Haroona

Chapter 1 First appears in:

Reika's Amulet

Haroona always felt that this gift Reika gave her had special significance. It spoke of their bond, something which they both struggled to put words to. She never guessed that the trinket’s importance would extend far beyond sentimentality.

The Fold

It takes some time before the normally cocky and irreverent Haroona can be nearly comfortable in the Fold; just being there is quietly overwhelming. As time goes on, she learns to embrace the feeling, and finds her connection to the plane grows.

No one can accuse Haroona of leading an easy life.&nbsp; From an orphan living on the streets of Chamiri to adopting the ways of a nomadic Quaestor-in-training, she possesses a special gift belonging only to the very few. As the source of her phenomenal strength, she believes it also keeps her from fully integrating into society; using her gift to help others sometimes does more harm than good. Haroona develops feelings of isolation, slowly withdrawing and shutting others out. &nbsp; After receiving guidance in the Umbric arts and discovering the existence of the Fold, she learns to control herself better than before. The knowledge is nothing short of a revelation, however, it does not - or cannot - fix everything. Now in her early twenties and still alone in the world, Haroona takes on odd jobs to survive while meandering in and out of dangerous circumstances. Prone to reckless behavior or acting on impulse, Haroona nevertheless possesses wisdom beyond her years, granting her purview to see life for what it truly is: one big game where the stakes hardly matter anymore.

While pursuing an old pupil of Reika’s named Vincent Lichter across the desert of the Richat Structure, Haroona unexpectedly confronts a mysterious faction calling themselves the Ascendants. She witnesses her mentor mercilessly cut down by Vincent before a raging sandstorm separates them forever.

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

From the moment she climbs out of the truck, Reika is behaving strangely towards Haroona. She is more forthcoming than ever, like she wants to accelerate her lessons. And then she gifts her the Shade Bracers… Surely, Reika had a sense that something lifechanging was about to happen.

Four years after &lt;sp&gt;witnessing her mentor swallowed whole by a sandstorm in Richat, a jaded and reclusive Haroona learns that those responsible, the Ascendants, have landed in her hometown of Chamiri, India. With suppressed emotions rising to the surface, Haroona quickly hits the streets to track down their leader, Vincent Lichter, and make him pay for the loss of Reika.&lt;/sp&gt;

Chamiri: Hostile Takeover

Chapter 2

The Ascendants are &lt;sp&gt;on Haroona’s turf now. The years have hardened her, she is not the same woman they met in the desert. They may outnumber her and wield superior weapons but Haroona still has a clear advantage when prowling the streets she knows so well, seeking to avenge Reika’s death.&lt;/sp&gt;

While crossing the river in pursuit &lt;sp&gt;of Vincent, Haroona meets a lone American gunslinger named Luther Goodwin. &nbsp;While their intentions vary, they both seek a major Ascendant camp deep in the jungle. Ever the loner, Haroona reluctantly agrees to work with Luther as he seems to know his way around the mysterious Ascendants. &lt;/sp&gt;She helps him procure &lt;sp&gt;Vincent’s prized airship, the Morning Star, on their way to locating the man himself, but just before they make their escape from the camp Haroona’s journal is confiscated by Mila Savić, an ex-confidant of Luther &lt;/sp&gt;who has become a bitter rival. &nbsp;

Suknasari Forest: Unlikely Companions

Chapter 3

When &lt;sp&gt;Luther offers valid information and on how to get closer to the Ascendant camp, and potentially Vincent, she finds herself teaming up with the American. When they accomplish his goal but not hers, &lt;/sp&gt;Haroona is reminded why she likes to work alone.

Once aboard the Morning Star, &lt;sp&gt;Luther reveals himself as a member of the Leap Year Society, and that their meeting in the jungle was no accident. Before processing this, Haroona is introduced to Buchra Ilunga, another society member informing them the Ascendants are in search of a special amulet believed to be in Haroona’s old village in Northern India.&lt;/sp&gt; How they know who Haroona is and what she might have concerns her but not as concerning as learning that &lt;sp&gt;four years ago her mentor did not perish in the desert. Reika is alive?! Moreover, the LYS need Haroona’s help in finding her but first they need the amulet.&lt;/sp&gt;

The Morning Star: More Than Meets the Eye

Chapter 4

After having her &lt;sp&gt;journal taken by Mila, Haroona boards the airship and meets the rest of the Leap Year Society crew going after Vincent. Haroona is shocked to learn when Luther reveals that Reika is alive.&lt;/sp&gt;

Returning to her temple village built along the Shivalik range, Haroona is relieved at the sight of &lt;sp&gt;village leader and childhood friend, Azad Jayed.&lt;/sp&gt; Unfortunately, it is too late:&lt;sp&gt; every hut has been raided and turned inside out by Ascendants.&lt;/sp&gt;&lt;sp&gt; Retrieving her amulet, Haroona infiltrates the temple where Vincent soundly beats her in combat. However, a familiar looking airship appears just in time.&lt;/sp&gt;

Chamatkari Mandir: Homecoming

Chapter 5

Haroona races back to her home village, hoping to outrun the Ascendants, only to find the place in ruins. She retrieves the coveted amulet and confronts Vincent, fixated on revenge, but finds herself outmatched. A daring last minute rescue from the LYS in the Morning Star is the only thing that saves her life.&nbsp;

After their daring escape, the Morning Star is in hot pursuit by enemy fighter planes. Narrowly surviving the attack, a patient Haroona lets her guard down in the lounge as &lt;sp&gt;Luther and Buchra describe Seshin, a malevolent being of sorts, supposedly imprisoned deep within the Fold. Vincent’s goal is to unleash this being upon the world. Meanwhile, &nbsp;Haroona’s only chance of finding Reika is to pick up her trail in Sintra, Portugal.&lt;/sp&gt;

The Morning Star: He Found Something

Chapter 6

After narrowly surviving an Ascendant aerial attack, &lt;sp&gt;Luther and Buchra explain the existence of a being living in the Deep Fold named Seshin. Also, in order to track down Reika, they should head to Sintra, Portugal.&lt;/sp&gt;&nbsp;

Sneaking into Quinta Matos, the luxurious country estate of the brilliant inventor and Ascendant, Dr. Emilio Matos, Luther and Haroona uncover&lt;sp&gt; evidence that not only is Reika alive, but that she was held captive here prior. But to what end?&lt;/sp&gt; Exploring the estate reveals Matos latest invention, a cutting-edge machine that &lt;sp&gt;seemingly enhances a Diver’s ability to descend deeper into the Fold known as a Tethering Capsule. &nbsp;But for what purpose has Matos built this? How does it connect to Reika?&lt;/sp&gt;

Quinta Matos: Signs of Life

Chapter 7, Part 1

In the mansion, Haroona discovers that &lt;sp&gt;Reika is not only alive but was also a captive recently. In order to discover her whereabouts, &lt;/sp&gt;Luther advises to meet at the Solarium in order to follow Dr. Matos.

On the remote possibility of &lt;sp&gt;reuniting with Reika, Haroona follows the inventor Matos towards a dangerous underground Sanctuary. At Luther's insistence, she performs her first Dive into the Fold only to be welcomed by a blissful Dr. Matos who asserts the two have encountered one another many times before. To save Reika, she must obtain an artifact known as the Cambrian device. Later, Haroona catches a distant but terrifying glimpse of Seshin before a harrowing escape ensues.&lt;/sp&gt;

The Deep Fold: First Dive

Chapter 7, Part 2

Following Dr. Matos to the underground Terminals, she discovers that the Ascendant inventor and her have met many times in the Fold before. To Haroona's horror, she gets her first glimpse of Seshin.

With both factions racing towards &lt;sp&gt;Anatolia, a tenuous plan is devised to slow the Ascendants’ progress.&lt;/sp&gt; Meanwhile, with the help of a passage in &lt;sp&gt;Dr. Matos’ journal, a petrified Buchra uncovers Vincent’s twisted plan to enter the Deep Fold with the intent of merging with Seshin.&lt;/sp&gt; Now more than ever, &lt;sp&gt;the Cambrian device must not fall into the hands of the Ascendants.&lt;/sp&gt;

The Morning Star: Dark Intent

Chapter 8

Buchra needs Haroona to &lt;sp&gt;reconfigure the antennas of the Morning Star so they can ask the LYS in Cyprus for help slowing the Ascendants down. She also learns from Buchra that Vincent's twisted goal is to merge with Seshin in the Deep Fold.&lt;/sp&gt;

Haroona and Luther trek across the steep canyons and narrow gorges of Anatolia before reaching an underground chamber dating back to the Sahin era. Haroona uses her amulet to unlock the Cambrian device, triggering an Echo revealing &lt;sp&gt;her mentor as one of the Unknown 9.&lt;/sp&gt;Bringing their discovery above ground their progress is quickly stunted as &lt;sp&gt;Reika appears before them, having joined forces with the Ascendants. She claims the Cambrian device for Vincent’s cause and leaves a gobsmacked Haroona along with Luther and Buchra to be taken prisoner upon the Morning Star. &lt;/sp&gt;

Anatolia: Woman Out of Time

Chapter 9

Discovering the &lt;sp&gt;Cambrian device in an ancient cavern, Haroona triggers an Echo revealing Reika had, in fact, been one of the Unknown 9 eons ago.&lt;/sp&gt; Back on the surface, &lt;sp&gt;Reika has joined forces with the Ascendants; she promptly betrays her former student by claiming the device for Vincent instead. Haroona and the LYS are taken to the Morning Star as prisoners.&lt;/sp&gt;

Not giving in, Haroona and &lt;sp&gt;the crew escape their makeshift cells to battle the Ascendants and retake the airship’s bridge. Taking time to recuperate, Haroona reflects on her Reika, the mentor she thought she knew.&lt;/sp&gt; Eventually, Haroona takes her place on the exterior landing platform with&lt;sp&gt; Luther and Buchra as the Morning Star begins its final descent into the Richat Structure, where they will no doubt face Reika&lt;/sp&gt; once more.

The Morning Star: Reclaiming The Bridge

Chapter 10

Not giving in, Haroona and &lt;sp&gt;the crew escape from their make-shift cells to battle the Ascendants and eventually retake the bridge. They begin their descent towards the Richat Structure for the final battle.&lt;/sp&gt;

Landing near Dasuden, an ancient Sahin ruin stripped and peeled back by years of relentless excavation, Haroona, Luther and Buchra quickly traverse &lt;sp&gt; the Ascendant dig site on the way to its underground gateway. &nbsp;Before they can advance, Mila appears, severely wounding Luther before Haroona defeats her for the last time. Unable to continue, Luther urges the women to complete the mission – nothing could be of more importance than stopping Vincent and Reika. Leaving Luther behind, Haroona and Buchra enter the Oculus, an imposing underground gateway into the Richat Sanctuary.&lt;/sp&gt;

Dasuden: Blood and Vengeance

Chapter 11

In the ruins of Dasuden, &lt;sp&gt;Haroona witnesses Mila take down Luther before defeating her for the last time. Luther urges Haroona and Buchra to continue into the Oculus &lt;/sp&gt;to complete the mission.

After an arduous descent into the Sanctuary, &lt;sp&gt;Haroona and Buchra break into the Terminal chamber to see the Cambrian device and tethering capsule already in use by Vincent and Reika. Haroona follows them into the Deep Fold where she coordinates with her past and future Shades to defeat Vincent, hurtling his untethered Shade into the unknown. However, it is too late: Reika succeeds in releasing Seshin.&lt;/sp&gt;&lt;sp&gt;Back in the Terminal chamber, Seshin’s dark form begins seeping from the Cambrian device into Haroona’s body, imbuing her with phenomenal Umbric power that she uses to dispatch all remaining Ascendants. Haroona is overwhelmed by the power inside her, and it threatens to consume her completely. Seeing Haroona in such a precarious state, Reika realizes her catastrophic error. She performs the ultimate sacrifice by drawing Seshin into herself, allowing Haroona to quickly place her mentor’s possessed body once again inside the Tethering Capsule. &nbsp;Contained in this makeshift prison, Seshin no longer resides within the Fold but cannot spread across the physical plane either, effectively placed in a state of perpetual stasis.&lt;/sp&gt;&lt;sp&gt;Having neutralized the threat, Buchra and Haroona emerge from the Oculus to observe Luther slumped on the ground, eyes closed but finally at peace.&lt;/sp&gt;

Peshanden: Demons Below

Chapter 12

Moving on &lt;sp&gt;without Luther, Haroona and Buchra being their long descent to find the chamber of the Richat Terminal, where Vincent and Reika &lt;/sp&gt;are sure to be waiting.

&lt;sp&gt;Reika’s body, inert and dreamless inside the tethering capsule, is now safely aboard the Morning Star. Heeding her mentor’s last words, Haroona and Buchra find themselves dropped in the humid jungle expanse of Central Africa.&lt;/sp&gt; For countless centuries, no one has disturbed the lost complex of Reithden... until now. &lt;sp&gt;Haroona is afforded a precious farewell with Reika, at least in the guise of Buchra, before entering the Sahin city ruins. Outside the wondrous conclave hall, Haroona parts from Buchra and takes her first steps in joining the Unknown 9.&lt;/sp&gt;

Reithden: What Was Once Lost

Chapter 13

&lt;sp&gt;Reika’s body lies inside the Tethering capsule, now safely aboard the Morning Star.&lt;/sp&gt; Haroona is granted a final farewell &lt;sp&gt;with Reika, at least through a Stepped-in Buchra, for a precious moment before resuming her search of the ancient Sahin city of Reithden.&lt;/sp&gt;

In the Shivalik foothills of the Himalayas, locals know of a spry old woman usually called Reika. Her name is about all that’s known. She’s not quite a wandering sadhu (or mystic), not quite a hermit. She is certainly not from the area yet she speaks every local dialect. Some villages may go years between seeing her. She is not hostile but declines any invitations or gifts.&nbsp;Some in the early LYS have a similar experience of her. For a time, she is often around their gatherings, though nobody can say if she was a member or not. She shares little and limits her interactions—a watcher, not a joiner—but always seems to be the most knowledgeable and skilled Quaestor in the room.&nbsp;There are rumblings that she takes on apprentices from time to time. For eager Quaestors this is a prospect as exciting as it is intimidating; just being in Reika’s presence can be a humbling experience.

Reika

Haroona has honed her Umbric talents under her mentor’s strict tutelage, allowing her to make sense of the ‘gifts’ she was given. Reika, too, found meaning in the arrangement; without Haroona, Reika would have languished in the loneliness and isolation she’d become so accustomed to.&nbsp;

Azad is not the kind who actively seeks leadership: It naturally falls to him simply because there isn’t an alternative. Separated from his parents when he was just a child, he served as a ward in a Chamiri missionary before being forced out into the cold with other orphans. As the oldest among them, Azad felt responsible for their survival. He taught members of his urchin gang, including a promising new girl named Haroona, how to subtly pickpocket the rich and outsmart street constables by running faster or leaping further, all the while grinning ear to ear.&nbsp;Although his cracked skin and weathered hands tell a sad tale, they cannot mute his naturally tenacious and optimistic outlook on life. Together with Haroona, the orphan who became a man has built a thriving mountain village at the base of Chamatkari Mandir where even the forgotten or discarded are permitted to dream of a brighter future for themselves. The job of a leader, it would seem, is one that is never quite finished for Azad.&nbsp;

Azad Jayed

Haroona's oldest and best friend, Azad also knows what it's like to live as a street urchin. Without Azad's tenacity and resourcefulness, their temple village up in the mountain which they called home for many years might never have been established.

In 1888, Vincent Lichter was the youngest to witness the birth of the Leap Year Society (LYS). His family - deeply entrenched in an esoteric secret order - embraced the LYS ethos, and Vincent soon became a devoted member. His fascination with the Fold intensified, leading him to specialize in Diving—a discipline that would alter the course of his life.&nbsp;Within the LYS, Vincent’s talents and ambition propelled him forward. To the elder Quaestors, he symbolized hope—a harbinger of the society’s potential impact upon the world. His decision to join a Diving research project in 1890s Alaska was hailed as a providential blessing, all but guaranteeing the project’s success.&nbsp;In the rugged Alaskan wilderness, Vincent collaborated with brilliant and dedicated Quaestors. After relentless effort, he achieved his first Dive into the mind-bending Deep Fold. Each subsequent Dive left him transformed; his determination turned into obsession. Marshalling support, he expanded the project into a Diver training school—the Ascendants. Yet, in this pursuit, Vincent’s noble qualities, once in the service of the LYS’s altruistic goals, twisted into something more troubling and radical.&nbsp;As the Ascendant rhetoric grew provocative and their Fold explorations reckless, the Leap Year Society had no choice but to shutter the Ascendants initiative. Undeterred, Vincent declared war. The Ascendants, he asserted, were the true heirs of the LYS. Members could either pledge allegiance to him or face Ascendant wrath. Nothing would stop them from harnessing the ominous power they discovered in the Fold for humanity’s future—a future where Vincent wielded significant power.

Vincent Lichter

For years, Haroona’s life has been a quest to find Vincent and avenge her mentor. For Vincent, Haroona is little more than an annoyance, albeit an increasingly vexing one—an apprentice girl who doesn’t know her place in the grander scheme of things.

Umbric abilities, enabled by a Quaestor’s connection to the Fold, defy the laws of nature as we typically know them. Sometimes known as the Umbric arts, these abilities improve with practice, and experienced Quaestors who have a strong connection to the Fold and a keen sense of their own Am exhibit more potent abilities.&nbsp;&nbsp;Each Quaestor’s profile of abilities is their own—some excel in common skills like Peeking and Diving, while others specialize in rarer abilities like Tuning. As humanity’s comprehension of the Fold deepens, a multitude of unimaginable abilities may lie waiting to be discovered.

Umbric Abilities

Haroona’s natural affinity for the Fold and the years she spent learning from Reika have made her one of the most proficient Umbric artists in history. She can Step, Peek, Dive, Shield, Shroud, and more.

The universe is in constant dialogue, says the Book of the Patterns of Convergence; one simply needs to recognize the signs to hear its call. Different forms of communication and linguistics are explained, including all written and spoken languages as well as sensory based communication. Intrinsic to this is the divine music of mathematics, otherwise known as the ‘expression beyond language.’ Discussed further are the use of symbols and logograms, especially in numerology or cryptography, as it signals events related to causality. Within the Patterns one cannot predict the future per se, but one can decipher its probabilities.

Patterns of Convergence

Reflecting on Reika’s profound lessons, Haroona is aware of a vast phenomenon of murmurs and cryptic markings from the universe, the so-called ‘Patterns of Convergence.’ Will she ever be able to read this noise as well as her teacher? Time will tell.

Media Gallery

Mila Savic

Luther Goodwin

Phantom

Mara Nilsen

Buchra Ilunga

Tethering Capsule

Shade Bracers

Echoes

Tuning

Tree of Life

The Three Bodies

Reithden, Central Africa

The Morning Star

Quinta Matos, Sintra, Portugal

Unknown 9: Awakening

Orphaned on East Indian streets. Marooned, if you will, on an inhospitable, wretched island. But fate would give her the means to sail away.

person

Haroona

First appears in:

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice