| Subspecies: | Lizardfolk |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Female |
| Born: | 992 |
| Died: | 1020 (Age 28) |
| Title: | Champion (Former) |
| Family: | Kalyna (Mother)
Kiana (Sister) |
Kesti Kor'onen was a member of the prestigious Kor'onen family who served as Champion of Iryna from 1012 to 1020. She is believed to have been murdered by then-Governor Reiner on or around Day 28 of Month 1, 1020.
Kesti was born in 992, the first child of Kalyna Kor'onen, who resided in Upper Old Iryna. Her grandmothers[Note 1] were the Kor'onen sisters, Kyveli and Korrine, whose political influence led to the creation of Iryna's upper platform and the construction of districts such as Upper Old Iryna. A talented innate mage with considerable academic training in spellcasting, Kesti was raised with the expectation of one day becoming the city's Champion[Note 2]. Kesti graduated from the Combat Magic program at IMI on Day 25 of Month 4, 1012. The following day, Kesti was appointed to the position of Champion by Governor Vincere Rae, whose family were residents of Upper Old Iryna with longtime connections to the Kor'onens.
Kesti served in her role as Champion with singleminded dedication, not pursuing education or recreation outside her work. Although she had a cordial relationship with Governor Vincere Rae, it was noted that she became particularly close friends with Governor Reiner after his election.[1] Kesti made frequent trips outside of Iryna to meet with the Oxana Champion and fellow diplomats on other islands in the Archipelago, but when she was residing in Iryna, she was almost always seen accompanying Reiner at various official government appearances. Kesti did not frequently assert her own desires in her position as Champion, preferring to defer to the priorities set by the Governor. When she did express her own personal beliefs, Kesti advocated for the preservation of the status quo, especially to maintain the position of her family and connections in Upper Old Iryna.
On Day 27 of Month 1, 1020, Mansion Guards responded to sounds of commotion in Reiner's private quarters in the Governor's Mansion. They discovered the aftermath of an altercation between Reiner and Kesti, with both appearing to be severely wounded and both claiming that the other had attacked first. The Mansion Guards on the scene were inclined to believe Reiner, and moved to arrest Kesti. Kesti attacked the Guards attemping to subdue her and fled the Mansion. The following day, Reiner gave an official address declaring Kesti an enemy of the state, officially removing her from the position of Champion, and requsting that the people of Iryna report any sightings of Kesti to the Irynian government.[2] However, no credible sightings of Kesti were reported following Day 27 of Month 1. The ports of neighboring islands were advised to be on the lookout for Kesti, but she was never conclusively proven to have left the island of Iryna. For several months, the incident remained a disturbing mystery, seemingly wildly out of character for the Champion but without any alternate explanation for what had occurred.[3]
On Day 7 of Month 5, 1020, Reiner was taken into custody by Oxanan authorities for a criminal history that he had successfully kept hidden for six years.[4] Although not directly connected to Kesti's disappearance at the time, Kesti's assertion that she had been attacked by Reiner unprovoked seemed suddenly much more plausible. Unfortunately, given the chaotic nature of her attempted arrest, it is not clear how much, if anything, Kesti knew about Reiner's criminal activities. Locative spellcasting has been unable to find any evidence of Kesti's existence, or even her body, in any part of the Corvidan Archipelago. Given the amount of available evidence, it is currently believed that Kesti was murdered by Reiner after discovering some aspect of his public deception, directly following their confrontation on the night of Day 27.[5] However, some Irynians, most notably Kesti's mother Kalyna[6], still believe that she remains alive and in hiding.