They Called Her Alivia Characters

They Called Her Alivia

The Quest for the Twelve Amulets

Characters: Book One

Godmothers to Alivia (The Twelve Warrior faeries of an ancient race whose duty it is to protect the chosen White and Earth Sorceress)

Cerian the motherly one, frumpy and well rounded, older with short curly silver hair, pale blue eyes, rosy cheeks, huffs and puffs when exerted, likes to wear heavy wool dresses and bibbed aprons. 

Gwendolyn the storyteller, average height and build, with shoulder length brown hair, exotic plum colored sloe-eyes that always seem to twinkle as she spun her tales.  She tended to wear earth tones layered.  She said that the story should tell the tale not the person and that she liked to blend into the background so that it was her voice people paid attention to.

Aibfinnia the beautiful one, tall and willowy, graceful with a soft sweet voice, long fingers, dark skin the shade of mellow chocolate, thick wavy dark brown hair that hangs to her waist, full pouty lips and almond shaped eyes, likes to wearing bright rich colors.  She wore a gold circle about her head to hold the hair and open gold bands about the top of her arms in the shape of lilies.

Aidyn the little spitfire, orderly but easy to rile, loyal, protective and likes rules, wears dark clothes in earth tones, carries two wands and a bow strapped to her back.  Red hair that she braids in one long braid, and green eyes.

Chevonne the religious, tall and reed-like, severe features with high cheekbones and piercing eyes.  Strict, intelligent, fair and wise.  Believes in the good in most people but likes to help mold children onto the righteous path. 

Dalla the ancient and wise, Dalla tends to be her teacher, she is very old, with long grey hair that had one streak of black that ran down the left side.  She always wears grayish blue gowns and small white pearls about her neck.  She carries a cane with the head of a griffin on the top and wears sturdy walking shoes.  Dalla prefers walking to flying.

Falon the leader of the faeries, Falon always was the disciplinary one; Falon was dressed in deep purple and had a stern look about her.  Her hair is black and her eyes steel grey. She wears a cloak about her, held together with a silver clasp shaped like a crescent moon. 

Feidheim who was conscientious and kind,  relaxed, easy to talk to, champion to the weak, likes to take up causes, peacemaker, not good with confrontations but finds peaceful ways to deal with disagreements or issues.  Short and stocky, never carries a wand, wears her hair in a bun on top of her head, enjoys company.

Greer the mystical one and keeper of the dragons, strong, a fighter, midnight black hair and intense green eyes, tends to wear robes over her gowns, favors blacks and emerald greens, good at potions and crystals, ability to scope a large area with her mind, persuasive, argumentative, possessive, detail oriented, more apt to use magic but is capable of a physical fight when required.  Known to use martial arts when cornered.

Murielle the bright pearl of the sea, White hair, peachy skin, blue eyes, prefers to wear white or shades of, wears opals on her fingers and one large cameo on a chain about her neck carved with a picture of a mermaid surrounded by an open clam shell, ties her tunic with ropes about her waist, slim, quiet, beautiful voice, able to converse with sea creatures and is a shape-shifter which is very unusual for a faerie.

Teaghan the poet and artisan, Light brown hair very curly and untamed, with a black streak widows peak that changes colors with her moods.  She loves to entertain with stories and poems, plays the lute and sings, and loves to sculpture.  When not entertaining she prefers to stay alone to allow her creative flair to flourish. 

Treasa the intense fighter.  Treasa loves wearing heavy leather boots and jackets with tight black pants. Treasa is the fighter in the family and tends to be a little odd in the way that she preferred to dress.  Instead of gold feminine chains she likes to wear chokers, and wrist bands made of leather where she tucks her wand within easy reach.  She is an expert at offensive spells and is the stronger of the faeries with battle powers.  Her preference is the use of lightening.  Quiet but easily riled, stern, intense, uses action more than words.  Dark brown hair which she wears back gathered or in a braid, brown eyes, tall, muscular legs, best at flight, prefers to use a bow to her wand, able to throw fire from her hands.  Enjoys horses when she isn’t flying.   Treasa was one of the few faeries with black wings.  Most of the faeries wings were either white or nearly transparent. 

Alivia’s Friends (both good and bad) at school, familiars and families:

Alivia:  Princess Alivia Brianna Mhic Dhuibhe from Lancaster.  She is but twelve years old.  She is the princess told in lore to be the one to stop the return of Abaddon, born on summer solstice embodied with the white earth magic and bearing a mark of the four-point star on her shoulder. She has eyes of fawn, auburn hair with streaks of gold and her skin is the color of cream with a hint of peach. She is a White and Earth sorceress.  She finds animism fascinating; which is the belief that all life has souls or a spirit about them. Potions and botany of course is a true passion of hers.  Spellbinding and incantations come easy to her, as do the wand usage.

Erskime: Falcon/hawk known as a gyrfalcon – white with black speckles

Conall: hound/wolf mix, grey black with white belly

Genevieve: Long white hair, blue eyes, petite and ladylike, gracious, starry-eyed. She specialized in Runes which she made herself. Magically she leans towards divination.

Myrtle: her cat

Family:

Sir Quinn Avalon, His straight walnut mane touched his shoulders with highlights of gray at the sideburns. He carried a walking stick with a carving of a dragon on the top. Its tail swirled around the length of the cane. The eyes of the dragon looked like rubies sparkling blood red in the sun.

Mistress Samantha - Tall and pretty, her hair was dark and smooth as sable, waist length. An unusual white streak ran from her widow’s peak all the way down her back and appeared to be about three inches longer than the rest of the hair. She had vivid green eyes.

Thomas and Tavish – Twin boys (age 2 first book) stocky boys with black hair and Genevieve’s blue eyes.

Bridgette – younger sister (age 5 in first book) strawberry hair that came just past her shoulders. 

Catriona (Cat): very back country, grew up around gypsy types and near rivers and woods, feisty, talkative, with short cropped hair that changed colors with her moods and outfits.   She magically does well with incantations but also enjoys her wand.

Crescent:  was a Eurasian Eagle Owl of white and black coloring, a spotted chest, ear tuffs and piercing orange eyes.

            Family:

Grandmére: hunched back old woman sat in a rickety cane chair, weathered face and wise green eyes, bent over a box full of assorted gems, swaddled in a thick wool shawl at a table to the left of the doorway.  Cat’s grandmother.

Waverly: Brainy, nice, glasses that slip, dark hair, sweater vests.  Shows interest in alchemy.

Folaim is a large chameleon with the ability to shape shift.  He was twelve inches in length and changed colors to match his surrounding, with a tongue double the length of his body.

Alasdair: Tall, thin, brown wavy ponytail, green eyes, likes to gamble and carefree.  Interested in Druidry.

Fara is a Peregrine Falcon with a blue and black coat of feathers over a breast of white.

Dooley: brown skinned, nearly black eyes, tall muscular, quiet, name means dark hero. He hails from the village of Argon, whose family can be traced back to the time of rule of Sharrood.  They are a warrior race and even have female warriors.  Alivia had seen his tribe complete once at her kingdom and was very impressed.  Likes defensive magic and shamanism.

Pandara: young cat, very swift, beautiful tan and white Persian Leopard. Blanketed with black rosettes across her back, she wore a white star on her forehead and eye markings on the backs of each ear. 

            Family:

                        Kamilla: warrior mother, who rode a Konik horse, she was tall, with long reddish brown hair and piercing dark eyes. She stood in a golden toga outfit with a ring holding the cloth to her left shoulder. She wore a deep blue sash from her right shoulder, tucked in under the thick belt about her waist. Her gold leggings, encircled up to her calf to just below her knee with leather straps attached to her shoes. She competes in horseback riding and hunting.

                        Arthfael: Father, warrior, likes to joust.

                        Quinlan: Older brother, likes to wrestle in tournaments

Broch and Tearlach – Twin brothers and orphaned, raven black hair and equally dark eyes. Tearlach and Broch leaned to the dark arts.  Broch seemed fascinated in Sigil magic with a special interest in one of the Grimoires magical training books that had the well-known list of sigils called “Lesser Key of Solomon.”  It is comprised by seventy-two princes of hierarchy of hell and used to grant the practicing wizard the power to invoke the “true name” of the evil and have control over other beings with it.    He also showed interest in Nahualli magic.   Tearlach favored necromancy and aggressive magic.

Family:

Iestyn: Distant uncle who claimed the boys from the orphanage at age 12.  He is into gaming and gambling.  He bought the boys their wands.

     Familiars:

Tearlach had a wolf pup named Angra Mainyu meaning evil spirit.  The pup was pitch-black with only a streak of grey in its tail and the yellowiest eyes anyone had ever seen.

Broch has a female jaguar kit called Deamhan Fadadh, meaning demon lightening. she was black with a streak of grey running like a lightening bolt across her forehead.

Gang:
Cameron: orphan - big ugly kid with a large crooked nose that looked as if it had been broken a time or two.

Cailean: orphan - little runt with beady eyes that darted around; straight and greasy hair that keeps falling into his eyes.

Cannu: orphan - evil smirk with pure white hair hanging to his shoulders and protruding pointed ears.

Raghnaid: long black hair and shifty metal grey eyes, mean and had many followers. Tearlach’s girlfriend.

Lyall:  friend of Raghnaid, nickname was Wolf, describing her sleek and sly ways and her thick brown mane.

Marsaili was a stocky, curly haired redhead with a warrior-like temper.

Treva:  A hall monitor in the girls dorm.  Very stuffy, strict and stuck on rules.  Name means Prudent.

Sir Fife - guardian at the school that the girls put to sleep to enter the barns to check out the horse.

Teachers:

Professor Hesperus Orfeo:  the headmaster of Clavenburn, grand wizard, robes were of a midnight blue color and lined with a silver trim.  A single chain hung about his neck and from it the symbol of the crescent moon with a minute star seemed to float close to the moon but did not appear attached.  It glistened like a diamond.  His hair was long and wavy. Nearly white in color it hung down his back to his hips.  He was a tall thin man with a beard as long as his hair.  However, it was his eyes that were arresting.  They were a midnight blue that matched his gown.

* Faeries teaching: Teaghan will teach the Art class and Cian will be teaching history which is really that Chevonne will teach religious courses covering beliefs, traditions and myths this year.  Teaghan will teach the Art of Flying and Cian will be teaching World and Magic history.

Sir Cayden:  Head guardian at school.  Over security. An extremely tall and broad man who was very intimidating with his jet-black hair and eyes.  His face was weathered and tanned, and he wore no facial hair.  His garment consisted of tight brown pants with tall black boots and a long black coat over a dark brown open necked tunic, which had a wide black leather belt.  Various weapons hung from his person.  Has a secret that he keeps from everyone.  He and Long have friction between them but they are still attracted.  It seems that he doesn’t like Alivia much.

Helga: She was a pleasant looking woman with a large girth but a winning smile. Her eyes twinkled as she looked around.  She teaches the class about mythological creatures. Her and her sons are also the grounds keepers at Clavenburn, as were her father and mother before her. They are also the ones who take care of the familiars while they stay at the school. 

Family: Sons: Bruce and Bryan

Mrs. Pragg taught botany.  She was a frumpy short woman who wore a long brown muddy dress with a leather belt where she hung several small picks, shovels, forks and other instruments needed for cultivating. Her dress had large deep pockets that appeared to be filled to overflowing. Her thick curly hair was pulled back with combs and her feet were shod in tough leather boots. Mrs. Pragg took her job very seriously. Not only did she teach Botany but her greenhouses also supplied all of the plants and vegetables for the school.

Mr. Hedgewart:  He taught wand care and it usages.  He was an extremely tall and thin hard-faced man with grey hair and long beard but a frontal balding pate. His skin was leathery and of an indeterminate age. He stood ramrod straight and had eyes that seemed to roam to every corner of the room.

Enemies:

Lord Guthrie: leader of the Kraydocks, a ruthless tyrant, name means war serpent, greasy black hair down to the middle of his back, and wears a hauberk mail made of small metal rings, that hangs over a black robe from head to thigh, carrying a deadly, sharp, double-sided sword.  In his other hand was a wand.  Eyes of yellow like a mountain lion.

Necromanticus: She is a black magic seer and fortuneteller for Lord Guthrie. Necromanticus’ minion was a buzzard and one of her special pets. She could see through his eyes as if she was there herself.  The visions would only come to her when she mediated and that meant putting herself into a trance like state.

Abaddon: He is the one written about in Revelations in your Christian Bible. Abaddon the destroyer is what he is called. Abaddon was a horrifying creature clad in a blood-red cape slit to allow black wings tucked close to his back, the tips of which fell beyond his feet. He was held immobile by the light surrounding him resembling twisted chains, and he wore an open-necked robe of earth-tone browns and greens. A lengthy mane pitch-black as the night swirled in the air about him, coiling and uncoiling like Medusa’s snakes. Slanted eyes of red blazed hatred for all of those gathered below him. Eyebrows winged up above a patrician nose that rested above fangs dripping with blood. Extended, pointed ears tufted like a bat’s graced the sides of his head, while fingernails like talons fought for purchase as the being writhed in annoyance at having been captured. Abaddon, angel of destruction, worshiper of the black arts, you have been charged with the attempted destruction of mankind. (Blamed for the Ice Age trying to wipe out all non-magical, man, plant or beast.)  He was imprisoned in the World Tree until the judgment at the end of the world. We have ensured your imprisonment by securing several locks and keys. Undoing only one lock alone will not free him.  All twelve talismans are required to release him.

Hector:  One of Guthrie’s soldiers at arms, a troll of considerable height and bulk.  He was dimwitted at times, but totally faithful to Lord Guthrie and could be trusted to follow his orders without question.  He had a huge head and an even bigger nose covered with scars and warts.  His hands were the size of large plates and his fingers the size of small sausages.  He walked with an awkward gait but was deadly with his axe. He wore a belted hide year round and deerskin boots.  His pate was bald with lumps and rolls upon it.  He had enormous ears that stuck straight out from his head and waved when the wind was stout. He grunted more than talked.

Herpe: duergar from Nappenhut, a black dwarf who finds humans insufferable, tried to steal Alivia when she was a baby but didn’t.

Sir Olwydd:  Heavyset, he weighed at least 20 stone, then add at least another 10 stone for his clothes, from his great helm to his Byrnee mail, covered by his full steal plate armor and his various weapons.  He was a sentry sent by Lord Guthrie to kidnap Alivia from the school.  Greasy brown hair lay in strings around his shoulders.  He was missing most of the hair on his pate except that which was circling around the base of his skull.  His face sprouted a bulbous nose and fat red cheeks lined with busted veins.  What he lacked on his head he more than made up with on his eyebrows and his face.  He sported a long bushy beard and mustache, peppered with gray.  His eyebrows jutted out and nearly touched in the middle.

Demonicus, werewolf son of Danderhauf, soldier to Lord Guthrie, who is to be sent to make friends with Broch and Tearlachs gang and bring back one of Alivia’s friends to lure her out of the school or from the town.

Mystical Allies

Calliope:  Oceanid near Lancaster that gave Alivia a Black Pearl.  Isle of Mayberry:   Island of the Selkies

Nelbub made her room more comfortable;

Reisa produced a wardrobe to wear everyday,

Marlena cooked and cleaned.

Cadarn, guard at Bank Brightenbeam & old friend to Alivia’s father A giant, whose arms and legs looked like tree trunks themselves, guarded the doors.  He wore a plain brown kilt with a heavy fur hide vest.  On each arm were large bands of metal with figures of elk, fish and hunters carved into them.  On his feet were sandals and in his right hand he held a knotted club.  Grizzly hair practically concealed his face and his locks were matted and long.  His expression was fierce and his growl rumbled from his chest.

Nantosuelta was bestowed the Pearl of Wisdom, a beautiful large black pearl that is believed to hold all of the wisdom of magic by the sea queen of the Oceanids.  She was a water serpent

Gwydion a powerful ancient mountain dragon.  The high wizard entrusted Gwydion with a large white pearl, the colors of an opal. History tells us that this pearl has the power to release the dragon Nidhogg to destroy the world.

Sadbh: deer who gave Alivia the “Magic Cloud” cape.  Her story of her family was that named after my great grand deer who was the mother of Oisin. A cruel druid by the name of Fer Doirich cast a spell on her, turning her into a fawn. One day, Cadarn, leader of Clan Bascna captured her, but he was encouraged by his priest to spare her life. Cadarn instead took her with him. That night, back at the Dun, which was their camp, she turned into a beautiful woman. Cadarn fell in love with her and they married under the stars in the presence of his men. The only problem was that she had to remain in the Dun to remain a woman. Later Fer Doirich tricked her into leaving the Dun to save her husband. She immediately turned back into a fawn and disappeared. I am one of her descendants. Over the year’s we have acquired special powers.

Tairneach, the one Alivia fondly calls Spitfire, is the son of our holy one, the guardian of the Fionn Mairead. – baby Yong, an extremely rare Skye dragon

Lord Talamantar the great dragon, master of the Nogo and Kyo tribes of the sacred and divine race of mountain dragons.

Great Uilliam; One of the seven dragons sent to find Tairneach (Spitfire).

Euraid, friend to Lord Talamantar and speaker to the Skye dragon counsel.

Hernhaugen: He was a berg troll, which is a mountain troll, who stood at least 7 feet tall, with a large nose and ears, deep-set eyes, a stooped back, with feet and hands that resembled shovels. His hair stuck out all over his head in disarray and he had a long think tail hanging out from beneath his robe. His clothes were made of animal hides with a large wide brown belt around his middle.  He was gruff but kind and became a good friend to Alivia and the girls.  Loves to cook and mines ores deep within the mountain.

Princess Dealan-dé of the Winged Pixies, 

A beautiful white butterfly with gold tipped wings.  Each wing had an eye in the center of the top.  The body was not of an insect but rather that of a beautiful lady garbed in a short golden fury gown.  She had short curly red and gold hair, that circled her head like a crown.  She also had antennae branching from her head and a long, slender clear crystal wand in her hand.   These pixies help to pollinate flowers and come in all colors looking like butterflies.  Their breath helps to restore and heal. 

Mystical Places or important places as well as important items:

Magical Forest of Fortitude: Sister White Elm

Cave of Enlightenment:  where Alivia made her wand after gaining entrance by the face in the mountain.

Town of Brightenbeam – Magical town where the fairies took Alivia to live.

Ø  Brightenbeam Bank -  where Alivia’s money is stored

Ø  Baggett’s bookstore – where the kids get their books for school

Ø  Shoe Store - Hymie, the Leprechaun owner of the shoe store at the corner of Poppy Grove

Ø   

Clavenburn, school for wizards and Sorceresses, that is located at the top of Harvest Moon Mountain.

Bodark: Dark magic school for older children and black arts wizards and witches.

Lesser Key of Solomon: one of the Grimoires magical training books that had the well-known list of sigils.  This list is purportedly a list comprised by seventy-two princes of hierarchy of hell and used to grant the practicing wizard the power to invoke the “true name” of the evil and have control over other beings with it.

Camanchd, magical and better known in the villages by the name of Shinty. The differences between village Shinty and the magical one, is that the magical game is played on broomsticks with a small flying crystal instead of a ball. The rules imply that only hooked wooden camans may be used to hit the crystal and the scoring was a bit different from the mortal’s game. The magical name for this form of Camanchd was Criostal Gun Spáirn, meaning crystal with flying colors. There were the usual goal areas at either end of the playing field, in the shape of the letter D, but with three areas to score from instead of just one. In the center was a small square magical area, which would award the team twenty points. On the right and left sides of this box were strip areas within the goal that would count as a score of ten. The first team to score one hundred points won the game. To protect the goal, the guardian could use his hands to whack the crystal away but not catch it. The crystal sometimes came in hard so the guardian cushioned their hands with hide. If the guardian were to catch the crystal, the other team was immediately allowed a free shot from the center of the field, which was 50 feet from the goal. The guardian could bat the crystal away with his broom or caman, or block with his chest but not his head. If anyone blocked or hit with their heads, even by accident, the other team would have a free shot from only twenty feet from the goal. If a player were caught hacking, that is bringing down their stick onto another’s caman, the blocked player was allowed a free shot from the corner. Behavior allowed included bumping, tackling, or knocking one around with shoulders; grabbing with your hands or hitting the body with the stick allowed the opposing team a free Shinty shy. On the ground a Shinty shy was awarded from crossing over the boundaries of the playing field. In magic, it happened for personal fouls instead. The difference with the crystal was that it could change colors while in flight. When the crystal was red, it would fly extremely fast when hit. When the color was blue, it would travel very slowly. White was normal, but if it was hit while purple, it would disappear and reappear somewhere else. If you scored points while it was rainbow colored, you would win the game automatically. Each team could only have six players, unlike human Shinty played with twelve, with one of the six being the guardian. Players are known as champions. A score, identified as a tally with the winning champion referred to as the knight.

Alivia’s team was known as the Fàidheanta Neach-dìona, meaning the mystical guardians and their colors were grays and blues with just a thin delicate line of emerald green forming the plaid. Tearlach and Broch’s team deemed their group the Dearg Deamhan, or Red Demons, with robes of blood red and black serpents drawn on their backs. The snakes had yellow eyes that appeared to glow. On their team were Cameron, Cannu, Lyall and Marsaili. Lyall’s nickname was Wolf, describing her sleek and sly ways and her thick brown mane. Marsaili was a stocky, curly haired redhead with a warrior-like temper.

Amulets:

The twelve talismans were the Mirror of Zeran which reflects the soul, the wand of

Merlin possessing defensive magic, the Ring of Nature which has the ability to unlock magical doors, the black Pearl of Wisdom which unlocks the knowledge of life, the healing Fruit of Glanis, the giant red garnet which holds the Fires of Hades, the Flute of Pan which calls the rustic music of the wilds, the Magic Cloud possessing the ability to shape shift, the Eye of the Cat to ward off the dead and evil spirits, the Chalice of Life containing everlasting life nectar, the large white pearl called the Dragons Egg with the power to release Nidhogg, and the Scroll of Truth which is said to contain the map to the road of eternity.

Strange characters that interact in story line:

Hamadryadniks and how they like to play tricks on humans.  Sometimes they would sneak up on unsuspecting travelers and steal their clothes when they are bathing in the stream! They would even steal their saddle packs off their mules so that they wouldn’t have any food or blankets. The only time a person is safe from them was at night, because they had to stay up in their tree homes.  If they step foot on the earth after dark they disappear forever.  Sometimes you have to trick them into coming down so that they will disappear.  Then you could climb the tree and get your things back from inside their tree houses.

Hymie, the Leprechaun who had the shoe store at the corner of Poppy Grove in Brightenbeam.

Fife Cerad & Bychan   - three mischievous little Imps.  Fife was the heaviest one, with nearly onyx skin, pointy ears (but one drooped down over his right eye), a bumpy nose and had short stubby toes and feet.  Cerad was the tallest of the three, which wasn’t saying much, since he barely stood three feet tall.  He was bronzed skinned with pointed ears, incredibly thin with very long fingers and plays the flute.  Bychan was the youngest.

Orc, from Brightenbeam jail who told Lord Guthrie were to find the princess and was tortured and burned.

Gryphon:  guardian of the sacred falls. Magnificent Gryphon possesses the head and body of a lion and the wings, tail and talons of an eagle. The sharp curved claws extended from booted feathered powerful legs of a raptor and large pads of the hunter on the back. His mane was a golden mass of waves and his eyes were the color of amber. His roar echoed through the cavern as he reared up in front of their path.

Boggarts: exceptionally devilish group, who could be easily controlled by someone with vast black magic powers. Boggarts have the ability to shape shift into any creature that is required and they hate humans.

Zambia. I am from the savannas of Africa. I have come to your mountain

at the request of the great wizard.  Catriona’s quest in the maze.

Mulk: large talking black parrot.  Mulk’s are large, black, talking birds that feed off the misery of others and destroy plant life. It is told that a flock of Mulk can wipe out whole forests or entire fields of grain. A screen of grey dense fogs emanated from the birds beak when it kills plants. 

Princess Dealan-dé of the Winged Pixies: beautiful white butterfly with gold tipped wings. Each wing had an eye in the center of the top. The body was not of an insect but rather that of a beautiful lady garbed in a short golden fury gown. She had short curly red and gold hair, that circled her head like a crown. She also had antennae branching from her head and a long, slender clear crystal wand in her hand. These were very tiny pixies that look like butterflies. We help nature to pollinate the flowers. We spread love and life to the earth. It is our job. We are too small to do much alone; so we rely on each other to make ourselves strong. We disguise ourselves as butterflies so that we will go unnoticed.

King Otter, king of  Nymbolstan, defeated by Lord Guthrie and had been the keeper of the Fire of Hades, had sent it to the west to his brother King Shamus for keeping, located far away across the Sea of Bantar.