Lenora Valaheim
Lenora Valaheim (a.k.a. Nora)
Lenora is a druid who lives alone in The Great Forest practicing the art of natural magic. She, as most druids, worships Namir. Although the forest is her home, she is seen fairly often at the nearby town of Last Way, obtaining supplies or selling the produce of her small crop farm.
Physical Description
Special abilities
Lenora is particularly skilled in animal handling, and adopted both a meerie, Fang, and a direwolf, Alf. (deceased). She also has a horse, Isa, gifted to her by Prince Henry .
Apparel & Accessories
Lenora is known for her rustic, homemade clothing. She does not value physical appearance or expensive clothes, a result of her wild upbringing in the forest. She can almost always be found wearing simple druid attire consisting of a plain brown chest wrap, held in place by a sturdy leather strap and simple black trousers, her long dark hair held back with a plain cloth headband. She wears a simple but exquisitely worked leather belt with designs of forest animals engraved into it, which is her Bonding Gift formalising her marriage.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Lenora grew up in the forest outside Last Way with her mother, Nadia. Nadia didn't share information about her history and Lenora's family with her daughter, instead instilling in her a need to stay away from others to keep safe. Lenora grew up very isolated, with very few ties to people beyond her mother. She had dealings with the local druids and the villagers in Last Way for trade and learning, but was known to keep to herself. As a curious child, Lenora regularly asked about her father and extended family, but Nadia always made it clear that she was not going to talk about her past, and eventually Lenora stopped asking.
After her mother died of old age, Lenora continued to live in this style, not seeking out any long-term companions. She lived contentedly this way until the day she was attacked outside her home, kidnapped, and taken to an unknown underground prison where she was held prisoner for what she later discovered was a year. During this time she, along with other prisoners (though they were never given the opportunity to communicate), was subject to extended periods of darkness and physical torture. At no point was she given any explanation for this, or even interrogated for information. The only information she gleaned was a passing reference by one of the guards, asking (of her) if "this is the one with the lily blood". Lenora had no understanding of this term at the time.
After a long time, Lenora was released without warning, taken back to her home and left there alone. On the journey back, she recognised that she was in Verdorn due to her captives' decision not to blindfold her, but Lenora chose not to investigate this further, attempting instead to forget her experience and go back to normal.
Education
Lenora was educated primarily by her mother and the wandering druids near her home outside Last Way. As her skills in druidic magic developed, she found she had a greater affinity for animals rather than plants, unlike her mother.
Employment
Lenora has never had an established employment, choosing to follow in her mother's footsteps and live largely self-sufficiently off the resources gained through trading her crops.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Lenora, along with Llywelyn Amberhide , Lia Galanodel and Bhaldrum Feldsparr assisted in the defence of Illyria and the defeat of Princess Sara.
Failures & Embarrassments
Yeeting a bird out of its tree when it was unable to give further information on a group of cultists who attacked her outside her home.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Lenora is heavily driven to protect and assist those she cares about. She feels strongly when they are hurt or unhappy, and would go to great lengths to prevent this, sometimes with wider negative consequences.
Hygiene
As a result of her forest lifestyle, Lenora does not bathe as much as would be socially recommended. She sees it as wasted time and effort when her lifestyle will only render her dirty again in a short span of time.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Lenora travels with Llywelyn Amberhide , Lia Galanodel and Bhaldrum Feldsparr following them all being attacked by cultists of Princess Sara. Though initially for the purpose of gathering information, the group became friends and have stayed together since.
During their travels, Lenora became increasingly close to then-Prince Henry and the pair became romantically involved around the time of the Battle of Illyria. They recently married in Sarayne, surrounded by her friends and Henry's Saraynese relatives.
Family Ties
Growing up, Lenora's only family was her mother, Nadia. She was not given information about her father or extended family, and eventually gave up asking.
Following the discovery of the cell she was imprisoned in underneath Silvari manor, Lenora found the name of her father for the first time: Danelyn Valaheim.
Through further investigation, Lenora found that her father was currently the head of Ruling House Valaheim , one of the six ruling families on the Council of Velladae. After meeting with Danelyn, Lenora discovered that her mother had left Danelyn after he was attacked by a necromancer and became "il-firin" (undead).
Hobbies & Pets
Lenora has adopted a meerie named Fang, and a horse, Isa, gifted to her by Prince Henry. She previously adopted a direwolf, Alf, but he died protecting Lenora and her friends.
Relationships
History
Lenora and Henry met on a royal expedition to the Great Forest with the aim of rooting out a group of cultists that had been responsible for a number of attacks on the road. As the Crown Prince, Henry kept largely to himself initially, though throughout the expedition he started to open up, allowing them to learn more about each other. After Henry's Aasimar heritage was revealed during a fight, the shared secret allowed them to begin to bond further. During their travels, Henry began to share information on his failed marriage to
Lethe Thornspire, and how the pair were married only in name.Upon their return to Illyria, Lenora was surprised to find herself disappointed to be parting, having grown to see Henry as a friend - something very unfamiliar to her due to her isolated upbringing. They were reunited soon after however, and travelled together to Verdorn to confront House Silvari about potential involvement with the cultists. During a ball held for Henry's visit, a fight ensued as Crown Princess Sara, Henry's exiled sister and the leader of the cultists, appeared disguised as Henry, and the pair were drawn into aerial combat. Lenora and her friends attempted to assist but were forced to flee. Lenora was horrified at leaving Henry to fight Sara alone, a feeling that only increased when they later discovered he had been petrified in the battle. Lenora and her friends set out to find a way to cure him, eventually succeeding with the help of Alavir Feywild. Following this, Lenora found herself increasingly drawn to Henry, seeking out opportunities to get to know him better.
Their budding relationship was almost derailed during a demon attack in Last Way, where the monster sought out Lenora's worst fear, that of being betrayed by those she was close to, and forced it upon her in the form of Henry. Deeply shaken by the events, even knowing it was not real, Lenora began to withdraw protectively in on herself, noticeably distancing herself from Henry. By the time she built up the courage to confront him and explain, Henry had fled, leaving only a note stating that he could not bring himself to return to his old life at the Palace.
Ignoring a request not to follow him, Lenora and her friends tracked him to an inn on the road they had just travelled, where Henry was disguised as a travelling bard. Lenora succeeded in convincing Henry to return, and upon their arrival at Illyria they admitted their feelings for each other for the first time. Both Henry and Lenora were uneasy about this due to Henry's status as Crown Prince, but also his marriage and the fact that society would deem both of them adulterers. Despite these challenges however, they decided to continue in their relationship, later confessing their love for each other in a glade near Lenora's home outside Last Way.
At the start, Lenora and Henry worked hard to keep their relationship secret beyond their group of close friends,
Llywelyn Amberhide, Lia Galanodel, Bhaldrum Feldsparr and Joseph Cassius Merca. The two saw each other only secretly, and continued to stay in touch when Lenora left Illyria to meet her father Danelyn Valaheim in Das. The sneaking around grew tiring however, and upon returning to Illyria, the pair decided to go public. Royal mistresses not being subject to the same social condemnation as extra-marital affairs among the common people, Lenora was quietly accepted.
Throughout their relationship their worries about the future and whether they would be forced to live a Royal life that neither of them wanted continued to weigh heavily on them. It appeared they would have to wait until Henry was crowned King before they could decide whether he should abdicate or continue. The concerns about a potential future union of Sarayne and Nerevarn should he abdicate, leaving his brother Prince Gawain to take the throne, added further complication. In addition to the constitutional nightmare this would cause, Lenora was personally reluctant to allow such a union, due to her desire to protect her father: if the laws of Nerevarn were extended to Sarayne, his existence (as an 'il-firin', or vampire) would then be illegal. Lenora and Henry eventually decided to use Queen Dana's offered boon, granting Lenora one request in exchange for her assistance in the battle of Illyria, to request Henry be disinherited. At this time the couple also agreed to marry, and Henry destroyed his bonding gift from his first marriage, effectively divorcing Lethe.
The Queen granted their request, bound as she was by her promise, but promptly cast the couple out, declaring them no longer welcome. The joy of their first night out of the Palace was cut short however, when the Queen ordered Henry to travel immediately to Sarayne to demand the return of his brother, Gawain, to fulfill his duties as the new Crown Prince. Henry was not permitted to see Lenora before he left, for fear of him fleeing, and was instructed that he should not return to Nerevarn unless he brought Gawain back with him.
Upon being reunited with Lenora in Raad, the Saraynese capital, Henry informed Gawain of his new role as Crown Prince, but Gawain refused to leave his family and return to Illyria, meaning that Henry, and Lenora with him, would be effectively banished from Nerevarn for as long as Queen Dana ruled. After relations between Sarayne and Nerevarn later soured however, Henry and Lenora finally took up residence as a couple near Lenora's father.
Commonalities & Shared Interests
Both Lenora and Henry possessed a passion for nature, with Lenora growing up in the forest outside Last Way, and Henry seeing nature as an escape from the palace life he hated. They both enjoyed being out in the wilderness, and had a shared love of animals.
Legal Status
Married
Wealth & Financial state
For most of her life Lenora had very little money, though this did not concern her. She lived a self-sufficient life, trading produce from her garden and so had little need or desire for wealth.
Current Location
Species
Held Items
Date of Birth
42nd Sowing 1067
Year of Birth
1067 NL
1152 Years old
Circumstances of Birth
Father kept secret by mother
Birthplace
Family
Spouses
Henry Feywild
(Husband)
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Pronouns
She/her
Gender
Female
Eyes
Green
Hair
Long, brunette
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Natural tan
Height
5'4
Quotes & Catchphrases
"What are you?"
Belief/Deity
Comments