Jennifer Oakley
11-13-09, 08:52 PM
Name: Jennifer Oakley
Alias: The Withered Oak
Gender: Female
Race: Human/Spirit
Age: 29yrs
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 123llbs
Eye Colour: Jade
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Religion: Nomadic Shaman
Place of Birth: Concordia
Class/Occupation: Summoned/Priestess
History/Premise: She is the nuance, the intricately carved; the forest’s chided by birth and indomitable will. Life has meaning, whilst the Niña walk the earth. They are known as many things, in many tongues, in many times, but all refer to them as the women of the woods, the witches of the wild, the nymphs, the sprites, the effluent conclave folk of the deep dark expanses of the forest of Concordia. Born into the conclave, and brought up deep within the historical tradition of the nomadic shamans and their elders, Jennifer knows little of the world beyond the great forests of Corone, and little still of the lands and the world known to others as Althanas. All the children of the Niña are taught aspects of herbalism, survival and to commune with the spirits and beasts of their homelands, aspects of the Great Commune, as it is called, are inherent in each child, and in truth, the Niña are mystical beings. They transcend humanism, for they are part man, part spirit and equal part myth.
Such a people came to be, or so it is said, three hundred and thirty years ago to the current day, when the Thayne Y’edda bestowed a boon on a Y’edda druid named Darlan Niña. The village fell to the trappings of religion, vanishing with reverence into the trees forever. Its people became roving druids, hiding from the Caravans, the elves, the Rangers, all the factions that warred on fair Corone, to protect the forest unseen and unheard and utterly resolute in their dedicated and fervor for the Great Wood. Where the Niña differ from the druids is in their approach to worship, to dedication. There is no right to wear robes, or rituals deep and mysterious, there is simply reverence, a close personal conversation with the creatures and the bark – a natural and foreboding symbiotic relationship. This of course does not prevent self professes priests rising in village society, and a small group of them have gathered together.
In time, the Niña villagers have become part spirit, part human, named nymphs and sprites and witches and ogres amongst many things by the foolish and hard wearing travelers along the caravan roads between Radasanth and the ports to Scara Brae to the south. Only the foolish investigate the rumours of the wild folk in detail, and only the truly brave go into the dark undercroft of the trees without being prepared. There is a bitter enmity between the Y’edda and the Niña, the latter embrace change to the old ways, standing as the revivalists of the old primal ways and the former, wage their war of intricate detail against the ever dwindling and elusive ‘Summoners.’
So it is that there are no true Niña settlements, no tree top villages or deep grove camps. They live the day to day by using their surroundings, bending the bough of a wide leafed tree and collecting dead wood to build shelters, so that they may forever be flowing between the branches and trunks like the wind. The priestesses of the Niña, a namesake that is not their own but one prescribed guard the ancient lore, the legends of flora and fauna of Concordia, and pass down the history of the tribes by means of song and dance, and it is they who remember the Origin, the sundering of thought in that long druid, that gave the Niña their enlightenment.
Born in a time of peace, when the nomadic folk have remained ahead of their pursuers and the outsiders, Jennifer is graced by nomenclature, birthright and a curious gift. Empathy and birdsong, talent with healing and with bow are but some of the natural skills the Niña possess, but some, often those who rise to the Priesthood possess a bond with the Conclave stronger than any other, and it is they who strike fear into the citizens of Corone, for they are the Summoners, the sunlight paragons of command and will.
At the age of fifteen, as the veil between worlds tore and Jennifer began to control her nature as a demi-spirit, from her heart came the beast named Faustus. With a scream, and a crack of lightning, her eyes shone and horns sprouted from her forehead like a brand of daemon hood, and behold, there was the faun, the man goat armed with an ancient blade. Amidst the screams, Jennifer and the other priests heard the Conclave cry with an uproar of sound, and they knew that a Summoned had heard the Call.
Enlightened to the glory of the forest, the Thayne and the primal power of nature, Jennifer entered the priesthood and learned to revere her ability to call on the spirits of the deeper woods without jealousy, guilt or greed. A Summoned of the Conclave is not one who creates mystical beasts from nothing, but one whom possesses the power to call on the legends and entities they have come to revere, developing a bond stronger then steel and more eternal than time; only through a mutual understanding can a Summoned ever hope to rely on their new friend’s aid. The rest, as they say amongst the humans of the great cities, is history.
Appearances:
18421844
Mien/Masque of Jennifer Oakley
The Summoned: (Average). Such is Jennifer’s belief in the Conclave, the collective voice of the forest and its inhabitants, she has the potential to form bonds with the spirits and creatures that dwell here and thus, she can learn to call on their aid, perhaps even summon them from afar in times of need, physical or emotional. It takes a great deal of discussion, communication and understanding for a Summoned to even develop one bond, and few ever sever them, as such, a Summoned collects a few tokens of mutual gratification and does not overburden the forest, or his own mental ability with too many voices, too many needs and personalities. Any Summoned, regardless of ability, cannot have more than six bonds, regardless of the power of the creatures they have connected with. The speed and strength and manifestation of Jennifer’s Mien, the true form, depends on the emotional state and desire at the time of summoning. If angered, or pressured, or in combat, the horns will sprout with speed and the clothes she is wearing will fade, revealing her true form, the one she reveals during prayer or battle – that of the Thorne Bride, the Priestess of the Conclave. Except when in these circumstances, she will appear in her normal human form to anyone who is not a magical creature themselves, and does not emit any strange aura except to those with magical training to detect such things. The Masque offers nothing more than mundane appearance, a lack of recognition, there are no physical properties, and any injuries sustained will transfer between forms. They have NPC status, except where the application of their abilities is concerned.
1843
Faustus (Average). Summoned by magical means through a blast of light from the heart, Faustus is Jennifer’s Animus, her soul, her forest spirit given form. Appearing as a six foot humanoid goat, with full silky hair and immaculate leaf wreathed horns, he is a modicum of finesse and grace, despite the animal from which he is formed. As Jennifer’s skill in combat does not exist, beyond feeble screaming, her Animus has taken the form of a warrior, and as such, he always manifests with an ancient Elvin long sword, and a beaded beard. Faustus cannot be healed, and his wounds will emit an eerie light, for he is made of magic, not flesh, but dies in the normal manner of mortal beings. He effectively acts as a guardian to Jennifer, and possesses an ability to fight with the sword the forest gives him to an average skill level. Such a level governs all aspects of Faustus, including any new abilities manifested through experience or further discussion with its bound mortal. His sword may be Elvin in design, but his semi-permanent and spirit form gives it the strength and impact of iron. If Faustus suffers grievous wounds, he will fade, and cannot be resummoned until Jennifer has received four hours of quality rest.
1845
Quickalli: (Average). On her travels through the forests, Jennifer and Faustus encountered the Rage Spirit Quickalli, a horse-like creature bound to the woe and sin of man deep in the glades of mangrove trees and swamps. It was here that Faustus imparted the knowledge of his birth, of his seeming, and here that Quickalli found a release from his burden. The beast speaks not from its flower adorned head, as would be expected, but also from the white mask on its back. The mask is sarcastic and quick witted, the beast is slow but wise, and the two eternally fight. As it is not an Animus, he must be summoned and such a call will not always be automatic and instant. Jennifer must meditate, and be near trees as she calls. If the need is intellectual, the speed will be greater, as although Quickalli is a beast of burden and of an intimidating appearance, he is ethereal, and has no physical impact on the world asides from where flowers sprung beneath its ghostly feet. Whilst Quickalli is present, Jennifer gains a very small boost to her poultice and herb lore knowledge, but only through discussion and learning from a beast older than the Niña themselves. (Gives +X1.2% boost to current level of Poultices). The Summon possesses a vast wealth of magical knowledge and power, to what extent, Jennifer is too chastened and not bound strongly enough to be privy to, perhaps, as the legends say, the Quickalli, the Laughing Masque, can heal and dance between the worlds with a bow of its head, only time can tell.
Poultices, Prayer and Paragon Preaching: (Above Average). All of the Niña are taught herb lore, and the ability to heal light wounds or cure natural poisonings found in Concordia, and Concordia alone. Through a combination of poultice preparation, prayer and teaching the ways of the Conclave, Jennifer can heal light wounds, simple grazes, medium but non lacerated cuts and cure natural poisons from sources found in Corone. These abilities are intricately linked, forming a core component of the Priesthood, and perhaps working together in a ragtag modicum of innovation. All such healing requires natural ingredients, and for Jennifer to attempt any serious healing or to learn from a Summoned Beast further ability, great difficulty must be endured to obtain the ingredients, or at least to maintain a constant supply. Anything resistant to divine sourced magic or natural chemicals will of course suffer a penalty to healing, and most battle wounds will still required some time to be restored completely.
Pacifist: (No Skill). Although she possesses a staff, Jennifer has no training with weaponry. Her use of her staff is for walking or ornamental reasons only. She is quick, agile and can skitter between the trees to make her escape, but cannot endure great physical trauma; easily knocked out or down, it is the reason her Animus, the manifestation of her Summoned boon carries a blade, he has formed as a patriarchal domineering warrior as she is utterly defenseless.
Bark Bound Intellect: (Average). Of the forest, the Niña know a great deal, but they know nothing of the outside world beyond what is told to them by sympathetic travelers and observed through the divining pools at the heart of the trees. On matters of nature, and the lands covered by trees, Jennifer is considered to be domesticated, but on matters beyond basic social interaction and superstition of the outside world, she is uneducated at best.
Equipment/Items: Robes, clothing of leather and padded blouses. She has tough walking boots, suitable for climbing, and various delicate shoes and slippers of simple material and colour for civil duties amongst the tribes. A leather belt and component bandolier, to carry herbs and simple cotton bandages through her travels, and a small anathema wrought of a steel handle and iron blade. Candles, pestle and mortar, jugs and various domestic utensils, a backpack, walking stave and ornamental staff; black heart wood, hard as oak, with a quartz tip and bronze adornments. Spell book, spell pouch and crystal wand, as well as a small collection of dried herbs found in abundance in the forests. Amber jewelry, dress rings, nothing valuable to outsiders.
The Spirits of the Conclave: (Average). The Niña is not truly human, but neither are they truly fae, spirits or daemons. They possess a modicum of their fae power, gifted to them by their ancestors and their connection to the First, Niña himself. They live no longer than a normal man, but age slower. They do not show their true visage, often nymph like or barky and demi-bestial or natural in nature, instead hiding behind a Masque, an appearance they themselves see, unless they should drop the veil to gaze upon their own self beauty. All Niña are resistant to magic that is not of an evil or fire or dark based nature, although such a resistant is not to be relied on, at least not without a strong bond to a spirit to discover its intricacies. They are weak against magical afflictions, poisons and curses, should they be touched with one, and although they heal slightly quicker than humans, it comes at the cost of fatigue and a momentary loss of a connection with the Conclave, as such, most Niña shun combat, the risk being too great. Such a skill has been given a level, to represent Jennifer’s connection with the forest, should it grow, so will the features of her kinship, her resistance, her physical features, her ability to draw upon its power and resist its inherent weaknesses.
Alias: The Withered Oak
Gender: Female
Race: Human/Spirit
Age: 29yrs
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 123llbs
Eye Colour: Jade
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Religion: Nomadic Shaman
Place of Birth: Concordia
Class/Occupation: Summoned/Priestess
History/Premise: She is the nuance, the intricately carved; the forest’s chided by birth and indomitable will. Life has meaning, whilst the Niña walk the earth. They are known as many things, in many tongues, in many times, but all refer to them as the women of the woods, the witches of the wild, the nymphs, the sprites, the effluent conclave folk of the deep dark expanses of the forest of Concordia. Born into the conclave, and brought up deep within the historical tradition of the nomadic shamans and their elders, Jennifer knows little of the world beyond the great forests of Corone, and little still of the lands and the world known to others as Althanas. All the children of the Niña are taught aspects of herbalism, survival and to commune with the spirits and beasts of their homelands, aspects of the Great Commune, as it is called, are inherent in each child, and in truth, the Niña are mystical beings. They transcend humanism, for they are part man, part spirit and equal part myth.
Such a people came to be, or so it is said, three hundred and thirty years ago to the current day, when the Thayne Y’edda bestowed a boon on a Y’edda druid named Darlan Niña. The village fell to the trappings of religion, vanishing with reverence into the trees forever. Its people became roving druids, hiding from the Caravans, the elves, the Rangers, all the factions that warred on fair Corone, to protect the forest unseen and unheard and utterly resolute in their dedicated and fervor for the Great Wood. Where the Niña differ from the druids is in their approach to worship, to dedication. There is no right to wear robes, or rituals deep and mysterious, there is simply reverence, a close personal conversation with the creatures and the bark – a natural and foreboding symbiotic relationship. This of course does not prevent self professes priests rising in village society, and a small group of them have gathered together.
In time, the Niña villagers have become part spirit, part human, named nymphs and sprites and witches and ogres amongst many things by the foolish and hard wearing travelers along the caravan roads between Radasanth and the ports to Scara Brae to the south. Only the foolish investigate the rumours of the wild folk in detail, and only the truly brave go into the dark undercroft of the trees without being prepared. There is a bitter enmity between the Y’edda and the Niña, the latter embrace change to the old ways, standing as the revivalists of the old primal ways and the former, wage their war of intricate detail against the ever dwindling and elusive ‘Summoners.’
So it is that there are no true Niña settlements, no tree top villages or deep grove camps. They live the day to day by using their surroundings, bending the bough of a wide leafed tree and collecting dead wood to build shelters, so that they may forever be flowing between the branches and trunks like the wind. The priestesses of the Niña, a namesake that is not their own but one prescribed guard the ancient lore, the legends of flora and fauna of Concordia, and pass down the history of the tribes by means of song and dance, and it is they who remember the Origin, the sundering of thought in that long druid, that gave the Niña their enlightenment.
Born in a time of peace, when the nomadic folk have remained ahead of their pursuers and the outsiders, Jennifer is graced by nomenclature, birthright and a curious gift. Empathy and birdsong, talent with healing and with bow are but some of the natural skills the Niña possess, but some, often those who rise to the Priesthood possess a bond with the Conclave stronger than any other, and it is they who strike fear into the citizens of Corone, for they are the Summoners, the sunlight paragons of command and will.
At the age of fifteen, as the veil between worlds tore and Jennifer began to control her nature as a demi-spirit, from her heart came the beast named Faustus. With a scream, and a crack of lightning, her eyes shone and horns sprouted from her forehead like a brand of daemon hood, and behold, there was the faun, the man goat armed with an ancient blade. Amidst the screams, Jennifer and the other priests heard the Conclave cry with an uproar of sound, and they knew that a Summoned had heard the Call.
Enlightened to the glory of the forest, the Thayne and the primal power of nature, Jennifer entered the priesthood and learned to revere her ability to call on the spirits of the deeper woods without jealousy, guilt or greed. A Summoned of the Conclave is not one who creates mystical beasts from nothing, but one whom possesses the power to call on the legends and entities they have come to revere, developing a bond stronger then steel and more eternal than time; only through a mutual understanding can a Summoned ever hope to rely on their new friend’s aid. The rest, as they say amongst the humans of the great cities, is history.
Appearances:
18421844
Mien/Masque of Jennifer Oakley
The Summoned: (Average). Such is Jennifer’s belief in the Conclave, the collective voice of the forest and its inhabitants, she has the potential to form bonds with the spirits and creatures that dwell here and thus, she can learn to call on their aid, perhaps even summon them from afar in times of need, physical or emotional. It takes a great deal of discussion, communication and understanding for a Summoned to even develop one bond, and few ever sever them, as such, a Summoned collects a few tokens of mutual gratification and does not overburden the forest, or his own mental ability with too many voices, too many needs and personalities. Any Summoned, regardless of ability, cannot have more than six bonds, regardless of the power of the creatures they have connected with. The speed and strength and manifestation of Jennifer’s Mien, the true form, depends on the emotional state and desire at the time of summoning. If angered, or pressured, or in combat, the horns will sprout with speed and the clothes she is wearing will fade, revealing her true form, the one she reveals during prayer or battle – that of the Thorne Bride, the Priestess of the Conclave. Except when in these circumstances, she will appear in her normal human form to anyone who is not a magical creature themselves, and does not emit any strange aura except to those with magical training to detect such things. The Masque offers nothing more than mundane appearance, a lack of recognition, there are no physical properties, and any injuries sustained will transfer between forms. They have NPC status, except where the application of their abilities is concerned.
1843
Faustus (Average). Summoned by magical means through a blast of light from the heart, Faustus is Jennifer’s Animus, her soul, her forest spirit given form. Appearing as a six foot humanoid goat, with full silky hair and immaculate leaf wreathed horns, he is a modicum of finesse and grace, despite the animal from which he is formed. As Jennifer’s skill in combat does not exist, beyond feeble screaming, her Animus has taken the form of a warrior, and as such, he always manifests with an ancient Elvin long sword, and a beaded beard. Faustus cannot be healed, and his wounds will emit an eerie light, for he is made of magic, not flesh, but dies in the normal manner of mortal beings. He effectively acts as a guardian to Jennifer, and possesses an ability to fight with the sword the forest gives him to an average skill level. Such a level governs all aspects of Faustus, including any new abilities manifested through experience or further discussion with its bound mortal. His sword may be Elvin in design, but his semi-permanent and spirit form gives it the strength and impact of iron. If Faustus suffers grievous wounds, he will fade, and cannot be resummoned until Jennifer has received four hours of quality rest.
1845
Quickalli: (Average). On her travels through the forests, Jennifer and Faustus encountered the Rage Spirit Quickalli, a horse-like creature bound to the woe and sin of man deep in the glades of mangrove trees and swamps. It was here that Faustus imparted the knowledge of his birth, of his seeming, and here that Quickalli found a release from his burden. The beast speaks not from its flower adorned head, as would be expected, but also from the white mask on its back. The mask is sarcastic and quick witted, the beast is slow but wise, and the two eternally fight. As it is not an Animus, he must be summoned and such a call will not always be automatic and instant. Jennifer must meditate, and be near trees as she calls. If the need is intellectual, the speed will be greater, as although Quickalli is a beast of burden and of an intimidating appearance, he is ethereal, and has no physical impact on the world asides from where flowers sprung beneath its ghostly feet. Whilst Quickalli is present, Jennifer gains a very small boost to her poultice and herb lore knowledge, but only through discussion and learning from a beast older than the Niña themselves. (Gives +X1.2% boost to current level of Poultices). The Summon possesses a vast wealth of magical knowledge and power, to what extent, Jennifer is too chastened and not bound strongly enough to be privy to, perhaps, as the legends say, the Quickalli, the Laughing Masque, can heal and dance between the worlds with a bow of its head, only time can tell.
Poultices, Prayer and Paragon Preaching: (Above Average). All of the Niña are taught herb lore, and the ability to heal light wounds or cure natural poisonings found in Concordia, and Concordia alone. Through a combination of poultice preparation, prayer and teaching the ways of the Conclave, Jennifer can heal light wounds, simple grazes, medium but non lacerated cuts and cure natural poisons from sources found in Corone. These abilities are intricately linked, forming a core component of the Priesthood, and perhaps working together in a ragtag modicum of innovation. All such healing requires natural ingredients, and for Jennifer to attempt any serious healing or to learn from a Summoned Beast further ability, great difficulty must be endured to obtain the ingredients, or at least to maintain a constant supply. Anything resistant to divine sourced magic or natural chemicals will of course suffer a penalty to healing, and most battle wounds will still required some time to be restored completely.
Pacifist: (No Skill). Although she possesses a staff, Jennifer has no training with weaponry. Her use of her staff is for walking or ornamental reasons only. She is quick, agile and can skitter between the trees to make her escape, but cannot endure great physical trauma; easily knocked out or down, it is the reason her Animus, the manifestation of her Summoned boon carries a blade, he has formed as a patriarchal domineering warrior as she is utterly defenseless.
Bark Bound Intellect: (Average). Of the forest, the Niña know a great deal, but they know nothing of the outside world beyond what is told to them by sympathetic travelers and observed through the divining pools at the heart of the trees. On matters of nature, and the lands covered by trees, Jennifer is considered to be domesticated, but on matters beyond basic social interaction and superstition of the outside world, she is uneducated at best.
Equipment/Items: Robes, clothing of leather and padded blouses. She has tough walking boots, suitable for climbing, and various delicate shoes and slippers of simple material and colour for civil duties amongst the tribes. A leather belt and component bandolier, to carry herbs and simple cotton bandages through her travels, and a small anathema wrought of a steel handle and iron blade. Candles, pestle and mortar, jugs and various domestic utensils, a backpack, walking stave and ornamental staff; black heart wood, hard as oak, with a quartz tip and bronze adornments. Spell book, spell pouch and crystal wand, as well as a small collection of dried herbs found in abundance in the forests. Amber jewelry, dress rings, nothing valuable to outsiders.
The Spirits of the Conclave: (Average). The Niña is not truly human, but neither are they truly fae, spirits or daemons. They possess a modicum of their fae power, gifted to them by their ancestors and their connection to the First, Niña himself. They live no longer than a normal man, but age slower. They do not show their true visage, often nymph like or barky and demi-bestial or natural in nature, instead hiding behind a Masque, an appearance they themselves see, unless they should drop the veil to gaze upon their own self beauty. All Niña are resistant to magic that is not of an evil or fire or dark based nature, although such a resistant is not to be relied on, at least not without a strong bond to a spirit to discover its intricacies. They are weak against magical afflictions, poisons and curses, should they be touched with one, and although they heal slightly quicker than humans, it comes at the cost of fatigue and a momentary loss of a connection with the Conclave, as such, most Niña shun combat, the risk being too great. Such a skill has been given a level, to represent Jennifer’s connection with the forest, should it grow, so will the features of her kinship, her resistance, her physical features, her ability to draw upon its power and resist its inherent weaknesses.