Canary

In exchange for gold and protection, Canary was traded by her impoverished parents to be raised by a group of monks. She spent her childhood in a monastery built beside a volcanic system of hot springs, geysers and sulfur pools. The monks all believed in her potential so they were strict when it came to her training. As she grew older, she became rebellious and abandoned the monastery. For a few years she lived her life in a wild and uninhibited manner, but that all changed when she met a high elf named Hadarai Tyldove. His kind and gentle demeanor won her over, which made her decide to apply to be a servant in the Tyldove household. In her years of service, she became an accomplished maid who loved doing her job. One could say she 'softened around the edges'. Her romantic attraction soon became obvious to Hadarai's father. Unlike his son, Riordon was spiteful and thought everyone beneath his station. He harassed Canary at every opportunity he saw, but Canary's devotion to Hadarai and his half-sister Venviel kept her from leaving.

The peaceful days would soon come to an end. Riordon died, reportedly from natural causes, but Canary knew better. He was murdered, and the perpetrator was Venviel. Hadarai kicked Venviel out of the manor in anger, but after a few years, he began to regret his decision. Knowing Canary to be strong and capable, he begged for her to find and bring his half-sister back. Canary, who was also very fond of Venviel, agreed without hesitation. And so she packed up her bags and headed out, a dutiful maid who will complete her task.

She was created with an Out of the Abyss campaign in mind, but I was surprised when we got dropped off to Barovia instead. She is an unapologetic tribute to certain anime character tropes (battle maid, twintails, tsundere archetype) I enjoy, though not necessarily hold in the highest of regards. In the beginning she's all about protecting Venviel, not really showing any personality aside from being grumpy and voicing her dissatisfaction with the party's situation. After escaping Death House, she get more chances to shine— literally. Canary took Way of the Sun Soul, which honestly must be surprising to characters in-game considering she's rocking the gothic maid look and isn't exactly the party's ray of sunshine (that's Venviel). The first Curse of Strahd campaign unfortunately fell through, but two years later I was invited to join another one. Canary was brought back from limbo, meaner and snarkier than ever.