Ethlerrereva Na-Adrianarallanas Ar'dan the Legend of the Battlefield, Drillmistress of Battle

Role

Chapter 9

Ethlerrereva has settled into her role as Drillmistress. It comes with headaches but
it also comes with great fulfilment. She finds herself perhaps doing more
than others before her, because the Commander suffers from an affliction
of falling into deep meditation without intent. But so far he has not
complained or changed anything she has done, and so she is comfortable in
the leadership she provides.

She is only middling happy regarding growth. A few new fighters, but not enough.
Even so, she does what she can to encourage others. Which extends to everyone.
Indeed, she speaks to the most ardent enemies, including, for instance,
Narra, offering help to change, to put aside magic, and begin life anew.
Few accept the offer, but she does not lose fervor. By word or deed, change
or death, they will come to the right end. As Lord Ergush says, everything
dies. It is helpful if some deaths serve a purpose. Dismaying as many are,
she is not discouraged. Their foolish taunts are water on a duck.

What does frustrate her is that most mages no longer engage. Ydane is a perfect
example. After a few tangles very early on, not once have they fought.
She will fly to others, fight others, but never Ethlerrereva any more.
Worse, the few times she has the opportunity, they almost always escape near
death. It is a great frustration. Again, something to deal with.

Because the mages avoid her, or enemies rest, she spends much time obtaining
items for Tahren. Useful, though not exciting. But necessary. She also seeks
to adventure in new places, to explore the remaining mysteries of Thera.
But again, she often has no one to travel with and the places to go are not
suitable for lone traveling. The village holds no bards now, and those she knows
become more and more dependant on magical clothing, and so less and less acceptable
for traveling together. That, too, is frustrating, and another reason she
tries to grow the village. And, to be honest, to build some huts that are not
filled with dark elves or duergar or black hearted giants. People to travel with.
She shall see.

Finally, she has tried once more to speak to her father and grandfather and
again, both were silent. She is not old yet, and will have time. But hope
begins to dim. She will try again, in time. And hope they will see the light.
Until then, she spends only brief time in Darsylon, the coldness of her former
people an almost physical assault.

Role

Chapter 8

Momentous events! After far too long, the village has a new Drillmistress, and it
is Ethlerrereva. She had asked for the job and after some time, it was given to
her. She views it as a great honor as much as a great task. She has started strong
and begun work to improve all, improve the work on the veil, improve recruiting.
Time will tell how successful these are. She is committed and will work earnestly
to fulfill her duties as well as possible. Which also includes training, both for
herself and for her villagers. She considers various ways to do so, though
to be honest with herself, the primary goal is recruiting. There are so few
huts, and even among those some are hardly ever awake. She needs more men!

Shortly after her becoming Drillmistress, on one of her regular visits
with Lord Ergush, they had a particularly lengthy and deep discussion, after
which he did her the stunning honor of marking her with his tattoo. She was
actually surprised. She of course always hoped for such honor, but never would
would have thought for it that moment. She has taken it to heart, and worked hard to
include all she learned, and continues to learn, with Ergush, in her daily life
and speaking to others. It is important and she feels helpful as for her, it dovetails
well with her fight to protect life from magic.

And finally that fighting, the War, has been the subject of much thought over
many decades now. And in particular the sadness of seeing those who purport to
do work for goodness but fail to see the evil of magic in themselves. She has
seen that sometimes it takes violence, and even then it more often than not does
not provide a true change. But even so, she has evolved a process she believes
is consistent with her moral values and with her knowledge of magic's evil. She
will always give a goodly soul a chance to change, first. She speaks to such a mage first,
always, before striking. Usually more than once or twice, and usually exhorting.
Only when they utterly refuse, and sometimes simply ignore, will she resort to violence
with such. And, after, she will not strike again without again speaking of the need
for change. She values their lives, too. But they do great harm and must be stopped.
She hopes words will be enough, but so far, they have not.

Role

Chapter 7

And finally her lifelong obsession with mastering the bladesong. She has spent
years now, in various places below, upon, and above the lands, using all such
different terrain and foes to hone her skills. It is never done, always a path
rather than the destination, but she is proud of what she has accomplished so
far. She only wishes she could speak of such things with her father. She returns
to Darsylon with some frequency - each time a great ache to her heart. Each time
the coldness of her reception a dagger to her soul. But even though she goes and
purchases her favorite foods, she has not returned inside the palace. She has not
stood by her father and entreated him to speak to her. She is afraid he will
refuse, and strong as she is, that might break her heart. She hopes one day it
will be different, but for now, she avoids him, and he has not reached to her. All
she can do is practice the weapons work as she always saw him do so, and keep his
example in mind. It will have to be enough.

Role

Chapter 6

One of the benefits of protecting life is seeing all the ways life can surprise
you, even when the surprise is disappointing. Even heartbreaking. The War is like
that. Many of the things she thought would be challenges are not, and many things
she thought would be simple are the real challenges. The most important is the
knowledge of magic. She knew from her own people that it would be difficult. That
the powerful addiction of magic would make it difficult for the mages to stop.
But in her heart of hearts, she thought, hoped, even assumed, that at least the
goodly folk would see how important it is to stop. She does not fault anyone
for having used magic, for studying it. She herself lived a childhood where magic
was common. But only because the truth was unknown. Everyone had lived under the
false belief that magic was merely a tool. But with the truth revealed, that magic
is the heart of evil, a poison that kills, she believed it would merely be a
matter of spreading the truth, and that would win half the war immediately. Only
the dark hearted, who cared nothing for life, would continue, as they did anyway.

She was wrong. So wrong that one of her own kind, an elf named Masbent, after
being told the truth of magic, attacked Ethlerrereva! She has always given those
mages of good heart the chance - many chances - to change ways. She asks. She
cajoles. She explains and even begs. But to little avail. One member of the
fortress, a Zipwherp, lied to her face. That is how powerful the magic's pull is.
And with each she warns that if after many times speaking and trying to convince
of the truth, the last resort will be violence. There are things it seems that
only a minor death can teach. Lessons it can instill. She herself knows, having
died many times, and each time something new was learned. She knows if the mage
dies and spends a few hours in a ghostly state it is not eternal, or even very
damaging. And she takes comfort in the hope that spending those few hours after
the violence will imbue the mage with the strength and resolve to do what is right
and fight against magic as she does. Doing otherwise, now knowing the truth, is
the very definition of evil. Selfish use of power to the knowing detriment and
destruction of others. It makes her sad to see.

However, some of the War and her life is uplifting. Her times with Ergush renew
her spirit and sense of joy in life, even if they are less frequent than she might
hope. And she has seen a dark elf kill another dark elf, a villager fighting the
War. She has no love of these dark folks, but their setting aside of personal
greed and lust for power to fight in the War is, in its way, inspirational. And
she has discovered things in the far wider world than she could have imagined.
Sights to behold, items of great beauty and power. Things of abhorrent evil only
seeing is believing. All unexperienced, but for the parchment viewed long ago.

Role

Chapter 5

It's not easy being an outcast. In some ways it's worse that she can return
to Darsylon, as she does to buy her favorite venison pies. She has to steel
herself each time for the frosty reception, the cold shoulder. The pretending
that she's unknown, a stranger. But even so, she is not the woman who left. She
has gained a stonger, more natural sense of self. She does not define herself by her
birth, but by her deeds, her mind, her words. And that has given her a confidence, even
when she falls. Part of it of course are some things she's experienced.

Seeking, and ultimately obtaining a hut in the village, after slaying her firsst
mage, was a major step. So was meeting her chosen deity, the lord Ergush.
Each required time and committment, but most important and understanding of
her place in life, in Thera. It has only redoubled her focus.

Still, she is understanding, perhaps for the first time, just how good a
fighter her father is. She trains and trains, and while she uses daggers and
he swords, still she understands now the difference of many centuries. She has
now faced powerful, strong enemies. Dying, in fact, more than once. But
it has given her a caution, a bit of temper to her exuberance and, truth
be told, the famous elfin arrogance. But again, it is now more inspiration than
despair. She expects to grow stronger as she ages, and will face them in time.

Finally, she has developed a taste for exploration. Something she never thought
she had, when all she did was read about places. Now, going, seeing, experiencing,
has sparked a keen interest. Expect her to continue this in life.

Role

Chapter 4

Some noticeable traits. She is wordy. She grew up around people who like to talk.
She's not superfluous, but she definitely tends to longer sentences and some
formality not usual in guildhalls and inns. Also, despite what she has gone
through, and will be going through, she is at heart a happy person, genial and
ready to befriend those she can trust. In a perfect world she would convince
everyone without having to kill them that magic must be shunned. Though truth be
told that's more true for others of the light. She's perfectly happy slicing the
throats of orcs and fire giants and duergar and humans and all who walk the path
of darkness. But she leaves the random evil killing to the fortress. Her killing
is for mages and magic, and those that protect them and spread the use of magic.

And, much as she is now not one of her own people, and in key ways is totally
different, in some ways she is what she was bred to be: a high elf princess. She
is less arrogant than most of her family, which means she's only ten or twenty
time more arrogant than any non-elf. She cares about her appearance, and will
comment on style and fashion when she wears different arms, armor, and garb. And
on others, because of course they will realize she has excellent taste...

She is focused. Focused beyond focus. She wouldn't call herself a perfectionist,
but as life hangs in the balance, she constantly thrashes herself to push harder
and train harder and do the absolute best she can.

Lastly, because of this deep anger she has toward the deliberate ignorance and
desire to pretend things are not the way they are for her people, she is prone to
rage. It is not common, and she may go long periods without it, but when it
happens, it is furious. She can be unpredictable in such situations. For now,
these are some of her more prominent characteristics. As she ages and grows,
change is inevitable. Time will tell...

Role

Chapter 3

It did not go well. Suffice to say not only did they reject it, as if it were not
right there in front of them, but it was anathema to them. The magic had hold
of them, like addicts, and they believed their own propoganda. Or, at least, the
weight of almost their entire history weighed upon them, convincing them magic
was the most important thing. Ethlerrereva did not take it well. She had been
convinced that once they heard the truth, saw the proof, they would come to
accept the truth, and more, to begin a new world for elves, with less and less
magic, and more and more healthy elves. Their opposite reactions were shocking,
and words were spoken. Words that cannot be unspoken. She told them she would
dedicate herself to curing her people - all people - of the scourge of magic. The
insidious poison that addicts more than the strongest of drugs. And she would do
so by any means necessary, including taking up arms, convention be damned.

And so she is a stranger in her own people's lands. A name of royalty that has
nothing royal left. She has no one. She can rely only on herself. It is not
easy. But it must be done. Her soul is clean, her spirit clear and strong. She
fights to defend life, to preserve it in the face of a hidden scourge no one
understands, it seems, but her. She will let the world know, and she will fight
on their behalf, whether they like it or not. It is the right thing to do...

Role

Chapter 2

And what that choice led to could never have been predicted. She was diligent.
She was focused. And she delved deeply in the musty archives, the oldest of
libraries. So far back the writings were barely legible, practically a different
language. And there, more than five years later (for an elf, not an unreasonable
amount of time), she found it. Oh, not what she was looking for. Something
much, much worse. In the oldest parchment, almost dust itself, was a record of
the beginnings of elfin magic. And there, something that may not have been read
for countless millenia until she found it, she learned the awful, terrible secret.
Conventional wisdom speaks of the elves being a small nation because, living so
long, they have few offspring. They are taught, and the world believes, that
it is merely cultural, and natural.

It is not.

Written there, in the oldest of the old, is the truth. Magic is a poison. A curse.
It comes with a price, but does not tell you of the price before you buy it.
Magic changes the user, in body, making the women far less fertile. And it is
passed on to each generation, even if the children are not magic users themselves.
In more populous species, like humans, it is so spread out as to be nearly
undectable, almost without effect. And humans are much more recent additions
to the world of mortals. But elves. Elves are fewer, less diversity of blood
lines, but most important, they have been using magic longer than any other
species in all thera. It is so ingrained it has changed the elves, entirely.

She can recall that moment with crystal clarity, as if it were yesterday. She
had just learned perhaps the most important thing in the history of her people.
Everything else paled in comparison. But what to do?? For the high elves, magic
was almost like breathing. She was looked at askance so much precisely because
she did not desire magic. How could she expect anyone to listen? But she was
a princess, and she had been bred to duty, even if not in a manner she would have
like to perform that duty. It really want's a difficult decision, just a hard one
to carry out. But she was never a coward, and fear would not keep her from her
duty.

She gave herself seven days to come up with the perfect speech. The best words
to use to explain to her grandfather and father. She knew she would have but one
chance, and it had to be the best possible. She rehearsed. She rewrote. She
practiced. She barely slept. The days went by in a flash and on the morning of
the seventh she found herself standing before the throne. In a calm, precise, and
perfectly rehearsed presentation, she explained, and showed the ancient text.

Role

Chapter 1

Disowned. Uninherited. Disinvested. Unwelcome. Stranger. Tourist. That is
what Ethlerrereva Na-Adrianarallanas Ar'dan, princess, grand daughter of
king Adrianarallanas Ar'dan of Darsylon is now. By his decree, she is no
longer of the family - hence the "Na" prefix now, and more, not part of the
elfin society of Darsylon. She is not banished or exiled, but the high elves
now perpetuate a fiction, their arrogant minds perfectly at ease creating
their own reality: Ethlerrereva does not exist. She is, instead, a random
being, a tourist to the city and culture, one to be treated no better or
worse than any other adventurer to the city. She might as well be a dwarf.
A million times she has gone over the events that led to this, and each time
she comes to the same conclusion, that she could have done nothing different
each step of the way. And her spirit is content with the righteousness of
her choices. But it still hurts.

To understand how this came to pass, we must go back decades. Back to when
Ethlerrereva was a young woman, still more a child than an adult. Being the
daughter of Danellaranathanos Ar'Dan Darsylonathas, the Lord Captain of the
palace guards, she grew up surrounded by fighting men - always men. For while
some of the commoner women have been permitted to join the martial guilds, none
of the noble, much less royal girls have been allowed anywhere near a blade.
But no others grew up with a father who was Lord Captain, and like it or not,
Ethlerrereva succumbed to the most basic mortal psychology: you want the thing
you cannot have. It wasn't much more than her first decade that she began to
grasp for swords, daggers, hammers, all the weapons she'd seen around the palace.
Her father and governess and all the servants would slap her hands and push her
toward other things, most commonly spell book. Oh, women were not just allowed
but encouraged to learn the secrets of magic; that held great respect among the
nobles. But martial skill? In a man, surely. But a woman? Never.

As a result, she grew to hate the magic lessons. She refused. She was so
stubborn (some say a very high elfin trait...) that they never once could get
her to even try to cast a spell. They would put the books in front of her, and
her eyes would see, but she never spoke, she never moved her hands. It was
complete defiance. But Ethlerrereva was not stupid, she could read and think as
well as any. And she was desperate to find a way to earn the right to learn to
follow in her father's footsteps, and master the bladesong. The only thing she
could think of was to study history. To try and find at least one ancestor, one
woman who had taken up arms, and been an example for today.

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