Irinya, Princess of Adyll/Aisha Temple Acolyte (Ee-ree-nyah / I-shah)

Princess of Adyll Irinya (a.k.a. Aisha)

“It is not of my choosing to do this. But I will, to honor my father and mother. What shall I be called, then?”

"When the priestesses are dedicated to The Lady’s service, they choose a new name. You may do so as well,” answered the hermit.

“I will be Aisha, if I am to be life and hope,” she said resolutely.

Excerpt from Blood of the Goddess: The Locust King

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Winged woman Eagle Owl Lady's Tears (blue wildflowers)

Tenets of Faith

To care for the People of Adyll as the Goddess cares for Her Children. Females are the representation of the Goddess

Holidays

Equinoxes and Solstices

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Irinya has always been slender.  As princess in the palace, she did not receive much physical exercise other than the occasional hunting trip with her parents into the forests.  Most of her time was spent reading.  Zian once referred to her as "that skinny girl" which was an apt description of her before the fall of Adyll.  As Aisha, her physical strength increases due to the nature of her work.

Identifying Characteristics

Irinya's hair is an uncommon color for Adyllians - gold.  As Aisha, she keeps herself hidden from others, doing her best to blend in with her surroundings so that she goes unnoticed.

Physical quirks

As Aisha, she has a distinctive hunch to her posture, keeping her head down and shoulders forward to hide her changing body from view.  She also has a distinct smell about her from working preparing parchment and ink for the Temple library.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

“She looks like a holy child of the Lady," said the Holy Mother. "When the princess was born, my Queen, we all rejoiced that she had the Lady’s golden hair.  We knew she was a sign of blessing from Her, a child of Her lineage who would bring great blessing to this land.” -Chapter 1 of Blood of the Goddess: The Locust King
Irinya was born just as the first rumors of the Locust King's conquests arrived in Adyll. She was born in the Temple, as all royal children are, with the high priestess in attendance as midwife. Her parents were Queen Mila XI, and King Pytr.  It was commonly believed that Irinya was to be a messiah of sorts, a child who would lead Adyll into a new era of even greater prosperity and peace.
Queen Mila and King Pytr raised their child in the confines of the palace, and she was rarely seen in public.  As is the tradition of the Royal Family, she would not have responsibilities in any formal capacity until she turned 16 years old.  Even so, Irinya would be readily recognized in public due to the uncommon color of her hair, and for that reason, along with the rumor she was a prophesied child of the Goddess, the Queen and King made the choice to keep her from the public eye.  The only children she spent time with were Princess Lilua and Prince Zian from the Narim tribe.  Both Queen Mila and King Pytr had hoped for a love match between Zian and Irinya as they became adults.
When King Pytr lost his life to the Locust King, Irinya and her mother moved their residences to inside the Temple of the Goddess, where they spent their days in prayer in the sanctuary until the day the Locust King's tent turned black and Irinya was sent into hiding.

Intellectual Characteristics

Irinya is intelligent, but naive. She has had little exposure to life outside of the palace walls, but understands the importance of her life as a symbol to her people.  She understands the role of Queen, and has been raised to be a leader.  She has a keen understanding of history, loving to read anything she can get her hands on.  She is also bold in her opinions and does not understand social order once she takes on the role of Aisha, Temple acolyte.  She has a difficult time respecting those in positions of authority for no reason other than the fact they carry a title, which often causes friction with the Holy Mother after the fall of Adyll.  She does fear the Locust King and all of his men, which leads her to be constantly suspicious of any males.

Morality & Philosophy

Irinya loves her country and people.  She believes everyone has value as an individual, and that most people are motivated by a desire to do good.  Her idealism is sometimes misplaced, and this can lead her to become jaded and disillusioned.

Personality Characteristics

Hygiene

As Aisha, she is constantly dirty, with ink stains on her face, hands and clothing. She has a distinct scent of urine and rotting flesh that clings to her clothing after each day's work.  Even the daily baths in the Temple bathhouse are not enough to get her properly clean, although this does remove most of her scent.

The Locust King Serial chapter 1 will be released January 2023!

Ethnicity

People of Adyll

Honorary & Occupational Titles

As Irinya: Blood of the Goddess Princess of Adyll
As Aisha: Temple Acolyte

Age

At the beginning of the Seige of Adyll, Irinya is 12 years old

Parents

Mila XI, Queen Mother of Adyll

Current Residence

Temple

Pronouns

she/her

Sex

Female

Gender

Woman

Presentation

As Irinya, her presentation is feminine. As Aisha, she hides all things that would be feminine and attractive. She binds her chest and hunches her shoulders to hide her breasts, as well as wearing loose fitting clothing under her veil.

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Golden in color, worn long as Irinya. As Aisha, her head is shaven and hair is a dark mud brown.

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

pale, ivory skin