Lindernia Orphidia (Lindernia El-Hamazi)
With the collapse of the Heccilian Empire, the ambitions of the great dynasties also crumbled. Some members of these dynasties, in attempts to hold onto fragments of their former power, remained in their homeland. Others scattered across all corners of Visteria. Members of the El-Hamazi dynasty, who later adopted the family name Orphidia, were among the latter. Lacking the magical talents for which their great ancestors were renowned, they found a new home in the lands of Moenia, living a quiet life for many generations while preserving the memory of their former greatness.
From her very childhood, Lindernia was a curious and inquisitive child, listening with keen interest to her mother's tales of the dynasty's founder's accomplishments. With age, however, the stories of great wizards increasingly filled her not so much with a sense of grandeur from belonging to such a glorious lineage, but with a feeling of her own inadequacy. It did not help that the girl poorly matched the ideals of Moenia — her slowed reflexes and innate clumsiness took their toll. Such qualities in Lindernia often became the subject of jokes, and sometimes even teasing, from other children her age.
Everything changed on the day her magical abilities first manifested. Perhaps for some other family, this would have been a cause for fear or worry, but for the Orphidia couple, it was a sign. For the first time in many generations, someone with a talent for magic had appeared in the family. And that someone was their daughter. And now, far greater expectations rested on her shoulders.
***
Lindernia left to study in Isselia at the very young age of six, but she remembered that day very well. The Bureau members who came for her looked nowhere near as intimidating as she had feared. The tears of joy in her parents' eyes as they bid their daughter farewell for many years. And the storm of emotions she experienced, which included both the fear of a long separation from her father and mother and the anticipation of studying in such a distant and mysterious land of wizards.
Over the years, as she studied the arcane sciences, Lindernia understood more and more clearly that average wizards were far less powerful than she had imagined before leaving for Isselia. Even a wizard who had honed his skill for decades, standing face to face with a simple warrior, could easily lose his life. A single slip of the tongue while casting a magic formula or a moment's lapse in concentration was enough. Of course, most other academy students did not even intend to participate in military conflicts, wishing to use their acquired knowledge for more peaceful pursuits, but Lindernia had no such choice. As a native of Moenia, upon turning sixteen, she was obliged to return home and repay her debt to her homeland. And the realization of this simple fact, combined with memories of childhood games, gave the young sorceress no peace. She spent almost all her free time either in the library, seeking to deepen her knowledge of protective spells, or practicing her acquired skills on the training ground. And it was during one of her visits to the library that Lindernia learned of the combat art of the Enchanters — a fighting style that allowed even a person not distinguished by physical prowess to fight on equal footing with trained warriors. Such information could not help but ignite the young witch's interest, but, greatly to her regret, the abilities of Enchanters were not regarded by the magical community as one of the schools of magic, and therefore were not included in the list of academic courses. Her only hope was the presence of other books on this topic in the library.
***
One swing, a second, and a third... and all in vain. Lindernia felt the magical energy spreading through her body; she understood she was close to success, but each time something went wrong, not as the sorceress planned, and she did not achieve the desired effect. And no matter how often she checked the books borrowed from the library after another failure, Lindernia still could not understand what exactly she was doing wrong.
— Interesting spells you're practicing here, — the male voice coming from behind seemed vaguely familiar to the witch, but only upon turning around did she realize where she had heard it before. The voice belonged to one of the Bureau members who had brought her to Isselia several years earlier. And although the presence of such a person on the academy grounds was not unusual, she was somewhat surprised to see him here and now, on the training ground. Understanding how strange her attempts to master the art of the Enchanters might seem to others, Lindernia conducted such training when no other people were around.
In any other situation, she would probably have found something to say, but now the girl was too flustered by the unexpected visit. Ignoring the uninvited observer's comment, the sorceress made a few more swings, but all to no avail.
— Step aside — I'll show you how it's done! — the male voice sounded again.
Deciding not to argue with the man, Lindernia did as he ordered and gave way to him. He was behaving a bit oddly, of course, but the Bureau of Magic certainly wouldn't hire just anyone. So, if the observer truly wanted to help, refusing his advice would be very foolish on her part.
— I'm all ears.
Smiling amicably, which made the sorceress feel slightly uneasy, her interlocutor walked to where she had been standing and, taking a scabbard with a sword off his back, indeed began explaining to her what exactly she had been doing wrong. The man's lecture took some time, actively accompanied by visual examples of how the techniques Lindernia was copying from the book should work, and grumbling about the outdated and inaccurate literature found in who knows what depths of the academy library.
***
The man who helped Lindernia then was named Carl Nielsen. After that impromptu lesson on the training ground, they started talking, and it all ended with Carl agreeing to help the girl master the art of the Enchanters. Due to the specific nature of her new mentor's work, their lessons were not regular and occurred less often than the witch would have liked, but she still treasured these moments. To stay in shape between meetings, Lindernia continued to practice alone, equally engaged in honing already mastered techniques and enjoying her newly acquired speed of movement and reflexes.
***
Carl and Lindernia sat on a bench, catching their breath after another training session. The man, with his hands behind his head, leaned back with closed eyes, while the girl gazed thoughtfully into the distance.
— I've realized that I never asked you, Mr. Nielsen, why did you initially offer to help me? — the sorceress inquired without turning to her companion.
— Honestly? I had a couple of hours of free time, but I didn't know what to do with myself. I decided to go to the training ground to warm up a bit, but instead I stumbled upon a weirdo swinging a stick. At first, I didn't even figure out what you were trying to do, — the man chuckled, eyes still closed, — and then it dawned on me. So I thought, oh well, I'll help the kid. One thing led to another, and soon I found myself in the role of a mentor, even though I hadn't thought about anything like that before. Apparently, I've spent so much time at the academy that I've slowly started turning into a teacher myself, — finishing his explanation, Carl burst out laughing loudly.
— So that's how it is. I always suspected my training looked strange from the outside, — Lindernia smiled, — and where, if it's not a secret, did you acquire your own skills?
— I asked one of the Bureau members to teach me when I was still very young. There's a rather funny story connected to this, really, because in my youth I was very hot-headed and impulsive. And, one time, I encountered a creature that none of my spells could affect. I was forced to retreat. Anyone with common sense would have done that. But I didn't want to retreat — I wanted to beat that bastard, against whom my years of academy training had no effect, with my staff. So I asked one of my senior comrades to help me master this fighting style, though I came up with a more respectable reason.
Lindernia wasn't sure if her mentor was joking or telling the truth. Knowing him, such a tale could be either a true story or something he made up on the spot. Either way, the story the witch found amusing and elicited a restrained chuckle from her. After that, she sat on the bench for a while longer, watching the sky and listening to stories from Carl's life, before they went their separate ways.
***
Having successfully completed her studies at the academy, Lindernia was forced to return to her native lands to perform military service. And even the warm welcome from her parents did not alleviate the oppressive feeling of anticipating a possible encounter with death. But the first battle came and, lo and behold, the sorceress survived. The fruits of her training showed themselves, which was only confirmed in the next few battles.
War changes people. So does confronting one's own fears. Some, unable to cope with the stress they've experienced, break down. For Lindernia, service in the Moenian troops and her encounter with impending death helped her overcome her past fears, but it also negatively affected her capacity for empathy. It's hard to remain the same person when you have to take others' lives for your own survival, and a battle comrade with whom you recently shared plans for the future now rests in the ground. Perhaps if Lindernia were a righteous Arterian, faith in the goddess would have helped her fight the growing indifference. But she was not one, although she felt no particular hostility towards the church. To those around her, however, this metamorphosis went largely unnoticed — Lindernia still smiled kindly, was not averse to joking, and perhaps even carried herself more relaxed than before.
Lindernia's parents had left Moenia back when the new consul had just begun introducing restrictive laws, to avoid possible trouble. Upon the completion of her military service, the girl followed their example. She spent some time with her relatives, who had been taken in by another branch of the dynasty, but she did not stay there long. Unlike her father and mother, for whom the mere existence of a sorceress daughter was enough for happiness, Lindernia considered such modest ambitions a disrespect to her great predecessors. In her eyes, the pursuit of greatness was something quite natural, and a quiet, peaceful life repulsed her. It would be a waste of her potential. It was these ambitions, together with her natural curiosity and desire to see other countries, that prompted the sorceress to set off traveling across Visteria and, ultimately, to join the "Golden Griffin."
Date of Birth:
December 703
✦ Constellation of the Hero
+3 to three characteristics of choice, +1 AP, +5 SP.
✦ Constellation of the Empress
+2 to intellect, +1 to beauty, +20% to magic power, +30% to magic energy, regeneration of 5% magic energy per turn (in battle only, once per phase), +30% to water effectiveness and resistance.
Origin:
Isselia
✦ -2 to strength, -2 to endurance, -2 to agility, +2 to intellect, +2 to perception, +2 to spirit, +1 AP (magic), +10 SP (magic), +20% to magic power, +30% to magic energy.
Conviction:
Dakara (El-Hamazi)
✦ Spell effectiveness is one and a half times higher.
✦ The character can move and cast spells simultaneously.
✦ The character can prolong their own life.
Characteristics:
Strength — 5
Endurance — 4
Agility — 3
Perception — 3
Speed — 3
Intellect — 17
Spirit — 6
Faith — 0
Charisma — 0
Beauty — 1
Skills:
1 free SP
✦ Meditation 2
✦ Elemental Mastery 1 (air)
✦ Battle Mage 1
✦ Affinity 1
✦ Elemental Aura
✦ Mental Shield
✦ Barrier
Inventory:
✦ Enchanter's Vestments
✦ Enchanter's Sword
✦ Arcane Ring
✦ Book by an ancient Heccilian philosopher
✦ Savings
Граф Орлов
Ple-Sen
