They say that a watchful spirit resides in the mighty forests of Falkreath Hold... a warrior said to speak the language of the wind, and of the trees... legend has it that she glides through the woods with all the grace of a Summer breeze... the Spriggans protect her, and the bandits fear her. She is a silent, faceless presence whose warmth and wisdom are felt by all in the Hold. They call her "guardian wraith", yet in truth she is not but a Bosmer. And her name, known only to the leaves and branches of the wilderness, is...
Race: Bosmer
Age: 221
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Birthplace: Valenwood
Eye color: Yellow-brown
Skin color: Pale, ever-so-slightly green
Birth Sign: The Lady
Occupation: Ranger/Forest Guardian
Weapon of Choice: Bow & Arrows
Affiliations: None
Religion: The "old ways" of the "heathen" wood elves; a religious system undocumented by the Empire of Tamriel, which revolves around the belief that all life is interconnected at the spiritual level, and that everything in nature has a soul.
Personality traits: Courageous, secretive, compassionate, reclusive, deeply spiritual, very protective of the woods.
Likes: Trees, fresh air, sunlight, hunting, Spriggans, peace and quiet
Dislikes: War, chaos, corruption
Trivia: She's crossed the path of the mercenary Grimulin more than once, and has since come to see him as her truest rival (seeing as how he himself is a Bosmer who disregards the natural world and lives the life of a drunken, amoral mercenary with absolutely no sense of ethics or fair play).
Backstory: Born in Valenwood, Andoriel Greenleaf was raised in a very traditional Bosmeri family whose belief system revolved around the spirituality of Nirn itself; in their eyes, all life was connected to each other and all life was to be treated with equal respect and reverence. Her favorites in particular were always trees; she saw them as onlookers of the ages, ancient and wise beyond the years of all who lived in Tamriel. Because the Imperial pantheon was more widespread and popular among the folk of Valenwood, the Greenleaf family was widely regarded as nothing more than a group of fools; "heathen" and "pagan" were the most common nicknames for Andoriel and her kin, but despite the verbal abuse they stood firmly in their beliefs and even in the modern age of Tamriel they maintain their faith in "the old ways". And because of this spiritual connection with the very fabric of Nirn, Andoriel even managed to find peace with the dreaded Spriggans of the wilderness, whom she came to regard as neighbors and even friends within 100 years.
She was not an only child; her brother Halindor was born just three years before her, although he was not so keen on embracing the faith of his family. He appreciated the natural world around him well enough, but did not connect with it in the same way that his sibling did. Despite this, the two of them were very close friends... until the day when the Aldmeri Dominion took charge over Valenwood and began drafting Bosmer warriors into their ranks. Halindor was eager to serve under the banner of the Thalmor, and quickly rose through the ranks as a Justiciar; for many years he fought savagely against humankind, cruelly interrogating prisoners of war and laying waste to entire families before ultimately perishing at the hands of Imperial forces in Cyrodiil. (It has been rumored that Grimulin was in fact responsible for Halindor's death, since at around this time the assassin had betrayed the Dominion in favor of the Legion's superior cash reward and they required someone with a particular set of skills to handle this specific Justiciar) The cruelty of her brother's war crimes and his subsequent honoring by the Thalmor convinced Andoriel that to partake in the world of societal politics meant submitting one's self to vile and wicked people who would drain all the goodness from one's very soul... and as the Dominion strengthened its grip on Valenwood, she decided to turn her back on society altogether if it could do nothing but obsess over death and destruction and war.
Seeking to get away from the "First War with the Empire", Andoriel traveled north -- FAR north, all the way into Skyrim where she discovered the forested Hold of Falkreath. Now she felt right at home again; surrounded by grass and trees, falling leaves, and the spirits of the wilderness, Andoriel was once again at peace with the world. Eventually after living in the forest for seven months, she discovered the residential city and all the people living in it. She found them to be a modest and humble lot, however she came to regard Jarl Siddgeir as an arrogant and pompous fool who takes his position for granted. Not wanting to assimilate into the city's local populace, she settled in an abandoned cabin; now able to live peacefully in the forest, Andoriel soon began protecting the woods from such threats as bandits, poachers, dark wizards, and the occasional militia who threatened the safety of innocent people. Due to her secretive nature, however, the local townsfolk have mistakenly begun to whisper about a "guardian spirit" looking out for the poor and defenseless who wander through the wilderness of Falkreath. Andoriel has become quite fond of these rumors, and has come to regard herself as the personal (albeit unofficial) protector of the Hold.
However, life as a devoted protector of the forest is still not without its difficulties; Jarl Siddgeir, for instance, is not quite content to be upstaged by a mythical figure of the forest, and is intent on apprehending her for succeeding where he has failed as a figure of hope for his people. Furthermore, the civil war in Skyrim has been steadily creeping into the forests of Falkreath and encroaching upon Andoriel's territory, thus bringing her right back into the exact same strife that she'd been so desperate to escape from in Valenwood. Furthermore, the constant presence of the Aldmeri Dominion has left the woman troubled and uncertain of the future; she regards their lot as fanatical devotees to an ideal that can never truly be achieved, yet who will do anything for their cause... and this line of thinking makes them as dangerous to others as they are to themselves. Despite these adversities, though, Andoriel has remained the staunch protector of Falkreath's expansive wilderness as well as its innocent people. It is a thankless job; her acts of heroism often go under-appreciated, the struggle of maintaining peace in her territory never ends, and often times it all seems futile with the aggression of the war... but her determination never wanes, and her arrows always hit their mark. Under her watchful protection, travelers now feel safer when walking through the forest and the residents of Falkreath Hold can rest just a little easier knowing that somewhere... deep in the forest, among the trees and the mossy hills... she is out there.
They say that a watchful spirit resides in the mighty forests of Falkreath Hold... a warrior said to speak the language of the wind, and of the trees... legend has it that she glides through the woods with all the grace of a Summer breeze... the Spriggans protect her, and the bandits fear her. She is a silent, faceless presence whose warmth and wisdom are felt by all in the Hold. They call her "guardian wraith", yet in truth she is not but a Bosmer. And her name, known only to the leaves and branches of the wilderness, is...
Race: Bosmer
Age: 221
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Birthplace: Valenwood
Eye color: Yellow-brown
Skin color: Pale, ever-so-slightly green
Birth Sign: The Lady
Occupation: Ranger/Forest Guardian
Weapon of Choice: Bow & Arrows
Affiliations: None
Religion: The "old ways" of the "heathen" wood elves; a religious system undocumented by the Empire of Tamriel, which revolves around the belief that all life is interconnected at the spiritual level, and that everything in nature has a soul.
Personality traits: Courageous, secretive, compassionate, reclusive, deeply spiritual, very protective of the woods.
Likes: Trees, fresh air, sunlight, hunting, Spriggans, peace and quiet
Dislikes: War, chaos, corruption
Trivia: She's crossed the path of the mercenary Grimulin more than once, and has since come to see him as her truest rival (seeing as how he himself is a Bosmer who disregards the natural world and lives the life of a drunken, amoral mercenary with absolutely no sense of ethics or fair play).
Backstory: Born in Valenwood, Andoriel Greenleaf was raised in a very traditional Bosmeri family whose belief system revolved around the spirituality of Nirn itself; in their eyes, all life was connected to each other and all life was to be treated with equal respect and reverence. Her favorites in particular were always trees; she saw them as onlookers of the ages, ancient and wise beyond the years of all who lived in Tamriel. Because the Imperial pantheon was more widespread and popular among the folk of Valenwood, the Greenleaf family was widely regarded as nothing more than a group of fools; "heathen" and "pagan" were the most common nicknames for Andoriel and her kin, but despite the verbal abuse they stood firmly in their beliefs and even in the modern age of Tamriel they maintain their faith in "the old ways". And because of this spiritual connection with the very fabric of Nirn, Andoriel even managed to find peace with the dreaded Spriggans of the wilderness, whom she came to regard as neighbors and even friends within 100 years.
She was not an only child; her brother Halindor was born just three years before her, although he was not so keen on embracing the faith of his family. He appreciated the natural world around him well enough, but did not connect with it in the same way that his sibling did. Despite this, the two of them were very close friends... until the day when the Aldmeri Dominion took charge over Valenwood and began drafting Bosmer warriors into their ranks. Halindor was eager to serve under the banner of the Thalmor, and quickly rose through the ranks as a Justiciar; for many years he fought savagely against humankind, cruelly interrogating prisoners of war and laying waste to entire families before ultimately perishing at the hands of Imperial forces in Cyrodiil. (It has been rumored that Grimulin was in fact responsible for Halindor's death, since at around this time the assassin had betrayed the Dominion in favor of the Legion's superior cash reward and they required someone with a particular set of skills to handle this specific Justiciar) The cruelty of her brother's war crimes and his subsequent honoring by the Thalmor convinced Andoriel that to partake in the world of societal politics meant submitting one's self to vile and wicked people who would drain all the goodness from one's very soul... and as the Dominion strengthened its grip on Valenwood, she decided to turn her back on society altogether if it could do nothing but obsess over death and destruction and war.
Seeking to get away from the "First War with the Empire", Andoriel traveled north -- FAR north, all the way into Skyrim where she discovered the forested Hold of Falkreath. Now she felt right at home again; surrounded by grass and trees, falling leaves, and the spirits of the wilderness, Andoriel was once again at peace with the world. Eventually after living in the forest for seven months, she discovered the residential city and all the people living in it. She found them to be a modest and humble lot, however she came to regard Jarl Siddgeir as an arrogant and pompous fool who takes his position for granted. Not wanting to assimilate into the city's local populace, she settled in an abandoned cabin; now able to live peacefully in the forest, Andoriel soon began protecting the woods from such threats as bandits, poachers, dark wizards, and the occasional militia who threatened the safety of innocent people. Due to her secretive nature, however, the local townsfolk have mistakenly begun to whisper about a "guardian spirit" looking out for the poor and defenseless who wander through the wilderness of Falkreath. Andoriel has become quite fond of these rumors, and has come to regard herself as the personal (albeit unofficial) protector of the Hold.
However, life as a devoted protector of the forest is still not without its difficulties; Jarl Siddgeir, for instance, is not quite content to be upstaged by a mythical figure of the forest, and is intent on apprehending her for succeeding where he has failed as a figure of hope for his people. Furthermore, the civil war in Skyrim has been steadily creeping into the forests of Falkreath and encroaching upon Andoriel's territory, thus bringing her right back into the exact same strife that she'd been so desperate to escape from in Valenwood. Furthermore, the constant presence of the Aldmeri Dominion has left the woman troubled and uncertain of the future; she regards their lot as fanatical devotees to an ideal that can never truly be achieved, yet who will do anything for their cause... and this line of thinking makes them as dangerous to others as they are to themselves. Despite these adversities, though, Andoriel has remained the staunch protector of Falkreath's expansive wilderness as well as its innocent people. It is a thankless job; her acts of heroism often go under-appreciated, the struggle of maintaining peace in her territory never ends, and often times it all seems futile with the aggression of the war... but her determination never wanes, and her arrows always hit their mark. Under her watchful protection, travelers now feel safer when walking through the forest and the residents of Falkreath Hold can rest just a little easier knowing that somewhere... deep in the forest, among the trees and the mossy hills... she is out there.
