Tae

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

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As Lorelei and Rodrick took a seat amongst the group, Lorelei gave everyone a friendly smile before turning her attention to the figures now entering the hall. She eyed all of them, taking note of which ones she wished to talk to while also listening to the rules. Those should all be simple enough to follow. Before she knew what was really happening there was a feast in front of them, impressive. She slowly began gathering some food of her own as the tiefling woman who squeezed in shortly after her and Rodrick insisted that they all introduced themselves. She decided to allow others to do so first, examining each character instead. The strange fox girl introduced herself in broken common as Selena and then the two white haired people next to her. She didn’t pay them much mind until something caught her completely off guard. A language familiar to her, yet also almost a stranger to her in the years she’d gone not hearing it rang in her ears. Her head whipped to Selena, staring at her in stunned silence for a moment. ”H-how do you know this language?” She finally asked the girl, speaking in her native tongue for the first time in many years.

Selena’s ears twitched towards Lorelei when she spoke up. She reddened slightly and bowed her head quickly in apology. ”Forgive me… I learned it when I was a little kit. For whenever a Siren would visit our home.” She said fluently. ”I admit it has been a while… But I recognize you were a Siren from your characteristics… It’s hard not to with that vibrant beautiful hair color.” She said with a smile and a cock of her head. Her tail up and swaying gently behind her. She felt at ease speaking a tongue she learned when she was little. Fond memories of the few times she was allowed to leave the Shrine, and travel to the small island they designated for the Sirens rest and stay on.

Lorelei blinked at the girl as a memory was unlocked in her mind, something she’d forgotten long ago. For a brief moment she felt tears well in her eyes, but she shoved them back down as she let out a small laugh. ”Please don’t apologize, I just wasn’t expecting it. It brings my heart joy to hear my language again. My mother had always spoken highly of the Kitsune, I feel lucky to finally meet one.” Her mother’s voice rang in her head and something inside her cracked a little, a brief moment of sadness filling her eyes. ”I’m Lorelei, it’s truly a pleasure to meet you.” She switched back to the common tongue so she didn’t have to introduce herself twice, but she was giving Selena a genuine smile.

Selena started to panic when she saw tears well up in the siren’s eyes. Did she say something wrong? Was she not supposed to speak in this tongue? But it quickly went away and she breathed a sigh of relief when the girl laughed and spoke up again. Her tail swayed more as she felt warm that she brought joy to this girl, without even meaning to. She was pleased to hear that her mother spoke highly of her people. Thankful for that knowledge. When she then switched back to the common tongue and introduced herself. She smiled brightly. She knew what she wanted to say, but the words were lost to her for a moment. She looked to Finn who was busy talking to the dwarf next to him, then back to Lorelei. But then she suddenly remembered. ” Please...thank you. The pl--- pleasure is me?… mine! She said, her skin turning as pink as her hair. She remembered Finn saying something like that before. She hoped she said it right.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

This is what I have for Sirens right now, Chaotic needs to approve it first and I MAY add more in the future. It's a good starting point for now, though, I think.

Sirens

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Leadership

As a matriarchal society the women are highly valued amongst their communities. There are male sirens and they tend to be the warriors of the race. They were ruled by a queen, but they haven’t had a queen since the royal family was killed 11 years ago. Currently the sirens have become less common, being scattered since the eradication of the royal family.

Communication

Most sirens anymore speak the common tongue, however they do have a language of their own that most still speak.

Religion

Originally, sirens worshiped Nielia, the Goddess of the Sea’s Song. They had priests and priestesses that spoke for the goddess, helping guide their people. Many believe that the song the sirens sing was a gift from the goddess in order to protect her children and they believe it connects them to their goddess.

History

Long ago when the other races began venturing out into the sea they came across a race of merpeople. Having not known any other races, the sirens originally were friendly towards these sailors. In storms they would sing out and lead the ship to safety. They were protectors of those that traversed their home. With all new discoveries, however, there are always those that wish to profit from it. Soon sirens were being captured, sold into slavery, or even killed for the scales on their tales. Being intelligent creatures, however, sirens began retaliating and using their gift of song to now lead ships and sailors into danger. They would drown any that fell into the sea and soon they became a creature that was feared by many. All sorts of superstitions arose around sirens and as time progressed and some sirens decided to try joining society on the main continent, they weren’t entirely accepted.

25 years ago a queen arose amongst the sirens who wished to unite their people with the humans. Queen Idamei Kyganna wed a human royal, Prince Sigmund Jaqeli and for the first time ever the other races were welcomed to the island of Aroalirea. Things seemed to go smoothly for a long time and a child was born to the couple. The child wasn’t the first half-breed, however, as there had been sirens living amongst the other races now for years and some half-breeds had resulted from this. The old way of the sirens had been changed and there were far less deaths at the hands of this race at sea.

Some didn’t agree with this, however, and a plan was hatched. When the queen and her family were visiting the mainland they were attacked and murdered. At the same time some had been sent to Aroalirea and attacked. Many sirens died that day and now they seem to be a rarity. Aroalirea has been abandoned completely. There are still some sirens living amongst the other races, but you’re more likely to come across a half-breed anymore. Even then it’s not a common thing.

Clothing

Traditionally sirens didn’t really wear any clothing and if they did then it was very minimal, made from things they found beneath the sea. Now if you come across a siren they are likely dressed much like any of the other races. Many have abandoned their traditions in order to blend in more with the other races.

Relationships and Family Dynamics

The women tend to be the head of the family, caring for their wellbeing while the men are their protectors. Most families stick together, many generations living under the same roof.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

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It worked. Lorelei was still in disbelief that it worked. How long had she been plotting this, longing to get away from him? So many failed attempts and so many consequences for said failed attempts. Of course this may also have repercussions, especially when he found out HOW it came to be. She couldn’t think about that right now, though, and instead decided to focus on the fact that she finally had some freedom. She could finally do as she pleased! Well kind of...for this to work she still needed to focus on the things the thieves guild had been trying to teach her. Some of it she was happy to learn, but other parts of it she was dreading.

Lorelei was pulled out of her thoughts as the carriage pulled up to Hoseforn’s Academy and she glanced out the window to watch all sorts of students milling about. Finally the carriage came to a halt and she opened the door, stepping out as she pulled the hood of her outfit off her head. She turned to look at the man who had been driving the carriage and gave him a grin. ”Thanks Archie, I can take it from here.” She began to walk away, but the man called out to her.

”Now Miss Lorelei, you know I was instructed by Master Zendan to accompany you in and make sure you were truly accepted. If you weren’t then I was to immediately escort you back.” He said, scolding her in a way one would a small child. A small look of annoyance crossed Lorelei’s face for the briefest of moments before she turned back to Archibald with a winning smile.

”Really Archie, I’ll be okay. I have my acceptance letter right here, it was confirmed back at the guild it wasn’t a counterfeit right? Or are you doubting the skills of our mages?” She gave him an accusatory look and he became slightly flustered before she went on. ”Don’t worry, I won’t tell them. Truth is, I question them sometimes too. I’ll tell you what, I will send word back to Zendan and give you the highest of praise. I’ll tell him you even escorted me to my rooms! You might even get a promotion out of it. Do we have a deal?” Archie seemed to hesitate for only a moment more, but then he sighed and nodded. He’d been aching for a promotion for a while and if anyone could persuade Zendan to give it to him, it was his precious gem Lorelei. Finally Archibald drove the carriage away and Lorelei was free to go about things.

She decided to follow the flow of students into the Main Hall and upon entering she let out a small whistle. Never before had she seen a crystal like this and a small part of her wondered how much something like that would be worth. She quickly shoved that thought aside as she approached one of the booths all the other students had been going to. "Greeting's new student. I am Athena. Welcome to Hoseforn's Academy for Gifted Adventurers. Please present your acceptance scroll now."

"Damn, this place is fancy." Lorelei said as she presented the scroll. She watched the runes glow, slightly intrigued by them yet having no clue what they meant. She was confident that this was probably some big magic, though. "Letter accepted. Welcome Lorelei Vilinza." The scroll proceeded to change into a map and Lorelei found herself nodding in approval. This would be very helpful in finding her way around this large place. This is a map of the school grounds, your dorm number is 634. A fresh uniform and any supplies you require will be waiting for you. Please change...bathe... and return to the Main Hall within twenty minutes for the welcoming feast. Attendance is mandatory." Really? She only had twenty minutes? Well of course… She left the booth in a hurry, shoving past a few students who began to yell at her yet as soon as they saw her murderous stare they shut up.

Having a map of the campus made navigating to the dorms incredibly easy. She was thankful that she didn't have to waste time searching where she needed to go because at this point she was likely going to be late. She glanced around the halls, noticing the variety of people there even though there weren't many at this point. Most had likely already made their way to the Main Hall. She looked at the numbers on the door until she came to 634. She went to reach for the handle, but the door opened and and she came face to face with a tiefling man. She blinked in confusion for a moment, but quickly recovered as she gave him a once over. "Well if you're my roommate I'm certainly not going to complain." She smirked up at him as she placed a hand on her hip. Her other hand extended out to him as she introduced herself. "Lorelei Vilinza at your service."

@ChaoticLaw

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

You should probably plug your ears…

Theme

Name: Lorelei Vilinza
Race: Half-Siren
Age: 19 (Sirens can live up to 500 years and half sirens live 250 years, but they are both considered full adults at the age of 20)
Gender: Female
Appearance: Lorelei has two forms, a human form and an aquatic form. Her human form is much like the picture, only her ears are rounded and her features are less sharp. She does keep her yellow, slit eyes, however. In her human form, she stands at 5’5 and weighs in at 115 lbs. She has a rather lean, yet slightly athletic build to her. Her hair is naturally aqua blue and falls to her waist in soft waves. In her aquatic form her features become much sharper, almost ethereal looking. Her ears are pointed, she has webs between her hands, and she sports a small pair of fangs. The most notable thing, however, is that she has a tail like a mermaid. It’s a deep purple color that fades to a fuchsia then a pastel pink and has an iridescent appearance to it. She also measures at 5’9 in her aquatic form.
Class: Bard Assassin
Personality: Lorelei is quite the extrovert and is rather skilled in making conversation. She has a charm about her that she likes to use to her advantage. She likes to figure out what makes people tick and can easily appear as your best friend. To say she can be manipulative is quite the understatement. Outwardly when you first meet her she seems friendly and harmless, but if she hasn’t grown close to you she won’t hesitate to stab you in the back. She has a ruthlessness to her that could even make a grown man cry. She’s all about self-preservation as well, unless you’ve managed to get close to her and she actually views you as someone she cares for. If that has happened then she will go to the ends of the earth to protect you. Growing close to Lorelei, however, is not an easy task as she doesn’t trust people easily. She’s seen the gruesome, backstabbing side of this world and thus is incredibly hesitant to let people in.

She’s rather hot-headed, which can get her into trouble at times, but you really need to worry when she’s become quiet and calm. When this happens is when you know she is thinking of all the glorious ways she could slowly kill you. When it comes to either being brave or cowardly, she’d like to say she’s in the middle. She won’t often back down from a fight, but she also won’t stick around if she determines that the fight isn’t in her favor. She’d rather live to grow stronger and then come back and murder you. Lorelei can also be incredibly vindictive and doesn’t let things go easily. Bring her or the ones she cares for injury then she will crush you, ruin your name, and salt your fields.

Lorelei is rather high energy and can have quite the sense of humor at times, albeit a dark sense of humor. There also may be a spark of insanity in her eyes, but let’s not entirely worry about that right now.

Strengths:
Siren’s Call || Siren’s have a song that can draw people to them, make them desire them. A half-siren, however, has a much weaker version of this. Lorelei can sing her song and help calm a room, make people feel at ease around her, and on some occasions persuade them to do things for her. After the effect ends, though, the person realizes that they were magically charmed by her and many don’t take kindly to that.
Stealth || She’s rather quiet and does rather well at disappearing into the shadows or a crowd.
Singing || While not using her Siren’s Call, Lorelei is still a very good singer.
Dagger and Throwing Knives || These are her weapons of choice and is fairly decent with them.
Cunning || Is pretty good at talking her way out of situations. Also rather good at extracting information.
Agile || Pretty good with acrobatics.
Ambidextrous || There’s a story here, but will she actually tell you the truth?
Weaknesses:
Strength || Lorelei is not very strong by any means. Let’s just say she’s not the one to ask to open a pickle jar.
Siren’s Call || A double edged sword, while this skill is useful, it does take a lot out of her. If she uses it too often then she has been known to pass out shortly after.
Instruments || She’s trying to learn how to use the harp, but it’s proving to be MUCH more difficult than she anticipated. She may have thrown a couple out the window already.
Magic || She’s learning how to cast spells using music, but it’s difficult. She gets frustrated and miscasts spells often.
Water || Although she’s a siren and has the ability to shift between human form and her aquatic form, when she’s in her aquatic form she can easily become consumed with a bloodlust and it doesn’t matter if your friend or foe, the chance of her trying to drown you is very high.
Bugs, Mice, and Rats || Don’t judge, she has a mild fear of them and may scream at people to “Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!”
Biography: Lorelei’s past is quite the mystery as whenever she’s asked about it the story always seems to change. Is she the bastard daughter of some noble? Heiress to an underground crime lord? Maybe she’s just some regular middle-class person that came from a union of a human and a siren? Or perhaps she’s some long lost princess? All of these are stories she’s told, but are any of them actually true? One would really have to crack her to find out the truth of her origins. What is known, however, is that a thieves guild paid top dollar for her to attend this school. She is to hone her skills, both her inherited siren skill and learned skills, to become a deadly assassin. While someone would like her to be just that, an assassin, Lorelei has to put her own spin on things. She’s going to use her love of music and dance to become what she needs and no one can stop her.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

You should probably plug your ears…

Theme

Name: Lorelei Vilinza
Race: Half-Siren
Age: 19 (Sirens can live up to 500 years and half sirens live 250 years, but they are both considered full adults at the age of 20)
Gender: Female
Appearance: Lorelei has two forms, a human form and an aquatic form. Her human form is much like the picture, only her ears are rounded and her features are less sharp. She does keep her yellow, slit eyes, however. In her human form, she stands at 5’5 and weighs in at 115 lbs. She has a rather lean, yet slightly athletic build to her. Her hair is naturally aqua blue and falls to her waist in soft waves. In her aquatic form her features become much sharper, almost ethereal looking. Her ears are pointed, she has webs between her hands, and she sports a small pair of fangs. The most notable thing, however, is that she has a tail like a mermaid. It’s a deep purple color that fades to a fuchsia then a pastel pink and has an iridescent appearance to it. She also measures at 5’9 in her aquatic form.
Class: Bard Assassin
Personality: Lorelei is quite the extrovert and is rather skilled in making conversation. She has a charm about her that she likes to use to her advantage. She likes to figure out what makes people tick and can easily appear as your best friend. To say she can be manipulative is quite the understatement. Outwardly when you first meet her she seems friendly and harmless, but if she hasn’t grown close to you she won’t hesitate to stab you in the back. She has a ruthlessness to her that could even make a grown man cry. She’s all about self-preservation as well, unless you’ve managed to get close to her and she actually views you as someone she cares for. If that has happened then she will go to the ends of the earth to protect you. Growing close to Lorelei, however, is not an easy task as she doesn’t trust people easily. She’s seen the gruesome, backstabbing side of this world and thus is incredibly hesitant to let people in.

She’s rather hot-headed, which can get her into trouble at times, but you really need to worry when she’s become quiet and calm. When this happens is when you know she is thinking of all the glorious ways she could slowly kill you. When it comes to either being brave or cowardly, she’d like to say she’s in the middle. She won’t often back down from a fight, but she also won’t stick around if she determines that the fight isn’t in her favor. She’d rather live to grow stronger and then come back and murder you. Lorelei can also be incredibly vindictive and doesn’t let things go easily. Bring her or the ones she cares for injury then she will crush you, ruin your name, and salt your fields.

Lorelei is rather high energy and can have quite the sense of humor at times, albeit a dark sense of humor. There also may be a spark of insanity in her eyes, but let’s not entirely worry about that right now.

Strengths:
Siren’s Call || Siren’s have a song that can draw people to them, make them desire them. A half-siren, however, has a much weaker version of this. Lorelei can sing her song and help calm a room, make people feel at ease around her, and on some occasions persuade them to do things for her. After the effect ends, though, the person realizes that they were magically charmed by her and many don’t take kindly to that.
Stealth || She’s rather quiet and does rather well at disappearing into the shadows or a crowd.
Singing || While not using her Siren’s Call, Lorelei is still a very good singer.
Dagger and Throwing Knives || These are her weapons of choice and is fairly decent with them.
Cunning || Is pretty good at talking her way out of situations. Also rather good at extracting information.
Agile || Pretty good with acrobatics.
Ambidextrous || There’s a story here, but will she actually tell you the truth?
Weaknesses:
Strength || Lorelei is not very strong by any means. Let’s just say she’s not the one to ask to open a pickle jar.
Siren’s Call || A double edged sword, while this skill is useful, it does take a lot out of her. If she uses it too often then she has been known to pass out shortly after.
Instruments || She’s trying to learn how to use the harp, but it’s proving to be MUCH more difficult than she anticipated. She may have thrown a couple out the window already.
Magic || She’s learning how to cast spells using music, but it’s difficult. She gets frustrated and miscasts spells often.
Water || Although she’s a siren and has the ability to shift between human form and her aquatic form, when she’s in her aquatic form she can easily become consumed with a bloodlust and it doesn’t matter if your friend or foe, the chance of her trying to drown you is very high.
Bugs, Mice, and Rats || Don’t judge, she has a mild fear of them and may scream at people to “Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!”
Biography: Lorelei’s past is quite the mystery as whenever she’s asked about it the story always seems to change. Is she the bastard daughter of some noble? Heiress to an underground crime lord? Maybe she’s just some regular middle-class person that came from a union of a human and a siren? Or perhaps she’s some long lost princess? All of these are stories she’s told, but are any of them actually true? One would really have to crack her to find out the truth of her origins. What is known, however, is that a thieves guild paid top dollar for her to attend this school. She is to hone her skills, both her inherited siren skill and learned skills, to become a deadly assassin. While someone would like her to be just that, an assassin, Lorelei has to put her own spin on things. She’s going to use her love of music and dance to become what she needs and no one can stop her.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

@ChaoticLaw Yay! Okay I'll join your discord then!

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

Ooo I'm quite intrigued by this! Do you by chance have room for one more?

Avalia

Time: Evening
Location: The Pretty Flower, River Kingdom
Interactions: @princess Helio
New Outfit: Outfit

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Azriel had agreed to meet Helio at The Pretty Flower that evening, but she’d decided after the events earlier that she first wanted to bathe. She knew Helio likely wouldn’t mind the blood and gore that was all over her, but she wasn’t fond of constantly living in that. So she’d gone to take a bath at the bath house, spending the rest of the day there relaxing. Now she was heading towards the meeting spot, smelling like jasmine, something she wasn’t entirely fond of. Why would anyone want to smell so frilly and sweet? Damn those fairies for adding jasmine oil to her bath. She’d also allowed them to do something with her hair and, after quite a while, she had some pretty and pristine updo. It wasn’t long after she left that Azriel immediately pulled parts of it out and messed it up. Now it looked nothing like it had, being quite messy.

She swaggered through the doors of The Pretty Flower, watching people eying her. She ignored them, however, as her eyes locked on the form of Helio and she grinned. What havok would they wreak tonight, she wondered? As she approached she only heard the last thing he said, having no idea what had occurred moments before. ”Ah so you like it strong and bitter? Well that’s intriguing.” She teased him as she leaned against the bar next to him. ”I’ll have the same as your king.” She said to the girl running the bar.

”Well what do we have planned for tonight other than potentially getting completely wasted and doing things others might regret? I’m ready to have some fun and take my mind off of things.” She gave him a coy grin before grabbing the drink that had been set before her and going to take a sip.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon Day 2
Location: Forest
Interaction: @Helo Cade @Potter Cora @Alivefalling Ezeri
Mentions:
Mood:

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Elsea kept pace with the group, keeping quiet now unless spoken to, just enjoying the conversation around her. She was about to answer Cade’s question when Ezeri went on to explain why she was here. She described being attacked by a large beast and Elsea didn’t think much of it until she described what the beast turned into. Orange hair, fuzzy ears, a fox tail, it sounded an awful lot like Kyran, but he didn’t turn into a beast...did he? She wanted to ask her more questions about him, but first she needed to answer Cade. ”Well actually I’m on the lookout for Risa and our friend. I was in their company before the ball and I’m awfully worried about them, though I’m sure they’re alright. It’s strange, though, because the description Ezeri just gave sounds a LOT like our friend.” She then turned to look at Ezeri.

”Did the young man give you a name by chance?” She had a hopeful, yet worried look to her eyes. She hoped nothing bad had befallen Risa and Kyran, but if it was Kyran then what had turned him into a beast and where was Risa during this?

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Time: Afternoon Day 2
Location: River Kingdom
Interactions: @princess Helio @FunnyGuy Umber @Potter Artemis @Dezuel Terneus
New Outfit: Outfit

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There was a slight burst of rage that went through Azriel as Umber snapped that fairy wing, but she quickly pushed it aside. Two could play at this game. ”Oh good! Now you have the perfect trinket to alway remember your loving daughter by!” She responded with an excited clap and smirk. She wouldn’t let him get to her that easily.

Before much else could happen it appeared they had another guest. Helio seemed to think it was an elf and she nodded in agreement before they watched the light elf governor exit the carriage and approach them. Her hatred for him burned inside of her, but she restrained herself for now. She was far too intrigued to see why he was here. Didn’t he know he was currently walking into a pit of vipers? Helio seemed giddy with this new addition which could only mean things were about to get quite fun. He seemed to struggle holding in a laugh, but soon lost his fight which in turn only made Azriel giggle. She then began eyeing Terneus up and down with her signature mischievous grin on her face. Yes this was indeed going to be fun.

”Oh but sweetie pie, I don’t think we can get an amora here until tomorrow. The governor may have to stay the night.” She placed an affectionate hand on his arm, watching out of the corner of her eye if she could get a rise out of Artemis in the cage. After a moment she turned her attention back to the governor and continued. ”Unless the governor wanted me to fly him to his destination? I’d be more than happy to...drop him off wherever he needs to go.” There was a dark, gleeful look in her eye as she let out another small giggle.

---

Time: Afternoon Day 2
Location: Forest
Interaction: @Helo Bowyn @HowlsOfWinter Zephyrin @princess Clara
Outfit: Outfit she changed into after getting her things

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Bowyn seemed to appreciate the small funeral they were able to give Boreas and Kenia was glad that they could do something nice for him. Soon Bowyn was urging them to continue on, take what they could from the wyvern and go. Kenia merely nodded in acknowledgement as she moved towards the wyvern, ready to take what she could. They couldn’t spend too much time gathering things, unfortunately, if they wanted to make it to the port by nightfall. They could only spend an hour and a half tops.

As she got to work, Arwen, or apparently Clara it seemed, spoke up. ”Oh dear gods, she’s even younger than Corvina and Rei…” She sighed as she dropped her head back and looked up at the sky. She then glanced over at her as she finished, silent for a moment before letting out a small chuckle and now looking over to Bowyn. ”Oh man, this girl is looking to join the rebels and doesn’t want to drag us into it. Too bad she got stuck with us, huh.” There was a teasing tone to her voice as she moved over to Clara and put a hand on her shoulder.

”Thank you for being honest, though I suppose I should be honest as well. I discovered you were human last night while you slept. There’s a special little something on those ears that indicates to rebels that your human.” She let her words sink in for a moment, a small smirk on her face before she pat the girl’s shoulder. ”Welcome to the rebellion Clara.” She then walked away from the girl and headed for the wyvern tail. She wanted the end of that tail for sure as she could harvest the poison later and add it to her collection as she’d run out of wyvern poison a little while ago and it was a useful thing to keep on hand. She then went back to skinning the wyvern for the most expensive parts.

Avalia

Time: Afternoon Day 2
Location: Forest
Interaction: @Helo Bowyn @HowlsOfWinter Zephyrin @princess Clara
Outfit: Outfit she changed into after getting her things

---

Kenia realized that Bowyn was in this for vengeance now, she could tell just by the look of him. She’d been in a similar state two nights ago and understood it well. She also understood that she needed to move otherwise she’d also be caught in Bowyn’s wrath and she swiftly bailed off of the wyvern moments before he slammed the wyvern’s head into the ground. She rolled as she hit the ground, but soon was on her feet again as she watched both Bowyn and Arwen finish the beast off. A part of her felt sorry for the creature, but there was no getting around what had to be done. Unfortunately they lost one of their own in the process as well and that fact angered her. Boreas may have merely been a bird to some, but it was obvious he was so much more than that.

Arwen had slowly approached Bowyn and Kenia remained quiet as she watched the two briefly, unsure of what to say. While the pragmatic side of her wanted to skin what she could from the wyvern and leave quickly, her heart screamed at her to do otherwise. To give Bowyn as much time as he needed, that’s what needed to be done. She spotted her flower crown a little ways away from her and silently moved over to it, picking it up off the ground. It must have fallen off at some point during the battle. As she grabbed it, however, something else caught her eye. There, not far from her crown, lay a smaller flower crown that used to adorn the head of the beautiful bird. Gently she picked it up and closed her eyes as she fought off a wave of emotions. She didn’t know Boreas well nor did she know the depth of the relationship between the bird and Bowyn, but his loss brought back up the feelings from losing Rei. She felt ill for a moment, but pushed past it as she came to a resolve. She noticed Arwen to a spot near a tree and set her flower crown down.

Quietly she began gathering some rocks and started stacking them at the base of the same tree Arwen had gone too. She could have asked Arwen to do so, but the girl was offering comfort to Bowyn and Kenia didn’t know how spent she was with her magic. She wasn't about to stop the girl, however, if she decided she wanted to help as well. Once it was complete she then moved to the wyvern. She found the largest and prettiest scale she could and skillfully removed it from the dead beast. She then used her light magic to carefully engrave on it ‘Boreas, Bravest of All’. She set the scale down, propped against the rock pile, and then took off her crown as she set it also propped against the memorial sight. The sight of it stirred a memory…

Memory

A small, blonde elven girl stood between an elven man and woman, gold and blue eyes filled with tears as a sad song filled the air. A younger version of Nym Biralei had his arm around is silently weeping wife, Alea, who had her own arms around her daughter. All three figures were dressed in black and mother and daughter both wore black veils over their faces. In front of them was a funeral pyre with an older, aristocratic elven man lying upon it. Little Kenia looked up at her mother, still fighting back tears, as she asked, ”Mama, when is he gonna wake up?” Her mother’s breath caught as she held back a sob. Alea put on a sad smile as she slowly knelt down next to her daughter.

”Well, little lark, sometimes people go to sleep and they don’t wake up. Your grandfather isn’t going to wake up anymore.” She tried to delicately explain to the young girl. Tears finally started to spill over onto Kenia’s face as she understood what her mother was saying, but didn’t believe it. Who was going to play with her and be her dashing prince and call her the most beautiful princess now? Who was going to buy her little trinkets and give her sweets when her parents said no? Why did grandfather have to leave them?

”What happened to him? Did someone take him from us? It’s not fair!” Kenia cried out and stomped her foot, her mother immediately shushing her as she got disapproving looks from the other nobles at the funeral. Alea gave them an apologetic look before turning back to Kenia, trying to decide on how to calm her daughter.

As this was happening, an elven guard approached them and bowed before turning his attention to Nym. ”My lord, we’ve discovered that Lord Sudryal’s death may have been that of an assassination.” He spoke in a hushed voice, however Alea still heard and she gave Nym an alarmed look. Nym in turn gave Alea a look that said ‘I’ll handle it’ before leaving with the guard. Confusion crossed Kenia’s face as she looked at the guard, then her father, and then to her mother.

”What does he mean? What is an ass..asasi...assination?” She struggled trying to pronounce the word, confident she’d gotten it in the end. Her mother was looking at her again, now with a kind look, but Kenia could still see the fear in her eyes. Whatever that man was talking about had her mother very worried and in turn it was starting to scare Kenia.

”Don’t you worry about that, little lark. Come with me, we need to pay tribute to your grandfather.” She said in reply to her daughter as she led her closer to the pyre. Later it would be lit and his body would be reduced to nothing but ash, but for now he lay there and people had laid flowers all around him. Alea handed Kenia a small bundle of flowers as they approached, setting a bundle of her own on her father’s body. Kenia started to set the flowers down herself, but paused as she took a minute to make them into a flimsy crown. She then set it on her grandfather’s head.

”There, now you are the most handomest prince.” She said as she nodded, satisfied.

Kenia looked down at the small flower crown once more before she opened her mouth and began to sing the same song sung at her grandfather’s funeral. As she did so she slowly walked over to Bowyn and gently took his hand before setting the small crown in it. She then looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes, before stepping back and continuing to sing her dirge.