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Meet "Aobh"
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 3:14 am
by Glorelendil
Hopefully my next character. She's my attempt to imagine a "magician" in Middle Earth. She uses...or thinks she uses...or maybe just likes other people to think she uses..."magic" on a daily basis to brew soothing broths, predict the weather, confuse enemies, and the like. Who's to say it does or not does work?
At home she is the apprentice to the chief shaman (druid? wizard? priest?) of her tribe, but she has been sent north by him in anticipation of events that will eventually entangle the two peoples. Lucky guess on his part? Who knows...
“Is it the custom of your people to stare at strangers? Or have you never seen a tapduvh before? It is in the shape of a spiral because that is the most powerful of all magical patterns, as everybody knows, and it winds around my left eye because that is the eye that sees spirits.
“What a strange question. Small needles dipped in potent dye and poked into my face? Of course it hurt! But what worthwhile does not hurt?
“My necklace is a spiral, too, and it will grow longer as I find and add spirit tòcan. Spirits are attracted to different...what is your word…’matters’, maybe? And spirits are needed for magic. This lignum knot is for owl spirits, this amber is for tree spirits, and so on. Stag antler, silver coin, horn of ram...and this is the shell from a creature of the sea, which I have never seen. I have many tócan, but I seek many more.
“Which one? Oh, that is a knuckle bone, from an enemy of my teagsaig. That is not a word in your language...maybe ‘master’ or ‘teacher’ is close.
“My teagsaig is the chief droidh of my people. He came and took me from my family when I was little and made me his foghlainte...which was a great honor for my family...and now I am doideag, too.
“The difference? Droidh and doideag are the same thing, mostly. One is a man and one is a woman. Don’t you know anything?
“It was he who sent me north along the great river. He lay in a dream hut for three days and nights and the spirits...well, it is enough for you to know that he sent me to come here. And a good thing he did, for these Northmen know little enough about spirits. But maybe there are things for me to learn, too. Such as these plants I found on my journey here; will you look and tell me what you know of them…?”
Name: Aobh (pronounced "Eve" in Westron)
Culture: Dunlending
Standard of Living: Frugal
Cultural blessing: Fierce Folk
Calling: Warden
Shadow weakness: Lure of Power
Specialties: Herb-lore, Story-telling, Shadow-lore
Distinctive features: Nimble, Quick of Hearing
Body: 3
Heart: 3
Wits: 7
Body (favoured): 5
Heart (favoured): 6
Wits (favoured): 8
-Common Skills-- Awe: 1 Inspire: 0 Persuade: 0
- Athletics: 2 Travel: 2 Stealth: 2
- Awareness: 2 Insight: 3 Search: 1
- Explore: 2 Healing: 0 Hunting: 3
- Song: 0 Courtesy: 0 Riddle: 3
- Craft: 2 Battle: 1 Lore: 0
-Weapon Skills-
-Virtues-: Ill Omen
-Gear-- Spear damage: 5 edge: 9 injury: 14 enc: 2
- Bow damage: 5 edge: 10 injury: 14 enc: 1
- Dagger damage: 3 edge: G injury: 12 enc: 0
- Leather shirt enc: 4
Re: Meet "Aobh"
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:32 am
by Falenthal
Walk with me, Eve, and allow me to introduce you to my two friends here:
this one is a Barding from Dale, and he has what we call "Woeful Sight". You both will get along well, I can see that.
And the other one, he with the smoking pipe, he's a Ranger of the North, from beyond the Misty Mountains like you. He also shows once in a while the "Foresight of his Kindred", and you might want to exchange visions and such.
Oh, we just arrived to the place I was heading. You can't read the sign? I've always wondered how you could read the skies, the enthralls of a bird, the fall of a leaf,... but you can't read runes at all. Well, nevermind. Just for your information, it says "Lottery". Would you three be so kind and come in with me? I just want you to tell me what you think of some numbers...
Re: Meet "Aobh"
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 11:35 am
by Glorelendil
Aobh closes her right eye and regards you for a long moment, then startles and steps back hastily, almost losing her balance. "There is a dragon spirit lurking over you, grinning, patient. Waiting for the sickness to take you. You Northmen think only of gold, and that is why most of the other spirits have abandoned you."
"I could make a charm for you that might help, but I don't yet have a gold coin for my necklace. Maybe if I find one I will help you..." She shrugs and turns away.
Re: Meet "Aobh"
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 1:44 am
by Halbarad
Very nice Glorelendil.
Re: Meet "Aobh"
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 2:11 pm
by Glorelendil
"Aodh" (approximately "Eh" in Westron)
"Please do not be frightened. I do not meant to startle you. But I am in a strange land and it is best to remain unseen until I can learn more of those I meet."
"I seek a woman. My twin sister. She has markings, a blue tapduvh, on her face in a spiral. I think she came this way, for I have found signs of her on the road. She was sent here by that cealgair. He calls himself a seer and a wizard, but I have seen through his magic. First he takes my sister from my family, then he sends her on a fool's errand to a foreign land."
"I am sorry to have disturbed you. I will leave you in peace for I must make haste."
Name: Aodh
Culture: Dunlending
Standard of Living: Frugal
Cultural blessing: Fierce Folk
Calling: Slayer
Shadow weakness: Curse of Vengeance
Specialties: Beast-lore, Tracking, Orc-lore
Distinctive features: Elusive, Wild
Body: 5
Heart: 2
Wits: 6
Body (favoured): 7
Heart (favoured): 5
Wits (favoured): 7
-Common Skills-- Awe: 1 Inspire: 0 Persuade: 0
- Athletics: 2 Travel: 2 Stealth: 2
- Awareness: 2 Insight: 2 Search: 1
- Explore: 2 Healing: 0 Hunting: 3
- Song: 0 Courtesy: 0 Riddle: 2
- Craft: 1 Battle: 2 Lore: 0
-Weapon Skills- -Rewards-:
-Virtues-: A Secret Folk
-Gear-- Spear damage: 5 edge: 9 injury: 14 enc: 2
- Bow damage: 5 edge: 10 injury: 14 enc: 1
- Dagger damage: 3 edge: G injury: 12 enc: 0
- Leather corslet enc: 8
Re: Meet "Aobh"
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 4:26 pm
by Finrod Felagund
As a matter of interest, what does Aobh think about the Elves and Dunedain?
Would her simple arrogance carry her through (sorry, but like Samwise Gamgee she does display some of that - to my mind anyway), would they overwhelm her with their knowledge and cultural superiority, or something else?
Re: Meet "Aobh"
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 4:39 pm
by Glorelendil
Finrod Felagund wrote:As a matter of interest, what does Aobh think about the Elves and Dunedain?
Would her simple arrogance carry her through (sorry, but like Samwise Gamgee she does display some of that - to my mind anyway), would they overwhelm her with their knowledge and cultural superiority, or something else?
"Hmpph. Your eyes are kind, but in them I see the sea and the light of the setting sun, and I think you are descended from the invaders and thieves from old. Yes? I thought so. Also you consort with it, the
deamhan over there, the one who does not age and die. The invaders allied with the
deamhan, too."
"The magic of your ancestors was mighty, but it was not magic of this land, and they did not appease the spirits. They were seduced and corrupted and were greedy, and now they are gone. The few who remain believe they have knowledge, but all they know is old scrolls and books. They know the what but not the why. That is not knowledge."
"But I think your blood must be thin, for you are neither so cruel nor mighty as they. I will reserve judgment for now.
Re: Meet "Aobh"
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 4:54 pm
by Finrod Felagund
Glorelendil wrote:Finrod Felagund wrote:As a matter of interest, what does Aobh think about the Elves and Dunedain?
Would her simple arrogance carry her through (sorry, but like Samwise Gamgee she does display some of that - to my mind anyway), would they overwhelm her with their knowledge and cultural superiority, or something else?
"Hmpph. Your eyes are kind, but in them I see the sea and the light of the setting sun, and I think you are descended from the invaders and thieves from old. Yes? I thought so. Also you consort with it, the
deamhan over there, the one who does not age and die. The invaders allied with the
deamhan, too."
"The magic of your ancestors was mighty, but it was not magic of this land, and they did not appease the spirits. They were seduced and corrupted and were greedy, and now they are gone. The few who remain believe they have knowledge, but all they know is old scrolls and books. They know the what but not the why. That is not knowledge."
"But I think your blood must be thin, for you are neither so cruel nor mighty as they. I will reserve judgment for now.
Interesting - simple arrogance all the way. You can't help but feel that she's in for a hell of a shock should she ever arrive at Lothlorien or Minas Tirith. Might be good for her though - the Dunlendings clearly need all the help they can get, and if she's prepared to learn she could be a real benefit to them. I daresay she's also got a thing or two she can teach.
As an aside I have a pet theory that Cirion should have ceded Enedwaith to the Dunlendings when he created Rohan. If he had also sent some Engineers and Loremasters to hep them set up, he could have helped create another reserve of manpower to help defeat Sauron.
Re: Meet "Aobh"
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 5:59 pm
by Glorelendil
Sometimes it's hard to distinguish arrogance from insecurity/pride.
Re: Meet "Aobh"
Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 12:08 am
by zedturtle
Glorelendil wrote:Sometimes it's hard to distinguish arrogance from insecurity/pride.
Yes, one often creates the other.
Seems like a very dynamic hero, one that needs some good foils to run up against. I look forward to seeing her in action.