Rhiannon riait avec plaisir alors qu'elle voyait le trio la suivre, envoûtée par sa chanson. Bien sûr, elle essayait simplement de sauver toute leur vie, mais l'acceptation de son propre pouvoir avait fourni ici un étrange sentiment de paix, lui permettant de se délecter de ce qui lui avait été donné. Il y avait la question de sa race, nouvellement dévoilée par son «père», mais c'était pour une autre fois; maintenant elle était Rhiannon de l'Ellyll et son pouvoir n'était pas quelque chose de honte; c'était un symbole de son héritage.
-- Près de là! Elle a rappelé jovialement aux trois qui ont continué à marcher après elle pendant que la foule flottait autour d'eux. La panique dans la ville avait atteint un terrain de fièvre avec les croisés gagner de plus en plus de terrain et à ceux qui ont vécu dans de telles affaires il était clair que les défenseurs seraient submergés; d'autant plus que la deuxième tour de siège s'était libérée du terrain agité au sud et avait finalement lancé une autre vague d'attaque des chrétiens sur les murs mal défendus dans cette région. Néanmoins, ils avaient fait du bon temps, poussé par la mélodie de la fille Ellyll et le Saint-Sépulcre était devant eux maintenant.
"Trouvez vos pieds, nous sommes là." Rhiannon a parlé, libérant le pouvoir de sa chanson des trois. Elle dansait vers l'enceinte. "Viens, avant qu'ils ne ferment les portes!"
Name: Rhiannon Jones
Age: 15
Sex: Female
Race: Human (Ellyllon)
Personality: Whimsical and a lover of festive occasions, Rhiannon revels in the joyous moments of life and is otherwise a subdued girl, forced into modesty and muteness by her label as a possessed woman.
Rhiannon is a young woman standing at five foot and four inches tall. Emerging into womanhood she has already started to become a beautiful woman with fiery red hair that curls naturally into neat ringlets at the tips and clear blue eyes. Her pale skin has tanned very slightly under the hot Outremer Sun but it is still clear that she is from the Northern fastnesses of the world. Lightly freckled but otherwise clear-skinned, she is healthy and has a ready smile able to melt the heart of even the hardest of warriors.
Dressed in penitential clothes, symbolizing the purpose of her Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, her hair is largely hidden underneath a simple white cowl and she wears a dusty black habit with a wooden cross hanging from a ring of beads around her neck. Simple sandals have replaced the poor leather shoes that wore out early on her journey.
Skills: Rhiannon studied (informally) under a Welsh bard at her father's lord's court and has a talent for singing and poetry, only enhanced by her lyrical voice. Like any of her people from the lands of Gwynedd (modern day Caernarfonshire/Anglesey) Rhiannon is hardy and used to a hard, rural life constantly under threat by newly arrived Norman raiders carving out their Marcher Lordships from her people's land; she has rudimentary skills in the art of healing using herbs and is more than capable of thrusting her hunting knife through a weak point in a man's mail shirt.
Her skills as a Ellyllon are slowly coming to light, now that she has discovered her identity, but are mostly limited to manipulating humans through singing or poetry, uncontrollable prophetic visions and instances of immediate understanding when she makes contact with someone.
Equipment: A small hunting knife constructed of simple iron with a crafted bone handle. A wooden crucifix.
Background & History: Rhiannon was born a serf in the northern mountains of Gwynedd just as the Normans arrived. To begin with her people rejoiced at the defeat of their ancient enemies but then the military might of the new conquerors turned against the Welsh and began to carve out lordships from their land. Her entire life has been spent with a wary eye on the misty horizon for a band of raiding, mailed Normans sweeping down to take what little her family had.
As she grew older she was given work at the uchelwyr's (local gentleman) manor as a maid and there she learned from the Bard who had obtained patronage from the uchelwyr. It became apparent that she had a talent for singing, and to some degree dancing, and poetry and more attention was paid her by local men as her beauty became accentuated by her advancing years.
At the age of 13 some of the interest waned after a rumour spread that she had sung an older man who had shown her undue attention to his death under the powerful flow of the swollen river; it was whispered that she was a siren but the man was known as a drunkard and such rumour faded quickly. However a year later she calmed a stampeding herd of cattle with a tragic ballad. The farmer rather than being grateful accused her of witchcraft and the young girl was taken before the village priest. Claiming his inability to exorcise the evil spirit within her, but convinced Rhiannon could be saved, the priest ordered that she and her family, in case they too had been afflicted by whatever malignant spirit possessed her, should go on Pilgrimage to the Holy City.
News had not yet reached the family of Pope Urban II's speech at Clermont, any such information taking much longer to penetrate the remote and isolated communities in Wales' mountainous territory. It came as a shock, therefore, when they heard of the tragic end of the People's Crusade and it was only on a merchant vessel heading for Acre that they received news of the Armed Pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Nearing the end of their journey the family decided that it was merely another test and made their way to Jerusalem where they were allowed entry; the wealth Pilgrims brought was still enough to overpower much religious hatred.
The family have now taken refuge in the Patriarch of Jerusalem's residence despite the friction between Latin and Orthodox teachings.