Name: Aela AKA The Bright Maiden, The first breath.
Gender: Female
Appearance: One the shorter side for a deity, Aela stands at just above twelve feet tall. Almost elf like in her proportions, though any elf would tell you there is far more meat on the bones of the goddess than any of them. Aela is often described as a beauty with fine features and deep blue eyes, porcelain skin with a healthy flush and flowing golden locks that seem to shine in the light.
She tends to dress like an ancient queen, preferring flowing gowns of lightest cotton and silk with her hair done up in whatever style pleases her at the time. Though she keeps things like jewels to a minimum, seeming to have little interest in trinkets except for her divine sigil.
Personality: The ancient stories once spoke of Aela the sweet maiden of the fields. Brought into the world bright and pure, the fondest creation of the age and doted upon by the All-Father with gifts and indulgences for her kind temperament. The maiden of the living and bringer of health and new breath was loved by the mortals she came across for wherever she went the world was made better by her presence. Though she was one of those gods bound to a celestial cycle of life and death something far and distant and never truly understandable as compared to the patrons of more physical concepts. This, combined with the rose tinted existence she experienced in her youth made Aela somewhat distant compared to other gods, her view of the world being one of "The Bigger Picture". Yet she was always curious about the mortals that flocked to her for aid and learning about the world these little things lived in.
It was that same curiosity and lust for life that would lead to some of Aela's most famous misadventures, the young goddess often proving one who leaped before she looked.
Alas the vibrant and wide eyed girl is gone, swept away by the fires of war. What remains is a woman made wary and cynical of others, who questions her own peaceful ways and whether the lives she saved during the war would have been better off letting go. Bitterness has replaced her warm fondness towards many of her own kind, both those who fought and those who stayed neutral depending on their reasons and their actions and though she may not raise a hand to them she is happy to spit verbal poison to their faces.
Major Domain: Life - When Aela stood before the king for the first time Ephra proclaimed "The font of creation has been given shape". Though she cannot claim dominion over any particular form of creation Aela radiates a potent life force of more raw power than any other deity. Where she walks the elderly strengthen in their stride and the colour returns to the faces of the sick, land rendered dead seems to quicken for a time and the pain of old wounds fades. Among mortals she is worshiped as the giver of life, good health, and a patron of healers.
Minor Domains: Rivers - Running through the land like veins. Points of fresh water became the birthplace of countless cities and settlements. When she was younger Aela would often stop by the small streams that ran across her given lands, enjoying their cool embrace and babbling music of the water. Her true pact with them came the day Thatos, still brash and young, carved an inlet from the sea into Aela's given lands and cut the earth into the Salren.
Theatre - Stories are food for the soul. Aela lives a more relaxed life as far as deities go, avoiding violence and conflict if she can but she finds great enjoyment in stories of heroes and daring adventure. Her followers found a great way to win her patronage was to put on shows for the goddess in their midst. Aela has gone on to heap great rewards on the writers and players that can tell a story that might move her, be it a raucous comedy or tearful tragedy, she is a lover of story telling and its art.
Weaknesses:
Violence - Aela has always been a pacifist. The ability to bring harm to others was never in her nature and the skill was never something she had or looked to learn. She isn't a fighter and any power she might bring to defend herself is something born out of desperation rather than martial prowess. Should violence ever break out around her Aela would need to look to a protector.
True death - The natural order is in place for a reason. Aela may be able to heal grievous wounds and illnesses, even bring someone back from the brink of death but once they have crossed that threshold she must respect the balance.
Avatar: Taul, the old man of the river. The king of turtles. Taul looks like any other turtle of the waterways, except that his vast size makes his shell large enough for two gods to ride upon cross-legged, though the old man is far too proud to be used as a beast of burden. It is said that every healing herb that has ever grown and ever will has found a spot to grow upon his shell.
Stance: The war is over and is with mortal conflicts now should be a time of rebuilding and healing. The power vacuum is an issue and Aela fears that the political machinations and factions will eventually cause more bloodshed before a power sits the throne once again. After the heartbreak she suffered during the war Aela would rather stay out of the matter and let the others bicker among themselves. Privately she suspects that there is
one member of the pantheon that could be worthy of sitting the throne... time will tell if they prove her right.
Loyalty During the Rebellion: Aela was a pacific from the beginning and begged for peace from both sides and offered the wounded aid in her lands whoever they might be so long as their weapons be bound within their sheaths.
Center of Power: A broach inlaid with white diamonds and pearls, arrayed in intricate patterns and threaded through gold. It casts off a light described by poets as "As beautiful as the morning son, as gentle as the moon's soft glow." It was given to her by the All-Father upon her arrival into the world.
Relations: Major relations listed here.
EPHRA (Deceased) - Dear Father, how she loved him so. Ephra's flaws were never so terrible Aela couldn't work past them and his tempers never so fiery that his cherished daughter could not calm him peacefully. Until it was too late. The world is darker now for his absence and it may never recover.
THATOS (Deceased) - She always had a thing for "Bad Boys" when she was younger, a thing that never went away thanks to Thatos. The two would always fight when they first met, a thing that gave way to a more tender passion. The love between them never fully faded even when they parted ways... the pairing of war and life can never be a truly lasting one. Aela always thinks of him when she looks upon the great river he cut for her in the early days.
ASMODAY - He's not so scary once you get to know him, it's the horns and dark eyes, they seem to have really hurt his public opinion among some of the mortals. Their first true encounter came after one of the gods' countless revelries when drunk on ambrosia the two of them decided to actually bring one of Aela's favourite plays to life and give a mourning mortal a deal and challenge to bring their loved one out of the underworld. They failed horribly but the two gods formed an unexpected friendship out of it. Aela was surprised by just how similar they are.
KORITOMO - She's all that's left of his legacy now. The young one has some large boots to fill. It's beyond rare for a new god to rise in this late age and this one is looks to make things interesting. A shield where her father was a sword... hopefully she will not fall to the same traps the last holder of war's mantle did. They should never have become as close as they have but such is life. Like a mother and daughter so different they belong in a story.
Powers: As said, Aela isn't a fighter. She doesn't carry armour or a weapon, when forced to she doesn't deal in such physical and mortal concepts but instead summons raw energy and power to defend her as well as the natural river waters of the world.
Aela posses what mortal scholars have called "A divine healing factor". Cuts and injuries that damage her body overflow with light and heal almost as quickly as they appear. She may not be able to put up much of a fight but that doesn't mean she is easy to kill.
She can summon concentrated waves of water to batter back enemies if near a river or weak shields of energy to defend her almost like a buckler, though they tend to shatter after a single hard hit.
Her true power lies in the healing arts, after all it was Aela who first taught them to mortals and lead to the creation of the various orders of scientific leaning healers and the white mages that hold their cathedral in her capital. Aela is the bane of disease and injury, her power has saved gods from the brink of death and stopped would be epidemics in their tracks.
Her form of "Clerical" magic also has spectacular effect on creature afflicted by the curse of undeath. After all it in itself is a form of disease and though Aela must respect the rights of death, these creatures still hold a foot in her realm of influence and that gives her a means to purify their health in ways that "corrupt" their infernal hold on the material world.
Godly Equipment: The clear water vessels -
The Carafe holds the crystal clear waters of the Salren river, treated by Aela herself, the magic of the carafe means the waters within will never run out so long as the river remains healthy. She pours cups for any who visit her, the cool drink revitalises those who drink it, wiping away the weariness of the road.
The bowl is a shallow thing but in a time honoured fashion the water within allows the user to look within and scry an image of the world. Aela mostly uses it for her personal entertainment and a source of gossip. Unfortunately it doesn't emit any sound.
Demi Gods: Zareth, The Grey Wanderer.
A mortal who Aela imbued with a piece of her own power. She found Zareth as a baby, abandoned on the banks of the Salren. Normally she would have delivered the child to a mortal family to raise or over to the white mages... but Aela doubted any of those parties would take him.
For the child was born sickly pale... and with a tiny pair of horns jutting from his head. Clearly one of his parents was of infernal origin, a shameful thing in some cultures, and he had been left for the wilderness. His tiny form and wailing cries touched the goddess who saved him from the starvation and cold that was about to claim him.
Now Zareth is a young man in his own right, standing at ten feet tall, slender and lithe. His horns have gorwn to arc over his head like a crown and long black hair flows behind them, usually kept in a ponytail. He tends to wear light tunics and loose fitting clothes. His name comes from the grey cloak that Aela gifted him upon his coming of age. A quiet and sober soul, Zareth rarely stays in one place for too long, wandering the lands and seeing what they have to offer. Though he rarely acts out loudly he has a strong sense of morality and is quick to come to the aid of those that need it, earning him a heroic reputation among mortals, one he seems to shun.
Eventually he always makes his way back to his adopted mother to visit and the city of Tosho No Hi where he learned swordcraft in his youth. He's also often drawn to the underworld in a quest to learn more about his parentage.
Name of your Land: Shan'Rael
Lands: The land of Shan'Rael is located on the western coast of the world's major landmass. It is of a Mediterranean climate with rich soils and white sanded beaches. The waters of its coastline and bays range from deep azure to bright teals. The inland is made up of rolling fields and large hills the further inland one goes. It is run through with rivers the largest of which is the mighty Salren, that makes its way through the heart of her lands and has since grown to birth hundreds of estuaries and waterfalls. Some more cynical types have called Shan'Rael sickeningly idyllic but such are the life goddess' tastes and such is how she works to keep her lands, a place that seems to beckon for life to rise and settle along the river banks.
People: The elves were the first to settle Shan'Rael. Not all were made for the wilderness of the forest and those that came to the riverbanks flourished under Aela's nurturing guidance. This long lived race learned from the gods and built their first villages, some of which grew into grand cities, some of the oldest in the world, as befits the chosen of an old god.
In time humans and dwarfs also began to emigrate to Shan'Rael. Nomadic humans were drawn by the fertile soil and bountiful game, setting down roots and eventually even intermarrying with the local elves. The dwarfs came much later, drawn by stories of the grand cities and the opportunities for the artisans within.
The fourth race are the halflings. No one's really sure where they came from, some think they were a result of humans and dwarfs marrying. Even Aela can't remember when they first arrived but the little folk quickly won her over with their peaceful ways and love for the land, building their beautiful villages and underhill halls.
Culture: The smaller settlements are quiet affairs. The people there go about their lives, taking in the harvest and living quiet lives. The cities are often considered centers of culture and in some cases learning. Theatres and the arts thrive here and unsurprisingly the hospitals are the envy of the world. Though the residents are often considered soft and snobby, especially the self styled High Elves.
Aela prefers not to interfere too much in mortal affairs and so the populace are ruled by council officials. In the countryside however most villages are run by mayors or more unofficially by village elders.
Technology: Shan'Rael is an old nation and though it's technology may not be on the same level as Thethoth, time and the patience of its long lived inhabitants has made its infrastructure and centres of academia something to be proud of. As said its places and practitioners of healing are unrivaled.
One thing that is often noted upon (and thought of as something that has held back its scientific minds) is the balance that the city states have struck between urbanization and nature. due to a mixture of Aela's teachings and the history and longevity of the elves the inhabitants are always sure to make sure their expansion does not cause undue harm to the land. If a tree is cut down two more are planted. As a result this has often kept Shan'Rael's industry on a small and local scale.
Capital:
Cader Theris "The seat of plenty". Like all cities in Shan'Rael it has no walls and only a small garrison of defenders who act more as a city watch than an actual army. It is home to the world's largest theatre "The Canvas House" where all actors and playwrights aspire to showcase their art, and countless smaller venues often referred to as being "Off Canvas".
Other landmarks include illustrious Rael University, the premier academy of doctors and healers in the realm. It shares facilities with the Shan Enclave, Aela's clergy and an order of clerics more commonly known as white mages who's cathedral spawned the main campus. Together they represent magical and scientific healing arts! The two schools respect each other but there has always been something of a rivalry between them and students of the shared grounds are often being reprimanded for playing pranks on each other.
Shan Catherdral/Rael University
Aela also keeps a penthouse in both the university and the Canvas theatre, preferring them to a full blown palace. She prefers something cozy and when not in the city she stays at her true home. A cottage built in the style of halfling architecture. To her it is a little getaway in the country, to a mortal the idea of a tiny cottage built to the scale of a twelve foot woman looks bizarre but no one says so to Aela's face.
Aela's cottage:
Beings: Pixies - Tiny and benine. They appear as flying balls of light to most mortals, obscuring their tiny form. They like milk and honey.
Merlings - A form of merfolk, thought to be an offshoot of the jellyfolk. Like their saltwater kin they are silent. They tend to avoid land dwellers but prefer the warmth of the shallows.
Ents - tend to the woodlands and safeguard their beasts. They are always sure to speak up if woodsmen get too greedy. In the early days Aela was forced to step in and helped mediate the treaty that has dictated forestry laws in Shan'Rael to this day. Some have become such strong presences in the land that they have served as sages to nearby villages. One famous ent by the name of Whipporwill even serves on a city council.
Demi-dogs: Aela LOVES dogs! Adores them! In the earliest of times when they first began to take shape from their wolf ancestors she took as many as she could into her home and it is said that the dogs of today are all descended from her great pack. Though not magical it is undeniable that the dogs of Shan'Rael are incredibly intelligent, barking and acting as if they understand what is said to them.
