Helena of Dawn
Raised by the Knights of Anathaeum, she now uses her experience and talents to best guide the order, hoping to restore its storied honor.
Appearance
Tall and well muscled, Helena has a commanding presence, and carries herself with a certainty and confidence that inspires calm and trust. Her skin is a rich black color, with golden undertones like those found in the most fertile earth. Her hair is dark brown, thick and full of natural curls, often tied back into an afro ponytail, or braided tightly as the need dictates. Her eyes are the color of freshly fallen pine cones, brown with amber hues.
Adorned in serviceable armor, accentuated by motifs of branches and roots and trees and all things wild. Upon her crown she is often seen wearing a circlet of metal flowers and leaves, with twisting horns that sprout out from both sides of her head like a pair of boughs. A blood red jewel is at the center of the circlet, resting upon her forehead.
Long limbed and well muscled, standing at 6', Helena is more wolf than bear, prone to measured bursts of power mingled with an enduring ferocity. It is her tenacity and stamina that see her through the darkness she faces.
Adorned in serviceable armor, accentuated by motifs of branches and roots and trees and all things wild. Upon her crown she is often seen wearing a circlet of metal flowers and leaves, with twisting horns that sprout out from both sides of her head like a pair of boughs. A blood red jewel is at the center of the circlet, resting upon her forehead.
Long limbed and well muscled, standing at 6', Helena is more wolf than bear, prone to measured bursts of power mingled with an enduring ferocity. It is her tenacity and stamina that see her through the darkness she faces.
Skills and Abilities
Combat
Melee fighting - Master
Ranged weaponry - Proficient
Elemental Magic - Pursuit of Flame
Offensive spellcasting - Proficient
Enchantment - Skilled
Summoning - Skilled
Life Magic - Pursuit of Life
Healing - Proficient
Enhancement - Skilled
Protection - Master
Wild Magic - Pursuit of the Wild
Animal taming - Skilled
Wild form - Skilled
Hortimancy - Skilled
Non Combat
Instruction - Basic
Research - Basic
Leadership - Skilled
Diplomacy - Skilled
Inventory management - Master
Melee fighting - Master
Ranged weaponry - Proficient
Elemental Magic - Pursuit of Flame
Offensive spellcasting - Proficient
Enchantment - Skilled
Summoning - Skilled
Life Magic - Pursuit of Life
Healing - Proficient
Enhancement - Skilled
Protection - Master
Wild Magic - Pursuit of the Wild
Animal taming - Skilled
Wild form - Skilled
Hortimancy - Skilled
Non Combat
Instruction - Basic
Research - Basic
Leadership - Skilled
Diplomacy - Skilled
Inventory management - Master
Personality
Steadfast, duty bound and without doubts, Helena is a soul that takes the present as it is, and does what she can to turn the moment to her favor, and by extension, the favor of the order. Many would describe her as imposing and stand-offish, but those who know her well understand that she cares deeply for those around her and cares most of all for her brothers and sisters in the order.
Never one to shirk off duty or responsibility, she does not shy away from quests that take her far and away from the Monastery, seeing the influence and resources gained from such ventures as more beneficial to the young squires and just Sworn than her own instruction. After all, knights need arms and armor, and while their smithies are fine, the materials needed to keep them in practice and improving do not come cheap.
This errant spirit of hers, however, has come under some criticism from older Masters, and her counterpart of Dusk, and much to her chagrin, they oft remind her that she has other responsibilities now, beyond those deeds she can do with her sword.
Never one to shirk off duty or responsibility, she does not shy away from quests that take her far and away from the Monastery, seeing the influence and resources gained from such ventures as more beneficial to the young squires and just Sworn than her own instruction. After all, knights need arms and armor, and while their smithies are fine, the materials needed to keep them in practice and improving do not come cheap.
This errant spirit of hers, however, has come under some criticism from older Masters, and her counterpart of Dusk, and much to her chagrin, they oft remind her that she has other responsibilities now, beyond those deeds she can do with her sword.
Biography & Lore
Born to miners in the Village of Gladstone, along the foothills of the Spine, Helena's childhood was rather unremarkable. And when the cave-in took her father, and most of the mining towns able bodied men, it became tinged with hungry desperation. Those who could left the doomed village, the local lord deeming it too costly to restore the mining operation, and those who remained were left to scrounge and struggle to make a life upon that craggy and barren landscape.
It was sheer kismet then that a pair of Knights of Anathaeum had heard word of the village's plea. Months later, to be sure, but their intervention saw the mine restored, and their Hortimancers helped create fertile soil, where in the townsfolk could grow the food they needed and sustain themselves. Indebted to the order, those townsfolk that remained pledged to aid the knights in any way they could, offering gifts of ores and harvest when winters allowed. The Knights were grateful, and promised to patrol their lands as further thanks.
They became a common sight as the months passed on, always they appeared in pairs. It fascinated the young Helena, and soon enough she asked her mother if she could join the order. Tears ran over her eyes, and she embraced her child, all that was left of their small family, and she gave her blessing.
From that day, Helena has lived with the Knights of Anathaeum, raised in their ranks, she earned Squirehood quickly, swore her oath soon after, and was chosen by a Knight Master to become a Pursuant only some years later. Now, she is the newest Captain of Dawn, responsible for overseeing the Sanctum of Dawn and all of the knights that belong there-in. Some older Knights take umbrage with one so young being given such responsibilities, but Helena has proved more than up to the task.
Still, she has much to learn, and the duties now hers lay heavy upon her mind. But, if ever there is a doubt, she thinks back to that time, where life felt so bleak and grey, to those Knights who had come to Gladstone, and breathed new life into the small town that still stands to this day. What more can she do for the world, she wonders, and those folk so desperately in need of aid.
It was sheer kismet then that a pair of Knights of Anathaeum had heard word of the village's plea. Months later, to be sure, but their intervention saw the mine restored, and their Hortimancers helped create fertile soil, where in the townsfolk could grow the food they needed and sustain themselves. Indebted to the order, those townsfolk that remained pledged to aid the knights in any way they could, offering gifts of ores and harvest when winters allowed. The Knights were grateful, and promised to patrol their lands as further thanks.
They became a common sight as the months passed on, always they appeared in pairs. It fascinated the young Helena, and soon enough she asked her mother if she could join the order. Tears ran over her eyes, and she embraced her child, all that was left of their small family, and she gave her blessing.
From that day, Helena has lived with the Knights of Anathaeum, raised in their ranks, she earned Squirehood quickly, swore her oath soon after, and was chosen by a Knight Master to become a Pursuant only some years later. Now, she is the newest Captain of Dawn, responsible for overseeing the Sanctum of Dawn and all of the knights that belong there-in. Some older Knights take umbrage with one so young being given such responsibilities, but Helena has proved more than up to the task.
Still, she has much to learn, and the duties now hers lay heavy upon her mind. But, if ever there is a doubt, she thinks back to that time, where life felt so bleak and grey, to those Knights who had come to Gladstone, and breathed new life into the small town that still stands to this day. What more can she do for the world, she wonders, and those folk so desperately in need of aid.