Alienor of Jehanna

Personality

This one sees… the arcane. Yes, Magrus dances on light blue paws—tiny flames and the scent of incense... The paw prints of arcana are difficult to track. This one sees … yes, it is the Apprentice that guides you. Impetuous. Prideful. You must be cautious. Know your limits, for none can see all ends.

— Baandari fortune for those born under the Apprentice

Stalwart and pragmatic, Alienor views life in Skyrim as just another one of life’s challenges. She believes that hard work itself is reward enough and enjoys work that many find tedious or cumbersome. She is frugal by nature and savors life's small blessings. Around people she trusts, however, she is full of vibrant and playful energy. Alienor enjoys puzzles, dancing, and music and is happy to indulge in games of tag with children in large cities.

Spirituality

The Reachfolk worship many spirits, both great and small. In truth, there are as many faiths as there are clans in the Reach. Some clans might worship a sacred elk or the spirit of a mountain spring. Others might sacrifice goats to ghosts of ancient heroes. There are some spirits, however, that transcend clan boundaries—those we in the rest of Tamriel recognize as the Daedric Princes.

— Great Spirits of the Reach: Volume 2

Despite her years in the Temple, Alienor does not follow any particular religion or worship any Divines. However, such as many in the Reachman tradition, she holds reverence for the Great Spirits and nature as a whole. She has no affiliation with the Divines and feels no contempt for worshippers of the Daedric Princes.

Motivations

After years in captivity, one of Alienor's primary motivations is maintaining her freedom. She makes a great effort to stay out of trouble and often avoids Imperial soldiers and guards. Alienor's pursuit of wealth is tempered only by her frugal nature. To her, wealth is the promise of freedom and helps to ensure self-sufficiency.

Early childhood

"They'll never realize the power that mercy has. They'll never gain the respect and admiration of their peers. Those who don't believe in mercy must believe in fear."

— Corbyn Rangouze, Priest of Stendarr

Alienor was born in the Temple of Wayrest to an unwed mother from Wrothgar. Although she wanted the child, she was compelled by her family to leave the child at the orphanage so she could go on to find a suitable husband in the future. While she was there, she befriended a priestess named Honi, a Reachman captured shortly after the Markarth Incident. After her mother's departure, Honi adopted her child and raised her as her own. She spent most of her formative years in the Temple and learned restoration magic alongside domestic skills as part of her temple duties. Under Honi, she learned many traditional Reachman beliefs and skills. Instrumental in this upbringing was a reverence and respect for nature and the view of life as a series of challenges to be overcome.

Another important figure in Alienor's early life was Brother Bennric, a former Vigilant of Stendarr and Honi's captor. Honi lived with injuries as a result of her capture for the rest of her life. He was a well-respected member of the community and hoped to convert and eventually marry Honi. To Alienor and Honi, however, he was an adversary. Alienor witnessed domestic violence at the hands of Bennric as he attempted to convert Honi to the beliefs of the Temple. Although he did care for Alienor, as he cared for all of the children, she never developed a paternal bond nor the beliefs that he tried to espouse in Honi.

At 8 years old, the Temple was hijacked during the Siege of Wayrest. Honi was one of the few in the Temple willing to fight for the welfare of the children. She called upon the Great Spirits to help her protect the children in her care, utilizing Reachman magic against the corsair's onslaught. However, overwhelmed by numbers and still living with the previous injuries of her capture, Honi died in the skirmish. This event again left Alienor an orphan. It was at this point that Alienor was determined to travel to Markarth, the ancestral home of her mother.

Enslavement

It was only a few years after her death that Bennric allowed her to be adopted by a Cyrodiilic family. Although she was promised a safe and loving family, she was distressed at the idea that she would be only farther away from her goal of returning home. Regardless, she was sent off with this new family: a wealthy merchant, his wife, and their teenage son. After crossing the border, she quickly realized she had not been adopted but rather purchased as a domestic slave. During these years she was subject to abuse by various members of the household. She held fast to her mother's Reachman beliefs and saw her enslavement as a trial to be overcome and was determined to free herself.

At 18 years old, Alienor was eventually able to gain the trust of her captors and was allowed to travel with them to Bruma. She fled through the Jerall Mountains, nearly dying from exhaustion and the elements.

Arrival in Skyrim

During her escape to Markarth, Alienor was captured by border guards and suspected of criminal activity. She was led in a cart with other captives, primarily Stormcloak soldiers, and led to her execution. Alduin interrupted the Imperial execution and unwittingly allowed her escape. Now freed again, Alienor continued to flee towards Markarth, but finally collapsed and was found by Angi. The woman nursed her back to health and imparted wisdom to help her survive in this new country. It was also Angi who suggested that Alienor take up bounty hunting.

Bounty hunting career

After leaving Angi's care, she lived outside of cities in makeshift camps to save money and hopefully avoid detection from Imperial soldiers. It was during this time that she began bounty hunting. But this profession was not without its complications. Alienor was illiterate, making it difficult to read postings or navigate roadsigns. Additionally, she would sometimes not be believed capable of completing bounties because of her sex and stature, leaving her to complete work without successful pay.

Despite these challenges, Alienor garnered a reputation as a successful bounty hunter. She was able to complete some of Skyrim’s most dangerous and undesirable bounties-- crypt-crawling and dispersing bandit camps-- on her own. It was during one of her more difficult bounties that she eventually met her companion, an Altmer named Carlos Aelsinihle. He was a mage present at Morvunskar and convinced her that he could help her fetch better pay for her bounties as well as be a formidable magical ally. She agreed and he joined her party. He proved an invaluable resource and kept his word to haggle for a higher price when returning to cash in the bounty.

The Dragon Crisis