Aro'wana, Keeper of the Sacred Waters.

[AllMYBudgies]

As I've no means of playing for the foreseeable future, Aro'wana has passed in to retirement.

While many might not have ever met Aro'wana and have no idea who she actually was, she was far too isolationist to ever really have much to do with the villagers and even those nature characters that fell out of her bracket, she was a real joy to play. Starting life with the basic concept of a Stargazer Druid that revered the water, she grew to what I hope transcended the normal view of the Stargazers that we often see - primarily a Druid that served nature first and foremost, it often felt as though her connections with her people were lapse and fleeting.

She was both a Steward and a Wyrm Watcher, which left her very little free time toward the end, but a big thanks has to go to all those players of both factions that made my time playing Aro'wana so fulfilling. I'd like to especially thank DM Talir for the help with the Wyrm Watchers, and finding a place for a little Trout gazer in their number. For anybody that hasn't played a nature character, I really do urge you to try out these factions. You won't be disappointed.

I have too many people to thank, everyone that I ever interacted with was a complete joy - but I would like to firstly thank Diz-e, who without there would be no Aro'wana as she would likely have faded off long before without River's influence and help.

For anybody interested, here is Aro'wana's app;
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Aro'wana, Stargazer True Neutral Trout Totem Druid

"Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it. "

Dwelling high in the mountains and hidden pools of the Trout tribes, Aro'wana learned the Old Ways from her Elders. Not living on the mainland, a small island with many ponds and pools she was always mystified by tales of the Starwood and it's people. Before the Withering took the lands, her life was placid and plain - she would fish, and swim and dive below the waves. She would spend hours considering the mist, the heady vapours of the strange and mysterious fog.

Largely protected in their well hidden pools and distant island homes, the withering seemed like a terrible tale but nothing to dwell on too heavily. The realisation that things were much more grim, the waters poisoned by the heavy sickeness and her own villages stricken by the crippling undead, Aro'wana took her small boat and sailed over to the mainland to seek aid and to aid in the rebalancing of Ymph.

• Has a deep fear of loneliness but is primarily an isolationist  
• Often seeks approval before deciding on the right course of action - nervousness, hesitance
• Favours sea creatures and placid prey animals
• Eschews the use of fire, scorns those that use it

Protect the Waters of Ymph

• Aro'wana would seek to protect the waters of Ymph, putting herself forward as their champion within the lands. Her main work would be to find and defend a water themed grove, and spend much of her efforts in clearing the waters of the taint of H'bala's withering curse.
• Learn more of the Diluvian and seek to see them removed from the waters. As a defender of the water, Aro'wana would spend much of her time below the waves to see the aberrant taint of their empire washed away.
• Defend areas of natural beauty. While not being a violent person, Aro'wana seeks to protect that which she holds dear and will guard against any threat to the waters of Ymph. Should any seek to bring damage or illness to the waters, she would quickly strike to remove the threat.
• Planting. Aro'wana would spend much of her time planting groves and tending the trees. She would find areas that are not easily accessible to Mistlocke based characters and actively promote the wilderness with her efforts. This would ideally be in a coastal or aquatic area.

Aro'wana will spend much of her time in the waters, defending them from the curse and rebalancing them as a result. She would seek a means of removing the aberrant Diluvian empire and the Veneroida that they cling to.

Promote Peace

• While many in the wilds would seek violence to resolve their conflicts, Aro'wana would seek a calmer and more tranquil way.
• Stargazers. Often war-like in their attitude, Aro'wana would seek to appeal to their elders to find peaceful alternatives to conflict. She would prove herself trustworthy and gain reputation amongst her people and become a voice amongst them to move away from violence in their approach to conflict resolution.
• Wyrm Watchers. Aro'wana would learn more of them and seek to aid them in their task to find the King of Ymph. She would find herself allegiance and good reputation with them in a hope to bring a more peaceful, civil edge to the Old Ways and wilderness characters and their plots.
• Stewards. Outspoken in her beliefs, but using a subtle and non-intrusive method of promoting them - Aro'wana would seek to see the Stewards move away from conflict, and use violence only as a means to defend not to punish.
• Mistlocke. Aro'wana would seek to change the ever darkening opinion of the wildlings of Ymph. Knowing that the blame of the withering is at their feet, she would hope to garner good favour and grow respect between nature and the village.

Aro'wana would seek a means to end the often provocative edge to the wilds and their conflicts - she would often fail, but would try to be a voice of peaceful resonance in all situations and would not stray from her rigid moral opinion.

Commune with the Mist

• As a devotee to the understanding of water, Aro'wana would seek to learn of the Mist as a vapour comprised of water. She would spend much of her time studying the lore of the Mist and seek to one day commune with it - to learn of the prophecies and stories hidden within it.
• She would spend much of her time in the Mist, the forgotten forest and areas that are protected from the withering as a result of them being shrouded by it. She would hope to unlock the means of channeling the mist as a tool to push back the Withering and secure balance in the wilds.
• She would spend time in the lakes and aquatic areas that are heavily shrouded by the mist and lead other to these areas in a hope of becoming familiar with the Mist.
• Aro'wana would spend her time with the Stargazers appealing to their Elders to learn more of the Fox tribe and what it meant for them to be a part of the Mist

As a native particularly interested in the waters, Aro'wana would spend much of her time in study considering the nature of the Mist. She would document and learn from her experiences within the Mist and lead others on trips through Mistpaths.

Joining with the Water

• Aro'wana would seek the Water Elemental wildshape form.
• In the process of unlocking the means to access this form, Aro'wana would spend much of her life in the water - studying the Aquatic life and learning what it means to be water.
  
• Eventually, through this process Aro'wana would seek to become one with the Waters of Ymph and eventually dissolve in to them. As a part of the waters she would continue on as a guardian to them and continue her work eternally to cleanse and purify them.
• She would seek to involve all other natural characters in this goal, taking them on trips below the waves to learn and understand the water with her. She would host underwater events - such as story telling, learning the lore of the trout and similar under the cover of seaweed and brine.

Whether possible or not - Aro'wana will aim to one day become a part of the waters of Ymph, serving them as an Elemental servant of Water. She would spend much of her efforts on learning the process of taking the wildshape for Water Elemental with her main goal to become a part of Ymph's waterways.

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Aro'wana started life in Ymph with a broken common, but as she grew toward becoming a Wise-woman her grasp of language became much more coherent. Most of the screens I have are from the early days; apologies if any are difficult to read due to resolution and such.

And with that, I'm gone. Thanks again to everyone that continues to strive toward story telling in a true and inspirational form here on EFU.

[Caster13]

Come back soon, Budgies!

[Ebok]

:( sorry to see you go.

[Dead Man's Chest]

You left me to die!

[Blue41]

Budgiesssss

[Kinslayer988]

A beautiful character and enjoyed all my interactions with her.

[Diz-e]

OMG i'm so sad :( please come back when you can :'S

[bengal_striped_kirwani]

Im going to miss you and your PC's, Budgies. Much.