There's something inside me and I know it's good

Player Information

Name: Elly
Age: 45
Contact details: A Duck#O728 on Discord, nightlocke on Plurk.
Other characters: Sarai Thunderstorm, Xander Woods.

Character Information

Name: Maebhrin (pronounced Maevreen, basically) Penwyr, but has adopted the last name Tillinath in honor of her mentor/ to distance herself from her father. 100% feel free to use Maebhrin Penwyr on her ticket!
Canon: Dungeons and Dragons, Birthright setting.
Canon Point: After freeing a lieutenant from being wrongly tried as a traitor.
OU/AU/CRAU/OC: OC
Age: 85, but looks 17 at most.

World Information: Cerilia, a handy Wiki link from a fan wiki, and then the Wikipedia article.

Personal History: Maebhrin was born in the elven lands of Tuarhievel in the province of Avallaigh. Her father, Cormac Penwyr, was a career military man, specializing in training horses for the elven cavalry. Ennobled for his excellence, he married Tuanala, a minor countess, cementing a treaty between Tuarhievel and the elves from the Sielwode, another elven kingdom.

The second of three children, Maebhrin's parents discussed the paths their children might take. Rannoch, her only brother and the eldest, was the heir; with Tuarhievel's dedication to the art of war, there was little argument that he would be a warrior. Her younger sister, gifted with rare beauty even among the Elves, was directed towards diplomacy and courtly graces in the hope that, like her mother, Gwyneth would make a marriage to bring peace. And Maebhrin, physically resembling Tuanala more, could clearly make a name for herself as a sorcerer, as her mother before her.

The old Count, her grandfather, had been frail and sickly for a while, but during this time he succumbed to old age. Having been made his heir, Tuanala was invested as the new Countess. Considering his youth, Rannoch was not formally invested, between Cormac claiming he was too young, and the fact that his wife certainly had centuries left while the boy grew into maturity.

Under her mother's gentle tutelage, Maebhrin did gain a love for learning for its own sake and the ability to read and write in a fair hand. But despite these weapons in her arsenal, she seemed unable to evoke the magic that lived in the blood of every elf. But sorcery never worked for her--in truth, the only thing that saved her from Cormac's wrath was the wakening of blood abilities that mimicked magic.

It did not save Mae for long, however. Cormac was tempted to disown her then for daring to defy him (as if she made that choice...), but one of his old comrades from the military and a close friend of his, Braedonnal Tillinath, saw potential in her and took her under his wing. As Swordmaster of the Uplands, he had extensive training and indeed, was already one of Rannoch's trainers. The young elves had no problems learning the warrior's trade, but Maebhrin seemed a logical choice for the elder elf to choose as his successor as a swordsage and hopefully, in the ancient arts of the Eternal Blade.

He declined to tell his old friend that, however, as Braedonnal knew Cormac had a good reason to be called "the Ill-Tempered." He encouraged Mae to simply continue her studies, though Tuanala agreed it was useless to try to teach her magic. So instead she was sent to accompany Gwyneth to her dancing lessons. Still, Mae also found time to wander around her father's stables as well, picking up the basics of horsemanship, and even training the elegant beasts.

These new weapon lessons proved so enjoyable to Maebhrin that she joyfully threw herself into them with everything she had. It was strenuous, but she still enjoyed it greatly. To break the monotony of lessons, there were a number of 'vacations' where she and her family followed Tuanala on her diplomatic visits to other provinces in either Tuarhievel or the Sielwolde. Alternately, they traveled with Cormac to horse fairs, as he disdained the human lands. Still, it gave Maebhrin a chance to learn about the other elves, and how the provinces differed from her own homeland. And even to learn about humans, at times, for which she was roundly scolded by Cormac, at best. Learning the blade also brought Maebhrin close to Rannoch and vice versa, though they did not leave little Gwyneth out, either.

Sadly, tragedy struck; on the way home from one of their journeys, Tuanala's horse threw her from its back. Severely wounded, she was taken to the nearest elven stronghold, where healers attempted to repair her broken body. Unfortunately, she barely had time to invest Rannoch as her heir before dying, and due to his youth, Cormac was deemed his regent.

And then, Maebhrin's life slowly began to fall apart.

The family returned to their home in Avallaigh, and Cormac was invested as regent. Braedonnal came to stay at the estate, to console his friends and students. Cormac attempted to remove Maebhrin from Braedonnal's tutelage, but the elder elf refused to hear of it, and indeed made it a condition of him continuing to teach Rannoch as well, which infuriated Cormac. He told Braedonnal that teaching Maebhrin was nothing but a waste of time, and banished her from the small court he held. Her siblings went with her--Rannoch to comfort her, and Gwyneth because she was frightened. Over the next few months, the siblings would cling to each other for companionship, because the change that Tuanala's death seemed to have wrought in their father was nigh unto terrifying for them. Cormac had even cultivated a friendship, it seemed, with the powerful awnshegh Ruobhe Manslayer, as that one even appeared in court over the next dozen years.

Gwyneth feared that she would be forced into marriage with the Manslayer, though she was still only half-trained in the arts of diplomacy. Between the four of them--Rannoch, Maebhrin, Gwyneth herself, and Braedonnal--they spirited her away from Avallaigh to another province. Her sister also, apologetically, revealed to Maebhrin that she had inherited sorcery from their mother, and had been learning in secret. Mae was more amused than angered by this, and wished her sister well. She was going to take refuge with Braedonnal's youngest sister, and Maebhrin knew--and could tell her brother--that their sister would be safe from their father's insanity.

This coup truly did infuriate Cormac, but he could not beat, terrorize, or torture the information out of his old friend--and he attempted to do so to Maebhrin, but she resisted--where Cormac had disdained her and never 'had use' for her in his philosophy, Braedonnal and her siblings had. But through the mysterious bloodline powers, Maebhrin managed not to crack under his pressure.

Cormac bided his time. He was not invested in Maebhrin at all, and he had Rannoch to teach and mold.

Maebhrin and her mentor continued their work, as well. He began to instruct her not only in the ways of the swordsage, but taught her about the Eternal Blades, once proud and noble defenders of the way of elven life, but also told her about how they'd fallen from glory. Some had been corrupted by the remaining influence of the old god of shadow, Azrai. Some had simply been greedy and foolish, reaching past their right, and been thrust back and dishonored. And yet, there were some who clung to the old ways of honor and fairness. Braedonnal felt that she could, in time, join their ranks.

The young elf was stunned--honored, of course--but stunned. She'd never been shown any particular preference in her own house, and yet the revered Swordmaster was choosing her? She begged time to think about it, but after a few weeks, Maebhrin agreed, and training progressed once more.

One cloudy evening, Cormac called Maebhrin out to the corral. She was uncertain, but obeyed her father--far be it from her to believe he was going to try to reconcile, and she was right. Instead, he mounted his favorite destrier and demanded she show him what she had learned. The idea panicked Maebhrin, but she raised her fists in self-defense anyway, certain he was simply going to do away with her, since Cormac could find no way to control her.

Surprisingly, she was able to hold her own, despite Cormac's superior horsemanship skills, until Braedonnal arrived with her brother in tow, in a simmering rage. He attacked his old friend, to Cormac's shock. Braedonnal admonished his old friend, decrying his overwhelming hatred of not humans, but his own daughter. Cormac sneered. "Daughter? Serpent at my breast, say you instead! This viper is no child of mine!" He attempted to ride Maebhrin down, despite her techniques, and instead, Braedonnal shoved her out of the way, taking most of the damage, to Rannoch, Maebhrin, and her father's shocked horror. When he regained his senses enough to try to run Maebhrin down again, she used the Stone Dragon's Fury maneuver, slamming her fists at the ground. It tumbled the horse to the ground and her father from its back. She let him lay there, stunned, as she went to tend to Braedonnal, but it was too late. He was dying. He told her with his last breaths to leave the place where she wasn't cared for or appreciated, and find a place she would be.

She gathered her belongings, leaving her father laying in the dirt, and as the storm started, Maebhrin left her father's castle. Cormac tried to order Rannoch to stop her, but he refused. Though her father swore she'd be hunted...

For weeks, Maebhrin traveled through Cerilia, doing her best to not attract much attention as she traveled through the Twelve Duchies. When she was passing through Diemed, however, she was actually recruited to serve by the regent, Thanatos Stormrisen. The man claimed the high priest, Tywin Steele, had seen her crowned with a stormcloud in visions from his god, Curaiecen, and begged her to join him.

Maebhrin wasn't certain she believed any of it. She'd been in a vision from a god? Sidhelien had no use for the human gods! Still, it was a safe enough place to hide for now, or so she felt. Thanatos allowed her to take control of a few holdings in his demesne, and she put herself to work.

This led to Maebhrin helping Thanatos take better control of his holdings, as he was a third son, and had not ever thought he'd take the throne. However, in a terrible night shortly before Mae's arrival, his father and brothers were assassinated. (Mae found this out eventually, and was patently shocked that she hadn't been accused of the crime herself! She was Sidhelien, after all, and not to be trusted!)

Then the news arrived that spiders were attacking, signifying that the Spider or perhaps his goblin underlings were planning a raid into the realm once again, and Thanatos gathered his army and his companions--Hjalmar, a wizard, Tywin, his priest, Lance, a bard, and Maebhrin herself--and marched north towards the Spiderfell.

What they found there was, indeed, trouble--and not only from the denizens of the Spiderfell. An overzealous lieutenant had served her soldiers well and ordered alchemist's fire from, indeed, an alchemist, but the commander of the troops was ordering them both punished--the craftsman put in chains and the lieutenant drummed out of the army. Tywin and Thanatos at first argued to go with the commander's wishes, while the lieutenant explained her actions. It turned out that she had been stationed near the Spiderfell for a time, and understood what dangers they faced. With that added knowledge, Lance, Mae, and Hjalmar defended her actions. There was a great deal of arguing. Maebhrin agreed with the lieutenant, however, when the woman asked to defer judgement until the battle had been joined.

The fighting was wild, and Maebhrin almost died during it when a goblin impaled her. Luckily, Tywin was near and healed her, and it was late enough in the battle that the spiders disengaged before things could get worse. As the lieutenant had said, the alchemist's fire had been a boon to the army and likely had turned the tide of battle. Maebhrin was certain that Thanatos would show mercy to his soldier.

She was utterly shocked when Thanatos decided to have her tried for treason after her heroic actions. Half of her chains were stuck off, but the others had her imprisoned and guarded so that the lieutenant could stand trial. During the night, while most of the humans were sleeping, Maebrhin snuck into the prison and freed the lieutenant. She was trusted as part of Thanatos' entourage, and she used it to her advantage. Maebhrin left a letter with Hjalmar explaining what she'd done and her reasoning to do it, and she and the lieutenant claimed a pair of horses, leaving the camp and the so-called regent behind.

Personality:

Headstrong and willful, Maebhrin clings to her convictions--thankfully, they are usually wholesome and good-intentioned. She prefers to observe and investigate things on her own, and then come to her own conclusions--proven by the fact that Maebhrin listened to the lies of her people, but decided that she would be quiet and observe, and decide the truth for herself. (Mostly they were her father's lies, but many elves feel similarly.) While there are some elves who see humans as a needed element of change, counterpart as enemies to be slain, Maebrhin has found that most humanoids are people. Some are good, some are evil, some are educated, some are ignorant. Mostly, they want to live in peace and simply live their lives. She refused to become a hunter of humans, and instead agreed to be an elven protector when the choice was offered to her--but Maebhrin feels that being an elven protector doesn't mean that it leaves other folk of good intent out.

Learning has always been her friend and boon companion, and she loves to pursue it, and other arts she has chosen to dabble in--Mae's very young for an elf, and hopes that she has a long time to continue to accrue knowledge--be it as a swordsage, a dancer, a horsewoman, or a jewelcrafter. And those are only the things she's begun to learn, there are many other things she's simply read about and never seen, but retains her curiosity about.

Maebhrin is much happier and far more content when things go smoothly or as planned, despite a chaotic nature--if things don't, however, she can deal with it. She prefers to smile and joke instead of snark or be angry--but she does have a sharp tongue when she believes people are not using their heads or choosing to be silly in a serious situation. However, there's always room for comic relief. It's when it gets out of hand that she gets annoyed.

Mae tends to observe when a fight brews, as well--better to know where to strike precisely and stop danger from fomenting and spreading, with the least loss to life and livelihood.

She did not rebel against her father or her people immediately when challenged by their way of thought. Her parents were long down the line of succession to the Thorn Throne, but Maebhrin learned the ideas of rule along with her brother (or at least got a good amount of the Cliff's notes). She regrets what she saw as a necessity--her feeling is that if her people continue their xenophobic and genocidal tendencies, the Sidhelien will be stamped out as monsters, worthy only of slaughter by the people they've terrorized in the past. It was her own decision...as well as the right thing to do. Still, she desperately misses her little sister, who was easily her best friend growing up. She does know that Gwyneth is still out there and safe, even if she can never see her again. There's still that comfort--though she is likely to hide herself away once in a while to cry about her 'missing' sister.

Maebrin worries about Rannoch. He's the oldest, he's always had a good head on his shoulders. She doesn't think that Cormac could sway him to the path of hatred, not entirely, but she questions her ability to make Rannoch think. They were not necessarily as close as she and Gwyneth were, but they all protected each other when Cormac's sanity took a slip.

She also regrets Braedonnal giving his life for her in the face of her father's cruelty. She'd always known that her father was cruel and probably hated her, but him killing his best friend to get to her sealed that into her heart and mind. This has made her hate her father, and if they ever somehow crossed paths again, Maebhrin would kill him. Probably not in cold blood--more like hot blood, but he'd end up dead nonetheless.

Despite having some rather specialized training, Mae doesn't really act like someone with it, due to how young she is. She hasn't had enough training to get the blade guide that is drawn to all Eternal Blades, so she has no guidance. Maebhrin has plenty of knowledge, but lacks experience due to her youth. She's unused to being alone in the world--for a while, she at least had her mother, whom she still silently grieves and misses desperately--and Braedonnal, who she hasn't really had time yet to mourn. All of this makes Maebhrin rather closed off--she's uncertain, both of herself and of whom she can really trust. She tends to hide her feelings and her fear, trying to brave and bluff her way through the world, while she's uncertain of her position in it. Maebhrin is sure of what she wants to do, to see, but she's not entirely sure of how to get there.


CRAU developments: n/a

Key themes: To learn what justice really is. To save her people, the Sidhelien, though she hardly sees herself as a messiah. To protect people--all people, not just the elves.

Main Motivation: "The swordsage seeks to know their own mind, and perceive and act with perfect clarity."

Skills: follow this handy and finely-crafted link!

Item: A simple opal disc on a silver chain, given to her by her mother.

Sample: One, Two


Notes: On religion: The elves are aware that gods exist, but they do not pay homage to them. Particularly after their deception and betrayal by Azrai, the elves have been adamant in their refusal to worship human gods. To the elves, spiritual development is the responsibility of the individual. The path that an elf takes is a decision that only he or she can make. So strong is this belief that if an elf chooses to worship one of the human gods, so be it. The only restriction placed upon such rare individuals is that they not discuss their religious ideologies within elven realms.