Aviisera Da'Yashkii

"Medicine is a science I will forever grapple with, fighting every battle but never truly winning. Still, it must be done, and with the gentlest touch."

Overview

Aviisera Da'Yashkii was Davatviia's apothecary from 14064 to 14083. She was the mother of Ivadryn Da'Krithera and Kianakae Da'Krithera, as well as the wife of Karthak Dor'Krithera. She taught both of her daughters, primarily Ivadryn, the ways of an apothecary. She was never afraid to defy tradition, and at the age of twenty, became the first Sekhavi woman to graduate from the University of Avamaris in Ceskaevya, even if it resulted in her exile from home. Aviisera continually educated her children despite living in an area with very low literacy, and although she was a social outcast, she was beloved by those in Davatviia. She ran the Davatviia Apothecary Shop for eighteen years and became a trusted source of medical knowledge and herbalism. There is a lecture hall in the University of Avamaris named after her.

Personal History

Childhood

Aviisera Da'Yashkii was born on the 10th of Anthol, 14043 to parents Vhanys Dor'Yashkii and Elikka Da'Vikhanyk in the small village of Ilanikhvat in the Night Clan. She has an older brother Tiksaat who died as a baby, and two younger brothers, Evko and Fashak. Aviisera's father Vhanys was the Ilanikhvat apothecary, and from a young age, she took an interest in his craft. Vhanys decided to teach his daughter the art of herbalism and she took to it with ease, thus, she became his apprentice. She played an integral part during the north Sekhavi plague of 14054, with Ilanikhvat losing 10% of their numbers, a meager amount in comparison to the villages that were wiped off the map.
It wasn't long, however, before Aviisera started to yearn for something more. She learned of the University of Avamaris in Ceskaevya and asked her parents if she could apply. They were furious. They told her that she was forbidden from engaging in lowlander culture and she would be corrupted by their ways. Devastated, Aviisera returned to her work as an apothecary, but she began to form a secret plan. It was forbidden by law for children to leave a clan without permission, so she planned to wait until she was sixteen. She had every intent to return to Ilanikhvat and to use her knowledge to prevent future plagues, childbirth deaths, and other problems. The night after her sixteenth birthday, she fled to Ceskaevya.

Young Adulthood

Aviisera's time at the University of Avamaris was a whirlwind of change, loneliness, and intense learning. She received a general education and a more specific one related to herbalism. She even fell in love with a boy named Halcyon. After four years of study and an intensifying feeling of homesickness, Aviisera made the journey north to visit her family, praying they would accept her. They did not. Her father told her that she was no longer his daughter and demanded that the Godhand and Sakasviiae banish her from the village. She was not formally banished, as she had waited until she was an adult to leave Ilanikhvat and had done no wrong, but it was made clear that she was not welcome.
After being rejected by her family and village, Aviisera trudged through the wilderness in a deep depression. She had grown accustomed to life at sea level and suffered from altitude sickness. Worse still, a terrible blizzard hit the mountains. By the grace of the gods, she was rescued by some hunters from Davatviia and sent to their apothecary, Halenikka Da'Baskira, to rest. Days later, she awoke and told the kindly old lady of her plight. She was eagerly taken in by Halenikka, who was looking to retire soon, and Davatviia's Godhand welcomed her with open arms. The villagers were willing to overlook Aviisera's lowlander influence if it meant they would have a skilled young healer. After all, the plague still ravaged Sekhav.

Aviisera, age 21 (Midjourney)

Aviisera was now twenty years old and finding her way in a new world. She became the sole apothecary in the village a year later, but still considered returning to Ceskaevya where she would be surrounded by friends and could return to Halcyon, who she wrote to in vain. It was then that she was approached by Linaavi Da'Pavikhat, who asked if Aviisera would consider marrying her son, Karthak Dor'Krithera. It wasn't an arranged marriage, exactly, but it was a highly suggested one. Karthak was heartbroken after a failed romance with a village woman, and Aviisera's heart still longed for Halcyon. Still, Davatviia needed to replenish their numbers after the plague had swept through. After a brief period of courting, the pair agreed to marry.

Marriage and Children

It was not a love match, but one of friendship. Karthak and Aviisera moved into the house next to the apothecary shop in a drab little building that threatened to collapse. The pair grew to be close friends and agreed that the marriage was purely a platonic one, which was not uncommon in Sekhav. Despite this, they eventually fell in love and at age twenty-four, Aviisera gave birth to twin girls, who she named Ivadryn and Kianakae. It was a difficult labor and the girls were born hours apart, having different birthdays. Kianakae was believed to have been born on the 1st of Vala, giving her the powers of a Child of Vala, but the twins were accidentally switched. Ivadryn would later learn that she, not Kianakae, was the one blessed by the gods.
Karthak was not an emotional or overly affectionate man, but he proved his devotion to his wife nonetheless. Shortly after the birth of his daughters, he built the second floor of the apothecary shop. The family moved into the shop and Aviisera juggled the tasks of child-rearing with managing the shop, but not without Karthak's help. Still, Aviisera remained an outcast among the Sekhavi. She was determined to educate her daughters despite what the people of Davatviia thought. She could read and write, and questioned the Godhand and Sakasviiae's decisions far more than they would have liked.

"I am too progressive for the Sekhavi and too traditional for the Ceskaevyans. There is no place I truly belong, so I'll carve one out for myself in my own home."

Karthak began to work as a guard and interpreter for the Kieruskan merchant caravans that occasionally passed through the area. This kept him away from home for months at a time, but Aviisera managed. Then, when Ivadryn and Kianakae were eleven years old, in Anthol of 14078, the caravan returned without Karthak. The merchants claimed he had gone missing. Karthak wasn't with the next caravan, nor the one after that. Aviisera never saw him again. She sent letters, begged merchants to look for him, and enlisted the help of Damion Torag, but none of her efforts brought her husband home.

Middle Age

Aviisera saw the need to prepare for the future and trained both Ivadryn and Kianakae to be apothecaries. Kianakae's duties as a Gravemaiden took her away from training as she grew older, but Ivadryn remained an eager student. After Karthak's disappearance, it was a relief to have Damion around the house to help with chores. When Damion was accused of murder, Aviisera invoked the Law of Fanskae's Mercy and saved his life. He became like a son to her and lived under her guardianship until he was pardoned the following year.
In 14082, when Aviisera was 39, her health began to fail. After discovering a lump in her left breast, she determined it was a cancer that was spreading through her body. Even after having her daughters and a skilled apothecary from Evrustae perform a surgery to remove the lump, she continued to decline. She became bedridden that winter, leaving the shop in her daughters' hands through a time of famine and fierce blizzards. After her death, she left the shop to Ivadryn, and her final wish was for Damion to take care of her daughters in her absence.

Appearance

Aviisera had wide oval blue-gray eyes, pale skin, and long curly black hair. She was an attractive woman who was quick to smile or laugh. She was average in height for a Sekhavi woman and had a slender build. Her movements were elegant and she always stood tall, with perfect posture. She tried to sprinkle a bit of color into her wardrobe, especially blues or yellows, but usually wore a fur-trimmed cloak and typical Sekhavi garb. Unlike many Sekhavi, she enjoyed wearing jewelry on special occasions from her time in Ceskaevya.

Personality

Aviisera was a blend of grace and defiance. She rebelled against traditions she saw as pointless, but clung to those that she held in high regard. For instance, she hated that Sekhav was an isolated nation that despised "lowlander" influence, but was a devout believer in the Sekhavi pantheon. When she defied tradition, she did so in a gentle but firm manner, never with disrespect, and usually within the law.
Family was always Aviisera's top priority. She was a devoted mother who balanced work and her children, but Ivadryn and Kianakae always came first. Despite her position as an outsider in Davatviia, she served them loyally. The villagers came to admire her and saw her as strange, but a valuable member of their society. Aviisera never held a grudge against her family in Ilanikhvat who cast her out.

Species

Human

Date of Birth

10th of Rainmoon

Date of Death

13th of Harvestmoon

Life

14043 GY 14083 GY 40 years old

Birthplace

Ilanikhvat

Place of Death

Davatviia

Children

• Ivadryn Da'Krithera
• Kianakae Da'Krithera

Sex

Female

Eyes

Blue-gray, wide and bright, kindly

Hair

Black, long and curly, usually braided

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Very pale and clear

Height

5'3"

Belief/Deity

Sakasteni

Ruled Locations

• Davatviia Apothecary Shop

Related Historical Events

• 14078 GY
  Damion arrives in Davaatviia for the first time
• 10th of Anthol, 14043
  Aviisera Da'Yashkii is born