Protea Cynaroides
Protea Cynaroides
Race: Elf
Class: Druid (Circle of the Land)
Level: 7
Background: Urban Herbalist / Bartender
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Current Location: Traveling with the party (first met in the maze beneath Dreadmoor Institute)
Campaign: Gothika Noir
Notable Traits: Fey lineage, plant knowledge, powerful druidic magic, and huge Gerdor fangirl
Companion: Fey Sprite (originated as imaginary childhood friend)
Backstory:
Protea Cynaroides was raised in a quiet, loving farming community where plants were not just a livelihood but a way of life. Her parents were supportive and grounded, and although she had no blood siblings, she grew up surrounded by the children of neighboring farms who felt like family.
Restless and craving adventure, Protea struck out for the big city as soon as she could. Eschewing formal schooling, she got straight to work behind the bar, using her knowledge of plants to make magical cocktails and herbal infusions. She lives in a tidy, well-kept apartment above the bar and tends a lush green rooftop garden where she harvests ingredients.
Protea ended up in Dreadmoor Institute after unknowingly selling a cocktail infused with poisonous herbs to an undercover cop. There, she met the party in the underground maze—officially joining the campaign in Echo’s place.
She is a huge fan of Gerdor Greenwood, whose adventures she read about obsessively. Part of her motivation for pushing into the maze was to finally meet her hero in person.
Personality:
Extroverted, enthusiastic, and flirtatious
Spacey but grounded, especially when it comes to plants or bartending
Maintains an immaculately clean space despite being a chaotic thinker
Deeply romantic and a fan of steamy self-insert fiction
Emotionally intuitive, though prone to trusting too easily
Fiercely independent, yet quietly longs for connection
Carries regret about one thing: sleeping with a dragonborn
Key Stats:
| Ability | Score | Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| STR | 15 | +2 |
| DEX | 10 | +0 |
| CON | 16 | +3 |
| INT | 14 | +2 |
| WIS | 14 | +2 |
| CHA | 18 | +4 |
AC: 13
HP: 59
Speed: 35 ft
Initiative: +0
Proficiency Bonus: +3
Spell Save DC: 13
Spell Attack Modifier: +5
Darkvision: 60 ft
Passive Perception/Insight: 15
Proficiencies: Alchemist’s Supplies, Herbalism Kit, Vehicles (Land)
Skills:
Nature +7
Insight +5
Perception +5
Survival +5
Animal Handling +5
Arcana +4
Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion, and Performance all +4
Spellcasting (Druid – Circle of the Land):
Notable Spells:
Find Familiar (Wind Companion – possibly her sprite friend)
Freedom of Movement
Lightning Bolt
Misty Step
Pass without Trace
Sleep
Speak with Animals
Longstrider
Cure Wounds
Druidcraft, Mending, Shocking Grasp, Thunderclap
Spell Highlights:
Powerful AoE options like Lightning Bolt (up to 9d6)
Support and stealth with Pass without Trace and Misty Step
Communication and charm through Speak with Animals and Druidcraft
Find Familiar allows her to summon a fey sprite companion, likely a callback to her imaginary friend from childhood
Companion:
Protea had a childhood imaginary friend she has yet to fully reveal. This being now appears as her sprite familiar, summoned through Find Familiar (Wind Companion). The sprite may exhibit a quirky personality and serve as her emotional anchor and magical helper.
Role in the Party:
Protea balances emotional warmth, fey-flavored magic, and chaotic energy. She’s the team’s go-to for nature, healing, and stealth magic—and provides comic relief and romantic intrigue alongside it. Though ditzy at times, her spells are powerful and strategic.
Thorn & Bloom
Thorn & Bloom
Tucked on a quiet corner between a bakery that never opens and a pawn shop that never closes, Thorn & Bloom is the kind of place you stumble into once and never forget. Ivy winds up its stone façade, mingling with faded painted signage that glows faintly under moonlight. The scent of citrus and clove drifts through the front door, inviting and mysterious.
Inside, the bar is a lush, mismatched symphony of botanical beauty and urban charm. Dim lighting filters through glass jars of preserved herbs, and dried flowers hang in curated chaos above the bar. The air always smells faintly of rosemary, vanilla, and the sharp tingle of gin. A record player spins slow jazz in the corner, half-drowned by the low murmur of late-night conversation and clinking glasses.
Behind the bar, Protea Cynaroides works like a magician—harvesting ingredients from labeled jars and freshly plucked sprigs from the rooftop garden. Her drinks are an art form: infused with syrups she steeps herself, garnished with tiny edible blooms, and often glowing with just a touch of subtle fey magic.
The crowd is eclectic—tattooed poets, quiet witches, night-shift workers, and the occasional out-of-town adventurer who just needed a good drink. No one causes trouble at Thorn & Bloom. Whether it’s the soft power of Protea’s glare, or something unseen that whispers from the rafters, everyone behaves.
Upstairs, Protea lives in a small but pristine apartment that smells like lavender and old books. The rooftop above is her sanctuary: rows of herbs, flowering vines, and tiny lanterns that twinkle like stars—even when it’s cloudy.
Soleil
Raphael