A Brighter Future?, The story of Tara Willow. Options

[Tábrasa]

Hello! I'll start by introducing myself.

My name is Tábrasa and I'm new to the forums. I've been silently looking at some of the stories on the forums and have felt truly inspired.
Therefore I have decided to start the story of my Breton Wiccan, Tara Willow, who I've been travelling with for the past year. Below is an introduction to Tara, which will soon be followed by the Prologue...

INTRODUCTION TO TARA WILLOW

Tara Willow is a 20 year old female Breton born on the 14th of Rain's Hand, 3E 413.

She is primarily a Conjurer but also dabbles in Destruction and Illusion. She is also handy with a blade in certain situations.

Her father died when she was a teenager and her mother resides somewhere in Cyrodiil, under a new name following events in High Rock that led her to abandon Tara as an infant.

Tara's father was a man obsessed with the art of Mysticism; but in the wrong kind of way. He wanted to experiment the thought of finding a way to turn the human body itself into a soul gem; an experment not only ridiculed, but dangerous.

One day, however, he managed to succeed in his experiment; using a teenage Tara as his unwilling test subject. He managed to trap a spirit withing Tara's body, leaving her in an unusual state.

Tara now has to permanantly live with an extra spirit inside her, who she named Willow, after her surname.
Willow is able to communicate with Tara and take control of her body for brief periods; but only when Tara desperatly need's her assistance. However, Willow's possesions are almost NEVER a good thing.

Currently Tara is on a mission to find her mother, mainly for her own piece of mind. All she knows is that she is in Cyrodiil, but nothing else. The only thing she has to offer any aid in her quest is the memory of her mothers face...

This post has been edited by Tábrasa: Dec 12 2011, 01:17 AM

[SubRosa]

Hi Tábrasa! You have an interesting concept. The idea of turning a person's body into a sort of living soul gem is an intriguing idea. Sort of like lichdom, except in this case you have two souls sharing the same flat. Although perhaps dear old Daddy is working on a way to evict the original soul? That would give one a means for serial immortality, changing bodies as they grow old and wear out. All without all that rotting flesh the necromancers love to roll around in.

Given the name(s) of your protagonist(s) I suspect that you are a BtVS fan as well, not to mention a Willow fan. She was always my favorite character on the show. In fact, I had such a crush on her back then. Toward the end I was literally only watching to see her, and fast-forwarded through the parts she was not on screen.

You describe her as a Breton Wiccan? Not to mention a conjurer. Does that mean she will be using a different form of magic then we are used to seeing? Such as not summoning undead or deadra but something else? If she comes from the Western Reach that would make for the ideal melting pot for a very eclectic tradition of magic. In my TF, I introduced the concept of summoning Aedra for the "good" characters. Not to mention summoning animals such as wolves, bears, lions, etc... for the actual Witches.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Dec 12 2011, 01:17 AM

[Tábrasa]

Hi Tábrasa! You have an interesting concept. The idea of turning a person's body into a sort of living soul gem is an intriguing idea. Sort of like lichdom, except in this case you have two souls sharing the same flat. Although perhaps dear old Daddy is working on a way to evict the original soul? That would give one a means for serial immortality, changing bodies as they grow old and wear out. All without all that rotting flesh the necromancers love to roll around in.

Given the name(s) of your protagonist(s) I suspect that you are a BtVS fan as well, not to mention a Willow fan. She was always my favorite character on the show. In fact, I had such a crush on her back then. Toward the end I was literally only watching to see her, and fast-forwarded through the parts she was not on screen.

You describe her as a Breton Wiccan? Not to mention a conjurer. Does that mean she will be using a different form of magic then we are used to seeing? Such as not summoning undead or deadra but something else? If she comes from the Western Reach that would make for the ideal melting pot for a very eclectic tradition of magic. In my TF, I introduced the concept of summoning Aedra for the "good" characters. Not to mention summoning animals such as wolves, bears, lions, etc... for the actual Witches.

Yes, Tara and Willow are indeed from BtVS. I was always drawn to the thought of creating one character who can't live without their literal soulmate, and being such a huge BtVS fan, I was sure the relationship between Tara and Willow would be perfect inspiration. Seeing as i've been travelling with Tara for almost a year, it's been interesting seeing their relationship grow and almost change.

Yes, she is a Wiccan, but I really want to download this Witchcraft mod I have heard of, but as I am on console normal Conjuration will do Tara just fine... for now I plan to write her with Wiccan powers, however, although in my game she does not. I've basically read what the mod provides so writing with that in mind whilst using the power of imagination will be fine

Tara's father is heavily included in the Prologue, as well as his experiment, so we may learn his intentions. Also, I forgot to mention in the introduction, Tara's parts of the story will be written in third person and Willow in first. I wanted to write something that shows the differences between the two people.

Also, thank you for your warm welcome

P.S I absoloutly LOVE Tara in BtVS. I was so upset when I watched her departure from the show :'( but from then on I was team Willow all the way

This post has been edited by Tábrasa: Dec 12 2011, 01:41 AM

[SubRosa]

Yes she is a Wiccan, but I really want to download this Witchcraft mod I have heard of, but as I am on console normal Conjuration will do Tara just fine. I plan to write her with Wiccan powers, however, although in my game she does not. I've basically read what the mod provides so writing with that in mind whilst using the power of imagination will be fine

I am the one who created that Witchcraft mod. Unless there is another one out there (there is a fella who created a hunter's mod that is very similar, and he too is a Pagan like myself). It basically allows you to conjure wolves, timber wolves, boars, black bears, lions, grizzly bears, and finally spriggans. There are also 3 sets of bound armor/maces you can summon of gradually increasing power.

The religion I created to go with the powers is summed up by a book I created for the mod:

The Witches of Cyrodiil are a very misunderstood people. Thanks to a meeting facilitated by a friend of mine who is a forester, I was able to meet with one of these Witches and speak with her at length about her tradition. Her name is Morcant, and she served me the tastiest sweet rolls and most delicate Argonian White Tea as we spoke of her craft.

When one hears the word Witch, the first thought that comes mind tends to be of a Daedra worshipper. This I learned is quite far from the truth. Witches worship the Earthbones, the Aedric spirits that perished in the creation of Mundus. They also revere those surviving Aedra who departed our world after giving over some of their life force to create it, as well as those eight who remained (whom we knew as the Eight Divines before Tiber Septim joined their ranks as Talos to make them Nine).

Witches also follow spirit guides, as the Bosmer of Valenwood do. Indeed, the religion of Cyrodiil's Witches appears to be nothing less than the native religion of the Wood Elves, which is now rapidly fading to obscurity thanks to the spread of the Imperial Cult in their homeland. These spirit guides appear to Witches in dreams, and even waking visions, telling them secrets, leading them places, even teaching them spells.

When asked the origin of the spirit guides, Morcant explained that they were in fact the memories of the Earthbones themselves. Even though dead, or gone from Mundus, the energy they left behind remains within us, as symbols buried deeply into our Lower Selves - what some call the unconscious mind. It is through interaction with these symbols that Witches in fact interact with the entire world. Learning, experiencing, healing, and otherwise doing their part to protect Nirn.

Aiding them in this protection are the animals of the natural world. Animals that are considered dangerous to any conventional person - Wolves, bears, lions, and even spriggans - are all friendly to Witches. In fact, a wolf named Tsume came to visit Morcant as we talked, and she explained to me that he was a friend of hers. When I asked why she had given him such an Akaviri-sounding name, Morcant told me that she had not given it to him. Rather her one of her spirit guides had told it to her.

It is thanks to these spirit guides that Witches possess the ability to also summon these animals to come to their aid when in danger. Morcant demonstrated this for me by summoning a grizzly bear. She explained to me that it was not an actual, living bear plucked from some forest that she had summoned. Rather it was an external expression of the symbol of one of her spirit guides - In this case obviously Bear - temporarily given flesh and blood through magic.

Witches believe that Mundus and everything in it is sacred, being that it was created from the life essence of these Aedric spirits. It is the product of their flesh, blood, and spirits. Witches have no temples, because to them the entire world is a temple. Nor do they have a special priest caste, as they are all priests and priestesses. As Morcant said to me: "We are all divine. We are all gods. Most of us have simply forgotten our divine origins."

Doubtlessly this will be considered quite shocking by most chapel-going Imperials, if not downright heresy. In fact, I believe that this belief in the inherit divinity is one of the main reason that Witches are so reviled and discriminated against in Imperial society. The other being their ability to create their own spells through their spirit guides. This completely negates the Mages Guild's monopoly on magical research and teaching, and would pose a serious threat to their existence if Witchcraft was more accepted and accessible.

So in closing, if you are traveling through the countryside and meet a Witch, do not be afraid. Rather great him or her (for Witch is a non-gendered term) as a friend. For they are the guardians of the wild places of Nirn, and will only bring harm to those who seek to do it themselves. And if you are very nice, perhaps they will even give you sweet rolls and tea!

[Tábrasa]

I am the one who created that Witchcraft mod. Unless there is another one out there (there is a fella who created a hunter's mod that is very similar, and he too is a Pagan like myself). It basically allows you to conjure wolves, timber wolves, boars, black bears, lions, grizzly bears, and finally spriggans. There are also 3 sets of bound armor/maces you can summon of gradually increasing power.

The religion I created to go with the powers is summed up by a book I created for the mod:
The Witches of Cyrodiil are a very misunderstood people. Thanks to a meeting facilitated by a friend of mine who is a forester, I was able to meet with one of these Witches and speak with her at length about her tradition. Her name is Morcant, and she served me the tastiest sweet rolls and most delicate Argonian White Tea as we spoke of her craft.

When one hears the word Witch, the first thought that comes mind tends to be of a Daedra worshipper. This I learned is quite far from the truth. Witches worship the Earthbones, the Aedric spirits that perished in the creation of Mundus. They also revere those surviving Aedra who departed our world after giving over some of their life force to create it, as well as those eight who remained (whom we knew as the Eight Divines before Tiber Septim joined their ranks as Talos to make them Nine).

Witches also follow spirit guides, as the Bosmer of Valenwood do. Indeed, the religion of Cyrodiil's Witches appears to be nothing less than the native religion of the Wood Elves, which is now rapidly fading to obscurity thanks to the spread of the Imperial Cult in their homeland. These spirit guides appear to Witches in dreams, and even waking visions, telling them secrets, leading them places, even teaching them spells.

When asked the origin of the spirit guides, Morcant explained that they were in fact the memories of the Earthbones themselves. Even though dead, or gone from Mundus, the energy they left behind remains within us, as symbols buried deeply into our Lower Selves - what some call the unconscious mind. It is through interaction with these symbols that Witches in fact interact with the entire world. Learning, experiencing, healing, and otherwise doing their part to protect Nirn.

Aiding them in this protection are the animals of the natural world. Animals that are considered dangerous to any conventional person - Wolves, bears, lions, and even spriggans - are all friendly to Witches. In fact, a wolf named Tsume came to visit Morcant as we talked, and she explained to me that he was a friend of hers. When I asked why she had given him such an Akaviri-sounding name, Morcant told me that she had not given it to him. Rather her one of her spirit guides had told it to her.

It is thanks to these spirit guides that Witches possess the ability to also summon these animals to come to their aid when in danger. Morcant demonstrated this for me by summoning a grizzly bear. She explained to me that it was not an actual, living bear plucked from some forest that she had summoned. Rather it was an external expression of the symbol of one of her spirit guides - In this case obviously Bear - temporarily given flesh and blood through magic.

Witches believe that Mundus and everything in it is sacred, being that it was created from the life essence of these Aedric spirits. It is the product of their flesh, blood, and spirits. Witches have no temples, because to them the entire world is a temple. Nor do they have a special priest caste, as they are all priests and priestesses. As Morcant said to me: "We are all divine. We are all gods. Most of us have simply forgotten our divine origins."

Doubtlessly this will be considered quite shocking by most chapel-going Imperials, if not downright heresy. In fact, I believe that this belief in the inherit divinity is one of the main reason that Witches are so reviled and discriminated against in Imperial society. The other being their ability to create their own spells through their spirit guides. This completely negates the Mages Guild's monopoly on magical research and teaching, and would pose a serious threat to their existence if Witchcraft was more accepted and accessible.

So in closing, if you are traveling through the countryside and meet a Witch, do not be afraid. Rather great him or her (for Witch is a non-gendered term) as a friend. For they are the guardians of the wild places of Nirn, and will only bring harm to those who seek to do it themselves. And if you are very nice, perhaps they will even give you sweet rolls and tea!

All I have to say is WOW. This kind of lore you have created for the mod is amazing! If it is okay with you, would It be okay for me to use some of this lore to explain some things about Witches for my story? I will obvioulsy make a side note that you created the lore and the mod

This post has been edited by Tábrasa: Dec 12 2011, 01:56 AM