Nyanna al’Dyn

Basic Information

One Power Breakdown

History

Nyanna was born on her parent’s farm just outside a small village called Dell’s Bridge, where she lived for ten years. (Dell’s Bridge is a tiny place tucked away in the corner of Andor above Baerlon).

Her parents were not wealthy, but far from poor either – they had a typical Andoran farm, and her father also grew a little tabac alongside their main trade, the breeding of horses. They also had a very small herd of sheep to satisfy the family’s requirements of wool and mutton meat. Nyanna was a cheerful, very friendly, somewhat hyperactive child who helped her parents and in her free time learnt to ride horses and was very good at it.

However, a short while before her fourteenth nameday, her world changed completely.

A group of people who gave themselves out as travelling folk (but were actually Darkfriends – unbeknownst to anyone) visited the village. They performed every three days, but suddenly, under mysterious circumstances, things from the village started going missing. At first the villagers, honest and peace-loving folk they were, put the matter aside as ‘a coincidence where everyone had misplaced their most prized possessions at the same time’. However, even the most trusting inhabitants were outraged when the young acrobat of the ‘show’ was found stealing from Nyanna’s father’s heirlooms – ancient weapons that were said to have been carried by his ancestors in the Trolloc Wars.

Nyanna’s father, Caidann, who was a village elder, was the one who addressed the travelling show and told them to please move on. After they had returned all the missing things. Their leader, a very eloquent, smarmy man, managed to negotiate twelve hours’ time to gather all the things from where they had hidden them. Disgusted, the villagers turned their backs and eyes from this rabble, glad at the prospect of having them go soon. They did not deem it necessary to keep a watch on them, trusting folk they were. That proved to be the mistake that changed Nyanna’s life. That night, the group of Darkfriends set out to revenge their humiliation by Caidann.

When he and his wife were walking back home from Dell’s Bridge after visiting a family that had a newborn child, an avalanche of loose rocks killed them. Nyanna had witnessed this from where she’d been waiting by the farmyard, and futilely tried to free her parents from their stony grave. Then a late rock fell and knocked her unconscious. Lying over her parents, the al’Dyn’s farmhand Tanric found the girl and carried her to the Inn at Dell’s Bridge along with the tragic news. The Darkfriends had left Dell’s Bridge just before he’d arrived, along with all the stolen possessions. Caught up in their sorrow none of the villagers realised, although it must have looked very obviously suspicious, it had been some of the travelling troop that had caused the ‘avalanche’.

Nyanna woke up for a brief time, long enough to hear the innkeeper’s wife’s gently, sadly, explain to her that her parents were no more. Shortly after this, Nyanna fell violently ill. They brought her to the Wisdom’s hut, where her sickness did not subside for a whole week. When she finally was well enough again, the Wisdom, Mistress Berran sort of ‘adopted’ her. Sort of, because Nyanna didn’t seem to acknowledge anyone or anything, walking as if in a daze.

One day the Wisdom (having been a novice at the WT once. She didn’t pass for Accepted though and left. However she’d learnt at the White Tower to see the ‘glow’ around channelers with the spark inborn) let slip that she thought Nyanna was able to channel. At first, Nyanna didn’t care. The first excitement at being able to channel, something she’d heard of only in tales, subsided quickly as she grieved.

But she thought about it, and came to a frightening conclusion. She could wield the One Power. She must have caused the avalanche! …She’d killed her parents.

The next morning when Mistress Berran looked to the small but comfortable pallet in front of the fireplace, it was empty. Nyanna was gone along with a satchel, half a loaf of bread, and flint and tinder. Search parties were sent out for weeks after, but none was successful.

Nyanna ran and ran, passing through the hills and woodland that marked the foot of the Mountains Of Mist. She blamed herself and that horrifying power she wielded for the deaths of those two people she loved most in the world. She swore she was never going to return to her home, never going anywhere where she would endanger those dear to her. Sick with grief, appalled of what she was capable of doing, Nyanna just kept going. She went far, not paying attention to anything apart from walking, slowly and deliberately loosing her bearings until she was truly lost. Nyanna dug for the few edible roots Tanric had shown her, and climbed the shorter trees for birds’ eggs. She was never as successful as the heroes in legends, but she got by – barely. The warm seasons passed, and as autumn came it was truly freezing. By then Nyanna had, constantly travelling, unwittingly came closer to civilization again. When she noticed the woodland getting considerably more open, Nyanna headed that way. After a four days of walking she saw a village of grey stone houses with slate roofs and narrow, muddy streets. Hungry and lonely, she warred with herself, the starving and self-preserving part in her (however small that part was) arguing with the self disgust and fear of what she was capable of, until her stomach finally won. Warily, she entered the village, keeping close to the shadows of late dusk already descending. She promised herself she would not stay long and made her way to the back of the Inn. A cook opened the door and was beside herself at the emaciated and very filthy, silent girl who stood there in scanty rags, ankle-deep in the mud. Kind-hearted and not the one to stand around gawking, she immediately called for a bowl of soup and bread to be brought while she bundled the surprised Nyanna inside. Initially a bit afraid, Nyanna gulped down the food soon enough, but would not utter a word. As soon as the cook’s back was turned (the Inn was rather full that night), Nyanna slipped out with all the stealth she had learnt hunting small animals, and disappeared into the forest again.

For the next two months the Cook, Mistress Alkan, gave her food every time she showed up and that was enough to persuade Nyanna to visited the Inn every few days. The cook asked many questions at first, but Nyanna answered few, with limited words. After that Mistress Alkan seemed satisfied, and just fed the wild little thing that did not seem to want to stay. Until the Aes Sedai came.

One day Mistress Alkan took her to meet someone and Nyanna reluctantly obliged, feeling she owed at least some obedience to the woman who fed her. The woman turned out to be an Aes Sedai, and confirmed that Nyanna had the spark inborn. Not that she had much choice, Nyanna refused at first, but the next morning she found herself on a horse riding to the White Tower with the Aes Sedai and her Warder.

Application for Spark Inborn (to be submitted with bio):
Has your character started channeling before arriving at the tower:
Yes
If yes, explain the circumstances/frequency with which she has channeled: First, when she tried to heal her mother and father when they were crushed to death by the avalanche. Maybe some rare times in the year she lived in the forest.

If yes, has your character experienced the channeling sickness? What happened? Yes, right after she woke up from unconsciousness and was told her mother and father were dead. Nyanna had painful screaming fits, long periods of restless oblivion, high fever and was violently sick, for a week.
Your character should have a block? What is it? Nyanna can only channel when intense grief or shock hits her. At these times she is so traumatized she doesn’t realize she is using the One Power. So you could say she doesn’t use it consciously, she doesn’t recognize she’s using the One Power. Afterwards she won’t acknowledge she used it because she hates herself for doing so.
How will your characters block be broken? When Nyanna discovers/is told (don’t know exactly how she finds out) that the avalanche was in fact caused by the Darkfriends.
Please outline RP ideas you have for the future if your character is allowed to be a sparker/wilder:

Requirements