Voronwe
I am an elf whose village was massacred in an Orc raid. Alone, I as found by a band of travelling humans who dropped me at the elven citadel. There I studied to become first a Song Singer and then a Bard, before finally studying bow handling to become a Ranger. Before I made full Ranger, however, I left the citadel after witnessing yet another friend die in battle. I joined the Merc group to explore the world and to find amazement.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Veronwe was born in the Northland - miles from the Citadel on the northern coast of Kylaria.
When he was 5, his clan was slaughtered by an Orc raiding party that had been savaging the countryside in recent weeks like a plague of locusts leaving only destruction in their wake.
Veronwe survived only because his mother hid him beneath a pile of woven fabric in the room where she created tapestries.
He waited as long as he dared - what felt like an eternity for a 5 year old, and when he emerged there was no one left in his village. Only wreckage and blood.
He recognized some of his family's things scattered into the path outside of his home where it mixed with things from other homes in the village. His home was one of the few that was not so destroyed as to be left in shambles and the light that filtered down through the thick forest canopy of their valley turned what was once a beautifully nature-driven painstakingly crafted village into a dark place full of shadow and slick with blood.
He survived alone for the next ten days eating what food was unspoiled from the attack and rain water that was collected in reservoirs that were built into every house and spending as much time as possible hidden amongst the wreckage - too scared to venture into the wild and too young to know what to do next.
The sound of the stranger startled him when it woke him, "I-satara, eidweil!"
The language was gibberish to him but the look in the stranger's face was grief over shadowed with kindness and compassion. He was obviously a traveller or adventurer of some sort but his clothes and various devices around his person were strangely colored and made from a fabric Veronwe had never seen before.
The stranger looked to one of his companions and Veronwe realized at that moment that he was travelling with an entourage of sorts. The other looked down at Veronwe with a cold beautyand as she unwrapped a scarf that wrapped the top of her head, he could see the tell-tale ears that identified her as an Elf.
In heavily accented Elvish she said, "My name is Morwen. This is Thadeus. The others are Finrod and Eli. Where are the people of your village? Where are your parents?"
Veronwe's head fell into his chest as the enormity of the emotion that had escaped him over the last 10 days overwhelmed his heart all at once. His face screwed itself into a mask of utter and profound grief as he choked out, "they are all gone..." and began to sob as he buried his face in his hands.
The one called Finrod lifted him up then and held him tight, "Easy child. You're safe now. We won't let anything happen to you. Will we Morwen?"
Morwen snorted and spoke again in the strange language to the Human leading this party who nodded and pulled her close to speak into her ear. She called back to Finrod, "Take him back to the wagon. We will be there shortly."
Veronwe travelled with the group for months eventually learning enough of the Human language to understand that his benefactor, Thadeus Welshman (who he called "Uncle"), was a traveller and inventor who had travelled here from the world called Faradal. He was, apparently, very wealthy with expensive tastes as they always stayed in the best lodging available in the towns and cities they travelled through.
He also learned more about Morwen and Finrod as he tended to spend more time around them - feeling some comfort in the thought that they were, at least, Elves - even if they were both also from Farandal.
Eli was an enigma. He could be driven and direct but, for the most part, he kept to himself and counseled only with Thadeus. He was, however, so skilled with a sword that it was difficult to determine whether Eli was fighting or engaged in some form of dance and though Veronwe persistently tried to learn something from him, Eli would have nothing to do with the boy except to push him out of the way when it came time to defend the party which happened with unnerving frequency.
Thadeus would always offer some comfort and lean down to whisper, "Don't you worry about old Eli - he's very fast and very good but he's also no more intelligent than your shoes!" and Veronwe would laugh.
On his sixth Birthday they were only a month or so away from The Citadel and when he woke, Finrod held something behind his back in excitement. He had only just returned from several days away "to run an errand" and he had a contagious excitement in his eyes and a smile on his face.
Veronwe could not stop himself from smiling as well as he rose from his sleeping roll, "What?"
In an instant, Finrod shoved something into Veronwe's hands - so fast that all he could see in the movement was a blur of cherrywood and a glint of light off the strings as an instant later he held a finely crafted harp. Some of Finrod's merriment turned to seriousness and he said, "do not be so quick to learn the arts of destruction from Eli's sword or Morwen's bow. The most important thing you can do in your WHOLE LIFE will be to learn to create before you destroy and this harp will create things of such beauty you can't yet even imagine."
Over the next month, Veronwe spent all of his waking time practicing at the harp and would eventually become skilled enough that even Morwen would find a way to ride closer to the wagon as he practiced during their travels.
Arriving at The Citadel was incredible to Veronwe - he had never seen so many Elves in one place before and a part of him was excited to hear the musical speech patterns, the smells of enormous kitchens up in the Citadel creating the day's feasts and the sounds of children playing which he had not heard for the last 10 months.
Thadeus was welcomed inside the enormous central building of the Citadel and Finrod and Morwen started to unpack the wagon which drew a crowd of excited elven children who, Veronwe overheard, were excited at meeting actual Elves from Farandal.
Minutes later, Thadeus returned and nodded to Eli who began making the wagon ready, again, to travel while he spoke to Morewen and Finrod who both nodded. Finrod shook Thadeus's hand with a smile and Morewen gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking around to chat with Eli.
Thadeus then approached Veronwe and squatted down in front of him, "Well Nephew, Eli and I must be headed back to my home."
Veronwe's reaction was almost instinctual - he had worked to overcome loss over the last 10 months and now loss was with him again - sinking in his chest as if he had swallowed a large stone.
Thadeus put a hand on his shoulder as he sensed the reaction, "This certainly is not goodbye, Veronwe and Finrod and Morewen will be staying here as well so they will be able to look after you. But there are events unfolding on Farandal that I feel must be seen to. And I will most definitely be back at the next conjunction although you may be much older when that occurs - I will seem to have aged only slightly."
Veronwe stared at the ground between them, "I remember you saying that time worked strangely between worlds that were not conjoined with Tizen."
Thadeus smiled, "That's right! You know...you are SO smart that if you learn all you can here at the Citadel among your culture that when I return I will give you the chance to come back to my home. How would that be?"
The sting of the news began to recede as he processed the information and at least, he thought, Finrod and Morwen would still be in his life he threw his arms around Thadeus and buried his face into his chest, "I will Uncle, I will study and work hard and be ready when you return, I promise!"
Thadeus returned the hug and said, "I know you will. And so you don't forget your promise take this."
From around his neck, Thadeus undid a clasp on the chain that held a brooch he was always seen to wear.
The chain was ornate although not terribly unusual but the brooch was something that Veronwe had admired for quite some time. A central stone which glowed from within with a slight green hue framed in silver which was surrounded by a ring of iron. It was fashioned in such a way that the silver (which was cast in the shape of vines) held the iron (forged as thorns) back from piercing the stone which was carved into a series of Hysinean Knots (author's note - similar to Celtic knotwork).
Thadeus grew very serious, "If you ever find yourself in great danger throw this on the ground in front of the threat very hard and shield your eyes quickly. Nothing will happen should you drop it accidentally - you must throw it hard enough to break the silver. Do you understand?"
Eli had stopped what he was doing and was, instead, watching this exchange and all the blood has seemed to drain from his face. "You would give the only Harkenstone in this world to this child?"
Thadeus's eye never left Veronwe as he called out, "Not just any child - my Nephew. Do you understand, Veronwe?"
Veronwe put the chain around his neck and nodded. "I understand, Uncle. I will keep it safe and give it back to you when you return."
Thadeus nodded, "yes, yes...unless you need to use it."
Veronwe smiled and grasped the brooch in one of his hands, "unless I need to use it."
Thadeus and Eli were gone shortly after and Finrod was inside arranging for their quarters.
Morwen and Veronwe sat on crates with their things gathered around them eating fruit and feeling the sun on their faces and the breeze through their hair.
Veronwe was already a sort of celebrity among his age group for having travelled with "the Elves from Farandal" for so long and several of them kept checking in on him - making him feel welcome and not so lonely.
In between bites, Morwen looked over at him, "Some of those children are sure to become your best friends. What's on your mind young one?"
Veronwe looked thoughtfully at a cloud in the sky and listened to the very faint sound of the sea to the North. "I don't know. I feel guilty."
Morwen stopped eating and her brow knit together, "Guilty? How in the world should you be made to feel guilty?"
Veronwe sat a moment and considered, "My parents. I've learned so much from everyone since you found me. I feel like...it's harder to keep my mind and heart in the memory of the valley. I am beginning to look forward to my learning and adventures that are surely to come."
Morwen got up and knelt down so that they were eye to eye and picked up Veronwe's head so that he was looking into her scarlet eyes.
"You are too smart for your own good, Veronwe. You have overcome a series of events most people will never know or understand but what happened in that valley will never be your fault and it will never be your responsibility to hold yourself back in that moment."
She paused for a few moments, considering...
"When I was a child, I too lost my parents although we call them Orx on Farandal and I too felt guilt because as I grew and my life moved on I thought it was my responsibility to keep myself in pain in the memory of my parents."
Veronwe's eyes grew wide, "What did you do?"
Morwen smiled slightly, "I realized that I could grow as a way to honor my parents. I could become a complete person with her own life and dreams and desires AND remember them at the same time. I realized that the absolute last thing they would want for me is to remain broken and in pain. Your parents would want the same things for you."
With a sharp intake of breath Veronwe wrapped his arms around Morewen in a tight embrace full of gratitude and hope and excitement.
And after a moment, she hugged him back.
When he was 5, his clan was slaughtered by an Orc raiding party that had been savaging the countryside in recent weeks like a plague of locusts leaving only destruction in their wake.
Veronwe survived only because his mother hid him beneath a pile of woven fabric in the room where she created tapestries.
He waited as long as he dared - what felt like an eternity for a 5 year old, and when he emerged there was no one left in his village. Only wreckage and blood.
He recognized some of his family's things scattered into the path outside of his home where it mixed with things from other homes in the village. His home was one of the few that was not so destroyed as to be left in shambles and the light that filtered down through the thick forest canopy of their valley turned what was once a beautifully nature-driven painstakingly crafted village into a dark place full of shadow and slick with blood.
He survived alone for the next ten days eating what food was unspoiled from the attack and rain water that was collected in reservoirs that were built into every house and spending as much time as possible hidden amongst the wreckage - too scared to venture into the wild and too young to know what to do next.
The sound of the stranger startled him when it woke him, "I-satara, eidweil!"
The language was gibberish to him but the look in the stranger's face was grief over shadowed with kindness and compassion. He was obviously a traveller or adventurer of some sort but his clothes and various devices around his person were strangely colored and made from a fabric Veronwe had never seen before.
The stranger looked to one of his companions and Veronwe realized at that moment that he was travelling with an entourage of sorts. The other looked down at Veronwe with a cold beautyand as she unwrapped a scarf that wrapped the top of her head, he could see the tell-tale ears that identified her as an Elf.
In heavily accented Elvish she said, "My name is Morwen. This is Thadeus. The others are Finrod and Eli. Where are the people of your village? Where are your parents?"
Veronwe's head fell into his chest as the enormity of the emotion that had escaped him over the last 10 days overwhelmed his heart all at once. His face screwed itself into a mask of utter and profound grief as he choked out, "they are all gone..." and began to sob as he buried his face in his hands.
The one called Finrod lifted him up then and held him tight, "Easy child. You're safe now. We won't let anything happen to you. Will we Morwen?"
Morwen snorted and spoke again in the strange language to the Human leading this party who nodded and pulled her close to speak into her ear. She called back to Finrod, "Take him back to the wagon. We will be there shortly."
Veronwe travelled with the group for months eventually learning enough of the Human language to understand that his benefactor, Thadeus Welshman (who he called "Uncle"), was a traveller and inventor who had travelled here from the world called Faradal. He was, apparently, very wealthy with expensive tastes as they always stayed in the best lodging available in the towns and cities they travelled through.
He also learned more about Morwen and Finrod as he tended to spend more time around them - feeling some comfort in the thought that they were, at least, Elves - even if they were both also from Farandal.
Eli was an enigma. He could be driven and direct but, for the most part, he kept to himself and counseled only with Thadeus. He was, however, so skilled with a sword that it was difficult to determine whether Eli was fighting or engaged in some form of dance and though Veronwe persistently tried to learn something from him, Eli would have nothing to do with the boy except to push him out of the way when it came time to defend the party which happened with unnerving frequency.
Thadeus would always offer some comfort and lean down to whisper, "Don't you worry about old Eli - he's very fast and very good but he's also no more intelligent than your shoes!" and Veronwe would laugh.
On his sixth Birthday they were only a month or so away from The Citadel and when he woke, Finrod held something behind his back in excitement. He had only just returned from several days away "to run an errand" and he had a contagious excitement in his eyes and a smile on his face.
Veronwe could not stop himself from smiling as well as he rose from his sleeping roll, "What?"
In an instant, Finrod shoved something into Veronwe's hands - so fast that all he could see in the movement was a blur of cherrywood and a glint of light off the strings as an instant later he held a finely crafted harp. Some of Finrod's merriment turned to seriousness and he said, "do not be so quick to learn the arts of destruction from Eli's sword or Morwen's bow. The most important thing you can do in your WHOLE LIFE will be to learn to create before you destroy and this harp will create things of such beauty you can't yet even imagine."
Over the next month, Veronwe spent all of his waking time practicing at the harp and would eventually become skilled enough that even Morwen would find a way to ride closer to the wagon as he practiced during their travels.
Arriving at The Citadel was incredible to Veronwe - he had never seen so many Elves in one place before and a part of him was excited to hear the musical speech patterns, the smells of enormous kitchens up in the Citadel creating the day's feasts and the sounds of children playing which he had not heard for the last 10 months.
Thadeus was welcomed inside the enormous central building of the Citadel and Finrod and Morwen started to unpack the wagon which drew a crowd of excited elven children who, Veronwe overheard, were excited at meeting actual Elves from Farandal.
Minutes later, Thadeus returned and nodded to Eli who began making the wagon ready, again, to travel while he spoke to Morewen and Finrod who both nodded. Finrod shook Thadeus's hand with a smile and Morewen gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking around to chat with Eli.
Thadeus then approached Veronwe and squatted down in front of him, "Well Nephew, Eli and I must be headed back to my home."
Veronwe's reaction was almost instinctual - he had worked to overcome loss over the last 10 months and now loss was with him again - sinking in his chest as if he had swallowed a large stone.
Thadeus put a hand on his shoulder as he sensed the reaction, "This certainly is not goodbye, Veronwe and Finrod and Morewen will be staying here as well so they will be able to look after you. But there are events unfolding on Farandal that I feel must be seen to. And I will most definitely be back at the next conjunction although you may be much older when that occurs - I will seem to have aged only slightly."
Veronwe stared at the ground between them, "I remember you saying that time worked strangely between worlds that were not conjoined with Tizen."
Thadeus smiled, "That's right! You know...you are SO smart that if you learn all you can here at the Citadel among your culture that when I return I will give you the chance to come back to my home. How would that be?"
The sting of the news began to recede as he processed the information and at least, he thought, Finrod and Morwen would still be in his life he threw his arms around Thadeus and buried his face into his chest, "I will Uncle, I will study and work hard and be ready when you return, I promise!"
Thadeus returned the hug and said, "I know you will. And so you don't forget your promise take this."
From around his neck, Thadeus undid a clasp on the chain that held a brooch he was always seen to wear.
The chain was ornate although not terribly unusual but the brooch was something that Veronwe had admired for quite some time. A central stone which glowed from within with a slight green hue framed in silver which was surrounded by a ring of iron. It was fashioned in such a way that the silver (which was cast in the shape of vines) held the iron (forged as thorns) back from piercing the stone which was carved into a series of Hysinean Knots (author's note - similar to Celtic knotwork).
Thadeus grew very serious, "If you ever find yourself in great danger throw this on the ground in front of the threat very hard and shield your eyes quickly. Nothing will happen should you drop it accidentally - you must throw it hard enough to break the silver. Do you understand?"
Eli had stopped what he was doing and was, instead, watching this exchange and all the blood has seemed to drain from his face. "You would give the only Harkenstone in this world to this child?"
Thadeus's eye never left Veronwe as he called out, "Not just any child - my Nephew. Do you understand, Veronwe?"
Veronwe put the chain around his neck and nodded. "I understand, Uncle. I will keep it safe and give it back to you when you return."
Thadeus nodded, "yes, yes...unless you need to use it."
Veronwe smiled and grasped the brooch in one of his hands, "unless I need to use it."
Thadeus and Eli were gone shortly after and Finrod was inside arranging for their quarters.
Morwen and Veronwe sat on crates with their things gathered around them eating fruit and feeling the sun on their faces and the breeze through their hair.
Veronwe was already a sort of celebrity among his age group for having travelled with "the Elves from Farandal" for so long and several of them kept checking in on him - making him feel welcome and not so lonely.
In between bites, Morwen looked over at him, "Some of those children are sure to become your best friends. What's on your mind young one?"
Veronwe looked thoughtfully at a cloud in the sky and listened to the very faint sound of the sea to the North. "I don't know. I feel guilty."
Morwen stopped eating and her brow knit together, "Guilty? How in the world should you be made to feel guilty?"
Veronwe sat a moment and considered, "My parents. I've learned so much from everyone since you found me. I feel like...it's harder to keep my mind and heart in the memory of the valley. I am beginning to look forward to my learning and adventures that are surely to come."
Morwen got up and knelt down so that they were eye to eye and picked up Veronwe's head so that he was looking into her scarlet eyes.
"You are too smart for your own good, Veronwe. You have overcome a series of events most people will never know or understand but what happened in that valley will never be your fault and it will never be your responsibility to hold yourself back in that moment."
She paused for a few moments, considering...
"When I was a child, I too lost my parents although we call them Orx on Farandal and I too felt guilt because as I grew and my life moved on I thought it was my responsibility to keep myself in pain in the memory of my parents."
Veronwe's eyes grew wide, "What did you do?"
Morwen smiled slightly, "I realized that I could grow as a way to honor my parents. I could become a complete person with her own life and dreams and desires AND remember them at the same time. I realized that the absolute last thing they would want for me is to remain broken and in pain. Your parents would want the same things for you."
With a sharp intake of breath Veronwe wrapped his arms around Morewen in a tight embrace full of gratitude and hope and excitement.
And after a moment, she hugged him back.
Children
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