Alessa Tarindal the Protector of Faith

Title History

Skill List

PK Statistics

PK Gank-O-Meter

Immortal Comments

Role

Chapter 1

Day of the Bull, 15th of the Month of the Old Forces.

I am Alessa Emelye Tarindal Eliars. I am a priestess of the Temple
of Reason. I am a Healer, a Herald, and a wife. I have been a friend, and
less often an enemy. I have at times been a writer, marriage counselor, tour
guide, philanthropist, philosopher, storyteller, and a shoulder to cry on.
This is who I am. This is what I do.

Age has mostly been kind to me.My health dwindles, but I take no
notice.Lord Phaelim has given me the opportunity to earn back some
of the lost verdure of life. I felt strange asking the Lord for this
favor. My nature is to give more than take, but I realize that without good
health, I will be unable to continue being who I am, and doing what I do, for
long.

I have often wondered what has made me the person I am today. After
all, to know thyself is perhaps the most important step in understanding the
world. I have found that the better I understand myself, the better
understanding I have of others.I get people. I never realized this before,
but it occurred to me last night. Other people are not at all quite
different from myself. Whether or not they realize it, everyone has a reason
for their being and doing. Most never come to this realization, but by
simply watching and interacting with others from an outside perspective
(perspective is key!), it becomes increasingly less difficult to ascertain
one's reasons.

Perhaps it was losing all that I had loved at a young age. Perhaps it was
the kindness shown to me by priests and priestesses at the Healer's Guild,
and at the Temple of the Moon. Perhaps it was the wise words of the myriad
and motley travelers I encountered while an orphan. I say it was all of
these things that, when pieced together, completed the foundation of who I
am.

I no longer dream of Milean. He came to me one last time many months
ago. He spoke four simple words - We are at peace. Today, I am at peace
with myself. I understand where I have been and where I want to go. My path
is marked, and what awaits me as I journey forth fills me with great
excitement and pride. One day I wish to bear the mark of my Lord as proof of
my faith and devotion. Perhaps proof is not the word I seek, but I take
pride in my beliefs and my Lord, and all that he teaches. There is no better
life, or so I believe.

Or so I feel.

Role

Chapter 2

I know why. There must be no other explanation. Dreams killed
Milean.They killed mother, too, and probably father. I remember
when we were little, before Milean got sick, he would wake in the
middle of night screaming. Horrible nightmares had jolted him from
his slumber. Mother would rush in, comforting him. I was too afraid
to look, too afraid to listen to him describe his dreams to her.
I did not want to open my eyes, nor did I want to keep them closed.

Mother would leave a lantern on, in the room Milean and I shared,
overnight. Milean was dreadfully afraid of the dark. Mother must
have been, too.She kept a lantern on for herself, and I remember
times when Milean would crawl in bed with her only to come back and
proclaim how impossible it was to sleep with her, with all the tossing
and turning. I vaguely remember mother telling Milean on one of his
midnight spooks how she had bad dreams as well, but they are only dreams,
and when you wake, when the sun rises, all will be forgotten.

I do not know what Milean dreamt, not do I know what my mother dreamt.
I do know that Milean dreams in my dreams, but I am not sure, of all
he tells me, what is dream and what is not.

I was walking through the dunes south of the Jade Mountains. There was
a sandstorm. A violent, turbulent conglomeration of wind, sand, brush,
dirt, and rocks alike. I started off in the opposite direction when the
sand turned to all the colors of the rainbow. Brillian hues of violet
and deep blue. The colors swirled, entrancing me, and for some reason,
agains my better judgement, I walked toward the mealstrom. Immediately,
I was tossed against boulder after boulder, again and again unmercifully.
Later that same day, I found myself fighting a dragon while I was all but
naked. He called to me, like a siren, sometimes like a banshee. It was
terribly sweet, and then, THEN I heard my mother's voice singing. I
walked straight toward him, not thinking.

I do not fear sleep. I do not even fear my dreams, they disturb me more
than scare me. But my dreams are trying to do away with me, too. But why?
And who? I have heard people speak of my family's curse. Could it be
true? Has my family been cursed in their sleep, doomed to dream to death?
I only hope I can find the answer before it takes me, too.

Role

Chapter 3

I dream so frequently that it is often difficult to discern what is reality
and what is not. My dreams seem so tangible, so REAL. I recently dreamt
that I was walking down Jualdhe Road with Milean, talking about flowers and
trees, and playing silly skipping games, just as we had as children.
Everything felt normal, except Milean was still just a boy, and I was grown,
yet I spoke and acted Milean's age. After some time, we found ourselves in
some sort of wagon with a cat. I later found out that this place was the
entrance to the dream world, Organia.

I had never even heard of this place before my brother took me there. We
never entered it together, I did that alone later - while fully awake. I am
still not exactly certain what that dream was about, but it was one that I
both never wanted to wake from yet . . .

Milean said something before I woke that bothers me still. He said that he
dreams at night (I did not know that spirits could do so), and as he does he
is haunted by someone who calls herself the Princess of the Kingdom of
Shadows. He mentioned something about demons and fire, crying and screaming,
but I understood little of what he was talking about. There was a deep
sadnees in Milean's eyes, almost fear, that I have never seen before, even as
he was succumbing to the illness that took his life.

Why do we dream? Why do we have the dreams that we do?What do they mean?
I perhaps never would have asked these questions had I not seen the look in
Milean's eyes. It is possible that it is my mind - my fears, my aspirations,
my joys, my sorrows - that write my dreams, but how could I dream accurately
of something of which I had not known before? No, no. I am sure now more
than ever that Milean is trying to tell me something. Either he needs me, or
I need him. I hope I have the answer before it is too late.

Role

Chapter 4

This is a journal entry that I wrote some time ago, but the paper I penned
it on was badly damaged after I dropped it in a puddle outside the Inn.
I should take better care of what I write, especially now that I am a scribe
for the Heralds. I have tride to copy this entry to the best of my ability,
though some of the ink ran so badly that certain parts had to be recreated
from memory.

Day of the Great Gods, 26th of the Month of the Ancient Darkness.

It has been quite some time since I've been able to convince myself to do
some writing. I have spent the time since my last entry concentrating on
learning the skills required to become a competent priestess. Having Lord
Phaelim's teachings, blessings, and voice guide me throughout my experiences
brings meaning to what I do, what I think, and what I accomplish.

A while back, sometime between my last writing and this, I had the pleasure
to meet a woman some time before she passed away. Her name, if I remember
correctly, was Leesah. She was quite older than I, and wise all the same.
She reminded me of the mage I met so many years ago - the kind man who
introduced me to all that I believe in today. Like that man, Leesah had
relinquished her magic once she reached her pinnacle in her guild. She
explained it as fulfilling a goal in life, and that she was then
concentrating on another goal.

The concept of abandoning all that one has learned and worked for during the
course of a lifetime is an idea that I find difficult to grasp. Even though
my mother rarely spoke of her past, and though she died young, I am sure she
never forgot her training. While I was still quite young, I remember the
townspeople spoke very highly of her, and that even though she was forced
out of her calling, she still followed the Paladin Code to the letter.
One's work in life is never done, sometimes even after you die, and I can
not imagine myself ever forgetting who I am and what I do.

While speaking with Leesah, the conversation turned to a topic of discussion
that has occupied most of my waking moments, and even some of my dreams. I
have been pondering the concept of free will, something which I am unsure of.
Whether it exists or not is something which I still do not have any solid
opinion of. Unfortunately, the conversation in the Inn that day drifted this
way and that, mostly tending toward discussing the meaning of life. What
makes us alive, what is the difference between the living, the dead, and the
undead. All things that are in my mind, but these days, I am of the belief
that the answer depends on the question of free will.

My brother comes to me in my dreams often still, but exceedingly more
distant. I wish I understood why he comes, and what I can do to keep him
from leaving completely. It seems like he needs me, though the sound of his
voice does not suggest that he is in any kind of distress. Perhaps he is
trying to say a proper goodbye. At least when I dream now, I do not wake. My
sleep is restful.

Role

Chapter 5

Day of Thunder, 3rd of the Month of the Dark Shades.

There are certain questions that I am sure even the greatest of thinkers can
not answer. This is not to say that they should not be asked - the worst
question is no question. Some have spent their entire existance pondering
the meaning of this or that only to die with the answer out of their reach.
But do they die unfulfilled? Unsatisfied? Does philosophy depend on the
answers, or is it comfortable with just the questions?

Death knows no philosophy. She reaches out and touches all, regardless of
what society claims to know of her. Today we can say that one dies because
of this, and tomorrow another dies because of that, yet death still comes.
The fear of death has been instilled in us stretching back more generations
than one can fathom. This fear is the reason we try to codify death's
motives. The more we know (or at least pretend to know), the less scary
death becomes, for death is, above all, the Great Unknown.

However, death must have a reason, for everything happens for a reason.
There is cause and, subsequently, effect. In this case the answer, that is
to say the effect, is death. Death is not a variable.What need to be
determined are the questions. It is not simply satisfactory to say that we
die because we grow old, or sick, or frail - these are symptoms of the cause,
not causes of the effect. By documenting what we know as fact about death in
these terms, we come ever closer to being able to ask the ultimate question.
It is not sufficient to ask "why do we die?" That is no more than a
beginning. There must be more.Only then can we learn the truth.

Role

Chapter 6

Day of Deception, 9th of the Month of the Spring.

I lie here unable to sleep. What little slumber I am able to manage is
interrupted by the sound of my brother's voice calling to me. This has been
going on for several nights now, and the lack of rest is starting to take its
toll. I am finding it difficult to keep my thoughts together. I wish I knew
what my brother was saying to me, even if it is nothing more than a dream.
Perhaps it would offer me peace of mind enough to make amends with my weary
eyes.

Since I am awake, I might as well document what conclusions I have come to
regarding that which I spoke of with Lord Phaelim. Some of my observations
and conclusions may seem to be obvious and even redundant, but even the most
basic thoughts are paramount to sound philosophy. The mightiest of trees
could not reach such stature without first being a simple seed, as there is
much hidden in what may seem to be nothing at all.

My first observation is that death comes to all, but the Gods have granted us
the gift of reincarnation. Death is only final when the body can return no
more.

Secondly, there are those who are blessed with the gift of eternal
life, but this is not an act of nature - it is a direct act of the Gods.
Immortal beings are free from the burdon of body, and can therefore not die
by conventional means. Necromancers who have completed their Becoming are a
special case. These Liches, as they are called, are no longer living, yet
not dead, similar to zombies. They are what has been called "undead," that
is, supernaturally animated beings that are unaffected by the casualties of
time. They, however, are not free of body, and can therefore be physically
damaged to the point of final death.

Third, some believe in the concept of an afterlife - life-after-death.
Others say that this concept was invented to alley the fear of the absolute
end of one's life. I am yet to state my opinion on this matter, though I
lean toward death being an ultimate end to existance. The Gods grant
immortality to few, so it would logically follow that those who die, die. It
is, however, possible that this afterlife is a concept entirely separate from
the concept of immortality.

Fourth, and final for now, as my eyes grow heavy in promise of restful sleep,
is the idea that death is a culmination of one's life. A fulfillment or
completion, as it may be. Believers of this theory lean toward the
conviction that one dies when one has satisfied their mortal duty or
obligation. Each being is born with a purpose, and once that purpose has
been fulfilled, death makes room for another being with another purpose.

I will add to this once I have slept off my weariness. Then, perhaps, I will
come closer to answering the question of what my purpose is, and why I should
be granted the ablility to stave off death. If only for a time.

Role

Chapter 7

Alessa Tarindal was born the fortunate twin. Her brother Milean, younger by
slightly less than ten minutes, was not to see his tenth birthday. A long
stretch of inimical weather brought a decidedly bad case of pneumonia upon
Milean, one that proved to be incurable. Some say it was a curse, while
others assume nothing more than unfortunate circumstances. The Tarindal
family was, sadly, inclined to have such things happen.For generations,
locals whispered rumors of the family being smitten by demons and devils,
vengeful Gods and Goddesses, curses, plagues, and all other manner of
ill-conceived curiosity.

Alessa's fairborn mother, Lheanna, was most likely from Darsylon, though she
spoke of her past rarely. While in training at the Guild of Paladins,
Lheanna shattered her ankle dismounting a horse, and injury from which she
would never fully recover. Unable to contunue the intense physical regimen
of her studies, she moved to Galadon where she took an interest in the
apothecary, whom she later married. Unfortunately, while Lheanna was
pregnant with Alessa, the sign hanging above the apothecary shop was caught
in a stiff breeze, causing the heavy wodden board to break free from its
hinges and fall atop the shopkeeps head, snapping his neck and killing him
instantly.

Lheanna herself was also the victim of tragedy.The same winter that took
Milean likewise saw Lheanna to her grave. The cause of her death is still,
to this day, unknown. She was found just outside the northern gates of
Galadon with nary a mark on her body. She was still warm when a wandering
traveler came upon her lifeless corpse.None of the great healers in all the
land were able to determine how Lheanna died
were ruled out all the same. The only logical explanation was some form of
divine intervention.

Young Alessa, now without home and family, was taken into the Healer's Guild
as an orphan. There she spent much of her time studying philosophy and
religion. She earned her keep by sweeping the floors of the guildhall, and
cleaning up after bloody travelers by the fountain and alter. While working
there, Alessa was often afforded the opportunity to speak to all manner of
interesting people. One morning she came across a mage she had never before
met. Their conversation drifted to philosophy, a topic in which the mage
seemed well-versed. He spoke of logic and reason and how all life was
goverened by these things. Alessa was entranced by his words.

She never did see the mage again. He mentioned the name Phaelim during their
brief conversation, and it was not until Alessa entered the Academy that she
learned who this was. She took immediate interest in this diety's
philosophy, and vowed to devote her life to his teachings. Such is the
beginning of Alessa's story.

Timeline