Post by Ghostly on Mar 29, 2022 23:33:53 GMT
[attr="style","background-color:#bfca6c;"][attr="style","background-color: #e6f7b1 ;margin:10px;border-radius:20px;"]
[attr="style","padding:2%;"]
It all started up there, don’t you know?
We were simple creatures, our seeds sowed by the nameless gods of the wilds and the woods. We were born from this soil, and to the soil we shall go at our end, this is our way.
We opened our eyes to behold a world of beauty crafted by the spirits of the land, untamed and breathtaking. We took our first steps into this land of majesty and left to find our own path.
We thanked and praised the old gods, and in exchange for our respect and admiration we were given the gift of magic, the ability to feel the energy that connects all things and allow it to flow through our people into new forms.
In the day, we would ride the Riverland on the soles of our feet, hunt game in the deep forests, gather sweet fruits from the trees, leave offerings and commune with the spirits that surrounded and watched over us, gaining their insight and wisdom.
When night fell, we sought warmth and safety from the beasts by the fireside, looking out across the valleys to see distant fires and found comfort in knowing others were out there in the dark.
But then, we’d look up to see an ocean of campfires, lit by wondrous and luminous beings.
We watched and remembered what we saw above. Remembered the shapes and patterns they made, told each other stories, and learned how to use them. We decorated our skin with their lines and light, begging our gods to let them stay.
We fell in love with the stars, our gift from the gods. For every soul that was born into this world, they placed a light in the sky to watch over us until the day we returned to our creators. All life is only borrowed, and one day we must all return it, to give a new soul a chance to grow.
My people lived this way for many generations in the Riverland between the mountains. As families swelled and joined, clans were formed and our numbers and needs grew. We began to fight each other for game and territory, blood was spilt and poisoned the land. As some clans split away and cast aside the old ways, the chaos attracted the Men, who brought axes and picks and sought to claim what they had forsaken.
As we watched the Riverland change forever, we wept for our home and what we had lost, but some looked ahead. My grandmother’s clan, the River Eyes, gave offerings and communed with the old gods and begged for forgiveness. In return, they were granted a vision of a new home, a sanctuary that touched the sky.
That night they gathered their allies and left the valley, leaving only the ruins of their strongholds to be taken back by the wild. They walked northward until they came to the foothills of a great rolling mountain range, where they climbed and touched the sky. We were children of the Riverland no more, my ancestors became the Fjálfar, the fair folk of the Kirrahe highlands.
I was born here, beneath a blanket of stars with the Prophet's sign watching above. I was educated in the Old Way, as all children of my clan are. I was taught to respect and revere the land, to pay my respects to the spirits and nameless old gods, and when I proved myself ready, I summited the highest peak to speak with my gods between the sky and land. I left my offerings among those of my ancestors, and for three days I focused my will to try and reach them.
I was nearly starved when they touched my mind. I was weakened, my will and faith beginning to wane, when a great storm wrapped around the summit. Thunder crashed in the clouds and the lightning threatened to split the peak in half. The power swirled around me, and in the chaos I felt life as it truly is.
I could feel magic and energy coalesce around me, generated by all living things and strengthened by their bonds. It flowed everywhere, from the mountain to me to the sky, binding the world together. Darkness took me, and my mind strayed beyond this mortal plane. The stars and planets wheeled overhead, and I let loose my crude matter.
The storm lasted only a few minutes, but it was lifetime for me. I was luminous, a star watching over the world below. A brilliant campfire in the sky.
When I finally descended that mountain, I saw the world with new eyes. I sought from that day on to strengthen my bond between the world and myself, to connect with every action I took. I saw my birth stars cycle above nearly a hundred times over when the gods returned to me in my dreams.
They showed me a silver moon above an endless field of water, a city of wealth and chaos built on ancient lands, majestic falls flowing defiantly up a sheer cliff face, and a single word spoken by a chorus of millions.
"Seek."
It all started up there, don’t you know?
We were simple creatures, our seeds sowed by the nameless gods of the wilds and the woods. We were born from this soil, and to the soil we shall go at our end, this is our way.
We opened our eyes to behold a world of beauty crafted by the spirits of the land, untamed and breathtaking. We took our first steps into this land of majesty and left to find our own path.
We thanked and praised the old gods, and in exchange for our respect and admiration we were given the gift of magic, the ability to feel the energy that connects all things and allow it to flow through our people into new forms.
In the day, we would ride the Riverland on the soles of our feet, hunt game in the deep forests, gather sweet fruits from the trees, leave offerings and commune with the spirits that surrounded and watched over us, gaining their insight and wisdom.
When night fell, we sought warmth and safety from the beasts by the fireside, looking out across the valleys to see distant fires and found comfort in knowing others were out there in the dark.
But then, we’d look up to see an ocean of campfires, lit by wondrous and luminous beings.
We watched and remembered what we saw above. Remembered the shapes and patterns they made, told each other stories, and learned how to use them. We decorated our skin with their lines and light, begging our gods to let them stay.
We fell in love with the stars, our gift from the gods. For every soul that was born into this world, they placed a light in the sky to watch over us until the day we returned to our creators. All life is only borrowed, and one day we must all return it, to give a new soul a chance to grow.
My people lived this way for many generations in the Riverland between the mountains. As families swelled and joined, clans were formed and our numbers and needs grew. We began to fight each other for game and territory, blood was spilt and poisoned the land. As some clans split away and cast aside the old ways, the chaos attracted the Men, who brought axes and picks and sought to claim what they had forsaken.
As we watched the Riverland change forever, we wept for our home and what we had lost, but some looked ahead. My grandmother’s clan, the River Eyes, gave offerings and communed with the old gods and begged for forgiveness. In return, they were granted a vision of a new home, a sanctuary that touched the sky.
That night they gathered their allies and left the valley, leaving only the ruins of their strongholds to be taken back by the wild. They walked northward until they came to the foothills of a great rolling mountain range, where they climbed and touched the sky. We were children of the Riverland no more, my ancestors became the Fjálfar, the fair folk of the Kirrahe highlands.
I was born here, beneath a blanket of stars with the Prophet's sign watching above. I was educated in the Old Way, as all children of my clan are. I was taught to respect and revere the land, to pay my respects to the spirits and nameless old gods, and when I proved myself ready, I summited the highest peak to speak with my gods between the sky and land. I left my offerings among those of my ancestors, and for three days I focused my will to try and reach them.
I was nearly starved when they touched my mind. I was weakened, my will and faith beginning to wane, when a great storm wrapped around the summit. Thunder crashed in the clouds and the lightning threatened to split the peak in half. The power swirled around me, and in the chaos I felt life as it truly is.
I could feel magic and energy coalesce around me, generated by all living things and strengthened by their bonds. It flowed everywhere, from the mountain to me to the sky, binding the world together. Darkness took me, and my mind strayed beyond this mortal plane. The stars and planets wheeled overhead, and I let loose my crude matter.
The storm lasted only a few minutes, but it was lifetime for me. I was luminous, a star watching over the world below. A brilliant campfire in the sky.
When I finally descended that mountain, I saw the world with new eyes. I sought from that day on to strengthen my bond between the world and myself, to connect with every action I took. I saw my birth stars cycle above nearly a hundred times over when the gods returned to me in my dreams.
They showed me a silver moon above an endless field of water, a city of wealth and chaos built on ancient lands, majestic falls flowing defiantly up a sheer cliff face, and a single word spoken by a chorus of millions.
"Seek."
- - - - -
Name:
Firenze Val'lintyr
Age:
117 star cycles have been recorded since his birth.
Race:
Fjálfar, known as Highland Elves to outsiders.
Alignment:
Lawful Neutral
Background:
Hermit
Languages:
Elvish, Fae, Common (has difficulty reading common script. Long words are difficult.)
Class:
Druid
Stats:
Strength - 12
Dexterity - 14
Constitution - 16
Wisdom - 18
Intelligence - 8
Charisma - 10
Personality:
Firenze believes it is a rare and beautiful thing to simply exist in a universe as wonderous and vast as this, and thus values the small details in everything. To him, the world beyond the mountains are exciting and confusing, but takes his life one day at a time and is always looking for new things to learn and experience. He does not know what he will find when he reaches the coast, nor does he fully understand his visions, but he has faith it is where the old gods want him.
Appearance:
Highland Elves are rarely seen, unless you go looking in the northern mountain ranges, but those who find them are either charmed or bewildered. They are a beautiful and wild people who migrated from the southern fjords until they were forced to move northern due to unclear circumstances. All Highland Elves possess antlers, which grow and shed as the year progresses. Most are dark skinned, with deep eyes that are adapted to hunting along the vast distances between peaks. Most clans or families have personal tattoos or markings, which are made more elaborate as cycles pass.
Firenze comes from the Cloud Dancers, who are known as skilled navigators and hunters. Firenze possesses dark skin with geometric star-seer tattoos of constellations marking his shoulders and neck, along with dark green and brown marks that wrap around his arms, the marks of a hunter. He stands quite tall, roughly 6'4, and weighing roughly 200lbs with a toned physique from his physically demanding life in the mountains. In his ears and sometimes laced into his antlers he wears pieces of starsilver jewelry, which are considered sacred to his people.
Abilities:
Firenze maintains a strong connection with the power of the nature world and life around him through offerings, communion, and traditions known as the Old Way. Through communion and dreams, he is sometimes gifted with visions or directions from the forces of nature. Acting as a walking conduit for life energy, Firenze can shape nature elements with ease, this is known as druid-crafting in some circles. Sometimes he can bestow limited sentience to plant life, allowing him to communicate with them or form more complex forms for a short while.
His druidic also powers grant him limited control over plant life and the ability to manifest natural phenomenon, like thunder, spontaneous plant growth, weather change, and can also manifest a small flame, although upon entering into more civilized lands he has come to understand that pyromancy is seen as a destructive weapon rather than a tool for survival. As most hunters in his clan, he is also knowledgeable in healing and medicine, and possesses some spells that grant him and others heightened senses or enhanced physical capabilities.
Belongings:
"Pack light," his mother said. Firenze takes only what he needs from nature and gives in return, but he does carry some things from his home with him as he walks into the unknown.
- A bag of offerings and mementos. Eagles' feathers, smooth mountain stones, druid-crafted effigies and the like. Firenze ususlly leaves these as gifts or offerings.
- Vashira, a starsilver longblade forged by elven smiths in the foothills. In the folklore of his people, meteorites are the fallen stars of brave warriors. The metal harvested from them are gifts to protect the people of the mountains.
- His clothes are made up of mostly tanned hide and plant fibers, not much for protection but its light and camouflaging in the right environments.
- A short bow, rugged and reliable. He has six arrows left, and will need to find new heads to bless before he makes new arrows.
- An obsidian knife, only a hair short of a foot long. While it is more suited for field-dressing game, it could easily open a man if needed.
- A sealed bag containing blessed oils and herbs, moss he had cultivated, flowers collected from the burial mounds of his clan, spruce needles, and animal teeth and bones.
Name:
Firenze Val'lintyr
Age:
117 star cycles have been recorded since his birth.
Race:
Fjálfar, known as Highland Elves to outsiders.
Alignment:
Lawful Neutral
Background:
Hermit
Languages:
Elvish, Fae, Common (has difficulty reading common script. Long words are difficult.)
Class:
Druid
Stats:
Strength - 12
Dexterity - 14
Constitution - 16
Wisdom - 18
Intelligence - 8
Charisma - 10
Personality:
Firenze believes it is a rare and beautiful thing to simply exist in a universe as wonderous and vast as this, and thus values the small details in everything. To him, the world beyond the mountains are exciting and confusing, but takes his life one day at a time and is always looking for new things to learn and experience. He does not know what he will find when he reaches the coast, nor does he fully understand his visions, but he has faith it is where the old gods want him.
Appearance:
Highland Elves are rarely seen, unless you go looking in the northern mountain ranges, but those who find them are either charmed or bewildered. They are a beautiful and wild people who migrated from the southern fjords until they were forced to move northern due to unclear circumstances. All Highland Elves possess antlers, which grow and shed as the year progresses. Most are dark skinned, with deep eyes that are adapted to hunting along the vast distances between peaks. Most clans or families have personal tattoos or markings, which are made more elaborate as cycles pass.
Firenze comes from the Cloud Dancers, who are known as skilled navigators and hunters. Firenze possesses dark skin with geometric star-seer tattoos of constellations marking his shoulders and neck, along with dark green and brown marks that wrap around his arms, the marks of a hunter. He stands quite tall, roughly 6'4, and weighing roughly 200lbs with a toned physique from his physically demanding life in the mountains. In his ears and sometimes laced into his antlers he wears pieces of starsilver jewelry, which are considered sacred to his people.
Abilities:
Firenze maintains a strong connection with the power of the nature world and life around him through offerings, communion, and traditions known as the Old Way. Through communion and dreams, he is sometimes gifted with visions or directions from the forces of nature. Acting as a walking conduit for life energy, Firenze can shape nature elements with ease, this is known as druid-crafting in some circles. Sometimes he can bestow limited sentience to plant life, allowing him to communicate with them or form more complex forms for a short while.
His druidic also powers grant him limited control over plant life and the ability to manifest natural phenomenon, like thunder, spontaneous plant growth, weather change, and can also manifest a small flame, although upon entering into more civilized lands he has come to understand that pyromancy is seen as a destructive weapon rather than a tool for survival. As most hunters in his clan, he is also knowledgeable in healing and medicine, and possesses some spells that grant him and others heightened senses or enhanced physical capabilities.
Belongings:
"Pack light," his mother said. Firenze takes only what he needs from nature and gives in return, but he does carry some things from his home with him as he walks into the unknown.
- A bag of offerings and mementos. Eagles' feathers, smooth mountain stones, druid-crafted effigies and the like. Firenze ususlly leaves these as gifts or offerings.
- Vashira, a starsilver longblade forged by elven smiths in the foothills. In the folklore of his people, meteorites are the fallen stars of brave warriors. The metal harvested from them are gifts to protect the people of the mountains.
- His clothes are made up of mostly tanned hide and plant fibers, not much for protection but its light and camouflaging in the right environments.
- A short bow, rugged and reliable. He has six arrows left, and will need to find new heads to bless before he makes new arrows.
- An obsidian knife, only a hair short of a foot long. While it is more suited for field-dressing game, it could easily open a man if needed.
- A sealed bag containing blessed oils and herbs, moss he had cultivated, flowers collected from the burial mounds of his clan, spruce needles, and animal teeth and bones.