Syndirrë, Dama Platinada
Origins
By 1375 DR, Iljrene was one of the
sub-commanders of the Protectors of the Song and held the rank of Hand of the
Protectors. She defended the temple of the Promenade against Dhairn's attack,
who led the clerics of Selvetarm. She fought valiantly, but she fell to
Dhairn's blade, which transformed her into a mass of spiders and absorbed it
into his weapon. Without a physical body left...
she was prevented from being
resurrected...
Iljrene Ahbruyn
However, at last, in the Demonweb Pits,
Cavatina Xarann killed Selvetarm himself. Dhairn fell confused and powerless
without the power of his god. He was trying to escape when Qilue's blade
skewered his back.
His weapon was lost in the battle and for many
years lost to the world. A necromancer apprentice, playing with powers he did
not understand brought the weapon back from the Abyss and was consumed for its
power, all his energy and dedication went on to understand it until he was
finally able to share its secret, and an explosion consumed him and the
secluded laboratory, leaving behind destruction and a beautiful female drow
body.
A human Merchant, named Igor Strongarms that
was passing in a nearby road heard the explosion, and out of curiosity decided
to investigate. He found Iljrene laying in the rubbles, naked and passed out.
He tended to her, and took her with him in his travels. She didn’t remember
well her past or why she was there, but that didn’t matter for both of them, a
bond created between them, and love soon followed.
Igor bought a shop in Settlestone, and there
they settled. She looked after the shop and he travel to buy and sell products.
They lived a dream for a few years, until Iljrene got pregnant, and what was
supposed to be the greatest moment of their life, it was the last. Igor travel
for the last time after Syndirrë’s birth, never to return. Iljrene continue to
care after the bussinnes and now after her daughter, she managed to found
someone to bring her goods to sell,
but never found love again.
Syndirrë grew with an image of a fantastic
father, who had died defending his family, according to her mother. She was
brighter, faster and smarter than the other kids around, but she was also
isolated and quick to anger when bullied by her looks.
Iljrene did the best she could to raise a good
person, but there’s something in the genes that can’t be easily hidden. She
kept most of her past hidden, and told only little stories about the Underdark
and its big city like Skullport e Menzoberranzan. Around the age of twelve, and
outbreak of an unknown disease spread through Settlestone and outsider were to
blame, the mob invaded the little shop, Iljrene once again fought bravely, and
once again death was her destiny, but she fought and killed long enough to her
daughter disappear into the plains, following the last words she would ever
hear from your mom.
“Be yourself, always!”
Life
in Menzoberranzan
Menzoberranzan
As she run, a voice in her head whispered words
like caves, safety, dark, you, spiders, protection, come home. She couldn’t
quite understand it and did know where to run to, she was all alone, cold and
hungry, as she left herself sleep under a tree. A loud and close howl woke her
up, it was dark, but her drow eyes could see a couple of wolfs, ready to
attack. She tried to climb the tree in vain, to weak, to frighten, she would
soon meet her mom and dad. As the wolf charged a dark, hairy and multi legged
creature jumped from the tree and fought and killed the animal. Syndirrë felt
relieved, but when the Giant Spider turn to her, she was quite unsure. A voice
in her head hushed words:
Be well and calm down my child!
You’re back to your
Mother and creator! You’re safe with me. Come, rest again and your troubles
will disappear!” As she laid her head to a tree root, the giant spider involved
her in her web, next time she opened her eyes, it was a different world.
But in the Spider City, all was different, she
was lured to the hand of mean Lolth’s priestesses, and they treated her even
worse than the kids from school. Even as her training as a priestess was
similar to the female drow in her class, it was left clear that she was as half
blood, impure thing, that she was being raised for a porpoise, and she didn’t
know which. The beating, the scuffled every time she better, faster where wiser
than a drow or even a master. She had to learn to hold her abilities to stay
alive and suffer less. Syndirrë mastered magic and weapons, and grew a
beautiful woman that caught the eyes of male drows and envy of the female. She
was often out on duty to protect, hunt and kill unspeakable monsters in the
caves surrounding the city, to keep her away and for chance to die.
MM Shakti Hunzrin
Matron Mother Shakti Hunzrin, ruler of the
House Hunzrin, the Eleventh House in Menzoberranzan was aware of all this, but
she had a plan for the half-drow, but none consideration or feelings. “It will
tough you up!” – she would say. House Hunzrin was stuck in the district of
Eastmyr, despite its arrogance and the fact that it controlled most of
Menzoberranzan's agriculture. Matron had a plan, use the illegitimate daughter
of a cleric of Eilistraee trained as a Priestess of Lolth to infiltrate and the
betray your mother’s house, in the city of Skullport, letting in the forces of
Hunzrin. In her twisted mind, Shakti hoped to gain the favour of the Spider
Queen to make an attack on House Druu'giir. By 1472, Syndirrë was a full
priestess of Lolth, her heart wasn’t completely dark, and the constant evil and
fighting troubled her in a daily basis. She would struggle, but always fulfil
her duties, but more than once found a clever
justification not to kill and set
an enemy free.
Escaping Hell
Syndirrë went disguised as commoner from the surface, and arrived at Skullport looking
for mother’s house and family. She was welcomed and celebrated, her stories,
even vague ones, were reason to gather her relatives under the blessing of Eilistraee.
She forgot that other gods existed and some of them were good. The first
fortnight she spent there, she was still communicating with Matron Shakti, but
then she started stalling the attack, and for two months she did that
successfully, and during that time she throw herself into the scriptures of Eilistraee
and her teachings. Nightmares of attacking spiders kept her awake many nights,
and grew a phobia of crawling creatures. The pressure of the Matron was too
big, and the nightmares wouldn’t go away if this wasn’t settled.
Eilistraee
She set all
as previous arranged in House Hunzrin, and by early 1479 a full attack was
launched, with the alarms and guards disabled by Syndirrë, what was unknown for
Matron Shakti, her priestesses, mages and warriors was that Syndirrë had
betrayed then, Syndirrë told about the attack for the Mandible gang, and House
Hunzrin walk into a trap, turned to in a slaughter. Few survived, but Matron
Shakti was one of them, and that means that peace was not an option anymore,
and staying in Skullport also. She sat down with the high priestess of Eilistraee and got ordained,
and fled the underworld, never to return.
Her faith was to
under in surface, where she could stay out of the reach of the Lolth’s web and
Matron Shakti wrath.
A New Beginning
Baldur's Gate
At Baldur’s Gate, Syndirrë was open-mouthed.
The size and number of people were mesmerizing to her. She heard that was a
non-racial biased city and that all were welcomed, and she craved for that.
Since escaping Skullport, she travelled north-ish through dirty roads, small
towns, hiding, begging and helping. After wander the continent, she eventually
reached the coast in Port Llast where she met a bard called Trionner, who sang about
The Gate and got her into a job as a healer in a ship that travelled down the
Sword’s Coast into Baldur’s Gate.
She found a true calling,
helping and tending
to others, and swear to herself to help the less fortunate. She settled in The
Outer City and slowly building a name for herself in the slums as a true
healer. Many started following her teachings, and she managed to build a small
temple/hospital for Eilistraee.
She did grow in relevance and power and the
four Dukes saw in her as an opportunity to placate any dissent voice coming from
the poor. She started to receive donations from important businessman and
invites to parties and dinners in The Upper City. Life was good and she was
involved in politics, hoping to help the people, but she was being played
without knowing, as the sense of belonging clouded her sharp mind. Panis et
Circenses was in full motion in her life. Better clothes, better food, friends
and doing what she loved. Memories of the underdark were fading away and she followed with her
as the
most coveted bachelorette in town.
Rise and Fall
Eilistraee's Temple
One day, a proxy for the Patriarc Tilleturn
showed up at Syndirrë’s door with a proposition, to take a 10 years-old
half-elf girl called Draine as her protégé, in return a new building would be
provided for her Temple of Eilistraee. She was a prodigy and her visions were
strong and true. She was an illegitimate spring and it was best if it was kept that
way.
Syndirrë made the most of the situation, and
grew her temple and number of followers. Draine grew into a special teenager
and their affection grew too, she never flinched to your skin colour or to your
ears, in fact, she admired even more for your drow heritage. As time passed,
she grew more curious about Menzoberranzan, at a point where you used her as a
confident and told about your studies in Arach Tinilith, and everything you
went through, you gave her you biggest secret. It felt good, as her eyes shone
to your words.
I’m not alone anymore!
She started to be a frequent flyer in the
Upper City parties, always escorted by her protégé, an opportunity to Tilleturn
to interact to his child and an opportunity even greater to the half-drow
realize her dreams. Incited by Draine, she used her knowledge of potions,
poisons, death traps and histories of suffering, always speaking of someone she
knew, to gather people around and inflate her ego. She was a star, a must be
close by, a most coveted bacharolette in Baldur’s Gate.
Women in the Upper City envy her, for her
beauty and her way around Patriarcs, and plotted to undermine her status, but
at same time, to around her attracted attention for themselves, and in this
game of luxury and fake emotions, Sydirré saw her temple to be flooded with
gold.
Upper City's Ballroom
Draine got a lot of attention as she grew into
a beautiful teenager and as life goes she got romantically involved with an
older boy from Provoss family. An older lad, with a great look, but bad
reputation and from a decaying family. She fell deeply in love too quickly, and
ready to follow him everywhere and do as he says. Her mother and even more vehemently, her
father, prohibited the relationship and demanded the end of it. Syndirrë got
caught in the middle of it, as she was an ear to Draine sorrows and received
commanding orders from the Patriarc. Draine suffered and tried to show that he
was not after her for her money and heritage, and pressed you to help her.
The girl knew everything about her, and could
jeopardize all. She could slip in a casual conversation something to the boy,
and he was not someone to trust. But at the same time, try to push them apart
could anger Draine, and she could go straight to her father with Syndirrë’s
secrets.
Her pupil, even in these days of love, never
missed and appointment or a class at the Temple, and let her tasks behind. One
day she didn’t show up, a boy brought a message from Draine’s mother saying tha
she was locked in a room and wouldn’t talk to anyone but her priestess.
Syndirrë navigate her way deep in the outer city, to a very poor house, in a
troubled neibourhood. Draine was distraught, crying at a point of barely
explaining what had happened. She had been abused by Dyron. She begged not to
tell her parents, the shame would be too great and her future as a priestess
would be in risk, and her father would look at her with disgust, that’s how the
poor child was thinking.
Syndiré obeyd.
A couple of week passed, and life started to go
back to normal, if it would ever go back to normal for Draine. But she grew
quieter, with long times away from the Temple, when confronted, she admitted
she wanted to kill, and the she ordered from a merchant in the Lower City a
Blue Ibis poison to do the job. Words to calm her and to show that the truth
would serve vengeance better were futile. This poison, actually, do not kill,
and Syndirrë knew that as she saw being used time and time again in
Menzoberranzan. In fact, it causes an irreversible damage to the brain, with no
cure, even for healing magic.
Half a week after, Baldur’s Gate Assassination
started, and afraid that Draine would do something that would mark her
forever, Syndirrë decided to save her. The boy’s family and even her father,
unaware of the rape, pressed for the reunion, strangely changing opinion about
the boy and the family. She acted first.
She went to the girls’ room in the Temple, and
stole the poison. Used her knowledge to prepare the potion, realizing that
Draine wouldn’t be able to manipulate and succeed, but it was too late to go
back, he needed to be punished and never touch her again. During a dinner with
both families, she slipped the poison to Dyron glass of water.
Dyron and Draine
In a couple of days, he was not speaking
properly and his healthy and mind decaying quickly. Draine realized what
Syndirrë did, and confronted her. Syndirrë pulled to a private studio in the
Temple and tempers flared. Draine screamed that she didn’t have the right, that
he was drunk and regret deeply and would make her his wife. Syndirrë tried to
show her reason, and the door opened…Tilleturn demand an explanation. Draine
hugged him accusing Syndirrë of the crime, the priestess told the reason and
Draine accused her of being a follower of Lolth and envious of her pure love.
Tilleturn said that Syndirrë had two choices,
face all charges for this crime and for impersonating a cleric of Eilistraee
when secret fomenting Lolth evil design and face death or place Draine as heir to the temple and her family as responsible for the financing and...
leave the Upper City now!
As she
walked down the streets, heading to the gates, having only her personal
belongings, she remembered when she got there, she had now, better clothes,
finer weapons, but she was in the same situation, not accepted. She tried to
retrace her steps, and finding a reason for the decision of what she did – Did
she has been influenced? – And how Tilleturn decided all so quickly facing all
those facts. – Was she played? All her life started passing through her mind
and she didn’t know where she was going.
Descent into Avernus
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