Val'andra'as (a.k.a. Val)
Pronunciation: /val' ān dræ ess/
Physical Description
Due to her angelic blood, Val has not aged past twenty-five and will continue to remain physically-so for roughly one hundred years more. A strict diet and exercise regiment ensures she keeps herself healthy and fit, as her mind, spirit, and soul still age with time. While nicely toned with an upper body strength strong enough to wield maces in battle for long periods of time, she has found herself lacking in dexterity.
Pre-Change
For the majority of her lived life span, Val looked like her mother. She had long blond hair, bright sky blue eyes, and bronze skin. To the untrained eye, she looked Human. Looking closely at her eyes did show her Aasimar bloodline, as her limbal ring was not black like in Humans but radiant gold. Val also had gorgeous white angelic wings that she could unfurl and use to fly.
Post-Change
After accepting her true deity and being "reborn", Val's physical appearance practically inverted. She no longer shares physical attributes to her mother. Her hair is now raven black, her eyes a dull grey, and her skin turned ashen white. Still, most would recognize her as Human, albeit a rather pale Human that seems to never tan. Her limbal ring is still gold in color, though it does not have same radiant glow as before. Her once breathtaking white wings no longer fly, turning instantly into streams of gold and ebony sand and dust that shrouds her in protective energy the moment she unfurls them.
- Large bright white wings that turn into gold and ebony sand within seconds of them unfurling.
- Golden limbal ring that pulses with darker ebony energy.
Val neither favors her left side nor her right side. She will generally cast spells with her left hand, using her right hand as a medium to her holy symbol. She eats with her left hand. She writes in Common with her right hand. She writes in Celestial with her left. She has been seen switching hands when writing in other languages, establishing no consistency. She starts walking using her right leg, but still climb steps starting with her left.
Ammit's Flame
Identical to the spell commonly known as "Sacred Flame". Though a devout of Anubis, this spell stems from the Devourer of Souls, Ammit.
Spiritual Weapon
A long ebony staff shaped like an ankh at the top. The protrusions of the symbol are sharpened and axe-like, the blades a stark gold in comparison to the rest of the weapon.
Spiritual Guardians
Two beautiful ebony dogs with gold symbols and markings on their faces patrol the area around Val. From their eyes, golden sand streams out in an infinite waterfall. These guardians patrol and guard Val, snapping, snarling, and biting those that get too close. They are under her command and will not attack or slow those Val deems as allies.
Necrotic Wings
Weaker versions of her pre-change wings sprout from her back, granting Val the ability to fly to a certain extent. These wings strike fear into all who end up in her path.
When not wearing armor, Val typically wears common clothing, generally a white long-sleeved blouse and a multi-layered black and gold skirt, held together with either a leather half-corset. In colder environments, she wears a cloak made of warm yet soft fabric of matching colors (red, gold, black, white) to her clothing underneath.
For her 33rd birthday, Val received a brooch that she keeps pinned with her cloak. It's rose gold in make and is in the form of a small bird on top of a four pointed star, similar to the compass rose.
Her armor is based off of Anubis himself, the primary colors being black, gold, silver, and white. On day to day adventuring, Val will not wear her helm, as many people she and Kindred met during their travels seemed to take fright of it. However, she does don her helm when in need to hide her identity or when going into battle.
Mental characteristics
Val would say she grew up normally. Her mother was one of many druids that called the forests of the Sword Coast her home. She had plenty of childhood friends that she would play with and occasionally get in trouble with. She grew up learning and following the teachings of the Goddess Eldath. But what set her apart from the others was her lack of druidic magic.
At age thirteen, she was visited by a Deva, a celestial being that often acts as a messenger between the Celestial Plane and the Material Plane. The Deva informed her of her true origin, her true potential hidden within her very own Celestial blood, but refused to name her father, one of the greatest mysteries in her life. However, the Deva failed in aligning her with her correct deity. Thus, for roughly eighteen years, she continued to follow Eldath despite not a single word or quest being delivered.
After what she deems to be a mediocre success in saving the small mining town of Phandelver, her connection to the Celestial Plane began to fade. Her appearance changed drastically, inverting and becoming practically monochrome. Her once radiant wings turned into gold and ebony sand and dust. It was then, walking aimlessly through the frozen tundras of the Northern Coast where the doors first opened. Large black doors with a golden scale engraved into the wood ripped through space, slowly opening into more nothingness. From within, she heard a voice calling out to her. Though she did not recognize the voice, it still felt familiar. Thus, she met with Anubis, the God of Mummification. He showed her what the world truly meant, what she truly meant, and how to best keep the world true.
Accepting his path as her path, she was reborn. A Fallen Aasimar. A Death Cleric.
Upon leaving his home on the Celestial Plane, she found herself in front of a forest that reminded her of home, though she knew it not to be the same. Her first task was to find someone like her, who shared similar if not the same values, and to show them a vaster truth outside of their secluded walls. Hours of walking eventually finds Val in front of a magically infused druidic cottage, similar to the ones from her childhood home, yet different all the same. Here, Val meets Kindred, a Kalashtar by the name of Ina and his spirit by the name Ani(bel). For two and a half years they journey through the Feywoods, finding new locations with each step, exploring and unearthing more about the world than ever before.
Prior to embarking on Anubis' current quest of restoring truth to the continent of Soren and helping the world stay in balance thereafter, they journeyed to his temples in the Tanr Desert. Undergoing trials of their own, they were gifted with artifacts to help them on their mission.
Val has no formal education, merely being raised alongside the children of their small village. She knows a great deal about nature and about the Goddess Eldath, but was never able to successfully channel Druidic magics or cast nature based spells like her friends. Her mother taught her how to read and write, and though not a studious person, she enjoys reading religious texts and expanding her knowledge on the Gods, Goddesses, and the religions of the world.
After saving Phandelver, Sister Garaele asked her to join the Harpers as a Watcher. She agreed to do so, and for a year worked for them. This gave her the opportunity to travel the world and slowly discover who she truly was. This is the year of her change.
- Successfully asked an Adult Green Dragon to vacate their hoard and den atop a dilapidated tower so that he did not have to die, or more likely so that the soldiers gearing up to remove him by force were not eaten.
- Saved the Dendrar family and returned their heirloom to them despite being asked to keep it as a reward for saving them from the Redbrands.
- Assisted with the removal of the Redbrands from the town of Phandalin in Phandelver, ensuring that the townsfolk will no longer be menaced by the ruffians. In the process and with Dave the Lumberjack's assistance, they were able to save Nothic, a creature of the same name that lived in the mansion the Redbrands had taken over. They guided Nothic to a better life and ensured that he would not be harmed long as he did harm the townsfolk. He is now treated as part of the community.
- With the help of Dave and Devon, defeated the Black Spider Nezznar and found the 500 years lost mine "Wave Echo Cave" thereby saving the town Phandalin.
- In saving Iarno from death and bringing him to Sildar with hopes that justice will decide how to judge him, she inadvertently let the Inverse Zodiac find and kill him.
Val is pragmatic, basing her decisions on real-world knowledge and understanding. She believes in the good of the world despite all the wrongs it has dealt her in the past. She lives in the truth and strives to fulfill her path while leading others down the path of good, truth, justice, and balance.
Archaeology and the preservation of history aside, Val very much cannot abide the disturbing, defiling, or tampering with tombs or graves. That includes but is not limited to robbing the dead and animating mummified corpses or bodies of those properly buried. Killing tomb guardians specifically animated by Anubis to guard the dead falls under her list of taboos. Lastly, creating undead for the purpose of creating more undead (and thereby most likely disturbing gravesites) or for spreading further evil and besmirching necromantic arts is against Val's beliefs.
Personality Characteristics
- Wants nothing more than to fulfill the tasks Anubis assigns her.
- Wishes to help Kindred with their goals whenever possible.
Val does not worry herself with likes, dislikes, and favorites. She has no attachments to material goods or riches. Kindred has tried many times to get her to choose favorites, sometimes going as far as lining up tens of sandwiches in front of her, asking her to eat them all, then choose the one she liked the best. This always results in the same answer, "I like them all the same. They're sandwiches."
However, he did succeed in having her select a favorite flower: Gladiolus. A common funeral flower in the Tanr Desert, Val enjoyed the array of colors each bulb could produce, and when mixed and matched together, she felt it represented the life led by the recently departed soul. To her, that beauty was eminent, and thus her decision was made.
Since meeting with Anubis after discovering the truth of her past, Val has started to reflect about who she is as a person. Alongside Aterlyn's "game", she has begun to think of her likes, dislikes, and favorites, actually deciding on some. The process is long and makes her infuriated very quickly. As of present day, she has decided on her favorite foods, drinks, books, color, and clothing. She is now trying to figure out her specific dislikes in those categories.
Val is a patient person, giving a lot of herself to those she calls friends despite having been used by those closest to her in the past.
Val takes excellent care of her body and hygiene. She brushes her hair and teeth every day, keeps her clothes and armor clean, and does her best to shower or bathe daily. Granted, while on the road and adventuring, it may have to be put on hold from lack of facilities or running clean water.
Social
- Her ever loving mother and eternal supporter: Valtyra
- Her friend of two years, traveling partner, world discoverer, and practically her brother: Kindred, the Eternal Cycle.
- Her new friends, met from her time with The Sworn: Jorryn, Ulfgar, Roark.
- A man of her species, their first meeting was one of hatred and prejudice. Since then they have spent a strange amount of time together, both growing in ways unimaginable. Who knows where their relationship will lead: Aterlyn Drynler
- Acquaintances of all sorts: Catherine de Bolbec, Professor Hallard, Zumi, Elisa Denner, Flynn Amaryllis, Nars.
- A half-brother she never knew she had: Halos.
- A half-sister she never knew she had, who is working with The Inverse Zodiac: Helba.
She once believed her mother was Human, named Valtyra Kridel, who is now in her late sixties. However, she was originally a Goddess, the very Goddess of the forest in which Val grew up in. When she gave birth to Val, she transferred her powers to her child, becoming mortal and accepting Human life. She has always been a kind and caring mother despite the hardships represented by raising a half-celestial - she always kept a very close watch on her daughter. She still lives in their small cottage in the Shilmista Forest.
Valtyra never spoke of her father and there were no records indicating she even had a father. For the majority of her life, she assumed that he must've been the Celestial. A part of her has always wanted to meet him and to know who he was/is, but time more or less rendered that desire mute. Alas, she did learn who her father was after a trip to the Collegium up in space. Her father is none other than the only Anpyr alive in the world - comatose for nearly three to four thousand years. Able to project himself despite his comatose state, he transferred his essence into a grape, which was then eaten by Valtyra, and resulted in Val'andra'as.
Originally a follower of Eldath, she now follows Anubis. She knows her time with Anubis is limited due to her true constitution.
Though she prefers to be in company of close friends, Val is extroverted. She can hold her own when addressing crowds and has given religion talks in the past. However, she is not a skilled listener and at times requires people to repeat themselves as her mind had trailed elsewhere. Her time with Kindred has helped her improve her attention span, though with strangers it is still apparent that their words eventually become lost.
Val stands proud, back straight and proper posture.
Growing up, Val spoke with the common accent found on in the southern region of the Sword Coast. Adventuring with Kindred and aligning herself with Anubis prompted her to adopt an Egyptian accent. Whenever she visited home, her newly acquired accent would disappear and she'd revert back to her regular accent. After learning the truth of her past and heritage, alongside with her grievances with Anubis, her Egyptian accent is quickly diminishing from her every day speech.
Friend (Vital)
Towards Kindred, the Eternal Cycle
Friend (Important)
Towards Val'andra'as, the Death Cleric
Shared Secrets
Kindred is the only person who knows Val's last name.
??? (Trivial)
Towards Val'andra'as, the Death Cleric
Relationship Reasoning
Since their first meeting, Val has decided that she wants to show Aterlyn that just because he labels her as Fallen does not mean she fits his prejudiced views.
Commonalities & Shared Interests
Both are Aasimar, following Gods of similar views despite them being from different pantheons and by most people's accounts, Gods that would not get along.
Shared Acquaintances
Lativa of Venya, Kimos, Professor Hallard, Catherine
Divine Classification
Goddess
Circumstances of Birth
Unexpected birth, conceived when her mother (Goddess) ate a grape with the essence of her father (Anpyr).
Eyes
Dull Grey, Gold Limbal Ring
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Ashen White
Known Languages
Common, Celestial, Sylvan, Quori
Reference Image of Val's Specialized Armor
Reference Images of Val's Spiritual Guardians
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