Ravella Farman

Ravella Farman is the only surviving daughter of Arron Farman and his wife Victaria Plumm, the latter of which died in a shipwreck with the rest of her children. Ravella is known as 'the Witch of Fair Isle' due to her miraculous survival, her odd appearance, and her worship of R'hllor.

Early life
Ravella was born in Fair Isle in 281, to Arron Farman and his wife Genna. From the beginning, she was disliked by her father, as she was born with a defect that caused her eyes to protrude from her face, giving her an odd appearance that could never be called pretty. Lord Farman and his lady wife produced more children, though, including two boys, and for a time, the succession seemed secure.

However, tragedy struck in 289 when Lady Farman and her children took a ship to visit relatives across the sea. There was a terrible storm, and no one survived… except for the young Ravella, who miraculously made it to shore. Since then, Fair Isle began to think of her as a witch, and her appearance did not help matters.

Seeking to make amends for what happened in the past, Ravella would study the plants and herbs that grew in Fair Isle, learning to mix them into poultices and potions, and eventually she’d ask the castle’s maester to teach her how to mend bones and soothe down fevers.

Also instrumental in her education was her father’s mistress, Trianna, a red priestess from Essos. While her father and his household remained faithful to the Seven, the woman’s presence caused almost as much uneasiness as Ravella’s, and so the two took an instant liking to each other. Trianna would be the one to raise her, teach her how to look into the fires and divine the meaning of what she saw in the flames, and eventually convert her to R’hllorism.

Adolescence
Meanwhile, Lord Farman married a younger woman and produced an heir, a strong boy that grew to treat her as horribly as their father. When her stepmother and her youngest child took ill, Ravella aided the maester in treating them, but the disease worsened and the two passed away. Lord Farman blamed Ravella for it, as he’d grown to blame her for the shipwreck that had taken his first wife’s life.

In punishment, he locks Ravella in Faircastle’s tallest tower, surrounded by guards, but they are all so terrified of the Witch of Fair Isle that they shy at her approach and avoid her gaze. Ravella quickly realizes this could very well be her way out of the tower, but the truth is she’s also terrified of herself, having come to believe she’s indeed cursed. Instead she feels more a monster than ever before, and utilizes her seclusion to stare into the flames.

What she sees troubles her. Ironborn ships on Fair Isle, her father’s Valyrian Steel sword in the hands of a savage she does not know, and herself, on a boat once more…

Finally, after two years of confinement, she is released. The light hurts her eyes, her legs are weak, and it takes her months to recover her strength. When she finally does, Trianna gives her a bow and arrow and tells her simply that she “will need them.”

So Ravella begins to train by herself, doing her best to ignore the jibes and mockery this earns her. She studies the proper techniques from books, but doesn’t get very far. Eventually a huntsman takes pity on the girl and teaches her the proper way to hold a bow, to nock an arrow and let it loose, and slowly, over the course of years, Ravella’s skills improve.

Present
She tries telling her father and anyone who will listen of her visions, but they only convince her that she is mad. Only Trianna believes her, and so it is that they prepare for the day when the vision may come to pass.

Family tree
https://familyecho.com/?p=START&c=wdz5381wg9&f=268830855794456895

Timeline

 * 281 AC: Born in Fair Isle.
 * 289 AC: The only survivor of a shipwreck that kills half her family, causing the people of Fair Isle to believe she is a witch.
 * 290 AC: Begins learning medicinal arts.
 * 294 AC: Death of Lady Farman and her son, Ravella is blamed for this and is confined to the tallest tower in Faircastle.
 * 296 AC: Ravella is released from the tower and begins learning archery.
 * 309 AC: Present.

NPCs

 * Trianna, Red Priestess. The woman that raised Ravella and taught her about R’hllor. | Archetype: Scholar
 * Dake. A man of humble origins that owes Ravella his life, and is therefore one of the few friends she has. | Archetype: Ship Captain
 * Amory Hill. The man that taught Ravella how to use a bow. | Archetype: Warrior (Swords)