Gael Novo
Gael is a blacksmith most known as a founding member of the Fellowship of the Seven Petals as one of the five fated dreamers. Though he was born into humble means, and took the life of a humble craftsman, Gael has done more to shape the fate of The Valley than any architect.
As a youth, Gael entered into an apprenticeship with the blacksmith Corinth Aladale, who taught him to feel the spirit of iron - to listen to its desires. "Like men," he would say, "iron, too, has dreams. Not ever ingot longs to spill blood, and some iron is fated for a life bigger than that of a nail. As a blacksmith, you have to learn to listen to the prayers of the material - you have to be the God of this realm and tend to it as a loving lord." These lessons have stuck with Gael, and he carries them as the heart of his practice even now.
When Aladale passed away without an heir, he passed his forge - The Ember & Anvil - to his apprentice. At the age of 26 Gael became the owner of the forge and settled in to a quiet life on the fringe of society.
His gruff mannerisms and social anxiety made him a familiar but distant member of society. It wasn't until Gael had a haunting dream in the year 3'3237 that brough Gael into contact with Bixo das Flores that he made his first true friend. In the eccentricities of the poet, Gael found an example of someone who let his personality be his strength, rather than a shortcoming. When Bixo gathered the dreamers, it was never a question of whether Gael would join them - some ingots are destined for something greater, he reminded himself.
Professional Life
Gael is not simply a provisioner to the fellowship, he is an eager participant in fieldwork and always happy to lend his strength to the defense of the valley and the House of Blossoms. Though, part of his duty - and his pride as a blacksmith - is in providing weapons to the members of the fellowship; each work carefully forged specifically for the person meant to carry it.
The first weapon he provided for the fellowship was a sword called Viralata, crafted for Bixo. It was the poet who first recognized the potential of the blade, pulling it from a scrap pile for a second life. It was his understanding of the desires of iron that endeared the smith to the eccentric man. When Bixo returned with a gash in his hand, having tested the unfinished sword against a Shadow Stalker, he made sure to work the sword from raw potential into something specific to the wielder.
After the group ascended into the realm of dreams, Gael began experimenting with weaving weapons from the firmaments of dream-matter. He was the first person to manage the feat, crafting a dream-forged bow for this wife Seliyar Novo-Caelão. The bow focused residual light through a prismatic lens, allowing her to shoot light like arrows. These weapons have the benefit of being ethereal when not in use, being able to summon them from memory as needed.
He further advanced the craft when he devised the Harmonic Cuff, a bracelet that attunes with the wearer and allows them to summon a physical tool that best matches their soul. The first of these was gifted to Vasco Vaz after he sacrificed his guitarra while rescuing the smith from a dream prison. He made a matching set for each of the four kids present during this unsanctioned rescue mission.
In his mid-fifties, Gael unintentionally found an apprentice in Mira Orimar. The two bonded while he taught her to harness the power of her Harmonic Cuff, and, once they returned to the House, the two continued spending time together. He taught her the delicate art of harmonic smithing, and how to harvest materials from the dream realm to forge dream-crafted arms. To his surprise and delight, she excelled at both. Though there isn't any real need for two smiths in the house, they enjoy working together and often collaborate on jobs, yielding complex and thoughtful outcomes that neither would come up with alone.
Family Life
On their first excursion together, Gael fell in love with the ranger from Serra da Vigília, Seliyar Novo-Caelão. The two of them form a stoic but loving couple that serves as a grounding presence in the otherwise transient house. Together, the two created a safe place to explore emotional vulnerability and love.
In 3'3244 the couple gave birth to their only child in the Silvestres Wildwoods. Adro Novo-Caelão is the perfect melding of his parents serious, grounded and reverent natures. While he delights in the solitude of the woods, he gravitated more towards a life of sacred servitude, and spends considerable time serving the temple with Adeline das Flores.
Gael and Seliyar are the last couple you'll see making public shows of their affection, but a quiet glance between them often carries more intimacy than other couples share in a dark bedroom.
Notable Adventures
Unlike other members of the Fellowship, Gael is always first in line to sign up for field assignments and, as such, has been involved with a number of formative adventures met by the House.
- 3'3237: Prophecy of Conexão - As one of the five dreamers of the valley, Gael was recruited by Bixo das Flores and Marçal Passante to thwart a mounting darkness.
- 3'3237: Rise of the Seven Petals - Having fully committed to the fellowship, Gael embarks with his new family to face a great danger.
