[ORP] The Highlands of Fenia

This is where the Kingdom of Fenia's main Inn is.

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Cordelia
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Location: Clogwyn Keep, the Highlands of Fenia

[ORP] The Highlands of Fenia

Post by Cordelia »

OOC: This thread takes place in the region called the Highlands Viscounty of Fenia. Anyone is welcomed to join in. The inspiration for this area would be RL Ireland and Scotland.


Home to sharp cliffs and a raging sea, the Highlands was a wild and untamed territory. It had no Viscount for unknown number of years. When Cordelia was approached by her cousin, the High King, regarding the territory, she was hesitant. There were a few reasons for her hesitancy, including the amount of time and work would have to go into the viscounty. She was mother to a newborn and Winter already proved to be a handful. A blessing, but a handful. She had a spirit in her that mirrored the Highlands. Perhaps that was why Cora accepted the title.

It felt strange to be leaving Hart Helm. The mighty Hartlands bordered the Highlands. A lot of the local culture overlapped, as well as wild life and vegetation. So, there were parts of the viscounty that were naturally appealing to the Winterbourne lady, which was likely why Zuan wanted her to have it. This part of Fenia was far from the capital and she understood the people. Now, she knew that some day, they would led duel lives between the Hartlands and Anthosachladiásshire in Kiene. Some day, her husband would be the Lord of Anthosachladiásshire. They would have no choice but to live between two homes. Yet, that was to be far in the future. Her home was Hart Helm and she did not think she would leave it so soon.

Duty beckoned her to. Duty to her kingdom, to her King, to her family. She was never one to shy away from a challenge, so she mustered up the energy to tear away from her mother and to take her own journey. At least, that was the theory, but of course Alice came along to "help them get settled". Hart Helm was left in the capable hands of Mark Stewart, their steward, while the family of three (plus one) traveled to their new home.
Viscountess Cordelia Zabel (Winterbourne) Everhart-Gellygen of the Highlands, the Horned Wolf
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Big Sister to Elisabeth “Elisa” | Cousin to High King Zuan, Thea, & more
Married to Rhozin Gellygen of Kiene | Mother of Winter Pearle and Keir
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Cordelia
Posts: 111
Joined: Sat May 23, 2020 12:29 am
Location: Clogwyn Keep, the Highlands of Fenia

Re: [ORP] The Highlands of Fenia: Clogwyn Keep

Post by Cordelia »

Their destination was a breathtaking castle unlike any she had ever seen. Hart Helm was built atop a cliff, but Clogwyn Keep was built into a cliff. It looked nearly as old as Hart Helm, but it weathered better from the protection of the cliff, known as Lady's Peak. The white stone was in stark contrast to the natural cliff. It felt further out of place with its square towers and square windows. It was obviously a manmade homestead, and yet it was beautifully married to nature.

Clogwyn's Keep was within sight of the ocean. The horizon was easily spotted, but shore hidden from view be another drop of terrain. The rocky shores below left little room to walk between the beating waves and cliff face. That was assuming one found a way to safely get down to it. Off in the distance, a port city led a quiet life, being the closest ship access to the Keep. It was another difference from Hart Helm, which was built above the port. Still, at least she would be able to watch the ocean and the nearby ships coming and leaving. Hopefully, with an active and present viscountess, the nearby city will become livelier.

The winding road up to the Keep felt long. It was not until they stopped, and she stepped out, did she realize how large the Keep actually was. It made the assignment even more of a daunting task. A Keep so large, unmanned for who knew how long, would require a lot of repairs, staff, and time. Thank Zachrin that they delayed their journey so that things could be put into some resemblance of order.

"Wow."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Cordelia looked away from the Keep and up to her husband, giving a smile. "Not too shabby for our new home, huh?"

"Do you think it has a dungeon?"

"I'd say so."

Alice offered her agreements as she got out of the carriage with Winter Pearle in her arms. The redheaded grandmother with her redheaded granddaughter stood beside them, waiting, before urging, "Well, come on, let's go see the inside!"

Cordelia laughed at the eagerness of Lady Everhart. She could tell her mother was more excited than she was. Together, the little family walked up to the door and let themselves in. The entry hall was long and narrow, although not too narrow that they could not all walk alongside each other. Two chandelier of candles hung from the ceiling and braziers were spaced out so there was two on each side at the entrances. The entry had three windows facing out towards the ocean, with tapestries of wolves, stags, and pear flowers hanging between. They were ones that she had spent all year working on with her mother, to represent that household of Cordelia and Rhozin. The natural light was a nice touch, making the entry feel less narrow. It was not until they reached the end of the entry did they finally see someone.

In the anteroom, a woman was rifling through some papers on the coffee table. She sat on the floor with her back to the entry. Cordelia cleared her throat to announce their presence. Surprised, the woman looked up and stood, turning around as she did so. Her brown eyes grew wide as she realized who stood before her from a family portrait hanging in that very room.

"Lady Highlands, Lord Highlands, forgive me for not welcoming you." She bowed her head in respect and embarrassment. "I am Beatrice Busiet; it's the greatest pleasure to finally be meeting you face to face."

Beatrice Busiet was the woman hired by Mark to care for the estate. Beatrice was her own steward for Clogwyn Keep, while Mark remained in Hart Helm. The woman did not appear to be much older than she was, which was likely intentional so she might have a friend. She had black hair and light brown eyes, with a freckled nose and naturally arched brows. Her complexion told she spent little time outside, which concerned the lady of the house. Cordelia was a firm believer that humans were essentially house plants. They needed the sun. She personally spent some time in the sun each day, weather permitting.

Cordelia approached the taller girl with a kind smile. "It's alright. You seemed quite enthralled, and we made our arrival more swiftly than expected. I would appreciate it if you called me Cordelia in informal settings, or my lady if you must. We will be spending much time together and I prefer to be comfortable in my home."

Beatrice nodded.

"Me as well: Rhozin, if you would."

Again, the woman nodded. Alice remained quiet, blue eyes wandering. "Please, let me give you all a tour."

As a group, they went through the next door, leaving the sitting area behind. The walls were different in the next room. Instead of white rock, there lay the bare cliff of grey and black. The stairs were located into this room, but they paused before moving on. "The cellar is right there."

After she pointed to the only other door in the room, they climbed the stairs. To their immediate right was a large room with a wide archway. Beatrice smiled as she turned around, waving her hand to the entryway. "This is the Lady's Hall."

Curious, Cordelia moved forward and entered the lord's hall for the first time. At the far end of the room sat a stone chair covered in pelts and a cushion to sit on beneath. She continued forward to the raised chair and upon reaching it, she turned and sat down. Both arms lay on the armrests as she looked forward to take in the room. The walls were presently bare, besides the windows. A worn chandelier hung down, with braziers in each corner of the room. There was some work to be done before she sat before the public, but it had great bones.

She stood, contently smiling. Beatrice smiled in return, before apologizing, "I am sorry that I could not have this room perfect for you in time."

"Thank you, but you do not need to apologize. The Keep was neglected for a very long time. I am surprised it is as clean and put together as it is in the little time you had to do so. This place is huge. It's what, five floors?"

"Six if you include the top tower and tunnels to the surface of Lady's Peak, my lady."

"See, there's no need to be hard on yourself. Let's continue."

The group moved on from the lord's hall and back into the stairwell. They crossed to the left and entered another anteroom, before being shown the guard gate much further down the hall. They retraced their steps to the stairwell and transcended to the third floor. There, above the lord's hall, was the large dining area and kitchen. A grand and beautiful table sat in the center of the room, with two looming chairs on either end. Chairs lined the sides. Altogether, the table would sit eighteen, with eight chairs on either side.

"How beautiful. And you can smell the ocean from up here." Alice moved to a window to take in a fresh breeze before they moved on. Through the stairwell again they came to the Hall of Justice, and through that, the torture room. She did not expect that room to ever be in use as the continued with the tour.

Finally, they reached the lord's chambers. They were large, with an adjoining room for Winter. Not only was the size appealing, there was an even larger terrace outside their window, with their own privies at a nice distance from the door. A large bed lay waiting for them, with wardrobes soon to be filled on the opposite wall. Beside the bedroom as a chapel, and through that, the chaplain's room. They met Priest Arturon of the Faith and had a short conversation. He seemed like a kind, older man with white hair and clean shaven. He was, however, covered in translucent scales. It was intriguing, but she kept her questions to herself.

Above the master's room was a nicely sized guest room and staff quarters. Alice gave her approval, again commenting on the view of the ocean. Then, there was the last and final floor. The top of the tower gave way to a hall carved directly into the stone. They wandered the tunnel, up stairs occasionally as they moved uphill. Her smile grew as they reached the top and opened the heavy metal clad door. Fresh air swooped in and they stepped out into the sun. When they turned around, there was a stunning view of the ocean and surrounding land.

"Welcome to Clogwyn Keep, my lady."



Inspiration for Clogwyn Keep is RL Predjama Castle.
Viscountess Cordelia Zabel (Winterbourne) Everhart-Gellygen of the Highlands, the Horned Wolf
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Big Sister to Elisabeth “Elisa” | Cousin to High King Zuan, Thea, & more
Married to Rhozin Gellygen of Kiene | Mother of Winter Pearle and Keir
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Elisa
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Re: [ORP] The Highlands of Fenia

Post by Elisa »

Elisa looked out the carriage window, hoping there would doom up a castle in the distance. Unfortunately there wasn’t one yet. It was quite a ride, and just sitting still doing nothing wasn’t something Elisa was very good at. Cora had send a driver to come and pick them up, they were invited to visit their new home. At first Elisa had wondered why Cora would need a new home, as hart helm surely was large enough. But then again she also had her own home so after giving it some thought it wasn’t very difficult to come up with some possible reasons as to why you’d like to have your own place.

It was a long ride but luckily Anno had been willing to join her on her visit to her sister. He was great company and made the ride seem a lot less long and definitely a lot less boring. She had become a lot less shy around Anno, where in the past she might have wondered if the driver would see them, now she didn’t really care and spend quite some time cuddling with Anno. She might at some point have even dozed off for a moment, leaning against him. For how long she didn’t know but the driver announced they had almost reached their destination. Curiously Elisa peeked out of the window, looking left, looking right…but she couldn’t see anything resembling a castle. Then, from her point of view, it looked as though the carriage was driving straight to the edge of a cliff. Before she did anything that made her look stupid though she realised there was a road going down the edge of the cliff. She sat back down hoping Anno hadn’t noticed her moment of panic just there, now feeling quite silly about it. After they had been driving at the low side of the cliff it became clear why they had to come down here. The castle was now in front of them, looking as though it had been picked up by a giant who rather oddly had pushed it in the middle of the cliff side.

Elisa was very excited to see little Winter again. She’d seen, and even held, a baby before but Winter being her niece did make her a little bit more special. She’d held her when she was just born and was unbelievable tiny. Quite unexpectedly she had been present at the moment of birth. Making Elisa, at this point, be very certain she was happy with having a niece and didn’t need a baby of her own (yet). The other birth she had been in proximity off hadn’t gone quite well, or at least at first. She had spent a long time with Aileigh mourning the loss of her mother who had died during the birthing process. She'd later came back to life so in the end it was good. However she wasn’t quite sure how well her sister was at coming back from the death so when the birth suddenly started this was running through her head. All the blood didn’t help to calm her worry that her sister was dying either. Looking back to it, it was quite a miracle she’d been able to follow the instructions she was given and be actually helpful during the process. At first she’d thought Winter looked quite weird, she was slimy and her head had an odd shape. Which had made her wonder if Rhozin was secretly a different kind of creature. Of course, she hadn’t said this out loud, and later Winter didn’t look quite so strange any more. After making sure her sister was alright and help with cleaning up everything she had been able to hold Winter again. The little girl had been giving a bath and it seemed like bath’s did miracles for little baby’s. Even her head was now looking normal! But even if the head would have stayed like that she’d have still loved her niece just as much. She was quite excited for Anno to meet Winter at last.

After they got to the gate a woman who introduced herself as Beatrice Busiet was there to receive them. The woman had not been able to say much however before Elisa was ‘attacked’ by her sisters dogs. Trying to give her licks and get some attention. Elisa clearly wasn’t scared of them which made Anno stand down, even though he was tense when they came running to them. Elisa hardly noticed as she was busy petting the dogs now. Soon they had calmed down enough for Beatrice to explain the family was waiting for them in the lounge and she’d lead them there. Following her in the castle, down the hallways and up the stairs Elisa wondered if she’d get lost in here as well. It seemed to become tradition for her to become lost in the halls of new castles. It had happened in the kings castle and in Hart helm. Though she’d not told anybody about this yet, she didn’t want to look silly for losing her directions inside(!) a home.

As they were led into the room and introduced Elisa glanced around the room. She was happy to see her mom and sister, and also her brother in law, but when she saw Winter she let go of proper etiquette (which she really was trying to learn but it just didn’t stick well to her) and made her way towards the baby first. “Hello little Winter, did you miss me?” She said while softly stroking the baby’s cheeks.
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Cordelia
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Re: [ORP] The Highlands of Fenia

Post by Cordelia »

Two weeks had passed since they arrived. In that time, the new Viscountess continued to make the the Keep a home with the help of her steward. Redecoration transpired throughout Clogwyn, starting in the masters and the nursery. A serving quarters was changed to a second guest room, which her sister and partner would be staying in when they visited. The Lady’s Hall was fully furnished with furs, sitting areas, and a table beneath the windows. She had yet to host her people and hear their problems, but she was a step closer to doing so.

When she was able to host Elisa, she sent an invite, followed by a carriage. The anticipation of seeing her little sister and her little sister seeing her new home grew tenfold by the time Elisabeth arrived. As Beatrice lead Elisa and Anno into the room they were in, Cordelia stood up to greet them. Elisa, however, went straight to Winter, who was awake, but in her bassinet. Cora grinned, letting her sister have the moment before pulling her into a hug. She was, after all, the affectionate Winterbourne. She smiled warmly at Anno, glad he came so she might continue to get to know him better.

“Welcome to Clogwyn Keep! Isn’t it beautiful?” It was evident the viscountess had fallen in love with the new home, any reservations she had gone. “How was the trip? Would you like to have a few moments before I show you around? Food? Drink?”
Viscountess Cordelia Zabel (Winterbourne) Everhart-Gellygen of the Highlands, the Horned Wolf
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Big Sister to Elisabeth “Elisa” | Cousin to High King Zuan, Thea, & more
Married to Rhozin Gellygen of Kiene | Mother of Winter Pearle and Keir
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Elisa
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Re: [ORP] The Highlands of Fenia

Post by Elisa »

Not long after she’d greeted Winter Elisa was pulled a hug by her sister. Needless to say she then returned the hug. In the time that has passed since discovering they were family they had spent a lot of time together, this was needed to get to know each other and form a bond. They had managed to create a warm relationship among them. Even though it might never be the same as it would have been if she’d grown up here, Elisa had grown to like them very much and she does feel comfortable with them now.

In contrast to her own entrance Anno answered in a more formal way. Which wasn’t so strange since he didn’t know them as well yet as he hadn’t join all the trips Elisa made. Especially in the beginning it felt awkward enough for Elisa to meet her new family without also bringing her boyfriend to meet her mom. Though if them finding out about each other had happened now Elisa might have preferred to have Anno by her side as they had grown a lot closer to each other in the last year.

Apart from this Anno also was better at keeping formal and holding to etiquette. Elisa had lived secluded for most of her live and as a peasant, so they way she’d interact then would be different. Now she should act differently as she was a noble now, she was learning how to do that. But they were also her family, which made formal interaction not always needed. For Elisa it was sometimes still difficult to know how to behave. Not that either Cora or her mom had showed they minded any of her behaviour, but she also wanted to do things right.

After the greetings both she answered Cora’s questions. ‘It’s very beautiful, but, if I may ask, why is It in the middle of the cliff?’ This was still a strange idea to her. It couldn’t have made it any easier to build and half the castle now couldn’t look out of the window, because they’d look into to rock.
‘The ride went well, It’s quite a long ride but it wasn’t that long because Anno was there.’ She took a short moment to think about what she’d like before answering the next part. ‘Uhm, I think a drink might be nice, but if you want to show us around first that’s fine too’. Elisa wasn’t quite sure which would be the best option. Normally she might think if they would do the tour first they could remain seated afterwards when they had their drink. Everybody would be able to then do what they liked to do as well. While having a drink first meant Cora had to wait for them to finish the drink and then start the tour. But being a bit thirsty made her kind off want to have a small drink first. After all she didn’t know how big the inside would end up being. It looked quite big from the outside, so the tour might take a while.
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Cordelia
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Re: [ORP] The Highlands of Fenia

Post by Cordelia »

Elisa’s question regarding the odd positioning of the Keep was a question she had herself. She enlightened her sister with the tale given to her:

“According to local legends, there used to be a dragon that roomed the Highlands. He was a bit of a menace and enjoyed destroying villages. The Keep was built specifically into the cliff in efforts to protect it from his rage. There is even a cave system through the cliff to the surface in case he attacked.

I’m not sure how true it is, but it does make sense to me.”
She shrugged. The important part of the tale was that there was no dragon roaming the Highlands (anymore). It was safe enough, relatively speaking, considering they lived in a world of dragons and giants. No more dangerous than the Hartlands, at least. As she grew silent, Beatrice reentered the room with a tray in hand. Cordelia had not even noticed the steward had left the room amongst greeting her sister. When the tray was sat on the coffee table, Cordelia smiled, “Oh, thank you, Beatrice."

There was a pot of steaming tea in the center of the tray with five cups and a plate of gingersnap biscuits (Cordelia's favourite). After the steward poured tea into each cup, she excused herself to give them privacy. The viscountess snatched up a biscuit and took a hearty bite, then picked up a cup and sat back down. She invited her guests to tea as she crossed her ankles. After blowing on the hot liquid for a moment, she took a sip and enjoyed the mix of lemon and honey in the tea. Beatrice may not have known her long, but she was a quick learned and paid attention to detail. Thus far, they had gotten along very well; she would have to thank Mark Stewart for the decision.

"How was the trip? I know it's a bit far, being on the edge of Fenia." That would, perhaps, become the biggest downside to caring for the Highlands. It was the furthest territory from the capital of Fenia. On the bright side, it was boarder to Kiene and that would make it easier to travel back to Antosachladiásshire and visit with the Gellygens. "Thank you for making the journey. I think it will be a while yet before I am comfortable leaving the Highlands. There is a lot to do and they need me here."

The elder sister paused, taking a moment to dip the remainder of the biscuit into the tea and finishing it off. Then, she spoke honestly to her little sister: "I have missed you, Elisa."

There was no amount of time that would make up for the many years lost in their family. Cordelia would take every second she could get and she felt her mother and sister felt the same. Hopefully, with such a bond forming, the Everhart family will never truly be split up again.

"So, what have I missed? Anything exciting?"
Viscountess Cordelia Zabel (Winterbourne) Everhart-Gellygen of the Highlands, the Horned Wolf
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Big Sister to Elisabeth “Elisa” | Cousin to High King Zuan, Thea, & more
Married to Rhozin Gellygen of Kiene | Mother of Winter Pearle and Keir
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Cordelia
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Location: Clogwyn Keep, the Highlands of Fenia

Re: [ORP] The Highlands of Fenia

Post by Cordelia »

The visit of her sister and boyfriend went well. They stayed for a week before they went back home to Widu. Shortly after, Alice returned to the Hartlands, leaving the Viscountess and her family to their lonesome. It was strange to have the halls emptier than before. Stranger still to not have her mother or sister to run to when something exciting happened - which was all the time, considering Winter was growing and thriving. Every day was a different day with her daughter. With her physical and mental growth came along a development of her abilities. Some days were a bit more... Hectic.

With her visitors gone, Cordelia was able to focus on the viscounty itself. She had much to learn and even more to do. She studied the map for hours, memorizing the roads and towns. She went through old documents and with the aid of her steward, learned about the Highlands and its people. There were three villages, five towns, three port cities, and two forts. Well, sort of - one fort was in major disrepair following a fire it had suffered years prior. Given the fort was on the mainland and close the Keep, it was vitally important to get things back up in working order. It was one of the first projects she overtook as viscountess, one that would take until winter to finish. Upon its completion, it would be named Fort Cordelia, after the woman who worked hard to revive it to its former glory.

Before she would open audiences to the public or take a tour of the land, she studied each settlement. She wanted to understand before diving in, so that she could be prepared for whatever ailments and issues were brought to her.

Nearest to the Keep was Arium City. It was the largest city in the Highlands, densly populated in a small, fortified space. The walls towered over the old, stone buildings, tall enough to keep giants and monsters at bay. Central to the city was a large fountain that kids played in during the summer heat, with a cathedral within eyesight of the center courtyard. It had a small castle of its own that housed government officials. A lively market was supported by the busy port, with a watchtower looming over the port itself. The city was well kept and managed, so she expected few issues from Arium City.

The next city was Aberpass. At the center of the city was a cathedral, with bells that rang every hour that echoed beyond the city's edge. Unlike Airum City, Aberpass did not have walls, but it did support a port of its own. It was also in good condition, having had local government to keep it running efficiently.

Then there was Port Winmorea. It was on the Finynys Isle, right off the coast of the mainland. The island was just far enough out to not be able to see it from Clogwyn Keep, with the rough waters of the Môr Channel keeping idle visitors away. It had been operating independently for many years now and had developed its own identity. The island had stark cliffsides and white beaches, with small forests and its own lake. It was viable on its own and Port Winmorea thrived. Finynys Isle was also home to the town of Gorllewinwold and Dubhdun Fort. The island would prove to be a challenge when it came to assert her leadership over those who had led the isolated communities for so long.

Back on mainland, the rest of the towns were Bergavon, Clerecombe, Foggy Bottom, and Sudwinstow.

Bergavon was near Aberpass, with a great lighthouse on the inlet between them. The road connecting the two included ancient bridges that were slowly worn down by time, but still useable. It had no port of its own, relying on the nearby city for some resources.

Positioned above Bergavon, Clerecombe was the largest town, based on the Clere River, which aided in its trade. Across the Clere River was Foggy Bottom, its rival in trade and resources. The start of the river boasted a large, beautiful waterfall known as Clereforce that could be seen from both sides of the river. The winds coming down the cliff pushed fog and mist into Foggy Bottom, while Clerecombe often had clear skies. Foggy Bottom leaned into farming; Clerecombe relied on craftsmen.

Sudwinstow was the town settled on Lake Wenwardine, just north of Arium City. It was the smallest of the towns and was supposedly in disarray, with little local leadership to govern in absence of a viscount. They relied heavily on pig farming and cattle. Every summer, there was their "world famous" pig swimming races, where pigs were sent into the lake to swim across. The winner would live to see another year.

The villages were a different story. They were all in chaotic shambles, with nothing local in place to ease the burden. There was Tweed, a sheep and farming community, Bieham, which solely relied on farming, and most strangely, Knocktwatt-cwm-Ockburn. All her steward initially had to say about them was that they were... Odd folks. They got by with hunting and fishing primarily.

With all she had learned about her viscounty, the Viscountess of the Highlands opened up her audience room to the public. Sat upon a comfortable chair covered in furs and ornate carvings, she watched the hall doors swing open with anticipation.
Viscountess Cordelia Zabel (Winterbourne) Everhart-Gellygen of the Highlands, the Horned Wolf
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Big Sister to Elisabeth “Elisa” | Cousin to High King Zuan, Thea, & more
Married to Rhozin Gellygen of Kiene | Mother of Winter Pearle and Keir
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