General Information

Name: Eira Remoerdis
Nicknames: n/a
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Birth: Midwinter of 1407
Gift(s):

• Average Mindspeech (78/100)
• Weak Farsight (24/100)
• Strong Bardic (89/100)

Occupation/Rank: Herald/Trainee

Appearance

Eyes: hazel
Hair: reddish brown
Height: 5’6”
Build: athletic
Description: Eira’s no Court beauty, even if her mother insisted she try the look. From Eira’s perspective, said look includes a tidy braid down her back and allowing her hair to grow long enough for it in the first place. Brown haired and fair, she shows signs of hard training typical of her group, her build refining itself to afford her a style of fighting based on speed and agility as opposed to brute force. When not in Greys (or Blues before she was Chosen), she can be seen in trews and shirt combos and, on rare occasion, gowns that, while simple, show off her status in relatively expensive material and lace edging at sleeves and hems. The signs of carelessness include typical wear and tear any clothing faces when worn by an active teenager, especially when said active teenager happens to be a Herald Trainee, and ink stains at the sleeves that are typical of those with studious natures.

Face Claim (for reference): Dakota Blue Richards

Personality

Virtues outspoken, practical, resourceful, mischievous, honest
Flaws cynical, perfectionistic, insecure, stubborn, conservative

Description
Eira was Chosen while in the middle of going from one class at the Collegium to another as an Unaffiliated student. Her biggest security since coming to Haven was the knowledge that she can make it on her own. Instead, she now has to get used to the life of a Herald, and from all that she studied, she knows exactly how short this life can be. As a member of a family from the region of Valdemar where people are afraid of magic and all it represents, Eira faces her region’s biggest fear on daily basis and needed to change her perspective to adjust.

Luckily, she’s stubborn and resourceful, and, given a bit of stability and luck, tends to land on both feet. Becoming a trainee allowed her access where she didn’t have before, such as training and connections for her skills. Her quiet, conservative nature is being destroyed by a mix of Trainees and fellow young nobles for the past couple of years, and instead, she’s studying everything she can get her hands on, including the ropes of every future Herald.

While the routine of lessons is her main coping mechanism, she also has a mile wide mischief streak. It’s, really, only applying what she learned to pay back the miscreants of the collective Collegia if such is necessary, since she won’t be starting any of it. Coping with fellow Trainees is no different than playing with siblings. She enjoys bickering with her Companion about everything under the sun, too, as well as bemoaning said Companion’s romantic woes to most of those who wish to listen.

Like many, she shows a temper when provoked. Her fuse is long, though she hits first and asks questions later when it’s lit, and wrangling it under control involves a lot of petulant muttering, plotting revenge, and finding something to do while at it. Alette tends to indulge her there because she’s only fifteen, though sometimes, she might seem an old soul. Part of the reason for Eira’s quite cheerfully bullying her Companion into doing their best together is that she wants to be the fastest Herald in Valdemar. If they’re going to be a moving target, anyway, they may as well be the one that’s impossible to catch.

Family & History

Parents Taran and Ylina
Siblings two brothers and a sister, all older
Noble Family Remoerdis
Description

-Eira’s family lives at the border with Valdemar, which allows for people who are relatively accepting of Valdemar’s ways; it counts members with ties to the kingdom, including a couple of Heralds who are, admittedly, more hidebound than most of their number. As a result of Counter Storm’s earthquake, though, it’s probably no surprise that they still eschew magic and all things associated with it, firmly in denial whenever signs of Gifts crop up in children; some of them are old enough and used to live close enough to Highjorune to experience certain rumors for themselves, which was the reason they left it in the first place.

-Like most noble families at the borders, they ensured to cultivate good relations with local Guard and farmers, which means they’ve been able to tighten security around their lands after the Mage Storms. It’s not, however, entirely safe, and pockets of danger remain both in faces of occasional bandit, dangerous creatures, and discontent of neighbors.

-Eira’s the youngest child and second daughter of this family, born during Midwinter of 1407

-age 7, needlecrafts encouraged to the point she’d be eventually able to help with most of the family needs. In addition to that, the girl’s kept busy learning most of the courtly graces and basic skills

-age 7, first sign of Bardic Gift; her family doesn’t really notice anything since Eira mostly hums to herself at that point

-age 9, encounters what she thinks is a change-creature while practicing her wilderness survival skills; the (quite average) creature is scared off by her mentor, but the girl develops a healthy fear of big hairy things with teeth, seeing as she believed she saw those teeth too close for comfort

-age 9, first sign of Mindspeech, as Eira gets flashes of thoughts in her vicinity; she keeps it to herself thinking she imagines things, but when she does slip and answer to thoughts instead of words aloud, others note it as unusual perceptiveness

-age 10, Eira starts to actively experiment with using what she doesn’t know is Bardic Gift; it’s the little things, like wheedling permission to go to the Sovvan celebrations or making sure she isn’t noticed when she doesn’t want to be, but it doesn’t always work; that helps the family to stay in denial of what’s going on with her for now

-age 11, starts weapons training; while her mother’s against her learning anything unladylike, her father agrees to it, and Eira is well on the way to earning the privilege to carry a knife in her boot by the time she’s Chosen due being very motivated by her experience of defenselessness

-age 11, her Bardic Gift is strong enough to be less than subtle when she sings, and she starts seeing things ahead just before she runs into them, a sign of Farsight; the latter makes it easier for her to avoid unwanted confrontations more often than before

-age 13, staying home’s no longer safe since it’s discovered that odd things in her vicinity are actually signs of ‘magic’ - that is, her Gifts; she manages to use Bardic to convince her parents to be allowed to go to Haven and does so with aid from a Herald on circuit

-age 13, plans of joining a guild as weaving apprentice and proving her talent to the Collegium’s Unaffiliated group are foiled by Companion Alette, who decides to Choose her between classes; instead, Eira formally joins Heraldic Collegium, taking classes both there and at Bardic to learn control of her Gifts

-by present day, she settled into routine of lessons. That involved at least one meltdown due having three Gifts to deal with and magic and other things shoved at her over the course of training; losing control of said Gifts at least once now she’s consciously trying to control them; having at least one shouting match with Alette due the other being more mysterious than necessary; and, for fun and practice, orchestrating payback on fellow young nobles for pranks on her and her cohort

-present day, classes in ethics got her incredibly confused but thinking whether she’d use her Gifts as literal weapons if she had no choice, re-evaluating her experiments as a child while at it; that’s still one of the biggest things she’s wrestling with at this point

Extras

Likes: learning new things; music; exploring; weaving small, detailed lace pieces; fry-up days

Dislikes: bullies; insecurity; Healer imposed restrictions; big hairy things with teeth; magic; being cold, wet, or both

Talents & Skills
Mending and Laceworking: Eira can be trusted to mend clothes and tack and weave bracelets and other decorative items, the latter being where she focused on the most. By now, she’s good enough at this to consider it a skill she can barter with like she planned.

Research: her own love of learning and later, Alette’s encouragement ensure she spends as much time with a book in hand as she does weaving pretty lace patterns (in fact, it’s not unusual to see her do both at the same time). While it takes her time to puzzle through some readings, once Eira thoroughly understands the basics, everything else in the same skill set comes with ease.

Courtly Graces: both due being a member of the Remoerdis family and instructions (read: nagging) from Alette, Eira’s able to handle herself at Court, including handling various nobles, basic etiquette and dancing. She doesn’t really like it, but it’s one less class for her to deal with as a result.

Singing: she has a pleasant enough voice that she could’ve maybe made a minstrel if she paid it more attention than a sing-along while her hands are busy. She does not have talents necessary for being counted a Bard, but she does have a sizable repertoire thanks to a best friend in Bardic.

Combat: Eira may not be the best at it yet, but she pays very close attention in her combat and equestrian classes. Her build makes her best suited for rapier and knives, and she has potential for deadly accuracy targeting moving objects while on the move herself.

Wilderness Survival: it seems like an unnecessary skill to have, but she picked up bits and pieces because she likes learning. As far as she’s concerned, things relevant to foraging, swimming, cooking, and running from big hairy things with teeth in relatively safe conditions will ensure her future Circuits won’t result in untimely death from lack of preparation where this set of skills applies.

Companion Alette

General information

Name: Alette
Nicknames: ‘lette
Species: Companion
Age: 7
Birth: Early Autumn of 1415
Gender: Female
Height: 15.1 hh
Gift(s): Companion Gifts

• Average Mindspeech (50/100)
• Average Gift of Tongues (50/100)

Physical Description:
Of average height, average build, and with potential for being among the fastest Companions in Valdemar if she but applies herself, Alette doesn’t do a iota more than necessary to pass equestrian training she suffers through with her Chosen. She thinks herself an intellectual, and prefers to pound fellows - both human and otherwise - to proverbial pudding with wit before hooves have to come into play. She immensely dislikes physical exertion, is a vain creature, and thus is largely considered all bark and no bite. The bite does show itself if her Chosen is in immediate danger, like it would for any Companion worth their salt. Given her training’s just starting, she may yet live up to it, provided she be taken to task by someone with enough authority to do so.


Personality:
Mostly straight-laced and proper, Alette has the equine version of looking down one’s nose at a fellow as well mastered as any noble. Despite being average by all counts at first glance, she moves with a sort of grace that can recall a stateswoman or a diplomat to one’s mind, one accustomed to having authority and knowledge in equal measure.

She is, indeed, accustomed to both. In part thanks to her past life and in part due shameless eavesdropping (which she’ll vehemently deny if asked, but a Companion has to entertain herself somehow when on her own), Alette’s very well-versed in etiquette, current power players and their motives, and other Court intrigues, though she’s insistent that it’s knowledge her Chosen does not need unless it’s truly wanted. If anything, Alette thinks that petty squabbles of Courtiers and ‘youngsters’ who don’t have their shit together yet are beneath her notice and should be the same for her Chosen, though Eira’s yet to discover just what it means to have one’s shit together enough to be worthy of said attention. She does appreciate Eira’s studious nature and perfectionist streak, and encourages it whenever it shows itself.

In less than perfect moments, Alette has flashes of inadequacy and insecurity to rival those of her Chosen, and will go to great lengths to hide them from everyone. If anything, it’s those very moments that, on those rare occasions she’s not being a recluse, she can be said to actively indulge in trouble. That said, this trouble tends to be limited to letting foals and youngsters in close enough vicinity for chaos called a game. She needs, and usually gets, a gentle reminder that she’s just one Companion and doesn’t need to carry the world by herself. Load shared is load halved is a lesson in progress, both with the others and her own Chosen, at this time.

It should be noted that she sees Companion ‘Cambri’ as competition in everything under the sun and has a serious, unrequited, crush on Taver (much to her Chosen’s amused embarrassment).


Inspiration:
Alette is inspired by the idea that she was once a Herald who specialized in the Chronicles – or was a well respected Diplomat. She’s bookish and well-versed in etiquette, political intrigue and Valdemar’s history, which she is often found reminiscing about across many different time periods. It’s difficult to tell if she’s just reciting knowledge gleaned from study, or if she really has ‘been around’ throughout this history. She is exceptionally close-mouthed about the true nature of Companions; and appears to revel in the fact that her Chosen must ‘make her own way’ and ‘make her own mistakes.’ This trait can be infuriating when all one needs is a straight answer.


Core Companion write-up: Celeanor