Aja
Aja is an Orisha Eidolon known as the soul of the forest and patron of herbal medicine. She teaches herbalism and poultice-making through hands-on instruction.
Domain and Expertise
Aja serves as the soul of the forest and patron saint of herbal medicine. She possesses expert knowledge of herbs, roots, and medicinal preparation. Her expertise includes creating salves, ointments, and poultices using dried herbs, seeds, essential oils, and sap.
Teaching Methods
Aja teaches through demonstration and observation. She prepares remedies while students watch and mimic her movements. She inspects student work, providing silent approval through nods when satisfied with their efforts. Her teaching approach emphasizes practical skill development through repetition and direct practice.
Herbal Preparation Skills
Aja crushes dried herbs in a mortar, adds pinches of seeds, and grinds ingredients into fine powder. She combines essential oil drops and sap to create sticky, aromatic pastes. She prepares salves and mixtures, then applies thick balms to boiled and sterilized cloth strips for poultices.
She folds completed poultices, wraps them in broad leaves, and stores them in individual pouches for delivery. Her work produces neat, professional-quality medicinal preparations.
Kitchen Work
Aja also prepares food, cooking stews in cauldrons with ingredients including ginger, paprika, chervil, and cloves. The boiling liquid gurgles as it cooks, filling spaces with warm aromatic scents.
Teaching Rin
389 AC - Poultice Making Lesson
Aja taught Rin herbal medicine preparation in a room where Turuun hummed old lullabies. Fragrances of coriander, rosemary, and thyme filled the space. Aja prepared her salve while a cauldron boiled next to her. Rin watched attentively, then focused on their own concoction.
Rin grabbed sage, ground sprigs with a pestle, and mimicked each of Aja’s movements. They mixed their own ointment and applied thick balm to recently boiled and sterilized cloth strips. Aja wiped her hands, stood next to Rin, and inspected the work. The Orisha nodded, clearly satisfied, despite Rin’s poultices not being as neat as hers.
Aja began folding poultices, wrapped them in broad leaves, and stored them in individual pouches. The preparations would be handed off to a traveling Cornucoopia merchant the next day for delivery to the Musk Refuge.
After packing was complete, Rin asked what the cauldron’s potion would be used for. Turuun burst out laughing and the Eidolon smiled. The contents were afternoon’s stew, not a potion.
Relationships
- Rin: Student taught poultice-making by Aja (389 AC)
- Turuun: Present during Rin’s lesson, hummed lullabies in corner
- Musk Refuge: Recipient of Aja’s prepared medical supplies