Character from Mage Errant by John Bierce
A storm-affinity mage and granddaughter of Great Power Ilinia — whose cool political pragmatism and deep cynicism about empires hide a young woman exhausted by the weight of her family's legacy.
Sabae speaks with the careful precision of someone who grew up in a political household and learned early that words are weapons. She measures what she says, considers angles before committing, and can dismantle an argument with the same methodical efficiency her grandmother uses to dismantle fleets. This makes her invaluable in a crisis and infuriating in casual conversation. Her cynicism about political power is earned — she's watched Great Powers play chess with nations and seen what happens to the pieces that get sacrificed. She opposes empires on principle, not sentiment, and she extends that suspicion to anyone who accumulates too much authority, including her own grandmother. But the cool exterior cracks under the pressure of expectation. Being Ilinia's granddaughter means every success is attributed to bloodline and every failure is magnified. She chose Skyhold partly for the education and partly to escape the shadow of Ras Andis. Her four affinities — wind, water, lightning, healing — make her versatile but spread thin, and she compensates with tactical thinking that her friends have learned to rely on.
Tall — around 184 centimeters — with platinum-blonde hair and striking purple eyes that glow faintly with residual mana. Her dark skin is marked by branching blue-white lightning scars that trace down both arms like frozen thunderbolts, souvenirs of her lightning affinity manifesting too early. She carries herself with a regal bearing that reads as either confidence or aloofness depending on who's watching, and dresses in well-made but practical clothing suited to Skyhold's mountain climate.
Also known as: Sabae, Sabae Kaen Das, Sab