AN ILLUSION OF SAFETY:

Up until recently, the Lost Cities were always seen as a place of comfort and peace—a world that didn’t need armies or police like so many of the other intelligent species rely on. And yet, Biana’s father (Alden Vacker) added a massive glowing fence around the entire perimeter of his property (Everglen), with bars designed to absorb light and prevent anyone from being able to light leap in. Which surely must have made for an interesting upbringing. On the one hand, his children were constantly being assured that everything was fine and there was no reason to worry. And yet, every time they stepped outside their house, they saw that they were living inside a gated fortress. Does that mean Biana and her brothers suspected some of the dangers that have now been proven to exist in our world? Could that possibly even explain why Biana and Fitz connected so easily to Sophie Foster and involved themselves in the conspiracies and chaos surrounding her? Or did they simply think their father preferred to control his visitors? It’s impossible to tell. But the gates have since been removed because of the illegal troll hive found on the property. And given the new instability of our world, it’s highly likely that the Vacker family misses them.

THE BANE OF HER BODYGUARD’S EXISTENCE:

Like her friends, Biana was assigned a bodyguard when the Black Swan increased their security. But while most of the other bodyguard-protectee relationships have grown into unique friendships, it’s doubtful that Biana’s goblin bodyguard (Woltzer) feels any affection for her, the reason being that Biana has a bad habit of using her ability as a Vanisher to ditch poor Woltzer whenever she wants to do something he wouldn’t approve of—which also gets him in trouble with his supervisor (Sandor). To be fair, this has also meant that Woltzer has suffered far fewer injuries than the goblins guarding Biana’s friends—but that’s likely not why Biana sneaks away, so she probably doesn’t deserve credit for it.

MARKED BY BATTLE:

Biana is unfortunately not the only member of the Black Swan—nor the only one of her friends—to be seriously wounded during their altercations with the Neverseen. But Biana does bear a much larger souvenir of her injuries, in the form of noticeable scars on her arms, chest, neck, shoulders, and back. The injuries occurred when Biana went after Vespera by herself. (Evidently, her ability to vanish allowed her to sneak away during one of Vespera’s speeches.) It took her friends a while to catch up to her, and when they did, they found Biana unconscious and bleeding in a pile of jagged, broken glass. Apparently, Vespera had thrown Biana through one of the mirrors she used for her illusions—and records indicate that Vespera may have even intended for Biana to be scarred by the process and later bragged about that intention to Biana’s friends. Perhaps she thought that a girl known for her flawless beauty wouldn’t be able to handle any new imperfections—and Biana did, at first, appear to be choosing clothes that hid the marks. But with time, she seems to have grown comfortable with her new skin, and now proudly wears gowns and tunics that leave her scars on display. (It should also be noted that some of Biana’s returned confidence may stem from her use of one of Elwin’s Emotional Support Stuffed Animals—a stuffed yeti apparently named Lady Sassyfur.) And while some may notice Biana’s scars and wonder what could have caused the injuries, no one would ever claim that Biana isn’t as stunning as ever. In fact, the scars might make Biana even more striking, testifying to a level of strength, confidence, and fierceness that few are able to claim.

A VALIANT REGENT:

In what may turn out to be Biana’s boldest step out of her brothers’ shadows, she was chosen by the Council to be a member of Team Valiant, and is now one of the youngest Regents in the nobility. As a result, she can proudly claim the title of “Lady.” (Some reports indicate that Biana likes to tease her brother Fitz and force him to call her “Lady Biana”—but those rumors cannot be confirmed.)

THE VACKER LEGACY:

Biana’s brother Alvar’s crimes are unfortunately common knowledge—as is his claim that he joined the Neverseen because of “the Vacker legacy.” And there are many theories as to what he may have meant by that phrase—as well as certain truths that Alvar managed to expose before his most recent disappearance (the illegal troll hive hidden at Everglen, for example). But like many in our world, Biana doesn’t appear to be convinced that she has the full understanding of what exactly the “Vacker legacy” is and seems determined to learn—though it’s unclear what risks she’s willing to take in order to find the whole truth.

FINAL NOTE:

It’s often been said, “Watch out for the Vanishers,” and Biana seems to be living proof of the adage. It’s difficult to tell exactly what role she plans to play—or if her ever-increasing boldness will lead her to ruin. But Biana’s definitely one to watch—assuming we can see her.

REGISTRY FILE FOR Dexter Alvin Dizznee

KNOWN ABILITIES: Technopath

RESIDENCE: Rimeshire

IMMEDIATE FAMILY: Kesler Dizznee (father), Juline Dizznee (mother), Rex Dizznee (brother), Lex Dizznee (brother), Bex Dizznee (sister)

MATCH STATUS: Unregistered

EDUCATION: Current Foxfire prodigy

NEXUS: No longer required

PATHFINDER: Not assigned. Restricted to Leapmasters and home crystals.

SPYBALL APPROVAL: None

MEMBER OF THE NOBILITY: Yes

TITLE: Lord

NOBLE ASSIGNMENT: Regent; member of Team Valiant; often brought in by the Council to consult on specific technology projects

SIGNIFICANT CONNECTIONS: Fealty-sworn member of the Black Swan; former Wayward at Exillium; best friend to Sophie Foster

ASSIGNED BODYGUARD(S): Lovise (goblin)

LACKING PRESTIGE AND HEAVY ON THE SCANDAL:

There are many kinds of prominence in the Lost Cities. But not all of them are good. And in Dex’s case, his family is unfortunately renowned for all the wrong reasons. His father (Kesler Dizznee) is one of the Talentless—though Kesler would likely argue that his incredible aptitude in alchemy should count as a special ability (and some might even agree). Sadly for him, it does not. And because he is Talentless, Kesler’s marriage to his wife (Juline Dizznee) was ruled a “bad match” by the matchmakers, since Juline is a Froster and was expected to marry someone else with a special ability. Kesler and Juline also chose to have children—something the rare few who choose to become bad matches generally avoid. And while Dex was born to relatively little additional scandal, everything changed when Juline announced a second pregnancy, and then ended up having triplets. Multiple births tend to be controversial in our world, even under ideal circumstances, since many fear that the children’s genetics—and abilities—will be weaker. But a multiple birth from a bad match—with three babies? It was enough to send the Dizznee family to the very bottom of the social circles—not that Kesler seemed to mind. In fact, he often seeks out ways to rebel against societal norms and is constantly challenging people’s expectations and forcing them to confront their biases. Dex must have inherited that attitude from his father, because he generally avoids anyone considered “popular” and finds rather creative ways to stand up to anyone judging him—or his family. (His Foxfire records show numerous detentions assigned as a result of pranks he played on prodigies bullying him—and it should be noted that those prodigies were also punished for instigating the situation. Foxfire must discipline misbehavior, but the Mentors and principal always strive to be fair.)