Imalda e'Yisonn

The Winter Sun: Beloved Hero and Mother of Tolara

Saleh'Alire » Religion ⭲ Saints ⭲ Elves

We must begin to believe that the Gods, through their mysteries, have entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world and can bring its power down to earth: Prayer.

— Imalda e'Yisonn, preaching to the Shipwrecked on the shores of Gwyn Tira'Kie

Birth & Early Life

Imalda e'Yisonn was born on 1 Sarnathi 5590, to the Yisonn family, in the Agos region of Fea'lora in central Olienn.
Having made their livelihood trading in luxury decorative items made from glass and crystal centuries earlier, the Yisonn family was well established; just decades earlier they had finally been granted the title of Lesser Nobility. Alongside the title, they were given the Orlion Manor and made the rightful protectors of the Agos region in which she was born.
As a young child, Imalda wanted for nothing. Her family's wealth, power, and title, granted her every conceivable opportunity and luxury. And yet when she reached her majority at 100 years of age, she chose a life of solitude- dedicating herself to the study of healing and faith; that year she would leave home to join the Cloister of Anheara- and within two years she would become a dedicant of Anheara herself, and one of the best Clerics within its walls.

Voyage (and Wreck)

In 5709 when word was sent to the Cloister of Anheara requesting a Cleric to accompany The Golden Duchess on its maiden voyage around the world, Imalda e'Yisonn was the faith's first pick as representative. At first, however, Imalda fought the appointment. But as the day of her departure grew near, she felt Anheara's presence pushing her forward.
Soon she would board the ship that would change the known world. But no one could know that a storm would knock The Golden Duchess off course... No one could know that it would shipwreck in the dark... And no one could know that the island they sought refuge on was one the world had yet to ever see... And yet it happened- and the crew of The Golden Duchess was stranded on distant shores, farther from home than most had ever been before.
Forced to make repairs in cold weather few of the crew had ever experienced, Imalda did what she could to ease the crew's suffering. But when The Golden Duchess was finally repaired, she elected to stay behind with the first colonists, knowing her skills would be needed if any were to survive. Her intuition would show true in this regard, as the snow and cold proved deadly.

Full Name
Imalda Naemine e'Yisonn
Life
5590 - 6554
(Died 964 years old)
Birthplace
Agos Region; Fea'lora, Olienn

Species
Elf
Ethnicity
Solar (Elf)
Biological sex
Female
Eyes
Honey and Gold
Hair
Long, straight, and Golden Blonde
Skin
Pale, with yellow undertone; heavily freckled
Height
6 ft 2 in / 188 cm
Weight
150 lbs / 68 kilos

Imalda's Bounty

I see you are troubled and anxious even as I speak to you. And I know why- for who could not be in this strange land, so far from home? But I say this to you, fellow travelers: Have not all these things and worse happened before? True, not to us perhaps... But certainly to all those explorers who came before us? I implore you now... Walk in faith- and trust in the Divine that we shall see it through these troubled times together.

— Imalda e'Yisonn, preaching to the
Shipwrecked on the shores of Gwyn Tira'Kie

Huddled together in their makeshift shelters with little in the way of supplies, many of those who would call the continent their home in the early years were lost to its harshness- whether they succumbed to injury, exposure, or frost bite, or met some other grizzly fate at Tolara's hands. Despite the suffering and despair faced by the early settlers in the cold winter months, however, Imalda refused to give up hope.
At night, when the sun was well below the horizon, she prayed fiercely to Anheara that she provide food for their survival. Each day at dawn, after her prayers had ended, she set out with her quarterstaff to forage for food for the settlement- refusing to return until the last light had left the sky... And yet every day she returned empty handed save for a rabbit here, or a handful of a familiar marshweed there. Until one day, she didn't.

While attempting to forage what little she could for the survivors one morning, Imalda finally discovered something wonderful. Hidden among the dead grasses of Winter grew a number of flowers that were large and pink in color. Among the barren boughs of a tree, hundreds of rich smelling, palm sized citrus fruits. And in a little bush on the edges of a creek, tiny little berries grew. Imalda was overjoyed and wept with happiness at their sight. Considering them a gift from Anheara for keeping her faith, she bundled as much as she could carry into the skirts of her last good dress and rushed back to the settlement as fast as she could.
As Tolara grew and developed during the early years, it was the bounty discovered by Imalda that day which would become staple Winter foods in the settler's diets. Over time, they would be called Imalda's Blessing- or Amatis (the flowers), Laya (the Citrus), and Eranwe (the berries) individually.

Later Life, and Death

Despite her rise to fame, Imalda staunchly avoided the burgeoning celebrations in her honor- and especially the statues occasionally erected for her in her likeness- considering both to be an affront to the Deities she believed had truly been the ones who saved the people.
But while she detested the way early settlers nearly- and sometimes blatantly- worshiped her, she continued her work with the same amount of dedication and grace she'd always had, and lived a relatively simple (and rather austere) life until the day she died.

Honorary & Occupational Titles

• Former High Priestess of Anheara
• Former Cleric of Anheara
• Former Master of Healing
• Former Mistress of Orlion Manor
• Former Protector of Agos

A close friend of Deamod e'Lufaren and Aaina Viswan, she joined the Temple of a Thousand Faces when it was established, and the city of Saethar'Kori began to formally spring up around it; it was there that she continued her work in relative obscurity, rarely leaving the Temple unless necessary- serving for many years as its humble Master of Healing, until she finally succumbed to Wanderer's Sickness in 6554.

Local Sanctification

Divine Status
Saint / Revered Figure
Pantheon
Nonspecific; Tolaran
Epithets

• The Winter Sun
• Graceful Mother

• Mother of Tolara
• Dawnbringer

Domains

• Civilization
• Grace
• Life

• Protection
• Suffering

Though she'd not been seen in several decades before her death, the whole of inhabited Tolara mourned her loss when it finally came. Afterwards, Imalda became the first revered figure of Tolara.
While she was not believed to have achieve true Divinity, she was sanctified by the Temple of a Thousand Faces and given the domains of Civilization, Grace, Life, Protection, and Suffering. Her journals (including the Diaries of the First Voyage) were added to the Temple's private archive, as her formal place of worship. The kingdom of Eris'ka followed suit shortly after by making her the postmortem Saint of their capital city of Al'Eirna.
Several additional statues were also erected in her honor throughout the continent- including at the Temple itself- and Semain e'Imalda Fenenia (though already celebrated in her honor before her death) was formally declared her holiday.

Holy Symbol
An Amatis Flower in full bloom
Holy Texts
Diaries of the First Voyage

Church / Temple
Temple of a Thousand Faces
Festival / Holiday
Semain e'Imalda Fenenia