- Name: Eira Adeney
Nickname: --
Age: 18
Social Class: Peasant
Occupation: Servant to a rich Artisan - a dye maker
APPEARANCE
Eira is a very small young woman, standing at only five-foot-two. She is also exceedingly frail to the point of being unhealthy - she bruises easily, and her constitution is such that she is often ill; usually, the sicknesses are only mild, and not enough to truly interfere with her work, only make her feel miserable. Because of this, her nose is often red and stuffy, pale green eyes watery, and her pale skin flushed with just a hint of fever. On the rare occasion that she is completely healthy, she is revealed to be a comely young woman - well enough off in the looks department to attract a suitable spouse, but she will never be considered a great beauty. Her black hair is often limp and in slight disarray; left out of it's bonds, it falls just past her shoulders, but is usually put up in a messy bun or braid, strands falling free to frame her face. Because she does take sick so easily, she does her best to combat this by layering the thickest, warmest furs she can afford on her too-slender form; she prefers warmth and comfort over style, and often her clothes are a bit mismatched. Eira's chief beauty is her smile; warm and welcoming, it is meant to soothe the spirits of those around her and invite them to speak with her.
PERSONALITY
Eira is incredibly superstitious. She believes she has somehow attracted an evil spirit, and that is why she is always slightly ill. As such, she is always bartering for charms the unscrupulous sell against such things, trying to ward the spirit away. The Touched are a thing of horror for her, and even Hunters or those with any unnatural coloring are regarded with a deep suspicion, bordering on animosity. In the small room provided to her by her employer, one corner is reserved for her offerings to the spirits. She makes these daily, often giving up part of her much-needed sustenance in an attempt to placate the spirit plaguing her, or attract a spirit who will protect and heal her - the intention of the offering often varies with how awful she is feeling that particular day.
The young woman is also very friendly to those who don't arouse her superstitious fear. She enjoys making and keeping friends, and when her illnesses don't keep her from venturing out in the evening, she often stops by the nearby pub to take in a few songs and stories. With a smile for almost everyone, she does her best to welcome those who step into her life... so long as they aren't unnatural in any way. She greatly enjoys swapping stories and songs, and if someone has one she hasn't heard before, she's all ears and wide eyes. She's especially keen on stories that detail a way someone has placated, tricked, or otherwise overcome the evil spirits of the forest - sometimes, if she has the means, she will try to repeat the actions of the story's hero, but so far, none have chased away her own evil spirit.
Despite her illness, Eira believes in hard work, and giving all you can to any job you are given. Tasked with the dog work of preparing the raw materials that are then made into dyes, Eira has not been allowed to share in actually making them - that is for Brandr and his apprentice, not a peasant girl with no book learning. Still, she does most of the chopping and drying and such, along with cleaning the workroom, and she feels very blessed to have such a job. Even though she is almost always a little ill, she throws herself into her work, doing all she can, both as a way to feel she's earned her pay, and also to thank Brandr. He has so far been very forgiving of the times her illnesses have kept her away from work, or kept her from doing every task she should. As long as she can get out of bed, however, the young woman is sure to turn up to do whatever she can, so these times are few and far between. She's very happy with her position, and wouldn't give it up for the world. Brandr has, in some ways, become a surrogate father - their families have a long tradition together, one that holds even now that Eira's family has fallen into poverty. The Talbot family, still rich, often will take an Adeney under their wing. Despite her health troubles and the evil spirit, Brandr has shown a kindness for her since she was a child, and when she was old enough to work, took her in and gave her a place.
She is also very interested in finding a husband, part of the reason she goes to the pub, and any other social activity she can manage to get to. Finding a husband means a home of her own, companionship, and - eventually and especially - children. However, she is also concerned that until she gets rid of the spirit plaguing her, no one will wish to marry her, for fear the spirit would target him and their children.
ABILITIES
Eira enjoys the soothing work of cleaning, and is rather good at it as well. Though she has some trouble with some of the more demanding tasks, she is able to do most everything that is required to keep a home - or workshop - clean. She is especially good at removing dye stains from surfaces where it should not be, something that has ingratiated her to her employer. Her secret is a rather wonderful all-purpose cleanser, water treated with particular herbs and fungi, first blended together by her great-grandmother. She has made her own variation that handles dyes particularly well.
Organizational skills are also something that Eira excels at. She has an eye for the fine details, and enjoys sorting things, though labels must then be made by someone else - usually Brandr's apprentice, Ciannait. The woman's favorite part of the day is the last hour she works, when the dye making is done for the day and she is tasked with enforcing order on the chaos of the workshop once again.
HOBBIES
Eira enjoys singing - her voice is a pleasant enough alto - and telling folk stories at the pub any night she is able to make it there. On days she does not have to work, she also likes to play simple games with the children who live near her, young enough to still enjoy such things. Though she cannot read, she enjoys pouring over the books that Brandr keeps in the family room. She likes to look at the strange forms that she knows are words and guess their meanings from any pictures - her dearest hope is to one day learn to read, but until then, she will simply make up her own stories.
