The is the painting...and there is the person. Arrow Abirwyn, numena, crossed over nearly four hundred years ago, from a place she remembered only as "the before." Created from one of her maker's fondest dreams, he soon discovered that dreams, once real, have an odd way of taking on a life of their own...

So while we're here
Let's give up all
We listed the dreams
Inside us and set them free...

~Maureen McGovern, "We May Never Love Like This Again"

Arrow was brash, impulsive, and quite a troublemaker when she first crossed over. At the same time, however, she was also oddly tender, fiercely loyal, with a sharp and curious mind. The often tempestuous relationship between Arrow and her maker lasted until his death, a mere twenty years later, an even which changed her world completely.

But I remained, whose hopes were dim,
Whose life, whose thoughts were little worth
To wander on a darkened earth,
Where all things round me breathed of him...

~Alfred, Lord Tennyson

The bond between a numena and maker is a curious thing. While the maker is often oblivious to the emotions and troubles of the creation, the numena is always keenly aware of the maker. Feelings, location, everything. And when Arrow's maker died, she was devastated. Much of her life had consisted of him, and carrying on after his death was nearly impossible. At last, however, bitter and cynical, she took her gateway painting and moved on.

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.
Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.
War is kind...
Great is the battle god, and his kingdom-
A field where a thousand corpses lie.

~Stephen Crane, "War Is Kind"

Arrow started a new life selling her considerable skills at the bow. The mercenary life was comfortable for her, after her recent loss, as she was continually on the move and never close to anyone. And in the battles, she was able to escape her grief and focus solely on the task at hand. However, she was often dismissed from jobs due to insubordination and fighting with her fellow soldiers.

What my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten, and what arms have lain
Under my head till morning; but the rain
Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh
Upon the glass and listen for reply,
And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain...

~Edna St. Vincent Millay

As a numena, Arrow does not eat, drink, sleep, bleed, or dream. She cannot be harmed physically unless that harm is done to her gateway painting, and can "teleport" to the site of her gateway painting. She is also impervious to certain spells, and if she does not concentrate on being visible, only a maker or another numena can see her. However, she will follow anyone who gets hold of her painting, and, if her painting is destroyed, she cannot be resurrected. She is an excellent fighter, her primary weapon being her bow, yet she is quick to learn other weapons. However, she is often reckless, and, being a sensualist, is often more interested in her own comforts than others' troubles. Once she has given her word, though, she almost never goes back on it.

And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

~T. S. Eliot

Standing five feet, five inches tall, Arrow is slender, yet strong. Usually garbed in plain, practical clothing, with a shirt of light chain underneath, she carries her bow and quiver with her always. Her hair is long, brown, and curly, and her eyes a darker shade. Her features are delicate, and pretty, but often set in a sullen, cynical expression.

Comments?