Approved WT Bio - Cetaile din Lenaara - cc NOT needed

[Elgee]

Basic Information

Handle : claireducky

Character Count : this one would be #2

Contact : clairesedai@yahoo.com

 

Character Information

Name: Cetaile din Lenaara

Age: 45

Nationality: Atha'an Miere

 

Appearance

Hair: Dark Caramel, lightens in the salt and sun

Eyes: Brown

Skin:  Deeply Tanned, the emblem of Clan Shodein is tattooed in the web between her left thumb and forefinger.

Height: 4'10"

Voice:  Gruff, Agressive

Other:

 

Optional

Special Skills: Strong with Air and Water

Knowledge Weakness:  Dislikes teaching skills or classes to novices.

Because of her difficulty learning from her own instructors, she feels she doesn't do a good job teaching.

Physical Weakness:  Despises riding horses.

Personality weakness:  Emontionally volatile, is ruled by her feelings at times.

 

 

History

 

 

Cetaile is petite, standing less than 5' tall.  This is shorter than most Sea Folk women, but she makes up for her small stature with her aggressive personality. She has dark caramel colored hair which is cropped above her shoulders.  Friends have tried to convince her to let it grow out longer, but she refuses--mostly because of her strong memories of her mother holding her down and cutting it with a belt knife right before she was shipped off to the White Tower.  Her eyes are deep brown, and seem to flash when she is angry.

 

Cetaile din Lenaara was born below decks on the Wavebreaker, a swift but small cutter of Clan Shodein. Her mother was an apprentice Windfinder, her father a simple crewman.  Things were looking up for the couple as they were expecting their first child. When the bouncing baby girl was born at the opening of day, her parents took inspiration from the sunrise and named her Cetaile din Lenaara Breaking Dawn.  A new chapter had started for the young family.

 

As time went on and Cetaile grew, she became more and more aware of her family's humble status.  Her mother never advanced further in her Windfinder position; in fact, when the Wavemistress of their ship died, she was bucked back down to the lowest ranks and had to start over from scratch.  All of her parents' hopes rested on her shoulders, that she would make something special of herself.

 

It was discovered that Cetaile could be taught to channel when she was 13. It was not surprising, as her mother was a Windfinder and her father was the son of a Windfinder. With that much channeling blood in her, it was expected by many that Cetaile would also be strong in Weaving the Winds. However that was not the case.

 

While she was noted for having a lot of potential, Cetaile had almost no skill in using her abilities. Numerous tutors tried teaching her how to wield the one power, to no avail. Cetaile wept many a night, struggling to master the minute abilities she had. The Wavemistress' who taught her called her headstrong, feeling that it was her fault she couldn't complete the tasks they put to her.

 

After three years of little to no progress in Cetaile's learning, a meeting of Wavemistresses from Clan Shodein was held.  The Mistress of the Ships had decided it  as their Clan's turn to send an initiate to the White Tower.  It was widely known that this was a ploy, they would fob off an Atha'an Miere girl with little ability to the Aes Sedai in order to keep them ignorant of the massive channeling ability among many of the Sea Folk women.    Nobody was surprised when Cetaile's name came up when it was time to discuss who to send.  Cetaile's only surprise came when her mother refused to speak up for her in the scathing interviews that she was subjected to.

 

(on the deck of Windbreaker, age 15):

 

"Please mother! Why don't you tell them about the things I can do when you are teaching me?  It is not my fault that nobody teaches me as well as you do!"

 

Her mother looked at her blankly.  She had already had to start over in the ranks once, and she couldn't afford for it to happen again.  She shook her head no, and people moved forward to restrain her daughter.

 

Cetaile's body was wracked with sobs as hands held her down on the deck.  She felt her earring and nose piercing pulled from her flesh, and then, something strange:  Her mother's hands, running over her hair for a second.  A soft caress stolen in the moments before the knife came down.  Then as she struggled and choked on her tears, she saw the locks of her hair landing on the deck in front of her.  A rogue wave washed over the bilge and swept them away.

 

"...hardly any ability at all...headstrong....never applies herself.....it will be a wonder if the Aes Sedai accept her."

 

Cetaile shook her head slightly, bringing herself back to the present.  She had been standing in place for 5 hours straight, as the Windfinders of Clan Shodein discussed her fate.  Unable to sit, walk around, or stretch, she had almost fallen asleep.  The inflammatory things being said about her didn't bother her anymore...she was numb to them now.  She would not bring any more dishonor to her family or her clan by protesting again.  Her last outburst brought painful memories back, and it was all she could do to not rub her hand over her shorn head.

 

Finally it seemed that all had been decided, and arrangements had been made for her passage to the mainland.  It made her ill to think of it, but soon she would be walking on land, or riding on the back of a horse instead of the pitching deck of a ship.  The Wavemistresses were full of instructions to her on what she could and could not say about the Sea Folk and channeling, but she tuned them out.

 

She would defend the secrets of the Atha'an Miere among the Aes Sedai.  And someday, when she was strong enough, they would have to take her back.

 

 

Postscript:  True to her beginnings, Cetaile spent a very long time reaching the shawl.  Overall, she is very weak in the One Power.  Only her diligence in practicing with Air and Water over the years has made her strong in those areas.  She doesn't practice her weather skills around any other Aes Sedai, but she knows that when the time comes, she will be ready. After 9 years as Novice and 10 as Accepted, she was raised and chose the Grey Ajah.  The other Greys regard her as a bit of a loose cannon.  She is well versed in Tower Law, but has a hard time showing restraint with her own emotions, and sometimes lets them rule her.  And don't mention her Atha'an Miere heritage...she gets a bit testy about that.