Aeudla Vesnat | 28 | ElvenA P P E R A N C E :
Aeudla has a rather unremarkable appearance, at least for an elf. She stands at around six feet tall, with long, jaunty legs attached to a slender frame. Like other tribal elves, her skin is a patchwork of light and hazely patches of sunned skin which reflect generations of nomadism. Her facial features are otherwise not particularly elven - she has, of course, long, jagged ears and high cheekbones, but none of the extreme angles that characterize her race. One would even say that her nose - which jutted out at an odd angle, as if broken - was distinctly un-Elven. Her hazel eyes are soft, and there is no predatory nature or hint of intimidation behind her gaze. If one were forced to describe some sort of elven woman, but lacked a real understanding of what made elves striking, their description would more or less encompass Aeudla.
Few would be able to tell that Aeudla possessed any sort of strength that distinguished her from any other woman. The powerful muscles developed through years of work pulling her warbow were hidden under swaddling cloaks, and again under a thick gambeson tabard worn in battle. They hid the numerous scars earned over years of being a traveling tribeswoman-turned-soldier. Designed for practicality, the woolen gambeson and cloak were shades off off-grey and brown that matched the rest of Aeudla's appearance - plain and unremarkable. There were times where she looked more a pentinent monk than anything else.
H I S T O R Y:
Once said to reside in massive fortresses and keeps in old tales bordering on myth, the elven race now subsists in nomadic tribes that skirt the steppes of the northern mountain ranges. They make do by raising herds of animals, foraging, and making crafts that are traded with merchants in towns scattered around the mountains. In general, such tribes are rather insular, have a cultural focus on pride for a distinctly Elven way of life, and venerate the Old Gods to an extreme. Religion is paramount to retaining a sense of identity and cohesion among the nomadic tribes of the Steppes, and used - in part - as justification for nearly every decision made by the tribe leaders. It justified conflict with other tribes, and particularly, other races, and regulated the flow of power between generations. Aeudla herself was named loosely after the primordial cow that had suckled the first elves to emerge after the destruction of the First War.
Blood magic had its place in the structure of the tribe, because blood sorcerers were often adept healers or skilled arcanists, which was invaluable in times of war. However, blood magic was rightly seen as ungodly and almost despicable, because blood mages had the capacity to play with life itself in sort of horrible, calculated way. There was something much more sinister about power by blood magic than by force - one was earned, and the other stolen through guile and ungodliness. Blood mages often took the role of usurper in Elven histories; calculated, and cunning - mortals trying to foil the wills of the Gods themselves. And this was absolutely the case. Every member of a respective tribe was expected to fulfill a certain role in a generational basis, and it was with pride that one contribute in any way he could. Because people were born with a propensity for blood magic (it was not easily learned, or at least this was the belief of the tribes), they were valuable commodities. A tribe with a healer could trade a magic-wielding member to another tribe should they lack someone with the skillset. This was completely normal, and accepted. As there was already a healer in tribe Vesnat, it was with some consideration that Aeudla was traded (along with a ton of freshly-sheared wool) to tribe Sokolov as a healer until one of theirs came of age. They were a much larger, more industrious and modernized clan, so this was not surprising. After that, she was traded to a merchant who lived far from the steppes, in a city called Feroxi, and recruited into the ranks of the Legion. Legion was on the decline, yet somehow still kicking its heels at the sky, desperate for anything to populate its dwindling ranks. And so it goes.
M I N D :
Aeudla's internal construction of reality has become dependent on her experiences with blood magic. This dependence substantially shapes her interaction with others, and is the basis of many of her compunctions. She thinks of everything with some respect to her foundation of the world around blood magic. For instance, Aeudla is extremely spiritual in a way that is not particularly Elven, but could be described as naturalistic, fringing on being physicalist. Her treatment of others hinges on her perception of the harmonies of their soul, and makes her appear to have wildly varying levels of empathy towards others. Aeudla is extremely curious and easily fascinated with understanding others if she perceives they are worth study. Though she not well-learned, she is sensitively attuned to her environment, though she is extremely ignorant of things which do not interest her. Aeudla has an emotional and physical fixation on blood magic, and the supposed euphoria brought on by it. Whatever stretches of clarity she has are punctuated with periods of internal mania rendering her unable to carry serious conversations, and the like. In speech, she is at times irreverent and direct, and other times bubbly with intoxicated wonder.
Mentally, she struggles with the disparity between what she learned as a child in her tribe, and her experiences after leaving and discovering the world for herself. Her tribe, very much dependent on preserving tradition, emphasized moral and physical superiority over other races. Some vestiges of this remain, as Aeudla still has a deep appreciation of the Gods, and at times is prideful to the point of being prejudiced. However, she retroactively realizes much of what she grew up to believe was some exaggeration of truth used to preserve order. Separation from her tribe has allowed her to experience firsthand things she had been told as a child, and her reliance has shifted to these new experiences. Her internal renoucement of her tribe is very satisfying, as it seems to justify her feelings of resentment towards her culture; particularly, the disapproval towards the enjoyment of blood magic. But this is a conscious lie, as those she has met have similar opinions, and this does nothing to legitimize her identity. Aeudla feels increasingly at odds with herself and those around her, as she feels that she is an abomination in her sick fascination with blood magic but cannot deny that it is the central facet of her identity. She finds herself wishing to connect with others, as if it could somehow justify her identity, but is simultaneously deeply repulsed with the idea.
M O D U S O P R E R A N D I:
Probably stereotypically true to her heritage, Aeudla is adept as an archer, and generally prefers long-range combat as a result. While blood magic is known to induce a sort of mania, archery is extremely grounding and requires both physical and mental fortitude. One must concentrate, really feel every segment of their body and control every movement down to a science in order to be accurate, especially at long range, or while moving. It is the foil to her love of blood magic, though one could argue her acute control of her body was developed as a sorcerer. She wields an eighty-five pound yew-cherry longbow, using bodkin-tipped arrows.
When it is called for, or should she encounter an enemy in close quarters (nearing the end of a battle, generally), Aeudla acts as a blood mage. She possesses an accute attunement to the movement of blood in those around her, claiming to be able to hear the spirit crying from within - though whether this is true, or some side effect of the high she gets from using blood magic is unclear. Adept as any other blood sorcerer at actually using soul, she is most skilled manipulating blood within the body. It is manageable to debilitate enemies given enough of a window of time, and easier still with exposed skin. She has some skill as a healer, but as many have aversions to blood mages, a proper doctor is much preferred.
O P I N I O N S O N O T H E R S
Verse:
Arthur Wick:
Myaenthar'Sul:
Reika:
Magatha:
Hanir:
Andrea Albane:
Marcus: