her goddess has bound her to this ailment to teach her the importance of truth and fairness.
"The Last Azlanti spoke to all in attendance. 'Go forth, and spread the lessons I have taught across this world. Carry humanity's strength to every corner, and start strong families wherever you settle.'"
To those who look, the young girl shows hints of Azlanti heritage, the violet eyes and receding hairline so popular among the nobility of Cheliax and Taldor, hinting at a likely noble birth in one of the two nations. Anarya puts no stock in these rumors, knowing how unlikely it would be for a noble scion to be left on the steps of a Mendevian temple. She seldom wonders about her parentage, considering herself lucky to have had the guidance of the sisterhood at the temple which became her home. Though they had often pressured her to join the clergy, she never officially became a priestess, using her innate magic to serve Iomedae in her own way.
"And it is known that the pure of heart and strong of soul are never truly abandoned or lost."
Anarya has always felt blessed, as though someone watches over her and protects her. She cannot know, yet, the truth of her destiny and the truth of her heritage - the goddess Iomedae, former worshipper of the fallen god Aroden, watches over the girl with great care, fulfilling one last duty to her former patron. For Anarya, abandoned and parentless, is not a child of mortals, or even of any of the gods who remain to watch over the world. Through Anarya's veins flows the blood of the Last Azlanti - Aroden himself.
"Aroden held the child in his hands, and spoke to her mother; And his words were taken down and recorded by those in attendance. 'Stronger even than fate is a parent's love. Your daughter is loved, and by that power, not mine, evil cannot touch her.'"
Even before his death, Aroden foresaw that the time was not right for his child to enter the world, and that a powerful destiny lay ahead for her at a time of great crisis. He put the newborn child into an enchanted sleep, during which she would not age, but dream of things to come. When Aroden's disappearance shook the world to its core and the horror of the Worldwound tore itself open in the depths of Sarkoris, Iomedae knew that the time would soon come for Aroden's only heir to enter the world. Leaving the child on the steps of one of her churches, she watched over the growing young woman throughout her youth, watching her mature into a caring healer and friend to all innocents.
"The last words spoken, by the last Azlanti, before his ascension to the realms Beyond, echoed in the stillness of the chamber. 'It is not a bright path humanity walks now, but a dark one. There will be pain, and sickness, and war. Hardships unimagined will arise. But it is humanity which will ride triumphant over them. The human spirit is the hope of the world, and that spirit will keep it until the day of my return."
Dark days lie ahead for Anarya. She will be forced to do battle with the worst that the Abyss has to offer, and is destined to make terrible sacrifices to do what must be done to save the world. In time, the truth of her legacy too will be exposed, and the revelation that the Last Azlanti produced an heir will shake the ravaged world to its core.
"By the act of selflessness, one opens every door. It is by giving of oneself, and sharing one's heart with the community, that all are uplifted."
Aroden's knights, the Order of the Ioun Star, scattered and divided in the years since their patron's death, rally once more around the rumor of one who could re-fulfill the prophecies Aroden broke. Minions of the Abyss whisper of what her presence could do to the incursion of the Worldwound, and crusaders of Mendev and the free kingdoms of the world rally with hope at the salvation she represents.
"We still await his return."
The Worldwound is open. The demons are here. Only one band of heroes is going to stand in their way - and heroes? Well... heroes need a healer.
Anarya is ready for the demons.
