Oliney. Keeper of Dragonflies
An eccentric but wise and calm woman. She belongs to the "Elders" of the Griff. She is a spirit, and a fairly old one at that. Oliney came here from outside on a mission from Eavar, which is simultaneously her punishment for ignoring orders during the Lilac War.
No one's read her reports in ages, so for the past ten years she's been writing ironic little essays in them about the strange everyday life of the Griff (something like an essay on how many stones have moved and sticks have appeared over the past month, and what that might mean for choosing morning tea) hoping someone in the archive will notice and react. So far, everyone's silent
She's an extremely talented mage thanks to her intellect and astral nature. Over a hundred years ago, back in her teaching days, she held the position of deputy headmistress and taught students magical theory. She still happily teaches children today, actually. She's a fairly strict but fair teacher who loves her work. She used to be much stricter, having grown unused to mortal society, but over time β and under the influence of her friendship with the eccentric headmaster and his daughters β Lin became much calmer.
Before the Griff, she served as a pilgrim-keeper, fought in wars, and took part in diplomatic missions. Even earlier, she lived on Daarlin, a distant daeran planet now lost in the river of time. Having parted with life β whether out of her own foolishness or while bravely protecting her sister β her spirit fell into a long sleep for millennia. Lin woke up in a new world, where her culture had been partially lost, and her kin had become rare even among spirits.
The mortal Olineya's family
Olineyβs central theme is the dilemma of long-lived beings and managing the accumulated wounds of eternal losses β of familiar places and beloved people. The first time, Death took her home; the second, War; the third, Revolution. She wonβt let anyone harm her home again.
This anxiety leads her to a logical consequence β overwork and eternal exhaustion. Sometimes Lin disappears for several hours or days, falls asleep somewhere abandoned, and returns as if nothing happened. In the forests, at the edges of their astral pocket, guardian owls fly β sometimes invisible, sometimes disguised as ordinary owls. They not only guard the borders but also keep watch over the family for their safety. Our lady has her own quirks.
Right now, compared to the brighter moments of her long life, Oliney is retired β which in no way diminishes the importance of this current period. She handles organization and long-term planning in their commune, and raises and teaches the next generation of the Griff.
But there are days when, in the morning, you can see someone's silhouette on the castle roof. Then the languid, early silence is pierced by a mournful whistled melody, carrying a message in an unknown language out across the sea's surface, through valleys and mountains, somewhere very far away.
The message will go unanswered
Glossary
- "Elders" β the adults of the Grief, who share among themselves the responsibilities of maintaining the castle, defense, organization, and teaching everyone else
- Eavar β an ancient interplanar organization responsible for regulating astral space
- Lilac Wars β a series of large-scale divine wars across the expanse of Loss. Eavar held the role of a neutral party in it
- Pilgrim-Keeper β the military and diplomatic force of the Keepers
- Daeran β an ancient civilization that made a great contribution to the development of magical arts. Now considered extinct
