Tails of Ezesstra
mother: Torvi Verlack
father: Anthor Blackwood
familiar: ludwig, owl
age: 25
Orion is 3 years older
appearance:
5'2", 54 kg, clouded eyes in white, short brown hair up to her chin, slightly freckled cheeks, somewhat rough features considering her elven background, with some very faint scars, pointy ears, as is expected, harsher burnt scars over his arms that she covers with bandages, tends to wear long coats, boots, and is accompanied by a tiny elf owl, she carries a wooden staff and a necklace with two small wooden feathers hanging from it, painted black
personality:
hard headed and stubborn, most of the time she's dry, cynical and not very approachable, although not particularly rude. she's used to be seen as strange, and has long stopped caring. she's terrible at handling her emotions, often attempting to squash them inside, which is difficult, since when she does feel something, it is quite intense. she does harbor kindness inside her, though, which often surprises those around her when she lets it show. tends to be overly paranoid about people finding her, trying to avoid attention, but is otherwise quite impulsive, and finds joy and bravery in such acts.
beliefs:
she believes firmly that the strong must protect the weak, and is aversed to forms of punishment and revenge, instead preffering to take on defensive acts. she's starting to believe, with her own journey, that it is possible for someone to change, and, perhaps, be redeemed.
backstory:
Astrid was born from a poor human woman named Torvi Verlack and an elven man of noble birth; Anthor Blackwood. Torvi was the third daughter of two farmers, and she'd found herself working as a servant for Anthor when she was around 18. Anthor was 21, and tired of the new responsabilities that the passing of his father had left him with. He saw this woman as a welcomed distraction, that was, until she became pregnant with his child.
He gave her some money, and sent her back home, not wanting his reputation to be smeared. Torvi was heartbroken, having been infatuated with him, but she did as told. Unfortunanely, Astrid was born with a problem in her eyes, and as the years passed, she became blind. When Astrid was four her mother realized she couldn't take care of her daughter, couldn't give her the extra care she required, or any hope of a good life. She returned to Anthor to beg him to reconsider, and with this new information, he begrudgingly did. He told people he'd adopted her out of the goodness of his heart. He was cold, and distant towards her, saw her disability as an extension of the filthy human blood she carried.
Astrid grew in loneliness. Anthor's house was not a welcoming place, populated by servants and the occasional mistress. If he had any siblings, they were not around. Occassionaly, his mother would visit, but it was after only a few years that she fell ill and passed as well. Often, she daydreamed of a better life, her own little world where things were alright. It was like that, and with her constant wanderings in the surroundings forests, that she discovered she had a knack for the arcane.
It was like that that she caught the eye of Orion. She met him when she was 16, and he was 19. He was a human man with visible burnt scars over his face, and arms. Something terrible had been done to him by powerful people he would not name, and, although Astrid did not know it at the time, he was seeking revenge.
He was also a practicioner in magic, and was able to teach Astrid more about it. As time passed, her admiration grew. Slowly, he began to ask her for more favors. She was reluctant at first, but eventually gave in. He'd ask for her help on small tasks, as she had a great cover as a blind, helpless young woman, he'd ask her to scout places, to spy on people, or, sometimes, to steal things. One day, however, she stuck around to observe what he did with one of the people she'd told him about, and found Orion murdering the man.
She was distressed, considered running away. She didn't, though, instead she confronted him about it, and they argued. Orion said he "needed to make her understand." This was not the first time he'd said such a thing, she'd sometimes used his magic to burn the skin on her arms, but it had never been with such conviction.
She was 19 when she returned to her father's home. She knew what Orion was planning to do, and she helped him find an opening. They snuck inside, and he set the room his father was in ablaze. Through the crumbling wooden door, Astrid saw his father burning. She tried to cover her eyes, but it was not with them that she was watching; Orion had used a spell to show her. She sobbed, and he held her. "Now you understand," he said.
For a while, she believed him, believed that she could follow him, and his plans, and be happy. More time passed, and eventually, he wished to test her. He asked her to kill someone, one of the people they were tracking. It was when Astrid felt the life of that woman extinguishing under her touch that she realized... she could not do it. She could not bare to do what he wanted of her.
So, at 22, she ran away.
Now she's hiding from Orion, a bit directionless, with a strong want to see her mother again, yet knowing she's probably too far away to do so.