Ilyana Maeron Name: Ilyana MaeronRace: Elf (swapping Con penalty to Str)
Class 1: Duettist Bard
Class 2: Cartomancer Witch
Alignment: CG
Traits: Warrior of Old, Savant, Resilient
Drawback: Oblivious
Free Feat: Prodigy (Perform: Oratory, Profession: Librarian)
Personality
Ilyana may seem aloof and standoffish to someone that doesn’t know her well, but in reality it’s just that she’s normally lost in thought. If you can manage to get her attention, she’s actually quite personable… at least until her mind wanders again. The surest way to keep her interested in a conversation is to start talking about books. She loves stories of any kind, and is always quick to recommend to someone a book she thinks they'll love, whether they asked for it or not. Having been one herself, she takes a special interest in orphans, which Falcon’s Hollow has all too many of. Children who have lost a parent are always welcome at her library, and often leave with a free book or two in hand.
Background
Ilyana was born in Lastwall, the daughter of two crusaders, elves from Kyonin drawn there by the promise of glory holding back the undead menace. They, naturally, hoped their daughter would follow in their footsteps, and began her combat training as soon as she was old enough to hold a blade. Ilyana hated every minute of it. It wasn’t that she was opposed to the fight itself; she knew how important the work her parents did was. Nor did the hard work of her training bother her. And yet, whenever she was among the soldiers, she found it hard to function or even think straight. She felt all the pain, fear, and loss of the warriors around her as if it were her own, pressing on her mind constantly. Despite the respect Ilyana had for her parents, it was clear the life of a soldier was not for her.
Unfortunately, the life of a crusader is dangerous even for the most skilled warriors, and Ilyana’s parents were killed in battle when she was still fairly young. She was well cared for in an orphanage in Vigil, as the people of Lastwall always provided for the family of its slain defenders. Still, life was difficult. She knew she had little chance of being adopted; what human family would want to take in a child that would still be in adolescence into their old age and beyond? This is not to say that she had no one, however. Several locals took a liking to and watched over the young elf. There was Rufus Axil, who ran the library where Ilyana spent a great deal of time reading, and Carmella Plescu, an old Varisian woman who taught Ilyana how to read the Harrow, something she showed an innate talent for. Of course, by the time the elf was old enough to leave the orphanage and take care of herself, they both had already passed away from old age. By that point, Ilyana was more than ready to leave Lastwall, the war, and the painful memories of loss behind her.
For decades, she wandered from town to town, never putting down roots or staying in one place for more than a few years. She spent some time at the Kitharodian Academy in Taldor, where she honed her talents for both storytelling and magic. She also did some light adventuring from time to time; no slaying of dragons or anything major, just the occasional assistance for a village in danger from bandits or recovering artifacts from ruins. Her only consistent companion over the years was Umbar, a raven who had followed her since before she ever left Lastwall. Between his extraordinarily long life and his ability to speak, she knew he had been somehow touched by magic, quite possibly the same unknown force that gave her her unusual empathic awareness. Regardless of his origin, Ilyana was glad for his company, and the raven’s croaking voice added a nice flair to her storytelling.
After a few dozen years wandering with no real goal or destination in mind, Ilyana found she was getting tired. While seeing new things and meeting people was interesting, she missed the sense of home and community she had as a child in Lastwall. Her thoughts were drawn to Falcon’s Hollow, a town she had passed through a few times on her journeys and recalled fondly. While it wasn’t what most would call a pleasant town, it had nice people, and was in dire need (in Ilyana’s opinion) of a good school and library. She has lived there now for over twenty years.
In Falcon’s Hollow
Schoolteacher, librarian, storyteller, fortune teller; Ilyana wears several hats around town. Whether this is due to possessing multifarious talents or simply an inability to focus on a single career is open for debate. In the mornings, she runs the local school, teaching the children of Falcon’s Hollow reading and writing, mathematics, history, and a variety of other subjects. In the afternoon, the schoolhouse becomes a small library and bookstore, mostly lending out storybooks to interested townsfolk, although she also carries a good supply of reference books for passing adventurers seeking to stay informed. In the evenings she performs as a storyteller at local inns and taverns, reciting epic poems and tales of ancient heroes. While she spends a fair amount of time at the Jak'n'napes, The Sitting Duck is her best customer; adventurers love a good tale, gets them all hyped up to make their own. She also offers harrow readings for anyone interested, whether between sets at a tavern or by appointment in her shop. Unlike many fortune tellers, Ilyana takes pride in the fact that she is no charlatan. She is very upfront about how the harrow works; its tellings are always true, but they are also vague and may not be particularly helpful. Still, even a hint of what the future may bring seems to give people a sense of comfort, so she gladly provides the service.
NPC Relationships
Vade Clan: As a fellow magic user, Ilyana is friendly with Sharvaros, although she finds his purely academic approach to magic to be a bit limiting. She has on several occasions managed to supply the wizard with a rare book he needed for his latest experiments. She worries about Savram, concerned that the small boy will one day find himself in more trouble than he can handle. She makes efforts regularly to introduce him to stories she thinks he will find interesting, in the hopes he follows his father in intellectual pursuits.
Half-Orc Gang: Professionally, Ilyana prefers to avoid the Rouge Lady. On a personal level, she carries a strong dislike of Kabran Bloodeye and the way he exploits the women who have lost their families for his own profit. More recently, she has been taking work there more often, mainly to keep an eye on poor Ralla.
Eavewalker Clan: As the only other elf in town, Ilyana was naturally drawn to Idris and his family. She understands the wanderlust he feels, although she disapproves of his constant absences from his family. He will have such a short time with Kitani as it is due to her short life, and Ilyana can’t understand why he would want to waste any of that precious time, to say nothing of leaving his daughter without a father for months at a time. Since his latest disappearing act, she has made a point to keep an eye on Kimi whenever she can.
Crimmy Clan: Ilyana has a good relationship with Ella and Marcus, both personally and professionally. When she’s not working in their inn, she sometimes swaps adventuring stories with the couple, although her limited experience can’t compare with their adventures.
The Sitting Duck Staff: Despite his general grumpiness, Ilyana likes Egrin Tock well enough. When he took over the tavern, he was glad to keep her on board, if only because her stories kept visiting adventurers at the bar a drink or two longer. He pays her well and ensures that any rowdy adventurers that bother her are dealt with. The young waitress Jalene is one of Ilyana’s closest friends in town. Born just a few years after Ilyana arrived in Falcon’s Hollow, the girl was a good student and made regular visits to the library after school. Ilyana taught Jalene a lot of her throwing techniques (although Ilyana herself prefers using cards instead of blades). She was impressed with how quickly the girl picked up the techniques and even surpassed her. She supposes humans have to be fast learners with how quickly they grew.
Jabbs Clan: Although his temper concerns her, Ilyana likes Jacob. She has offered to give him special tutoring sessions after school to help him catch up to the other children, but he always declines, claiming his father needs him helping in the butcher shop. She thinks it likely he is overstating his father’s needs and his hesitance is due to his own frustration. Ilyana is considering talking to his mother to force the issue.
Church Staff: Ilyana doesn’t spend much time at the church, worshiping privately at a small shrine to Findeladlara in her home. As the church itself has taken charge of Sara’s education, Ilyana doesn’t know her as well as most of the other children in town, but she still checks in with the girl on occasion to ensure no vital areas of learning are being overlooked.
Logging Consortium Staff: Another former student, Kate was a close friend, and Ilyana never understood what she saw in Thuldrin. She has a few private doubts about the accident that caused Kate’s death, but is wise enough not to voice them. Instead, she watches over Jurin in the memory of her lost friend, making sure to give him the affirmation and affection he does not get from his uncaring father.
