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| Publication Date: | May 9, 2018 | ||
Meet the Character - Valsirenn of the Psijic Order
by Oriandra
An essay on one of the most accomplished sages of the Psijic Order
- A Report by Oriandra, Acolyte of the Psijic Order
- Ritemaster Iachesis,
- You tasked me with studying one of our most accomplished sages, the always calm and composed Valsirenn of the Conclave of the Eleven Forces. You said that I could gain insights that would help in my own training and advancement, and after spending numerous weeks either working at Valsirenn's side or observing her from afar, I once again marvel at your ability always to point me in the right direction.
- As you know, Valsirenn joined the Psijic Order after you saw potential in the young High Elf. I find it hard to believe that Valsirenn was ever young and inexperienced, but of course we are talking about a time that was more than three hundred years ago. This was when our island home of Artaeum still floated off the coast of Summerset, before the Order made it vanish from the world. From what I was able to learn, Valsirenn represented the best and brightest of her age. She could have chosen any of numerous paths open before her, though it seems she didn't even take the traditional year and a day to consider your offer. Like me many years later, she accepted the invitation to join the Order almost as soon as you extended it.
- Valsirenn became a monk of the Old Ways early in her life and grew in power and prestige within the confines of Artaeum and Ceporah Tower. As a Psijic sage, she gravitated toward scholarly pursuits and arcane research, developing into one of the Order's foremost experts on mysticism and esoteric knowledge. She became a teacher who never lost her intellectual curiosity. If anything, it grew in intensity and focus as the years passed. She met the love of her life, Leythen, another sage, here on Artaeum. And, as respect and admiration for her work evolved, she was invited to join the Conclave of the Eleven Forces—the ruling committee of the Psijic Order.
- Valsirenn found time to not only become a driving force in the Psijic Order, an accomplished researcher, and your most-trusted associate, she also developed a loving relationship and started a family with Leythen. As you know, she sometimes leaves the island to conduct research back on Nirn or to complete missions for you or the Conclave. She even allowed me to accompany her a few times, which gave me the opportunity to make contact with other mages back in Tamriel. Sharing information that the Psijic Order doesn't consider confidential has been helpful in my own research, for example.
- Now, as much as I have come to admire her, Valsirenn isn't perfect. She often gets so absorbed in her own work that she ignores everything else going on around her. I've seen her spend days on end in one of our libraries or workrooms, forgetting to eat or sleep or even interact with any of her friends or family. I wouldn't say that she's cold, exactly, but I know that some of the Order think of her that way. And her confidence and vast expanse of knowledge can look like pride and arrogance to some, especially to those on the wrong end of one of her lectures or scholarly debates.
- What else can I say about Valsirenn of the Psijic Order? She presents herself as calm and composed, always on top of every situation. Although she is significantly older than I am, I have never seen Valsirenn as anything less than a vital, caring, and dedicated member of our exclusive community. Her intellectual prowess and scholarly pursuits are legendary among the Order. She is completely devoted to the Old Ways and her fellow Psijics, though sometimes her seriousness and work-oriented approach can be disconcerting to those who aren't used to her ways.
- Valsirenn shows me that learning never stops. And she teaches me not just through her lectures and lessons, but with every action she performs as she goes about her daily routine. I look forward to working with her again in the very near future!