Starke il-Vec

Starke il-Vec was an outcast of the Vec tribe and a duplicitous member of the Skyship Weatherlight crew that served as their guide on their journey to Rath. He was secretly married to an en-Dal woman and was the father of Takara en-Dal, who was held hostage to force Starke to serve the Stronghold. In order to keep Takara safe, he helped bring Volrath to power and then helped abduct Captain Sisay, but he then switched sides and aided in her rescue as it offered him his best chance of rescuing his daughter. He successfully guided the Weatherlight crew through the Stronghold, but was permanently blinded by a mind-controlled Takara before she could be brought to her senses. After Takara and Sisay were freed, Starke and the others then fled back to Weatherlight and escaped through the portal that took them to Mercadia.

Starke was killed in Mercadia when it was revealed that "Takara" was in fact a shapeshifted Volrath, who proceeded to attack and murder Starke in retribution for his betrayal. He died without knowing his daughter's true fate.