Aeleina

eleina is Tintara's mother. She is a priestess of the highest rank, and the leader of the Dryad community at Ys. Though too young to begin her training to be a high priestess, Tintara has already begun her priestess training, and will one day succeed her mother.

At the age of 425, 6 years after coming to be the head priestess of Ys, the elder priestesses advised Aeleina to continue the family line. And so, Aeleina did what all Dryads do - she waited for a male traveler to pass by on the main road, just outside of Ys.

Blending in with the trees using the trick of the Dryads, she waited. As she did, she had several pleasant conversations with the nearby trees, which leaned towards her presence. All of a sudden a particularly tall oak warned her of a traveller approaching, so she crept even further into the brush.

When he finally came into view, she saw that he was a tall man, handsome with brown hair and green eyes. As she stepped out from the brush, Aeleina drew power from the forest life all around her and wove the easiest spell of the priestesses - the glamour. Seeing Aeleina in a divine light, the man followed her to where she led him, back to her tree.

Three days passed, and when she finally allowed him to go, he was so madly in love with her that the Dryad guards had to force him back on the road. But he found his way back, and just as the guards' shift was switched, he slipped into Aeleina's room. She did not send him away.

Aeleina knew, though, that this could not continue. Heartbroken, she sent him away, ordering the guards to kill him if he should try to enter the clearing surrounding her tree again, and she told him what would happen if he was to return. Lovesick fool that he was, he paid little heed to this warning and went back, planning to get in the same way he had before.

As the guard switched, he made his move - but failed to notice Arafel, the best archer in all of Ys, sitting up in the tree, some 70 feet above him. She took him out with one clean shot through the back. Aeleina never knew his name.

5 months later, moon-dark of the fourth month, 419, Aeleina gave birth to twins. A great ceremony was held in their honor, and a green ivy vine was tattoed on both of their right wrists - the mark of succession.

Aeleina is still the leader of the Dryads. At 443, she has at least 100 years of life left to live, which will be plenty of time for Tintara to continue the training that Gwendolyn would have fulfilled. To signify their birthdate, Gwendolyn and Tintara both wore swirling moonstones bound about their foreheads on black satin cords.