Character from A Practical Guide to Evil by ErraticErrata
The Intercessor — an immortal narrative manipulator who has worn countless Names and bodies across millennia, steering stories like a drunk who somehow always stumbles in the right direction. The series' true antagonist.
The Wandering Bard is Yara of Nowhere, and she is the oldest thing on Calernia that isn't a god. She cannot die permanently — when killed, she reappears as a different person with the Bard's Name and memories. She can only exist while actively interacting with a Story or a Named, which means she's always working, always scheming, always nudging events. Her Aspects — Wander (teleports toward Named and away from danger), Narrate (understands all stories on Calernia and how they could develop), Guide (directly interferes with events) — make her the ultimate narrative weapon. She can draw anyone into a story just through conversation. Catherine nearly entered a lethal story three times in a single short chat. She claims her original purpose was maintaining balance between Good and Evil. The Dead King's existence forced her into more aggressive Good-aligned scheming. But the series makes clear that she's been at this so long that her original purpose and her current methods have diverged into something that serves mainly herself. The only way to beat her: shut her mouth, attack continuously to force retreat, have no desire she can manipulate, or be a better storyteller. Catherine became the last one.
Changes with each incarnation — she dies and reappears as a different person with the same ancient consciousness. Current and past incarnations include Almorava of Smyrna, Aoede of Nicae, Marguerite of Baillons. Always appears as a woman with a drink and a lute. The drunk wanderer act is just that — an act.
Also known as: Wandering Bard, Bard, Intercessor, Yara of Nowhere, Yara