Katrien Hommel

[minerva]

Katrien Hommel Current Level 20 Exp. to next level: 10207091 Link to original submission: http://www.layonaraonline.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=7891&posts=2&highlight=Katrien%20Homm el&highlightmode=1
Her Character Development thread: http://www.layonaraonline.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=13601&start=1&highlight=Katrien+Homme l&highlightmode=1

New Beginnings:
*Katrien lounges on the cushions of the dais in front of a roaring fire. Open on her lap is her journal, the ink of a new entry drying on the pages. The flames flicker and dance on the walls of her new home. To the side a child sits playing at the piano, practicing scales and simple melodies as her mother listens. The girl’s face is beginning to lose the look of childhood and evolve into that of a young lady. Dark skin that has faded to pleasing grey, a mass of auburn curls frames her face and compliment violet eyes. The talent of the girl is obvious, as is love of the notes she plays. Katrien smiles and praises her daughter’s efforts and returns to her writing.*
Apreal , 1397… 21 years… have they have flown by. It sometimes seems like only yesterday I arrived in Hlint as a naïve 17 year old girl with no real plans or aspirations besides finding a meal and safe place to sleep. Illusions of adventure crowded my head at the time and I must admit I found it fun risking life and limb in those early days to steal a few branches of hickory from under the noses of Orc, or chant insults to Ogres from behind the backs of warriors. Assisting in the recovery of Ronus’s nephew was my first real adventure, though I mostly just tagged along to see what would happen and perhaps gather a good story.
A chance meeting with a willful young druidess, her charming companion and their adopted son has left me with a lifelong friend in Brisbane. I stood with her on the day she said her vows to Plenarius and even as time has passed and they are no longer together I admire her spunk and her willingness to say what she thinks, even if she comes across a bit abrasive at times. Tom has matured and moved on, while Plen’s duties to Katia took him away from Bris’s side. Recently she has hit a crossroads in her life with the events of her mother’s doing. I will help her in any way that I can.
The days when bantering and adventuring were my main concern ended with the appearance of the Lairilweki twins in Hlint. Marked by their poison and then chosen by some gift of the ancient T’oleflor race, I am but a pawn in their schemes. Lisse’ is proof of their treachery, an innocent created by my naïve notion that love and kindness could overcome. It has not all been misery though. Through these events I have forged many bonds of friendship and one of family. Connor I hold in my heart as a brother I never had. We are similar is some ways. He commands the weave not though mysterious phrases and subtle gestures, but with a force of inner will the weave works for him. It is much like the threads of harmony I see fleetingly and knit to patterns for my needs. Kobal has become a fast friend as we work together to find a cure for this poison that hangs over all our heads. We have traveled through much to gather the things we need. We now wait I think till the time is right for the wolf to be called. Kobal’s time has been sorely taxed with the recent events of the Crescent Moon and Shield clan. The ballad of such lies half finished on my desk, the recent move taking my time from it. I was honored to help in their plight, but I shudder to think of the vileness of the once Thane continued but the world is now one bloodpool less. I wish I had endeavored to learn a bit more dwarven from Gam, but my repertoire of dwarven battle cries and drinking songs has improved. I hope someday to find a dwarven bard to teach me the songs I really wish to know of that race; the ones of the stalwart nature and fierce family pride that I see. The façade of rudeness and vulgarity really doesn’t suit the inner pride I have discovered in those few dwarves I have come to hold dear. The dragons… My curiosity piqued I have managed to see the dragons of this world… well most of them. My skills were of little use for negotiating, but still traveling with those sent to forge an alliance with the dragons was thrilling even if I am just now, 10 years later, beginning to understand some of the things I saw and heard back then. Blue, Green and Black those were the ones I was able to glimpse in the negotiations. The prize of it all though was the spectacular trip to that unknown place, some plane I know nothing about and see the magnificence of the metallic dragons. Their majesty is breath taking and I for one am proud to have been among those to escort their hatchlings into this plane and world. I hope they have fared well as I’ve not seen nor heard of them since their release. The experience with the Dragons and the lessons I have learned from my Drow dealings have made me pay more attention to what is going on in this world. Information on the past and the present can be hard to come by. Many of those who know keep things close to their breast thinking that only their peers can be worthy of knowing. It is this hoarding of knowledge that leads me to become more active in world affairs and lend my bow, voice and quill to aid when needed. Little did I know the sacrifices that stance would take as I missed the first four months of my daughter’s young life trapped and tested below the ground. The Ancient one told us many things, the voices of the sundered lands more. In some ways I am richer for the experience but I would have loved to have seen more of Lisse’s infancy. Still, I came away wiser for the experience and hopefully it will make a difference in Lisse’s world. I also made sure to tell all the tale in both word and prose. I also used the wisdom garnered to prevent the loss of that mysterious soul I helped free on the sundered isles. If not for Connor’s and my badgering I really believe Ilsare’s cleric would have left it to mercy to Blood’s forces as they overran Roldem in those dark hours. Roldem…I feel for the loss of its beautiful cities and the scourge of its countryside. Its populace is decimated but at least now with our help, it is once again free of the demons that ravaged it. I was there for the reconnoiter of its plight and there for guerilla attacks on it’s defenses. I stood with my dwarven companions to hold the docks and hills as others disabled key defensive positions.
I look back on it all and wonder. I wonder where I found the time to perfect my tailoring. Where the drive came from to turn my hand from quill and flute to the intricacies of gem cutting and the precision of alchemy. Somehow I managed to create a business and a name for myself. While my creations are not as well known as those of the larger trading guilds it still provides me a means to support myself and pay for Lisse’s tutors. Even more important than the financial gain are the friends and allies I have made along the way. Jharl is much more to me than the apprentice I took on some seven years ago. Connor called him my substitute brother, but he is no substitute. He is as much an Uncle to Lisse as Connor and in fact I do view him more as family; brother is a good word. The Leilon Arms has been an immense factor in my success. Derrick, Enzo as friends and the many contacts I have made with the new waves of adventurers serve to make each merchant night a worth while experience. Then there is Lisse’s third Uncle. A giant heart to match his size and a spirit to teach my daughter that being different from the rest of the pack is no sin. Mikey was my first friend in Hlint and he is now my daughter’s giant protector. I think of this new house in Hlint and finally my independence. More space has meant that finally I can have a room to myself to devote to my studies. I have heard rumors and read lore of an archaic group that much like me used music to tease the weave to their needs. The tower in Spellgard snubs me as having lesser gifts and refuses to admit those like me into their ranks. My knowledge of the weave and how the harmonies of sound affect it are mostly ignored. Some times I would like to scream in frustration as mages in their self sanctimonious manner spout off theory and ignore what I can call forth. Most call me a Bard but then they see the stereotype of performer on the stage. The Chord exists for those of my fellows who see this as their calling. What of the enigmatic Ozy? His is a calling of intrigues and lore; a recorder of histories and events with an ear for music and an appreciation for its intricacies. I see my calling as somehow different. My love is for the song but not the lyric; the sheer ability to tease sound into the call of a bird or the whisper of wind. Sound creates, that my gift has taught me. This I feel a need to explore, a need to expand my music to do more with the weave. I want to understand this group that was once heralded as Spellsingers and their Spellsongs. Why are they no longer prominent in our world or are they merely secretive and elusive? I was there when the Ancient Library rose and even though I dread treading on Voltrex soil, many an hour have I spent in its halls. Perhaps the answer lies within the tomes I have yet to uncover. Perhaps it lies elsewhere. I too have yet to solve the riddle Poppa left me with all those years ago. Seek the magic he said. I still wonder what he meant. Did he refer to these singers or something else? I have devoted myself to Lucinda in his memory, but have become disillusioned with those that hold office within her temples. Then there is the mage that has captivated my heart of late. It may only be the fleeting effects of the Deva’s song or perhaps it is the magic Poppa spoke of? I would indeed like to know where Poppa went that day and why he has not returned. My heart tells me he walks with Lucinda and with my mother, but still a piece of me holds out that he may yet hold his granddaughter and feel her lilting laughter lift his heart.
*at that Katrien again looks up to Lisse’s music as the warmth of the fire dries the ink on the pages. She smiles at her daughter and closes the journal. Opening her arms to an enthusiastic cuddle, the two snuggle in front of the hearth as Katrien picks up a child’s book to read aloud. The tale is a wise one about a little girl who wishes to be different until she discovers she is loved just as she is. *
Katrien’s future:
- I would like to pursue the musical path in her life and focus it on her obsession with the arcane. - There are the open questions from her past to be answered. Storm dealt with her mother in the Drow series, but her father’s story has not been told. Her Father’s parting words also open up a lot of possibilities. - My plans are to continue leveling Katrien as bard and to only add further rogue levels if the events in her life warrant them. - Katrien has a placeholder in Ed’s line-up at this time

[Leanthar]

Approved and good luck. Grab a GM but keep in mind the lines and the current phased time off for many of them.

Sorry I missed this submission before--not sure how but I did.

[IceDragonDuvessa]

This quest was unfortunately not passed. Hopefully you will reapply after the wait time was up and give it another shot.