(LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Your characters' general information and background/origin should go here.

Moderators: Moderator, DM

User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

(LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

First Name: Edelgarde
Last Name: None Spades
Nicknames: Edy, Ed, Edel, Eddie, Edelguide, Cutelgarde, Tails, Dragonling
Family: Eunice (adoptive grandmother, deceased), Jalib Spades (adoptive brother), Lena (biological mother, whereabouts unknown)

Image
Image courtesy of Ashenie

Race: Tiefling
Age: 25
Date of Birth: 21st of Alturiak 1333 (Year of the Striking Falcon)
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 50kg
Eyes: Dark Red
Hair: Bright red, long and straight.

Image
(Courtesy of Torvald Goodman)


Physical Appearance:

"Your horns and tail are just a few notes in a whole song. And not even loud ones."
Isabella Villame


Edelgarde is of lean frame and average height. Her eyes are stark red against her impish features and light tan skin. Small white horns and a tail hint at her fiendish heritage. Her long red hair reaches down to her waist.

Ancestry: Shadow Demon
Hidden: show
Shadow demons are denizens of the Abyss without corporeal forms, formed from the very essence of evil on that plane. They skitter and flit about with great speed and a supernatural nimbleness, often mistaken for undead shadows. They resemble gaunt, angular, shadowy humanoids with batlike wings.
Perks: dark vision, at ease in dark closed spaces, sharp mind, natural manipulation of shadows, resistance to cold/hot weather.
Flaws: envy, pessimism, despair, low emotional intelligence, low emotional response to death, light sensitivity.

Notable Possessions:
Hidden: show
Avowed Robes: Most of the time she wears her simple blue avowed robes. An armband with the symbol of Candlekeep can be seen at her left arm. Those who studied arcane magic would notice a glyph sewed on the robe capable of storing a spell.

Golden Hairpin: Despite the small dimension, this item is one of the most powerful items Edelgarde possesses. It is capable of storing several spells and enhance a wizard's capabilities. It is a gift from Lucia, to celebrate Edelgarde's first year of service in Candlekeep.

Star Sappire Circlet: This circlet is made of mithral with bright, glowing Star Sapphire where it would rest upon the brow. This circlet was donated to Edelgarde by General Morex Ulharaurix, the half sapphire dragon leader of the Company of the Blue Lantern, for her aid in the Rockrun Battle.

Black Gloves: In order to cover the acid scars on her hands, Edelgarde never removes her gloves. It is possible to notice a spell storing glyph on them.

Holy Symbol: The crudely carved wooden symbol of Deneir rests at her neck. This has been carved by Edelgarde herself whens he adopted the Scribe as her patron deity. After her impromptu ordaining by the hand of Denier Himself, this remains her holy symbol.

Thaumaturge Focus: This is an elaborated golden necklace, with a large turquoise encased in it. A silver hair lock and three feathers, one red, one gold and one white, are secured to it. These items have a sympathetic bond with the outsiders Edelgarde is pacted with and have the same function of a binding focus, with the sole difference that hair and feathers have been given willingly. In something akin to the feather exchange costume, Edelgarde exchanged a lock of her hair with them. Although she doesn't call on outsider's aid anymore unless it's for advice, Edelgarde still keeps the item as a memento.

Firefly: Edelgarde's staff is wooden with a gleaming crystal mounted at the top. It is Enchanted with moderate defensive magic.

Spellbook: A leatherbound spellbook is secured to Edelgarde's belt. The book is very old, likely older than she is.

Prayer Book: Right next to the spellbook is another, far newer book. This tome is etched with holy glyphs and gathers prayers, rituals, material components and the art of ink making.

Lucia's Flower Knife: Edelgarde borrowed this herbalist knife from Lucia when she decided to learn herbalism. The knife is lightly enchanted.

Wooden whistle: This carved whistled, secured around her neck by a chord, imitates the sound of a nightingale when blown into. It was made and gifted to her by Alexander Holgart, after their talk in the Cloakwoods.

Golden Ioun Stone: This golden sash is lightly enchanted to enhance mental capabilities. It is a gift to Edelgarde from Edelran, one of her first friends, shortly after her arrival on the Coast. This is the first enchanted item she ever possessed.

White Aster: This flower, now dried and pressed, has been gifted to Edelgarde by Jalib when they first met.

Old Diamond: This is an old diamond. The gem gives impression of one that had seen many travels, as even being a diamond there are slight signs of wear. The gem holds no magical power, however there seems to be some sort of hair thin "cracks" or scratches inside of it which shine when lit. When viewed at a certain angle, and lit the gem forms an image, formed of thin lines and resembling a sketch. A palm tree overseeing what seems to be an edge of an oasis, with sand dunes marked beyond. The method of creation of this thing is a mystery. It was donated to Edelgarde by Abdul, a petitioner who researched illusions in Candlekeep, after she exposed her own view of the story of Tymora's coin.

Two Scoops of Love: a copy of this book, authored by Stanza Riviere, was gifted to Edelgarde by Jalib as a prank.

Blue Diamond: this gem was gifted to Edelgarde by the bronze dragon Suna, after she scried a black dragon for her.

Wooden Possum Figurine: This ale mug-sized figurine was freshly carved from a simple oaken chunk. It represents a strange fuzzy creature (possum) standing on its back paws and eagerly swinging its front. Its mouth is open, and a look of mischief is portrayed on its face! Despite angrily frowning, this creature simply can't not look cute. It's slightly crouching, its fur is carved in a grotesque style, reminding of sea waves' picture. The creature wears short comfortable pants and a rat tail springs out of their butt area, piercing the fabric. The wooden possum is carefully varnished and has a faint sandalwood scent around it. "GMRO" letters are carefully carved at the figurine's pants buckle. This figurine was carved by Jalib.

Engraved Diamond: A diamond engraved like summon bound gems. The name on it is "Zaelphion Devress". This diamond was gifted to Edelgarde by Watcher Zaelphion Devress for her promotion to Scribe.

Fabulous Quill Hat: Crafted specifically for Quill of the House of Spades, this hat is both a symbol of position, useful trinket empowering the owner and... just a nice looking hat, after all. This hat was given to Edelgarde by Jalib.

Ominous Letter: This ominous looking letter has been given to Edelgarde by Hoppy Toadsmeadow. "EDELGARDE IS THE BESTEST EGG THERE EVER WAS" is written in purple.

Tressym Wooden Figurine: This is a wooden carved small figurine of a cute fluffy tabby cat that has a pair of butterfly wings, it's painted with care and detail, as if it was ready to come to life any time and fly away. This figurine was carved and gifted to Edelgarde by Melissar.

Low Hanging Flower Crown: This is a loosely woven garland of wild flowers. Primarily consisting of white blossoms, such as daisies, it is slightly too wide to fit perfectly and snugly onto the brow, yet still shows the dedication of the Children of the Ilmateri Orphanage to show gratitude to those showing charity to others.

Petrified Animated Book: This petrified construct was brought to Candlekeep from Ulcaster Ruins by Sirion. How the spell Flesh to Stone managed to affect it is still a mystery.

Picture Book: This book is covered in crude sketches and some sentences written in broken common. It was written by Ogruhn the Ogrillion after Edelgarde taught him how to read and write.

(Not) Fake Note on a Scroll: This note is written at the back of a scroll of Mischievous Image and it was found under a bench in Candlekeep. It says: "To my beloved Bella, You might not be with me. But I'm always with you. Signed: J." The message caused quite an uproar when it was found, as everyone believed this was the work of an impostor or a stalker pretending to be Jalib and even the paladin Althalous Fenwick joined the investigation to find the author, although with little success. Little they know that the message had indeed been written by Jalib himself.

Jolts of Lightning: these two daggers, gifted by Lucia, are imbued with the power of lightning and the arcing of small electric jolts can be observed on their surface. Not that Edelgarde has much use for them, but they certainly look pretty.

Rocky Creek's Signature Rod: Carved from Yew wood and wrapped in sinew, this fishing rod can land the biggest of fish. With brass eyelets, it casts like a dream. This is a memento of a spring day spent fishing with Akasha in Greenest.

Swabbed Ink in a Vial: Inside the vial rests a small cloth swab containing residue from the book found in Candlekeep Library and donated by Azurel Sunderspark. This ink is a crude substance that fades quickly over time.

Fey Outfit: This outfit sports bright colors and antlers. Its colors remind of a fairy dragon. It was worn by Edelgarde at the fairy themed gala at the Siren's Song in the spring of 1357 DR.

Lucia's Magic Wand of Hopping: This wand enchanted with Protection From Alignment, is the first wand Lucia crafted. Cheating, of course.

Candlekeep Female Avowed Attire: This dress was crafted by Netanya at the Guide's request for an outfit to distribute among the avowed. Isabella ultimately rejected the model as it looked like "something that a lady in waiting would wear".

Purse Piglet: This ceramic piglet is glazed with a friendly pink coating that's soft to the touch and has a hole in the top that's stoppered with a cork.

Lich Bone: This bone was taken from a slain lich in the Underdark and used by Edelgarde to trace his phylactery.

Signed Warm Embraces of Fate: The book was signed by a chaotic hand-writing, elegant, curvy, yet jumpy and with a ranging letter size. "My hottest hugs to my fan Edelgarde! May fortune and happiness cover you as gently as Fyrah covered his friend Pel! With thundering passion, Zul."

Nondescript Kukri: these two kukri are perfectly mundane. They were gifted to Edelgarde by Zul after she allegedly killed a balor with them.

The Eurydice: An elegant formal gown sewed of charmeuse and tailored for a form fit, accentuating the feminine features of the designated wearer. Guaranteed to solicit the gaze of a few distinguished gentlemen. This dress was crafted by Netanya for Edelgarde to wear at Lucia and Gwyn's wedding.

Protocol of the High Court: This pamphlet details the rules of protocol for the High Court of Baldur's Gate. Edelgarde seems to end up with one in her bag every time she attends.

Mysterious Potion: This potion was given to Ssapshalee by a myconid while she was investigating the whereabouts of Constance the witch. Later on, it was found out that these potions were crafted by her coven of hags employing the bodies of myconids.

Invitation to Edelgarde: This invitation is addressed to Edelgarde and signed by the witch Magdalena. It asks her to attend a Grand Ball organized by the coven and it graphically describes what would happen should she fail to attend.

Ibis Gift: This strange brass box is an intricate box of gears and springs. Each side of the box is marked with an animal: Snake, Fish, Bird, Bear. The box clicks when turned. When pressed in different orders a different result can be found. This box was given to Edelgarde by Ibis Cornare, second in command of Kassux Morex in the Kossuthian order of the Salamander.

Vial of Akvallas Ashes: This vial contains the ashes of the lich Akvallas, the puppet master of the troll invasion in Nashkel. It was given to Edelgarde by Commander Sinoc Haven of the Everwatch Knights to track the lich's philactery, although the whereabouts of the item still remain unknown.

Blank Book: This blank book bound in soft yellow leather, appeared seemingly out of nowhere on the bench where Edelgarde was sitting. The title "You" was written on the cover, although there was no author. Once she opened the book, the story of her entire life since birth appeared in front of her eyes, including the name of her mother, name she had never known until then. Although the book became blank again immediately after, the sentence "keep it close" appeared on her prayer book while she was praying at the shrine of Deneir. After the avatar of the First Scribe made himself manifest in Candlekeep he traced a complex glyph on it with the power to reveal a fragment of the Metatext.

Teddy Bear: This teddy bear was found amongst the desolated land of the Night Hag coven responsible for several murders of children in the year 1358 DR in Baldur's Gate. The teddy bear is a simple whool stitch design accented with stains of dirt and drops of blood. It was given to Edelgarde by Szarilana Hezret to "guard her dreams".

Personality Profile:



At first glance, Edelgarde appears as a polite, stern if not austere personality. She appears fond of conversation and debate, although her interjections often tend to be long and verbose, second only to her lectures. Despite her apparent austerity, soon enough her dry sense of humor becomes evident.
She is a woman of great faith and fond of her duty, although this at times causes her to be perceived as strict and judgemental. She greatly values knowledge as an instrument of freedom and betterment of self and believes everyone should be given the chance of accessing it. This in turn leads her to protect not only knowledge but also life, as there is no knowledge without experience and no experience without life. Despite her efforts to act in an exemplar way, at times she still feels the pull of the blood, which she fiercely attempts to keep chained, reaching the decision of embracing the preservation aspect of the dogma of the First Scribe, renouncing destruction completely.
Only those very close to her would know what anxiety and self doubt lay behind the peaceful and dignified facade. Although in time she reached a measure of acceptance of things like powerlessness and separation, she is still plagued by fear of anything that is unpredictable or inexplicable and when confronted with such, she would desperately try to measure, classify and predict to avoid facing something that so closely reminds her of her fiendish heritage. For this reason, she is also cautious with interpersonal relationships. A self-appointed proud spinster, she pointedly avoids those bonds that are romantic in nature, due to her idea that the chaotic nature of romance may often distract from duty and beliefs, causing people to act irresponsibly. On the contrary, she greatly respects familial ties, not necessarily of blood, and part of her never ceased to seek it, especially the maternal figure she never met.


Background:



"The Ten of Swords. You began in times of darkness... One that seemed to follow you back then. Deep loss one and then again decorated with a betrayal. This time could be marked with an ending... Someone close. And yet the sun on the horizon, could be seen as setting or rising. When the card is drawn upright, it means the sea of calm. The sun brings solace, suggesting even in times of incredible darkness there can be a sense of peace and beginnings."
Amelia Revenolt


Edelgarde was born in a small settlement near Neverwinter. Her parents are unknown and she was raised by an elderly woman she always considered her grandmother. Since early childhood she could feel the tug of her blood, pushing forward the most wicked and feral sides of her personality.
When Edelgarde was eight years old, her grandmother passed away. Due to her abyssal inheritance, nobody took her in and Edelgarde found herself living off scraps and sleeping on the streets. She knew beatings, starvation and cold.
One day, three of the local kids that liked to harass her took her doll. They dismembered it and dropped the now formless rags into a puddle. As she lost the last memory of her grandmother, the taint of her blood took control and she killed one of the kids. After that, she ran away fearing the reaction of the village.
Two days after, Lord Wilric Serebald, a noble mage from Neverwinter found her and took her in. He needed an assistant for his research that could handle dangerous and corrosive reagents and her innate resistance allowed her to do so unharmed. Most of the time.
She was well fed and cared for. Her master taught her manners and the basic spells she needed in order to aid him. However, the other servants avoided her and even her master seemed to barely notice her. Edelgarde soon found herself preferring the company of animals.
The years passed and she grew fond of books and knowledge. She felt that every notion and concept shaped her into a better creature, giving her the power to discern. Of course, the darkness was still there and the more it tried to pull her strings, the more she forced herself to live up to the values of civilization. Moderation, culture and knowledge defied the bestiality inside of her and, as she soon found out, defiance felt rather good.
As the years passed she realized that her master would always consider her inferior, so she started defying him as well. By stealing books forbidden to her she learnt how to summon creatures from other planes. She grew bolder and bolder. By observing her master for a long time, she memorized all his wards and protections and how to pass them unscathed. One night, while he was away, Edelgarde managed to sneak into his private quarters and discovered that his master's research was about a particular demon he was trying to summon and bind to his will.
Without thinking of the consequences, she destroyed his notes, stole his books and all the money she could carry. Then she fled the manor and caught the first ship for Baldurs Gate.

Her arrival on the Coast marked a path of great evolution. Most of those she met didn't judge her for her blood and she found a place to belong, this made her more confident and sociable. Now she would be way less strict with her manners, albeit recurring to them in formal occasions. The increasing responsibilities of her roles in both Candlekeep and House of Spades made her less afraid of taking decisions, although she wouldn't define herself a good leader.
On the other hand, her new life caused her "dark side" to evolve as well. No longer made of blind rage at those who wronged her, her darkness now feeds on the respect and admiration of those around her, seeking some measure of control over them. This, though, caused some manner of balance with her "bright side" that instead seeks to help others no matter their attitude toward her: darkness would be quieted down by their loyalty and appreciation, causing it to stir less. Regardless, Edelgarde would still keep it chained, refraining herself from committing actions driven by it.

"Edelgarde just lacks inner peace."
Pyotr Sorssol


The appearance of the Child of Darkness caused the foundations of Edelgarde's new life to heavily shake and it's only thanks to her newfound family and friends that she found the strength to fight back.
These hardships took away most of her naivety and optimism, as she now sees the life on the Coast as something that takes the new comers' hopes and dreams away, leaving them numb and devoid of enthusiasm.
Edelgarde saw her friends' lives at risk many times and, especially when she saw Jalib on the verge of death twice, something in her snapped. She developed an anxiety disorder, with the constant need of checking on her friends to make sure they are fine.
This new situation caused her darkness to stir, weakening its containment. She would sometimes feel spikes of rage that would cause her to snap at people. In order to let it go, she would focus it toward unintelligent enemies or object. This new feeling would however collide with her insecurity, causing an internal struggle.

"You can only be as much help as they let you be."
Lucia


Despite all, however, Edelgarde stubbornly refused to let hope go. Firmly believing that in giving up she would have already lost, she refuses to stay down. Hardship made her wiser and now not only she found her own light, but she now fully understand what it means. After giving up on absolute hope that everything is going to be alright and will fix itself on its own, she realized her hopes aren't to be placed in the tide of fate but in people's actions, as in time even the wind can reshape mountains. Faith is now the essence of her "bright side": faith in her allies, in the gods and in her own determination to keep fighting despite all odds.

Another milestone in Edelgarde's life was the growth of the House of Spades as a place to belong for those who don't have one and the progressive definition of its goals. In a time of growing intolerance and violence on the Coast, Edelgarde's efforts strive toward peace and dialogue, even with those considered questionable or frowned upon by the majority of people for their origin or heritage. Now more than ever, she is driven by of her most important ideals: nobody was born evil, nobody is destined to be evil. At the same time, her role in the House strengthened her sense of responsibility toward the House members: no matter how desperate the situation they might find themselves in, nobody will be left behind.

"This card represents you in the present. Drawn upside down the Moon has a stark difference from its counterpart. The card speaks to you as you are now, pressed with inner confusion in what can and cant be done. The wolf and dog represent both our tamed and untamed aspects of our minds. Drawn in reverse it would suggest you have recovered from inner turmoil. You at a place now where you've abandoned that fear. Become true with your emotions, and faced your confusion. The pool of water beneath the wolves symbolizes the early stages of our consciousness. The wolf and dog stand above it."
Amelia Revenolt


The turmoils that marked the first half of the year 1357 DR saw Edelgarde offering aid working side by side with many factions of the Coast in order to provide assistance and insight. Many people turned towards Candlekeep to better understand those threats and this marked a period of bustling activity. Helping one of those petitioners, a brass dragon named Lyvinicus, brought her to question her vows and ultimately have a deeper understanding of her duty as a scribe. During this time she also had the occasion of cooperating with the Temple of Ilmater. Thanks to Sister Ashenie, Alexander Holgart and Nathan Goldenmane she resumed visiting and helping at the temple again, after one year's time.
At the same time, the departure of Jalib and her unwillingness to be in charge of it caused the decline of the House, now no more than a family name. Even though she is deeply attached to her brother, that gave her the chance to learn her vows to Candlekeep and to her patron deity are what she must dedicate her life to with no margin of compromise, now determined to let not even her deepest affection in the way of her duty.

Those were months of ups and downs and she often felt powerless in the face of the tribulation affecting her friends. Nonetheless, the influence of those people, especially Ashenie, led Edelgarde to reconsider her approach to faith, duty and the balance between faith and reason. Although she still struggles, her effort is now more focused in understanding and acting in accordance with what her deity represents whenever possible. That led her to renounce offensive spells completely, in order to focus on the aspects of learning and preservation that Deneir represents, by renouncing destruction.

The year 1358 opened with the turmoils in Nashkel. When a tome found in possession of a Thayan slaver found its way to Candlekeep, Edelgarde found herself torn yet again between her principles and the loyalty to the library. The tome, a Sharran artifact whose purpose was to enslave the living, required the sacrifice of the scribe who copied it and translating it left the mind vulnerable to the Nightsinger's control. In order to recover the information inside the book and ultimately help those enslaved by it, she took the difficult decision of petitioning the temple of Ilmater for the last scribe who died copying the book to be resurrected, knowing that this was likely to severely damage and eventually destroy the book. This important struggle led her to fully embrace the philosophy that, since knowledge is the transposition of experience, preserving it is not just limited to its material vessels but also to the lives of those who "experience", as ultimately there can't be knowledge without life.

Through winter and spring, Edelgarde got back in touch with her old friend Ilhara, an eilistraean drow, and forged a bond with her brother and sister in faith: Vesz, a fighter with a tormented past, and Lomith, fallen matron of a lolthite house who became a priestess of Eilistraee, offering them shelter in her house until they could find a place to belong in Rockrun, after it was taken by the Company of the Blue Lantern. In the same period, she offered shelter to Aunrae, a drow newly converted to the Seldarine, after an altercation with the Whitewood Vanguard left her gravely wounded and she was saved by Corellon's intervention. Over the months, Edelgarde grew close to her and the elf Kethelis.

"The Hangman is a representation of surrender. Letting go. Seeing the world from a new perspective regardless of what pain may come. It can be compared to martyrdom and sacrifice to a greater good. You will find yourself at a great choice. One that does not involve you alone. It will require great sacrifice, and it will not be easy. Drawn in reverse... The card suggests you have and will delay this. You will break it down and approach it nearly mathematically. You might stall, but you will know your first choice was the right one, you will need to trust yourself."
Amelia Revenolt


The Time of Troubles saw Edelgarde at her highest and lowest. She was confronted yet again with powerlessness, this time not only hers but that of the gods as well, considered perpetual until then. The inability of giving answers soured further her fear of the unknown.
The death of her friend Alexander Holgart, who sacrificed himself and ultimately disappeared with Torm, scarred her particularly deeply. Not only she saw her affection clashing with her respect for duty, finding his decision difficult to accept, but for the first time she was confronted by the idea of non-existance after death. Even though ultimately Torm and his martyrs were brought back into existence, this eventuality if only temporary awakened a deep fear in her.
On the other hand, the Time of Troubles gave her the chance to meet her deity and be ordained by him in his church. Conversing with such being gave her perspective on the clockworks of existence and in time she came to terms with her weakness. Power is to her a game of smokes and mirrors, as everyone, no matter how powerful they are, is confronted with powerlessness once they find themselves in front of something beyond their power. To her this is now not only something to be accepted but also a necessary step in the path of spellcasters. The lack of such a quick way towards a spiral of less and less scruples to reach more and more power. Albeit still hard to accept, Edelgarde now starts to understand death, no matter how untimely, is not an ailment to cleanse when people have fulfilled their duty and reached their intended destination. The ailment is the grief of those who remain.


Deities:
Hidden: show
Patron Deity:
Deneir, the Lord of All Glyphs and Images: as a scribe, Edelgarde follows the path of this deity. Her knowledge of the world took place through books and the work of scribes. Thanks to the words left by others she could discern truth from lies. Other than the preservation of knowledge, she also believes that what is preserved should be employed for good causes and used with wisdom, to avoid damaging others. The reason why Deneir is her patron deity instead of Oghma is because of his loyalty to the latter. Deneir is subordinate and loyal to Oghma the same way Edelgarde is to the First Reader and the Keeper of the Tomes. Edelgarde met Deneir in Candlekeep during the Time of Trouble and was ordained by His hand.

Vows of Faith:
Duty of the Scribe: Edelgarde is sworn to preserve knowledge by copying or transcribing whenever possible and safe to do so, without altering, hiding or destroying the content.

The Silence of the Scribe: everything that is learned or transcribed in confidence shall not be divulged.

Vow of Charity: Edelgarde must teach letters to the illiterate and do so for free. She cannot refuse if asked to copy or transcribe something.

Vow of Preservation: this is a vow not officially required to the faithful of Deneir, but one Edelgarde decided to respect in order to understand the true essence of preservation and learning. By renouncing to destructive and lethal spells she distances herself from the domains of those deities that promote destruction and are directly opposed to her patron.
At the same time, she is able to completely focus the spells allowed to her on gathering new knowledge through divination and protecting the existing one through wards. She in fact reached the conclusion that, in order to efficiently do so she has not only to preserve the written word but life itself, as the experiences and thoughts of sentient beings are the greatest source of knowledge.
The third reason behind this vow is that Edelgarde believes only some people have the wisdom and fairness to pass judgement and she is not one of them. Those who wield the sword should be pained by this act and her heritage prevents her from fully experiencing the sorrow that ending a life should give.


Favoured Deities:

Ilmater, the Broken God: Edelgarde grew up with an ilmateri midwife and was therefore raised with ilmateri values. She believes in self sacrifice for the sake of others and in sharing the burden. In several occasion she helped or donated to the temple of Ilmater in Baldur's Gate.

Selune, the Moonmaiden: Selune advocates tolerance and for Edelgarde this is one of the most important values. She would listen to anybody as long as they are non hostile, although she would not necessarily help them, and would often keep a door open for people who would not find any.

Mystra, the Lady of Mystery: As a wizard, Edelgarde deeply respect the Weave and believes the more powerful the spell the less it should be used. For her whole life she has been fascinated by magic and always strove to understand its mechanisms. The goddess demise left her shocked and fearful as she felt completely helpless for the first time in years, being unable to rely on Her gift.

Respected Deities:

Oghma, the Binder: although her patron deity has a similar portfolio, Edelgarde greatly respects Oghma as a deity of lore and knowledge, which she greatly values.

Torm, the Loyal Fury: although Torm's porfolio at first sight might look very far from Edelgarde, she deeply values loyalty and duties as her core values. Hers goes to Candlekeep and the First Scribe.

Lathander, the Morninglord: Edelgarde has a lively mind and greatly values creativity and would often try her hands at new things, keeping her mind involved in many activities. She also respect and follow the concept of the betterment of one's talents.

Eldath, the Mother of the Grove: Edelgarde's connection with nature is mostly non-existent, but she always advocates and respects peace.

Elistraee, the Dark Maiden: Other than the ideals of reconciliation for a race that would be otherwise doomed to evil, Edelgarde also owes to an elistraeean cleric. She interceded with her goddess so that Melissar could be free from Dendar and reach the House of the Triad.

Erevan Ilesere, the Trickster for Edelgarde, a joke is often the best form of defiance.


Disliked Deities:

Bhaal, the Lord of Murder: More than the other dark gods, Bhaal had an influence in Edelgarde's past. He represents the instinct that pushed her to kill the kid who took her doll. For this reason, and the shame she still feels for that, Bhaal is the god she dislikes the most. She would frown upon and consider murder every victim made in cold blood. His death during the Time of Troubles left her with a deep sense of relief, as the familiar presence that accompanied her since childhood relented for the first time. She soon realized though that murder has simply a new face: that of Cyric.

Loviatar, the Maiden of Pain: Even though this deity never had a direct effect on her life, Edelgarde finds abhorrent every act aimed to inflict pain on others.

Bane, the Tyrant: Other than tyranny and oppression, fear is the thing Edelgarde despises most on Bane's portfolio. She believes the duty of a scholar is to shed light on irrational fear and superstition and that fear should be fought through rationality and knowledge, rather than praying to the one who embodies it. She also sees the control of masses through ignorance and fear as unacceptable. Albeit relieved by his demise in Tantras, Edelgarde would harbor even more hatred towards the dead god, seen as the cause of the death of his friend.

Shar, the Nightsinger: Edelgarde's contact with a sharran artifact showed her first hand the cruelty that the scribes forced to copy that accursed tome had to endure. The ultimate annihilation of one's desires, hopes and motivation leading to a void of emptiness and despair is probably what Edelgarde despises and fears the most: the "darkness" that so haunted her during her child and youth.

Cyric, the Dark Sun: Edelgarde doesn't know much about him other than he was once a mortal who took the power of the Dead Three, but the fact that he is the new face of murder is enough for her to fear and despise him.

Ao, the Overgod: This is not an hostility Edelgarde voices, not even with herself. Being a mere mortal, she wouldn't consider herself capable of understanding let alone judging the design of a being who rules over the gods themselves. Yet, deep down, she questions his decision of exiling the gods for the theft of tablets that didn't have any power to begin with, causing countless dead among the same mortals he accused the gods of not caring about. Even more in depth, part of her sees him partly responsible for the death of her friend.

Initial Alignment: Chaotic Good Neutral Good
Hidden: show
Edelgarde's blood gives her a pull toward chaos. Chaos in her blood caused her to rebel against the evil pull of the blood itself, which, in a way, is fighting itself.
After she joined Candlekeep, her extreme loyalty toward Guide Isabella Villame constantly pulled her toward order, however Jalib and Jasnah's influence keep tugging her toward chaos, causing her to sit in between the two.

"The Scribe... It says you are dutiful to the preservation of something. As scribes preserve knowledge."
Brianna Namaskarii


Profession: Scribe of Candlekeep

Base Class & Proposed Development: Wizard/Cleric/Arcane Scholar/Mystic Theurge
Hidden: show
Wizard: Edelgarde was taught the first cantrips by her master, but most of her initial training was self taught. For this reason and the lack of time she could dedicate to the discipline, she could only cast up to First Circle spells until her arrival in Baldur's Gate. Once there, she was able to dedicate most of her time to her studies in the biggest library of the Coast and step by step she reached all the way to the Ninth Circle.

Arcane Scholar: To Edelgarde is more important to have an in depth understanding of spells than using them in practice. That brought her to focus first on the spell's structure and then on how its core components could be modified. This understanding allows her to use metamagic more easily than many.

Cleric: For a year, Edelgarde reflected more and more in depth on her spirituality and worked on a philosophical treaty on Faith. In 1358, the visit of the deneirrath priest Rowan Whitebrooks brought her on the pat of ordaining. She studied the liturgy, prayers and rituals and finally authored her own prayer book. Finally, on the 8th Flamerule 1358, during the Time of Trouble, when the avatars of the gods walked among mortals, she met Deneir himself, who already considered her a member of his priesthood. Starting that day, she became able to channel the god's blessings.

Mystic Theurge: Being both an arcane and divine spellcaster and due to her extensive studies on magic and the Weave, Edelgarde reached a great understanding of both systems. This, and her devotion to a deity of knowledge, which implies a rather logical and scholastic approach to faith, led her to an hybrid approach to her spellcasting, where divine and arcane bleed into each other. Although Edelgarde remains a far more experienced wizard than a cleric, her mastery of the arcane arts often facilitates her approach to divine spellcasting.
Former Classes:
Thaumaturge/Archmage
Hidden: show
Thaumaturge: Edelgarde's master was a thaumaturge and most books in his library covered this subject. Edelgarde started with a better knowledge of the Conjuration school and continued her studies on the matter, focusing on Calling spells extending their duration. On her first year on the Coast she bonded with an Asura named Jasnah, who became her planar cohort, capable of remaining at her side on the Prime Material indefinitely. Since that time she has pacted with other celestial beings. As time went by, her celestial allies deemed her path of learning concluded and that it was time for her to proceed without guidance. Her vow of Preservation also prevents her from seeking their aid in battle, although she would still call on them for advice.

Archmage: The pinnacle of her studies was reached when she achieved during the past year a deep understanding of some of her favorite spells. Her work on very few selected spells has been so intensive that she can now cast them few times without preparing them in a quick and practiced way. Becoming a priest hindered Edelgarde's ability to focus exclusively on such in depth study of arcane spells.

Spellcasting:
Edelgarde began her studies of magic with the work of Aeili Azenci, but over the years she developed her own approach and interpretation for the study of magic. Her method is akin to philosophy and based on the concept of attribute: everything in existence is a combination of attributes, both permanent and variable. Magic allows to interact with, or modify, one or more attribute supernaturally through the manipulation of the Weave and the employment of various channels, channels that can be as simple as a physical contact or as complex as a sympathetic link. As a Mystic Theurge, Edelgarde learned how to apply these concepts to divine magic, often utilizing foci and material components incorporated in inks to both increase her closeness to the deity and her visualization of the spell.

Conjuration:
Hidden: show
Conjuration's mechanism is relatively simple and revolves completely about the concept of taking what is in one place and moving it somewhere else. "Position" is the only attribute affected by this school and its essential structure can be decomposed in three fundamental elements: a target, a starting point and a destination.
Edelgarde's lecture on Conjuration


As a thaumaturge, Conjuration is Edelgarde's favorite school: she is able to cast those spell with great reliability and precision, and her bonds with the celestials she is pacted with increase the duration of her Calling spells by strengthening the sympathetic link between her and them. Although Edelgarde normally approaches all of her spells with an analytic and logic mind, surprisingly enough she has an approach to her Calling spells more religious than scholastic.

Epic Mass Heal
Abjuration:
Hidden: show
Abjuration is the school of "negation". Rather than modifying any attribute, it nullifies any change to them and completely prevents changes, both mundane and magical, from happening at all. If we look at it's structure, the fundamental elements are one or more attributes and the alteration we wish to prevent or undo.
Edelgarde's lecture on Abjuration


Abjuration is Edelgarde's second favorite school and probably the one she finds the most challenging and interesting, due to its uniqueness. Her interest stems from her desire to defend rather than attack, but also as a personal challenge in one of the schools she perceives as the most abstract and complex.

Favorite spell: Protection from Evil
Divination:
Hidden: show
Divination is commonly associated with seeing what cannot be seen, but in reality its scope is far broader. Divination is the school of knowledge, which allows us to acquire information we would not normally have access to. Its fundamental components are one or more attributes, the target who should learn them and the mean used to convey this piece of information, which is not necessarily one of our five senses."
Edelgarde's lecture on Divination


As a scholar, Edelgarde has a fondness for divination and often employs it where an in depth investigation is required, especially if related to things magic in nature. She believes Analyze Dweomer, Detect Magic and Legend Lore are a must in a scholar's spellbook. The spell Hindsight is particularly worthy of note as it helped her solve countless mysteries. She also employs this school for more practical purposes, especially the spell Premonition.

Favorite Spell: Hindsight
Transmutation:
Hidden: show
Transmutation allows us to modify one or more physical attributes of our target. Some spells of this school, specifically those that enhance our senses, might be confused with Divination spells, proving us yet again that the same result can be achieved by different spells of completely different schools. Transmutation's fundamental elements are one or more attributes and the change we wish to bring on them, usually through touch or proximity.
Edelgarde's lecture on Transmutation


Edelgarde recognises the importance of Transmutation spells for defensive purposes, as a great number of enhancements are provided by spells of this school. However she would only employ those spells that only apply subtle changes, avoiding to change her own form completely, feeling utterly uncomfortable in an alien shape.

Favourite Spell: Etherealness
Evocation:
Hidden: show
If Abjuration is the school of negation, we can say Evocation is the school of creation, albeit for a very short time and often in a rather explosive way. Evocation allows us to create out of nothing, but only the primal elements that constitute the basic structure of our world and, consequently, possess very few and basic attributes: fire, water, air, earth and force. Yes, I know what you are going to say about Sending: it is an Evocation spell that acts like an Illusion one. But what can I say other than recognizing this spell as one of the greatest mysteries of our time!
Edelgarde's lecture on Evocation


Edelgarde rarely uses this school, as its spells are mostly offensive in nature. The only exceptions are Bigby's Hands.

Favorite Spell: Bigby's Forceful Hand
Illusion:
Hidden: show
Illusion is truly the school of mockery: it doesn't change any trait like Transmutation would but only how they "appear". It can cause an individual to perceive things, just like Divination would, except those perceptions would likely be false. It can also translate shadow from another plane, just like Conjuration would, shadow that can mimic any attribute so well that it can actually kill.
Edelgarde's lecture on Illusion


Edelgarde's deception skills are poor even in magic and therefore she never focused on the Illusion school. The only exceptions are Invisibility and Shadow Shield. The mastery of the latter was achieved when she learnt how to use her innate skill of shadow shaping for defensive purposes.

Favourite Spell: Shadow Shield
Enchantment:
Hidden: show
The same way Transmutation affects physical attributes, the school of Enchantment affects mental and emotional ones. This can happen as gently as a light nudge of emotions or as brutally as completely taking control of one's will.
Edelgarde's lecture on Enchantment


Enchantment is one of the schools Edelgarde favors less and entirely avoids any mind control spell, preferring those that encourage and sustain the allies.

Favored Spell: Greater Heroism
Necromancy:
Hidden: show
Necromancy is also known as the school of life and death. In this case, death is not a metaphorical concept but a rather tangible one: Negative Energy, to be precise. A skilled Necromancer as absolute control on the attributes of Negative Energy, may it be that which is naturally present on the Prime or conjured from its plane of origin, and what is related to it.
Edelgarde's lecture on Necromancy


Necromancy is the school Edelgarde knows less, in fact she only learnt how to cast spells of this school very recently. She only employs what is known as "White Necromancy" and has the sole purpose of healing and granting protection from the rest of the school.

Favourite Spell: Healing Touch
Prayer Book:
Hidden: show
Holy Words: A Deneirrath Prayer Book
Scribe Edelgarde Spades
Candlekeep 1358 DR Year of the Shadow


Introduction:

I only recently moved my first steps through the official teaching of the Church of Deneir, provided by the honored Priest Rowan Whitebrook and her work "Words of Deneir". Although I am now familiar with the most known prayers and rituals of the Church, I believe that in order to establish a more personal relationship with the First Scribe it is appropriate for me to compose and of course, commit to parchment my own prayers.

After many tendays spent tending to His shrine in the Library-fortress, I have finally decided to lay the foundations of this work. In order to do so, first of all it is important to clarify that not all prayers are the same and their length and components are strictly related to the purpose they serve.


Types of Prayers:

It is important to distinguish two types of prayers: simple prayers and rituals.
Although both of them are bestowed on the priest when he or she pledges the First Scribe during their daily prayers, the former can be recalled with simple somatic and verbal components and makes them suitable for hectic situations, while the latter require more complex actions as well as material components and/or divine foci. An example of the first group are healing spells and some wards, which must be readily available in emergency situations, while the second group is mostly constituted by divination spells or consecration rituals, which require concentration and precision.


Additional Components:

As the written word is holy to the Lord of All Glyphs and Images, it is unsurprising that the most common material components and foci are in fact parchment and ink. As an arcanist I have studied in depth how such components work, and albeit their divine counterparts may be different, still their main role is to facilitate the spell, not unlike the sympathetic link necessary for certain divination spells (i.e. Scry, which require items belonging to the subject as foci).

On one hand, they strengthen the contact with the deity in virtue of their nature proper of the deity's domain, on the other they facilitate, or in some case are necessary for, the purpose of the spells by incorporating elements related to such purpose (i.e. mirrors for scrying or diamonds for resurrection rituals).

As well as they holy symbol, parchment, quill and the act of writing, enhances our closeness to the First Scribe. Ink instead, being an alchemical compound, serves an additional purpose: that of incorporating elements related to the purpose of the spell. In the following chapters we will cover in more depth such components.


Parchments:

Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals. Although for mundane purposes common parchment is suitable, for religious purposes it is preferable the use of "vellum" which is a very refined and flexible type of parchment and one of the highest quality writing materials.
It is also important that the below treatments are applied to the parchment before use:

- Rubbing pumice powder into the flesh side of parchment while it was still wet on the frame in order to make it smooth and to modify the surface to enable inks to penetrate more deeply.
- To make the parchment smooth and white, thin pastes (starchgrain or staunchgrain) of lime, flour, egg whites and milk must be rubbed into the skins.

Vegetable parchments, mostly used in the eastern lands, are also acceptable.


Quills:

A good quill is always made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. The shaft of a flight feather is long and hollow, making it an obvious candidate for being crafted into a pen. First of all, the shaft must be cured in order for it to harden, then the tip must be fashioned into a nib using a pen knife. In a carefully prepared quill, the slit does not widen through wetting with ink and drying. It will retain its shape adequately, requiring only infrequent sharpening; it can be used repeatedly until there is little left of it.


Ink:

Although quill and parchment can be mundane, religious rituals require the ink to be blessed, not unlike holy water.
Ink comes in different textures and colors, and its composition may vary depending on the purpose of the prayer. The noble art of ink making can be in a sense considered an holy ritual by itself, which requires care and religious dedication.

The most widely used is of course the black ink.
This is crafted from hawthorn wood, which must be cut in Tarsakh or Mirtul before they produce blossom or leaves. The branches must be allowed to lie in the shadow for up to four tendays until they are fairly well dried out. Those must be then pounded with a mallet on a hard piece of wood, until the bark comes off. The bark must then immediately be put in a barrel full of water. It is advisable that at least four or five barrels are filled, so that a consistent reserve of ink is produced. A vial of holy water must be poured into each barrel, which must then be left to infuse for eight days. This water must then be put into a very clean pot or cauldron and heated on the fire. From time to time, some bark must be put inside the pot so that if there is any sap left this is boiled out. Once it has boiled for a while, the bark must be taken out and replaced with more. Once this has been done, the water must be progressively reduced until it becomes black and begin to thicken. No additional water must be added under any circumstance. When it becomes thick, a third part of pure alcohol must be added and still heated until it develops a kind of skin at the top. At this point, the mixture must be taken off the fire and put in the sun until the black ink resolves itself from the red dregs. Afterwards the pure ink must be poured into some small, carefully sewn, parchment bags like bladders and hanged up in the sun until it is completely dried. Before use, the desired amount of ink must be taken from the bag and mixed with alcohol over a fire.

Should the scribe require colored inks, the first step is to produce the three primary colors: red, yellow and blue.

The color red is made through the root of the Madder plant, very common in Sembia. This must be ground into a powder and mixed with sulfuric acid and a few drops of holy water.

The color blue is made with finely ground lapis lazuli, a semi precious stone found in Calimshan, mixed with oil and a few drops of holy water.

Yellow can be made from ochre, for the most muted tones, or saffron which is greatly expensive. The finely ground substance must be mixed with oil and a few drops of holy water.

The below blessing must be recited while mixing the powder:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Grace this ink with your blessing,
So that it may rest on parchment
As an instrument of your will.

Praise be the First Scribe.
The below ingredients can be mixed to the ink as material components for specific spells:

- Incense: known to relax the mind and enhance concentration, can used for divination spells, especially those that involve a communion with the deity or visions of any kind.
- Witchweed: dried and crushed in a fine powder, this herb can be used in place of the incense, but it must be consecrated first.
- Vervain: dried and crushed in a fine powder, this plant can be employed for protective rituals, blessing spells and consecrations.
- Passion Flower: known to calm the mind, dried and crushed in a fine powder, this flower can be used for spells that restore or protect the mind.
- Henbane: due to its effectiveness against pain, dried and crushed in a fine powder, can be used for spells that restore or protect the body.
- Fleshwort: known for its healing properties, dried and crushed in a fine powder, this plant can be used for healing and regeneration spells.
- Bloodstaunch: as the name suggest, this plant is often used to staunch wounds. Dried and crushed in a fine powder, this plant can be used for stabilizing spells.
- Diamond Dust: this expensive mineral is employed for resurrection rituals.
- Silver: powder from this metal can be employed for spells that banish or protect against devils or evil shapeshifter.
- Cold Iron: powder from this metal can be employed for spells that banish or protect against demons or fey.
- Stoneroot: powder from this root can be employed for elemental spells related to the element of earth.
- Amentia: powder from this root can be employed for spells that enhance physical capabilities.


Orisons


Blood Vision [Ritual]

The glyphs for "blood" and "sight" or "eye" must be traced during the daily prayers on a parchment, ideally with Incense blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. The parchment must then be placed on the blood or the body that is to be targeted with the spell. The below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Allow me to glance
at the one who spilled this blood
So that their likeness is not lost to oblivion.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Detect Magic [Ritual]

The below prayer must be committed to parchment, ideally with Incense blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. When the spell is cast, the prayer must be recited again, and the glyphs for "magic" and "knowledge" must be traced with one hand.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Bless me with the knowledge
of traces left on the Weave around us
And their persisting ripples.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Detect Poison [Ritual]

The glyphs for "poison" and "knowledge" must be traced during the daily prayers on a parchment, ideally with Incense blessed ink. Before the spell is cast, a drop of the liquid that is to be checked must be poured on the parchment, in a central position, and the below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Provide me with a sign
if this drop is harmful
So that our lives can be preserved.

Praise be the First Scribe.

First Circle


Bless

The glyphs for "bless" must be traced during the daily prayers on a parchment, ideally with blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Bless us with your grace,
And grant us the strength,
To carry out your will.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Conviction

The glyphs for "mind", "body" and "resilience" must be traced during the daily prayers on a parchment, ideally with Passion Flower and Henbane blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Grace us with resilience,
Bless us with conviction,
And preserve my/their mind and body.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Lesser Vigor

The glyphs for "healing", "drop" and "flux" or "time" must be traced in a triangular shape on parchment, ideally with Fleshwort blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Rejuvenate our bodies,
Let our wounds close faster,
And weariness leave our limbs.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Omen of Peril [Ritual]

The glyphs for "harm" and "eye" or "vision" must be traced on the opposite sides of a parchment, ideally with Incense blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. The below prayer must be recited and repeated during the ritual.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Provide me with a sign
if this path spells doom,
So that harm can be averted.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Protection from Evil

The glyphs for "evil" and "ward" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with silver and cold iron blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Ward us from the wicked,
spare us from those
who seek to harm and destroy.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Remove Fear

The glyphs for "fear" and "negation" or "denial" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with Passion Flower blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Save us from fear,
Free us from terror,
And let our mind remain sharp.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Shield of Faith

The glyph for "ward" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with Vervain blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
May we be shielded from harm,
May hostile blades be deflected,
And our bodies protected.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Second Circle


Animalistic Power

The glyphs for "strength", "agility", "resilience" must be traced in a triangular shape with the glyph for "empowerment" in the middle, on a parchment, ideally with Amentia blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Invigorate my/their mortal body,
Bless me/them with resilience,
And grace in my/their steps.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Augury [Ritual]

The glyphs for "weal" and "woe" must be traced at the opposite sides of a parchment, while those for "future" and "knowledge" must be traced at the top, ideally with incense blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. When the Augury is to be cast, a drop of the same ink must be dropped at the center of the parchment and the below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Bless us with your infinite insight,
Clear the mist at the end of the path,
And guide me in my choice.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Consecrate [Ritual]

The glyphs for "holy" and "circle" must be traced on a parchment ideally with blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. When the spell is cast, the glyphs must be traced at the opposite ends of the diameter of a circle. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Bless this place with Your holy presence,
Let it become hallowed,
Under Your perpetual gaze.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Lesser Restoration

The glyphs for "ailment", "minor" and "negation" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with henbane and passion flower blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Relief us from ailments,
of mind, body and spirit,
and restore our integrity.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Remove Paralysis

The glyphs for "paralysis" and "negation" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with henbane and passion flower blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Lift chains and binds,
from our limbs and mind,
so that we can walk again.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Silence

The glyphs for "sound" and "negation" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Let no sound drift,
no noise come to pass,
May the silence fall.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Stabilize

The glyphs for "healing", "life" and "preserve" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with bloodstaunch blessed ink, during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
I pray for those who are dying,
for their lives to be preserved,
and their wounds to bleed no more.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Status [Ritual]

The glyphs for "life" and "knowledge" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with incense blessed ink, during the designated daily prayer. When the prayer is cast, the former glyph must be traced on the receiver's forehead, while the latter on the spellcaster's. The below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Grace them with your insightful gaze,
Grace me with the knowledge
of their safety or peril.

Praise be the First Scribe.



Third Circle

Invisibility Purge

The glyphs for "translucency" and "negation" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with silver (or any other brilliant metal) blessed ink. The below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
What is concealed
May be concealed no more.
And their appearance be revealed.

Praise be the First Scribe.



Magic Circle Against Alignment

The glyphs for "evil", "ward" and "circle" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with silver and cold iron blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. When the spell is cast, the glyphs must be traced around the receiver. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Ward us from the wicked,
No evil shall pass through,
the boundaries of Your blessing.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Magic Vestment

The glyphs for "armor", "shield" and "ward" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with Vervain blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. When the spell is cast, the glyph for "ward" must be traced on either the armor or the shield of the receiver. The below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
May this armor stay unscathed,
and this shield untarnished.
So that the bearer is kept safe.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Mass Lesser Vigor

The glyphs for "healing", "drop", "flux" or "time" and "circle" must be traced in a triangular shape on parchment, ideally with Fleshwort blessed ink during the designated daily prayers. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Rejuvenate our bodies,
Let our wounds close faster,
And weariness leave our limbs.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Remove Curse

The glyphs for "curse" and "negate" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with silver blessed ink, during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Through Your divine intervention,
we shall be relieved,
and the curse shall be no more.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Remove Sickness

The glyphs for "illness" and "negate" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with silver blessed ink, during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Offer respite to the sick
from bodily ailments.
Protect us from illness and plague.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Speak with the Dead [Ritual]

The glyphs for "death" and "contact" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with incense blessed ink, during the designated daily prayer. When the spell is cast, the parchment must be placed on the body's chest. The below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Allow words to this mortal vessel.
May it speak one last time,
And its knowledge outlast its demise.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Fourth Circle


Death Ward

The glyphs for "death" and "ward" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with Vervain blessed ink, during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Ward us from death,
Relief us from harm and decay.
Shield us from the touch of entropy.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Exorcism [Ritual]

The glyphs for "outsider" or "spirit", "body" and "exile" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with Silver or Cold Iron blessed ink (depending on the creature that must be exorcised), during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited. When the ritual is cast, it is advisable to accompany it with a Magic Circle Against Evil.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Through Your divine will
evil shall be banished
And the sanctity of this body restored.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Freedom of Movement

The glyphs for "impediment" or "binding" and "ward" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with Vervain blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
May our movements be unhindered.
May our steps be unimpeded,
so that no chain may bind us.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Neutralize Poison

The glyphs for "poison" and "ward" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with Crimson Cantharellum blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Ward us from venom,
Keep our body pure,
So that our lives can be preserved.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Restoration

The glyphs for "ailment" and "negation" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with henbane and passion flower blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Relief us from ailments,
of mind, body and spirit,
and restore our integrity.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Stoneskin

The glyphs for "stone" and "skin" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with stoneroot blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
May our skin be like stone,
Resilient and impassable
even by the sharpest of blades.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Fifth Circle


Commune [Ritual]

The glyphs for "deity" and "contact" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with incense blessed ink during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited and written on parchment at the moment of the Commune.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Gude Your faithful servant
with Your infinite wisdom.
So Your will shall be done.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Energy Immunity

One glyph for each of the five elements, plus that for "ward" in the middle, must be traced on a parchment. Ideally blessed ink with powdered amber and stoneroot to represent air and earth must be during the designated daily prayer. When the spell is cast, the spellcaster must trace the designated element to be warded from with their hand. The below prayer must be recited.
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Preserve us from destruction.
May us be warded from the elements,
and walk safely through them.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Find the Path [Ritual]

The glyphs for "path" and "knowledge" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with incense blessed ink, during the designated daily prayer. When the spell is cast, the glyph representing the item to be found must be traced in the middle of the parchment. The below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Bless me with this lost knowledge.
And through Your wise guidance
I shall find what was lost.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Revivify

The glyphs for "death" and "negation" must be traced on a parchment, ideally with diamond dust blessed ink, during the designated daily prayer. The below prayer must be recited:
Lord of All Glyphs and Images,
Guide this soul to its mortal body.
May the wounds of the flesh be mended,
and their life restored.

Praise be the First Scribe.

Habits/Hobbies: Reading, making inks. Loves animals, cute outfits and shining armors. Her love for gossip is badly hidden.
Strengths: Smart, witty, patient, disciplined, well-mannered, insightful, kind, dutiful, pious, diplomatic
Weaknesses: Anxious, reclusive, unimposing, austere, cold, jaded, judgemental, nosy, verbose, lecturing
Fears: acid, heights, skin contact, inexplicable things, non-existance, wild magic, chaos.
Languages: Common, Abyssal, Elven, Dwarven, Illuskan, Celestial, Draconinc, Chondathan, Thorass, Infernal, Netherese, Loross, Undercommon, Gnomish.


Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts:

Her ancestor is likely a Shadow Demon.
Lord Sarebald is still around and most likely fuming.
Her mother might still be alive.
She used to teach the orphans at the temple of Ilmater how to read and write, but those days ended after the demon-child appearance.
The demon child is still around.


Planar Allies (former class):
As time went by, her celestial allies deemed her path of learning concluded and that it was time for her to proceed without guidance. Her vow of Preservation also prevents her from seeking their aid in battle, although she would still call on them for advice.
Hidden: show
"I Call to serve, not to command."

Edelgarde is a thaumaturge and deals with different planar entities. Apart from Jasnah who is her Planar Cohort and is constantly on the Material Plane, she would occasionally call on other Celestials depending on the situation. Edelgarde wouldn't command them or force them to fight. She would instead act as conduit to allow them access to the Material Plane and assist them in fulfilling their mission. Therefore, she would only summon a specific Celestial only on certain occasion that would align with their goals.

She only deals with a limited number of celestials she has a pact with. In exchange of their aid, Edelgarde would learn what virtue the celestial embodies and would accept to act accordingly. The pact is sealed when Edelgarde pronounces an oath to live accordingly to that virtue and the celestial gifts her a feather or hairlock that works as a focus to contact the creature. The only exception to this rule is Jasnah, her planar cohort, who never strays from the Prime Material.

Jasnah - Asura
Image
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Embodies: Hope, Mercy
Deity: Ilmater
Oath: I will reach out for the outcast, the downtrodden, the forgotten and the lost, even if it means sharing their pain.
Focus: Red feather
Summoning Call: "You who never stray from my side, aid me once again in breaking the chains of evil. Jasnah, let us join forces."
Music Theme

"There are two types of rules: those meant to protect who can't fight back and those meant to be broken."

Jasnah used to roam the Prime Material and help those in need to break free from the chains of evil. She accepted to accompany Edelgarde when she saw her inner struggle between the darkness of her blood and her own light, but also her effort to break free from the prejudices associated with her kind.
Jasnah at first didn't want to commit to a lasting collaboration, explaining that she wasn't fond of lasting commitments. Later on, Edelgarde found out that Jasnah, being immortal, was destined to outlive any of her mortal allies and that this was the cause of her diffidence toward lasting bonds. Her grumpy and sometimes dismissive demeanor is also a result of this.
Regardless, she would fight fiercely to protect those in need, more so if they face devils or other tyrannic creatures.
Jasnah doesn't care about social conventions or manners and would sometimes act in the spur of the moment taking off to the sky or speaking her mind. Regardless she is a creature of great wisdom and would never act rashly or in a way that would put others in danger.

Asriel - Planetar
Image
Alignment: Lawful Good
Embodies: Loyalty, Wisdom
Deity: Deneir
Oath: I will employ my knowledge for the greater good and stand against those who seek to use it for evil purposes.
Focus: White feather
Summoning Call: "This servant of the Master is once again in need of your /guidance towards lost knowledge / strength against those who employ knowledge for their wicked deeds. Asriel, hear my call!"

There is no such a thing as "evil knowledge". Only evil scholars.

Faithful servant of Edelgarde's patron deity, he noticed her efforts in preserving knowledge and employing it for the greater good. He would lend his strength in retrieving knowledge needed for a good cause or to stop those who would use it for evil purposes.

Azure - Ghaele
Image
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Embodies: Kindness, Tolerance
Deity: Selune
Oath: "I will never strike first, may it be with sword, spell or words."
Focus: Lock of silver hair.
Summoning Call: "In their darkest hour, gift some light to this mortal soul/s. Azure, lend us your strength."
Music Theme

"You can't grow crops without planting the seeds. You can't build peace without listening".

Like the rest of her kind, this Celestial enjoys spending time on the Prime Material and is sworn to protect the mortals. She would answer promptly a call to heal those wounded or protect them from an enemy that would otherwise overwhelm them. Azure is a peaceful creature and wouldn't answer a call to arms unless it's in defense of herself or others.

Lightbringer - Solar
Image
Alignment: Lawful Good
Embodies: Protection, Perseverance
Deity: Lathander
Oath: I will protect life, even when all seems lost.
Focus: Golden feather.
Music Theme

"You have met with a terrible fate, haven't you? This is truly an unjust game. On your feet child, I am here to even the odds."

This is the most powerful Celestial Edelgarde is able to call and would only ask for his help when the situation is extremely dire. Lightbringer would only lend his strength to tip the scales of a struggle against formidable foes whose presence on the Prime Material is considered a menace for the lives of many and whose power or numbers would make them an unfair threat for mortals.
So far, Edelgarde called on him only three times, showing great reverence and ready to follow his lead.
Last edited by Almarea90 on Mon Feb 20, 2023 2:42 pm, edited 80 times in total.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

1. Jasnah



Edelgarde kept repeating the spell in her mind, while walking the short distance to her destination.
The Lion's Way was lit by Selune's light. The quiet of the night disturbed only by the occasional chirping of a bombardier beatle.

Edelgarde looked over her shoulder for a moment, staring at the bulk of Candlekeep, a dark shadow in the star sprinkled sky.
She briefly considered going back to her quarters, but she immediately shook that thought off her mind and kept walking. Her tail and the hem of her black acolyte robes brushing on the wet grass.

She made her way through a small, thick patch of trees, her eyes still sharp even in the complete darkness, until she emerged in a small moonlit clearing.

With shaking hands and her heart pounding in her chest, she traced the calling diagram she had practiced so many times at the Keep.
The aseptic words of her Planar Lore book kept resonating ominously in her head:

If as much as an hair disturbs the lines of the calling diagram, the outsider will be free and may attack the conjurer.

She kept telling herself a celestial wouldn't chop her head off as first thing upon seeing her. Yet she couldn't completely sure something else would answer the call, could she?
What if her blood attracted a demon?
What if the Upper Planes refused to aid a demonspawn?
This and many other questions scratched at her resolve, while she inspected the newly traced diagram for any imperfection, until finally she forced them out.

With a deep breath, she tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and started casting the spell. Although she had practiced the words and movements countless times, acting through them on the Weave still felt awkward and stiff.
It felt like cooking a dish for the first time, albeit one whose recipe she knew by heart. It was always like this when casting a spell for the first time.
This time though, she couldn't afford to make a mistake.

While the Weave unraveled around her, she could feel that weird sensation of getting closer and closer to "somewhere else" without moving one inch. And then, finally, she could feel them: the Outer Planes.

She felt the unspeakable evil of the Lower Planes and, with a sigh of relief, she realized it was out of reach for her.
She passed the shifting masses of Limbo, but didn't linger there. Instead, she grasped that faint feeling of peace and brightness, following it with her mind like a thread to the Upper Planes.

With a spike of panic, she realized this was the most important part. She felt the multitude of souls that populated that part of the realm moving and shifting.
She had just a few moments to make her choice.

Edelgarde reached for one of those bright points. Aided by the Weave, she made contact with the creature, who now had noticed her, conveying a simple request of aid.
She wasn't in immediate danger, but she needed aid nonetheless. The creature surely wouldn't mind this detail, would they?
The celestial accepted her call and Edelgarde shaped the Weave's tendrils, breaking through the planes.
And pulled.

The shape of a winged figure appeared inside the calling diagram, becoming more and more definite. Edelgarde observed her in awe, recognizing the creature as an Asura.
She looked like a tall woman in light armor. Her crimson, feathered wings were open, of the same color of her hair. She fell into a fighting stance, her scimitar alight with flames.

Image

For a few moments, her glowing eyes darted around, looking for some hidden foe, then it rested on the calling diagram. Her expression changed from surprise to disappointment.

"What's the meaning of this?" she snapped, her gaze now locked on Edelgarde.

The acolyte stood for a few moments, unable to utter a word.
The speech she had prepared had fled her mind as fast as a hare would flee from a predator.
Finally, feeling the weight of that gaze, she started recalling a few bits and strands.

"Your... Grace..." she said with a dry mouth. "I would first of all convey my most sincere apologies for the sudden call, but unfortunately the situation is di..."

"Cut the crap, child" the Asura cut her mid-sentence. "It's not a hard question. Why. Am. I. In a calling diagram?"

"I... I am a Thaumaturge" said Edelgarde, fighting the urge of running back to Candlekeep. "It was all I could do... Forging a bond with a planar creature and fight the devils at Dragonspear Castle. I mean... look around... Gnolls, Ogres... And this is just the Lion's Way."

The Asura shrugged. "Let me see if I got it right, child. You want -me- to be bound to you?"

Edelgarde considered for a moment the implications of that question. At the back of her mind she still managed to feel surprised at being called "child" at the age of twenty-two. But, thinking of it, she must have looked like a child to an immortal creature.

"Yes. Would you be my Planar Cohort?" she asked, opting for an honest approach.

"No" said the creature bluntly. "Listen" she added. "I am not really fond of long term commitments, as I am not really fond of your kind."

Edelgarde lowered her gaze. Of course she would have said that and she was a fool to think otherwise.

"You mean demonspawns?" she asked rhetorically.

"I mean Conjurers" said the Asura. "Now I know this might sound quite shocking, but tieflings don't have the exclusive on wickedness. Although fiendish blood surely doesn't push you toward holiness."

"One foot in the grave and the other in the proverbial bar of soap" Edelgarde muttered, mostly to herself.

"What?" asked the Asura.

"Oh, nothing" said Edelgarde. "Just something my grandmother used to say."

"The demonic one?" asked the celestial.

"What?! No!" said Edelgarde flustered. "I am not even sure if we were blood related..."

"I was joking" the Asura cut her off, now a hint of amusement on her otherwise stern face. "Look, I know how these things go. You start all in awe and reverence when you summon for the first time. Then you get used to it, as if it was owed to you, until you start trowing angels at your foes as if they were fireballs."

"I can assure you, this is not my intention" said Edelgarde.

"Yes, sure. The road to Abyss is paved with good intentions. No offence" the Asura replied dryly. "Do you think I need your help to fight devils? Why would I?"

With a stab of panic, Edelgarde realised she didn't know nearly as much about Conjuration as she believed she did. One thing was laying a coat of oil from the Plane of Earth, another, completely different thing was dealing with a complex, intelligent being like a celestial. She felt like a child playing in her parents' garden.

"Wards!" she said, recalling her studies in a spark of clarity. Asuras preferred martial prowess over magic and very few of them were casters. "Most of the spells I know are wards. All together they could give you a great advantage."

The creature considered for a few moments. "That might be true, but still it doesn't make me trust you more."

Edelgarde asked herself if it was really over. What else could she do to gain her trust?
Then, her gaze rested on the calling diagram. How could she demand trust if she wasn't giving it in the first place? The prologue of her Conjuration book kept buzzing in her head, dryly enumerating the countless ways a celestial could terminate her life if they deemed her wicked.
Surprisingly, another part of her needed to know if there was hope for her as well. She stepped ahead and with her booted foot she scraped the lines of the diagram, breaking it.

The Asura froze in place, with a dumbfounded expression, but she didn't step out of the circle, nor she unsheathed her sword.

"Have you lost your mind?" she said with a frown.

"No. I just realized I can't demand trust to someone I am not trusting myself" Edelgarde said, holding the creature's bright gaze for the first time.

"Didn't they teach you at Conjuration school that breaking the circle is the best way to get yourself killed?" the creature snapped.

"Yes, but at this point, if a creature as wise and holy as a celestial decides I am evil beyond salvation the world is better off without me" said the acolyte, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

The Asura cracked a faint smile, the first one, sitting on the grass with her legs crossed. Her stern mask was slowly crumbling, replaced by a more serene expression. Edelgarde could read curiosity in it, but also something else. It was as if part of her desperately wanted to trust humankind again.

"Oh this is going to be interesting" she said with a long sigh. "Let us say I am willing to listen to you and I might tag along, for now. If anything, because you need someone to stop you from getting your head chopped off. However I want to know your story first. Start from the beginning and be honest. I will know if you are lying."

"So would a three years old" said Edelgarde. "No offence."

The Asura let out a small chuckle. "What is your name, child?"

"Oh. That was rude of me" said the acolyte, realizing she didn't introduce herself. Her grandmother would have been disappointed. "My name is Edelgarde."

"Good" said the Asura. "You may call me Jasnah. And please, no more Your Graces or similar nonsense. I am not an Astral Daeva. But you might have already noticed, since I wear clothes."

Edelgarde chuckled lightly, surprised by the sudden display of humor, and finally after taking a deep breath, she unraveled her story.
Last edited by Almarea90 on Thu Apr 30, 2020 2:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

2. Find Your Own Light



The first memory that flourished on Edelgarde's mind was a simple one.
She was sitting on the wooden floor of her childhood house. Outside, the rain pelted the window shutters, turning the dirt roads of the small nameless village into rivers of mud.

Edelgarde's neck was craned toward the table, that, from her perspective, looked incredibly high. Like every other piece of furniture in the house it was very old but kept clean and in order.
Behind it, the curve and squat figure of her grandmother was kneading the dough for the bread. The sleeves of her smock, tucked in at the elbow, showed her tan wrinkled skin. A strand of grey hair that had escaped her headscarf was plastered to her forehead.
While her tail brushed the floor tail, Edelgarde's gaze was drawn to the woman's wooden pendant, etched with Ilmater's symbol, swinging in mesmerizing patterns.

Image

Her stomach growled, but the bread was not yet ready. She stood and reached for the uncooked dough, but the elderly lady caught her small hand mid air.

"Not yet, Edy" she said. "Wait until it's baked."

Edelgarde sighed heavily and slumped on the floor again. Her empty stomach was upsetting her, just like the rain outside. It reminded her that the other children would have spent the following day playing with mud. She wanted to play too, but it wasn't allowed.
Why couldn't she play with them? Her grandmother said it was to protect her.
She couldn't help but think that if they disappeared she would have had the road all for herself.

Then she felt it.
That familiar sensation at the pit of her stomach, that slowly enveloped her completely, like a cloak of darkness.
That sensation suffocated every thing that was good, leaving only a cruel, irrational hatred. Hatred at the children, at her hunger, at everything else.
She just wanted to hurt, render, break and look at the result.

Then, she had enough and sprang to her feet. She marched toward the table, bare feet stomping on the floor. Then quickly grabbed an egg, too quickly for her grandmother to react, and smashed it on the floor.
She observed it in awe, wondering if a human being would break the same way.
At that point, she realized how wrong it was. Normal people didn't think things like that, did they?
She shut her eyes closed to send away that image, ready to count to ten, as her nan had taught her.

"Edelgarde!" the elderly lady's voice brought her back to reality. "Why did you do that? You know I work for that food."

Edelgarde just stared at her, not knowing what to say. The darkness had already started to retreat, leaving only loneliness and sadness like shells on a beach after a tidal wave.

"It's too dark" she said, unable to express with words the maelstrom she felt inside.

Her grandmother sighed, then cleaned the flour on her hand with a rag and sat on her rocking chair.

"Come here" she said, patting her lap.

Edelgarde jogged there, big tears running down her cheeks, and huddled on her woman's lap.

"You know what makes darkness shy away?" she said, patting the girl's short red hair.

"Light" she answered, now seeing reality around her a bit brighter. "But there was none earlier."

"You must find your own light" said her grandmother. "There will be moments when you won't find any light in you. But if you find light outside, if you keep it close, it will chase the darkness away."

"How do I find light?" the child asked.

"Now, that's easier than you think, Edy" said the elderly lady. "Just think of something you really, really like."

"That's easy!" Edelgarde said, her pitch high with excitement. "Story time!"

"Let's make a deal, then" said her grandmother, extending her had toward her. "If you behave, I will tell you a story. And if the darkness comes, just think of it and scare it away."

"You promise?" asked the little girl, shaking her hand.

"I promise" said her nan, nodding vigorously.

Now Edelgarde could almost feel it: that joy and expectation glowed like a small globe of light. She smiled, holding onto it. In that moment, she felt as if darkness couldn't reach her.

"Nan" she said with a sudden realization. "You make the light."

The elderly lady regarded her for a long moment, deep sadness clouding her green eyes. A sadness Edelgarde would only understand sixteen years after, while relating the story to a celestial on the Lion's Way.
It was the sadness of someone who knew that her time on Toril was running out. Someone who knew that she would take the light away with her.

"You know, there are many sources of light" she said finally. "You must find as many as you can. Now, story time. Do you like princesses?"

"I like the fairy godmother better" said Edelgarde. "She can do magic. I want to be a fairy godmother when I grow up."

Little she knew that two years from that day she would hear her last story.

"Did you manage to become a fairy godmother?" asked Jasnah, cocking her head on the side.

"Do I look like a fairy to you?" said Edelgarde, rising an eyebrow.

"You see" the Asura answered unfazed. "Being a fairy godmother is more about improving someone's day and less about having wings and being small. Besides you already use magic."

"I would make the weirdest fairy godmother Toril has ever seen" said Edelgarde.

"Nah. I have seen far weirder faes. Now carry on with your story. I believe you are way past bedtime" said Jasnah, clearly waiting for the tiefling's reaction.

Edelgarde opened her mouth to reply, but caught the hint of amusement in the eyes of the Asura and gave up, resuming her story.
Last edited by Almarea90 on Thu Apr 30, 2020 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

3. Blood in the Mud



Edelgarde shivered in the dark, huddled in the narrow space between two buildings. She was covered in mud and felt weak. How long had she been going without any food?
She clutched her rag doll in her hands: Betty was a present from her grandmother, given to her for her eight birthday, and now the last memory of her.

A cloudy morning of two months before, the elderly lady didn't wake up.
Edelgarde still saw her face when she closed her eyes, pale and stiff like wax. That made her feel extremely sad. This was not how she wanted to remember her.
Desperately she had called for help and it took her several tries to find someone who didn't shoo her away.

Shortly after she was watching the local priest mutter his prayers next to a coffin of splintered wood, that had been lowered down a freshly dug grave.
It hadn't felt real. Her mind refusing to acknowledge her grandmother was in there.

She was kicked out of her house and nobody wanted to take her in. For two months she had been living on the streets alone.
She could bear the hunger, feeding only on scraps, or the beatings of the other kids. It was loneliness, though, that threatened to overwhelm her. A dark maze with no way out.
So she clutched her doll, the memories it carried the only source of light.

Suddenly, she could hear quick steps scraping the dirt, before a shadow darkened her corner.
She craned her neck and met the familiar, hostile glares of a ragged group of kids. Instinctively, she curled to a ball to protect herself.

"Find your own light" she muttered with her eyes shut.

"The hell are you saying?" said one of the kids, clutching her shoulders and forcing her on her feet.

What was his name? No. She didn't want to remember, not even fourteen years after. It was easier this way.

"What is this?" he said, noticing the doll. "Is it some kind of fiendish thing? Is that how you curse people?"

Edelgarde didn't answer. She knew well that it would have been useless.
Suddenly, the kid grabbed her wrist and twisted it, trying to wrestle the doll free. The girl struggled to resist, but he was older and her arms, which had never been strong to begin with, were now weakened by hunger.

"Give it back!" she shouted.

But he just laughed and unraveled the rags, tossing them in a puddle.
Edelgarde froze in place, her eyes wide. The last sign left by her nan was no more. That kid had just erased her last memory, as if she had never existed.
The sudden realization hit her like a punch, snuffing out what little light she had left in her.

She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Darkness swallowed her from the inside and then... it became real.
Dark tendrils grew from her extended hands enveloping her and the group of kids.
The one directly in front of her took a step back, but stumbled on his feet and fell in the mud. He frantically looked around, feeling for his surrounding, and Edelgarde found herself smiling at the terror in his eyes.

She could see as easily as if it was broad daylight and immediately spotted the shard of a broken pot, forgotten in the dirt. She jumped and grabbed it, uncaring as it cut her finger.
She darted toward the kid, skidding behind him on her knees. In a moment that felt like an eternity, she surrounded his shoulders with her left arm and slit his throat. Warm blood drenched her arms while he thrashed weakly, before sliding limply to the ground.

Edelgarde didn't move. She couldn't tell how long she spent staring at the pool of blood widening under the boy's body.
It felt good. Until she realized that it shouldn't.

The darkness inside of her retreated with a snap, while that outside had already faded and the blood on her hands dried. In a spike of clarity she understood: by keeping her sheltered, her grandmother wasn't protecting her, but the rest of the village.

Run!
Her instinct took over and prompted her to move. She darted toward the woods and stopped only when she came across a small stream, trickling down the rocks. She washed the blood away, squatting in the icy water, before moving again. She walked toward a random direction for hours before acknowledging that she was lost.

Exhausted, Edelgarde sat with her back against a tree, holding her knees close to her chest. She listened, holding her breath. Any noise to her sounded like the howl of a feral creature ready to devour her.
Despite her fear, though, she soon fell into an agitated sleep.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

4. Voices in the Woods



Image

Days passed.
Edelgarde was covered in cuts and bruised, her body barely sustaining on berries and fruits.
She didn't sleep much. They were looking for her and she could hear voices in the distance every now and then, calling her name. When that happened, she hid in the thicket, remaining as still as possible.
She wasn't so naive to believe they wouldn't have killed her.

"How do you know she's here, my lord?" said the familiar voice of Jonas, one of the local farmers. "She might have gone back to Hell."

Edelgarde hid, holding her breath.

"That I seriously doubt" said an unknown voice. "She -is- here, somewhere."

Now she could see them. Jonas was talking to an unknown man. He wore fine, pristine clothes, his black hair and short trimmed beard were clean and perfectly groomed. He was holding his cape, preventing it from touching the soil, and walked carefully, as if afraid of soiling his polished boots. He held a worn, dirty rag pinched between his thumb and forefinger, as if trying to touch it as little as possible.
Edelgarde recognized it: what remained of Betty.

The man gladly gave the rag to Jonas for him to hold, then he started speaking in an unknown tongue, gesturing in an odd way. After a few moments, he stopped and quickly looked around. Finally, his gaze rested on the exact spot where she was hiding.

Edelgarde started shaking violently as he walked toward her.
Was he a mage? If he was, she had no chance of survival.
In a last, desperate attempt, she sprang into motion, running for her life, but Jonas was quicker and caught her in an iron grip.

"No more running, demon" said the portly man, tightening his grip, as she struggled and shouted helplessly. "Thank you for your help, my lord. Now we can free the village of this taint."

The other man ignored him and came closer, regarding her with his ice blue eyes. Light and shadows danced on his face, filtering through the canopy of trees.

"Now, child you have a choice" he said coldly. "When the good man lets you go you can run away, be captured and killed or starve in the woods for all I care. Or you can come with me. Do you understand?"

Edelgarde nodded once, a spark of hope in her eyes.

"But my lord" said Jonas insecurely. "She must be punished for what she did."

The lord regarded him with disdain and Edelgarde was sure she felt Jonas cowering.

"I am not insensitive to the tragedy that befell on you good folk" the lord said, fishing a heavy looking bag from his belonging and handling it to the man. "That's why I want to give my contribution, as small as it might be. I hope this will be of help in the days coming."

Jonas froze in place and slowly left Edelgarde go, his attention now completely absorbed by the purse. He tentatively took it and looked inside.

"That... is very generous, Lord Sarebald" said Jonas, his eyes widening in surprise. "We will follow your example and have mercy on the... child."

"Well, child, you made a wise choice in staying here" Lord Sarebald went back to Edelgarde. "You see, I could really use the help of one of your... kind. In exchange, I will see that you have food and shelter. And education, of course."

He didn't wait for an answer.
After nodding to Jonas, the two men walked away. Edelgarde immediately jogged after them and followed Lord Sarebald out of the woods.

"Now you know my secret..." said Edelgarde staring at the blades of grass under her. "There is darkness in me. This is what I have been fighting every single day. There is something wrong with me, no matter what I do."

"That there was something wrong with you" Jasnah said. "I had already figured out when you broke the calling diagram."

"Not that kind of wrong..." Edelgarde said, surprised at the unblinking reaction.

"At least you are putting up a fight" Jasnah said. "What's the merit of being on the top of a mountain that you've never climbed? Someone who's climbing but is still half way from the top has far more credit."

Edelgarde considered for a moment. She had never seen things from this point of view.

"Are you going to stare in contemplation much longer?" asked the Asura, interrupting her thoughts. "Just asking."

Edelgarde held a small chuckle and carried on with her story.
Last edited by Almarea90 on Thu Apr 30, 2020 3:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

5. Scars



Edelgarde stared at the brewing potion, observing the small bubbles raising to the top, the globe of light she had conjured casting a bluish light in the room.

Five years had passed since Lord Sarebald had taken her in, but it felt like a lifetime. She was no longer the ragged child lost in the woods.
Now she wore ladylike clothes, albeit simple ones, hiding her tail under the loose skirts. Her long hair was neatly braided and, of course, she was taught manners.
But it wasn't just appearance. She had also learnt how to read, write and basic numeracy skills.
And magic.
She knew only easy cantrips, but it felt amazing regardless.

Only two things hadn't changed.
One was her loneliness. None of the servants had been openly hostile to her, but they ignored her most of the time, unless they were ordered to do otherwise. Even Lord Sarebald kept his interactions with her to a minimum.
And of course, her darkness was still with her. Since that day, her efforts to contain it had redoubled, but it was still there, at the back of her mind during the day and in her nightmares at night.

The hourglass on the table run out, marking the time to pour the acid in.
She took the bottle in her right hand, but it slipped across her sweaty palm. She pushed her left hand forward, in the attempt to catch it mid-air, but it only caused the content to spill on both her hands and forearms.
Good thing her skin was resistant to mild acids.

Pail flared across her hands and forearms.
Surprise left its place to horror, then pain fogged everything else. Her sight waned and finally, blackness surrounded her.

She woke up in bed.
Her hands and forearms were alight with pain and she didn't dare to move. When she mustered the courage to crane her neck, she could see that they were wrapped in several layers of white bandages.
A spike of panic hit her across the sea of pain. Would she be able to use her hands again? To hold a quill? Or cast any magic?
An unpleasant thought started crawling at the back of her mind: if even those things were taken from her, wasn't she better off dead?

A quick knock distracted her from her thoughts.
Lord Sarebald was standing at the door, his clothes impeccable and pristine as usual. Without waiting for an answer, he stepped into the room and dragged the only chair close to the bed before sitting.

Image

"How are you feeling?" he asked, a slight frown on his brow.

"It hurts" she said in a whisper through her parched throat.

"I know, child" he said. "And believe me, if I could I would have already called a priest from one of the temples. But none of the holy gods would ever provide the power to heal someone of your kind."

Edelgarde didn't answer, feeling warm tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I know" he said opening his arms in resignation. "Not many would accept you. Not even the gods. Look at the bright side, child, you were lucky that one of those few found you."

Why then that bright side didn't look bright at all to her?
That familiar sense of loneliness came back to her, like a faithful hound. If even the gods had forsaken her, what was she left with? Lord Sarebald said he was one of the few who would accept her regardless. Yet that didn't make her feel any better.

"If that makes you feel any better" ha said, as if reading her mind."There is no better way to fight the evil in your body and soul. On my end, I will do what is in my power to find the one responsible."

"The one responsible?" asked Edelgarde, turning her head toward the man.

She had assumed it had been an accident, but she had been naive to believe so.

"It was intentional" said Lord Sarebald. "Someone replaced the content of the bottle with a stronger acid."

Before she could utter an answer, the man left the room, leaving her alone again in the dimly it room.

"Did you find the one responsible?" asked Jasnah, twenty-two years after.

"In a way" said Edelgarde. "There is no way one of the servants could have done it. They could barely read and write. None of them had the necessary notions. That leaves only one suspect. But I figured it out only recently."

"You think he did it?" asked Jasnah in disbelief. "Why?"

"To prove me everyone hated me." Edelgarde said dryly.. "Everyone except him."

"There are other ways to get someone's obedience that don't include acid" the Asura said.

"He wanted a pet" Edelgarde said grimly. "Someone who would waggle their tail for him, no matter what. And for me, it was the easiest thing to do."

The frown on Jasnah's brow deepened, then her gaze rested on the tiefling's gloves. "Those are to cover the scars, I guess."

Edelgarde just nodded.

"You could have those healed properly if you wish" she added. "What he said about the gods was a load of bullshit."

"I had figured that out a while ago" Edelgarde said with a scoff. "But I don't really want to bother a god for a few scars. My hands are still functional... just a bit stiff and itchy every now and then.

Jasnah just nodded and waited for her to resume her story.
Last edited by Almarea90 on Thu Apr 30, 2020 3:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

6. Betty



Edelgarde sat in the dusty cellar of the manor, observing the circle she had just traced. After deciding it looked passable, she opened her spellbook at the marked page, awkwardly holding it in her bandaged hands, and took a deep breath, resting her gaze on the circle again.

"Don't move, or you'll be bacon tonight" she said.

The piglet, resting inside the circle, regarded her with curious eyes, and Edelgarde couldn't help but ask herself how on Toril she ended up in that situation.

Image

While recovering from her wounds she had been exempted from her duties, therefore she found herself wondering what to do with her time.
She spent most of her days reading any book she was allowed to take. The small, dim-lit room in the servant's quarters, where she had been spending the first days of her recovery, felt terribly oppressive, so she spent most of the day outside.
At first she enjoyed the time spent in the quiet and well cared gardens of the manor, but she quickly grew tired of them.

She relocated in the stables area, that also hosted the coops and pig pen, and found that she could spend hours just observing the animals.
After a few days, she mustered enough courage to interact with them as well. She was especially fond of pigs, as they were incredibly smart creatures. There was a pig sow who just gave birth to a number of piglets. She would have to scrub herself clean of the smell afterwards, but she enjoyed playing with them regardless. That earned her a few stares from the servants, but nobody approached her anyway.

One morning, Edelgarde found that the pigs weren't there anymore.
For a moment, she considered asking one of the servants, but she soon noticed the blood darkening the dirt in front of the empty pen.
She brought her bandaged hand to her mouth and slumped against the wall, tears running down her cheeks.

What did she expect? That they would have kept them as pets?
Edelgarde cursed herself for a fool, but she couldn't stop the darkness from boiling at the pit of her stomach.

Then, suddenly, she froze in place. Did she just hear a squeaky grunt? No. It was probably just in her head.
No matter what she told herself, she could still hear it, albeit barely.
With a sigh, she stood up on her feet and walked toward the nearby stable.
Now she could definitely hear something grunting and scratching at the wood, but she couldn't pinpoint the source, disturbed by the snorting of the horses.
Some more listening revealed that the noise came from underneath the floor. After all, there was an empty gap between the tiles and the ground.

She stumbled on a loose tile, the wood creaking under her foot.
Squatting on the wooden floor, Edelgarde could now hear a high pitched squeal. She smiled and lifted the tile, peaking underneath, heart drumming in her chest.
The small pink creature jumped out of the wedge she just opened and snuggled against her legs. Somehow, the piglet had managed to escape out of the pen, in the stable. It had then managed to squeeze under a lifted tile, trapping itself underneath.

Edelgarde lifted the piglet in her arms, noticing that it was a girl, and darted toward the main building, hiding her in the folds of her dress.
Luckily, nobody stopped her, as she took the less busy path. She entered one of the side corridors of the manor and stopped, catching her breath.

What now?

Edelgarde looked left and right, then pushed the cellar's door open with her shoulder. In a moment, after closing the door behind her with a push of her foot, she could feel her eyes adapting to darkness, outlining her surroundings perfectly at the expense of color brightness.

She forged ahead, randomly opening one of the doors that led to smaller rooms, where the wine was stored, hoping that the servant wouldn't choose to serve the wine kept in there for lunch.

Edelgarde paced back and forth for a while, unsure on what to do.
She wouldn't keep her there. They would find her sooner or later, but where could she hide her?
Finally, an idea struck her like a lightning bolt. Maybe she didn't have to hide her at all.

Twelve hours later, exhausted after completing the binding ritual, Edelgarde looked at her new familiar. Although the piglet still looked exactly the same, she could now feel a connection. It was mostly made of simple sensations at the back of her mind, like hunger or boredom, but that somehow made her feel less lonely.

"You will be Betty, from now on" Edelgarde said solemnly. "Hopefully you will be luckier than your homonym".
Last edited by Almarea90 on Thu Apr 30, 2020 3:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

7. Heartache



Edelgarde looked at her image in the corridor's mirror one last time, checking for any strand of hair straying from her braid and smoothing any wrinkle on her dress. Finally she grabbed the tray, loaded with fruit and wine, and walked toward the guest's room.
She stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath, then knocked twice, her heart racing in her chest.
After a few moments that felt like hours, the door unlocked with a clank and Lord Covenspear's tall figure appeared in front of her. The Waterdhavian lord smiled, fine clothes and brown hair impeccable as usual. Edelgarde quickly glanced into his green eyes, wondering if that was how an Astral Daeva looked like.

"Good morning, my lord" she said, finally remembering to speak. " I hope you will enjoy the refreshments".

"That's very kind of you" he said, lifting the tray from her gloved hands.

"With your permission, my lord" Edelgarde said bowing curtly, ready to take her leave.

"Oh! Where are my manners" he said, stepping at the side of the door and pointing inside of the room. "Please, take a seat".

Edelgarde froze in place, her mouth agape. "Thank you for your kind offer, but I must attend..."

"I insist" he said. "I will speak with Lord Sarebald if necessary."

Lord Covenspear had arrived three days before as Lord Sarebald's guest. He had always been kind to her, as if she was no different from everybody else.
Since then, she had always tried to be the one attending to his requests. She surely didn't expect he would invite her in.

She uncertainly stepped in and reached for the jug of wine, ready to pour it in the glass. He stopped her, moving the chair back for her to sit.

"Please" he said, pouring the wine in two glasses. "I've been sitting around all day. Allow me to pour some wine at least".

"I... Thank you..." she sat down in the most composed way she could manage, nervously clutching her skirt.

"Edelgarde, is that right?" he asked, offering her a glass of wine.

"That's correct" she said with a smile, realizing he remembered her name.

She looked at the wine: it was the first time she drank. Well, the first time excluding that time when she stole her grandmother's liquor at the age of six, but that was another story.
She felt his gaze on her, suddenly aware of her white horns sticking out as a sore thumb.

"How long have you been working here?" he asked, sipping at his wine.

"Lord Sarebald took me in twelve years ago" Edelgarde said.

"It's been a long time" Lord Covenspear replied. "No wonder your manners are so excellent".

Edelgarde smiled faintly, feeling hot around her cheeks.
The time passed quickly before she realized they had been talking for hours. Although she initially worried for her lack of knowledge about politics and the other topics popular among the nobility, the conversation carried on smoothly, He seemed genuinely curious about her pastimes and she discovered he was fond of books as well.
When she left his room, many questions swirled in her mind. She was well aware he would leave in a few days and didn't even know what she was hoping for.
Yet, for the first time in years, she felt truly happy.

The following day, after getting ready, she strolled to the kitchen, ready to bring the usual refreshments to lord Covenspear's room.

"Edelgarde" Lord Sarebald's voice caused her to freeze in place. "Come here a moment, would you?"

"Yes, master" she said walking closer. Praying at every step that it was just some trivial assignment.

"It's about Lord Covenspear" he said coldly. "Feel free to skip whatever you are doing. He requested another servant to be assigned to him".

Edelgarde felt her legs unsteady as if the very earth was collapsing under her feet. For a few moments she didn't answer, voice refusing to leave her throat.

"D-did he say why?" she asked, her voice quavering.

Lord Sarebald shrugged. "Who am I to question our guest's demand?"

"I... I thought..." she said, not even knowing how to end her sentence.

"You thought what, child? Oh! Don't tell me you..." he barked a cold laugh, leaving the phrase hanging. "You were a novelty, nothing more. Now understand this and save yourself a heartache: you can be a plaything. You can be a pet, albeit a cherished one. But you will never be one of us".

Every word hurt like a stab wound.
She felt tears burning her eyes and the darkness she had kept locked up for so long was now pounding furiously at her door. For a moment, she considered letting it out, letting it bite and render at that man. Who would care if she died in the process?
Then, something tugged at her resolve, shouting not today!
He wanted to see her as a pet and as sure as the gods she wouldn't prove him right in giving him the chance of putting her down as a rabid dog.
Now she had tasted what it was like to be one of them, no matter if it wasn't real. She was not going back.

Something else surfaced in the maelstrom of her darkness. Or maybe it had always been there. Something that wanted her to snap her leash and dangle it in the face of her master.
For the first time in her life, she tasted defiance.
And it felt good.

"Yes master" she said coldly, sustaining his gaze.

A plan started brewing in her mind.

"It was just about time" Jasnah said with a sigh, two years after.

"It's just another side of the same coin" Edelgarde said. "Defiance, darkness... They are all part of the same demon. I... I don't even know if the very resolve that keeps me fighting is just another form of what I'm fighting".

"It just means your demon is a very dumb one, because it's fighting itself" Jasnah said with a shrug.

"I can't let one thing come out and leave the rest in" Edelgarde said shaking her head. "It comes from the same place".

"So does your pretty red hair" Jasnah waffled a hand. "But I don't see you going around bald".

"That...That's another thing entirely!" Edelgarde pouted, grimacing at the idea of shaving her head. "It's just hair".

"Fine, I'll give you a better example" Jasnah sighed again. "If you are a slave and your master forgets his keys in plain sight what would you do? Do you snatch the keys, free yourself and the other slaves and toss him in the cage, or do you waste time whining about how the keys represent slavery in modern society? You need to be more pragmatic".

"Well then" Edelgarde said with a smirk. "Listen to the end of the story and tell me if I've been pragmatic enough for your tastes".
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

8. Defiance



Edelgarde walked the dark corridor, careful to pick up any noise. If someone spotted her there at that hour of the night she would be in serious troubles, but it was too late to back off now.
Of one thing she was sure: the following morning would see her either free or dead.

Since that day, two years before, she had sworn to never be a pet again.
Of course, she would still behave the same way to avoid any suspect, but behind the fake smiles, she planned her next move. The first thing she did was improving her magic and surely she couldn't achieve it with the few books her master allowed her to read.
Her night trips to the library became more and more frequent. She would take one book at time and read it in the quiet of her room, returning it before anyone could notice its absence.
This way she learnt new spells, mostly Conjuration, as Lord Sarebald collected mostly books on that School. Regardless, she would read any book that appealed her curiosity.

She soon found out that the things her master allowed her to learn were only a fraction of what was out there.
She studied Planar Lore, Arcane Lore, Religion and many more. In reading about the House of Knowledge and the notes of the scribes, she grew particularly fond of Deneir's teachings: knowledge was a powerful tool, that could achieve many things. It was also a dangerous one, to be used wisely. The words of the scribes, preserved on parchments, revealed one by one all the lies Lord Sarebald had been feeding her. It was now clear that the gods didn't forsake her and one of them was now helping her in breaking her chains of ignorance.

When she came across a book about Candlekeep, the bastion of knowledge of the Sword Coast, she promised she would become a scribe and preserve the knowledge she had gathered. If that helped even one person and set them free, it would be an achievement worth years of study.

After two years, Edelgarde decided it was time to leave that place, however there was still something she had to do. She was sure the secret Lord Sarebald wanted to keep hidden were in his quarters. Of course, she had to see them.
For months she observed him and studied the wards he placed at the door. After all, she was invisible to him and he would never suspect what was going on.

That day, Lord Sarebald had left for a journey of a few days. He had left a spare key, sure that the wards would have stopped any intruder. At times, Edelgarde suspected he did it on purpose, to test his servants' obedience and since she had managed to steal it from the servant it had been entrusted to, she had the feeling he was going to be very disappointed.

Now, Edelgarde observed the sturdy door, clutching the key in her hands. If she used it now to unlock the door, a Hold Monster spell would block her in place. Not to mention Lord Sarebald would most likely teleport in the middle of the corridor in a matter of minutes.
However, in order for him to access his quarters without being paralyzed himself, there was a way to safely disarm the trap. It was a combination of lines to be traced on the door and a passphrase. In Thorass.

Edelgarde tried to stead the tremor in her hands and voice, reproducing the movements and words she had practiced for months. After all, it was no different from a spell, was it?
For a long moment, she expected to be locked in place, but that didn't happen. Once she was sure the ward had been disabled, she fished a scroll from her pocket. It was a spell of Non Detection she had stolen from the library a week prior. Although she didn't have proof of it, she was sure Lord Sarebald would place an Alarm spell in the room.
Edelgarde recited the scroll, trying not to think it was well beyond what she was able to cast. Finally, the parchment was consumed in her hands and she immediately felt the spell's effect on her.
Then, she unlocked the door with the key.

Edelgarde stepped inside, expecting Lord Sarebald to materialize in front of her. She took a few steps in the small antechamber, after locking the door behind her.
There was a door on either side of the room. The one on her left was slightly open and she could see a bed and some furniture from her position.
She decided to ignore it, opening the opposite one.
The room behind looked like a laboratory. Those walls that were not occupied by bookshelves were covered in parchments crowded with notes. The large table at the center hosted an open spellbook and was crammed with reagents, vials and more scattered notes. She was quite sure those depicted various calling diagrams.
Curious, Edelgarde squinted at the small side notes, written in a language she had never seen before. Immediately she froze in place, realizing she could understand it.

With her heart pounding, she quickly read through the pages, cold sweat running down her back. Although most of it was beyond her level of knowledge, she could grasp the general purpose of the notes.
Lord Sarebald intended to use her to track her ancestor and bind it. That's when she noticed a strand of red hair in one of the vials. Her hair.
With a spike of panic, she wondered what could happen to her if he managed to achieve his objective. Would she be killed? Most likely. Or was he too fond of her pet?
She certainly wasn't going to stay long enough to find out.

For a moment, Edelgarde considered grabbing the notes and bringing them to the guards, but she was fairly sure they would accuse her instead. Maybe not immediately, but it was her word against Lord Sarebald's.
So she did the only thing she could think of. With shaking hands, she gathered the parchments and, after conjuring a small flame in her palm, she burnt them one by one. She tucked the spellbook in her satchel and scattered the reagents around, breaking the bottles and vials as a measure of caution.
Before leaving, she gathered all the coin she could find, realizing she wouldn't go far without.

Once she was ready to leave, Edelgarde darted toward the door, but then stopped. She almost forgot there was one last thing she had to do.
She fished a letter from her pocked and placed it open in the middle of the table, in plain sight among that chaos. Finally she ran out of the room, in the dark corridors, until she was out of the mansion.
Breathing in the chilled air of the night, she forged ahead through the unknown streets.

A few days after, Lord Sarebald would find the following letter in his ravage quarters.

Dear Lord Sarebald,

I hope you will forgive my hasty departure.
Although I am not good at long farewells, nor short ones, I still did not want to take my leave before writing a few lines.
For these fourteen years, from the bottom of my heart:
GO F*** YOURSELF.

In kindness,
Edelgarde


"And here I am" Edelgarde said. "Well... I joined Candlekeep in the meantime."

"Well, I guess I will tag along. For now" Jasnah said, dusting herself and standing up. "Call if you need."

"Wait!" Edelgarde said. "I would like to know your thoughts..."

"A word of advice, child" Jasnah said, looking at her again. "Find the light inside of you, not just outside."

"Inside?" Edelgarde said. "I'm no priest or paladin."

"There isn't only one light" Jasnah's stern mask finally crumbled completely, revealing a timeless kindness. "Some lights burn and sear like the sun itself. Some have the power to guide, like a lighthouse in a storm. Your light is neither of those. It's like the light of a firefly. It might not sear or blind, but it can gift an unexpected smile on a midsummer night or comfort a child afraid of the dark. In a time when everyone looks for glory and fame, and violence appears to be the only solution, the gods know we need more fireflies" she paused. "Well I will be off now. I missed flying in the skies of the Prime Material".

"Wait!" Edelgarde said, snapping out of the swirl of thoughts Jasnah's words had set in motion. "What if someone sees you and shoots-" She stopped mid-sentence, as the Asura had already launched in the sky, and sighed. "Oh well, at least I'm not going to get bored..."
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

9. Like a Firefly on a Midsummer Night



Six months later...

Image

Edelgarde walked the short distance separating Candlekeep from the small campfire on the Lion's Way. Her red hair and blue scribe robes flowed around her in the chilling night air of Hammer, but she didn't care, protected by her fiendish blood and long-sleeved robes.
She unceremoniously dropped her satchel on the grass and slumped on one of the logs placed around the fire, surveying her surroundings for any sign of Jasnah. A few moments after, a red winged figure landed on the log opposite to hers.

"Just about time!" Edelgarde playfully said, crossing her arms.

"Come on, you've just arrived yourself" Jasnah said. "Also, congratulations Scribe".

Edelgarde smiled faintly. Being called Scribe still sounded odd to her. Only six months before she was a black-robed acolyte. During those months, she had tirelessly gathered texts and authored some of her own, gaining the rank of Seeker and then Scribe.
Her choice surprised many, as most avowed chose the more flexible and free path of the Reader. Yet, Edelgarde felt she was meant to follow the Divine Scribe's path and few things in her life were as clear as that. Every time she filled a page with her neat, elegant handwriting or even her colorful margin stories, she still was still marveled at the idea that someone, maybe even centuries in the future, would read those very pages.

"You could have at least paid us a visit at the promotion party" Edelgarde pouted.

"Your friends didn't have enough wine in their bodies to eventually prevent them from pointing at the red-winged Celestial" Jasnah replied dryly.

Edelgarde sighed. Although in the previous months the Asura became less defensive around her, she still was distrustful around others. She had seen that answer coming.
The tiefling retrieved her satchel and produced a bundle of cloth. In opening it, she revealed some food stashed within.

"The cake was already gone before I could gather the leftovers" Edelgarde handed the bundle to Jasnah.

"Shame" the Celestial said, taking it from her hands.

The day prior, her promotion party took place on the beach near the Lion's Way, an idea of Guide Isabella. Six months before she would never have imagined that so many people would attend. Few people seemed to care about her blood. Some were curious, others pragmatic, but the majority was just plainly indifferent, as if her tail was no different from a weird eye color. That didn't surprise her anymore though: Baldur's Gate seemed to be populated by people of all sorts. Humans, elves, tieflings, aasimars and many more, they like tiles of a huge mosaic.

Once, when she was still an acolyte, Isabella told her that her fiendish traits were only a few notes in a whole song and not even loud ones. At the time, it had sounded odd, but had also meant the world to her.
Isabella's words never failed to remind her she was home, a home that wasn't only a roof and walls. It was people, moments. It was the crackling of the pages in the silence of the library, the water trickling down the fountain or an afternoon idly spent at the portal with Isabella, Jalib and Zaelphion.
She suppressed a smile thinking about the latter. She knew she would eventually end up with a broken heart, but preferred not to hide that thought at the back of her mind.
Nevertheless, she couldn't really complain. Many things had changed for the best.

Acceptance was all Edelgarde had always wanted, but also what she was starting to fear. She had experienced kindness and, at times, admiration, affection, loyalty... And part of her wanted more and more of those. Sometimes it felt as if her darkness had somehow evolved into something more subtle and manipulative. Sometimes she feared this was the real her and, despite all her efforts, she was only keeping it hidden in a basement, shrouded in lies.
Recently, Edelgarde started having a recurring nightmare. Diamonds rested in her hands, engraved like those used to bind outsiders, however the engraved names were familiar to her: Jasnah, Isabella, Zaelphion, Jalib and all those who trusted her. In that moment, she would feel happy, knowing what these people would do for her. Would they kill for her? Would they die? Then, with a spike of panic, something inside of her would shout how wrong it was and she would wake up, heart pounding in her chest.

"Of course ya were happy" Jalib had commented nonchalantly when she told him. "I would be happy if I could summon myself."

That had placed a smile on her face. After all, that's what family does.
Family was something else she had only found recently. Originally, Isabella had suggested that someone else who shared her fiendish blood would better understand her struggle. She had found Jalib and she had found that "sister" had a nice ring to it.

"So, the war's over" Jasnah said, digging in her food.

With a spike of panic, Edelgarde was brought back to reality. Finally, the portal at Dragonspear Casle had been closed, stopping the devil's invasion. That was the very reason she met Jasnah in the first place. After all, she was supposed to stay only for the duration of the war.

"I guess that's it then" Edelgarde said abruptly.

"Nah, I have yet to finish my food" Jasnah shrugged.

"I might as well put this time to a good use" Edelgarde took a deep breath. "Thank you for been at my side all these months. For believing in me even more than I believed in myself."

"Alright child, let's make a deal" the Asura cut her off. "You cut the crap and I skip the part where I tell you the Sword Coast is still dark and full of terrors."

"What are you trying to say?" Edelgarde asked curiously.

"Do you remember what I told you six months ago? About your little firefly light?" Jasnah's expression relaxed, a little smile appeared on her lips. "I think I will linger in this Midsummer night a little longer."

Edelgarde spent a few moments in silence, noticing a veil of sadness in the eyes of the Asura. It was the same sadness she saw in her grandmother's eyes so many years before, just for the opposite reason. Only then she realized that, to Jasnah, her lifespan must feel just like a Midsummer night: a short, pleasant moment amidst an existence as vast as the sky.

"What you told me about thaumaturges not being trustworthy... It was a lie, wasn't it?" Edelgarde asked.

"More of an half-truth" Jasnah said with a smirk.

The two of them remained silent for a few moments, then the Asura unceremoniously grabbed Edelgarde's wrist, pulling her closer and whispered something in her ear.

"What was that?" she asked.

"What do you think it was?" Jasnah let go of her and slumped back on her log. "It's my True Name."

Edelgarde stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. "Thank you" she finally said.

Jasnah just nodded. There were a million questions the tiefling wanted to ask, a million things she wanted to say. But even if she managed to put that storm she felt inside into words, the Asura would just shrug it off and tell her to cut the crap. That was just the way she was: for her some things were better left unspoken.

Is that why they call you Jasnah? I mean that was some weird name

Why do you think outsiders keep their name secret? We still have a dignity to defend...
Last edited by Almarea90 on Mon Dec 26, 2022 4:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

9. Like a Firefly on a Midsummer Night



Six months later...

Edelgarde walked the short distance separating Candlekeep from the small campfire on the Lion's Way. Her red hair and blue scribe robes flowed around her in the chilling night air of Hammer, but she didn't care, protected by her fiendish blood and long-sleeved robes.
She unceremoniously dropped her satchel on the grass and slumped on one of the logs placed around the fire, surveying her surroundings for any sign of Jasnah. A few moments after, a red winged figure landed on the log opposite to hers.

"Just about time!" Edelgarde playfully said, crossing her arms.

"Come on, you've just arrived yourself" Jasnah said. "Also, congratulations Scribe".

Edelgarde smiled faintly. Being called Scribe still sounded odd to her. Only six months before she was a black-robed acolyte. During those months, she had tirelessly gathered texts and authored some of her own, gaining the rank of Seeker and then Scribe.
Her choice surprised many, as most avowed chose the more flexible and free path of the Reader. Yet, Edelgarde felt she was meant to follow the Divine Scribe's path and few things in her life were as clear as that. Every time she filled a page with her neat, elegant handwriting or even her colorful margin stories, she still was still marveled at the idea that someone, maybe even centuries in the future, would read those very pages.

"You could have at least paid us a visit at the promotion party" Edelgarde pouted.

"Your friends didn't have enough wine in their bodies to eventually prevent them from pointing at the red-winged Celestial" Jasnah replied dryly.

Edelgarde sighed. Although in the previous months the Asura became less defensive around her, she still was distrustful around others. She had seen that answer coming.
The tiefling retrieved her satchel and produced a bundle of cloth. In opening it, she revealed some food stashed within.

"The cake was already gone before I could gather the leftovers" Edelgarde handed the bundle to Jasnah.

"Shame" the Celestial said, taking it from her hands.

The day prior, her promotion party took place on the beach near the Lion's Way, an idea of Guide Isabella. Six months before she would never have imagined that so many people would attend. Few people seemed to care about her blood. Some were curious, others pragmatic, but the majority was just plainly indifferent, as if her tail was no different from a weird eye color. That didn't surprise her anymore though: Baldur's Gate seemed to be populated by people of all sorts. Humans, elves, tieflings, aasimars and many more, they like tiles of a huge mosaic.

Once, when she was still an acolyte, Isabella told her that her fiendish traits were only a few notes in a whole song and not even loud ones. At the time, it had sounded odd, but had also meant the world to her.
Isabella's words never failed to remind her she was home, a home that wasn't only a roof and walls. It was people, moments. It was the crackling of the pages in the silence of the library, the water trickling down the fountain or an afternoon idly spent at the portal with Isabella, Jalib and Zaelphion.
She suppressed a smile thinking about the latter. She knew she would eventually end up with a broken heart, but preferred not to hide that thought at the back of her mind.
Nevertheless, she couldn't really complain. Many things had changed for the best.

Acceptance was all Edelgarde had always wanted, but also what she was starting to fear. She had experienced kindness and, at times, admiration, affection, loyalty... And part of her wanted more and more of those. Sometimes it felt as if her darkness had somehow evolved into something more subtle and manipulative. Sometimes she feared this was the real her and, despite all her efforts, she was only keeping it hidden in a basement, shrouded in lies.
Recently, Edelgarde started having a recurring nightmare. Diamonds rested in her hands, engraved like those used to bind outsiders, however the engraved names were familiar to her: Jasnah, Isabella, Zaelphion, Jalib and all those who trusted her. In that moment, she would feel happy, knowing what these people would do for her. Would they kill for her? Would they die? Then, with a spike of panic, something inside of her would shout how wrong it was and she would wake up, heart pounding in her chest.

"Of course ya were happy" Jalib had commented nonchalantly when she told him. "I would be happy if I could summon myself."

That had placed a smile on her face. After all, that's what family does.
Family was something else she had only found recently. Originally, Isabella had suggested that someone else who shared her fiendish blood would better understand her struggle. She had found Jalib and she had found that "sister" had a nice ring to it.

"So, the war's over" Jasnah said, digging in her food.

With a spike of panic, Edelgarde was brought back to reality. Finally, the portal at Dragonspear Casle had been closed, stopping the devil's invasion. That was the very reason she met Jasnah in the first place. After all, she was supposed to stay only for the duration of the war.

"I guess that's it then" Edelgarde said abruptly.

"Nah, I have yet to finish my food" Jasnah shrugged.

"I might as well put this time to a good use" Edelgarde took a deep breath. "Thank you for been at my side all these months. For believing in me even more than I believed in myself."

"Alright child, let's make a deal" the Asura cut her off. "You cut the crap and I skip the part where I tell you the Sword Coast is still dark and full of terrors."

"What are you trying to say?" Edelgarde asked curiously.

"Do you remember what I told you six months ago? About your little firefly light?" Jasnah's expression relaxed, a little smile appeared on her lips. "I think I will linger in this Midsummer night a little longer."

Edelgarde spent a few moments in silence, noticing a veil of sadness in the eyes of the Asura. It was the same sadness she saw in her grandmother's eyes so many years before, just for the opposite reason. Only then she realized that, to Jasnah, her lifespan must feel just like a Midsummer night: a short, pleasant moment amidst an existence as vast as the sky.

"What you told me about thaumaturges not being trustworthy... It was a lie, wasn't it?" Edelgarde asked.

"More of an half-truth" Jasnah said with a smirk.

The two of them remained silent for a few moments, then the Asura unceremoniously grabbed Edelgarde's wrist, pulling her closer and whispered something in her ear.

"What was that?" she asked.

"What do you think it was?" Jasnah let go of her and slumped back on her log. "It's my True Name."

Edelgarde stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. "Thank you" she finally said.

Jasnah just nodded. There were a million questions the tiefling wanted to ask, a million things she wanted to say. But even if she managed to put that storm she felt inside into words, the Asura would just shrug it off and tell her to cut the crap. That was just the way she was: for her some things were better left unspoken.

Is that why they call you Jasnah? I mean that was some weird name.

Why do you think outsiders keep their name secret? We still have a dignity to defend...
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

Part II

1. Who am I?


Edelgarde was kicked out of her house and nobody wanted to take her in. For two months she had been living on the streets alone.
She could bear the hunger, feeding only on scraps, or the beatings of the other kids. It was loneliness, though, that threatened to overwhelm her. A dark maze with no way out.
So she clutched her doll, the memories it carried the only source of light.

Suddenly, she could hear quick steps scraping the dirt, before a shadow darkened her corner.
She craned her neck and met the familiar, hostile glares of a ragged group of kids. Instinctively, she curled to a ball to protect herself.

"Find your own light" she muttered with her eyes shut.

"The hell are you saying?" said one of the kids, clutching her shoulders and forcing her on her feet.

What was his name? No. She didn't want to remember, not even fourteen years after. It was easier this way.

"What is this?" he said, noticing the doll. "Is it some kind of fiendish thing? Is that how you curse people?"

Edelgarde didn't answer. She knew well that it would have been useless.
Suddenly, the kid grabbed her wrist and twisted it, trying to wrestle the doll free. The girl struggled to resist, but he was older and her arms, which had never been strong to begin with, were now weakened by hunger.

"Give it back!" she shouted.

But he just laughed and unraveled the rags, tossing them in a puddle.
Edelgarde froze in place, her eyes wide. The last sign left by her nan was no more. That kid had just erased her last memory, as if she had never existed.
The sudden realization hit her like a punch, snuffing out what little light she had left in her.
Mercy

What was that? I can't see... It's so dark.

Kindness

Nan? I can't find my light... There's no light in here.

Modesty

Wait... I know these voices. They feel a lifetime away.

Piety

Were they all a dream? Or... perhaps this is a dream.

How did I end up here? Edelgarde asked herself in a sudden spark of lucidity. After all, if you thought about it in a dream you are supposed to wake up. Where did she read it?
Then, a new memory flooded her mind like a tidal wave. Quite literally. So literally she could almost hear the waves crashing.
The day prior, her promotion party took place on the beach near the Lion's Way, an idea of Guide Isabella. Six months before she would never have imagined that so many people would attend. Few people seemed to care about her blood. Some were curious, others pragmatic, but the majority was just plainly indifferent, as if her tail was no different from a weird eye color.
Now those chanting voices reached to her more clearly, ripping her haziness like a veil.

Scribe...
Edelgarde smiled faintly. Being called Scribe still sounded odd to her. Only six months before she was a black-robed acolyte. During those months, she had tirelessly gathered texts and authored some of her own, gaining the rank of Seeker and then Scribe.
Her choice surprised many, as most avowed chose the more flexible and free path of the Reader. Yet, Edelgarde felt she was meant to follow the Divine Scribe's path and few things in her life were as clear as that. Every time she filled a page with her neat, elegant handwriting or even her colorful margin stories, she still was still marveled at the idea that someone, maybe even centuries in the future, would read those very pages.
Isabella. Jalib. Tarina. Candlekeep. Jasnah. Hoppy. Theadric. House of Spades. The orphanage. The children... And many other names lashed chaotically at her, like ice during an hailstorm. At first She couldn't quite place them, but this helped her regain a measure of steadiness. Then, all the pieces started to click in place, defining the other chunks of her existence outside of that haunted memory of her childhood, yet she had no idea where she was now. She didn't even know when now was.
The memory of her promotion party was too old, yet she held onto it like a drowning man would hold onto a floating log.

Edelgarde staggered back on her unsteady feet, letting her most logical and rational self take over.
She needed to see the bigger picture around her and the only way to do that was retracing her most recent steps.

How did I end up here, again?
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

2. The Cold Grip of the Past



Three weeks earlier...

The crisp morning air accompanied the usual sounds of the bustling activity of Candlekeep, interrupted only by the crashing of the waves at the beach below.
Edelgarde sat on a stool in front of the gate, the Guide and the hin Merorry on the bench in front of her. The sound of approaching steps caused the three of them to turn their heads toward the path.
A woman in simple brown clothes strolled toward them, an ilmatari symbol tucked discretely under her collar bouncing above the hemline. She was a familiar face, but Edelgarde couldn't quite place her.

After the three of them greeted her, she spoke in a gentle soothing slow and precise manner. "Seeker Edelgarde, yes? I am not quite sure if we have met. I am a tutor at the orphanage. I teach young girls and boys to read."

"It's Scribe now" Edelgarde said with a note of pride in her voice. "I don't think we have met. How can I help?"

"My apologies Scribe" replied the ilmatari, after greeting the other two women. "I believe you have been helping at the orphanages.. Am I correct?"

"That is correct. I have been teaching letters to the orphans myself. It's always good to meet a fellow teacher" Edalgarde said with a smile.

"Of course..." the woman hesitated for a moment. "Would you like to go for a walk with me Scribe?" Then she addressed the other two "Would that be quite alright?"

"Of course, it would be my pleasure" Edelgarde said, not noticing the hint of worry in the ilmatari's expression.


"So how has been your day so far?" Edelgarde asked while the two of them strolled in the Lion's Way.

"Well, Edelgarde.. I must tell you I am slightly concerned" the woman looked at her with hands outstretched open, her posture open and concerned.

The tiefling frowned, quietly praying that the undead plague hadn't reached as far as the orphanage. "Oh... did something happen?"

The other woman pulled her to the side gently, toward the Bladestone Foundation's gates. "It's.. About your letters, I have been very impressed with your penmanship and it is an honor to have a scholar of Candlekeep take an interest in the lives of those forgotten by the city."

Edelgarde felt a cold grip clutching her guts. She never wrote any letter to the children, as she had always delivered her lessons in person. Regardless, she forced out an answer: "I believe everyone should have the instruments to access knowledge.

"It is because of Illmater's teachings and on your previous letter's that I visit you in person and with such great concern" the ilmatari continued. "But in one of your recent letter's to the children.. There were some.. Concerning features."

Edelgarde frowned deeply, numb at the tip of her fingers. The other woman regarded her with a sympathetic but stern expression, before reaching beneath her jacket. "Because of interesting diplomatic relations of Candlekeep and your previous record of wonderful letters, I.. I do hope there is a reasonable explanation for this."

The Scribe regarded the folder page with a deep frown. "I don't remember writing any letter though. I have been teaching the children in person."

There was no answer while the letter was handed to her. She opened it with trembling hands, recognizing immediately her penmanship and her vein of writing, reaching out to children who had a similar childhood to hers, using learning and books as their escape and climb out of being powerless. However, a few runes were marked with large ink drops, as though the quill were pressed into the parchment with force.
Edelgarde froze in place as something in her mind clicked in place: with a mote of horror she realizes that the language she was reading was no longer Common, but something she hadn't seen since that day in Lord Sarebald's quarters. Symbols belonging to the Abyssal language greeted her as an old friend, cursing her former master and describing how she still hurt like a child, wishing she had more power to stop it.

"I... I have never wrote this letter..." she said through a dry throat. She felt the old familiar sensation of darkness stirring slowly at the pit of her stomach.

The other woman sighed with the intensity of the situation, clearing her throat as she allowed Edelgarde to react.

"I would never use that language... I would never speak it let alone write in it to children..." Edelgade carried on. "Whoever wrote this letter knew me well... that's for sure..."

The Scribe took a deep breath, trying to approach the situation logically. If she didn't write that letter it must have been a forgery very well made. She needed to track the sender.

"When was the letter received?" Edelgard asked fretting. "Who delivered it?"

"Yesterday morning" the woman said. "Our usual boy, he stays with us. He is a big fan of your works on the Lower Planes."

"Would that be possible to speak with him?" Edelgarde asked.

"We always admired how you described these events at a distance" she carried on, barely acknowledging her words. "Until..." she frowned at the letter. " I'm afraid I am going to have to ask you not to visit any longer Edelgarde."If.. Something is troubling you... I would encourage you to speak to one of our brothers or sisters at Illmater's church, away from the children and in a neutral location. Whenever you are ready Edelgarde, you may ask for Sister Anne, perhaps Sister Rachel could help you as well."

The rest of Sister Anne's words washed around without reaching her. She barely remembered parting from her and staggering toward the keep.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

3. Distrust



Edelgarde stepped inside the Blushing Mermaid, Melissar and Dundee of the Church of Ilmater at her side, clad in their armors.
In the last ten-day her life had been falling apart piece by piece: first she was forbidden to enter the orphanage, then she had to stay away from the library, in case Sister Anne was right and she had really written that letter.
Shortly after, Sister Anne had sent Melissar, a paladin of Ilmater, to speak with her and assess what was troubling her. Unlike the former, she believed her and the two of them started suspecting an impostor had taken the likeness of Sister Anne.
They decided to spring the trap and invite the teacher to discuss in neutral territory.

The tavern was bustling with activity, however Edelgarde could notice at the corner of her eye Tarina, Theadric and Jalib drinking at the bar. They had decided to disguise as patrons in case things got violent.
Sister Anne was waiting for them in her usual attire. Khalso, the guard of the temple, stood behind her with a stern expression.

"Sister Anne" Edelgarde said approaching her.

"Edelgarde, you look well, I am glad you have reached out to me again" Anne said, after the other two greeted her.

"These have been some challenging weeks. How are you?" Edelgarde said, suddenly aware of the weight of those days on her shoulders.

After congedating Khalso, who didn't move, Anne nodded to those before her, her eyes lingering on Tarina for a moment before smiling. "Melissar, you have taken Brother Marcus' heedance then? I see you are Edelgarde's companion now? And another faithful of the learned god?" She added, smiling to Dundee. "You keep good company in these troubled times Edelgarde, I am warmed to see this."

"We have to stick together" Edelgarde said, half listening to her other friends droning in the background. "Besides Melissar company has been invaluable. Shall we take a seat?"

"Of course" Anne said. "Khalso has gotten us a room, I assumed you would prefer privacy for this matter?"

"I do indeed. Thank you" Edelgarde said, following the group in another room.

They all sat around a wooden table, except Khalso who waited outside, in front of the closed door, and Sister Anne, who just stood behind one of the chairs.

"I have a personal oath to never sit until my duties are finished, I hope you will not take my standing as an offence" she explained. "When the day is done and I have served the children of Illmater with all my power, only then do I permit myself to rest."

"You did well to bring someone with you. I must admit I was quite surprised you walked alone all the way to Candlekeep" Edelgarde said, bringing up the first suspicious element.

"The walk from the beach to Candlekeep was not too perilous, I arrived by boat" the other woman said, keeping her composure.

The tiefling barely held a sigh. "I must admit I was quite surprised since you told me not to visit for a while."

"Edelgarde.." Anne said before a long pause. "I have not received any letters since the last we spoke, have your burdens eased at all? Perhaps the companionship of brothers and sisters of the faith have been a ready ear and eased your... Emotions?"

"My emotions were fine before that letter" Edelgarde could tell her words were landing on deaf ears and fought to keep her composure. "They got worse since the orphanage received a letter I don't remember writing.I spoke with the Guide, I have no memory holes and there is no trace of charm on me."

"The children still argue over who gets to read your stories often." Sister Anne said finally. "The doll's Pyotr made seem to have gone missing though."

That gave Edelgarde a pause. She missed the children with an intensity that made her heart ache. "What did the doll look like?"

"Strange..." the woman continued. "As a few days later we found it burned to cinders."

A moment of silence followed and smiles vanished from the faces of those present.

"So this letter I allegedly wrote appears. I don't attend for weeks and during this time one of the children sprouts a tail and a doll catches fire" now a note of alarm was clearly audible in the tiefling's voice. "So... I find it quite strange that all these events are happening one after the other. Even if I wrote this letter, which I did not. I surely wasn't there to set the doll on fire."

"Edelgarde.. I.." Sister Anne shook her head "I did not mean to suggest you were responsible. It is one thing for your... Problematic history to make it's way into text, but had I thought you were a danger to the children in person I would not have accepted this meeting. The safety of the orphanage, I would give my life for them."

"So would I." Every suspect was now melting like snow on a sunny day, leaving in front of her only a woman worried for her children. "Sister Anne, do you really believe that I willingly wrote that letter in abyssal, reread it and dispatched it?"

"Sister, it seems that there's a third party at work here" Melissar intervened.

"Of course not, it seemed most uncharacteristic, this is why I made the voyage to Candlekeep..." Anne continued, ignoring the knight's comment. "I sensed you were not of your right mind."

"Someone else did" Melissar said, eyeing the letter on the table. "Sister Anne, so do you think it would be fine if Edelgarde continues helping the children at the orphanage?"

"I would love to see her return to the Orphanage Meslissar, as I have told you..." Anne said softly and scholarly, almost like a teacher. "However it would be unsafe for me to allow this until we are certain this... Mystery, as you put it is solved. It is a great burden to see you separated from the work that you do. I can sense it is important to you. We receive many visitors the Orphanage, some are nobles wishing to make themselves appear charitable to the dukes. Some are adventurers who bear lip service after a great war, never to return. But I always sensed this was important to you. And the children felt it as well. This is why I have taken to helping you Edelgarde. However I can, whatever it is you are going through, the church will never turn away those who wish to unburden themselves. However I cannot allow you into the Orphanage at this moment."

"You still believe I wrote it, don't you?" the tiefling asked with sadness.

"I do not believe the Edelgarde that wrote that letter is the same as the one who had visited" the woman said."The details of this distinction elude me, I am truthfully not a priestess of Illmater, I am simply a teacher at the orphanage. And my knowledge of the planes and magic, well.. It is limited by what you have shared during your time here."

"There is only one Edelgarde" she said, now resigned to the fact that the other woman would never believe her. "Does it happen often that dolls catch fire at the orphanage?"

"Such acts are not unheard of, though the timing is strange with Marleq, he seems more troubled as of late" Sister Anne then glanced toward the knight. "How did he appear to you, Melissar?"

"He seems to me that he's a fine child" the armored woman said.

"He is the only Tiefling we have at the orphanage currently" Anne carried on. "Melissar do you remember how he got his name?"

"It's just a nickname given by the kids due to his tail, originally called Marle, but that's how he introduces himself" Melissar promptly answered.

"Yes the "q" was supposed to be a reference to his tail" the teacher explained. "The children have been treating him like quite the outcast. They have lessened lately, since your visits, and hearing your stories about the planes has instilled a fear in him instead. I mean the other children, they seem cautious around Marleq now, the other day I found one of them hiding in a barrel, and yet he was sitting peacefully in his room."

Melissar leaned closer to her and spoke almost in a whisper. "I think someone wants to hurt Edelgarde, and might want her to appear like this on purpose."

Anne looked at the tiefling instead. "Edelgarde, you will not like me saying this... But... If you do have any unresolved issues with your past... If you are doing anything to hurt these children, I beg you to face your internal fears."

Those words felt like a thousand knives. They didn't just think it was her, but they feared her. It felt like going back in time and she could almost see the eyes of her village folk in those people's eyes.

"I would never, ever hurt these children" she said, voice broken by sorrow. "It wasn't my intention to cause fear in them, but quite the contrary. Should I have lied to them? When they asked me why Marleq had a tail? Should I have lied when they asked what a fiend is? I explained at the best of my possibilities we shouldn't be held accountable for our ancestors. That our destiny is our only."

"Melissar, what are your thoughts on all this?" Sister Anne asked. "Your judgement as a knight must be one sharpened by the troubled road adventuring brings, no? Dundee?"

"I trust Edelgarde, Sister, I don't believe she would do anything bad for the children, all the opposite" the knight said, unyielding.

"I'm not sure exactly the contents of the note but it seems like the punishment would only allow the third party to win because they could simply disappear and we may never find them" Dundee spoke for the first time. "Some people have been known to have diseases that cause them to awake in the night and do actions not under their control but if Edelgarde was cleared for such then could be ruled out, and no one can write in a letter in a language they have never written not without great error."

"Then how do you explain the writi-" Sister Anne paused, realizing she almost lashed. "This is above my place. I apologize... It is not my place to judge or question, I am here to guide and counsel those in need. I cannot help you come to understand whatever affliction or eldritch occurence is happening, but I trust that you have wise counsel, given your status in Candlekeep, and the kind ears of these Ilmaterians. But you cannot deny that is your writing Edelgarde. I will leave it in your hands to investigate how this letter came to be. Your restraint is admirable, your patience is similar to that of my own. It is why we are drawn to the path of teaching."

"Endure. And in enduring grow strong" Edelgarde said bitterly. "That's all we can do sometimes."

Sister Anne rubbed her back for a moment before quickly recomposing her hands to her front. "I will pray for you Edelgarde, for endurance and the wisdom to path this course you are on. Be safe and persevere, I pray for your early return."

Silence lingered in the air, then the group left the room and walked toward the exit. Edelgarde looked at Anne exchanging some hushed words with Khalso, before Melissar approached her.

"We have to find an explanation for all this then" she said.

"There is only one thing that comes to my mind" the tiefling answered in a surge of something that could either be ire or determination. "We must scry that letter."

Then, she walked toward the door.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
User avatar
Almarea90
Forum Moderator
Posts: 918
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:26 am

Re: (LBE) Edelgarde - Gleam of the Firefly

Unread post by Almarea90 »

4. The kinght, the windmill and the tiefling



"Well, let's get this scry done" Edelgarde said, placing the letter on the table of a locked room at the Elfsong Tavern.
She, Jalib, Tarina and Theadric had been waiting there for Melissar and Dundee who decided to visit the orphanage. Their return didn't bring any good news, as apparently Marleq was still going through an hard period and Melissar believed the sooner Edelgarde returned there the better for the child.
Before she started, the knight insisted on tracing a Circle of Protection Against Evil around her, who caused Jalib to cringe in the corner. Edelgarde had always believed this reaction was proof of the strength of his fiendish blood.

Edelgarde concentrated on the letter, repeating the words of the memorized spell. Then, she absentmindedly produced a hand mirror from her satchel to use as focus, carefully pointing it away from her brother.

"...I asked ya to warn" he muttered, mostly to himself.

Edelgarde peered in the mirror, her attention drawing her nearer and nearer as if she was being sucked inside. Progressively, the voices and presence of her friends became murmurs in the background, until they disappeared completely. And then... she couldn't hear or see anything, simply drifting in crystalline clouds. She observed her surrounding, unsure of what she felt, or if she could feel at all. Then, suddenly, her vision became clearer and she could see symbols appearing in the clouds. No, the crystalline clouds themselves became real clouds and her gaze was drawn downward, toward what looked like a man opening a creaky gate. It felt nearby and the tiefling immediately realized that she recognised the symbol of the Order of the Radiant Heart on the yellow cape of the man.
Her heart lost a beat when she realized she knew him: he was Sir Lance Renslin. She had met the Lathanderite knight only once or twice and didn't have the slightest idea of what he had to do with all this.
There was no time for questions now, as she felt two different pulls tugging at her focus, as if she was being pulled by tethers in two different directions. She focused, measuring her gestures in the precise way taught her by her studies and managed to follow one of the two, until she was drawn somewhere else.
Before she realized where she was, her attention was captured by the sound of beating propulsion, that she recognised as a windmill. As her vision focused, the pull drew her beneath the floorboards. She could hear the carving of wood, a saw in motion.
As sudden as a lightning bolt, pain flared in her eyes, as if something sharp was clawing them, obscuring her sight. A piercing shout left her throat as she covered her eyes with her hands. Before she could react, Edelgarde felt herself falling upward, her foucus tugged by another tether. Without any more options, she followed it gritting her teeth, as her eyes slowly returned to normal.
What she saw was even more painful than whatever clawed at her eyes earlier. She saw herself looking in a mirror, her friends standing around her looking concerned.

Her hands felt suddenly numb and just the noise of glass shattering let her realize that she had just dropped her mirror.

"No... No no no no" she said falling on her knees, uncaring of the broken mirror. "This can't be true...This is all wrong!"

So that letter really came from her? But what were those images then? And what had Sir Renslin to do with all this? She had more question than before she scryed the mirror.
She could hear the concerned voices of her friends washing over her, someone even tried to catch her.

"I saw three things" she said with shaking voice. "Sir Renslin at the Radiant Heart, a windmill... and myself. I felt pulled in three different directions. I didn't even know it was possible.

"Searing Hearts, eh" Jalib said. "What did these damnable paladins do?"

Edelgarde startled, suddenly aware of the broken mirror, and scrabled with the pieces, trying to hide them from the sight of her brother.

"I doubt they did anything, Jalib" Tarina said.

"Maybe we can go talk to Lance?" Melissar asked.

"To say what?" Edelgarde snapped, feeling on the verge of tears. "Look, there is a letter in Abyssal written in my handwriting. I scryed it and saw you. Did you write it by any chance?"

"Maybe we need to go find this windmill" Melissar said and the others seemed to agree.

"I don't even know where it is!" Edelgarde said. "I just... I've never seen something like that. It was as if the person who wrote the letter was in three places at the same time."

The others discussed, then finally they decided to move toward Ulgoth's beard when Dundee reminded them that there was a windmill.

Hours later, Edelgarde could swear they had visited half of the mills in the Sword Coast. Yet, none of them seemed familiar. She let out a tired sigh, knowing she was missing something that couldn't quite pinpoint.
These circumstances were surely unusual as Scry normally allowed to see only one target, yet this one behaved differently. It showed the Radiant Heart Chapterhouse, in the Farmlands, and herself at the Elfsong Tavern... then...

"It was close... Everything was close" Edelgarde said, lost in thoughts. "The Farmlands! It must have been a windmill in the Farmlands!"

Image

The group rushed back where they started, but this time a crowd had gathered near the Radiant Heart Chapterhouse and the yellow cape of Sir Renslin was easily spotted among them. He was talking with the members of his Order and a grey clad seer named Linetheil. She tilted her head slowly to the side. She looked pale, eyes tired. Her skin was darker underneath her eyes.

"Greetings. May you be looking for something?" she inquired softly.

"It's a... long story" Jalib answered. "But there's been a real weird scrying we just had."

"A vision?" the seer asked. "...Of a horse? Because this one just saw said horse run right through you."

"No horses involved" Edelgarde said, not surprised at the sentence. After all, Linetheil could often see thruths in symbolic ways.

"Edelgarde, you mentioned wishing to speak with me?" Sir Renslin intervened.

"Yes. But maybe in a quieter place" the tiefling answered. "Linetheil is welcome to join, though."

He fidgeted with a flap at his belt, pulling it a little more tightened and secured, before nodding and gesturing toward the Chapterhouse.

"Very well. Linetheil is a friend and her wisdom is highly valued" he said, glancing at the Seer with a smile.

The heavy gates were opened for them and they stepped in the Chapterhouse, followed by a large group of Radiants.
Part of Edelgarde marveled at the majestic architecture of the building, seeing it for the first time. Most of her thoughts, however were absorbed by the matter at hand.
At her request, the majority of the members of the Order left the room, leaving only her companions, Sir Renslin, Merorry and Linetheil. When the room was left echoing with silence, Edelgarde started her story.

"Hrm. I'm not quite certain how I would fit into the scry of this letter written in Abyssal" Lance Renslin commented furrowing his brow, once she was finished.

"This letter apparently links the two of us and something hiding underneath the floorboards of a Mill in the Farrmlands" Edelgarde said, placing the tattered letter on the table.

Linetheil reached for the letter, touching it with a pale hand. Her hand clenched as soon as she touched the paper, crumbling some of it with her. Edelgarde startled at the sudden reaction of the Seer, whose eyes stared before her absently, a wall of mist falling before them, the color fading in the briefest moment. Finally, the woman fell back to her seat, releasing the hold of the paper. While all around the table murmurs of concerns filled the room, she exhaled softly, and closed her eyes for a moment, then reached to tuck a wayward lock of hair underneath her hood she had not removed and glanced about the table idly.
In the meantime, Sir Reislin glanced down to his belt, flipping open a pouch. He removed a single hair that glowed a soft blue hue before placing it on the table.

"That horse again" Linetheil commented.

"This hair here was the result of an investigation Protector Izz and I conducted after a farmer was seen chasing a horse" Lance explained.

The resounding sound of the door unlocking suddenly interrupted him and the man gazed at the entrance with a sharply raised brow as his elven wife, Vanira Reislin, stumbled into the room, eyes locked into Linetheil's. The Seer's eyes flickered and this time, instead of looking past Vanira, they locked right onto hers. Lance moved his lips to speak, but he immediately paused, watching the strange movements of his wife, who didn't avert her eyes from Linetheil and kept pacing toward her.

"What's going on?!" asked Edelgarde, as Linetheil stood.

There was no answer. Only Tarina looked toward Vanira and then Edelgarde, probably seeing something the others couldn't. Finally, the elven woman froze in place. Linetheil kept staring at her, an unusual thing for the often absent-minded Seer. The tiredness in them was evident as she appeared to struggle to hold the eye-contact. She blinked rapidly and offered her hand to the other woman, who reached out and took it in the silence heavy with expectation. Linetheil's hand twitched at the touch, as if she was not used to such a movement.

"This... one is here" she said slowly, in tired affirmation, referring to herself in third person. "She is here."

After observing them for long moments, Tarina stood and walked over to the other two. Then, she reached out to take Linetheil's other hand that started glowing slightly. The two of them stood there, seemingly frozen in time, while Tarina rested her other hand on the Seer's shoulder, giving her support.
A moment after, the whole room was bathed in bright light, bleeding out of a tear in space like blood from a wound. Edelgarde held her breath, covering her mouth with her hand, while the concerned voices of those present overlapped one over the other.
The door slammed open and a blonde armorclad man, that Edelgarde recognised as Sir Sean, entered the room.

"Guards!" he shouted. "Seal the gate and send for Sir Lyonaler!"

As the light grew brighter and brighter, everyone scrambled on their feet and readied their weapons or started warding. Edelgarde shielded her eyes with her hand, noticing a portal from the cracks between her fingers and Vanira walking right into it.
More people stepped into the room as the glow on Linetheil's skin seeped into Tarina's, then she walked past the elf and disappeared into the portal.

"Pull them apart!" Sir Sean shouted, his voice somehow shaking those present into action.

Melissar, Sir Renslin and even the small Merorry rushed to separate the women.

"No!" Vanira groaned, trying to resist as a steady flume of mist parted from her mouth, erupting into a geyser. "Let us... Please!"

The mist filled the Radiant Heart Chapterhouse as she began choking, her eyes bulging in fear.

Then, she and Tarina were sucked into the portal, apparently the source of the mist. This shook Edelgarde from her stupor, causing her to bolt toward the portal after her friend. Her eyes vaguely registered Sean and other of those present diving into the portal themselves.
Last edited by Almarea90 on Mon Dec 26, 2022 4:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Edelgarde Spades - Guide of Candlekeep and Deneirrath priest, still a Disney princess in the wrong tale.

Gleam of the Firefly - In your darkest hour, look for the firefly

Auntie Ed's Wands(TM): Saving the Coast one Protection from Evil at time.

Candlekeep Public Collection Reference
Post Reply

Return to “Character Biographies”