Aerie

Aerie was a female avariel, a race of winged elves, who was crippled by her wings being cut off, forcing her to remain earthbound for the rest of her life.

History
Aerie's earliest life was spent apparently happily in Faenya-Dail, one of the few remaining cities of her people. However, she was captured by slavers (apparently still at a young age) when she swooped down from flight to rescue a child fleeing from them. They sold her to a circus, where she was kept on display and in a cage so small she had no room to stand, much less stretch her wings, which eventually became diseased. The infection threatened her life, which was saved in a very crude manner by painfully chopping off the wings.

The circus had no more use for her after this, but the gnome called Quayle continued to take care of her as he had during her captivity—though he could do nothing to restore her wings. The pair of them continued traveling with a circus that may not have been the same one, until it arrived in Athkatla and set up a circus tent in Waukeen's Promenade. While they were there, their disgruntled illusionist Kalah used powers of unknown origin to turn the inside of the tent into a world of deadly illusions, turning Aerie into the likeness of an ogre and chaining her magically to prevent her from escaping.

It was at this point that Gorion's Ward and his party arrived at the Promenade, and met her.

Personality
Aerie came across as very naive, caring and needy at the same time. She was a cleric as well as mage, learning from Quayle to serve the gnomish god Baervan Wildwanderer; she no longer felt quite worthy of approaching her old winged goddess Aerdrie Faenya. Her wingless state left her feeling generally unworthy and useless, which she gradually got over.

Besides this preoccupation with her own problems, she was very empathetic to anyone else's plight and always eager to help.

Appearances

 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
 * Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal