Eleanora Ashford
The Seeker fellowships all answer to the Lord Protector, the appointed leader of the entirety of the militant arm of the church of Resounding Truth. The first of these prestigious leaders was Eleanora Ashford.
During her teenage years, on a day like any other, her father was brought back from the Mistclad Cordillera by a fellow mountaineer, dead. He had been swept away by a surprise avalanche and buried beneath several feet of compacted snow, and it was only due to the tenacity of his fellow that his body was returned to his family. The death of someone close to her, despite his frequent absence, deeply affected Eleanora and she turned to spirituality and prayer for answers, attending sermons at the local cathedral whenever she found the time.
Her mother was bereaved even worse than she was, and her inability to work was beginning to have an effect on their standard of living. In an effort to help her mother and bring food to the table, Eleanora beseeched the church for work. At this point in time, the activity in the Black Forest was only beginning to flare up, and the Seekers existed only at a conceptual stage. Nevertheless, the local clergy saw the potential in Eleanora and she was among the very first individuals to be taken in for the training of a Seeker.
During physical exercise, she kept going until her superiors told her to stop so that she wouldn't injure herself. Such fervor was not seen as a desirable trait by all of her instructors, and it was deliberated upon many a times whether she should be allowed to continue or not. Ultimately, it came down to a vote and, with just one vote more, she was allowed to stay and complete her training.
In the knighting ceremony, as the Hierarch was about to bestow upon her the title of Seeker, he instead asked her to rise onto her feet. Handing her the sword that he had just used to knight her fellow initiates with, he bestowed upon her the title of Lord Protector and the burden of leading the Seekers. Not just those she had trained with, but all those who would follow. The Black Forest stirred restlessly, and this new force would be tasked with containing it, with her at its head.
It was Eleanora who identified the need for the fellowships, as centralized leadership for troops that needed to patrol such a large swath of land was impractical and oftentimes problematic due to the slowness of correspondence between the men in the field and herself. Due to her initiative, each quadrant of the Black Forest's border is now patrolled by its own appointed fellowship of Seekers.
During the first Host incursion, Eleanora led the fellowships into combat herself. Wave after wave of Hatelings broke into the defensive lines and a hope for victory spread among the men and women holding the line. This would soon turn into despair as a reckless squire charged into the approaching abominations and was hoisted into the air by a massive hateling which would later be identified as the locus entity for the Host.
Eleanora told her men to tighten their ranks as she sallied forth to save the boy from a grisly fate. She managed to slice into the leg of the towering creature, which caused it to drop the hapless squire, but the resulting wound also sprayed Eleanora with its virulent blood. Seekers broke rank to rush to the aid of their commander and managed to drag her and the squire to safety, but Eleanora was in a bad shape. The black blood of the monstrous creature had seeped through her skin and into her veins, where it spread into all of her vitals. She was hurried into the Everlasting Edifice, a trip that took several agonizing hours. Unfortunately, she perished at the steps of the grand cathedral, her men clutching their commander and weeping openly as the clergy rushed in, too late to help the Lord Protector.
Early Life
Eleanora was born to a common family in Telothia, her father a mountaineer and her mother a cook for one of the garrisons of the Telothian Legion. Due to the nature of his work her father was rarely home, so she spent most of her childhood days in the larders and kitchens of the legion-owned garrisons with her mother, helping out where she could. She quickly became a sort of mascot for the troops, raising their spirits even after grievous losses by simply delivering their food to them.During her teenage years, on a day like any other, her father was brought back from the Mistclad Cordillera by a fellow mountaineer, dead. He had been swept away by a surprise avalanche and buried beneath several feet of compacted snow, and it was only due to the tenacity of his fellow that his body was returned to his family. The death of someone close to her, despite his frequent absence, deeply affected Eleanora and she turned to spirituality and prayer for answers, attending sermons at the local cathedral whenever she found the time.
Her mother was bereaved even worse than she was, and her inability to work was beginning to have an effect on their standard of living. In an effort to help her mother and bring food to the table, Eleanora beseeched the church for work. At this point in time, the activity in the Black Forest was only beginning to flare up, and the Seekers existed only at a conceptual stage. Nevertheless, the local clergy saw the potential in Eleanora and she was among the very first individuals to be taken in for the training of a Seeker.
A Knight and a Commander
Eleanora, along with a mere seven others, were chosen for training by the church. She channeled all her frustrations and unresolved grief into an empowering indignation with which she powered through the exhausting regimens, repeatedly impressing her instructors.During physical exercise, she kept going until her superiors told her to stop so that she wouldn't injure herself. Such fervor was not seen as a desirable trait by all of her instructors, and it was deliberated upon many a times whether she should be allowed to continue or not. Ultimately, it came down to a vote and, with just one vote more, she was allowed to stay and complete her training.
In the knighting ceremony, as the Hierarch was about to bestow upon her the title of Seeker, he instead asked her to rise onto her feet. Handing her the sword that he had just used to knight her fellow initiates with, he bestowed upon her the title of Lord Protector and the burden of leading the Seekers. Not just those she had trained with, but all those who would follow. The Black Forest stirred restlessly, and this new force would be tasked with containing it, with her at its head.
Storied Career and Death
Leading the Seekers for many years, Eleanora proved herself to be an excellent commander, having a keen understanding of troop movements as well as the importance of morale. She made several in-person visits among her men and even took part in patrols and skirmishes where she could.It was Eleanora who identified the need for the fellowships, as centralized leadership for troops that needed to patrol such a large swath of land was impractical and oftentimes problematic due to the slowness of correspondence between the men in the field and herself. Due to her initiative, each quadrant of the Black Forest's border is now patrolled by its own appointed fellowship of Seekers.
During the first Host incursion, Eleanora led the fellowships into combat herself. Wave after wave of Hatelings broke into the defensive lines and a hope for victory spread among the men and women holding the line. This would soon turn into despair as a reckless squire charged into the approaching abominations and was hoisted into the air by a massive hateling which would later be identified as the locus entity for the Host.
Eleanora told her men to tighten their ranks as she sallied forth to save the boy from a grisly fate. She managed to slice into the leg of the towering creature, which caused it to drop the hapless squire, but the resulting wound also sprayed Eleanora with its virulent blood. Seekers broke rank to rush to the aid of their commander and managed to drag her and the squire to safety, but Eleanora was in a bad shape. The black blood of the monstrous creature had seeped through her skin and into her veins, where it spread into all of her vitals. She was hurried into the Everlasting Edifice, a trip that took several agonizing hours. Unfortunately, she perished at the steps of the grand cathedral, her men clutching their commander and weeping openly as the clergy rushed in, too late to help the Lord Protector.
Legacy
Eleanora's body was interred into the halls of the honored dead, a collection of crypts and mausoleums beside the Everlasting Edifice. Her work and deeds were immortalized into the doors of her mausoleum and a hymnal was written to glorify her memory. With her death, the church of Resounding Truth had suffered its first major loss against the horrid hate of the Adversary, and it was in the best interest of the church to find her a replacement as soon as possible so they could deter despair from settling in among the populace. Once such a replacement was found, the Lord Protector was henceforth required to lead from his or her desk only, so such a monumental loss could be avoided in the future.
We've trained together. We've fought together.–Eleanora Ashford to the men at her side when they braced their ranks for the approaching horde
We've lived together.
And now, if it is meant to be, let us die together. But not before we take down as many of these things as we can.
Current Status
Deceased
Species
Age
47 at time of death
Place of Death
Children
Sex
Female
Gender
Woman
Presentation
Feminine
Eyes
Dark brown, intense
Hair
White
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
White
Height
5'7 or 170cm
Weight
127lbs or 57kg
Belief/Deity
Resounding Truth
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
by Midjourney
Comments