Agronan

Origins

Agronan belongs to one of the rarest races in the world that commonly goes by the label of 'Celestial'. You can think of Celestials like that of the Istari, very unique, powerful beings who are virtually immortal and all-powerful. Nearly every celestial has come into existence by the hand of Ishtara--the elder goddess worshipped by the peoples of Lorianthil. For this reason, celestials born directly from the Fated Pools are often called the 'Daughters of Ishtara'.   Historically, Agronan is the second Daughter of Ishtara to be born. She was created to take the place of her predecessor, Salume, when the first Daughter's rule came to an end. Agronan takes the form of a druid with black hair and green eyes. Her personality reflects a deep respect for creation and life. She is not quick to anger, and throughout her timeline we see a High Lady who exercises patience and benevolence.   Like all celestials, Agronan bears a unique skill-set while still being linked to the power source of her goddess--or Mother, rather. She possesses all the natural powers of her Druid counterparts with a few added bonuses such as psychic bonding, highly effective healing, and lethal plant manipulation. Her wild form is a dark sand-stalker--essentially a large-scale panther, and she can transform at will.   As a Druid, Agronan is learned in many natural medicines and remedies as well. She grew up practicing the ways of her culture, communicating telepathically and casting via ritualistic blood magic. She is also a gifted conjurer and avid alchemist.  

Fractures

Agronan was born in a complicated era for the elven world. Religious differences began to sow discord amongst the few factions and clans--including the Druid clan. The Lorish clan, once a strong and united ally of Agronan's people, no longer cared to bleed in exchange for their power. They preferred to call upon their ancestors using the Sepharin language and went on to develop the rune system to replace the ritualistic one. Following on the heels of this, the Krimin clan fashioned their own magic order, preferring to use the sacred and blessed crystals dug up from the earth.   Three differing clans could not settle on a single ruling way, and this is what brought about a great scatteration over the continent. The Lorish clan broke away from Valara and established their own society a few clicks to the east. The Krimin clan ventured much farther east, settling within the Aureisian mountains where there were myriad crystals to be utilized.   As Agronan entered into maidenhood, even a fourth clan came about. While the Druids mostly accepted Ishtara as their Mother Goddess, some never truly abandoned their faith in her twin counterpart, Uru. Some still worshipped the Shadow Father, the originator of the forest's Heart. Some insisted that Ishtara was simply an invader from her high plane of Oblivion and took over what rightfully belonged to Uru. But rather than squabble and separate over beliefs as the Lorish and Krimin clans had done, Agronan lobbied for a united front--even in her incredibly young age. She never wished to see her own sub-group separated by the cutting force of religion. She believed in her own cause so strongly to the point that she bound herself to one such Uru worshipper, a young male by the name of Baldaré.   She and her influential mate managed to live peacefully for a few decades. They bore and raised a few heirs in that time, but eventually the elder and more powerful Druids began to cry out for Baldaré and all his sympathetics to withdraw.  

The Leavetaking

Heavily, Agronan and her House picked up and left the forest lands behind. They wandered for a good while before settling within the western, rocky hills to make their home. Unbeknownst to them, they were quickly seen as intruders within the Ithunil territories. Over the course of many more decades, war-driven barbarians kept attacking Lord Baldaré's borders. War slowly saw their realm laid to ruin, and as elven patriarch, Baldaré was pressured to bring an end to the conflict.   So he called upon his god.  

The Ancestors of Éolnir

The price for the power to defeat these great, barbaric enemies was Agronan's husband as she knew him to be. In his place came to stand a gray-skinned, white-haired creature who bore the features of an elf but wielded shadows of the dark abyss.   Agronan grieved over her husband's sacrifice, but she could not grieve so publicly because Baldaré's actions yielded such great result. The Ithunil began to fear Baldaré, and through his mate, he went on to sire more enhanced beings like himself. Their pigments and powers varied, but Agronan lived to see a new generation born and blessed by the Shadow Father's gifts. Impregnable strength, swift prowess, and dark magic protected House Baldaré against the Ithunil tribesmen.   As a Daughter of Ishtara, Agronan's faith was shaken. She found it difficult to walk the line that drew her soul in two pieces. She loved her family and respected their power, but her heart ached over how Baldaré only demanded his clan's gifts for destruction. As the western kingdom kept expanding, her loyalty to Baldaré waned.  

Clash of Gods

As Agronan neared her one-hundredth year, she endured the most difficult trial she would ever face. An Ithunil chieftain by the name of Kraden went against his ancestors' tradition and called for a peace negotiation.   Because Baldaré had no interest in brokering peace with his long-standing enemies, he sent Agronan forth to represent him. In the citadel of Githal, she spoke with this chieftain and came out as his ally. The alliance blossomed into a friendship, and the friendship evolved into an affair. Agronan felt loved and wanted in Kraden's arms, and as the High Lady of House Baldaré, she went to see him often in his home.   Kraden had a mate and family of his own, but he never turned the elven lady away when she came calling. Of course, though, her own elven mate inevitably uncovered the affair and came to deal with Kraden personally.   An ugly duel left Kraden dead, and Agronan devastated. She swore vengeance upon Baldaré and moved to carry it out herself, but by that time, Baldaré had grown so powerful that even a Celestial could not easily outdo him. Historians call this battle the Clash of Gods that ultimately ended in both their demise.   The spire where the incident supposedly happened was destroyed along with their bodies--or so far as we know. Truth be told, however, we cannot unanimously agree on what took place. Though there were many witnesses of the Clash, no one has been able to come forth and clear up the inconsistencies, and no corpses have been produced.   It remains to this day a sort of mystery, and the fortress--the kingdom--where Agronan and Baldaré supposedly died was named thereafter Éolnir, the Sepharin word for mystery.