Embresta’s Gift *wip*

Healing

Childhood

Before her birth the Conalls lived on the island of Mt. Besanzieu, a once lush and thriving island of Shifter covens where the Conalls were known for their spiritualism and superior healing techniques, a coven of proud and powerful wolves with pelts of night speckled with stars and embers. The covens were known to be at odds for their resources and though not above fighting for their rights, the Conalls were more of a peaceful pack, preferring trading and making deals to avoid needless bloodshed and ensure their families saftey. Though they had the power and ferocity to fight if need be.

However it would all be for naught when the Grey Pestilence came and the island was purged of its inhabitants. Miraculously the matriarch of the Connals and her two daughters were able to flee, but the rest of their family were lost to the fires as they had no choice but to swim to the mainland. On their journey to shore the group was seperated as the eldest daughter was swept by the waves out of sight of her family. By morning her mother and sister had landed on the shores of Norcrest but were forced to flee as humans became vigilant in their persecution. They spent months searching for their lost pups trail but with a heavy heart their mother had accepted that her daughter was no longer with them and focused her attentions on keeping her youngest alive.

Broken by her grief the Conall Matriarch spent her years traveling with her youngest daughter trying to survive and keep their culture alive in any small way they could, learning to keep their ways private and hiding secrets within their textiles and learning to only share knowledge by the mouth and never the written word. Their Shifter nature was their most coveted secret that they took all measures to protect, however it was the Matriarchs greatest wish to find her daughter a suitable partner to continue the Shifter line. Sadly she passed with no Shifter grandchildren, but was happy for the beastial family her surviving daughter had made

With her mother passed the youngest now took the mantle of Matriarch and conitnued the family buisness as wandering healers, trabeling in a large caravan spilling with herbs and textiles to trade and a kind disposition to weary travelers, having been softened by the hardship they've experience and turning deeper to their secret practice of the Gods, both Helios and Umbra. In old age the Matriarch came across a young red headed child who bore a striking resemblance to her lost sister. Without question she was taken in and over time it was discovered that she too WAS a Wolf Shifter and sported the signiture pelt of the Conalls. Their family had been reuntied, although bitter sweet and the Matriarch had learned that her sister HAD lived and even found love in a fellow shifter, but had died not long ago. In honour of her sister the Matriach took in her niece and rasied her amongst her blended family of humans and fae, teaching her the Conall ways and naming her the next Matriarch until years later she found herself a Shifter husband and gave birth to her only child, Aeronwen.

Adolescence

Aeronwen was raised as a happy and curious child of the Conall family, knowing that she would one day be its Matriarch she took the responsabilities with garce and strove to excell in her all lessons and become a model Shifter of the Conall coven. It did not take her long to show her natural talent in finding and applying herbal rememdies, proving herself to be an adept learning and a passionate healer worth of the family name. Her compassion was strong and spread beyond those phsyically unwell, growing with a deep love for her beastial cousins and slowly realising the harsh world they were living under. Even for her with her human face was always under the threat of being found out. As she grew Aeronwen became more emboldened to change the world for the better

She eagerly took on the reigns of the Travelers in her family and enjoyed the life of a wandering healer and secret smuggler of beastials in need of aid, helping themunder guise to escape persecution and smuggling them to safer areas where they may have a better chance of survival. She took a reckless glee in sticking it to the humans and Sun gazers who condemed her people, but it was only when she set her eyes on her island home in the distance that the true severity of her origins hit her and she realised how easily her attempts could be thwarted, how fast her family and fellow fae could be taken from her. From then on she became more cautious and smarter in her methods and set her passions towards creating a safer and brighter future between humans and fae, learning not to hate the long pigs who did not know better and to instead find a way to make a world where they could live side by side equally

Adulthood

As she grew into adulthood Aero made many friends and allies on her journey, growing close to Yseult and her family before she became leader of her own group of fae liberators and fellow shifters in hiding seeking to make a small difference in the world. It was a good step towards progress in Aero's eyes but also not enough as she long to dismantle the powers the continued to push them into the dirt, but the Church was no easy force to fight.

Along her travels her family came across a young feline beastial, Eek, abandoned in the rain with no where to go. Aero, as she always had, offered them a ride to town and a place to stay for the night which then turned to many more nights as Eek was welcomed to stay for as long as they pleased. Aero took interest in ensuring the young beastial was comfortable amongst her family and overtime grew a close bond with Eek, growing maternal and loving them as though they were her own. She kept her feelings to herself until Eek expressed similar feelings and Aero was able to embrace Eek completely as her child. They've been inseperable ever since

Time passed and Aeronwen grew weary of her life, never for her mission but more for the futility she felt. Of course she would never give up on her pursuit for equality, but the Church never failed to dappen her hopes. So she turned to prayer and the Gods for answers and was lead to an abandoned home on the cusps of the Capital, long forgotten but not without worth. Aero took this home as a sign from the Gods that her place was here until a further purpose came and tasked herself and the family with repairing the home until it was suitable for herself and Eek to live in as well as for treating patients. Aero was quick to estbalish herself as a healer and gained buisness soon enough, however sshe turned her gaze to the dark woods ahead.

Aero did not think her new home being placed so close to the Spirits was a conicidence. She believed it to be a sign from the Gods that she was to contct the ancient family, one her own knew only rumours of and had always warned her to be weary. Aero felt apprehension to meet the spirits, ancient Dread Wolves of Mt. Besanzieu, but knew that the bindings of their ancient blood was important to honour and with great respect offered an alliance to the Gables, being granted safety through their mountin home with a secret pass only she and her kin may use under the payment of a living life. Aero outwardly kept a brave face and swore to this pact, though inside she was forced to steel herslef to the dread of sacraficing life. But it would be worth it, would it not? To ensure her family a safe passage to Haven if ever needed?

Current time

It has been two years since her pact with the Spirits and Aero has lived relativly peacefully in her new home. Long has her family seperated to continue their journey while she and Eek stayed behind caring for travelings and the ill as well as fleeing beastials who come her way.

Something that shook her home was the arrival of Juniper and Tiberius, a Priestess and son of the Grandmaster Cleric. Aero was shocked by his arrival and fueled by anger sought to poison the boy before he grew into a larger monster then his father, but was stopped by his 'wife' who revealed herself to be a blessed child of the moon. A beastial infernal. Aero was stunned and shammed for her actions and put into a state of deep thought, believing Juniper to be another sign from the Gods and perhaps her love for her Cleric a hope for a better future? She has been left feeling remoursful for her actions and the horrible concequences they would have caused had she succeeded and has been contemplating her views on the Church, wondering if perhaps they too are victims

Upon Eeks return Aero admits to her crime which shakes her relationship with her child who cannot accept the blood she tried to spill in their very home. Aero accepts the weariness Eek shows to her and promises to do whatever she can to earn their trust and prove herself to having learned better

Not long later she recieves a letter asking Al for aid and Aero is quick to send as many healing packages as she can to the Warden, sending Hemlock to Haven as an extra pair of healing hands. On her return home she is given another letter from Morgan who explains their involvement in the destruction of a town and the near deaths of children. Dissapointed and sadden by the news Aero personally chooses to turn Morgan away and hopes for them to learn from this grave mistake as she must.

• The Conalls are Polythiest. Their knowledge on all Gods are limited but they DO believe that there are more forces at work then just that of the sun and moon. To them all aspects of the natural world is the workd of Gods and perhaps even spirits. Many of their practices and healings involves blessings from nature and communing with the natrual power. They are Green Witches.
• The Conalls are proud Shifters and thus the line of succession goes through that of the Shifter bloodline. Aero's grandmother was always meant to be next in line once her Great Grandmother passed, however due to their sepration it was her Aunt who took over. Once her mother was discovered she became next to inherit the family leadership, which meant disinheriting her mothers cousin. This lead to family tension which has been since resolved though Aero knows her non Shifter relatives feel the sting of knowing their bloodline is not revered or considered as special as her shifter kin and works doubly hard to show them love and kindness to make up the difference.
• The Conalls are split into three groups, the settlers who live in the Fieldlands close to The Rowsevain Peaks where the abandoned Moon Mother temple resides. This is where the old and young members of the family reside, here they offer healing and larger trade of textile and resources, having their own land to cultivate resources. The second are the Travelers, those who continue the family trade of wandering and providing aid to all those in need. Finally is Aeronwen who has split from the family in a pursuit of increasing her knowlegde of the world and furthering her goals.
• Eventually it is expected for Aeronwen to return to her family as acting matriarch and to find a shifter partner to have children with, though it is not expected for her to love nor wed this person as they are simply intersted in continuing the ancient liniage of their shifter origins. Aero is intersted in having children but is in no rush and loves her adopted child, Eek, just as much as she would her own. She does not value shifterhood above anything else.
• The Conalls wolf forms are based on a hybrid of Timberwolves (Grey Wolves) and Redwolves. Red Timberwolves. Her father was a Grey Wolf Shifter so Aero is a Red Timber wolf x Grey wolf Hybird making her large, agile and strong. In Wolf form she is 3'6 ft tall, 7 feet long and weigh 175 lb. The Conalls were known for having black pelts with flecks of silver or ember depending on the season that reflected the stars and fire, Sun and Moon.
• Aero has tattoos on each shoulder, one the sun and the other the moon. This pattern is hidden under a different design. Her family, including Aero, are able to tattoo and have skills in various textiles like knitting, weaving and sewing as well as being excellent cooks and cultivators of the land. They're adept at surviving off of the land and prefer to live in the fields as opposed to stuffy cities.
• All the beastials in the family, when questioned by potentialy threats, are under the guise of being the servants of the humans in the family, i.e the Shifters and any human who had entered the family.
• Her allias is Arrow/Black Arrow. Her family have secret totems and landmarks that Aero shows to fleeing fae in order to safely lead them to her family in the Fieldlands. She also forms alliances wh omay aid her in. Such alliances include: Lady Ginger Daimhín and her cousin Alouette Daimhin, Yseult and the Adventure guild, Blaise a fellow wolf shifter, Hemlock the traveling herbalist, Morgan and finally the Gables, otherwise known as the Spirits of the Pass.
• The Conalls have a secret shrine, a small assembly of rocks and offerings put on a cliff with their old island home in the distance that they visit to give their respects and commune with heir ancestors. A solem place of respect and mourning for the elders in the family.
• Her Voice Claim is Moll from Wolfwalkers.