The last kiss - Natalya

[Storm Munin]

First Name: Natalya Last Name (taken): Vaen'tsoss (Last kiss in drow)

Appearance: She looks pretty much like a humansized slender golden elf.

Race: Halfdrow (rarely she admits to it, mostly she is vague on the subject of her elfen origins)
Age: In her early 30ties
Height: about 5'9"
Weight: 110 lbs
Eyes: Emerald with a blackhued corona at the edges (glowing red in darkvision).
Hair: waistlength strawblond hair with streaks of white, normally carefully groomed to a shine while knotted and tied up with a black silk ribbon.


Personality Profile:
General Health: Pretty average.
Deity: Erevan Ilesere as of DR 1349, formerly Lolth.
Initial alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Professions: Rakish swordmage & gem trader. Formerly dancer and assassin.
Base Class & Proposed development: R3/Wiz(Ench)7/AT10/EK10
Habits & Hobbies:
An outgoing if secretive girl balancing innuendos and blatant lies with truth.
Favors her sword or her twin kukris in a fight, using a low and compact stance.
Prefers to avoid direct confrontation.
Does nothing herself if she can manipulate others to do it for her.

Quirks, identifiers & deficits:
Love dancing.
Favors blood wine and cheese from the nonexistant Tremelayne estates, she caught the craving while acting as Zhentarim Liaison for the Seventh Circle (DR 1347).
Wear tinted glasses after extended visits to the nether realms.
Tat(s) and scar:
1: A pictural shooting star tattoo grace the left side of her abdomen.
2: Her lower back is covered by a grey scale tattoo of a raven unfolding its wings with its legs caught in cobwebs.
The faded scar from a spearthrust are noticable on the right side of her ribcage (Assault on Markhold DR 1347).
Languages: Abyssal, Arcane, Cant (Westar accent), Celestial, Chondathan (Westar accent), Common (Westar accent), Cormanthan (Westar accent), Dambrathan (Drow accent), Draconic, Drow, Elven (archaic and sun elf accented), Illuskan (Westar accent), Loross, Netherese, Serusan, Undercommon (Drow accent).
Weapon of choice: curved longsword named Home
Goals:
1. Acceptance as an equal of her drow peers, independence and knowledge.
2. Securing a Netherese scroll for herself.
3. Researching spells of enchantment.

Plothooks:
Information gathering on the surface, enchantment spell research, searching for items and lore arcane/netherese.


Background (lengthy, skip right to Sshamathan years if easily bored):

30 years ago the upperdark stronghold was failing and the family household was in turmoil.
Beset by the events and the realisation that his time upon faerun was fading with his lifedream unfullfilled the Housewizard Nalirin struck a deal with a human wizardess who held secrets of the weave he desired to learn.
As her reward for giving up her knowledge he had to bechild the wizardess for her own nefarious ends. The reasons for why the witch wanted a drow halfbreed is unknown to this day.

As the expected birth and the end of Nalirin's tutelage grew near he brought his nephew Sussuri to Rasheman in order to broaden the young ranger's experience of kivvilen and thus the realms above.
Little is known as to the why of what befell next but what is known to the immediate family is that Natalya was given birth by a corpse aided by the use of a dagger and that Sussuri lost most of his voice upon that day due to a grievious wound given by the durthan, rarely to speak above a whisper again.
The wizard and the scout spent the better part of a year returning back to the family holdings not daring to shadow walk with an infant.

Once arrived into the folds of the family again Nalirin left his young daughter into the care of the women as was expected of him, to resume his duties as Housewizard and sword crafter.
The Matron at the time was preoccupied and heiress Ardulafae regretfully gave over the raising of the child to her sister Lilith.
Surprisingly the hateful Lilith proved a nurturing if stern surrogate mother and the young Natalya grew into a surprisingly elvenlike child.
Perhaps unsurprisingly Natalya pleased aunt Lilith greatly, causing her father bitter tears for the first time when she chose the way of Lolth.

Now fully into the folds of aunt Lilith Natalya was taught all the virtues of a lolthite female, including the arts of trickery and skill at small blades.
She was also thoroughly taught the depravity of her own flesh and her exact standing in the social order as an unnamed halfborn.
With gritted teeth and determination Natalya struggled through her teachings, determined to excel at her chores and studies.

At the age of sixteen she was sent to the surface city of Westgate to learn the arts of burglary and seduction by the finest teachers available to her.
Somehow she took it all in stride still craving to be accepted among the devoted and her family.
She dutifully did what needed be done, be it in the names of Mask, Sharess or Loviatar.
Meanwhile the family struggled to survive and quite in vain to save their heredical stronghold, in the end losing it to the lavastream it was housed within along with the Matron of the House.

A few years later the family entire entered the fair city of sshamath in an empty air of wealth and present history began (DR1346).


Sshamathan years (DR 1346- present):
When free from her duties as the unnamed House spy she roamed the tunnel wilds with other adventurers.
Most notable of her companions in these formative adventuring days were the illustrous warlock Envil of House Xilaben, roguish archer assassin Vier and the many talented priestess Alienor, a drow female in liege of the Wizard Guilhem.
As her house associated itself with the Seventh Circle she was selected as the appropriate liaison agent and time in the tunnels almost ended.

She became a favorite agent (or so he claimed) of Weavemaster Valshar in quick order and assignments sent her to the surface where she got to know a bard very well as she used him to find suitable prey for her master's designs(DR 1347).
Her heart almost broke when her girlfriend and confidant Alienor went into seclusion in the Crooked Tower after them falling out (DR 1347).
She wandered off, for a full year, from her stationing on the slopes of Darkhold during the retaking campaign of said fortress(DR1347-48).

DR1349-50 she spent mostly wandering back and forth between Baldur's Gate and Westgate.
The road finally made her relinquish Lolth and turn towards Erevan Ilesere with all her heart.

DR1351 proved to evolve further in her wizardly studies and exploration of the underdark, it also meant brief visits to the surface to hook up with Herran again for brief moments.
With the trade tunnels in ruins after the Alhoon War the Seventh Circle focused on the underdark trade leaving little concern for the dealings of the realms Above.
The Ooze menace along with its elusive dragon dragon connections sent her to the Sword coast anew to learn what was known beneath the stars.

Presently she is caught up in the formation of a new surface guild of arcana, while struggling to have time and the chance to learn what truly befell Herran and Candlekeep when something went missing.

What more is to come her way?

[Storm Munin]

Natalya scowled as she stood in her apartment contemplating what to bring for this no doubt extended foray in the sunscorched lands.
How the vithin hells did the Matron and Valshar expect her to find someone who claimed a surname, perhaps were clad in red and supposedly was a swift runner? Making people talk was one thing but this assignment, really?!

There is no such thing as saying No to a Matron however, she sighed. Might as well see it as a vacation of sorts until someone came to their senses, she thought.

She sat down on her bed resting her forehead in her hands while trying to make sense of everything that had transpired and the present situation.

She had been raised to pay homage to the spider queen and to serve the omnipotent drow well. Yet, the only one who still held her devotion was Lolth. Since the family arrived to Sshamath about a year ago it seemed like every single one of her drow peers had failed to live up to the standards she had believed to be theirs and theirs alone. Chaotic behaviour was one thing but, but there had been too many failings. Too many irrational acts serving neither group nor individual and too many defeats to the hands of lesser beings. The Alhoon should have been done for in weeks come her standards instead it had taken grievious effort only to weakly hold the beast at bay and then divine intervention to stop it permanently.

What of her mysterious friend the yath Alienor? She had almost thought she had found someone she could share with and trust to some degree. Then the yath had secluded herself in that tower with the foppish mage she served. Recently come out only to be a total boor spending every waking hour living the soldier dream it seemed. Well, there was that moment when she delivered a message to them. But could she again find trust for someone who had drawn her lifeblood without provocation, circumstances be damned?

Her heart torn she no longer believed in drow supremacy making her also question what dues she had towards her goddess. After all if the drow was her image in the flesh well then the goddess was weak, wasnt she? What had really transpired as she lay sorely wounded in the woods outside Markhold? She had been prepared to make the final journey as she stared up at the starry winter sky shivering from the cold. Beneath those icefrosted spiderwebs that ran between the trees she had lain blinking as her panting rasping breath made small puffs of steam. Had she really watched a shooting star pass by? Had the voices in her head been real or were they just dilusions brought on by the bloodloss? Natalya moaned as she was overcome by a splitting headache.

Eyes squinting she refocused on the task at hand. Red, she thought as a tiny smile flickered at the corners of her mouth. Finally she would have use of her red wig and perhaps that Shou costume she had bought so long ago in Westgate? A monk disguise, she nodded to herself, yes that would do.

[Storm Munin]

Natalya freted as she lay unable to sleep on her bed at the Friendly Arms.

Her target had so far proven quite elusive. Small wonder considering what she had to go on really. Calls himself Celduil, dresses in red and has enhanced speed, what kind of lame description is that!

She groaned silently to herself. This would no doubt be a long excursion into the scorched lands.

Lord James had proven quite useless even if the lady she met with him seemed to know of someone called Celduil. An elf supposedly dwelling in Doron Amar. Not like she was likely to visit the vithin place, overrun by traitorous elves as it was.

The strange elven fighter claiming the name of Toma that she had met at the campfire had been somewhat helpfull in confirming there was an elf named Celduil. Supposedly a friend of his even. Alas, she saw no wisdom in letting him bring her to Doron Amar so she refrained from persuading him. Well at least for now, there was no rush really.

After all, this elven Celduil might not even be her true target, in fact she doubted it. Valshar surely would have mentioned if it had been an elf would he not? Oh well, if she caught up to the tainted darthiiri maybe she could have some sport at least.

Perhaps she should spend the next couple of days closer to the Gate? There was bound to be someone out there who had the information she needed to identify and find her mark properly.

It was strange if fortunate that she hadnt run into Herran as yet even if that pestering shebitch he let cling on him had been around. Not to mention the insane wizard she and Herran encountered in Beregost. Then again maybe the bard was long gone like that archer who had given chase to her and Valshar all those months ago when they emerged from Durlag's tower.