Neraida Grafea, "The Wind Scribe"

 

Though she might look like a young teenager (and sometimes act like it), Neraida is thousands of years old. She was not borne as much as created, her father being Boreas, the god of the northern winds. Neraida was a construct, so she has no mother. But her siblings are plentiful--she counts all the wind nymphs and spirits as her sisters and those of the water and earth as her kith and kin.

From the very beginning of her existence, the little nymph had a purpose. Gifted to the legendary author Pausanias as a boon for his recording of local tales of the deities throughout the known world at the time, Neraida was created to be protector and confidante to his niece, Ariadne, who wished to follow in her famous uncle's footsteps as a traveler. 

In a way, Neraida and Ariadne grew up together, spending several seasons traveling to the far corners of the globe. The inevitable then happened. Ariadne fell in love. Though she never trusted her companion's new beau, Neraida nevertheless followed along when he took Ariadne to his home in Brittania. There, though, things went horribly wrong. Because she'd given Ariadne her word not to interfere in the relationship, Neraida watched helplessly as her friend was repeatedly victimized with the relationship devolving into little more than the young woman being the man's slave. 

At the point Ariadne was nearing being starved to death, she finally relented, asking Neraida for help and releasing her from her oath. The little nymph couldn't heal her friend herself, so she went in search of someone who could. She came across a visiting chieftain from the Bascna tribe in Eire who also happened to be an elder druid. He agreed to help and when he saw the conditions Ariadne had been kept in, he flew into a rage. Ariadne's captor came home, only to flee from the angered druid. It would seem that he would have gotten away with what he'd done--except Neraida had now been loosened from her oath. She only had to keep the agreement not to kill him. With a little help from her kindred elementals and nymphs, they drove the man into a scene of madness--one that he would not easily overcome.

In the meantime, Mikele, the chieftain who had come to their aid, decided that the two should accompany him back to Eire to be under his protection as Ariadne continued to heal. Once in Eire, Neraida wondered if their traveling days might be totally over. They bonded with many of the villagers and Ariadne blossomed health-wise within the protective comfort of the Bascna's home. Neraida watched as her companion once again fell in love, this time with the chieftain's youngest sister, the would-be princess of the clan. 

It was totally unexpected when Aettrynne, the war mage of the Eravisci, arrived at the door. At first, Mikele assumed she was looking for an alliance with the tribe, but she was after another prize--the construct nymph created by Boreas himself. She explained that she was looking for offspring of powerful demi-gods and sidhe royals to join her armies, forming a formidable coven. Only by having supernatural powers beyond compare could she accomplish what she needed to in order to push invaders from Europe. 

Neraida didn't want to go. But the way Aettrynne described her encampment on a volcanic island far in the icy northern sea enchanted Ariadne, igniting her wanderlust. To appease her companion, Neraida agreed to go, but only if Ariadne and Moyra could accompany her. 

Once there, she met the other coven members and began a path of chaos and bloodshed, recording it all as the scribe of the group. When it seemed like Aettrynne had finally been killed, she hid the tomes rather than destroy them--in case the coven might need them someday.

Once the coven was free of Aettrynne's control, they decided it would be safer to split up and go their separate ways, at least for a while. For the first time in her existence, Neraida was alone. She traveled the oceans and arctic poles, encountering and befriending beings that humans claim do not exist except in the realm of children's tales. Though it distracted her to a degree, she was gleeful when Aeval-Leigh, the high priestess of the coven, visited her in a dream and invited the nymph to come to a place called Caledon to attend her wedding.

Though she had never been to Caledon before, finding her friends and companions all in one place made it feel like home, not only for her but also for Ariadne and Moyra. Though none of them knows what will come next, as far as Neraida is concerned, she doesn't care if they ever travel anywhere again. She's amongst her family again and that's all that matters.