Ilmatar Väinölä (ˈilmɑtɑr ˈʋæinølæː)

"Never marry a god - especially not one who can see the future."

— Ilmatar Väinölä

Ilmatar Väinölä is the proprietor of the Avoin Ovi in Aabo, a large tavern and inn on the market square near the docks. The name translates as "The Open Door", and it is known to travelers in the region as being dedicated to hospitality and the comfort of their guests. Before she was an innkeeper, Ilmatar was one of the Velhot of Väinädin, a group of True Mages dedicated to the god Väinädin. What is not commonly known is that she was not just a Velho - she was also the lover and wife of Väinädin himself. She left both the Velhot and Väinädin behind to open the Avoin Ovi and begin a new life.

Early Life

While Ilmatar does not often share the details of her childhood, there are a few things that are known. She was born on the island of Saari, and her father was a farmer. Her gift for Magic became apparent in early childhood, as she could summon small objects to her when she wished - they would leap across the distance and land in her outstretched hand. This talent is what initially brought her to the attention of the Velhot of Väinädin. The Velhot are highly respected on Saari, and when they said that she should be trained in her gift by the order, her parents surrendered Imatar into their care.

From that point on, she spent her childhood as an apprentice to a series of Velho, learning how to control and use Magic. She also learned other skills - how to blend into a foreign society, or slip unseen through the night. She was taught how to manipulate the actions of others, both with and and without Magic. Her masters among the Velhot shaped her into one of their own: a subtle instrument of Väinädin, able to bend the world toward his designs.

Agent of a God

Eventually, she was deemed ready to take her place as a Velho. She had interacted directly with Väinädin several times during her training - he is a very hands-on god, deeply involved in the lives of his agents - but her elevation to a Velho would involve sharing her True Name with Väinädin. This would give him incredible power over her. To know someone's True Name is to comprehend their essence, and to be able to target them with irresistible Magic. Sharing it with Väinädin would be an act of profound vulnerability, and one that Ilmatar found terrifying.

The details of the elevation ceremony are kept a secret by the Velhot, but at some point, Ilmatar granted Väinädin the knowledge of her True Name. To the god, who had long experience with such things, the Name was a revelation of all she was, and all she had the potential to become. Later, Ilmatar would trace their future relationship to this moment, when he learned her innermost self and began to lay his plans for her in earnest.

Ilmatar took her place as one of the Velhot, traveling the world and carrying out Väinädin's schemes. She helped prevent plagues, avert wars, and destroy potential villains. Often, the full impact of a particular mission would not be clear until much later, but Ilmatar had faith in Väinädin's mission to create and protect a brighter future.

Lover and Wife

Over the course of years - how many, Ilmatar will not say - she rose among the Velhot. While the organization does not have formal ranks, they do recognize seniority, and she became one of the most respected and powerful among them. This brought her into even more frequent contact with Väinädin, and the god began to execute a slow and inexorable seduction.

It was subtle at first. Before he was a god, Väinädin had been a mortal man, and a bard of great skill. He chose his words carefully, and the tone in which to deliver them, all calculated to appeal to Ilmatar as a man to a woman. Their interactions became less formal, and she found herself laughing, enjoying Väinädin's company, even seeking out reasons for them to confer more often. When they slipped into a more intimate relationship, it felt natural - even inevitable. It felt right.

They neither hid nor publicized their relationship, and if the other Velhot noticed (as some surely did), they did not mention it. Ilmatar took the surname Väinölä during this period, a tradition from her childhood that was no longer followed by the Saarelainen. There was no public ceremony to mark the transition, but those who knew of the relationship understood that the couple considered themselves married, and treated them as such. Among the Velhot, Ilmatar took on a status somewhere between a colleague and a god - she was Väinölä, Väinädin's wife.

Freedom of Choice

And so things were for many, many years. As most True Mages do, Ilmatar halted her aging, choosing to appear as a healthy and vigorous woman in her early sixties. She coordinated the actions of the Velhot, working with Väinädin to place the threads of his schemes and draw the world into his desired configuration. And through this direct experience, she learned more of the god's mind and ways better than any other. She understood how Väinädin had laid out her own path, maneuvering her into making the choices he preferred. Ilmatar had always known that Väinädin was a manipulator, and had never fooled herself into thinking she was an exception. But knowing and understanding are different things. As the pattern of her life became more obvious, she found it impossible to ignore.

She left then. She walked away from Väinädin and the Velhot, and went to Aabo. Long ago, her family had farmed the land near the city, and she chose to settle there. She opened the Avoin Ovi, and welcomed visitors from all around the Great Ring. Väinädin came to the inn more than once, to drink and eat, and to ask her to come back. Ilmatar declined. Even now, she isn't certain whether her leaving was a part of his plan, or if she has finally deviated from the course he laid out. She still carries the name Väinölä, even if few understand its significance, and she has not tried to remove Väinädin from her heart. But love isn't enough. Until she can find a way to prove her freedom from his schemes, she cannot bear Väinädin's presence - and all that it entails.