Aeronwen

Aeronwen Galanodel (known by the name Wynn as a child) grew up in a small village of druidic wood elves known as the Aimhirghin Order nestled in the heart of an expansive forest. The village has little contact with the outside world save the trading they take part in with a nearby monastery, which has helped them keep their rituals and religion untainted for thousands of years. They worship Ehlenestra, goddess of the woodlands, and they hold a deep reverence for the natural world around them, following Ehlenestra’s dogma that states the forest and the life it contains is sacred and not to be stolen or destroyed.

A herd of unicorns coexist peacefully with the village, a partnership where both sides view the other with respect and compassion. Unicorns are intrinsic to the belief system of the druids.

Her mother, Ru’n (who was the planetar Novalee sent down by Ehlenestra to protect Aeronwen as she grew), was the Archdruid of the village until Aeronwen was six. Ru’n received a message from Ehlenestra that an evil force was encroaching on the land, so she left with a battalion of unicorns to fight them back and keep their home safe. She was the only casualty of the battle, but because of her heroism the evil was kept at bay. Because she was the only elf present, the whole story of what took place is not known to the elves, just that she died a hero and that the evil was thwarted. Her ashes were scattered to the winds, and her name is carved in Druidic on a stone in the gardens in intricate Druidic script. What really happened remains in the memory of the unicorns that fought with her. Her father Aureum took her place as Archdruid, and times since then have been largely peaceful.

Aeronwen was an adventurer at heart, and while she loved learning about the flora and fauna of the forest from her elders, she spent most of her time as an explorer- scaling massive trees, collecting herbs and mushrooms, tracking massive beasts, and exploring new areas. She was free to do all of this, with only one rule- not to enter into what was called the marbhlands- the “land of death”. This area was off limits not just for children and adults alike, it held a power of evil so intense it was nearly palpable in the air around it.

Wanting to both prove herself as a true explorer and see for herself what went on there, she traveled to the marbhlands alone, the first elf of the order to ever do so. She could sense a danger in the area, but she didn’t stop, travelling deeper and deeper. With each step, the fertile ground became more ashen, and the trees barren of leaves. She came upon an ancient circular building made from large stones, with massive pillars supporting its weight. She entered into a small room, inside there was nothing but a pedestal and a stone dragon sculpture with five gems arranged in a circle between the eyes. She reached forward to touch the dragon’s snout, and the moment her hand touched stone there was a flash of smokey black, a burst of energy, and she was flung across the room, a black crescent now burned into her palm.

She had entered unholy ground, the land of dragonborn cultists worshipping the evil Dragon Queen (known as Takhisis to most non-elves), and she had exacted her wrath on Aeronwen for trespassing.

The all-seeing Ehlenestra saw that this had happened and called upon Mathair, one of the unicorns in the herd (and her mother reincarnated), to go rescue Aeronwen, whose life force was slowly fading for every second she remained on the Dragon Queen’s land. Mathair came to Aeronwen moments before it was too late, lifting her onto her back and using the healing power of her horn to keep her alive while she rushed her to help, taking her to the monastery as Ehlenestra had commanded.

The monastery's elders rushed to her aid, trying to reverse the dark curse and heal her. Among those trying to help was Thrain Highlander, a young dwarven monk, with whom she would develop a very close friendship over time. The curse was kept at bay and the monks were able to reverse some of the damage, containing it to her hand through prayer and a magical bracelet, but she remained permanently physically weak. Despite all efforts, the black crescent on her palm was never lifted, a reminder of the day the Dragon Queen nearly took her life. The crescent is where the curse is centralized, and coming into contact with any religious object can cause violent bursts of dark energy, so she always keeps it wrapped in strips of linen cloth. If the bracelet were to be removed, the curse would likely slowly consume her.

She stayed at the monastery for several weeks, and during that time she was approached by a mysterious man. He gave her a small gnome-crafted music box to cheer her up. Although Aeronwen never knew his name, she has kept the music box close to her ever since. Little did she know, it was Rao himself coming to visit her, which was a very rare occurrence for him..

Unable to run freely through the forest like she used to, Aeronwen began to study herbalism, healing, and the religion and culture of her storied people. She also spent time at the monastery, learning about their own culture and belief system, and sometimes joining in their daily prayers. With her own people, she would often play the panflute during their rituals and celebrations.

Aeronwen became increasingly close to Mathair. Because she struggled to walk for long distances, Mathair would often let her ride on her back as they traveled through the forest, and they spent a lot of time together gathering herbs and berries for various remedies and potions. She always accompanied Aeronwen to the monastery as she wouldn’t be able to make the trip alone. When Mathair gave birth to a faol, it was Aeronwen who named her- Rozenwyn, meaning “shining rose.” Aeronwen helped care for Rozenwyn till she was grown, and at that point, they became soulbound.

When Aeronwen turned one hundred, she officially entered adulthood, changing her name from Wynn to Aeronwen, which means “fair” and “blessed.” This was her way of saying that the curse that the Dragon Queen had placed on her hadn’t damaged her in the way that it had been intended.

When Thrain needed to leave the monastery to protect sacred texts of his people, she decided to aid him on his journey. She holds a great respect for religion and felt like his cause was important, not just for his monastery, but for all that worship Rao.