Lurking Krog
Crimson Flame
wanderingwolf
Majoraa
Snowdrops
Abstract Proxy
Guardian Angel Haruki
The World
BrokenPromise
Digizel
Garnet wasn't always a servant of the gods. For the first few years of her life, the only deity she knew was power; those who had it, ruled. Those who did not, were ruled over. Life was simple like that.
Back then, Garnet was known as 'Crafs'. Her home was little more than a hastily dug lair, located in the deepest, darkest parts of an unnamed wood. For the longest time, all she knew was conflict and hunger. Families being torn apart by bouts of violence, siblings fighting over scraps, friends stabbing each other in the back come the first opportunity. Garnet was no different. She owed her continued existence to the conflicts, always managing to claw her way out a victor - or, at the very least, a survivor.
That was, until her tribe got involved in matters far beyond their comprehension. To this day, Garnet is not privy to the details. All she knows is that one day, her tribesmen dragged a beaten human to their lair. He was dressed in fine clothes - which he was quickly relieved of - and was apparently to be kept alive until someone came to fetch him. There was a reward to be had - there had to, because the goblins would not have helped anyone out of kindness.
Someone did indeed come for the human - but not who the goblins expected. A rescue party of men clad in metal marched into one of their lairs, slaying many, sparing few. Garnet was lucky to count herself among the latter; she was captured to act as a guide, forced to reveal the locations of their other lairs lest she be put to the sword. She hesitated not for a minute.
With her part done and the humanoids busy raiding the rest of her tribe's home, Garnet fled. She knew her tribe would not take kindly to a traitor, even if every single one of them would've done the same thing in her shoes. She ran long and she ran far, until exhaustion finally claimed her. Had it not been for the kindness of an elderly dwarven couple, she would've likely succumbed to the elements. As things were, not only was she rescued, she was given a chance at a new life. The couple had no children of their own, and they were eager to adopt the wandering child as their own. They did ask questions - but upon noticing how scared she was to answer them, they pressed for them no longer.
"Garnet", as she came to be known, was brought up as a dwarf. A... strangely green dwarf, with pointy ears and bad habits aplenty, prone to bursts of violence when things didn't go her way. But her parents stuck by her. She became an apprentice smith to her mother, and was taught to revere Dwarven gods by her father, a miner and a man of faith. It was understood that she would follow in their footsteps; to either work at the forge, or the mines where most of the local dwarves toiled, merry.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her.
Just as she'd settled into her new family, a tragedy struck at the mines. In their pursuit for gems, they dug too deep and ended up disturbing a creature from the Underdark. Though Garnet never saw it, she did see the affect it had on the community. One by one, the spores it released spread from one dwarf to the next, until the whole community, herself included, had fallen ill. The young and strong recovered well enough eventually, but such was not the case with the others. Garnet's parents were among the latter.
Healers, both those who relied on natural remedies and those relying on gods, tried to bring relief to the people. Garnet, not knowing what else to do, did her part and prayed, day and night, to any god she could think of, but her parents remained bedridden. Day after day, they got worse.
Then, long after the visiting healers had left, and her parents were at death's door, something happened. They woke. Not healthy but alive, and as far as Garnet could tell, definitely better. She could only imagine her prayers had been answered - her prayers to The Morrigan, in particular.
As it turned out, it wasn't just a one time miracle, either. Garnet found herself able to save others as well, pulling them from death's door when all hope seemed to be lost. At first, her new found powers and connections to the divine were a cause for celebration - but then, far too soon, she learnt the limits of her power. She could prevent others from dying, yes, but she could not truly cure them; and so, people get slipping away from her, time and again, needing to be brought back, day in and day out. Garnet was exhausted, and so were her patients. Surely this couldn't be her god's way of answering prayers?
In her anger, Garnet demanded answers from The Morrigan - and eventually, felt her powers falter. Whether it was due to her lack of faith or punishment from the goddess, she did not know. Either way, the consequences were the same: many a patient slipped through her fingers.
Then Tir na Og disappeared. Supposedly, so did many gods, including her own. She expected to lose her powers entirely.
What happened was the complete opposite. For a time, yes, what remained of Garnet's powers felt strange, uncomfortable, distant - and then, out of nowhere, she found herself to be stronger than ever before. Patients she hadn't been able to help before were suddenly within her power to save, her parents included. It made no sense. Unless... maybe her powers were never granted by any goddess to begin with - maybe, from the start, they were her own.
With people no longer sick and dying, the once prosperous dwarf community started to slowly rebuild itself, albeit far from their original home. Garnet the furthest of them all. Her parents had raised her to be hardworking and ambitious, and so when she realized money was becoming tight, she offered to go make a fortune out in the world. She promised to send home both letters and gold alike, and that she would come visit whenever able - with tales of her adventures in tow.
She did not promise all the gold would be well-earned. There is, at the end of the day, some goblin still left in her after all.
Back then, Garnet was known as 'Crafs'. Her home was little more than a hastily dug lair, located in the deepest, darkest parts of an unnamed wood. For the longest time, all she knew was conflict and hunger. Families being torn apart by bouts of violence, siblings fighting over scraps, friends stabbing each other in the back come the first opportunity. Garnet was no different. She owed her continued existence to the conflicts, always managing to claw her way out a victor - or, at the very least, a survivor.
That was, until her tribe got involved in matters far beyond their comprehension. To this day, Garnet is not privy to the details. All she knows is that one day, her tribesmen dragged a beaten human to their lair. He was dressed in fine clothes - which he was quickly relieved of - and was apparently to be kept alive until someone came to fetch him. There was a reward to be had - there had to, because the goblins would not have helped anyone out of kindness.
Someone did indeed come for the human - but not who the goblins expected. A rescue party of men clad in metal marched into one of their lairs, slaying many, sparing few. Garnet was lucky to count herself among the latter; she was captured to act as a guide, forced to reveal the locations of their other lairs lest she be put to the sword. She hesitated not for a minute.
With her part done and the humanoids busy raiding the rest of her tribe's home, Garnet fled. She knew her tribe would not take kindly to a traitor, even if every single one of them would've done the same thing in her shoes. She ran long and she ran far, until exhaustion finally claimed her. Had it not been for the kindness of an elderly dwarven couple, she would've likely succumbed to the elements. As things were, not only was she rescued, she was given a chance at a new life. The couple had no children of their own, and they were eager to adopt the wandering child as their own. They did ask questions - but upon noticing how scared she was to answer them, they pressed for them no longer.
"Garnet", as she came to be known, was brought up as a dwarf. A... strangely green dwarf, with pointy ears and bad habits aplenty, prone to bursts of violence when things didn't go her way. But her parents stuck by her. She became an apprentice smith to her mother, and was taught to revere Dwarven gods by her father, a miner and a man of faith. It was understood that she would follow in their footsteps; to either work at the forge, or the mines where most of the local dwarves toiled, merry.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her.
Just as she'd settled into her new family, a tragedy struck at the mines. In their pursuit for gems, they dug too deep and ended up disturbing a creature from the Underdark. Though Garnet never saw it, she did see the affect it had on the community. One by one, the spores it released spread from one dwarf to the next, until the whole community, herself included, had fallen ill. The young and strong recovered well enough eventually, but such was not the case with the others. Garnet's parents were among the latter.
Healers, both those who relied on natural remedies and those relying on gods, tried to bring relief to the people. Garnet, not knowing what else to do, did her part and prayed, day and night, to any god she could think of, but her parents remained bedridden. Day after day, they got worse.
Then, long after the visiting healers had left, and her parents were at death's door, something happened. They woke. Not healthy but alive, and as far as Garnet could tell, definitely better. She could only imagine her prayers had been answered - her prayers to The Morrigan, in particular.
As it turned out, it wasn't just a one time miracle, either. Garnet found herself able to save others as well, pulling them from death's door when all hope seemed to be lost. At first, her new found powers and connections to the divine were a cause for celebration - but then, far too soon, she learnt the limits of her power. She could prevent others from dying, yes, but she could not truly cure them; and so, people get slipping away from her, time and again, needing to be brought back, day in and day out. Garnet was exhausted, and so were her patients. Surely this couldn't be her god's way of answering prayers?
In her anger, Garnet demanded answers from The Morrigan - and eventually, felt her powers falter. Whether it was due to her lack of faith or punishment from the goddess, she did not know. Either way, the consequences were the same: many a patient slipped through her fingers.
Then Tir na Og disappeared. Supposedly, so did many gods, including her own. She expected to lose her powers entirely.
What happened was the complete opposite. For a time, yes, what remained of Garnet's powers felt strange, uncomfortable, distant - and then, out of nowhere, she found herself to be stronger than ever before. Patients she hadn't been able to help before were suddenly within her power to save, her parents included. It made no sense. Unless... maybe her powers were never granted by any goddess to begin with - maybe, from the start, they were her own.
With people no longer sick and dying, the once prosperous dwarf community started to slowly rebuild itself, albeit far from their original home. Garnet the furthest of them all. Her parents had raised her to be hardworking and ambitious, and so when she realized money was becoming tight, she offered to go make a fortune out in the world. She promised to send home both letters and gold alike, and that she would come visit whenever able - with tales of her adventures in tow.
She did not promise all the gold would be well-earned. There is, at the end of the day, some goblin still left in her after all.
♰ Factions //
Ring-givers: Weird people who wanna give away all their stuff. Well, lucky for them, Garnet loves stuff. So, she's taken a bunch o' stuff from them. They're welcome.
Godslayers: Look, she just wants to have a word, alright?
