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number11train — AA: Rowan Haide
#alva #arcem #haide #rowan #arcemalva
Published: 2018-04-13 05:30:40 +0000 UTC; Views: 1609; Favourites: 33; Downloads: 7
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Description
//embarks on my healer-making spree TY TO ALL THE ENABLERS WHEEZESName: Rowan Haide
Age: 42
Birthday: 13th Frost (13th January)
Gender: Agender
Height: 174 cm (5’9”)
Race: Human
Class: Cleric
Occupation: Physician (runs the Birchbird Clinic)
City: Iadlain
Allegiance: Koben Empire
Personality:Calm | Sensible | Matter-of-fact | Patient | Sardonic | Critical | Mistrustful | Pessimistic | Resigned | Thick-skinned
At first glance, Rowan seems like a difficult person to please. Their manner is forthright and unforgiving, and they are quick to find faults or voice dissatisfactions. Although rarely intentionally rude, they tend to phrase things in biting ways and can therefore come across as very severe. In reality, they are a calm and level-headed sort who is not bothered by much - they are simply overly clinical in demeanour and have no appetite for sugar-coating. They like to be rational, objective and to-the-point, and have difficulty acting warm or sentimental. No nonsense and no hard feelings is how they wish people would treat them, and so this is how they treat others.
They are very critical, but impersonal about it. Ungenerous judgements are quick to form in their mind – or on their tongue – but there is little that truly offends them or ruins their feelings towards others. They may think someone is stupid but still like and appreciate them all the same. In this way, Rowan is actually very patient and able to take a lot unfazed. For those who know not to take their unflattering comments too seriously, they are laidback company with a very dry sense of humour, and a reliable pillar of neutrality.
Rowan's blunt and often jaded way of viewing things has left them with no idealism in their heart, however, and as a result they are prone to morbid thoughts and pessimism. They often assume the worst and, even though or perhaps because this doesn’t bother them, they don’t do enough to prevent it. Although their work ethic is meticulous, they lack ambition and vision, and can give up too quickly. It takes external influences to remind them that there is virtue in dreaming and believing - otherwise, they slip easily back into their tired, fatalistic ways and drift through life tolerating problems instead of fixing them.
Likes: Coffee | Quills | Ink and watercolour illustrations | Teaching | Motivated people | Creativity | Bald honesty | Primroses | The sound of rain
Dislikes: Venison | Swimming | Insincerity (including white lies) | Passive-aggression | Sweets | Nagging | Grudges | Vermin | Roundabout methods
History:Rowan was born the second youngest of four siblings. Their childhood was ordinary, if somewhat overlooked - their eldest sister Willow was unruly and frequently at odds with their parents, while the second eldest Dara blossomed into his healing magic early and so was eagerly groomed to take over the family clinic. Between them, there was little attention to spare for Rowan, who was a relatively quiet child. When their youngest sibling Feá was born, this attention thinned further and they were mostly left to their own devices.
The neglect inevitably sowed some resentment in Rowan, but they never really found a way to manifest it. They were too sensible and too plain to compete with either elder sibling for the spotlight - Willow won all the negative attention and Dara all the positive - so they stayed reluctantly in the background and developed a particularly sharp tongue to snatch a place in family conversations. As they grew older, it occurred to them that Feá might be similarly neglected and they started to look out for them. The two grew close and this connection went miles to salve Rowan's loneliness.
Rowan's healing magic eventually surfaced, a little late but still pleasing news to their parents. Rowan too was relieved, since they did sincerely aspire to be a healer. They were apprenticed at their family clinic, the Birchbird, for several years and did well in their studies, but growing friction with Dara led them to seek work elsewhere. They settled into a smaller clinic near the outskirts of town, whose healers were often hired or called out as paramedics. Here, Rowan found the skillset they really excelled at - emergency treatment. While their bedside manner was lacking, they were swift and level-headed in a crisis, and soon callouts became the bulk of their work. It wasn't pleasant work by any stretch and Rowan picked up their fair share of traumatic sights and experiences, but it was something they felt alive doing.
While their work life was steady, the situation with their family just grew more sour over the years. Rowan became increasingly opposed towards Dara's carefree - and in their opinion, lazy and spoilt - attitude, especially in regards to his running of the Birchbird Clinic, but had little sway over their parents' belief in him. After letting the now-disowned Willow stay at their place for a while, Rowan got overly caught up in her venom towards Dara and their parents, and joined her convoluted vendetta against them. It took Feá slapping the sense back into Rowan for them to take a much-needed step back and, finally seeing the overblown mess for what it was, they left Iadlain entirely to avoid getting pulled back into all the machinations.
Rowan moved in with an old colleague, Myrtle, who had set up a healing practice in Linhythe a few years back. They spent about two years there, intrigued (but sceptical) at the different healing methods in a place that relied less on magic, and sharpened their surgery skills. Keeping in touch with Feá, they learned that Willow had left Iadlain a few months after they did, probably because Rowan had been her main financial support. Eventually, Rowan was abruptly called back home - Dara's irresponsibility had finally come to a head and he had eloped with a married lady to Atros knows where. With their father's health declining, the family needed help to run the clinic.
The time away had done Rowan good and, more firmly grounded and pragmatic than ever, they returned without a fuss. Things weren't exactly agreeable back home, with their parents still upset about Dara and lacking regard for Rowan, but they decided not to care about that and worked diligently for the Birchbird. It was nice to be back in Iadlain, despite everything. By the end of the year, their father was no longer working, Rowan was doing most of the clinic management, and their mother grudgingly passed over the reins to them.
Life smoothed out from there. Rowan ran a tight ship with the clinic and started taking on apprentices, finding that they rather liked teaching. They continued to do some field work but risked themselves less now that they had larger responsibilities. Years passed peacefully, until whispers of an impending war seeped in from the rest of the Empire. It remained distant to Rowan, until Iadlain's overzealous foreign ambassador sent military recruiters knocking at clinic doors. Exasperated but cornered, Rowan enlisted to keep their less experienced colleagues from being roped into it - objectively, they were the most equipped to deal with a battle situation anyway. For about a year, they served as a medic in the Koben military and saw through the annexation of the north continent. Their post in the North Colony ended when the ambassador for Iadlain was killed . A new ambassador was instated, who returned many of the forcibly-recruited Iadlish back home, Rowan among them.
The respite only lasted so long, however, as later that year a new warfront broke out with Reluir , and the world grows increasingly unstable . Healers with battle experience seem more necessary these days than ever, so Rowan has given up on thoughts of cutting back field work for now.
Additional info:
- They keep four chickens and two cats to help control pests (and occasionally offer patients moral support).
- Rowan's favoured casting tools are lanterns and candles. In a controlled setting they arrange several around their patient, but on the field they use just two, very sturdy iron lanterns.
- Rowan was initially aiming to be an Exorcist but a severe injury during one job in the woods ruined their health too much to sustain that type of healing anymore. They are content being a Cleric now though.
- They enjoy making painstakingly accurate woodcuts and drawings of anatomical structures and items, and have gotten rather good at it.
- The Haide family is a branch of the Ó hÉidin Old Clan, who formed Iadlain’s first organised healing circle along with several other clans. The main Ó hÉidin clan eventually left to help found the town of Teire, where they remain today, and the Haides were entrusted with their possessions and legacy in Iadlain capital, including the Birchbird Clinic.
- The Birchbird Clinic is located in Iadlain's Old Square, making it one of the most easily and obviously accessible healing stops in the capital. As primarily an emergency and teaching clinic, it is broadly equipped for most things but will tend to refer specialised or long-term treatment to other healing practices. It has two sister clinics elsewhere in the city, the Willowsong and the Nightlark.
Relationships:
Feá Haide - Younger sibling. An optimistic and somewhat pushy sort who had equal potential in healing and magecraft, and chose to pursue wizardry. Although their lives often keep them apart nowadays, they and Rowan are still close and they confide much in each other. Myrtle Darach - Friend and colleague. She has a similar no-nonsense attitude to Rowan but is less tolerant and more salty. Rowan is very entertained by her colourful language and often helped diffuse her temper. They greatly respect her skill as a Druid. Fiachna ní Cionnaoith - Senior apprentice. A good, hardworking kid that needs to loosen up. Watching Fiachna's earnest struggles dredges up motivation (and the memory of youth) from Rowan's crusty soul, so they make a proper effort to look after him. Ennis Riley - Junior apprentice. A quiet, polite kid who seems to get distracted easily but shows good spirit and promise. Rowan currently puts him under a multitude of small tasks to train his mettle and discipline before they commit to more serious healing lessons. Teagan Riley - Ennis' sister and caretaker. She seems quiet like her brother but a lot more stand-offish. Rowan considers her a bit too reckless, especially for someone with a dependent, but she sounds like a good sister. Nora ó Fairtheoir - Childhood friend. Also a business partner, colleague and annoying leech who can needle a reaction from Rowan like no one else can. But ultimately a friend. Although Rowan has hardly a good word to say for her, they do care about her. Levi Heeren - Colleague and student of sorts. Rowan likes his blunt demeanour and considers his technical skills fully fledged, but in other ways feels like he is a very lost child. They show him around different aspects of healing while keeping a quiet eye out for him. Paisley Young - Newest apprentice. A nervous but enthusiastic kid who seems a little enamoured with the Birchbird. His shamanistic path limits what Rowan can teach but there is much to healing beyond magic and they can search for a suitable Druid mentor later.RP Preference: Paragraph, script (discord, google docs, forum). Headcanons and art collabs are also very welcome!
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Comments: 9
aaah How am I only now seeing this wonderful child! I love their color scheme so much AAAH I'm in love! The lantern and candle idea is so cool! wonderful work
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Aaaa thank you so much, I'm so happy you like them!! It was fun playing around with different ideas for casting tools hehehee!
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i just saw this oc again bc of voddies chibis and why in the world arent we doing hc with this beautiful creature RIGHT NOW?
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LOL WOULD ESTHER LIKE A HEALER FRIEND Has she ever been in need of.. healing services... :3c
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Maybe cuz all the folk in Alva are cute winks in ur direction
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I dunno about all the folk, bur urs def are
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the lanterndesign is pretty cool, i like them!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hehe I'm glad, thank you! 
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