Ipniani was born to a small Dragonborn commune far below the peninsula of Scil-Tellis, to the clan Oxoryn. A child of Gold Dragon lineage, she was given the clutch name "Hider" due to a childhood penchant for running and sneaking. Ipniani would grow to be larger than even most of her dragonborn peers, and a confident and sure-minded teenager. Her innate physical gifts had not gone unnoticed by the devout warriors of Scil-Tellis, and she grew up to be a Paladin of Thestus, swearing to bring justice against evil no matter the cost.
She would eventually meet the Wizard Jassarian Sala-zan, who assembled an adventuring party including the Rogue Yenduza Yunae-Maqem and Death Cleric Qiphir Harized, who she did not get along with. Still, the four went on several dangerous quests in the northern Crowncrests and the Sea of Clouds, and Ipniani felt Thestus' hand guiding her towards truth. Gaining gold and glory, she earned enough money to craft a Masterwork Weapon; a morningstar bearing sun-like flanges.
The last of such adventures occurred when they met a traveling Vistani caravan who requested their help on behalf of Kolyan Indirovich. Ipniani and her party followed Arrigal to Barovia, only to find that Kolyan was long dead; their Vistana guide then disappeared into the mists, leaving them trapped in the demiplane of the Plane of Shadow. The adventurers were experienced and powerful, however, and easily cleared the Death House after being lured in by Rose and Thornboldt Durst, then made contact with the current burgomaster, Ismark Kolyanovich.
Ismark convinced the adventurers to hunt and kill the dread lord of Barovia, Strahd von Zarovich, as revenge for "killing" his sister Ireena Kolyana. However, they group did not make it far before disaster; seeking to avoid contact with any Vistani, they headed straight for the Black Carriage Crossroads, where Strahd met them head-on. He toyed with the group, scattering the in cold blood, before sampling Jassarian's blood and leaving them for the Dire Wolves of the Svalich Woods.
While the three felt defeated and exposed, Jassarian was contacted by a Dark Power named Vaund, the Evasive. Believing the releasing Vaund was key to defeating Strahd, the wizard made a Warlock pact with the entity, and occasionally used their powers to survive. Jassarian's obsession lead to Ipniani making a pact of her own with Fekre, the Queen of Poxes. She gained the ability to spread mass contagion, which she needed to invoke to kill a group of hunters devoted to attacking them on behest of Fiona Wachter; however, the more she employed her powers, the more her scales blackened with rot.
The group headed down the Old Svalich Road to the Amber Temple, hiding from mobs looking to kill adventurers and Barovia's other dangers. After over a month, the group made their way up Mount Ghakis and into the temple proper. Jassarian employed Vaund's abilities to remain undetected by the guardian Neferon, but when Yenduza opened the doors to an armory, they found it guarded by an invisible Amber Golem. The golem broke the doors and chased them through the temple, as Jassarian desperately tried to find Vaund's sarcophagus.
The noise, however, attracted Neferon, who disintegrated Yenduza on the spot. Fearing death, Jassarian and Ipniani ran up the hallway, and the wizard was blown up by Flameskulls before he could escape. Resisting the fire due to her heritage, Ipniani ran and hid in a lecture hall; hearing the golem still patrolling the halls, and not knowing of the Arcanaloth's status, she was stuck. Fekre blessed Ipniani further with a Quasit, who was able to kill rats and find food for the paladin, and she waited until help arrived.
Among the treasures Ipniani had stolen in the amber vault, one was a control amulet to a Shield Guardian on the floor below, but she never learned what it was or how it worked.
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