Elder Mira Thornwell

“The Diplomatic Heart”

“Leadership is service, not power. I govern because someone must care for all of us, not because I wish to rule.”

Quick Reference

Elder Mira Thornwell - The Diplomatic Heart

Overview

Elder Mira Thornwell has led Skyport Eos for 15 years—guiding the Aetherium’s largest settlement through prosperity, crisis, and the ongoing refugee catastrophe. She governs by consensus rather than decree, listens more than commands, and genuinely cares for every person under her stewardship. This makes her beloved but also means she carries everyone’s burden personally.

The refugee influx is breaking her. Eos’s population swelled from 5,000 to 8,000+ in 5 years. Resources strain. Tensions rise. Infrastructure fails. And Mira, trying to help everyone, satisfies no one. Traditionalists demand closure. Refugees need acceptance. Security wants control. Compassion requires openness. Every decision alienates someone.

Privately, she’s hiding Stage 1 Rot corruption—black veins climbing her left arm, kept concealed beneath long sleeves. Contracted from exposure during refugee screening (close contact with infected). She knows she should quarantine, step down, seek treatment. But who would lead? And if people knew, panic would destabilize everything she’s trying to hold together.

So she continues, serving while dying, leading while corrupting, caring for everyone except herself.

Appearance

Height: Average
Build: Sturdy (farm background)
Hair: Gray, practical bun
Eyes: Warm brown, tired
Face: Kind, lined with care
Hands: Working hands (covers left with sleeves)

Clothing: - Simple but quality (respects position) - Long sleeves (always—hiding corruption) - Elder’s symbol (modest) - Comfortable (not ostentatious)

Presence: - Maternal authority - Approachable - Tired (increasingly)

Hidden: Left arm (black veins, Stage 1)

Biography

Early Life (220-247 S.)

Origin: Born Thornvale (farming community)

Family: Large farming family (6 siblings)

Childhood: Hard work, close community

Character: Natural organizer and mediator

Education: Practical (no formal, intelligent)

Community Leadership (247-272 S.)

Thornvale: Elected community coordinator (age 25)

Success: - Improved infrastructure - Mediated disputes - Fair resource distribution - Beloved leader

Reputation: Spread beyond Thornvale

Philosophy Developed: - Lead by listening - Serve, don’t rule - Community over individual (but care for individuals)

Elder of Eos (257-287 S.)

Election (257 S., age 37): - Skyport Eos Council invited her - Reluctant (happy in Thornvale) - Convinced (duty) - Elected Elder (overwhelming support)

Early Years (257-282 S.): - Successful governance - Prosperity (relative) - Population ~5,000 (manageable) - Consensus-building effective

Refugee Crisis (282-287 S.): - Influx begins - Population doubles (now ~8,000) - Resources strained - Social tension rising - Mira exhausted trying to manage

The Infection (285 S., age 65): - Close contact with refugee screening - Contracted Rot (Stage 1) - Kept secret (duty) - Continues serving

Personality

Compassionate: Genuinely cares for people

Pragmatic: Idealism tempered by reality

Diplomatic: Natural mediator

Selfless: Others before self (to fault)

Exhausted: Years of burden showing

Stubborn (quietly): Won’t abandon duty

Conflicted: Knows hiding corruption wrong, but…

Leadership Style

Consensus-Building: - Listens to all perspectives - Seeks common ground - Builds coalitions - Slow but stable

Accessibility: - Open door policy - Hears grievances personally - Remembers names, stories - People feel heard

Pragmatism: - Ideal vs. possible - Chooses functional over perfect - Adapts to reality

Burden-Bearing: - Takes responsibility personally - Internalizes failures - Celebrates others’ successes - Exhausting (unsustainable)

Current Crisis

The Refugee Challenge

Numbers: 3,000+ refugees (past 5 years)

Impact: - Housing insufficient (overcrowding) - Food strained (rationing) - Jobs scarce (unemployment, tension) - Services overwhelmed (healthcare, security)

Factions: - Traditionalists: Close borders, preserve resources - Compassionists: Accept all, humanity demands it - Pragmatists: Selective acceptance, criteria needed - Security: Screen thoroughly (slow, frustrating)

Mira’s Position: - Accepts refugees (moral imperative) - Implements screening (security necessity) - Seeks expansion (infrastructure needed) - Satisfies no one (middle ground)

Political Pressure

Council: - Divided (reflects population) - Some support Mira (trust her) - Others criticize (too soft/too hard) - Calls for new election (growing)

Factions: - Each pushes agenda - Mira mediates (exhausting) - Compromises frustrate everyone

Mira’s Strain: - Personally feels every failure - Knows she’s struggling - Questions ability - But no clear successor

The Hidden Corruption

The Infection

When: 2 years ago (285 S.)

How: Refugee screening (close contact with infected)

Stage: Early Stage 1

Symptoms: - Black veins (left forearm, spreading) - Occasional tremor (suppresses) - Mild temperature drop (hides) - Fatigue (attributes to stress)

Progression: Slow (or resistance strong?)

Prognosis: Will advance (unless treated/miracle)

The Secret

Hidden From: Everyone (including closest advisors)

Method: - Long sleeves (always) - Avoids medical examination - Private quarters (dresses alone) - Careful (paranoid about discovery)

Why Hidden: - Duty: No clear successor - Panic: Public revelation destabilizes - Tradition: Infected leaders must resign - Fear: What happens to her? (Quarantine? Exile?)

Justification: “I can still serve. When I can’t, I’ll step down.”

Reality: Rationalizing (fear driving, not logic)

If Discovered

Legal: Must resign (Council regulation)

Public: Panic (leader corrupted?)

Personal: Quarantine or exile (per protocol)

Political: Succession crisis (unprepared)

Social: Undermines confidence (leadership was corrupted)

Mira’s Fear: All of above

Relationships

Council Members: - Mixed (some loyal, others opportunistic) - Most respect her (even critics) - None know secret

Elder Lysara Kind (Council ally): - Fellow Elder, strong ally - Compassionate, shares Mira’s values - Supports refugee acceptance - Trusted friend

Elder Joram Steele (Political rival): - Hardliner, wants refugee restrictions - Pro-Guild, economic focus over compassion - Political opposition (not personal enemy) - Respects position, disagrees on policy

Captain Jorah Ironwind: - Mutual respect - Professional relationship - Mira consults on transport issues

Priest Valeria: - Occasional spiritual consultation - Valeria senses something wrong (can’t identify) - Mira deflects

Refugees: - Grateful (she accepted them) - Some frustrated (screening, delays) - See her as protector

Other Settlement Leaders: - Respect (Eos important) - Coordinate occasionally (trade, policy) - Some pity (her burden obvious)

Daily Life

Morning: - Council meetings - Dispute mediation - Resource allocation

Afternoon: - Public hours (anyone can petition) - Infrastructure inspection - Refugee processing oversight

Evening: - Reports (reviewing everything) - Planning (next day, next crisis) - Worry (private, constant)

Night: - Little sleep - Checks corruption (spreading?) - Prays (to whom? Constellations? Anyone?)

Secrets

The Corruption (Primary)

Detailed above. Existential threat to her leadership and Eos’s stability.

The Doubt

Hidden: Questioning ability to lead

Evidence: - Decisions harder - Exhaustion constant - Solutions insufficient - Crisis deepening

Question: Should step down?

But: Who else? (No one ready)

The Serpent Prayer

Incident: Once, desperate, prayed to Serpent constellation

Why: Light constellation silent, trying everything

Result: Nothing (or coincidence next day?)

Guilt: Heresy (if known)

Confusion: Was it wrong if trying to help people?

Quest Hooks

1. The Discovery: Notice her corruption (confront? Report? Help hide?)
2. The Mediation: Mira needs help resolving faction crisis
3. The Succession: Help prepare successor (who?)
4. The Cure: Find treatment for her corruption
5. The Pressure: Faction trying to force her resignation
6. The Reveal: Corruption discovered publicly (manage chaos)
7. The Confession: She tells someone (player?) her secret
8. The Collapse: Mira breaks under strain (intervention needed)
9. The Choice: She must decide—continue hiding or step down
10. The Sacrifice: Final act of leadership (what cost?)

Related Topics

• Skyport Eos
• Sky-Rot Overview
• Refugee Crisis

“I serve because someone must. I lead because others trust me. And I hide my fear because they need my strength.”

“Every person who arrives at Eos is someone’s child, someone’s parent, someone’s hope. How can I turn away hope?”

“The corruption spreads. Up my arm, through my settlement, across our world. I fight all three. I’m losing all three. But I fight anyway. What else can I do?”