Aviana Isgerd, Saint of the Open Palm

Aviana as a saint, prior to canonization.

Queen Nina Herminov (older sister)

Princess Aloeta Isgerd (younger sister)

Crown Prince Ivan Isgerd (younger brother)

Princess Delphine Isgerd (younger sister)

**Bear Queen Aviana Isgerd** was a princess of Korevna from the Isgerd Dynasty as well as a Bear Queen of Barland by marriage. She lived and died in Isgerdia.

## Biography

Aviana was born to High King Aldir Isgerd and Queen Nikolina Martinek Isgerd in winter of 1836 A.E. She was a healthy baby and was presented to the public two months after she was born, on a sunny day in Isgerdia. Aviana was named after an old northern deity, though by this time this origin was forgotten. Aviana was the second born daughter and was raised as such, with regular tutoring and training in the feminine arts. When she was seven her brother Crown Prince Ivan Isgerd was born in 1829 A.E. He was somewhat small, but otherwise healthy. Aviana and her sisters were very close, though they did not often play with their brother leading to a strained relationship. When he was fourteen, Prince Ivan came down with a strange shaking sickness that killed him in 1815 A.E. As by now, the Queen was too old to bare more children and the only children they had were female, the crown was stubbornly given to Princess Aviana's sister the Crown Princess Nina Herminov.

During this time, Aviana had began seeing the Crown Prince Karlial of Barland and it was during this time that she was attacked by a fierce lycanthrope near the Barland border. She was rescued by a man who had been traveling farther ahead, named Kalmir. He took her to Porsvik and she later knighted him. Princess Aviana married Crown Prince Karlial of Barland in 1816 A.E. The two were quite happy together and they had their firstborn in 1815 A.E., a prince called Nikolas. By this time her sister had married a man named Orvel Herminov, making Aviana's sister, the princess Aloeta Isgerd the last member of the Isgerd Dynasty to keep her name.

In 1796 A.E. Aviana dismissed her personal guards and gifted them the Castle White Maw as a place to create their new order, for the purpose of exterminating lycanthropes throughout her and her sisters kingdoms. She would visit this order increasingly as her life went on, in between her duties as Bear Queen. By now, the Queen's relationship with her husband had waned, and it was rumored that she was sleeping with Sir Kalmir of the Maiden's Hand on her many visits, though these rumors are unsubstantiated. As a queen, she was well liked and approved of, though as time went on her focus on her pet project led to an abandonment of most her royal duties. When her husband died in 1774 A.E. she abdicated the throne to her eldest son, choosing to spend her full time raising her fledgling order, then simply called the Queen's Order.

By 1762 A.E., Queen Aviana had become too weak to travel to Castle White Maw. Her health had declined greatly in her last years and she spent her last year in Akdur, receiving letters and sending funding to her Queen's Order. She died in her sleep in 1761 A.E. with her two daughters at her side. Her funeral was held in Akdur, with Sir Kalmir and Mislav as well as six other order members carrying her coffin to its resting place in the Royal Crypts at Akdur. The entire Queen's Order attended, being allowed to stand at the front of the tomb's entrance with their swords raised.

## Appearance

In her youth Aviana was fair skinned with dark brown hair. For most of her early life she kept it pulled back and tucked into a traditional tiara and fur headress, though after she became Bear Queen, she wore it in braid looped into the fur Nakida Crown. She was thin, almost sickly-so, but healthy in appearance. Her eyes were a light green and she had a splattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose. Notably, her pinky on her left hand had a strange lump near its head, which appeared to be a deformity of the bone which led to a stunted second tip.

Aviana had a propensity towards the color pink, a rarity at the time, and was given credit for popularizing the color in the fashions of her time.

## Sainthood

After her death, Aviana was largely forgotten by the general population but was venerated by members of her order, Aviana's Hand. As the north became more Justainized a number of prominent members argued for her canonization, though few were willing to consider. The argument against her canonization was that she did not perform any miracles during her life or make a substantial enough change for the good of the world.

However, after Aviana's Hand became more influential, it was decided in 335 A.E. to canonize Aviana as a saint for her works in eradicating the daemonic presence on Fayos. By this point, several stories of her miraculous deeds had spread throughout the area near White Castle. One such story tells of her curing a man of his lycanthropy by touching her two left pinkies to his forehead.

As a saint, Aviana has become a semi-mythical figure, having now performed several miracles in her lifetime as well as having the power to hear and respond to prayers. Noteworthy is the two pinkies on her left hand that appear in most icons of her, an exaggeration of her minor deformity. In 220 A.E. her tomb was open and her skull was brought to White Maw where it was made into an elaborate reliquary. It is said that her followers can commune with it for wisdom.

Aviana is the saint of monster hunters and Castle White Maw.