LadyAnnaLee

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Darin scowled, but didn’t argue when Ridahne mentioned not covering up her Seed-Chained mark completely. This was just going to have to be one of those things that Darin let go of. She didn’t like that. She didn’t like it one little bit. She supposed that she could force the issue to resolve her way because she was The Seed-Bearer, but Darin had already basically bullied Ridahne into creating a new Ojih mark. The human didn’t want to abuse her power, especially in regard to her friend. That didn’t mean she had to be happy about it. Because she wasn’t. Still she would let it be and not bring it up again.

Instead she continued to scowl as she pulled the stack of papers towards her. Darin had vague ideas of what a quill was. That didn’t mean she knew how to use one. When learning to write the elder that taught the children her age had created sticks by missing charcoal and tallow and then wrapping the shaped sticks in fabric and twine. Darin had never advanced to quills. It hurt to hold the thin sticks for too long and her page always wound up covered in black marks and her face was the same. Looking back that may have been the first time then elders decided that she was going to be difficult. Darin grew morose as she thought about it. She had really tried to get it right. She tried as hard as she could. She had wanted to impress her teachers. She hadn’t and while that wasn’t the last time, she tried to impress the elders it was certainly the last time she tried that hard.

Apprehensively Darin watched Ridhane and her long graceful fingers to see how it was done. Then, hesitantly, Darin copied the movements. She knew that this was going to be a disaster the moment she picked up the quill. It was even thinner than the charcoal sticks that she was used to. Her hand already hurt. She gritted her teeth as she dipped the quill into the inkwell before moving it towards the page. A heavy droplet of ink fell on the page to create a stark black blot. Darin wouldn’t let that defeat her. She placed the quill tip on the page to draw out a line, only to press to hard and tear the page. Okay, this was not going well. Darin carefully put the ruin page to the side before moving to redip the quill. Only she moved to fast and her arm bumped the inkwell and sent it toppling over. Letting out a shout of panic she lunged for the inkwell and set it upright to prevent more ink from spilling. Then, seeing where the ink was heaing, Darin let out another shout and quickly dive for the book that was in peril. The blank pages went flying. The inkwell landed on the ground, and Darin’s shirt wound up covered in ink. The books were all safe though.

Darin quickly began to stutter, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.”

Unbidden a thought came to her mind. ”You know the elders say Martian Left cause of something Talia did. I bet they’re wrong. I bet it’s you fault. I beat her couldn’t stand having a clumsy daughter that can’t even dance without stepping on toes or walk without tripping.”

There she had gone again, being a clumsy fool, knocking over inkwells, falling off cliffs, tripping over things that weren’t there. It was made worse by the fact that the ink had to be ruining the table and the floor. At least the books weren’t hurt. Darin carefully book the book with the traitors’ mark in it to the side as she got gone to the floor to try and contain the damage. Tears pricked at her eyes and she tried to blink them away. She wasn’t going to cry in front of Ridahne. She wanted the Elf to like her, to be impressed with her, to think she was worth something, anything. She didn’t want the Elf to leave. Not like him. Her apologies had yet to falter.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

discord.gg/fHbQEK

I think.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

I do. I have no idea what it is. Give me a minute.

Ravenloft, The Curse of Strahd.

Meh. Give Katrina a week with Olo and she'll probably kill anything that threatens him. If she doesn't kill Ronan of Fayren first. So we might be okay. Maybe.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

This is what I had in mind. Sort of. I'm not an artist. I figured it would be east to tattoo or embroider or male into jewelry. They would all be black except the Seed-Chained one which would be white. I imagined the apple as filled in, but if you want to make it more Azurein, it would make sense. It just needs to be clear that it's an apple.

Bad Art

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

From her temple to the top of her jaw. It would be a tree branch with small leaves coming from it. Then, just for Ridahne, for the Guardian mark, a small ampple hanging from the bottom. Darin would love for the Guardian mark to be green too, but since Ridahne practically had a heart the last time Darin suggested a new color she won't bring it up again.

I figure the number of leaves could indicate if one was Seed-Chained, Seed-Friend, or Seed-Cursed.

What do you think?

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Is Ridahne's Oijh symmetrical? Because I'm looking at the picture you sent me, forever ago, and it's in profile. If it's not symmetrical I have an idea for both the Seed-Chained mark and the Guardian mark.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Darin dropped into a seat as she listened to Ridahne hum. The human couldn’t help the smile that graced her features. She didn’t want to help it. Ridahne humming was officially one of the best sounds in the world. She sprawled her torso across what little of the table was bare to soak in the sound and atmosphere. This place was peaceful, and Darin knew that she would grow to cherish happy little memories like this one. She did rise up a little as the Azurei mentioned the guardians that would come after her. That wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t wrong, but Ridahne would be the only one to wear the Guardian mark that she was designing. It was the Seed-Chained mark that others of all races and creeds would wear.

Darin’s voice desperately kept her voice light so she wouldn’t sound accusatory, “You know The Gardener had a Guardian, right?” She gave her head a shake as she pointed out, “And none of the Children of Astra remember them.” The Seed-Bearer gave a half shrug, “The only ones who carried the memory of them though the countless years were The Gardener and The Tree. I never learned their name, but The Tree told me a little about them.” Darin held up to fingers, “There should be two marks. The mark for Guardian is one you and you alone will wear. The mark for Seed-Chained is one that you are only the first to bear. There will be others, of all the Children of Astra.”

That lead Darin to a thought she hadn’t thought about. Seed-Chained wasn’t the only title and responsibility that The Seed-Bearer had to give. In fact, she had already given one to one man and planed to give it to others, Seed-Friend. To be a Seed-Friend was a lighter burden than that of Seed-Chained, but there was less, well, less potential honor. To be Seed-Chained was to have a chance to become Seed-Honored. Then there was the one that Darin hoped she never had to use, Seed-Cursed. There were two titles and two half titles that Darin had the power to give and there was a whole hierarchy that Darin had problems explaining even inside of her own head. Then her heart skipped a beat as she remembered that she had missed a title. She was The Seed-Bearer. That didn’t even account for the fact that when she inevitably became The Gardener the titles would shift to, Tree-Chained, Tree-Honored, Tree-Friend, and Tree-Cursed.

She gave her head a shake as she tried to explain to Ridahne, “And that is only half a title. To be Seed-Chained is to have the potential to be Seed-Honored. The mark for Seed-Chained needs to be white so it can be gone over in black.” She was insistent, “If it is possible for a tattoo to be completely covered the mark for Seed-Chained and Seed-Honored need to be exactly the same, save one in white and one in black. Seed-Honored needs to cover Seed-Chained completely. When you are finally redeemed you sin will be forgotten.” She looked RIdahne dead in the eyes, “It will not be allowed to be remembered by anyone.” She slumped back down, “Both titles belong to a family. There is also Seed-Friend and Seed-Cursed.” She swallowed nervously as she finished the family, “And of course The Seed-Bearer.” She didn’t seem so sure, “We need to come up with marks for those as well; all black. Yet it can’t just be for tattoos. There is one Seed-Friend right now. They are Eluri. I plan on making at least one human a Seed-Friend. Black is universal though. The marks should still be wearable.” Her next statement was barely a whisper, “The Seed-Bearer’s mark.” She swallowed drily before starting again, “My mark should be green. I know that it is not an Azurei color, but it is an Astran color.”

Darin couldn’t look at Ridahne anymore. What would the Azurei think of those declarations? Darin had just turned the task of crafting a new Oijh mark into crafting symbols for what basically amounted to, for lack of better words, her court. Yet Darin had no one else she could trust with this. She had no one who understood the importance of symbols. She wasn’t putting the task solely on Ridahne though. Darin wanted to help. She just wasn’t sure how. She finally forced herself to look at Ridahne. Darin couldn’t help but feel like she was being completely unfair. Yet there was a task to be done. Ridahne was already doing part of it. Darin could, and wanted to, help.

Ravenloft, The Curse of Strahd.

Awesome. Thanks so much.

Can someone let me know if the picture in the charater tab is working?

Ravenloft, The Curse of Strahd.

Katrina Valance

Name(s):
Katrina Valance


Wait! I think I have one more! Wait. Wait! I have another. Wait! I lied. I still have more. Okay. I think that’s the last one. No! I forgot about this one.

Age:
Katrina is 26

Gender:
Katrina is female.

Race:
Katrina is definitely human.

Appearance:
If a passerby was to get one quick glance at Katrina, they would assume that she wasn’t dangerous and quickly disregard her. A second glance might revel the truth. She has grey eyes that go from unassuming to deadly in a literal blink of an eye. She is taller than even some men standing at 6 feet even in bare feet. She has a lithe fit physique that indicates years if not decades or physical training. Her hands are covered in callouses. When loose her think brown hair falls to her waist, but most of the time it is collected in a halo braid atop her head. She wears cotton pants as well as a cotton blouse. Over this she wears a steel breastplate, steel bracers, and steel knee high boots. Her coat is held in place with a leather shoulder pad. It is a heavy outfit that she wears with ease.

Personality:
Katrina is a private person that speaks only when spoken to. Even then she tends to speak only if her opinion is asked for or a response is necessary. Some find this disarming and she uses it to her advantage. Her thoughts tend to be sarcastic, cynical, and full of dry wit. She thinks over everything she says to ensure that this mostly rude thoughts do not slip out on accident. When they do, she physically cringes, but rarely apologizes. She simply moves on. She tends to do a job while others are in the middle of discussing it. She will simply do what needs doing. She has been caught helping down on their luck farmers for a day or two, handing beggar children sweets and coins, and bandaging up injured animals. She brushes off compliments and praise while inwardly screeching in terror while receiving them.

Class/Skills
Katrina is a fighter or possibly a ranger. She fights things with her fists and the variety of weapons she has on her person. She knows practically nothing of magic. Her fighting style is less head on and more duck and weave. She does her best to avoid being hit as she waits for the perfect moment to strike. When she strikes it is will almost deadly precision and staggering strength. That being said she is human. She falls prey to fatigue, hunger, thirst, and blood loss. She can go a longer than most humans and even if she is afraid of something, she will do her best to brush it off to continue the fight. Eventually she will succumb to physical and mental fatigue. She knows a wide range of martial styles and is proficient at almost all of them.

Equipment:
What weapons does Katrina not have? She has long thin knifes tuck into both sides of both her boots as well as thin sabers on both her calves. Then she has a pouch of throwing knifes on the outside of both her thighs. Attached to her right hip is a leather whip. Her left hip sports two swords, one a rapier, the other a gladius. Attached to the small of her back is a box containing a length of chain. Attached to the end of this chain is a battle fan. Various pockets on the outside of her coat contain smoke bombs of assorted sizes. The pockets on the inside of her pockets spot let more knives in a variety of shapes and lengths. She also keeps a few spearheads in there. On the inside of both her forearms short bo staffs are strapped. A twist of the base of both these staffs will reveal small blades. Attached to her wrists are grappling wire that she can shoot out to gain height, but respooling the wire is no fun. At her mid back are two short swords. Across her whole back is a broad sword as well as a quiver of arrows. She carries the short bow. She wears a set of knuckledusters on her left fingers, and a ring with a poisoned spike in it on her right pointer. Around her neck is a length of chain with a heavy weight on the end that she can unhook and use to beat people with. When her hair is braided in its customary halo there are several pointed hairpins, both metal and wood, placed into it. This is a short list. She’s that one person when you ask them to leave all of their weapons at the door you will both be standing there for at least ten minutes as she keeps remembering more things. If there is a space on her person that isn’t taken up by a weapon it’s simply because she hasn’t figured out how to put one there. Yet.

Other than the practical armory, Katrina has a small traveling pack that contains things like a sewing kit, a fork, knife, and plate, a basic bedroll, and basic stationary. It also has yet more knifes and everything she needs to keep her weapons in perfect working order. She also has a waterskin and basic spices. Besides her weapons she has just enough to survive till she gets to the next town. She also has a handful coins.

There is also Rolf, her hawk, that she took in when he still had his down feathers. She raised him and the hawk imprinted on her. She has trained him to hunt rabbits for dinner and to claw out the eyes of her enemies.

History:
Katrina Valance began training to be a monster hunter as soon as she could walk. She does not know if the person that raise her if actually related to her or not. All she knows is that the man that called himself her uncle was cruel and demanding. Mistakes were not tolerated and punished swiftly. She quickly learned to strive for perfection. As such she knows that she is good at what she does. When she was 18, she was given her first assignment. She was more successful than anyone thought she would be. She was given several more assignments. At 21 she left during the middle of an assignment and never looked back. Now she takes odd jobs in order to stay away from her so called family. Since she is not part of a guild she can’t charge as much for her skills as they are worth. Still, she doesn’t want to be connected to anyone ever again.