Iona

Original post

Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkpG-_v0yPc

Iona is the daughter of a goddess and a fisherman; a strange pairing indeed. Because of her unique traits, she gathers unwanted attention from those who might use her. As she grows older, her father does his best to keep her safe but eventually, she leaves in order to protect him from harm. She travels the world in search of other viscets like her who have strange abilities and traits with the intent to band together in order to protect each other. During her travels, she gathers a small group which she likes to call her family. As the designated mother of the group, she leads the others and dedicates her life to finding and helping viscets like her.

As she travels, she and the others discover the world and the many different cultures and people that reside on this earth. Iona is absolutely fascinated by the changes and is always wanting to learn more. Her curiosity can get her in trouble though, especially if she messed up her disguise or gives away who she is. Iona is also a strong advocate of the gods. She protects their status as divinity and reveres her mother, even though they've never met.

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Debating on whether or not she should know who her mother is?? Yes ^ No, at least for a time V

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Her name means a few things- the Scottish origin means “isle” or “island” and there’s one that means “blessed”.

Iona doesn’t remember a lot from her childhood, but one of the things that has persisted in her memory is her encounters with the strange fish that live in the river near her home. They're white, almost transparent, and have beautiful long fins that look like silk when they move. They also have a strange shimmery quality to them that makes them hard to see under direct sunlight. Some people call them spirits, but Iona has been mesmerized by them since she first spotted one on a dark night. Ever since discovering them, she started returning more and more often to the river and soon found out that she was one of only a very few people that could see them, her mother being one as well; to everyone else the fish were just some folktale that had been passed around for generations. Iona never learns, but everyone supposes that her abilities come from these spirits, who were once lost souls that the goddess of the ocean saved and brought back to life in these new forms. Iona herself is actually a descendant of the goddess, or at least the goddess' power; no one really knew where her parents went/ who they were.???

Iona also a special power- she's able to purify water. No one knows exactly where this came from, or where she did for that matter, but rumors have been floating around for years about it. Some say she's descended from spirits or was possibly touched by the ocean goddess Constance, but nothing has ever been proven and Iona herself isn't sure where it all came from either. The rumors, however, only grew in number ever since she suddenly appeared at King Avel's side. Avel is what you would call a "collector" of sorts, someone who gathers curious artifacts, objects, and if it applies, viscets as well. He is always on the hunt for more ways to add to this ever-growing stash in an effort to prove his position of power and assert his dominance. Also, these things are useful for his continued attempts to discover what exactly powers the magic of this world and how he can find a way to extract it and use it for himself.

Avel's elite group of scouts/assassins discovered Iona and her abilities at the northern settlements after they were tipped off by a traveling merchant who had supposedly witnessed her purify a contaminated stream. They ended up tracking her down and taking her back to Hakaoh, where Avel obviously wanted to see her perform something similar to a tainted reservoir below the castle. But what he didn't know was that Iona's abilities only work under specific conditions that depend almost entirely on her mood, and after being carted across the continent for several weeks it was clear that she was in no state to do what was asked of her. Impatient though he was, Avel didn't particularly have a choice but to wait and try to win her over in an attempt to get her to do what he wanted.

During her time at the castle, Iona began to make friends with the others that had been stuck there because of Avel's hoarding habits, including his personal consort and seeress, Vivian. They bonded with each other quickly, Iona being a braver and courageous counterpart to Vivian's quiet and soft-spoken nature. Them being together allowed Vivian to express thoughts and feelings that she had never been able to before, especially now that she had met someone who was both similar to her in her views and also her willingness to interact.

One day they discovered that if they combined efforts, they were able to send messages through water using Vivian's prophetic sight and Iona's affinity. They secretly use this to warn others across the entire continent that might also be in danger of being taken, and even though there's no way for them to tell if anyone is receiving them, they continue to send them as often as possible. Their relationship is very sisterly, with them supporting each other as best as they can with their current situation and also making it a priority to watch over and keep each other safe.