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 Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 4:37 pm
 "People once believed, that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens, that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes the crow could bring that soul back to put the wrong things right."
- The Crow
There are dreams.
In the hearts of all it starts as a dream... It starts as a myth and, from there, a character forms. For some people this character is so real that they can hear it echoing. For others it's just a nifty idea. For me it's a chance to become a part of the greater picture... The desire to put my handprint on the great wall that the Fa'e community has formed within the Breedables Forum.
That's my dream.
Do you dare to dream? (( The above was quoted directly from my original quest thread... Yes, with the 'Dream for a Dream' there is now a price that can be paid... But altering the begining left it without flow. I opted for sticking with flow. 8D I very well may change it later though... )) Original Quest Thread
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Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 4:41 pm
   "One crow, sorrow, two crows, joy, three crows for a girl, four crows for a boy, five crows for silver, six crows for gold, seven crows for a secret thats never been told"
- The Crow
Meaning of Name: Sorrowful, wanderer.
History: Ever since the death of myth, many have come up with various ideas about the Morrigan. One is that she was the Triad itself. That is not the truth. The Morrigan made up the Triad with her sisters, Babd and Nemain. Others have made the assumption that because the Triad had the reputation of bringing death and discord wherever they went, they were not human enough to feel love and grief for what they did. Babd and Nemain may not have...but there was something that set the Morrigan apart from them...this is her story.
The sky... For some reason she had always felt somewhat at peace while soaring through the clouds. It was almost as if that was the only place where she was at home. The others of her kind held no fear for her there. They seemed to accept her. Even when she took the time to land and join them in the feast from a fresh carcass they welcomed her.
Not at all like the humans. No, they feared her. They never saw the good things that she did for them. The crow was always a death omen. Never did she mean a happy birth, or that a woman or man would be receiving a night of passionate love. No, the Morrigan brought death. She began to think that she was death...or that death was her...
Silky black feathers beat against the wind as she caught onto a current that swept her higher. As she flew her cares swirled around her, over her wings and beneath her body, lifting her once more to that often unattainable nirvana. Of course, that peace lasted for no more than a fleeting moment as a harsh gust forced her beneath the clouds. A storm was gathering...
She had been flying, just as she was now, thinking on many things that she couldn't find the time to think about while she was in human form. The winds had knocked her from her course, throwing her into a tree in a way that should have shattered her wing. Somehow she had managed to shift into a more attractive form before he found her, battered and bruised. Carefully he carried her to his camp, tending to her wounds and seeing to her every need. Perhaps that was why she had fallen in love with him.
Humans were funny as far as love was concerned. "Falling" was a good way to put it, for it was often painful and frequently left one hurting in ways that they could never fathom to begin with. Of course, females see love differently than males as well. It was so much different for crows. So different that she felt odd thinking about it while in this form.
She had offered her love to CuChulainn and, in doing so, she revealed to him the goddess that she was. He failed to see her for the woman that existed beneath that role, forcing her away for fear of his life should he ever anger her. Foolish man. Rejection was never taken well by any of the Triad...he learned that well. I never would have come for him. I would have offered him immortality if only... If only what? If he had agreed to love her? What do men know of love?
Spurned, she had turned back towards the world of man, throwing herself into her 'work'...hoping to forget the man that she had 'loved'. She sat watch over the wives of soldiers, inspiring them to passions that would have died had it not been for her lust. She had come for lives, young and old...and she had seen fear.
Why did they fear her? She wasn't going to harm them. She only meant to bring them to a better place. Well, for most it was a better place... She didn't understand it. Why did the mortals fear her? Why did they fear death? She had to find out...even if it meant 'living' a 'life' amongst them in order to do so.
She brought her wings in close to her body, swooping down to the ground for a magnificent landing in front of the sister whom she trusted to finish the task with the swiftest strokes. Slender ivory digits formed from ebony pinions as bones elongated into curvy feminine limbs. The Morrigan stood in all of her splendor, fiery hair whipping about as the storm closed in around them.
"You're late." Thunder cracked.
"I know." A flash lit the sky.
"My sister, are you sure that this is what you want?" Tension filled the air.
"Yes, Babd. Do it now." She took the tip of the b*****d sword and pointed it at her heart, letting her eyes focus on those of her sister. The waters began to pour.
With one timely thrust the deed was done and the Morrigan was no more.
Personality: (Posted here is the original base for her personality. May be altered slightly for the Lost Child contest due to the way she will be raised in the non-Gaian world)
Deirdre has a fiery, feisty personality and rarely bites her tongue when it comes to defending those that she feels the closest to. Of course, that is if anyone actually manages to get close to her. Around newcomers she may appear shy and somewhat untouchable, which some will perceive as arrogance. In reality, she is just afraid that being around her will cause something horrid to happen to them. That being the case, when she does make friends she becomes fiercely protective of them...attempting to keep them safe from life as well as those in it. Although shy, she is no pushover. She won't allow herself to be controlled by anyone, male or female.
She despises riddles as well as those who speak in them...far different from her past life, where she was well known for speaking in ways that men would not understand. She loathes cats and would rather walk over hot coals than spend time in the same room as one unless her soul purpose for being in that room is to agitate the feline.
Appearance: blueblack hair (color of a crow's feather) with a few crow feathers interwoven with braids/beads, bright emerald eyes rimmed in a deeper shade of green.
Powers: Shapeshift: Able to take on the form of a hooded crow; no other animal.
Mirage: Ability to bring forth a sudden image of what someone fears the most in order to distract them into defeat. Power can also be used to conjure a brief imafe of something that would enflame someone's desires. (Both sides of this power are known to backfire though... Leaving her to either run or the hills or follow someone around with longing until the effects wear off.)
Deathwatch: Can hear the sound of crows' wings in flight when someone is near death. If the crow(s) lands death is inevitable. If the crow(s) flies away death has been temporarily averted but will return, as death always does. (The sound will be almost overwhelming until she learns to control it which probably won't be until the adult stage as it will have just begun to manifest in her world.)
(( She also has some knowledge of weaponry, favoring the sword for close range and crossbow for long range. ))
How do the powers and your character relate back to your mythos? The Morrigan was able to take on the form of a hooded crow. Her appearance was also known as a sign for defeat in battle or impending death. The illusion could have been what frightened the warriors of old into making that fatal mistake in battle.
As many people feared the Morrigan as a sign of death, I found it only fitting that her character should have some sort of fear about the doom that she brings to others. As a warrior goddess, she had to be fierce when on the front lines, especially when defending things that she believes about. That is also reflected in her personality reborn.
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Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 4:42 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:02 pm
Mind you, this is now quite old and -does- need a bit of tweak work here and there....
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:29 pm
I'm looking over this for approval, and the only thing I find lack is that there are no links to sources about the Morrigan to back up anything said here. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt, since what I know of the Morrigan matches with what's said here, however, it'd be a good idea to get those up soon. ~.^ 
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:39 pm
Most of my references came from books that I own personally. XD Don't know where they are right now... But I'll try to find them and get page number references. I'll also see if I can find some of the sites I'd used when I originally came up with the concept... It was -really- hard to find things about the Morrigan and there are -soooo- many things that people have woven in reguarding crows no matter where you look. @.@
-Edit- Aparantly not hard when you know where to look... Two references up to back the sisterhood as well as the base for the backstory and some of the powers. Reworking to come soon.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:00 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrigan <-- Always a good link to start out with. Even if you don't have links, though, listing the books you got what from helps to establish at least where you got your information, even if we can't read it ourselves. 3nodding
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:08 pm
If I can find the book in the mass of -junk- that is my room... I'll reference it. XD There's also another book I have that hits on a few bits of Crow mythology and the like that I may reference as well. >.>
Thanks, Arrien. ^^
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Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 4:05 am
Looking good!
One thing you will probably have to change though, is the hair -- it's the same as Vash's Suraj, except colours inversed.
Other than that, yay for crow n.n *now wants to watch that movie again, since it's her fav*
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Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 10:42 am
I was going to do that before you said so, Kali. ^^ S'one of the things I've been pondering for a while now... XD I'll go with the strawberry blonde hair and probably a few black crow feathers as she ages, etc.
Yush. I thought that the Crow quotes fit well. Great movie!
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:49 am
Lost Child Entry - Posted for the changes made between this contest and the last... Both are open for critique seperately as well as together until I blend them into one... APPLICATION FORMName: Deidra
Gender: Female
Mythbase: The Morrigan; specifically Morrigan herself, not Babd or Nemain.
Link to a source on the mythbase: Pantheon.Org :: The Morrigan
Wiki :: Morrigan
Ravens in Myth
Link to Fa'e quest thread: Quest for the Crow
Appearance: blueblack hair (color of a crow's feather) with a few crow feathers interwoven with braids/beads, bright emerald eyes rimmed in a deeper shade of green.
Powers: Shapeshift: Able to take on the form of a hooded crow; no other animal.
Mirage: Ability to bring forth a sudden image of what someone fears the most in order to distract them into defeat. Power can also be used to conjure a brief image of something that would enflame someone's desires. (Both sides of this power are known to backfire though... Leaving her to either run or the hills or follow someone around with longing until the effects wear off.)
Deathwatch: Can hear the sound of crows' wings in flight when someone is near death. If the crow(s) lands death is inevitable. If the crow(s) flies away death has been temporarily averted but will return, as death always does. (The sound will be almost overwhelming until she learns to control it which probably won't be until the adult stage as it will have just begun to manifest in her world.)
Once on Gaia: She will, most likely, develop a knowledge of weaponry favoring the sword for close combat and crosbow for ranged attacks.
Personality: Raised amongst a small, close knit community where everyone worked together, Deidra became a young woman who enjoyed working alongside others; both family and friend. Taunted by her 'brothers', as brothers are likely to do, she developed spunk and a fiesty personality that they would later blame each other for, giving her the strength to stand up for what she believes and defend those she cares about. Around newcomers she comes off shy and almost 'untouchable', avoiding them until she can be certain that the crow will not land. That which they percieve as arrogance is not arrogance, but fear... Fear that, somehow, the abilities that she has been developing will activate unexpectedly and someone will either wind up frightened horribly... Or harmed.
How does the characters personality, appearance and powers and your character relate back to your chosen mythos? Personality: As a warrior goddess, Morrigan had to be fierce when on the front lines, especially when defending things that she believes about. She was also close to her two sisters who were, strangely enough, much like the two brothers that she has had growing up in this new world. I also found it fitting that Deidra should have some sort of fear about the doom that she brings to others, as many people feared the Morrigan as a sign of death when she was alive as a goddess.
Appearance: Hair the same color as crow's feathers and emerald eyes, reflecting both the crow and her celtic roots.
Powers: Morrigan was able to shapeshift into a hooded crow, so can Deidra. Morrigan was also able to take on other forms that either instilled fear in others or raised their passion. While Deidra cannot change her shape beyond that of a crow I still wanted to use this power and I figured that the best way would be to use mirage's... Things that aren't real, but seem real enough. As a goddess, Morrigan appeared to people while they were near death. She had to know that it was coming somehow... Being so closely tied to the crow, I tied this knowledge of death drawing near to the sound of crows' wings.
History: Ever since the death of myth, many have come up with various ideas about the Morrigan. One is that she was the Triad itself. That is not the truth. The Morrigan was one member of the Triad; the other being her sisters, Babd and Nemain. Others have made the assumption that because the Triad had the reputation of bringing death and discord wherever they went, they were not human enough to feel love and grief for what they did. Babd and Nemain may not have... But there was something that set Morrigan apart from them...
The sky... For some reason she had always felt somewhat at peace while soaring through the clouds. It was almost as if that was the only place where she was at home. The others of her kind held no fear for her there. They seemed to accept her. Even when she took the time to land and join them in the feast from a fresh carcass they welcomed her.
Not at all like the humans. No, they feared her. They never saw the good things that she did for them. The crow was always a death omen. Never did she mean a happy birth, or that a woman or man would be receiving a night of passionate love. No, the Morrigan brought death. She began to think that she was death...or that death was her...
Silky black feathers beat against the wind as she caught a current that swept her higher. As she flew her cares swirled around her, over her wings and beneath her body, lifting her once more to that often unattainable nirvana. Of course, that peace lasted for no more than a fleeting moment as a harsh gust forced her beneath the clouds. A storm was gathering...
She had been flying, just as she was now, thinking on many things that she couldn't find the time to think about while she was in human form. The winds had knocked her from her course, throwing her into a tree in a way that should have shattered her wing. Somehow she had managed to shift into a more attractive form before he found her, battered and bruised. Carefully he carried her to his camp, tending to her wounds and seeing to her every need. Perhaps that was why she had fallen in love with him.
Humans were funny as far as love was concerned. "Falling" was a good way to put it, for it was often painful and frequently left one hurting in ways that they could never fathom to begin with. Of course, females see love differently than males as well. It was so much different for crows. So different that she felt odd thinking about it while in this form.
She had offered her love to CuChulainn and, in doing so, she revealed to him the goddess that she was. He failed to see her for the woman that existed beneath that role, forcing her away for fear of his life should he ever anger her. Foolish man. Rejection was never taken well by any of the Triad... He learned that well. I never would have come for him. I would have offered him immortality if only... If only what? If he had agreed to love her? What do men know of love?
Spurned, she had turned back towards the world of man, throwing herself into her 'work'... Hoping to forget the man that she had 'loved'. She sat watch over the wives of soldiers, inspiring them to passions that would have died had it not been for her lust. She had come to mark the end of lives, young and old... And she had seen fear.
Why did they fear her? She wasn't going to harm them. She only meant to bring them a glimpse of a better place, ushering them towards a peace that they would never find in life. She didn't understand it. Why did the mortals fear her? Why did they fear death? She had to find out... Even if it meant 'living' a 'life' amongst them in order to do so.
She brought her wings in close to her body, swooping down to the ground for a magnificent landing in front of the sister whom she trusted to finish the task with the swiftest strokes. Slender ivory digits formed from ebony pinions as bones elongated into curvy feminine limbs. Morrigan stood in all of her splendor, midnight hair whipping about as the storm closed in around them.
"You're late." Thunder cracked, accenting Babd's words. Her presence was commanding even without the storm backing her, but now? Now she was nearly enough to make Morrigan herself tremble.
"I know." A flash lit the sky, illuminating the two in a way that would make any onlookers believe that they were veiwing two spirits prepairing to battle as they had done on this same field long before.
"My sister, are you sure that this is what you want? To be reborn amongst them? To live a life weakened by mortality?" Tension filled the air as she stared at her sister, still unable to believe what she had been asked to do.
"Yes, Babd. Do it now." She took the tip of the sword and pointed it at her heart, letting her eyes focus on those of her sister as the waters began to pour.
With one timely thrust the deed was done and the Morrigan was no more.
Baby: Found after a mother and her child both died in birthing, she was taken in to the home of a farmer to be raised in place of the daughter he would have had; believed to be a sign from the Spirits. She was given all of the love and attention that a baby would need between being passed around from healer to midwife to neighbor as her 'father' tended the farm, soon to be known by all as the child who grew far faster than other babes.
Toddler: Whispers travel quickly through small farming villages and the one that Deidra was raised in would be no different. Hair black as midnight had grown on the young one's head, marking her as the daughter of Crow. Her father insisted that the other townsfolk hush, especially around the young ones. No matter whose daughter she was, she was being raised as his and he wanted her to grow up as 'normal' as a child such as she could be.
Child: Some things are impossible to keep hidden forever... Especially from young girls blossoming beautifully as they grow. After her first odd growth spurt she seemed to age as any other child would. Perhaps, hearing her father's prayers, Crow had chosen to let her be. His hopes were dashed when she came home in terrified tears. She had been playing with the other children outside the meeting hall that served as a schoolhouse to their community. One of the boys; a friend of her brothers' had leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek... Only to stumble back and run screaming to his parents that the 'strange girl touched by Crow was covered in bugs'. Something had happened... And something was changing right there before his very eyes. Somehow, he wouldn't be able to keep his daughter safe anymore no matter how hard he tried.
Guardian: Tully Vanora; not a member of the family that raised Deidra, but she was the one who found her in the woods and the one to have named the babe. Since Deidra has been growing up in a house filled with men, Tully has been her female influence, righting the wrongs that the girl's brothers have taught her as well as comforting her when her father cannot. No matter what the rest of the village says, she views Deidra as the gift she has always believed her to be and secretly sees the young crow as her own daughter.
World: A world much like Earth in the days when magic and the power of animals and their spirits were still believed in. Each person was blessed, upon coming of age, by their guardian animal spirit which guided them as they grew into their abilities from then on. Seasons were welcomed with celebration and everyoned worked together be it to plant or harvest, birth livestock or hunt deer. A small farming village; quiet, peaceful... Not at all the sort of place where one would imagine a warrior goddess growing up.
Writing samples:
One dark and stormy night a figure wrapped in a dark cloak approaches you. It is Airi, who has traveled from Gaia to find your Fa'e and take it back with her to Fa'e HQ. What are your Fae's reaction to this and do they want to go with her? Also, what does the Guardian think about it, as he/she will now have to abandon their world to come with the Fa'e child? Feel free to NPC Airi or just describe interactions after Airi has left you two alone.
"Deidra, you can't hide up there forever. This is something you're going to have to face one way or another... Even if it means that Conall and Kegan have to drag in the ladder from the barn." He stood just beneath the loft, arms crossed over his chest. Despite his stance his tones were soft. This news had been hard for everyone to take; himself included. Knowing that he wasn't the one that his little girl needed above all else?
The soft sounds of sniffling drifted down from the loft. "Da... Y'don't understand. Ah don't want t'leave... S'ma'home." In her arms she held the teddy bear that had once been Kegan's... The bear he'd given to her after she'd had her first nightmare. She'd told him years ago that she'd misplaced it somewhere simply because she didn't want to admit that she still held it tightly when she slept. Things like that didn't seem to matter anymore though... Not when the man that she called father was telling her that she had to go to some different world. Not another village for training attatched to her Spirit Animal... No, another world. A world she might never be able to come back from.
"Arland, maybe I should have a word with her." The matronly woman placed a hand on the man's shoulder as he sighed, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You're her father... But this decision has an effect on me just as much as it does her. Let me talk to the girl."
He sighed once more before nodding in agreement. This was going to be one of those 'women things' that he couldn't deal with, just as so many things in his daughter's life had been. If only her mother... Only his wife hadn't been her mother... That strange child-like woman was and she'd come to reclaim her after all these years.
Upon hearing the door shut she set Beacan aside, peering over the edge of the loft. Seeing no one below she rolled over, quickly stuffing various items into a small sack. She wouldn't leave with that woman... She wouldn't go to a place that she didn't know... She would climb down the ladder with sack and bear in tow and she would run away.
"... You won't follow the woman who knows why you came to us to learn about who y'were, but you'll run away from home?" Her head cocked to the side as she stepped out from beneath the loft just as Deidra's bare foot touched the hardwood floor. "Somethin' about that just don't make much sense t'me, lass."
Caught, she froze for a moment before bringing her other foot down, slowly turning to face the woman... What was it that the pale lady had called her? A guardian? "Tully, if I run now I can come back later... Once that lady comes an' realizes I'm not here... She'll go and I can come back."
"Or she'll just find you and bring you back anyways. Had y'ever thought o' that?" As she spoke she stepped forward, carefully taking the sack filled with everything that the young woman held dear. "Y'didn't pack this back thinkin' you'd be comin' back, now did ya, lass?"
"..." How could she respond to that? She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in an attempt to keep herself from shedding any more tears than she'd already let fall. "Tully... M'goin' t'miss Da... An' Kegan an' Conall. Who's goin' ta keep them in line? An' make sure this place doesn't fall apart? What will they do without me? Hm?"
"Hush, lass." She set the bag on the floor beside their feet, slipping her arms around the young woman. She held her until the sobbing ceased, gently pushing her back to look her full in the face. "Everything'll be fine. They'll miss you too... But, even if you leave this world, you'll never leave their hearts. You will always be a part of them and they? They'll always be a part of you. They're family and have been since the day I found you in the woods and brought you to them." She shook her head, smiling softly. "Guess that's why I'm the one who gets to go with you... I found you, Deidra. I gave you your name... And we're going to face this together, y'here me?"
"Yes, Tully." She sniffled once more, bringing a hand up to wipe at her eyes before managing a weak smile. "S'about time I get to do something that Kegan an' Conall won't. They'll be jealous for ages over this y'know..."
The midwife couldn't help but laugh, giving the young woman a light pat on the shoulders. "Indeed, lass. They will be... Now climb back up there and gather whatever else it is that you forgot while in your rush. We have 'til tomorrow... Which means we have 'til then to plan your send off celebration."
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