OOC: I know this is kinda long and I apologize...I know I can cut a lot of it out if need be.
Name: Lilly Alwhel
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Skills: Cooking, cleaning, weaving, etc.; the same skills that all women have taught their daughters for proper housekeeping. Lilly is proficient at all of these things, but seems to be like a fish out of the water until she begins to dabble with mixing herbs and such.
Race: Human
Hair: Lilly has mahogany-colored hair that hangs in loose natural curls below her shoulders. She usually pulls half of it back with a thin white ribbon that stands out amidst the dark shiny curls.
Eyes: Lilly has large almond-shaped green eyes that are rimmed with long dark eyelashes.
Home Village: Carvahall
Parents: Elise Alwhel is a plump, rosy-cheeked matron that is both boisterous and tenacious. Elise fits the typical housewife stereotype, responsible for raising the children and taking care of the day to day housework. Elise was born in Carvahall herself forty-two years ago and has lived there all of her life. She met Lilly’s father Ethan twenty one years ago as he passed through with the traders. He was born in Teirm, and had a great love for the sea. During the festivities that happen whenever the traders come through Carvahall, Elise caught Ethan’s eye and he never left. His eyes were the color of the ocean, his hair a sandy brown color. He was a tall man, solidly built with a merry look on his face most of the time. He took up farming and made a modest living, but nothing could make him forget the feel of the warm, salty breeze of the sea.
Siblings: Lilly has a younger brother Thom, who was born four years after she was. Lilly remembers first seeing her pink-faced baby brother and touching his little tiny fingers and toes, amazed at something so delicate. Thom has bright blue eyes and an excited, wondrous look about him all of the time as if he was absorbing everything around him. His dark brown hair hangs to right above his eyebrows, and he has a wide, powerful jaw just like his father. Thom had taken up farming as soon as he was able to handle a shovel and helped his father out in the fields when he wasn’t out tromping through the woods. Thom stands as tall as Lilly even though he is only fifteen, telling that he is going to be a very tall man in a few years.
Character Personality: Lilly is a very calm, observant woman. Growing up on a farm was never easy for her, but her family remained close-knit and always made the best out of a bad situation. Lilly inherited her full-throated laugh from her mother, and it warmed her parents’ hearts to see her playing with her little brother and enjoying herself. On her ventures into town, Lilly makes sure to nod and greet everyone warmly, and politely inquires into how they are doing. She could spend hours in the shops, looking at things she wished she could buy and talking to the villagers. She prided herself on knowing the inner-workings of the townspeople; the feuds, the marriages, the babies and so forth. Lilly absolutely loves being in the middle of things. She is slow to anger but quick to laugh. When she does anger, her emotions come and go as quickly as a mid-summer thunderstorm. Her emotions usually get the best of her, resulting in her crying alone in her room or in the fields. She is a strong woman, and does not like for anybody to see her cry. She is very patient and caring, having helped raise her baby brother, and very intuitive into people’s feelings. She often has a gut-reaction to things that usually turn out to be right. It’s almost like she can sense other people’s intentions. Lilly used to dream about adventures, but nothing prepared her for the adventure she was forced to go on.
Character History: Lilly Alwhel was born in a small but cozy farmhouse on the outskirts of Carvahall. The wooden house consisted of little more than two bedrooms, a kitchen and the loft. The house was filled with worn wooden furniture, handmade from the carpenter in town, and more often than not, the aroma of bread baking or sausage sizzling on the frying-pan. Her parents loved Lilly and treated her as if she were a jewel. She often spent long hours playing in the fields alone, make-believing that she was a princess or dragon-rider. The bantering of the old womenfolk in town always caught her interest; things ancient and long gone that her mother clucked her tongue at and dismissed as old wives tales. Lilly believed in these things—in the elves and dwarves too, although no one from Carvahall had ever seen one. During her fourth year, her little brother was born and he was a joy to her life. Lilly spent her time telling her make-believe stories to Thom who would listen wide-eyed while sucking his tongue. She would make funny faces just to hear the baby giggle.
As the two grew older, they began to assume the duties of grown children; doing chores and beginning to learn the trades of their parents. Lilly became responsible for helping to clean the house and cook the meals. She would take water out to her father and brother, and bring them their midday meals out in the field. Lilly would often linger there talking or playing until her father sent he back to her mother so that they could get back to work. The work of a housewife did not suit her even from the beginning. She felt like she would rather be out running through the grass, listening to the bird songs and exploring. However, her mother patiently explained to her time after time that a woman’s place was in the home, caring for her family. Lilly loved her family very much, so she made herself do the chores and did not complain. Her favorite times were when her mother would take her out into the woods and they would harvest herbs and mushrooms. Lilly would tag along behind her mother’s bulk, listening aptly to the names of certain plants, what they were used for, what plants you could eat and what could kill you. Lilly could spot the difference between the poisonous mushrooms and the ones her mother said were safe to eat. Oddly, some were both! Lilly learned that the hood of certain mushrooms were poisonous, while the stems were used in healing poultices. She loved mixing the herbs into solutions that they used to clean, used to put on scratches and bruises, and used to add flavor to meat.
Lilly’s years on the farm were a joyful blur. As she began to grow taller, a new awareness came over her. She was becoming a woman. Her mother had begun talks with the blacksmith’s wife about how Lilly was almost ready to marry. The thought of being married sent chills down to her boots. She wanted to open her own herb shop, selling the things she collected and mixed to the women in town. Her mother told her that that was nonsense; that she would marry and begin her own family soon and to get rid of all of the foolish notions. Then all of a sudden, her life became very complicated. A family on the other side of the village ran into some trouble and their house burned down. One of the sons was gone and the other ran away. Lilly heard the news in town; it was all that anybody talked about. Strange happenings in town rarely happened, and thus was the topic of conversations for months after. From what she could gather, once the farmer had died (from strange wounds, she had heard) the youngest son (who wasn’t really actually his son, she had heard) ran off with the town storyteller. Soon after, the oldest son came back and brought trouble with him. Her parents and brother were forced to move into town, into a small room in the inn to protect themselves from the soldiers that came after the boy. Her father sighed and shook his head at all of the work he had put in—lost to the soldiers of Galbatorix. Her father and brother went out with the men every day, protecting them under Roran Stronghammer while her mother paced the room, clucking her tongue. Lilly was tired of this confinement and wanted to leave, but was scared to try to get past all of the soldiers.
Attack after attack happened, people died and families mourned. The men held councils about what to do, but the situation looked bleaker and bleaker, and they sent the children and the women that would go up to the Spine. Lilly refused to leave her family, so she stayed in the inn. Finally one night, Roran made a speech to the people, saying that they had to leave and go to the Varden. The Varden—her mother had banned all talk of such things in her home. The very mention of it was almost mythical in itself; then again, Galbatorix had never had a face either until his men came and ripped her town’s lives apart. So they packed what they had into bags and they all set out behind him. They came across many barriers, but her parents and brother remained very stoic. Grim-faced they trudged mile after mile to seek shelter from the empire.
Weapons: During their long journey, many of her townspeople became ill, and Lilly would make poultices and solutions that would cure even the gravest injuries—something akin to magic. Her father had taught her how to use a bowstaff, which she practiced whenever she could find free time.
Likes: Lilly likes adventure, gossiping, her family, and ministering to people. She loves to spend time alone with her thoughts, imagining things that seemingly could never happen.
Dislikes: Lilly dislikes rude people, and anybody that would hurt her family. She dislikes having to do housework, and the thought of getting married. Most of all, she despises Galbatorix for tearing apart her town.
Animal Companions: Lilly has a great orange tabby cat. He is fourteen pounds and very fluffy with large amber eyes. His tail curves over his back, nearly touching the back of his head, and his eyes have an intelligent look to them. He followed them from the farm into the inn, and followed them when they left for the Varden.
Character's Physical Description: Lilly is 5’9’’ and curvy. She has fair skin that is accented by her reddish-brown hair. She usually wears a linen dress that at times has quite a few stains on it and a pair of stout leather boots. She wears no adornment, since they wouldn’t have been able to afford any. Her cheeks have a pale pink hue to them which brings out her vivid green eyes.
Dreams for the Future: Lilly dreams of being an apothecary of sorts; selling herbs and poultices.
Reason for Dreams: She dreams because it is an escape from reality. She accepts the fact that being an apothecary is merely a dream because her place will be in the home, as was her mother’s and her grandmother’s before her.
Alignment/side: With the Varden—very very anti-Galbatorix.
Lilly Alwhel
