Aenora Ridgwell

"I record tales of both people and the land, history and legends. Things in life are so fleeting, after all. It's a shame how much goes unwritten, lost to the dark." - Aenora Ridgwell

Aenora Ridgwell (formerly Aenora Laurent) is, or, was, a nomad of the lands, once belonging to a minor tribe she calls the Verdant. She served them as herbalist and storyteller. After a calamity owing to the division of the tribe, she's found love with one of main civilization and now experiences both the blessings and the curses of such.

Early Life
Aenora was born in a kingdom, as most were. As for which, is uncertain, and which matters not-- not to her, at least. She ended up as an infant in the care of a small, nomadic tribe simply referred to as the Verdant. They were a group of craftsmen and foragers, well versed in the ways of living off the land despite all the uncertainties and dangers that come with it. Being reared in the tribe, she never really had any official guardians to call her own. Caring for the young or the weak was often more a communal effort than an individual one.

From about the age of eight she started assisting some of her kin and took best to herbalism and all that could be done with it. By twelve, she was apprenticing in the art (not uncommon for women of the tribe) under the guidance of the tribe's own herbalist and storyteller.

Young Life
The elder serving as mentor for Aenora was quite aged, even for the title of 'elder'. As to ensure a proper replacement, he came to teach her the art of both written and verbal tales, alongside her original practices of herbalism. She was to take his place once she showed sufficient aptitude, such that he could rest at ease in his final years. It was around the age of seventeen that she could start sharing in his main work, slowly taking over maintaining the history and rituals of the tribe as well as assisting the sick and wounded.

It was around this point she was fully considered proper kin, and as such was granted the freedom to move about as she pleased-- with the caveat that she'd at least return every so often to maintain her duties. She opted to remain with them most of the time anyways, finding little reason to explore alone beyond just self-curiosity.

Adult Life
Content, kind, and quiet, Aenora resided with her kin for some time more, in an odd state of comfortable danger. The threat of the thief-riddled wilds always loomed over them, but the Verdant were more than capable of handling desperate rabble. She even picked up on a couple things herself, learning to ward off attackers with dagger and pick. Adversity brings knowledge, as some would say.

And so adversity struck just around her twentieth year. A great wave of brigands and vile thieves crashed across the Verdant, driving Aenora, and the tribe in general, scattered into hiding and all across the lands. It wasn't long after the mess that she ran into a fellow traveler named Earl Redgrave, who offered to help her to Hallengard. And so her new adventures began...

[More to come, work in progress]

Appearance
Aenora is a woman of above average stature (for a woman) and holds a more athletic build due to her time living among the wilds. Her hair is nearly as black as ink and her eyes gleam hazel. Her skin is rather pale despite her origins, likely owed to tree cover, her almost constant use of a hood, and covering garb/cloak. Her left hand is branded with the mark of the Dulamen and wrapped with brown, somewhat bloodied bandage, unlikely to ever heal back proper.

She used to don a sort of forest-green dress adapted for the needs of a traveler, complete with dark oak colored trim, cloak, gloves, and boots. The former item was stolen, and probably won't be coming back.

Currently she's most often seen in a worn, green traveler's coat with a forsaken metal guardsman's helm placed upon her head. The latter is mostly to both hide her identity and better protect her already battered head. She still has her cloak, albeit more tattered than before due to recent events.

In General
"I long for the day when this bloodied night finally breaks, and the radiant dawn rises anew." - Aenora Ridgwell

Aenora is a quiet, reticent lady towards most, often not speaking till spoken to. On the occasion she does speak, it's usually either words of blunt reason or poetic wisdom. She's quick to judge but not quick to express it, preferring subtle hints or sarcasm. Even so, she tries her hardest to be kind and calm be it through word or action, trying to reciprocate the kindness many have given to her over the years. Stemming off this she's not fond of violence and/or bloodshed unless there's an express, just purpose, and no other practical way to handle the matter. She prefers to keep from harm's way unless someone she loves is involved, in which case she'd do everything she could to help them. She doesn't fear death much in these cases, only what would happen to those after her passing.

Current Status
Aenora's mental state is currently questionable, fractured by the fears of her children and husband having come to harm, all in addition to the fact she was kidnapped, abused, and branded by the Dulamen (and could have avoided it, with some caution). Compounded with the increasing amount of chaos and bloodshed filling her days, she's at her wit's end.

She's unlikely to reveal her identity to nor trust anyone she does not expressly know herself to be trustworthy. Her calm, tranquil nature is worn thin, and she's more prone to rash or emotionally driven actions. More likely, though, she'll ignore those who try to interact with her and continue along her way.