Anabel Fiadh

Anabel's life was devoted to the protection of the Earth as well as the education of the people, but that came to a halt as soon as the rise of the Christian religion began. After having her family and friends massacred, the High Priestess was captured and sold into slavery. Eventually the same fate came to her new home, and she found herself free to wander. She is now recruited by sailors and traveling merchants to aid them in their travels, which is how she found herself in the Town of Vanor.
==Talents and Skills==
*Story-telling; having lived a life rich with magic and adventure, she is able to conjure stories based on previous experience, and her extensive education has given her a way with words that makes her arguably one of the greatest story-tellers known to the lush lands of Ireland.
* Herbology; her ability to identify and put to use most, if not all plants was part of how she became a well-known herbalist. 
* Cooking; not to toot her own horn, but she's fairly proud of the numerous dishes she can cook up, having spent much time in her Irish homeland, England and Japan.
* Healing; the ability to understand and use plants allows her to be a very well-practiced healer, and she has the soothing touch of one who knows what she is doing.
* Nature lore; it is a part of her Druid practice to become extremely familiar with the ways of nature and the magic of it, and is the ultimate source of her power.
==Weapons==
*Bow of Ash wood; given to her as a gift from her teacher as soon as she completed her training.
* Dagger of Ivory; crafted by a close friend/student and given to her as a thank you gift for her teachings.
==Combat Skills and Abilities==
*Stealth is a tricky ability to perfect, yet Anabel just about has. She can make herself basically undetectable, and has used this in combination with her skills in archery.
* Archery is her strongest point, as she has been trained since childhood in the craft and is skilled with not only wielding, but also crafting bows and arrows. 
* Hand to hand combat, although not her forte, is another strength of hers. She can hold her own in close confrontation, and uses a more defensive style and will typically use her dagger as well.
* Shape-shifting is her most extreme ability, and is very rarely used unless in the most dire of situations as it very quickly uses up her energy and will leave her in recovery for at least a day.
* Heightened senses aid her in all things, and are comparable to that of a deer's. Mostly she uses her ability to hear and smell by far better than the average human as a defense, giving her warning when danger is near. Otherwise she uses her senses for tracking.
==Education and Intelligence==
Anabel received extensive training in the Druid community. They were the philosophers, scientists, theologians, and intellectuals of their culture, and the holders of the philosophical, scientific, and religious knowledge of their age. The nearest modern equivalent, then, would be professors in universities or colleges, medical doctors, lawyers and judges, school teachers, and so on. Being as such, she is extremely intelligent and quick-witted. To become a Druid, students assembled in groups of 100 for instruction and training for sometimes up to 20 years from the age of 16. 
==Goals==
Eventually, she would like to make it back to Ireland to revive the beliefs that were squashed by the Christians. She has slowly been making her way across the world, riding along on ships and traveling with merchant caravans and acting as a healer and educator as payment for transportation.
==Personality==
Anabel has something of a split personality depending on the situation. When simply relaxing with a group of people, whether close friends or newly acquainted strangers, she is a joyful spirit, readily sharing jokes and stories while sipping wine, and joining in simple games and debate. On the other hand, when working or even in battle, she is stone-cold and determined; her focus in unbreakable and she will stop at nothing to achieve whatever it is she has set out to do whether it be destroying an enemy, or healing the wounded. She truly is a playful girl, and at times her quiet grace gives way to clumsiness, but she would never admit that. Her humble nature allows her to first see the best in people, though at times this can be more detrimental than helpful.
==Weaknesses==
Being empathetic means that, invariably, she see similarities between herself and others, so she finds difficulty in holding someone accountable for their mistakes when she feel like they have things in common. She let things go when she really shouldn't.
Nature, although the very thing she is so close to, is one of her greatest weaknesses. She spent much of her life protecting the forests and its inhabitants, and so whenever she witnesses harm coming to the earth, she is obligated to do absolutely anything to protect it, even if it endangers her life.
At times, Anabel can be something of a klutz, and unfortunately these bouts of clumsiness happen at the most inopportune times, but mostly is hasn't gotten her into any real trouble.
Because of her intense feelings of connectivity to all living beings, she suffers from an extreme guilt complex. If anything goes wrong, or someone (doesn't matter who) appears to be down, she has an overwhelming sense of responsibility, and will by all means seek to fix what she may not have had anything to do with, which has proven to be quite distracting
==Beliefs==
Druidry (a description of this practice is below, but is not a required read)
The ancient Druids used fire in their rituals, divined the future by watching the flight of birds and the movements of clouds, contacted their gods in sanctuaries deep in forests and were therefore associated with trees. They regarded the head as the seat of the soul, believed in the immortality of the soul as well as the existence of an Otherworld where souls travel after death. They also believed that it is possible to communicate with the beings who dwell there. Druids had ceremonies of animal and sometimes human sacrifice in times of great peril as a means of appealing to the Gods. Druidry requires the application of skill and knowledge in the service of certain social responsibilities. A Druid’s responsibilities are to the world as well, for as the ancient Druids said, “We created the world”, and without Druids to bring about the renewal of the seasons with their rituals, the world might end. 
Deities
* Lugh Lamh-Fada, the “Long Handed” or “Many Talented”, a god of the sun, of military victory, and of the harvest.
* Manannan, the god of the sea, and of passage to the Otherworld.
* Morrigan, a goddess of the Earth, and of sovereignty.
* Dagda, another god of the sun, and of tribal leadership.
* Brighid, a goddess of healing, midwifery, blacksmithing, poetry, and fire.
* Diancecht, a god of medicine and physicians.
* Ogma, a god of writing, knowledge, wisdom, and public speaking.
* Angus, son of the Dagda, god of youth, beauty, and love.
==Appearance==
Anabel stands at about five feet, five inches, and has a refined grace to her that could only come of being a highly regarded woman for years and years. She walks steadily and silently like a deer might, and moves as if gravity does not weigh her down, giving her the appearance of light airiness. Her hair is the color of desert sand, falling in gentle waves past her shoulders and to her waist, and atop her crown grow dark antlers to represent her status among the Druids, as well as a pair of plush deer ears. She is typically seen wearing a simple outfit of white fabric and foot wraps, and will never be caught without her bow and quiver of arrows.
==Background==
In ancient Celtic society the Druids and Druidesses composed an intellectual elite, whose knowledge and training placed them as priests of the Celtic religion. Their training consisted of the memorization of literature, poetry, history, and Celtic law as well as astronomy, archery and healing. The Druids mediated for their people, preformed sacrifices, interpreted omens, and presided over religious ceremonies as well as tended to the sick and dying. Although the Druids had many responsibilities, their main duty became advising Kings and Queens. Dreams and prophecies were questioned by royalty for their significance and the Druids interpreted events in various kingdoms. As a result, the power of the Druids and Druidesses was very great for not only were they the sole priests of Celtic religion, but they also held great sway in political matters.
Anabel was a greatly respected priestess among the Druids before her capture, having dedicated the majority of her life to learning and understanding events that came before her time, symbolism within the daily life and dreams and perfecting the art of archery as well as becoming a skilled healer, but was especially known for her connection to the forest. She was a kind soul, a kindred spirit, and all that met her instantly felt her radiating warmth and love. Naturally, she was playful, enjoying a good-hearted joke or prank, and dearly enjoyed discussing philosophy and the universe. In a more professional setting, she was blunt and quite insightful, always ready to offer advice and help guide. Typically, she could be found writing in a field of freshly blooming flowers, or reading poetry among the company of the wildlife, or perhaps even meditating on the mossy bank of a babbling brook. In her life she formed a close circle of equals, Druids like herself that traveled together to advise Chieftains, perform rituals to bring blessings to a tribe or family, and even simply speaking with aspiring prophets and philosophers to guide them on their intellectual or spiritual journey. Everywhere she and her roaming group of associates traveled, they were welcomed with open arms, revered and worshiped as if they were heaven-sent, until the rise of Christianity began. 
In the beginning the Druid community did not fear the Christians, as they kept an open mind and sought only peace among their people, but as this new religion spread like a plague among the masses their ideas and practices were seen as a threat.They were called witches and devil worshippers, accused of doing unnatural rituals involving necromancy and the like. It was almost in an instant that these intellectuals became targeted, hunted and beheaded or stoned in a public display to strike fear into those who refused to conform to the new belief system, effectively driving Anabel and her group further away from those who once adored them. Eventually, the wandering group took refuge in the woods and were even joined by others who still sought to practice freely, and for a while all was well. Of course all things, whether good or bad, must come to an end. 
They were betrayed. One of their own turned their back on the natural life of the Druids and turned to the Christians, warning them that deep within the woodlands dwelled a community of tree-worshipers. It was late into the night, perhaps just before the rising of the sun when the blood-curdling screams and scent of smoke woke Anabel from her peaceful slumber, and she was instantly aware of the attack on her people. Without a second thought, she emerged from her small home; bow at the ready with an arrow already notched, she began shouting instructions for defense, sinking stone arrowhead after arrowhead into the skulls and chests of her attackers. She was quickly identified as the leader of their community, and the army descended upon her, sending her running deeper and deeper into the woods with her pursuers on her heels. Of course they caught up to her, and once they did, she was bound and gagged and taken back to the nearest town. Unknown to the Druid Priestess, she would be sold to a far away land as a slave, never to see the green hills and vibrant forestry of her homeland again. Category:Characters
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