Annora

Demi-Goddess; Patron to the Opressed
Some years ago in a remote village a little girl was born to a simple man and a simple woman. This man and woman's name does not matter to this story, the only thing that mattered was that a girl babe was christened Annora that night and for six oh so brief years she was loved and cared for. One night some time after her sixth naming day Annora was sent to spend some time with her Aunt Gildie. Now Aunt Gildie was stern and strict, she never spared the rod when she Annora was naughty, or even if she was just not quick enough. Nor did she let a kind word utter from her lips. Annora didn't know why she was sent to visit her Aunt Gildie, who was her mother's sister. Usually if she saw her Aunt Gildie it was safely ensconced between her mother and father safe from her Aunt's pinching fingers and sharp slapping hand.

Again not important to the story, perhaps, but an illness had swept through the village and Annora's parents sent her to be safe with her aunt. They felt that better Annora might get her bottom swatted for giggling too loud then to caught whatever was killing the villagers. They had already began to show the symptoms so they stayed behind. It was a few weeks after she had been left to her Aunt's tender mercies that word came. Her family was deceased, and all their belongings burned to keep the illness from spreading.

In such a short time did Annora go from being a loved child to a penniless orphan. Her Aunt Gildie took her in, though not from any sense of love. Instead it was obligation, and obligation turned to opportunity. Annora had the clothing she had brought with her, and she wore those until they could not be patched any longer. Then her Aunt Gildie would give her her own hand me downs, that of course Gildie had crudely sewn in so that the waif could work efficiently without yards of clothing getting in her way.

She slept in a corner attic room, on a mattress ticked with straw. In all her time there Annora never saw the straw changed. She was afforded only one candle a month, so she used it miserly. Only when she was changing and needed the light. Even as a child of six or seven she would not use it for light to read by or to sit waiting for sleep. She learned early on that if she ran out of what was allotted to her too soon she was not given any extras.

Perhaps it was the rationing, the long work days and short nights but Annora never grew very tall. Instead even at the age of eighteen years she was still quite short. Her curly black hair tied back with a simple strip of cloth, her clothing little more then patched rags. She was most often found in her Aunt's garden, sweeping the walks, running errands. She was rarely trusted with customers as her Aunt felt she was too uncouth, being nothing but her sisters orphaned brat.

However Annora accepted her lot, and those who knew her or at least of her for she did not get out much to have many friends, knew her for her kind spirit and smile. She never once thought about leaving her Aunt's care, she was uneducated, untrained in anything that didn't have to do with her Aunt's needs and whims so there was little she could ever aspire to. That is until he came.

A customer, who was the deposed son of the Dragon God Rhaziel, came one day to the shop. Her Aunt Gildie had caught her staring at him with her wide green eyes and had sent her flying off with a cross word and a promised switching. Yet not before she met his eyes just as she scurried out the back door.

For some time he would come regularly, and for some time she would find reasons to be near when he was. They talked, he talked to her not above her, or around her. He didn't just say a few words and then grow uncomfortable that she was little more then a slave to her Aunt. She was besotted from the first, yes there were boys around the village that looked nice but none who would speak to her. She didn't have a moment to herself most of the time to go chasing boys, and even if she did her Aunt would not put up a dowry for her even if she did catch one's eye. However she allowed herself to dream of Rhaziel coming and taking her away from all this when she was laying in the dark, on the straw ticked mattress that though she was careful was starting to smell old and musty from being more then twelve years old.

One day her Aunt came up to the attic room and demanded that Annora follow her. Surprised, the dark haired woman did as she was bid, and was surprised and fearful when she was paraded before men that looked as if they hadn't bathed in a week. Sailors.. slavers.. Annora realized very quickly what was happening, as her Aunt chatted with the slavers with the same shrewd look she got when she was haggling.

Annora did something she had not done since her Aunt put the fear of the switch into her. She turned and ran. She ran and ran, her shoes not even worth walking was nothing but a hindrance running so she kicked them off and ignored the rocks cutting and scratching her feet. She ran to the only place she knew, the little tavern she knew that Rhaziel stayed when. Fortune or perhaps someone else smiled upon her for the first time since she had came to this place and he was in town. The moment he saw her winded, fearful for she knew the slavers surely would not be far behind, he took her away just as she had daydreamed that he would.

It did not matter to Annora that they lived in a cave, guarded by lizards. She was used to privation, he treated her as if she were precious.. something she had almost forgotten what it felt like. They spent some time there, Annora didn't know how long before Rhaziel had a plan. Annora herself was not aware of much of the plan, perhaps because Rhaziel wanted to spare her the details. All she knew was he told her that he was going to make it to where they would be able to be together forever, she would never age nor die.

He took her to the highest mountain top. She had never known that anyone could actually traverse it but he did. She herself was gasping for breath, the oxygen was so thin. So much of it was a fog for her, lack of oxygen, coldness, and just dizzying fear clouded her young mind. At least it did until it didn't. It happened so suddenly that Annora actually gasped and almost hurt her lungs when she felt the power fill her body and her very cells take on a health that she had never known.

Her aunt had kept her on severe rations so she never was very strong, but now she felt as if she could walk miles without worry. Her eyes seemed to see keener, her hearing better, and even her sense of awareness was heightened. There was an ethereal glow about her but there was little else to really tell that Annora was no longer mortal. She was a Demi-Goddess.

Now the procedure to make a mortal a demi god was completely forbidden, and as such demi-gods were not allowed on the Godly planes. So Rhaziel set Annora up in the mountain, amid the priceless jewels. Being so new to her new title it was just as dangerous for Annora to try and go back among mortals, not knowing how to control her powers.

She spent years practicing, and learning living among the jewels waiting for Rhaziel's visits. He did not leave her a lone for long periods, and only when he had to. It was not perhaps optimal but both were happy, and in love. Annora began to make small excursions off the mountains. These were only for one reasons, when the prayers of the desperate reached her ears. She only heard those who were beaten and abused, oppressed. She only made her presence known when there was no other answer for the unfortunate souls... and when she did she made the oppressors pay in a way that was atrocious as the crimes they committed.

To this day Annora is known to be the patron of the oppressed.