Ayalen: Difference between revisions
m (→Notes) |
m (→Background) |
||
| Line 29: | Line 29: | ||
==Background== |
==Background== |
||
<sub>The following passages are recorded in a nondescript leather-bound journal.</sub> |
|||
| ⚫ | ''I was born mid-Winter in the year 379AV, to Zerora Jora'eluris and Rimefyrn Gesarin of the [[Snow_Elves|Snow Elf Clan]]. Due to Matron Selidhn's popular account, "[[Elven_Folk_(book)|The Elven Folk]]," my people are generally assumed to be vicious, barbaric, and intolerant of other races and cultures. |
||
| ⚫ | ''I was born mid-Winter in the year 379AV, to Zerora Jora'eluris and Rimefyrn Gesarin of the [[Snow_Elves|Snow Elf Clan]]. Due to Matron Selidhn's popular account, "[[Elven_Folk_(book)|The Elven Folk]]," my people are generally assumed to be vicious, barbaric, and intolerant of other races and cultures. What ridiculous notions! Although, I admit, there is some limited truth to latter description, my family's existence has been neither short nor cruel and most certainly not "savage." We ensure our survival by exercising caution, not wild abandon. In fact, there is a saying among my people, who do not the benefit of a trained clergy:'' It is impossible to learn from one's own fatal mistakes. |
||
| ⚫ | ''Yet, contrary to the notion that we have time for little else beyond survival, I have never wanted for art, leisure, or love while living among my |
||
| ⚫ | ''Yet, contrary to the notion that we have time for little else beyond survival, I have never wanted for art, leisure, or love while living among my family. I have attended lavish wedding ceremonies during the long Winter months, sipped icewines made from rare alpine fruit, and reclined beside the hearth fires listening to the tales of my beloved foremothers. Perhaps in an earlier time, before we had adapted to our harsh environs, life was more frenetic and less diverse. We still count each moment as a blessing, to be sure, but our actions are not guided by desperation. If we hunted our prey savagely, as if each moment were our last, there would soon be nothing left for us or our children. With all due respect, Matron, times have changed.'' |
||
''Because of the extremely limited nature of alpine resources, we Snow Elves spend most of our time in small groups of kin, in ancestral places where shelter and resources are reliable. Families will occasionally trade locations, in order to secure a marriage or gain access to different resources for a time, but it is not uncommon for a family to communicate through their neighbors to families much farther away. This system is not only much more convenient (and safer) than travelling by foot to deliver a message personally, it also allows for the continued maintenance of local alliances. I myself was the result of one such alliance, between the Jora'eluris and Gesarin families, in the tradition of [[Marriage_Among_the_Elves,_Volume_1_(book)#The_Blessing_by_the_Four_Winds:_Bile_Janis_oc_Hul_Haizeani|Bile Janis oc Hul Haizeani]].'' |
''Because of the extremely limited nature of alpine resources, we Snow Elves spend most of our time in small groups of kin, in ancestral places where shelter and resources are reliable. Families will occasionally trade locations, in order to secure a marriage or gain access to different resources for a time, but it is not uncommon for a family to communicate through their neighbors to families much farther away. This system is not only much more convenient (and safer) than travelling by foot to deliver a message personally, it also allows for the continued maintenance of local alliances. I myself was the result of one such alliance, between the Jora'eluris and Gesarin families, in the tradition of [[Marriage_Among_the_Elves,_Volume_1_(book)#The_Blessing_by_the_Four_Winds:_Bile_Janis_oc_Hul_Haizeani|Bile Janis oc Hul Haizeani]].'' |
||
''The Jora'eluris are considerably wealthy according to my people's standards, owing to the craft for which they are well-known: both men and women in the family have long specialized in the production of rare, exquisite tapestries. These are woven from mountain goat fibers, dyed using natural red pigments harvested from alpine plants, and can require a decade to complete. Such textiles are not only beautiful but offer an extra layer of insulation for the home. Very rarely, the Jora'eluris will bargain with Traders and exchange one of their pieces for a shipment of goods from the outside. However, they would |
''The Jora'eluris are considerably wealthy according to my people's standards, owing to the craft for which they are well-known: both men and women in the family have long specialized in the production of rare, exquisite tapestries. These are woven from mountain goat fibers, dyed using natural red pigments harvested from alpine plants, and can require a decade to complete. Such textiles are not only beautiful but offer an extra layer of insulation for the home. Very rarely, the Jora'eluris will bargain with Traders and exchange one of their pieces for a shipment of goods from the outside. However, I do not believe they would have agreed to allow a daughter of the clan to leave if the circumstances had not become dire.'' |
||
''I have always known vivid dreams and equally vivid nightmares. Ever since I was small child, I would wake from them in the dead of night, shaking violently from some terror I scarce had the words to describe. The bouts were relatively infrequent in the beginning, but they grew worse with time. By my tenth year, I had begun to recognize recurrent figures in my dreams: walking corpses with peeling flesh, red-eyed demons with the awful power of sorcery, and a dark-haired woman without a face. My family, in its concern for me, sought advice from numerous healers, each of whom created various theories to explain my "illness." Some said the cause was of the body, some said it was arcane or ethereal in nature, others argued it was hereditary. Consequently, I was exorcised, given draughts, hypnotized, and endured a variety of spells, none of which were particularly effective. I simply managed, until fairly recently. Not only had the dreams become worse, I had taken to walking and performing actions in my sleep. Fearful of what might happen and unwilling to treat me as a prisoner in my own home, the Jora'eluris matriarch did the unthinkable and called upon the aid of outsiders.'' |
''I have always known vivid dreams and equally vivid nightmares. Ever since I was small child, I would wake from them in the dead of night, shaking violently from some terror I scarce had the words to describe. The bouts were relatively infrequent in the beginning, but they grew worse with time. By my tenth year, I had begun to recognize recurrent figures in my dreams: walking corpses with peeling flesh, red-eyed demons with the awful power of sorcery, and a dark-haired woman without a face. My family, in its concern for me, sought advice from numerous healers, each of whom created various theories to explain my "illness." Some said the cause was of the body, some said it was arcane or ethereal in nature, others argued it was hereditary. Consequently, I was exorcised, given draughts, hypnotized, and endured a variety of spells, none of which were particularly effective. I simply managed, until fairly recently. Not only had the dreams become worse, I had taken to walking and performing actions in my sleep. Fearful of what might happen and unwilling to treat me as a prisoner in my own home, the Jora'eluris matriarch did the unthinkable and called upon the aid of outsiders.'' |
||
Revision as of 20:07, 11 July 2012
| Ayalen Jora'eluris | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Race | Elf |
| Gender | Female |
| Guild | Cleric |
| Instance | Prime |
Ayalen Jora'eluris is an Elven Cleric whose allegiance belongs firstly to the Immortals, secondly to her people, and lastly to herself.
Description
Ayalen has an angular face, pointed ears, and deep-set steely grey eyes. Her ash-blonde hair is long and wavy, and is worn tied back in an intricate five-stranded braid. She has fair skin and an athletic figure.
She is tall for an Elf.
She appears to be young.
She is wearing a flame-colored tiger lily, a cambrinth-beaded clerical cassock, a pilgrim's badge, a spidersilk tote depicting an artistic rendering of the provinces, a segmented leather weapon harness studded with cambrinth-inlaid steel scales, an oilcloth rucksack, a wide leather belt decorated with engraved cambrinth plates, some sardonyx prayer beads carved into miniature panthers, a simple belt knife, and some high-heeled slouched leather boots.
Notes
- Ayalen appeals to Damaris and his aspects, Dergati and Phelim, due to their influence over dreams. For similar reasons, she is also intrigued by Moon Mages' proclivity for visions and their ability to predict the future.
- She was betrothed at an early age (as is common among Elvenkind) and has yet to meet her future mate.
- Following a long and difficult labor, she was born during the anlas of Hodierna's Blessing on the last day of the month of Nissa the Maiden.
- She is uncharacteristically wary of healers and tends to mask her deeply-rooted bias with extreme courtesy.
- When the subject of her heritage is broached, she is quick to correct common misconceptions about her people.
- Her family name, Jora'eluris, can be translated as "friend of the snow-born" in the Common tongue. Ayalen's family was among the first to survive the journey into the mountains following the Time of Sorrows. When the first female child was born, the elders changed the family name to Jora'eluris and wiped the previous name from their history.
Background
The following passages are recorded in a nondescript leather-bound journal.
I was born mid-Winter in the year 379AV, to Zerora Jora'eluris and Rimefyrn Gesarin of the Snow Elf Clan. Due to Matron Selidhn's popular account, "The Elven Folk," my people are generally assumed to be vicious, barbaric, and intolerant of other races and cultures. What ridiculous notions! Although, I admit, there is some limited truth to latter description, my family's existence has been neither short nor cruel and most certainly not "savage." We ensure our survival by exercising caution, not wild abandon. In fact, there is a saying among my people, who do not the benefit of a trained clergy: It is impossible to learn from one's own fatal mistakes.
Yet, contrary to the notion that we have time for little else beyond survival, I have never wanted for art, leisure, or love while living among my family. I have attended lavish wedding ceremonies during the long Winter months, sipped icewines made from rare alpine fruit, and reclined beside the hearth fires listening to the tales of my beloved foremothers. Perhaps in an earlier time, before we had adapted to our harsh environs, life was more frenetic and less diverse. We still count each moment as a blessing, to be sure, but our actions are not guided by desperation. If we hunted our prey savagely, as if each moment were our last, there would soon be nothing left for us or our children. With all due respect, Matron, times have changed.
Because of the extremely limited nature of alpine resources, we Snow Elves spend most of our time in small groups of kin, in ancestral places where shelter and resources are reliable. Families will occasionally trade locations, in order to secure a marriage or gain access to different resources for a time, but it is not uncommon for a family to communicate through their neighbors to families much farther away. This system is not only much more convenient (and safer) than travelling by foot to deliver a message personally, it also allows for the continued maintenance of local alliances. I myself was the result of one such alliance, between the Jora'eluris and Gesarin families, in the tradition of Bile Janis oc Hul Haizeani.
The Jora'eluris are considerably wealthy according to my people's standards, owing to the craft for which they are well-known: both men and women in the family have long specialized in the production of rare, exquisite tapestries. These are woven from mountain goat fibers, dyed using natural red pigments harvested from alpine plants, and can require a decade to complete. Such textiles are not only beautiful but offer an extra layer of insulation for the home. Very rarely, the Jora'eluris will bargain with Traders and exchange one of their pieces for a shipment of goods from the outside. However, I do not believe they would have agreed to allow a daughter of the clan to leave if the circumstances had not become dire.
I have always known vivid dreams and equally vivid nightmares. Ever since I was small child, I would wake from them in the dead of night, shaking violently from some terror I scarce had the words to describe. The bouts were relatively infrequent in the beginning, but they grew worse with time. By my tenth year, I had begun to recognize recurrent figures in my dreams: walking corpses with peeling flesh, red-eyed demons with the awful power of sorcery, and a dark-haired woman without a face. My family, in its concern for me, sought advice from numerous healers, each of whom created various theories to explain my "illness." Some said the cause was of the body, some said it was arcane or ethereal in nature, others argued it was hereditary. Consequently, I was exorcised, given draughts, hypnotized, and endured a variety of spells, none of which were particularly effective. I simply managed, until fairly recently. Not only had the dreams become worse, I had taken to walking and performing actions in my sleep. Fearful of what might happen and unwilling to treat me as a prisoner in my own home, the Jora'eluris matriarch did the unthinkable and called upon the aid of outsiders.
There was only one who would make the journey to our settlement high in the mountains. The outsider, a missionary, managed to convince my family that my visions were beyond the help of mundane remedies and that I would need to seek help from the gods themselves. With no other recourse, they agreed that I should leave to pursue the Gods' will, on the condition that I should return once I had found peace.
And so it was that I left my home among the icy peaks and joined the other races...
Roleplay
RP Profile:
- Roleplay Stance: Heavy
- PvP Stance: Open
Roleplay and opportunities for character interaction and development (both spontaneous and planned) are welcome.
Recommended Reading:
Portrait
Portrait drawn by the player.
