Arianna Thistledown

==TLDR Summary==
A short fused Dwarven druid specialising in dealing with animals and primal spirits,with a penchant for archaeology and a keen interest in Thayan glyph magic. Most easily identifiable by the size shifting (though oftentimes bear-sized) mallard duck primal spirit that follows her around, known as Sallyanne. Her summoned primal spirits seem abnormally adorable... Don't underestimate them, though. That never ends well.
Though Arianna's dubious problem solving and temper grow more erratic day by day, recent developments had made her a lady of the plains. Politics are not really her thing, and noone was sure how long it would last: Apparantly, just over a year, as she renounced her title publically to pledge her allegiance to the empire, more specifically Appoline , and become the new empress's right hand. In this position she has remained for the last 10 years, and has even started a family with a half elf she took a liking to in between carrying out official empire matters.
==Stats==
===Mark Tracker===
Marks: 13 WWWWTTIIITIIIII
Afflictions:
*Partial Blindness
*Fear of Cats
*Rumored to be Allied with Devils
*Empire Turncoat
*Weak left side (Jotun spear wound)
===Advances===
*Dwarven Dig Site (Infrastructure, Transfer Purity to Infrastructure in (Region of Choice) 1/yr) 'There are no stronger tunnels in Athesia than those on me dig sites - I've delved deeper than I ever thought possible and came back with the findings to prove it.'
*Positive Energy Studies (Voting, +1 Academia) 'Some archeological discoveries aren't so tangible... But they're still just as valid as any ancient doohicky, aye?'
*Former Part Plant (Voting, +1 Academia) 'Aye, I'm glad I'm me again. But it was an experience I'll never forget, and I learnt a lot from it.'
*Sallyanne Ducksworth (Voting, +1 Academia) 'Shes not just -any- giant duck, ye ken? She calms me down. Gives me a clear head. If I went about my scholarly pursuits the way I do battle, I'd have a pile of broken rocks and burnt books, and that would never do. One comes between a woman and her duck at great risk to their personal wellbeing.'
*Dragon Archaeology (Story, +1 Archeologist) 'Excavating those dragon zigurrats cost me the lives of many good friends and coworkers. I'll be damned if we don't get every last bloody shred of knowledge from those deathtraps!'
*'To Kill a Devil' by Arianna Thistledown (Voting, +1 Academia) 'I've revised my previous thesis on devils to match current facts that have come to light. And y'know, slittin' devil throats might have influenced my writing too."
*Boots the Derp Centaur (Story, +1 Primal Whispers) "Don't ask."
==Background==
=== First Summon ===
"Arianna, this is what your life will be devoted to. This is the nature that will shape you, the animals that will guide you, the wind that will take you with it. This is what you were born to do."
She still remembered those words, clearly resonating in her brain. It was her first true memory, when she began her journey on the path of the druid. She was a mere 7 summers old as she remembered it...
A young druid boy of her own age,perhaps even younger, sat beside her, eyes shut tight, a look of pure concentration racking his face. He almost seemed to resonate with power, till, moments later, a bulbous shape began to form before him. This soon became more recognisable, with dark beady eyes and silky black fur. Soon it was recognisable as a full grown snarling panther; It almost looked as if it would pounce at the child, but instead it sat still, ready for the boys command. 
"It is your turn, Arianna. Call to the spirits and they will come to you, they will give you the aid that you seek, young druid."
With a deep breath, Arianna closed her eyes, blanking her mind, a sense of calm ebbing through her veins. This was it; her first summon. This was the day that she became complete. It seemed like an age before, sure enough, just as the boy had done, she summoned a dark miasma before her. With her eyes still closed, the body of the animal began to form. Too scared to look upon it, she remained in this position.
"...Quack."
The sudden noise startled her,eyes flittering open. she looked straight in front of her, expecting to see her guardian,standing proud...A bear perhaps? A mighty tiger?
"Quack?"
Her gaze was drawn downwards to a small brown mallard. Her face fell.
"...Quack?"
Waking quickly from daydreams of her past, the stout dwarf smiled, power resonating as, just like when she was a child, her animal would form before her - except this time, the form was noticeably...bigger. A giant mallard duck greeted her as she ruffled its neck feathers,standing taller than Arianna's own height.
Setting off from her home in the dark plains, Arianna was not alone, but with a menagerie of strange (and strangely cute) animals. Why did she leave? To answer the call of rumour; hearsay said that the king wishes to unite Athesia, to bring balance to the world. Hearsay that the young dwarf, with the curiosity of a cat, could not resist investigating.
----
=== Cursed to be adorable ===
Arianna does not summon her menagerie of cute animals out of choice, as many would expect. She herself tries to remain serious about her druidic arts; but the truth is, the animals that she summons? they are an affliction.
Several generations ago, her great-great grandfather pupportedly crossed one known as a 'witchfinder' - Not much is truly known about what was done to anger them, but suffice to say, the cost was great. The witchfinder cursed her bloodline, proclaiming that no more true druids would be born of the Thistledown name, despite every generation of her family being primarily druidic. What truly may have happened has been lost to time and the stories of the Thistledown clan's origins are but legends.
This curse turned out to be correct...for the next few generations, no Thistledown trained as a druid, frightened of what the repercussions may be from this curse. That was, until Arianna undertook training, finding that the witchfinder had not meant to harm them; but instead to disgrace them.
=== This is How we Dwarf ===
Arianna has also not taken the traditional route of a Dwarven druid which is to be a druid of the earth, instead preferring the company of animals and plants. This was both due to the area she lived in in the plains being more suited to this form of druidic magic, and because she was taught by an Elf whose own preferences were that of plant based life.
Something that Arianna has more recently learnt about herself is that though she looks and acts for all intents and purposes as a duck, Sally was actually originally the primal spirit of a bear, it can only be assumed it was the witchfinders magic that altered the outcome. Her own beastform as a druid is a bear, and is not (despite being a rather short bear) adorable at all. (Or so Arianna claims) Bear Dwarf is not something anyone should have or want to face. However, Arianna rarely uses her beastform (mostly because it can make her more rash and hotheaded than usual, which is saying something), instead opting to deploy her primal spirits in battle, which include Sally the duck, Shnappi the crocodile, Timothy the hedgehog and Fernando the uh...Metal Farrealm Tainted Octopus... Who was once upon a time a flying squirrel but was transformed during the events of the great Dawn King Catastrophe.
==Significant Relationships==
=== Friends ===
Cassia Tuccianus
Cassia started in Athesia as Arianna's Protege, but has exceeded all expectations in all areas of magic which Ari is rather proud of. However, she has also started to think she may have helped to create a monster.
Ceryndra Silverflame
Ceryndra is a fellow member of Terra Firma. Ceryndra and Arianna have been friends for sometime, especially since Arianna shared her involvement with Devils with the Holy-flamed Tiefling. Though Arianna has never been one for dark plains politics (Her village on the mountain outskirts kept themselves to themselves for the most part) in helping her friend Ceryndra she has somewhat embedded herself within it. Recently Ceryndra found out that the dwarf had made an...omission of truth on a highly delicate matter. Ari isn't 100% sure how this has affected their relationship but things seem to still be OK.
Geltius
we both have no idea how this came about, really. Sometimes, friendships are mere accidents and results of circumstance after all. He was one of those that aided her in her trip to the Elven god's underworld which she appreciated; she was also impressed that he was so upfront about his intentions to free the soul of the Empress. Her most recent encounter with Geltius was helping to temporarily fix the elemental fields portals, which was at least a success for now. Athesia needs more people like him.
Tacitus
Tacitus has became a friend overtime ever since he noticed she wasn't exactly very good in the stealth department and tried to offer her tips (though honestly, tips she probably never took on board.) Tacitus has been working alongside Arianna in deciphering Elven texts, and was recently instrumental in getting Arianna to come down from the mountain when she essentially gave up on Athesia. Though its likely someone else would have eventually got her to come down (and heck, if they couldn't, Someone would have probably thrown her down to knock some sense in to her) The fact still remains that it was Tacitus. After Tacitus accepted the eye and the burden of being shepherd of the underworld, Arianna became somewhat angry at Tacitus as she believed the eye should have been destroyed permanently. Though torn at first, they have since repaired a fractured relationship and their strange shenanigans together continue.
Lifa'Thyr Fjallanner
Lifa is a current member of Terra Firma - Arianna doesn't know her too well yet, but respects her, and finds her unique circumstances of birth of interest. Unfortunately it fell to Lifa to inform Arianna of the downfall of her Archaeological dig team - She doesn't blame Lifa or the others that found them, more herself for not being there with them to protect them. Though Arianna has become very wary of dragonborn since Jak'kar's betrayal and Gil'gem's idiocy, she does not count Lifa among them and considers Lifa more of a 'Goliath in dragonskin'.
Onuris
Arianna had taken it upon herself to keep watch over Onuris, and seek his knowledge and counsel on occasion. Though his protection is the charge of all of Athesia, she would take it as a personal failure if something was to happen to him... And then it did. Fortunately, they were able to restore Onuris to a state in which he can now live out a mortal lifespan. Arianna occasionally still visits him, but has little time to devote to it as of late, and her understandings of glyph magic are still basic in the grand scheme of things.
Prince / Emperor Rhuprect
Arianna actually began to become friendly with the prince of the Skylanders while he was temporarily living in her library - Perhaps he even went some way to changing her mind about Athesia in general, but only time will tell. Arianna was torn when they learnt that he was truly the Emperor, as though she considered him some from of friend, she also knows that her library contained alot of information that is valuable from a strategic standpoint. His death tore her allegiances even more.
Sanova Nazir
Arianna seeked out Sanova specifically while in the Dead Wastes, as she'd been asked by some nomads to 'take care' of her as she was seen as a menace. However, Ari did not seek her out to kill her, but to study the runes that the nomads had described on Sanova's skin. At first it was an uneasy friendship, but a bond soon formed as Arianna shared the story of her own bloodline's curse. This was fortunate as Ari couldn't study the runes without touching their raised designs, which evidently required a degree of trust between the two. When Arianna started spinning tales as they talked about the Athesian council, Sanova became interested in joining, to help campaign for cursed rights. Though Ari could not help directly in the Dead Waster's crusade for rights, she helped in the only way she knew she could; she sponsored Sanova's place on the Athesian council. However, Arianna is now starting to question whether she was drunk when she signed the sponsor paperwork.
Sigfried
Her former druidic teacher when she was but a wee dwarf, who at the time, claimed his name as Ezio. She has since learned he is a general of the Empire. Though initially angry, she could not stay that way for long. She remains friends with the General and visits periodically simply because he makes her feel at ease, and not usually for any real tactical or diplomatic reason. Recently these visits have had to stop though due to Athesia's strained diplomatic relations, much to the dwarf's displeasure. If you can believe it, this has made her even grumpier than usual.
Sparky
Arianna met 'Sparky' during her brief stint helping out at the Archon orientation camps in the broken lands. She remembers him in particular because of the scorch marks he left on her notebooks as he was a little overeager to find out about the world outside the elemental fields. On one particularly bad day, he managed to turn several completely to ash while unsupervised, which understandably, did not endear him to her, though she came to forgive him, giving him the nickname 'knowledgeburner' to represent both his propensity for literally burning knowledge and the burning passion he seemed to have for learning more. She left the camp herself before he graduated. Having recently met up with him again, she considers him helpful, but always needs to be kept in check as he appears to have next to no regard for the safety of flora and fauna, despite Arianna trying to drum it into him. Still, he -is- made of fire... One has to cut him some slack for that.
Venyrax
Arianna and Venyrax have a mutual respect, but became closer when Venyrax accepted the help of Gaia and Zir powerset became far more primal. It isn't always obvious whether Ari keeps tabs on Venyrax because ze might be a danger trying to get to grips with zir new abilities, or if its more of a concerned parent or teacher outlook (Even though Venyrax is probably older than Ari).
Morgan
Arianna admires Morgan's tenacity and ability to get things done but considers her magic use perhaps a little...sloppy. After all, she'd seen Slath apply mind magic in much more controlled ways, but perhaps comparing the two isn't fair. Arianna rarely apologises for things she has done due to her stubborn nature and yet she has apologised to Morgan, but has not told her why she did so. Perhaps in time, she will.
Pozt'nan
Against her better judgement, Arianna sponsored the dragonborn scholar onto the council. She met him back when she helped out at the elemental camps as Pozt'nan was studying Elementals at the time. Their friendship was strained by the MANY dragonborn betrayals that have happened to Arianna, but in the end, Ari knows that a few bad eggs do not make an entirely bad race... right? RIGHT?
=== Summons / Pets / Things Arianna Considers Her Pets But Probably Aren't ===
Arianna has collected many creatures and friends that are flora or fauna in nature; any that are not directly summonable are probably found in her library in the god cursed, or in her home village. She tends not to keep them locked up (even the carnivorous ones) but her and they have a mutual understanding that if they don't cause trouble, she will care for them and feed them. All she asks in return is that they remain for her to study, and in the case of some of the more cuddly among them, pet them when shes frustrated. (though the latter is not something she openly admits.)
Sallyanne Ducksworth
Sally is Arianna's closest companion and her first and true primal spirit as far back as she can remember. Though Sally has traditionally taken on the form of a large duck (she is a shape-shifting spirit so could technically choose as she wished), in the last 10 years, Sally's form has become a lot more human like in appearance, though retains some of her feathery features. Instead of being deployed in battle, Sally has become a nanny to Edelweiss when Ari cannot be there.
Shnappi the Crocodile Spirit
Shnappi is one of Arianna's primal spirits. He is well known for being the spirit that guards her library, and Arianna's personal diaries specifically. He may look hilariously adorable, but he will happily take a sizeable bite out of any intruders.
Timothy the Hedgehog Spirit
Another primal spirit in Arianna's menagerie, Timothy is her youngest spirit by far so she is far more protective of him, Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it also has nearly killed the hedgehog several times. Those that are quiet enough to remain unnoticed while shes resting with her primal spirits may have even heard her sing little Timothy to sleep.
Fernando the Former Flying Squirrel Spirit
Fernando unfortunately was mutated by Farrealm taint during the dark plains blight, and is not exactly a flying squirrel spirit anymore. His appearance is that of a small metal octopus, though this does not seem to bother him and his upbeat personality remains the same. He doesn't glide so well now, though.
Allouette the... Egg
Arianna found herself not exactly -agreeing- with Gaius taking an egg of a storm eagle, and fortunately stopped him. Unfortunately the mother would not take the egg back and pushed it from the nest when it was returned, and thus the unhatched egg is currently in the care of Ari's right hand bird spirit, Sallyanne. Arianna has been seen gently whispering and cooing to the egg when she gets the chance and refers to it by the name 'Allouette', but she usually does this out of sight because she doesn't want people to think shes gone soft.
Monty the Deep PonyA black pony with red eyes that Arianna and her cohorts rescued from the Duergar along with other animals. Arianna tends to ride him on special occasions (mostly those that don't require a giant flying duck)
General Lee Leafy
A primal spirit of a tree that Arianna met during the climactic struggle against the Empress. She is rather fond of him. As far as she is aware, he resides still in the Broken Lands.
Teeming-Teeth (Cranium Rat Swarm)
Arianna recently met and persuaded the amalgamation of many cranium rats to aid her in searching; This was at the cost of a castle and magic training, which at the time she foolishly accepted as her inquisitive scientific mind just -had- to know what this species was capable of - Fortunately her fellow Athesians are aiding her with these requests. The newly formed intelligent swarm is capable of sensing magic signatures and appears to have higher psychic cognitive ability which Arianna finds fascinating. She has some form of link with the cranium rat swarm that she is not entirely sure of the nature of, only that it feels similar to the link she has with her spirit animals. It does not provide the benefits of the hivemind (heightened intelligence for one, though Arianna theorises there may be more to it) as it does to the rats themselves but in her quest to understand these creatures more this may change in the future.
Tigguh
Tigguh is a Dragonborn Jetti - Strong of body, but weak of mind. She felt bad about trapping the dumb creature in a hole during a mission and likes to keep him company and feed him where the captured Jettis currently are being held.
Dinosaurs!
Unfortunately, most of Arianna's dinosaurs perished during Loki's raid on Aton Thorvald. Only one T-Rex remains.
=== Family ===
Orson Thistledown (Father)
Orson is a retired barbarian (he will often claim of his amazing adventures, but noone else seems to remember him ever travelling any further than the edge of the village) and a few years ago passed on his mantle as clan protector to Arianna. (Not that Arianna wasn't protecting them before that, it was more a matter of formality.) He likes to challenge Athesians to sparring matches, but Arianna has politely requested any who are asked to go easy on him. Orson is currently a stand-in 'lord', keeping the construction of the new dwarf fortress in the dark plains going till his son Morvyn is truly ready to take the mantle.
Remilia Thistledown (Mother)
A former travelling baker who settled down with Arianna's father and thus forwent the travelling part. If Arianna had not discovered talents elsewhere, she probably would have followed in her mother's footsteps. She has made a habit of baking cakes for any visiting Athesians, though so far few have actually visited the Thistledown clan. Arianna looks up to her more than anyone.
Morvyn Thistledown (Baby Brother)
Morvyn is now 24 winters old - still a teenager in dwarf years. Ari left him as head of house Thistledown when she departed for the empire, and hopes dearly that the life she has left him will be easier than hers had came to be. Arianna holds him very dear to her heart and won't have a bad word said about him.
Edelweiss Thistledown (Daughter)
Arianna's 5 year old daughter. Born of a dwarf and a half elf, but mostly taking on dwarven features other than her slightly pointed ears. She reminds Arianna of herself in ways she perhaps wishes she did not, down to the fact that she already has her own primal spirit, a butterfly she calls 'bud'.
Tomkin Thistledown (Partner)
A half elf scientist from the Empire. They met whilst Ari was inspecting a facility and he was designated to show her round. She showed her interest in the only way she generally showed someone romantic interest, literally shouting him down, and then never having to deal with those emotions again. Except he shouted back. Ari thinks Sigfried possibly had a hand in tipping Tomkin off that she was interested, but she can't prove that. Either way, they have now been together for a number of years, and have a young daughter together. Their jobs often mean they spend a lot of time apart but they are in communication with each other often with the use of Ari's primal spirits.
=== Not Exactly Friends ===
Gaius
Arianna doesn't -dislike- Gaius, though you'd think she would after being knocked out by him to stop her pretty much decking Tacitus. He was after all, only doing what he thought was best for the situation, even though it took advantage of a severely depowered dwarf at the time. She also understands that hunting for survival and using the animals is a part of the circle of life; hunting for sport though... Not so much. She'll work with him, happily, hes one of the best trackers she knows... But she'll have one eye on him. And one eye on his 'kitten', of course.
THAT Devil
Ari doesn't feel he needs to be referred to by name. She hates him. She has engaged with him in what appears to be a prank war that could have dire consequences for more than just herself.
=== Deceased / AWOL / Retired ===
Fulgrim Ironheart
Arianna sponsored Fulgrim's place on the council, after a heated argument that nobody but the two of them recall the content of. Shortly after, they shared a drink together as if they'd been friends all along, so it couldn't have been that important a discussion, right? Arianna was close to Fulgrim for a while, chatting over his forge while he sharpened her axe and her archeological instruments and over the course of time has begun to carve the story of the Thistledown name into her armour whenever she turned up for repairs - She respects his craft so much that he is the only blacksmith she'll let fix her gear. Shes not really sure what hes up to nowadays.
Dargan Drosilan
She considers him a true friend, and believes he understands the way she thinks. It was he who convinced her to embrace the mountain (whether he intended to or not) and taught her to play Croquet. She is currently one of his vassals in Terra Firma. She has shared many things with Dargan that few others are privvy to, even though of course, there are things even he does not know about her. She has the utmost respect for his dealings with primal spirits as he treats them with the same care that she does. If she were to fall, he would be the one she would leave her own precious linked spirits with had she time to sever the link before her death. Her respect and comradeship with Dargan comes with a caveat though; She worries alot about his mortality, as despite his evident skill in battle, Dargan is not exactly in his prime Goliath years anymore, and thus shes pretty happy that hes retired.
Havwarlen (Deceased)
Arianna is sad that Havwarlen is dead, but she sure as hell won't tell anyone that.
Asthvan
Arianna spent many years in the Reclamators as Lord Asthvan's Scholar. He is both her friend and has earnt her respect. Arianna is not much of a diplomat when provoked so when they work together he essentially covers her biggest weakness. She still sometimes occasionally aids him in Dead Wastes matters.
Deist Fah'raak
Arianna found Deist while excavating one of the Dragon Ziggurats, in a state of near death as far as she could tell. When the dragonborn recovered, Arianna sponsored her application to join the council along with Jak'kar. Though Deist had made some...interesting decisions during her early years on the council, Arianna did not blame her for this, as she was not quite accustomed to the world of Athesia yet... But now Arianna can no longer brush off Deist's actions as the mistakes of an innocent empath. Since Deist left the council, Ari is very concerned as to what the dragonborn may become in the absence of the council's moral codes and laws.
Gill'gem Flametongues
Oh... Where to start. Arianna was a friend to Gill'gem once upon a time when he joined Athesia, but she kept him out of her library at all times due to his uncanny ability to set things aflame accidentally, which was unfortunate. Nowadays she rarely goes near him as his clumsiness has cost Arianna a great deal. For one, he was involved in the slaying of the Dawn King (though did not kill him directly) which caused the awful drought which swept through her homeland. On a more recent mission, Gill'gem caused Arianna to both polymorph into a plant person of sorts, and to lose one of her most precious senses; her sight. She never forgave him even when he left the council for greener more dragony pastures, but at least hes no longer what she would consider a menace to the council.
Jak'kar Au'brai
The dragonborn that made her trust dragonborn again after her bad experiences with both Gil'gem and Petros, but then ripped that trust into thousands of pieces. Hes recently turned up in Athesia again. This is not something Ari is happy about.
Marcellus Krithos (Deceased)
Arianna never admitted her feelings to Marcellus when he was alive... and if by some miracle he was revived, she wouldn't admit it to him then either. Damn Tsunderes, ey? Some old habits just don't die. Anyone who had ever seen them together would have been privy to alot of shouting and argument, along with plentiful use of the phrase 'impetulent feychild'.
Slath i Faigh (Deceased)
Arianna has never been one for magic of the mind, not the high intelligence mind anyway, being more inclined to converse with beasts and primal spirits, though Slath's abilities do intrigue her, especially his link with his spirit owl. She has been on many adventures with him and respects him for stepping up to the responsibilities that Marcellus left upon his death. Though she has never been fond of the fey woods (She still believes that her mother's baking is far superior than any sweet thing they could possibly produce) she counts Slath as a close ally and consults him on occasion on arcane matters that she simply does not understand herself. Arianna recently witnessed his noble sacrifice to cure the elves of the mind plague, and feels it is only right that she aid the fey woods villagers he left behind in any way she can as he would have wanted.
Wilfred Hildebrand
Wilfred is the only one other than Tacitus that knows of her sabotage attempt on the Deva ritual headed by King Kiya, and currently believes Arianna is evil. However, noone appears to believe him. Arianna respects the dwarf's business acumen, but is wary of putting her trust in him now that he has claimed her to be evil for her actions.
Category:Characters
Category:Scholars
==Opinions==
The Duergar
Arianna drained part of the power of Ydrassil in order to save the Dwarves from the Duergar threat... This probably wasn't her best idea in the world. She recently 'helped' to cause a civil war between the cured Duergar, despite honestly just wanting them to all get along.
Crowning of the new Pharaoh
Arianna didn't know what to think about Nkosi being crowned as Pharaoh. During the crowning of Nkosi, she was more concerned with the welfare (and indeed whereabouts) of Onuris. She knows that he swore an oath, but that does not mean she trusts him regardless. Though Nkosi bears no 'significant relationship' with her, indeed it is possible he does not even know her name, his future movements are of significant interest to the wee dwarf.
The Right hand of Tiamat
 Arianna and Jak'kar dispatched the right hand for good, and she feels that she has avenged her fallen archaeological comrades. As such she has come to terms with what happened and, along with a push from her peers, has resumed her mantle as Head Archeologist on the Athesian council.
Cats
Arianna is scared of cats and felines ever since a close encounter of the Rak'shasa kind, but being dwarflike in her stoicism and not wanting most people to know she -is- scared, this phobia manifests itself in anger. She has been known to accidentally take this out on patrolling dire big cats who stray too close to her library, as they have in the past been graciously accepted for belly rubs before her phobia developed. So far she has incurred no serious casualties.
Category:Characters
Category:Scholars