Chapter Text
Alma
Mother of Veronica and Serena, and one of the instructors of Arboria’s children. Known and respected throughout the village for her ability to make any child or monster quail in fear from her temper, yet denies any notions of the sort—in spite of her eldest daughter’s wholesale adaptation. Enjoys reading about the histories of other kingdoms in her free time.
Fidelus
Father of Serena and Veronica. Nicknamed “the bullfinch” by his peers, his constant concern often compounds into stubbornly holding a view until convinced otherwise by a large number of his cousins, or his wife’s emphatic arguments. His highly-strung habits are only matched by his skill in the kitchen, able to arrange seemingly the most opposed of ingredients into delectable salads.
Anabelle
Serena’s closest friend. When she was a child, monsters attacked during a recital after she had missed her morning tea—starting a superstitious streak of believing anything from a missed note to the shape of shadows on Serenica's statue could be a sign of ill fortune. Has never forgotten a cup before exercising her voice in front of a large audience in all the years since.
Vivian
Veronica’s closest friend, and apprentice to Instructor Felicia. Behind her reserved demeanor and immaculate knowledge of village ceremony is a slight distaste for tradition thanks to her mother’s overbearing instruction when she was raised. Idolized Veronica when they were kids, but eventually discarded the habit upon realizing she possessed the sharper mind.
Eva
Grandmother of Marcie. Habitually impish, perpetrating awkward silences with a regularity that borders upon religious, yet her unconventional advice for young sprouts is well-received just enough for other elders to tolerate her antics. Prides herself on her collection of literature that includes books contentious enough to draw even the Holy Father’s ire—one that more than a few other Arborians have been found indulging in.
Lucius
One of Serena and Veronica’s peers. After a childhood of stirring up trouble that caused everyone in the village no shortage of grief, a particularly catastrophic caper involving nearly all of his peers convinced him to mend his ways. The change was so sudden and profound, many adults espouse his new leaf as proof the miracle seeds one prays to Yggdrasil for will always sprout.
Victor
One of Serena and Veronica’s peers. Constantly assures others of his bravery, yet is rarely found at the forefront when battle breaks out, if at all. Nearly every Arborian is aware of his exaggerations, yet his deafness to anyone’s complaints has made most give up their criticisms. Currently courting Marcie, but has either courted or attempted to court every woman in his cohort—except Veronica.
Marcie
Granddaughter of Eva, and one of Serena and Veronica’s peers. Born from a father who left the village and an unknown mother, she commonly finds herself troubled more often than your average Arborian. Tries to remain cheerful and carefree about things in spite of this, though is particularly self-conscious with her less-than-average grasp of school topics.
Stella
Daughter of Lita, and one of Serena and Veronica’s peers. Likely would have kept her confrontational tendencies concealed, had the scions of Serenica’s surpassing magical talents not stolen her lineage’s long-held esteem. Continued to sacrifice her talents for other vocations in favor of striving to exceed Veronica’s regard by her cousins, even as she constantly demonstrated such while defending the village in her rival’s absence.
Lita
Daughter of Father Benedictus and Instructor Felicia, and mother of Stella. Possessing an eye for glamor among the calcified traditions of Arborian dress makes this middle aged woman seem perpetually disappointed with the world at first glance. However, her tendency to be nothing if not direct belies her sincerity and sensitivity to the needs of others.
Beatrice
Inheritor of the village’s shop and tea house. Notorious for her boyish demeanor and dress, progressively elaborate enchantment experiments, and increasingly frequent foreigners visiting her with theories of magic deemed outlandish by the elders. One fellow feminine scholar from Sniflheim can be found burning the midnight oil with her particularly often.
Paloma
Mother of Vivian, and one of the main cultivators of the Sages’ Garden. Her immaculate attention to the details of every flowering plant in the village also fuels her preoccupation with conforming to all Arborian customs, a devotion that goes beyond that of the Holy Father. Despite generosity’s veneration as one of the village’s virtues, she rarely settles for soft bargains while plying the Gardens’ yields to visiting traders.
Amilia
Wife to Gerardus. A fairly ordinary middle-aged woman, though noticeably more soft-spoken than most women in the village. Her lifetime of wavering between vocations and recurring spells of pensiveness leave her husband and many of her cousins concerned for her—until both seemingly disappeared when she began carrying a child at last.
Gerardus
Husband to Amilia. A middle aged man who has it all together, getting along with everyone in the village regardless of age or temperament. Quick to forgive with an easy air, his carefree attitude towards tradition stands out among the older Arborians, leading him to be called upon quite often to guide first-time foreigners around the village.
Julen
Instructor of Arboria’s children. His leniency towards sprouts remaining inattentive during his schoolroom lessons is prone to draw Alma’s ire. An avid stargazer, he frequently travels to Sniflheim to learn of the latest discoveries from its cadre of renowned astronomers. Usually without the use of chimera wing or Zoom—leading to more than a few cold injuries from staying out too long during frigid nights in the process.
Florian
The oldest of Serena and Veronica’s cohort, having enjoyed the luxury of three teachers to himself for many of his schooling years. The perfect ideal of a young Arborian man, devout and diligent—yet his unwavering devotion to the village’s flora over courting any of its flowering women his age flabbergasts many of his elders.
Felicia
Wife of Father Benedictus, and head instructor of Arboria’s children. A Keeper in the truest sense of the word, this venerable elder has presided over the cathedral library's collection of tomes and the ceremonies of the Florescence along with nurturing the village’s young sprouts for decades. Still finds the time amidst all her responsibilities to enjoy discussing literature with Eva and other resident readers.