|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 9:49 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 9:58 pm
The Hedge Witch  Anna Petrova
Meaning: Her first name means “grace” and her surname means “daughter of Peter”. Both are Belastranan (Russian) in origin.
Nicknames: Anja, Annushka
Proper Address: Miss Petrova
Gender: Female
Age: 18-ish
Appearance: Anna is a slender, waifish young woman with dreamy, light grey eyes. Her pale Belastranan skin is thrown into sharp contrast by her brilliant red hair, which falls in light waves down to her waist. She is unusually tall for a woman, standing at about 5’9”.
Designation: Hedge Witch
Specialty: Anna is good at reading the truth of people’s hearts, a skill that is just a little too well-honed to be mere intuition. Sometimes, she also has dreams that come true.
Familiar: Aranka
Companion(s): Lior
Origin: She comes from the vast and frozen country of Belastrana.
Station: Although she was born to a Belastranan Viscount, her noble status means next to nothing in Sunderland. There, she is nothing more than the niece of Lord and Lady Raines.
Spouse: None
Likes: Fans - delicately painted, native or exotic, they are so lovely to collect and so expressive when properly used. Tea - a civilized drink with a brew for every mood and occasion. Animals - their hearts are so pure, they are a breath of fresh air. Winter - it is the most beautiful season.
Dislikes: Women with an interest in her brother - no woman will be sinking her claws into Alexei; not on Anna's watch.
History:
Born to noble parents, Anna was raised with certain privileges, even if her parents held only a titular Viscountcy. She and her twin brother, Alexei, lived a comfortable life in their father’s homeland of Belastrana. Even while they were raised with the Belastranan culture, their mother taught them of her own people, the people of Sunderland. She spun wonderous tales of their colorful and magical legends and so captured the imaginations of her children.
Given the commonality of political marriages, their mixed heritage was never a source of trouble. Their parents loved them and they had little trouble getting along with the other children, especially with how outgoing Anna was. In short, Anna and her brother had a happy childhood.
However, there was one deviation from Anna’s otherwise typical life. As she grew older, she became more and more aware of certain peculiarities, certain things about herself that were different from other people. For one, she never grew out of a child’s intuitive good judgment of people. Indeed, her judgment of character only became more and more accurate. But this was a skill that could be brushed off as good, solid woman’s intuition. There was something else. Something that was almost uncanny. Sometimes, just sometimes, her dreams came true.
Anna had only a few short years to get used to the idea that she was not quite normal before tragedy struck.
Her parents were away on a trip to the capital when Anna woke in a cold sweat, eyes wide from a terrible nightmare. She had dreamed her parents were on their way back home, safely ensconced in a carriage. Her mother was laughing merrily, practically glowing with the warmth of her heart when the attack came. Anna could not make out the faces or forms of the aggressors. Perhaps they were bandits. Perhaps wolves or demons. It did not matter. All that mattered was the blood. The blood and violence and death.
A few days later, the Petrov siblings learned that their parents were dead. Anna’s nightmare was real. They were orphaned at sixteen.
The following weeks passed in a dazed blur. Funerals were held. Arguments were had. Anna was hardly aware of any of it. She was too far gone into shock. Her nightmare was real. It was real, and she could not do anything to stop it. Ultimately, it was decided that Anna and Alexei would be given into the care of their mother’s sister and her husband. Thus, they were sent to Palisade, capital city of Sunderland. What Anna did not know was that her brother had suggested they go there because their lives were in danger from the very same people who killed their parents.
About:
Although Anna normally has a happy, outgoing nature, the sudden deaths of her parents combined with the manifestation and expansion of her powers as a hedge witch left her shaken and unsure for a time. Are her powers a gift or a curse? What good are they if they cannot even save those she loves? With such doubts, Anna struggled to find herself once more. She never became the carefree child that she once was; but in time, with the support of her brother and companion and familiar, she was able to regain her equilibrium. However, it might take more than that to help her heal entirely.
In her time of transformation, much changed within Anna. After she emerged from being isolated within herself, she became all the stronger for it. Her confidence was regained and she had develop a steely force of spirit with which she protects her friends and family. Of course, this willfulness will doubtless cause problems in such a male-dominated society. Especially when it gets combined with her sharp wit. Regardless, she is a fiercely loyal friend and a terribly formidable foe.
This is particularly so when one considers the other little trait that came to the fore with her new and improved personality: cunning. Whatever combination of determination and guilt caused it, the fact remains that Anna became much more calculating than she ever was before. Now, she will not hesitate to use whatever tools she has at her disposal, be they intellectual or tangible, to reach her goals. For now, she only wishes to keep her family safe and prevent any more suffering; however, if she is not careful, this could lead her down a darker path than she had ever dreamed.
Important People:
• Alexei Petrov – Anna’s younger, identical twin brother. Although he is the male, he is so sweet-tempered that Anna feels protective of him.
• Pyotr Volkov – The b*****d son of Anna’s father and a maid, he was born a few years before Anna’s mother and father were married. Neither Anna nor Alexei know about him. Regardless, she has the potential to become more like him than she would be comfortable with.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:20 pm
The Familiar  Aranka
Meaning: It is a Hungarian name meaning "gold".
Nicknames: Ara, Ran, Ranka
Gender: Female
Age: Adult
Appearance: Her body is a golden copper. Her wing tips and tail are white. She has brown markings and her eyes are orange-red.
Hedge Witch: Anna Petrova
Mate: n/a
Obtained: Morphy the Quest Fairy made her magically appear after the Autumn Equinox Event.
History:
In the two years of her life before meeting Anna, Aranka lived a rich and varied life. Born in the Wardwood, she lived and breathed magic, absorbing enough to become so much more than a normal bird, more, even, than those rooks who become companions. She gained intelligence and insight that sometimes seems on par with humans. Dissatisfied with her life in the forest, Ran eventually ventured out into the world of humans, seeking an indescribable something that was missing. It was not a mate, though she did not have one of those, nor was it a proper nest or good skies or any of the other things that normal birds sought.
Whatever it was, she could not find it. As time went on, she watched the humans. They were all so blind, the poor things, trapped on the earth, unable to fly. If magic-touched creatures can feel such things, then perhaps she felt pity for them, or disdain. Regardless, she did not find what she sought amongst them. However, she did discover that they often had shiny baubles, something she quickly grew to appreciate…and occasionally filched.
One Midsummer’s eve, however, everything changed. Aranka found before her a human who was not like the others, a human who needed her and who could understand her. A human to call her own. Thus, she became a witch’s familiar.
About:
Aranka is generally a very sweet bird, at least where Anna is concerned. To the rest of the world, however, Ran can be rather aloof and even snobbish. She does not hesitate to make her opinions known and is terribly stubborn. If she decides does not like someone or something, nothing and no one can change her mind. Not even Anna.
Aranka is in possession of a great deal of intelligence, and she often notices things that others miss. It seems like she understands exactly what everyone is saying, a trait that disturbs many a human. She is also in the habit of helping Anna puzzle out problems. There is only one known weakness that plagues this rook: a fondness for shiny baubles.
Dreaming:
Forthcoming
Important People:
•
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:25 pm
The Meeting Anna woke with a gasp, eyes wide and staring. The young woman simply lie there for several long moments, attempting to slow the wild beating of her hear. A dream. It was just a dream. Dreams could not hurt her.
If only she could believe that.
She knew all too well what uncanny power her dreams held. Every so often, they decided that they were not content to remain figments of her imagination. Every so often, they came true. The last time that had happened, they had brought to life a terrible nightmare. The last time they had come to life, they had stolen her parents from her. She let out a ragged sigh and ran a hand through her tangled, red hair.
Although she knew that this nightmare could not come true – it already had – she also knew that there would be no more sleep for her tonight. So, she slipped out of the still-unfamiliar bed and into a dressing gown. Rather than waking her brother and causing him more worry, Anna snuck outside. Perhaps she could find some peace in her aunt’s garden. Spirits knew nothing else had helped.
* * *
It was a surprisingly cool evening, on this shortest night after the longest day of the year, but the rook did not mind. She had her feathers to keep her warm as she watched the last of the revelers return home from their day-long celebration. Strange creatures, humans. They were always so trapped in their own little worlds. So ignorant and unaware. In fact, they were so far beneath her that she rarely bothered with them. Today, however, she was feeling restless. She had been for days, in fact, but it was stronger now. Stronger than it had ever been before.
It was as though something was going to happen. Something important. She had no idea what it might be, and it was not as though she had any mystical powers of her own to give her any hints, but some animal instinct was bothering her. It was like the calm before the storm, the silence before a predator struck, but it did not feel dangerous. She could not explain it, but she could feel it, and without knowing why, she found herself watching these stupid, self-absorbed, human creatures.
Glaring at the staggering revelers, she took flight. None of them were worth a second look. Perhaps somewhere else.
* * *
It was as though something was calling to her. Whispering her name. Perhaps the spirits of legend. Perhaps the ghosts of her parents. Annushka, it seemed to say. Annushka. Hardly realizing where she was going, Anna was drawn farther and farther from the house until, at last, she came upon a copse of trees. Was she still in the garden? It hardly mattered.
A sharp caw called her attention up and up and up. Near the top of one of the tallest trees she had seen since coming to this country, a golden rook was perched. Its eyes almost seemed to glow as it turned its head this way and that, studying her. It cawed again and Anna gasped, her hands flying to her head as she stumbled.
Visions. Visions flashed through her mind’s eye like they never had before. Visions of herself, and this rook, and the future. Visions beautiful and terrifying and painfully intense. They flitted by too fast for her to truly comprehend, but one thing shone through it all. A sense of belonging. The feeling that they were meant to be together, to complete each other.
When she was certain that the waking dreams were done with her, she slowly, tentatively, lowered her hands from her head and let them grip her dressing gown. What was that? She was only supposed to dream when she was asleep, not while she was taking a moonlight stroll in a garden. What was wrong with her?
As though it were commanding her to get a hold of herself, the rook ruffled its feathers loudly. No, not it. Her. That beautiful, beautiful bird was female. Anna stared at the rook, overwhelmed by a stunned awe laced with unease. What was it that this bird made her feel? Had she been the one to make Anna start dreaming while she was awake? Would she keep doing that? Would she make her have more true dreams?
As much as that idea terrified her, Anna was tantalized by the feeling of companionship that those fleeting visions had offered. She had lost so much all at once. Her mother, her father, her home and friends and even her country. Everything that was safe and familiar. Was it too much to want this one thing? A bit of peace in the chaos her world had become. Would the price of reaching for it be too high?
“Aranka” she found herself whispering. Without consciously realizing it, some small part of her had reached a decision, and that part had stolen the choice from her. Before she had a chance to take it back, Anna felt a strange, warm glow of approval in her mind. Apparently, the rook liked her choice of names.
Anna found herself smiling. It was a small smile, tentative, but it was the first to cross her lips in the two months since her parents had died. This is it. This is what is meant to be. Together, they would become so much more than they could ever be apart. Together, they would be strong.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:28 pm
The Companion
 Lior
Meaning: It means “my light” in Hebrew.
Nicknames: Lio
Gender: Male
Age: Adult
Appearance: He is a dusty color with slightly darker points and bright blue eyes. The proper term is seal colorpoint.
Mate: None
Obtained: Grimalkin Flaffle during the Autumn Equinox Event
History:
Shortly after Anna first arrived in Sunderland, a young grimalkin made its way into her life. As though sensing the deaths surrounding her, he chose her. He decided that she needed him more than any other human and offered her what comfort he could – the unique warmth that only the affections of a feline can bestow. He became her light in the darkness, guiding her back to life.
About:
Friendly and affectionate, Lior is a most lovable companion for Anna. He is as playful as a kitten and very happy-natured. Unlike most felines, he does not find performing tasks for his human demeaning. Quite the contrary, most things that Anna asks of him, he finds entertaining - particularly when it involves Alexei.
Dreaming:
Forthcoming
Important People:
•
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:16 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
