Storyboards: Aiviey

From Nobility to Commoner | Adventure in the Making | Reluctant apprentice | Wayward noble

From Nobility to Commoner
"Your Grace?" The voice came timidly from the doorway. Aiviey sighed and turned away from the window. One of the maids stood in the doorway, unsure of herself. "Your father wishes to see you, your Grace." The maid curtsied and disappeared down the hallway. Aiviey sighed again. Steeling herself for a lecture, she went to her father's study and knocked on the door. "Come!" a gruff voice barked. Aiviey gathered all of her strength and entered the room.
Cadnon Duldrith was Margrave of a small town in the northern part of Sendaria. The town was so small it wasn't even on a map. Aiviey had her suspicions about how her father had earned his title, but she kept them to herself. Being margravine gave her certain advantages that she wasn't quite willing to give up. She stood before her father's desk, knowing that to act impatient would cause him to ignore her even longer. Margrave Cadnon was a large man, bulky in the middle. He had pale skin, probably from spending all his spare time indoors counting his money. He was Sendarian only by blood. His personality and manner, however, did not reflect his heritage. He was greedy and ruthless, squeezing everything from his workers and giving little in return. Aiviey waited patiently.
Cadnon finally looked up from his ledger and looked at his daughter. She had grown into a beautiful young woman, he had to admit. The sons of several prosperous landowners in nearby towns had asked for her hand, and he'd spent countless hours figuring which would improve his status the most. He had made his decision, and it was for this reason he had called his daughter into his study.
"It took you long enough to get here." Aiviey resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her father had no love for anyone beside himself, and he made no secret of the fact that raising his daughter alone had cost him a considerable amount of money. He looked her over again, and set his quill down. "I've been in contact with Baron Alcaeus in recent weeks. It seems he has a son about your age." Cadnon paused briefly to watch the anger flash in his daughter's eyes. "You will wed him in two weeks time. I expect you will be on your best behavior for this occasion." He picked his quill up and opened his ledger. "You are dismissed."
To her credit, Aiviey kept her rage in until she was alone. Once she was, she unleashed her fury on everything in sight. How DARE he? She took her anger out on the most expensive things she could find. Everything her father had bought her over the years, from trinkets to the oranate dresser that had been imported from Tolnedra, fell to her wrath. After many hours had passed, Aiviey finally calmed down enough to think rationally. Of course she wasn't going to marry the Baron's son. Chewing on her bottom lip, she surveyed the room. Collecting a few things, she quickly scrawled a note on some parchment, sealed it and after thinking, tucked her seal into her travel bag. She might need it later. Taking one more look around her, she quietly slipped through the hallways and out into the garden. She climbed over the wall and, without looking back, walked away from her childhood home forever.
One of the younger maids approached Aiviey's door well after sundown, many hours after the tantrum had ceased, and knocked quietly on the door. Not getting an answer, the maid cautiously opened the door. Amid the wreckage, the maid found a handwritten letter with the Margravine's personal seal. Her hands trembling, she delivered the letter to Margrave Cadnon and didn't wait around to watch him read it.
The Margravine Aiviey Duldrith had never traveled beyond the borders of the little town her father, the Margrave Cadnon Duldrith, ran. At the age of sixteen, her father had told her in no uncertain terms that she would marry the son of a Baron that she had never heard of. The marriage, had it taken place, would have made Cadnon a very wealthy man. There being no affection at all between Aiviey and her father, she packed a few things and left home. She did have the courtesy to leave him a note, however.
The sun rises over the little city of Camaar. Shops open and people begin to filter into the streets. A lone girl, about sixteen years in age, stops before the northern door. She stands for a few moments chewing on her lower lip. Her expensive-looking dress is ragged along the bottom hem and she looks as if she's worn it for several weeks in a row. The rest of her is quite clean, however. She makes a decision and wanders into the town.
After a brief wander, she reaches a park of some sort. Many people walk the streets by this time, and she is very confused. She has never ventured into a city before, and certainly never left her father's house by herself before. She sits near a fountain and tries not to lose hope. Her anger had propelled her from home to Camaar, but now that she is here, she isn't sure what to do next. Fortunately, a solution presents itself.

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Adventure in the Making
"Hi there!" The voice came to her from behind. Startled, Aiviey turned to see who owned it. A small girl stood on the other side of the fountain beaming a smile at Aiviey. Aiviey's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Hi!" the girl said again. Aiviey pointed to herself. The girl nodded. Aiviey smiled, sort of, and nodded. "Hello," she said, her voice quiet but firm. She was used to giving orders. She'd have to curb her instincts now. The girl beamed a smile at Aiviey again, and bounced her way over to where Aiviey sat. Aiviey raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I'm Kerowa," the girl said. Aiviey couldn't help but smile. The girl's positive manner was infectious. "Aiviey." She purposefully left her title out. She wanted people to think she was just another commoner. She had her reasons, of course.
Kerowa continued to talk in a flood of idle conversation. She was bubbly and enthusiastic about everything. Aiviey asked a few questions about the surrounding area. Kerowa chattered on and on. One thing that stuck in Aiviey's mind as the day wore on was a group of people who called themselves the Adventurers. Aiviey was intrigued by this. Kerowa explained that they were a clan of sorts, dedicated to helping people and gaining knowledge. Aiviey's interest in the clan was purely for personal gain at this point. She needed a haven from her father's spies, and this clan of adventurers sounded like the perfect place to do so.
"Come with me, I'll introduce you to our leader." Kerowa was saying. Aiviey grinned. The day had suddenly improved a hundredfold. Aiviey followed Kerowa into building in the northern part of the city. The entrance hall was huge. Aiviey had grown up surrounded by oppulence, but the enormity of this hall far exceeded anything she had ever seen. Kerowa led her into a small room that smelled faintly of herbs and cleaning supplies. Resting on a comfortable cot was an Algarian. Aiviey had seen many Algarians before and this one fit the profile perfectly. Kerowa introduced him as "Gares" and he smiled. After a short interview, Gares sent her to the local hostel to await a decision.
Aiviey sat on her bed, anxiously awaiting news from Gares. Joining the Adventurers would solve the problem of her father trying to find her, and would also aid her in hiding her true identity. She looked up as someone knocked lightly on her door. The messenger entered the room silently, handed Aiviey a letter and left the room just as silently.
Aiviey looked at it apprehensively. She carefully broke the seal and began to read. She got as far as "...welcome you to the ranks of the Adventurers..." before she jumped up and grabbed her bag. She nodded politely at the hostel keeper before running out the door and down the street to her new home.

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Reluctant Apprentice
"Do it again." Kerowa's bubbly demeanor had apparently been left at the door. Once Gares had charged the pretty Rivan with educating Aiviey, Kerowa had become a harsh, if adorable, taskmistress. Aiviey's training mostly consisted of jogging around the city of Camaar, something she certainly wouldn't have done at home, and casting minor spells. Aiviey wasn't sure what purpose filling a waterskin with magic served, but if that's what Kerowa wanted her to do, that's what she would do.
Aiviey had been very vague about her origins, claiming that the fancy, albeit dirty, dress had been stolen. The rest of the clan seemed to accept this story and life was pretty quiet. Except for the incessant demands of Kerowa. Aiviey sighed and concentrated on the waterskin, trying to focus on the task at hand. She whispered a word, felt a slight pull and produced a foul-smelling swampy liquid. Kerowa visibly bit her tongue and tossed yet another waterskin aside.
"How can I teach you if you're not willing to learn?" Whatever else she may be, Kerowa was patient to a fault. Aiviey feared that her inability to do even the simplest tasks would grate that patience away all too quickly. "It's not that I don't want to learn, Kerowa," Aiviey said for the hundreth time. "It's just that I can't do it." Kerowa sighed. They'd been having this argument for a week. "You can do it. I know you can. If you couldn't, you wouldn't even be able to do the little you've done." Kerowa picked up another waterskin from the endless pile of waterskins. She handed it to Aiviey, who sighed in defeat.
"Do it again."

"That's it!!" Aiviey looked up, startled. Kerowa was holding the waterskin with a look of triumph on her face. Aiviey was slightly confused. "What?" Kerowa turned and grinned at the Sendarian. "You did it." She upended the waterskin and poured some of the clear water onto her hand. Aiviey blinked a few times. "Oh. Heh. Neat." She was exhausted, barely keeping herself upright. After days and days of trying, and failing, she'd finally managed to make water with just a word. Kerowa looked at Aiviey critically. "That's enough, I think. You should get some rest. You'll need your strength." Aiviey's eyes went wide. "For what?" she was almost afraid to ask. "I'm taking you to Floyd tomorrow." Aiviey looked bewildered. "Who's Floyd? Wait, don't tell me." She held up a hand. "At this point, I don't really want to know." Aiviey yawned and stretched. "Let me get some sleep, then I'll be happy to meet this Floyd person." She looked at Kerowa, her eyes narrowing. "If he tries to make me fill a waterskin, I'll drown him."
Kerowa's bubbling laughter was the last thing Aiviey's brain registered as her eyes closed and she drifted off into a deep sleep.

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Wayward Noble
Aiviey sighed. Sitting on her bed, she glanced out the window every so often. Kerowa had promised not to tell anyone. Aiviey wished she could trust people, but Kerowa and Aewyr had vanished from the clan hall only a few days after Kerowa had learned Aiviey's true identity. Margravine. Aiviey smiled, sort of. She was hardly noble. The title was a hand-down from her father, a man who cared more about lining his pockets and rising his rank than he did about his family. Added to the fact that the two women had left without word to anyone was a rumor that Aewyr was no longer in the clan. Aiviey hadn't known the girl long, but she liked her. Sha-Dar Gares was moody and short of temper lately, too. Aiviey figured her best bet was to stay in her room and out of the way. The small, dusty alcove tucked away in the far corner of the second floor of the clanhall had belonged to someone who'd left the clan long, long ago. Aiviey felt comfortable in this room, however, almost as if she felt a kinship with the mute girl who used to live in it.
Aiviey sighed again. She had to do something about Kerowa and Aewyr. Aiviey was sure the two women wouldn't betray her, but they didn't know Aiviey's father, either. He could be very cruel if the situation wasn't to his liking. Since Aiviey had left when her father had announced his intention to marry her off to the son of a wealthy, and prominent, neighboring Lord, Aiviey was sure her father would stop at nothing to find her. Forcing Kerowa and Aewyr to divulge the information would be like a walk in the park to him. Aiviey's thoughts bounced around in her head as she fought with herself over whether to simply trust that Kerowa and Aewyr would be careful, or to follow them and make sure nothing happened to them.
As the sun began to set, Aiviey still sat on the bed, gazing out the window. She had to find out where Kerowa had gone. She was sure the Rivan would keep her promise, but promises were grey areas. One person's idea of saying nothing could be someone else's idea of saying too much. Her mind made up, the wayward noble picked up her freshly packed bag and left the clanhall, headed for the home she had sworn she would never return to.

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