Life in the Tundra

Aase Bjorstrom, daughter of Bjorn Bjorstrom and sister of Eliana and Eric Bjorstrom.

As a child on the tundra, life was simple. Aase's clan would follow the heards for food and each member had their duty. Her father would join the men of the village in hunts and in battle -- sometimes against a rival clan, othertimes against hoards of orcs and goblins assisted by snow trolls and an occasional snow giant from the far north. Her father was a War Cleric of Asral and his fondness for stories and mead was only surpassed by his love of the battle. On the nights the men returned, Eric would join the men in the drinking of mead and listen to stories as he longed to join his father in battle. After the stories, Eliana and many of the younger women joined in the revelry. All had their reasons and for Eliana, it was the dream of joining the battle that drew her to men's tents. Since joining with the warriors was as close as she could get to the battle, she readily accepted. In secret Eliana trained with some of the younger men, but her training was not free. Eliana particularly enjoyed the company of a young man from a nomadic family that she often sought out with the help of her sister, Aase, who had become a fair tracker, even at a young age.

Aase, the youngest of the three, was not so much spoiled as she was sheltered. She spent much of her youth listening to stories her father would tell or the myths the old women would tell. She would often travel far out into the tundra and to the edges of the artic plain with Eliana to visit with a particular nomadic family. Aase would and would seek out Old Mother Yoon, an Evrenite who was fond of myth. It was from her that Aase learned of the forests and the meadows and of Evren. She learned the art of haealing and would often join the eldar women in her own clan in tending to wounds of the injured and to the fallen. While Aase learned with Hoya Yoon, Eliana trained with the eldest of the Yoon boys, Hoyen. From Hoyen and his father, Elizoren, she learned to fight and she learned of Sathonays.

A terrible fate befell the Yoons. The love of the family could not keep Hoya (an Evrenite) and Elizoren (a Sathonite) safe from the trials of faith. One night, for some reason unknown, Elizoren rose from a deep prayer meditation and walked calmly from his tent over to Hoya who was tanning a leather. He then lifted his spear and struck her down with a mightly blow. Hoyen, the oldest, with the help of Vurdijak, managed to kill Elizoren before he could turn on the rest of his family. The story Vurdijak tells is that the look on his face as he died indicated that he never knew what he had done. His eyes stared blankly as he bled out. News of these deeds spread and with them came the rumors of the visiting girls, one with hair of caol and the other with hair of staw. I did not take Bjorn long to learn of his daughters' trists and neither daughter ever knew who he was most disappointed by: his youngest for studying with an Evrenite or his eldest for bedding with young man. Both were punished, yet the lesson learned was different for the two girls. Eliana learned stealth, and Aase learned obedience.

As the children grew older, the attacks on the clan from the goblinoids grew more frequent and more intense as winning battles grew more scarce. Eric soon filled the ranks with his father, Eliana looked on with envy, and Aase learned more than she wished about the healing arts, but it was when the men did not come home that Aase first learned fear. The women of the clan found their kinsman on a bloody field.

Still In Progress.

Adulthood

Her pale skin is poorly adapted to the southern sun and she often wears her hood to prevent sunburn, but even so, her cheeks are speckled with freckles and reddened by the exposure to winds and the elements. Her high cheekbones frame brilliant blue eyes that are as blue as the northern sky under which she was born and seem to laugh with vitality. Adorned with leaves and flowers, thick soft ropes of matted blond hair are drawn away from her face and tied back with a willow bough. Her once clear skin is now covered in the scars that she has gathered through her work: left hand, right hand, forehead, left cheek and right cheek. She is tall and lean for a human, and her physique is born from a meager diet and many miles of walking, and sometimes running through the forests, across the plains, and climbing the slopes of mountains or the boughs of trees.

She dresses plainly and often tries to remain hidden while working in the forests and across trhe plains. She wears a simple black suit and avery long and wide white cloak with a hood attached to the top. The cloak is finely crafted out of a mysterious material similar to cotton, though much more smooth. Its colour first seems plainly white but taking upon a closer look, thin lines of black fiber have been woven into it. On the center of the backside the fibers thicken to create a symbol of a sickle crossed with a mistletoe. The only ornamentation she wears consists of a silver belt with bags attached, a silver bracelet, and a wrinkled mandrake root in the shape of a tiny person. A silver chain which dangles from the back allows it to be worn around the neck. The root itself seems to be very old and dried out. The face of the tiny creature is astonishingly detailed and seems to have pointed ears. The eyes of the root seem alive and curious.

Myths handed down to Aase (please add)

Oral tradition and bold tales told by the fire populated much of Aase's life. Her people were largley Asrals so many of the stories come from that tradition; however, a neighboring clan contained an Evrenite married to a Sathonite so there are also tales from those traditions as well.

• The Creation Myth - as told to her by Old Mother Yoon
• A Folktale - as told by Old Mother Yoon (thanks to Vurdijak) - In editing

One summer day, the two blessed sisters Evren and Gwen disguised themselves as owls and blended into the wildlife in the woodlands of Elvandar. The animals, when they began to be aware of the presence of the goddesses, started to gather. Sturdy boars, noble falcons, and even timid hares formed up around them and filled the air with noise. The goddesses, pleased with this mass of life, decided to entertain them by having a contest between the two of them. "Evren and I have decided to compete with each other to see who can gather the most exotic and delicious roots. After we are through, you will all feast on them as a reward for your faithfulness to us. Then you will decide which of us you love more," Gwen proclaimed. The animals cheered loudly. Lurking in the treetops, disguised as a black crow, was their evil sister Lillith. While they gathered away, Lillith snuck around finding poisonous roots that she knew the animals would not identify. The busy sisters foraged for a whole day, and at the end made two piles of food.

Lillith, who hated Gwen more than was humanly possible, managed to sneak the poisonous herbs into her pile. Only a black snake named Weldon noticed the crow do this, but he only thought the crow favored Gwen, and was helping her pile. Shortly thereafter, Evren and Gwen told the animals to dig in and enjoy. The animals that ate from Evren's pile were fine, but the ones that ate from Gwen's pile soon began thrashing around on the ground and going still. Soon there piles of corpses alongside the piles of food. The remaining animals, afraid and confused, started accusing Gwen of murder. Evren, faced with the cold reality of the situation, and upset that her animals were dead, looked to her sister angrily. "Why would you do this?!" she screamed. "You are supposed to spread love and order, not death and chaos!" Upset and defensive Gwen replied, "Well you are the one who gave them the will to choose between the two piles in the first place! I could just as easily blame you, because I didn't give them any poison."

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Weldon the snake slithered forward. "Excussse me, godesssesss, but the black crow isss to blame," he hissed. "I ssssaw it drop something into Gwensss pile." The sisters looked at each other and then at the ground. They suspected that they knew who was to blame but they also realized they had no evidence to corroborate their story. In the end, they apologized to the animals and made the next seven winters much less harsh and easier to endure, so that their populations would rebound. They also decided that they would never compete again, lest their devious sister find some way to exploit their kindness and turn it into another catastrophe.

• A Tale of Delonia and Farinthul the Elder - as told by Elizoren that had come down from his parents who had lived in Arborea (thanks to Vurdijak) - yet to be edited

The story A restless young elf, from a long line of highelves, escaped his chores one day and slipped out to the forest. He traveled west and was soon lost in the foothills of the mountains. The night, he was sure, would turn out to be clear and beautiful. He decided to risk the dangers of the unknown countryside and sleep under the stars. The last light of the sun fell softly behind the mountains. Shadows of tree trunks extended to the horizon. The elf, whose name was Farinthul, leaned his back against one of these trees and reflected on his lot in life. Deep in meditation, he failed to notice the sounds of heavy breathing and snapping twigs that grew louder and nearer. Just down the path, an old woman hobbled along, limping because of a horrible injury that a wild boar had inflicted on her leg. She stumbled and fell into the dark, all her energy spent, and called weakly for help. Farinthul jumped at the unexpected sound of her rough voice. He quickly hid himself and began sneaking through the trees toward her. Soon he was looking at her withered body, motionless on the ground. He had heard of this new strange people that had landed on the shores, not long ago. He had heard of their foul deeds and hatred for elves. He dared not trust this creature, helpless or not. Where there was one, surely there were more. As he started to slink away, the woman suddenly raised her head and look directly at him through squinted yellow eyes. "Would you let me die, alone in the wild?" she said quietly. "Would you leave me for the animals to eat?" "I do not know your kind, but I have heard you are enemies of the elves." he replied, somewhat haughtily. The woman looked at him. She said through gritted teeth, "I am no enemy of yours. Come, help me to the stream next to here so I can clean this wound. I will reward you for your kindness, if I live. My name is Delonia, and I was one of the first humans to arrive on this continent." Farinthul helped her to the water, and even gathered a few Middleleaves from the mountainside to help her heal. They sat there in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes, until Delonia finally spoke up. "I told you I would reward you if I lived, and I will. I already feel the power of this herb. I was born with a special gift, the ability to see the location of others. It is how I knew you were near. Would you like me to find someone for you?" "No, I would not make use of such strange magic," he replied. "Then, what could an old woman like me do to reward one of your kind?" "Nothing, I am among the richest and most powerful of my people. I would ask nothing in return for this small favor, save one thing." Delonia leaned forward to hear him better. "I would ask you to tell your human friends to stop chopping down all of the trees, since we need some for our own cities," he stated. "It is bad enough we have to live next to you, but if you continue to hack away, there will be none left. Oh yes, and please ask them to stop hunting all the animals. They are senseless in their slaughter. Ah, and one last thing. please ask them to stop breeding so much, as they are starting to outgrow Arborea." "This is a long list of grievances, but I will take them all to my people, because I have given you my word," replied Delonia. "I will help you back to the road," said Farinthul, and he supported her with one arm and led her away. Delonia was met on the road by some woodcutters, out to gather wood for the expansion of Arborea. The led her to the safety of their city. Once there, she began talking to her leaders about Farinthul's generosity in saving her, and his concerns about the newcomers to the continent. Of course, they scoffed at her and even insulted her for taking the help of an elf. She tried her hardest, remembering the kindness of the haughty elf who had saved her, but she could not convince her people to change or prevent the horrible race war that started soon after. The more she tried, the more she was shunned, and eventually she was banished from the city for being a spy. She went into the wild, and used her special gift of sight to make money when she could, from information seeking travelers. It's rumored that her descendents still live in the area, and that one or two might have inherited her strange gift.

And as Elizoren concluded he indicated that Delonia was said by some to be his distant ancestor.

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