Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence.
Abeni was the only girl born in her family. Her father, a high elf named Rohorn, was once a great noble elf till he lost a binding bet to her mother’s eldest sister. Rohorn was given to her mother’s harem of men. Fara, her mother, was a blood mage. Her magic was passed down through the feminine line. Fara tried and tried again, only having sons. It was not until she laid with Rohorn, that she was finally blessed with a daughter. Abeni was half wood elf and half high elf. Her brothers were not too excited for their youngest sibling’s arrival. Sarris and Cranan were the eldest of the brood, followed by Eljor and Naedan, and finally Syllar and Beiris.
When Abeni was young, she was treated like a princess, given anything she wanted. Her brothers hated how she was spoiled, and how she was a selfish child. From a small child to a young girl, her mother taught Abeni magic. It came to her by nature. Cantrips and others such things were her beginning until her mother started to go under new changes.
Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance.
In the humid summers, instead of running with her brothers and servants to hunt, she was inside. Of course, she had her own knowledge of swords, shields, and bows among other sorts of simple weapons. Her time from the young age of seven to thirteen, she studied blood magic. She’d lay by the fire and read and she’d study and study, but something felt..off. Something was wrong. Her excited, exuberant nature to learn had died down - until the day her uncle arrived.
Traren was a mage. Traren wasn’t interested in the blood arts like her mother. He brought wonderful news that night at the feast. She was seated at the far edge of the table, reading a book she had been given by her gnomish maid. Everything on their former gods. The text enthralled the thirteen-year-old as she ignored the chatter of everyone. Her uncle cleared his throat, “My family, since it is my darling niece’s birthday, I have brought a wonderful gift for her. I’ve spoken with a nearby archmage, Judas. He’s offered to train the young one in the arcane arts. She shall learn to be a great mage under his study. I’ve found plenty of books for her study before she travels to the tower on her fourteenth birthday.”
Abeni snapped her book shut and tucked it into her cloak as she looked up and nodded, smiling. She’d be given more books to study from. Abeni bowed and smiled, “Thank you, uncle, if you excuse me, I shall take my leave from dinner and go start my studies.” As she left, she had noticed the red glint in her mother’s eyes, red like the blood that flowed deep through both their veins.
Autumn passes and remembers one’s reverence
Fifteen was a bad age for her. She refused to leave to go to Judas. Due to her readings of gods and magic and other things, she grew to have an aversion to the blood magic, the magic that was slowly driving her mother to the edge of her sanity. The night she refused to join in the ceremony, she was the object of their attack. Her body was sore from the symbols carved into her tanned skin. Lilyore, her favored gnome maid, the one who had been there since she was born, attended to her sore wounds and helped ease her pains.
In her dreams, she had drifted off to think of a safe place. Finely made of stone and other things, she dreamed of a warm man with long, blonde hair and a sweet smile. In her dreams, he sang to her in elvish, her own tongue. It felt nice. In her studying, she knew this was a god..a good god. Though with the devils, she believed them mostly to be gone. This might have been her own dreams projecting how he was supposed to be. A light finger traced the wound on her cheek. The touch was soft, something foreign to her now of days. He stared at her with a curiosity measured to that of a child. His voice clear and deep. “Young one, you should awake, you’ll be wanting to know what happens to you.” With that, she was up with a start, scaring Lilyore. Muttering in gnomish, Abeni ignored her old friend and slid on a robe before hobbling her way downstairs.
Down there, her mother, father, and uncle were speaking with what looked to be a wood elf male accompanied by an older wood elf female. As she listened, she could hear they were making...wedding arrangements. The older wood elf was the male’s attendant. With what she could tell, the one who would be her “husband” was in his earlier 300’s. She stopped when he noticed her and greeted her as if she were already his wife. He smelt of the earth and she tried to hold her gagging. She took a breath, as she steeled herself, she’d pull through this and she wouldn’t let herself be given to this man.
Winter passes and remembers one’s perseverance.
She was seventeen when told her fiance was coming to finally marry her. He was a man of the world, and he wanted to get her presents before their wedding. For the past two years, most of her time was spent as she was grounded, but it gave her time to read what Lilyore and her husband brought her. Abeni learned to heal, she learned the way of the gods. After the knowledge of her “fiance” was returning, she knew it was time.
Abeni couldn’t find much wrong with that man, but she just never liked him. He was pleasant, but he was - was something she couldn’t live with. Her fingers clutched the new eight pointed star that hung around her neck as she felt the stinging of her old scars as she made her way up the steps. She’d leave tonight, she’d leave her home and never return. Never to marry, never to be a blood mage, never to be like her mother.
Lilyore had packed her bag for her, and she slipped on her stolen leather armor. Beneath her armor, she wore thick clothing suited for travel. Lilyore had embroidered the eight pointed star across her breast as a last favor as she sneaked down to the stables. She had paid off the stable hands to arrange a carriage for her, hooking them up to her two favorite horses, Etch and Navar whom she had since the age of six.
She kissed their noses and smiled at them. Abeni whispered softly, “Soon my friends, we shall see the world beyond these woods,” she assured as she got up onto the driver's seat. With one quick flick of her wrists, her horses were off and through the town.
Traveling for days and living off rations, days passed long for her. Until, one day, she stopped when she heard the loud yelling...of something animal. Soon, she stopped the carriage, and she peeked out to find another elf, a human, and a dragonborn. This would be quite interesting.
