Ae Veer's page

About Ae Veer

Ae Veer was born amongst the Skoan- Quah Shoanti, the Skull Clan. The ones who fight undead, who collect the stories of the deceased, whose lives revolve around death. Ae Veer, however, was always more concerned with life. This ostracized her from her community, though Ae Veer was not deterred. Instead, from an early age, she was finding wounded birds and mice, and healing them back to health, choosing them as friends instead of children of her age. One of her earliest memories is of finding a roc chick on the slopes of the Storval Plateau, abandoned and alone. It was weak, its sticking through its feathers. Giving it berries and food intended for a sacrifice, she brought the avian back to the clan’s shaman, and insisted that a healing be performed on the creature. At first, the shaman balked- but, instead, after some persistent persuasion, she agreed- and Ae Veer had a new job as the shaman’s apprentice.

Life as a shaman’s apprentice was hard. No longer were Ae Veer’s days spent amongst the wilds of the Storval Plateau. Rather, she was pressed into the basic service of everyday life- caring for the sick, the clan chief, treating with the elders- of her clan, and others. Memorizing, word for word, the traditions and stories of all the Quahs. Learning the steps for clan rituals, as well as which nights were portentous, and which ones were dread- filled. Answering questions posed by the old man, her shaman, and answering his never ceasing list of questions. Learning magic.

It was the magic that was simultaneously the most frustrating part of her life, and the most intriguing. It was hard, and required lots of patience and understanding, something the sometimes hot- headed Ae Veer found difficult. The shaman often scolded her for botching a simple spell, or trying to do more than she could and draining herself.

Fortunately, it was at this exact time that her innate psychic talents began to awaken. She would dream of running through the trees and plains, hunting prey, or soaring above the plains, or scurrying down tunnels in the ground. Sometimes, when she was alone, she could do this as well, even during the day. It made her experience something she hadn’t felt in a long time- free.

This powers were bleeding into her studies in magic, accomplishing the same effect via differing methods. This just earned more ire from her tutor. He would tell Ae Veer how much potential she had to be a good shaman, but her constant use of shortcuts and plain abandonment of her duties made her a poor fit for the role. He became relentless, hoping that more structure, instead of free- form studies, would help mold the young apprentice into a competent shaman whose potential was immense.

And Ae Veer hated it. She would use her spies to escape notice, seeing when people were there, using her growing power of the plants of her tribe hide from her responsibilities.

One day, it was time for a sacrifice. Two men- a warrior of the tribe, and elderly lady, and a child, perhaps 6 or 7 years of age. Her mentor had decided that this was Ae Veer’s turn to help with the sacrifice, truly show the tribe that she could be a shaman of the Quah, and how great of one she could be. First, the warrior went. Prayers were sent, food and paint ritualistically given, and then wooden fists were punched into the heart of the warrior. The shaman absorbed his life force, and then plants sprung up immensely from the power absorbed, enough to feed a third of the clan for a year. Then went the child. The prayers were given, the final meal consumed, and the child, though scared, was calm throughout the entire process. Even when the brambles pierced her heart, she was calm.

Ae Veer, however, was not. Sick to her stomach for though she had witnessed this before, never before had she been forced to participate in the ceremony. She couldn’t do it- couldn’t bring herself to celebrate this sacrifice, though it would prevent many more deaths later. She ran; and in doing so, denied the old lady, the person the shaman had handpicked for Ae Veer to sacrifice so she wouldn’t feel as though she was ending life prematurely, the right to give back to the community, and causing the tribe to suffer from lack of food throughout the year. It was a terrible decision according to the clan; and it brought great shame to the Quah. But Ae Veer did not care. All she could think of was how wrong this was.

And so she ran. Using the animals as her eyes- and- ears, she made a rough existence on the plains of the Storval Plateau, avoiding any and all who came near her. Until she met one.

Aegoreth, the paladin. He seemed genuine, and tried hard to help those needed. She would aid him; sending animals or plants to help him and using her abilities to help him learn of dangers before they happened. He, in turn, kept her secret to her whereabouts.

When the stone giants rose up, she went into battle for the first time with him- and from there, the friendship continued, up and until the defeat of Karzoug and the city of Xin- Shalast was founded.

As Aergoreth set about to the task of nation- building, so did Ae Veer go to the Skoan- Quah, in an attempt to broker a treaty between the two. The Skoan- Quah would live very close to the lands Aergoreth intended, but Ae Veer knew that in order to live peacefully, certain changes would need to be made. So, with a heavy, hopeful heart, she accepted her abandoned role as apprentice shaman; now full shaman, after the death of her former tutor.

She took to her tasks with zeal; learning the history, taking care of the wounded, speaking with the people and making certain their needs were met. Using her friends amongst the plants and animals to provide food for the Quah. Everything a good shaman needed to do, she practiced- all but one.

On the nights foretold by the spirits for a sacrifice, Ae Veer would refuse, or find an excuse not to perform it, or talk about a sign saying it was not the right time. People in the clan grew anxious. Ae Veer would talk, secretly, about changing this practice, about how wrong it was, but everyone she met looked at her with aghast, as if unable to comprehend how giving one’s life to the forest for food and good soil could be a bad thing.

It grew to a head on the day the clan chief’s cousin, a well- respected Elder, died, without having given his body to the soil. According to the clan, he died without honor, and despite Ae Veer’s best protests to the contrary, about how his life had been good and full of potential, the man was shunned by his family. Ae Veer was cursed at, given horrible looks, and asked for an accounting of what she had done. She tried to tell them, finally gathering the courage to speak out against the practice that had driven her away the first time. And, when they refused to listen, instead bringing her a litany of sacrifices that they demanded the rites be performed upon, she fled. It was all she could do.

She fled to the fledgling Xin- Shalast, where she reunited with her good friend, Aergoreth. She swore him her life, her service, and asked him to spare her people, for she would one day return and help persuade them. He made her a Knight, a Knight of Green, for the growth she had for herself, and the growth she would visit upon others.

Playstyle: She’s an information gatherer, utilizing her plant and animal friends to scout/gather information/detect anything that goes on within her realm of influence. If something threatens that realm, she’ll reluctantly do battle, utilizing hordes of summons and various plant- themed spells to hinder and hamper opponents.

Gem: Green (Emerald): Well, there’s the obvious answer of nature! And Ae Veer’s connection to nature, to the plants and animals within her domain, being able to see all and feel the emotions running wild throughout the land, is certainly a major part of her character. She is nature- obsessed, literally feeling the land itself. But the choice of green goes deeper than just the connection to nature. Green is about growth, and Ae Veer’s journey to who she is now is all about growth. Whether its personal growth (shirking her responsibilities as an unruly apprentice to the leader of the Quah), to growth of a clan (altering the pretty bad nature of human sacrifice to something much more neutral), Ae Veer is all about growth. I want to represent that even further, how she inspires herself, and others, to grow. I think the more she interacts with Aegoreth and the other Gem Knights, the more ‘Good’ she’s going to become.