Alexandra
The black-eyed cousin
Name: Enid
Ethnicity: Hrothgaard
Path: The Silver Tree
Appearance:
Enid appears to be somewhere in her mid to late 30s. Everything about her appearance suggests she is unremarkable; her average height and build, the medium brown hair worn in a braid, the sensible clothes. She is not unattractive, but none of her features would mark her as beautiful. This carefully cultivated anonymity is for protection.
For the times where something other than unremarkable is necessary, she has other faces to do the job.
History:
She is the daughter of a book binder and a baker, but her parents were so much more than that. Books and bread filled their bellies, put clothes on their backs, and kept a roof over their heads, but didn't feed their souls. There is a distinct difference between an occupation and a calling. Generations after Hrota Rulfsdottir reclaimed The City, the stories about what was locked away underneath had distorted, faded into snippets passed down through folk tales, suggested by family heirlooms, and urban legends spread by children. But some things don't allow themselves to stay buried.
Personality:
Discovering she is functionally immortal had a profound effect on Enid; she takes the long view of events and has cultivated near endless amounts of patience. She favours the carrot over the stick, and believes that violence should only be a last option. But it is always an option. Growing up surrounded by secrets; she sees no value in lying, save but for the preservation of life, but knows not everyone needs to know the whole truth. With her companions, Enid is unfailingly optimistic and maternal, in the manner of a somewhat eccentric aunt. She is prone to working on projects for days on end unless interrupted, and never gets rid of anything that might be useful in the future.
Hopes:
Short term - successfully bring a group together in the Frontier, begin spying on all established towns, look into the "university" that has been opened by the Inquisition.
Long term - cement the resistance movement, take over the Frontier if necessary, discover more about Lord Caine's true nature.
Fears:
That she will outlive everyone she ever loves.
That history will repeat itself; hubris was the cause of the first fall.
That the children she's leading into the Frontier will never be able to understand how important their mission is.
Regrets:
She hasn't been back to Hrothgard in about 30 years, and is certain her sister would still be alive if she had.
She wishes she could have met Henry once again; despite his obvious fear of her powers, he helped her, and she still harbours a burning curiosity about this contradiction.
Connections:
Letter writing is extremely important to Enid, and is how she manages to maintain relationships with people on other corners of the continent.
She writes to her niece Saoirse in Hrothgard who keeps her informed of how the family are doing, news from the Guild of Engineers, how the Petersen Trade Consortium is coming along, and it seems recently her grand-nephew has married a Berserkar and taken up monster hunting.
She writes to Nico, one of her old guides, who is usually found on the Outcaste Islands. Laman society seems to be incredibly static and closed off within the Coral City, but the islands are a good source of information about relationships between the northern and southern continents; who is trading in what, who's organising expeditions, or fleeing the North.
She developed a cipher to keep in contact with Francesca, based on honeycomb structures and migratory bird patterns, but wants to refine and speed it up it working with a Heartwright.
Ethnicity: Hrothgaard
Path: The Silver Tree
Appearance:
Enid appears to be somewhere in her mid to late 30s. Everything about her appearance suggests she is unremarkable; her average height and build, the medium brown hair worn in a braid, the sensible clothes. She is not unattractive, but none of her features would mark her as beautiful. This carefully cultivated anonymity is for protection.
For the times where something other than unremarkable is necessary, she has other faces to do the job.
History:
She is the daughter of a book binder and a baker, but her parents were so much more than that. Books and bread filled their bellies, put clothes on their backs, and kept a roof over their heads, but didn't feed their souls. There is a distinct difference between an occupation and a calling. Generations after Hrota Rulfsdottir reclaimed The City, the stories about what was locked away underneath had distorted, faded into snippets passed down through folk tales, suggested by family heirlooms, and urban legends spread by children. But some things don't allow themselves to stay buried.
Some time before now
The Engineer's Guild existed in secret decades before they had an official place within Hrothgard society; aspiring explorers and academics acquired specific properties and began digging underneath. Enid grew up around secrets; her parents and their friends were open-minded, dreamers, convinced they were going to change the world, and when they felt she was old enough they finally gave into her pleas to join them. She learned different skills from all of them, but overwhelmingly their attitude was that science would lead humanity towards some kind of greater truth. She discovered her powers in her late teens; she was badly injured along with others during a cave-in, and an Alchemist wintering in The City offered his medical expertise. Within a matter of days she was back on her feet, and her parents praised him for his intervention, calling him a miracle worker. Henry knew he couldn't be responsible for this impossible recovery, so he started spending time with Enid, determined to figure out how this happened. News of an impending Inquisitorial forced him to bring his theory to her sooner than he intended; that there was a strong possibility she was a life mage, and that was something the Inquisition would burn her at the stake for. Years later, alone, and hundreds of miles south, she would resent her parents' belief in great destinies for the first time. Henry brought her to Kelen at her parents' insistence, helped by most of their savings. He told her what he knew of Communers, as he called them; visionaries, madmen, those who fancied themselves the natural rulers among other Patterns. The stories he shared were positively ghoulish, and his thinly concealed fear of her powers was more deep rooted than anything she had ever witnessed, even in the most devout Southern God worshipper. By the time he left her near the Caine's estate, she thought herself a monster. She knew little of Lord Caine, save that he admired her father's handiwork, but discovered he was away on business upon her arrival. Rooms had been prepared for her, and she was given leave to roam the estate as she pleased. Aside from intermittent contact with a handful of polite staff, she was left to her own devices for weeks, so she spent most of her time in the library. It didn't take long for her to discover books full of information she knew to be forbidden by the Church, and she understood why her father had assured he she'd be safe with Lord Caine.
Personality:
Discovering she is functionally immortal had a profound effect on Enid; she takes the long view of events and has cultivated near endless amounts of patience. She favours the carrot over the stick, and believes that violence should only be a last option. But it is always an option. Growing up surrounded by secrets; she sees no value in lying, save but for the preservation of life, but knows not everyone needs to know the whole truth. With her companions, Enid is unfailingly optimistic and maternal, in the manner of a somewhat eccentric aunt. She is prone to working on projects for days on end unless interrupted, and never gets rid of anything that might be useful in the future.
Hopes:
Short term - successfully bring a group together in the Frontier, begin spying on all established towns, look into the "university" that has been opened by the Inquisition.
Long term - cement the resistance movement, take over the Frontier if necessary, discover more about Lord Caine's true nature.
Fears:
That she will outlive everyone she ever loves.
That history will repeat itself; hubris was the cause of the first fall.
That the children she's leading into the Frontier will never be able to understand how important their mission is.
Regrets:
She hasn't been back to Hrothgard in about 30 years, and is certain her sister would still be alive if she had.
She wishes she could have met Henry once again; despite his obvious fear of her powers, he helped her, and she still harbours a burning curiosity about this contradiction.
Connections:
Letter writing is extremely important to Enid, and is how she manages to maintain relationships with people on other corners of the continent.
She writes to her niece Saoirse in Hrothgard who keeps her informed of how the family are doing, news from the Guild of Engineers, how the Petersen Trade Consortium is coming along, and it seems recently her grand-nephew has married a Berserkar and taken up monster hunting.
She writes to Nico, one of her old guides, who is usually found on the Outcaste Islands. Laman society seems to be incredibly static and closed off within the Coral City, but the islands are a good source of information about relationships between the northern and southern continents; who is trading in what, who's organising expeditions, or fleeing the North.
She developed a cipher to keep in contact with Francesca, based on honeycomb structures and migratory bird patterns, but wants to refine and speed it up it working with a Heartwright.
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