Alba Filorene
The Serene Mistress Alba Giselle Filorine
The Serene Mistress, Alba Filorene, has been attached to the chapel since she became an acolyte there at age eleven, and has been the central pastoral figure at the Keep for the past nine years since the death of Abbess Marthe. Her rise to pastoral headship coincides roughly with the Countess's decision to reconfigure the keep back to a military rather than religious outpost upon the death of the Abbess, when Raven's Rock Abbey was redesignated Raven's Rock Keep.
As such, her life has been connected in a fundamental way to the 'modern' keep as well as to its Castellan, who as one of his first non-military acts as leader of the compound named her as the keeper of the Chapel. The title Serene Mistress was bestowed her religious order, designating one who has attained a remarkable level of spiritual peace and enlightenment from the pursuit of selfless acts of charity.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Her skill at fighting seems unexpected on the surface, but her order sent her on a 3-year quest of the self, in which she left the confines of the keep to hone her skills and learn the ways of the larger world. She left at age 24 and returned 3 years later and seemingly ten years older. While not quite so physically honed as a true Monk, she clearly has the skill and strength to take on serious foes with a professional effectiveness matched only by the higher ranking military officers at the Keep.
Identifying Characteristics
Long white-grey silvery hair, and a certain divine contentment in her expression.
Physical quirks
Alba was born with white hair - the name Alba (white) was a nickname given to her by Marthe at her birth, and it stuck. This was said to signify that her mother's purity had been maintained, though the fact that she was giving birth seems to indicate otherwise. As she got older the white softened to grey, and as such she seems much older - and wiser - than perhaps she actually is.
Apparel & Accessories
Most of the time she favors wearing loose white robes with high collars and long sleeves; she has several of these gowns as they do tend to get bloody and stained due to the nature of her work as a birthmaiden and from giving medical assistance to those who are too injured to help themselves. Her clothes are fashionable, but practical rather than overly complicated or expensive.
She also keeps a set of gleaming silver plate armor, and has been known to take up the cudgel and fight in times of need; most recently during the Lizardfolk winter raid, she killed no fewer than four of the invaders herself, comprising a significant percentage of the overall victory.
Mental characteristics
Sexuality
Unknown; while many people assume she too has taken a vow of chastity, in her order that is never done for such a prolonged time, and it is discouraged in those over the age of 24, and she was well over that long before she became the Pastor. She has never seemed to take a romantic interest in anyone. There are rumors that perhaps her friendship with Lady Elsinore is more than just platonic, but these gossipy tales seem based on no real evidence other than the fact that they've been friends since Elsinore came to the Keep three years ago. In truth Alba has little time to pursue Elsinore or anyone else, tasked as she is with performing three religious services daily, as well as providing medical assistance as needed in the keep, midwifing the birth of most of the babies, performing the funerals, and overseeing the engagements and weddings.
Social
Contacts & Relations
While she is a close friend to many - if not most - of the people in the Keep, she has particularly close friendships with several of them.
She shares a kinship with the Castellan which goes beyond mere professional courtesy after these nine years or so, approximating the love between a brother and a sister. Still, she respects his station and always follows his lead when it comes to how friendly or distant he feels like being.
She is close friends with his wife Elsinore, still thought of as an outsider by the less kind people of the Keep, and a girl of a peculiar-enough personality and high enough rank to not have many other friends.
She often has Yamella, the Soup Goblin, over for tea.
She is friends with icies Vries' reclusive Owlin wife Philomena.
She even gets along with Willow Candler, perhaps the most stubborn and purposely irritating person in the entire keep, though a master healer and anatomist in addition to a strange enchanter of candles, mostly as a goof; nevertheless Candler has supplied the majority of the candles used at the chapel, out of her mundane rather than magical supply. Not for free, of course, and not from the goodness of her heart, but Alba Filorene orders them every few months when she runs low.
Religious Views
Alba is an absolute syncretist and pan-theist, believing ultimately in divine forces that cannot be restricted to mere flesh or spiritual boxes of the self. In essence, the names and personal details of any given deity are almost irrelevant; what matters is divinity itself as something holy and elevated compared to mere flesh, soul or mortal spirit. What one person worships as Nylea, another might worship as Artemis, or Pan, or Hircine; the packaging doesn't matter so much as what the being stands for, and compels worshippers to do or aspire to in themselves.
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Current Status
Pastor of Raven's Rock Pantheist Chapel
Current Location
Ethnicity
Age
38
Circumstances of Birth
Illegitimate Child of an unmarried acolyte who had (evidently unsuccessfully) taken a vow of chastity. Was made a ward of the Abbey.
Birthplace
Raven's Rock Abbey
Children
Current Residence
Upper level of the Chapel
Gender
Female
Eyes
hazel brown
Hair
long, straight, silvery grey hair
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
fair complexion
Height
5' 7"
Weight
138
Belief/Deity
The Great Wheel of the Gods
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