Sennalhat

> But dealing with that pain, coming to that realization, coming to terms with the fact that everything that was said about me growing up was true…it became impossible for me to do that without some ‘help.’ I just found the wrong kind of help.
>
> —Sen to Brin, *The Bleeding Stone*

**Sennalhat**, more commonly referred to as **Sen**, is a member of the Stone Tribe, daughter to Fannalhen and Dennalhir, and sister to Tezalhat and Brinnolhat. Contrary to the rest of her people, she was not born under the Sign of one of the three Animal Deities, but rather as an Eclipseborn. She is the central point-of-view character for *The Spellbinders and the Gunslingers* trilogy.

## Appearance

Sen bears the typical complexion of a northern Tribesperson, with red-brown skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. In keeping with Stone Tribe customs, she fashions her hair in a long braid tied at the nape of her neck, but, because she did not complete a Trial, she is not permitted to wear a face paint relative to one of the three Animal Deities, a point of great shame among the adults of the Tribe.

## Personality

As a child, Sen was an adventurous sort, often venturing through the mountain ranges of the Heart of the Land and devising "obstacle courses" for her and her friends to conquer. She is somewhat reckless and impulsive, however, eager to jump into a task without regard for the consequences. Such an event occurred during an excursion in the heart where Narva completed her obstacle course with greater flourish than she could manage, at which point she attempted a more dangerous route of her course, which triggered a landslide that narrowly avoided damage to the Stone Tribe village, but still broke Fann's arm in the process.

After discovering her status as an Eclipseborn, however, Sen becomes a bitter and depressed alcoholic, often turning to alcohol to cope with being viewed as an outsider. She feels that if it were not for the upper standing her parents held in the Tribe, she would have been discarded long ago, which her parents have both disputed. She also exhibits both fear and jealousy towards her brother Brin as he embarked upon his Trial, leaving to indulge in drink both during his Trial and during the ceremony upon his successful return. After her father's murder, she begins to experience post-traumatic stress-induced hallucinations of both auditory and visual varieties. Because of the berating she has experienced for much of her life as a "Curseborn," she is resigned to believe that she is indeed a primary cause of suffering in her Tribe, regardless of the truth of the claim.

Despite the struggles she has faced, though, she cares deeply for her family. She and her sister Tez have a teasing, but caring relationship, and while Tez is quick to admonish her when others will not, she is also supportive of her decisions. With Brin, Sen was quick to defend him in her younger years, even going so far as to break Fann's nose when the latter burned one of Brin's books, and she laments how far they had drifted apart in recent years, fully aware of the self-infliction on that front. When Brin is captured by the Acrarians, she resolves to rescue him without any hesitation, caring little for the dangers. Sen has had a difficult relationship with her parents in recent years, stemming from the feeling of betrayal upon learning she was Eclipseborn despite never being told. Regardless, she experiences great grief at her father's death, and often comes to understandings with her mother, such as when she explained her reasonings for setting out to rescue Brin.

Based on her comment that words and letters sometimes appear "backwards" to her, it can be assumed that Sen has a form of dyslexia.

## Background

Sen was born during the Eclipse of 1534 A.S., but grew up uninformed of her being an Eclipseborn; rather, she spent her childhood certain that she was a Wolfsign. Her parents were given substantial warnings - primarily from Koelhe - of the misfortune her birth would bring should she be born during the Eclipse, but those warnings were unheeded.

Growing up, she often trained in spear combat (against her will) with her sister, and while she is not as proficient as a Bearsign with the weapon, she is still confident enough to hold her own in battle. Her closest friends were Narva and Fann, though her relationship with Fann deteriorated after she triggered a rockslide while adventuring through the mountain ranges in the Heart, an event which left Fann with a broken arm that never completely healed. That animosity devolved to the point that Sen and Fann would often physically fight, often during times when Fann was bullying Brin. One such occasion, when Fann stole one of Brin's books and threw it in a fire, Sen savagely beat Fann, breaking his nose and leaving his face permanently disfigured. Word - spread by Koelhe - soon began to spread across the Tribe that she was Eclipseborn, though she was not privy to the details, and many in the Tribe began to avoid her as a pariah or "Curseborn."

When Sen journeyed to the Heart for her Trial, still under the assumption that she was to receive one of the Wolf's Boons, she was instead subjected to a torturous endeavor where she was taunted and belittled by two voices speaking on the part of the Moon, revealing her status as an Eclipseborn. During this fake Trial, she unlocked her innate ability to manipulate luck and probability. Once she came to, Shanne looked upon her with horror, having been the one to facilitate Sen's "Trial," while the other Keepers present drew weapons and admonished Sen's parents for bringing an Eclipseborn to Trial. Sen felt betrayed at the revelation, leaving her family to instead drink and play cards at Seln's tavern, where she discovers the uses for her newfound powers of Luck.

In the ensuing years, Sen developed a problem with alcoholism as a way to cope with the widespread change in perception of her as an Eclipseborn. Her relationship with her parents deteriorated somewhat as she still held lingering resentment for her status as an Eclipseborn being hidden from her, and the only person who continued to hold her in high esteem was Narva, and she began to develop romantic feelings toward him.

## History

### *The Bleeding Stone*

During Brin's Trial, Sen sneaks off to Seln's tavern to drink and play cards with Arsah and Nara. She wins multiple games of cards, much to her opponents' shock at how she can consistently win at a game of chance, until her father finds her and orders she return home with him. She is severely admonished on the descent back down the mountains, to which she confesses her frustration at being treated as a pariah by everyone in her Tribe, which Fannalhen unconvincingly denies.

Sen attempts to stay during the celebration of Brin's successful completion of his Trial, but leaves during the application of her brother's face paint, the sight too much for her to take in. She departs for the local tavern, where she drinks by herself until she encounters Narva. She admits her own jealousy toward her brother, that she was never able to receive that same degree of celebration. Narva offers her an opportunity to vent, which she gladly takes up over drinks.

Following an evening of drinks with Narva, Sen is violently woken up by Tez and ordered to train, despite a horrible hangover. Sen puts up very little fight, at which point Tez delivers a vicious blow that knocks Sen to the ground, scolding her for running off on Brin not once, but twice. Sen admits guilt in that and goes to apologize, though not before facing mockery from Fann on her walk back, which she deflects by insulting his mother. When Sen encounters Brin, he is disinterested in her apology, but after he admits that he barely even recognizes the person his sister has become, Sen resolves to beat her addictions and become the person she used to be and help guide her brother through the travails of adulthood.

That evening became the first night in years that Sen had not gone to bed without a drink, which was a struggle. As she was about to fall asleep, though, she is roused by a sudden conference in the meeting hall of her family's hut, where her father and his gathered council are present, along with the Sun Chief Han'e and Narva, to address the sudden arrival of two runaways of the Haunted, Shara and Ran. Sen listens as the two Haunted confess to running away from the Invaders, who held them captive as slaves in their City to the south, stolen from former Haunted land. Upon her father's request to go elsewhere while the matter of the runaways is discussed, Sen goes to play cards outside the tavern with Narva, where they discuss the mysterious nature of the Haunted until they are interrupted by the arrival of Aritz and several of his men. Through the help of an interpreter, Sen listens as Aritz demands that his two runaways are returned to him, but Sen feigns ignorance until Aritz leaves with his men unceremoniously.

In the middle of the night, Aritz returns in a more violent state in front of the Chief's hut and more ardently demands the return of Shara and Ran. Sen rushes outside alongside her parents and Tez and listens as Aritz belittles the Tribes while continuing to order the runaways' return, to which Fannalhen refuses. In response, Aritz shoots Fannalhen in the shoulder, stunning the gathered Tribespeople with fear. Brin rushes out to demand the Acrarians leave, and while both Sen and Fannalhen request he return inside, Brin refuses. Aritz is amused by the display and instead orders his men to take Brin and another Tribesperson at random, caring little *who* they bring back so long as they return to the City with two people. Sen attempts to rush toward Brin but is held back by Tez, and can only watch helplessly as Aritz shoots Fannalhen once more in the chest, killing him.

Sen feels herself to blame for her father's murder initially, screaming to herself that she "cursed" her father to death, until she sees Shara and Ran pensively watching the proceedings. She rushes them both and grabs Shara by the throat, violently blaming them instead while bashing Shara's head against the side of a nearby hut, until she is pulled off by her mother, who comforts her and assures her that the only ones to blame for Fannalhen's death are the Invaders. The next day, there is a memorial service for Fannalhen, which almost the entire Tribe attends. Sen is unable to find the words to eulogize her father and instead begins to experience auditory hallucinations of the gunfire from the previous night. She is admonished and belittled by Koelhe and Fann, who insult Sen and her entire family until Dennalhir attacks Koelhe while Narva and Tawa attack Fann, which triggers a large brawl that Sen immediately departs. She later confides in Tez that the best thing she can do for the Tribe is immediately leave for the City and rescue Brin.

She finds Shara and Ran and requests information about the City, which Ran reluctantly offers. She quickly packs her things to depart, but is stopped by Dennalhir, who questions how she will even go about rescuing her brother in the first place. Sen admits that she didn't know but that it was something she needed to do, and her mother relents. As she leaves the village, she encounters Narva, who reveals that Tez told him all about Sen's plan and that he wasn't going to let her embark upon it alone.

The pair nervously traverse through the Forest, where they are set upon by the Chieftain and several of his hunters. When Sen reveals that she is the daughter of Chief Fannalhen and that he was murdered by the Invaders, the Chieftain orders her and Narva to follow him. In the dark Forest, she experiences hallucinations once again of a shadow bearing her face shooting and killing her father and brother over and over, until Narva breaks her from her trance. While Narva insinuates that something in the Forest was causing Sen to hallucinate, the Chieftain dismisses this entirely. They continue to follow him until they reach one of the hidden Wood Tribe villages, where they see the result of the Invaders' traversal through the Forest, finding countless dead and dying warriors lined up. The Chieftain permits them to complete their pass through the Forest as quickly as possible, but warns them that the next time they meet may not be under such felicitous circumstances.

When Sen and Narva reach the sudden edge of the Forest, Narva requests that Sen divulges the contents of her hallucinations. Sen confesses not only her guilt at her father's death and brother's kidnapping, but also her helpless feelings of being the "curse" that everyone asserts she is. Narva dismisses this and regales her for how wonderful he believes her to be, stopping just short of professing his own love for her. Just as she is about to confess her feelings for him, they share a kiss before falling asleep together in comfort and contentedness.

The following evening, Sen and Narva infiltrate the City under cover of night, disguised in local garb that they find hanging on a clothesline. Quickly, they find Brin wandering the streets in a disoriented fashion, leading Sen to chase him through the alleyways of the City until they track him down in the City's slave camp. Perplexed that Brin returned to where he was held, Sen frees him and rushes out of the City alongside him and Narva. The escape is short-lived, however, as it was a trap set up by Invader soldiers led by Red. They do not get far before they are chased down, at which point Sen's Luck diverts gunfire away from herself and Brin, but fatally strikes Narva. Sen holds Narva as he dies from his wounds until she and Brin are captured and dragged back to the City.

As Sen and Brin are forcibly returned to the City, they are paraded around the slave camp by Red, who tells the imprisoned - with fluent mastery of the Tribal Words - to listen for the sounds to come as they will act as a warning not to attempt escape again. Sen and Brin are brought to an alleyway where Red and three other Invaders line up with rifles to shoot them. Brin seems to accept his fate and apologizes to Sen for having failed her, assuring her that nothing of what transpired was ever her fault. He holds out his Memory pendant towards her, wanting to share their final Memories together. Just as Sen's fingers graze the ornament of the pendant, the Invaders fire, but once again, Sen's Luck prevents her from being hit, while two shots fatally wound Brin. Sen, unable to tear her eyes away from her dying brother, only hears the clicking of the rifle as an Invader draws closer, but the weapon fails to fire. A final shot rings out, but it was fired by Red - at the soldier standing in front of Sen. Red approaches Sen and assures her that no one could be more fortunate than Sen to hold the power of Luck, and she dispels an Illusion she had cast, revealing that she is not an Invader, but rather a fellow Eclipseborn named Kamataa.

## References

1. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 1
2. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Three
3. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 2
4. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter One
5. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*,Chapter Eight
6. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter One
7. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Two
8. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Seven
9. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Ten
10. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Twelve
11. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*,Chapter Eight
12. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Three
13. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Seven
14. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 3
15. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Three
16. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Seven
17. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 4
18. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Seven
19. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Eight
20. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 3
21. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 4
22. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 1
23. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 3
24. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 2
25. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 3
26. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Memory 4
27. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter One
28. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Two
29. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Three
30. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Four
31. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Five
32. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Six
33. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Seven
34. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Eight
35. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Nine
36. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Ten
37. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Twelve
38. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Fifteen
39. ↑ *The Bleeding Stone*, Chapter Seventeen