Ira Ashborn

Ira Ashborn is the Speaker for the Silver Flame and the figurehead of the church of the Undying Flame. She is preceded in the line of succession by Jaela Daran who ended her rule as Speaker by attempting to put the Progenitor Dragon Khyber back to sleep.

Early Life and Discovery
Born a slave in a necropolis under the rule of the Rakshasa, her flame ignited when she was only seven years old. Forced to flee the relative safety of the city and wander the wasteland of Khorvaire, Ira would eventually be drawn to the ruins of Flamekeep by the font of silver fire that lay in its center. There she would stay for several years, kept warm by the font of fire, sheltered by the crumbling marble, catching fish on the banks of the Thrane river.

One night as Ira slept she heard a voice calling her name and she woke to find a young silver dragon outside the entrance to her shelter. The dragon introduced itself as Mercy and informed Ira she had found the young girl through their shared dreams. Mercy explained that the two of them were soul-bound companions in an endless chain of reincarnation, which meant that Ira was the next Speaker for the Flame. Although difficult to believe, Mercy knew too many intimate details about Ira for her story to be ignored.

After conversing extensively into the night and sharing a small meal, girl and dragon became fast friends. Together they left the ruins of Flamekeep and traveled southwest toward the sea, all the while Mercy explaining what the Silver Flame was and what it meant to be its' Speaker.

By the time the duo had made it to the Thunder Sea their trail had been discovered by Jack Radigan, who had been searching for them for nineteen years, and finally caught up to them just outside Sharn. He berated Ira for being so hard to find and told Mercy to 'straight-go-fuck-yourself' for not immediately taking Ira back to the Undying Council.

Mercy convinced Jack to not report his discovery until after Ira had succeeded where Jaela had failed and put Khyber back to sleep. She explained to Jack that Ira's destiny was to cleanse the continent of of the disaster that had befallen the people of Khorvaire and return the world to normal. After a long night of debate he relented under the condition that immediately after dealing with Khyber, Ira would travel to the island of Aerenal to continue her education and train to become the Speaker that Eberron needed to survive.

Personality
Raised among Rakshasa and other demonic masters, Ira learned to survive through constant vigilance and brutal tenacity often being more ruthless than the abyssal minions she was forced to work with. Over time and with constant tutelage she learned to hone her fury with patience and focus, but only after she traveled to the island of Aerenal and studied with the elven sages.

In time Ira would come be known for her ability to move a crowd to action, whether it be through impassioned oratory or daring acts of heroism on the battlefield. Her frustration with the state of the world and her conviction to fight for a brighter future spoke to many other survivors of the apocalypse that had previously abandoned hope.

Unfortunately her zeal would occasionally lead her to be manipulated on the battlefield by slightly more clever opponents. She would only make it out of these traps by being more vicious than her opponents were prepared for and overcoming the mistake through sheer force.