Red Feather Monument

The 200 foot tall bronze statue known as the Red Feather Monument usually stands watch over Wizard's Peak University a few hundred feat up Wizard's Peak from the campus. Officially called the Crimson Quill Statue, it is a six-armed statue of a winged woman wielding six swords in a war dance. The bronze has been stained with a dark lacquer and has tattoos engraved on the arms and torso. The tattoos and eyes of the statue glow red with magical power.

The monument was a gift to Wizard's Peak University from the Concordance for Survival. It was given in the year 3066 FA after the end of the War Against the Far Realm. It commemorates the Red Feather Battlemancers who perished on the Night of Black Feathers

On that night, Far Realm forces ambushed and assassinated most of the world's Battlemancers. The Red Feathers were destroyed as a fighting unit and not a factor in the rest of the Far War.

Many think the statue is based on the image of the fallen Red Feather founder and leader, Callisto Redwing, but it isn't. The statue represents the Six of Swords, the card of sorrow, change and new growth. Its builders hoped that the monument would someday inspire a new generation of Red Feathers.

Crimson Quill Statue on Pedestal by Chris L - Heroforge

Lady Red Feather Takes Flight

In the years after the Far War ended, the Kirinal Pit was barely contained while the Orrery of Worlds was under construction. In 3084 FA an Abyssal incursion overwhelmed the Kirinal Defenders and the Concordance feared that they could not turn back the tide.

The powerful Warlock Melosa was desperate to help turn back the demonic horde, but she knew that her calling as a warlock made it unlikely that the Concordance would accept her help. She followed the voice of her patron, the Blade of Callisto, and it led her to Wizard's Peak and Lady Red Feather.

Melosa Red Feather, Battlemaster by Sin Posadas

The First Dance

She climbed the Peak on the paths not used by the wizards. Melosa knew they would not accept her, but she still had to do something. The voice of the Blade did not use words, but it sang what it wanted into her heart.

When she reached the base of the Lady, she stretched the Blade up into sky and sang her song of fury. The mountain. the sky, and the statue itself began to sing along. She danced and the mountain, the sky, and the statue danced with her.

Red wings of fire bloomed on her back. She took flight and as the mountain and sky screamed their approval, the Red Feathered Lady flew too.

With the help of the Blade, Melosa completed a ritual that bonded her to the Monument. It mirrored her movements and when Melosa took flight, the Lady flew alongside her. With the gargantuan statue under her control, Melosa flew down to the Zone and channeled her power through the bronze behemoth. The Defenders rallied at the sight of Red Wings in the sky again.

Taken completely by surprise, the Abyssal Forces broke and were forced back into the Kirinal Pit. The Defenders and Lady Red Feather held them there until the Manifest changed. Melosa earned the begrudging respect of the Concordance and the reputation of warlocks began to heal.

The Dance of the Red Lady

As a reward for her help, Melosa was named the new Red Feather Battlemaster and given the responsibility of restarting the Red Feather Battlemancers. She succeeded in rebuilding the order of war mages and eventually Ascended beyond the Divine Gate.

With the Battlemaster gone, the Blade of Callisto returned to Lady Red Feather and hovered in front of her. The Statue came to life again for the first time in decades and floated over Wizard's Peak University. Through divination the wizards discovered that a new Red Feather Battlemaster must be chosen and the tradition of the Red Feather Tournament began.

Lady Red Feather Dances in the Clouds by Chris L - Heroforge

Once the new Battlemaster has won the Tournament the final step is the acceptance of Lady Red Feather. The Dance of the Red Feathers begins with great pageantry, aerial displays of evocation magic, and a choreographed dance routine. It ends with the new Battlemaster performing a solo kata in their chosen style and the statue gives the Blade of Callisto to the new Leader of the Battlemancers.

The monument then returns to its place above Wizard's Peak University. It only animates at times of great peril to the world or when a new Battlemaster must be chosen. In times of peril, the Battlemaster can cause the Lady to mirror them, but only if the spirit in the statue agrees with the cause.

Ghosts in the Monument

Through divination magic, mages and clerics have determined that the statue's animating force is not a single mind, but a gestalt of past Red Feather Battlemancers. They theorize that the trauma of the Night of Black Feathers fused parts of the souls of the dead mages together. Such a gestalt often turns into a malevolent ghost or other evil spirit. In this case, the mortal souls of the murdered warriors focused on the statue raised in their honor and became a benevolent force.