Shazmin the Student of the Macalla

Role

Chapter 4

Shazmin is gifted: A sharp mind, good memory, a clever tongue, a fit,
agile and healthy body. However, when she arrived at the Academy, she
felt far from confident. She was a stranger, knowing next to nothing
about the workings of the surface, its inhabitants, geography and f
factions of power. But the svirf has chosen her entrance point
well she grudgingly admitted. In the Academy a wealth of information
was available for free and she absorbed as much as she could. She
received training as a warrior and felt a pure joy as the exercises
became second nature and she became confident with various weapons.

Shazmin has committed herself to becoming a skilled fighter. She lives
as a bandit, raiding those unlikely to cause her problems later on.
She is also working as a mercenary. While she would prefer being
the one giving the orders, she knows her skills and knowledge are
insufficient for the moment. Hence, she accepts the leadership of
others, even males, observing and learning as much as she can.

BASIC BEHAVIOR

Shazmin is serious, very ambitious and cautious. She does not like
to make decisions on the spot. She prefers to gather facts, weigh
alternatives and choose the best long-term solution. She can be
polite, if not exactly charming if it suits her. She sees others
as tools to her own advancement, but is seldom open about it.
She is curious of nature and interested in almost any topic - after
all, you never know in advance whether some tidbit of information
will prove useful.

She actively seeks out knowledge, not being afraid to ask questions.
However, she will sometimes refrain from asking if she perceives the
question to reveal too much ignorance on her part. Often, she will
note what others have to offer on a particular subject and then
try to confirm the knowledge on her own later.

Role

Chapter 5

Shazmin was born and raised in one of the minor drow enclaves in the
Underdark. Being the 6th daughter of house Karhohnen - the least
powerful of the 4 houses of the enclave - Shazmin was somewhat
removed from the various power plays her house participated in.
Instead she served as an acolyte in the temple to Lloth.

From an early age she had reveled in physical exercise and would
have liked to be trained as a fighter.
Of course in the strict society she lived in this was totally out
of the question. After all, females did not become soldiers, and
her rank was too low to necessate any special consideration.

Shazmin hated the temple service. She did not believe in Lloth considering
the whole temple an effective power base for the high priestesses. This
belief was grounded on various observations and a single talk with a
visiting svirfneblin merchant. Shazmin was wise enough to keep her
opinion to herself, however.

Instead she planned to leave the enclave. At first she considered heading
to Teth Azeleth, but having no connections there, she knew she would not
be able to make a living there, assuming she survived the journey in
the first place. She began to quietly research information about the
surface world, however facts were very hard to come by.
In the end she sneaked away with a group of trading svirfnebli. One of the
traders had agreed to take her to the surface, indeed to a very special
place called the 'Adventurers' Academy' where strangers were accepted.
His payment was some of the house jewelry which a committed Shazmin only
had hesitated a moment to offer.
While entrance to the city was very well guarded, people leaving the city
was not payed any special attention. Therefore it took some days before
the theft was discovered allowing the svirf to take Shazmin to the Academy
unhindered.

Shazmin does not know what has happened to the trader and does not
care in so far as she considers herself safe from the revenge of
her former home. From her experience its influence extend into, but
not beyond, the Underdark.

Role

Chapter 2

What do you want? The basic question of all, yet perhaps one seldom
considered in depth. Recently, Shazmin has begun to consider her own
goals more carefully.

A basic need for revenge burns hard in her. She was hunted down by
a large force of Tribunals and mocked when she fell. She has committed
herself to see the Spire burn in return, preferably with the gnome
Tambar feeding the flames. But while the cup of revenge is sweet
and heady, it can only be drunk once. What else does she want?

Her request for a chance to study some of the rituals of the Scions of
Eternal Night has only been met with silence. While frustrating, she is
hardly surprised. If she had the power to breach the planes, she
certainly would not share the secret of how to do so. Her desire
to learn more about the shadow realm - aside from a basic
intellectual curiosity - purely rested on what she believed it would
give her in this realm. Shazmin considers opening a large portal to the
shadow realm or Abyss a notion exceeding pure idiocy. The basic version
of the Prophesy of the Eternal Night, that the portal will be opened and
the strong prey on the weak, is merely propaganda to lure the weak-minded
to do the work of the Shades. After all, it is already the state of
affairs. The strong have always preyed on the weak. But with demons and shades
joining the game of strength, one's odds of survival seem less than fair.
The key to power is the possibility of opening the portal. Not the doing
itself. However, such a game seems beyond her and she has dismissed that
avenue. But if such an avenue is closed, what others lead to power? Or
rather more importantly, what do you want the power for?

Shazmin would answer: 'To ensure that actions of fools have minimal
influence on myself and my doings.' But while true enough, it has begun
to ring less satisfactorily.

Role

Chapter 3

Several years have passed since Shazmin arrived at the surface.
She has spent the time traveling as much as the surface as she
has been able to. Having been content to observe for a lengthy
time she has now begun to take on a more active role. After
having learned about the various factions of the land she has
secured allies among the imperial forces on the main continent
and the outlanders living in refuge on the eastern continent.
She has no intention of complying with either faction's goals,
especially the latter group seems backward in far too many ways,
but some well-placed words have been enough to placate her contacts.
After a few unsuccessful attempts of negotiation she has dismissed making
use of the fortress of light for the time being. She has made inquiries
into an organization known as the scions of the Eternal Night. They
appear rather elusive and she has had a difficult time gathering facts
about them, yet alone speak to one of them. However, with her growing
interest in matters arcane, she is bent on gaining access to some of
their lore.

Skill List

PK Statistics

PK Gank-O-Meter

Immortal Comments

Role

Chapter 1

Shazmin has always seen herself as an intellectual being. The mind is
the true her, the body something separate that she needs to take care
of in order to ensure the survival of the mind. However, over the years
she has reveled in pure fighting, the pleasure of moving, the
risk of injury even death, the sweetness of victory. These feelings
are hardly intellectual, yet they have given her much pleasure. In fact
when she feels most alive is often when little conscious thought is
involved. She has begun to seek out ways to experience 'pure being'
without necessarily being in mortal combat. A more spiritual path
so to speak.
Ironically, and this is not lost on Shazmin, this seems rather related
to the 'backward' ways of the outlanders. While she mocked the late
Night-reaver for his apparent inability to form sentences longer than two
words, she has always agreed with their concept of free spirit. She
wonders whether they have found a purer way of being. Such questions
are best answered based on one's own experiences. Hence, Shazmin
has decided to conduct an experiment. For one year she will live as
a follower of Thar-Eris. Is she strong enough to survive on her own?
Will she be able to mend the breach between her mind and body? Only
time will tell.

Timeline