Aly'Faerae Auvryath

Character

I am an elf. A Sword Dancer of the Dark Maiden. Not a dhaerow, not a priestess of Lolth, not an Illythiir. An elf! ~ Aly, to herself.

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Name: Aly’Faerae Llanowar (born Auvryath)
Age: 125 (Born on Hammer 23, 1251)
Class: Bard/Cleric of Eilistraee
Occupation: Priestess of Eilistraee (Order of the Sword Dancers)
Race: Drow
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Deity: Eilistraee
Country of Origin: Underdark (Menzoberranzan)
Spoken Languages: Undercommon, Common, Drow, Elven, Drow Sign Language
Accent: Speaks common perfectly, with no accent whatsoever. Speaks elven with a rather clear drow accent, sometimes using words that are from High Drow dialect. Speaks undercommon and drow with the haughty tone that often suits highborn drow, and some would notice her accent is from Menzoberranzan.
Left or Right Handed: Right handed
Relatives:

• Valin Llanowar (Bondmate)

• Ardur Llanowar (Son)
• Zebeya Auvryath (Mother), Tebryn Auvryath (Father, deceased?)
• Aleyna Auvryath (1st born [half]sister, deceased?), Yauna Auvryath (2nd born [half]sister, deceased?), Len'ythra Auvryath (4th born [half]sister, deceased?), Ssyl Auvryath (5th born sister, deceased?)
• Brach Auvryath (firstborn brother, deceased), Killian Auvryath (secondborn brother, deceased)
• Kayn'ri Auvryath (Far cousin, deceased) and tons of others...

Journal and thoughts

Attempt at a longer story

Physical Appearance

Aly'Faerae... Oh. The Herald's bondmate. If you're looking for her... tall for her kin, smooth black skin, long white braided hair. Walks like a noble, always smiles, dresses in whites... shines all over the place. Can't miss her! ~ Elventree Resident.

Height: 5'1"
Weight: 101 lbs
Skin Tone: Dark grey
Eye Color: Crimson red
Hair: Silvery white
Unique features:

• Silvery tattoos of vines and Eilistraaean symbols on her forearms and shins, which sometimes seem to glow in the moonlight
• A tattoo of a shadow dragon curled around a small black spider on her lower back, just above her right hip

Description Aly is 5.1 feet tall; her skin is the color of ebony, her hair is of a light silver, almost white, and her eyes are dark red. She is seductive and slender, as many drow females, although athletic. She often wears light clothes of various shades of white and blue (when she is among Eilistraeean worshippers notably), similar to those worn by the surface elves, instead of the dark clothing that drow usually wear. Her voice is clear, clearly the one of a singer. She has numerous silver tattoos on her forearms and shins, some of them very faintly glowing to represent the moonlight, proof of her allegiance to Eilistraee. She tends to wear armor for battle though nothing heavy, and always carries a bastard sword in a sheath behind her back and others at her belt. A pendant showing what seems to be a drow female dancing with a bastard sword under the moon is hanging at her neck, next to another tied to the same chain, representing a moon crescent.

Abilities/Skills

Abilities

• Strength (14): Aly's rather strong, athletic as suits many female drow. She enhances her strength with the powers Eilistraee gives her, making her a rather strong opponent capable of lifting and swinging her heavy swords with no problem.
• Dexterity (14):She is dexterous as well, a skilled dancer, who fights gracefully in the name of her goddess. Each of her moves come natural, although they are very calculated. With her singing sword swinging in the air and her way to fight, each combat looks like a dance.
• Constitution (12): Aly's not extremely resistant to anything except Valin's bad mood, but she's not weak either.
• Intelligence (12): She is your average clever drow.
• Wisdom (19): Aly's strength comes in her wisdom (and not so much in her muscles, despite her thirst for battle). She understands how people work and what they want, having some training in political matters due to her past in the Underdark. She has a tendency to plot and see through them, and unless somebody threatens her order or her family, she is always kind even with those she hates. As Eilistraee's dogma says... repay rudeness with kindness. However, she is very long to forget the words of those who have wronged her...
• Charisma (14): Aly is beautiful (average in drow standards) and carries a noble stance and demeanor. She speaks well and convincingly. She always smiles and is graceful and delicate in each of her moves.

Skills

• Craft Weapon: Aly can forge and enchant swords as it suits a Sword Dancer of Eilistraee.
• Heal: She is a skilled healer and uses her past knowledge of poisons to heal.
• Listen/Spot: Aly'Faerae has the alert ears and eyes of a drow, especially in the dark.
• Lore: When she came to the surface, most of her knowledge came from what she had been taught by her people: magic, demons, spiders, Lolth's teachings, poisons and assassination in general. She knew little about the surface's geography, but learned a lot in the temple of Eilistraee that welcomed her about Faerûn and its people, their habits and ways of life, the elven people history, etc.
• Perform: Aly is a very skilled singer and dancer. She still knows a couple dark bae'queshel songs (of healing notably), but rarely use them, preferring the more beautiful bardic magic.
• Ride: She easily switched from mounting Underdark lizards to horses, which she finds graceful and amusing.
• Sense Motive: Aly isn't too bad at guessing what people really think.
• Spellcraft: Most of her knowledge of magic comes from her divine powers, but she does know a lot about the arcane as well in general, notably bardic magic.
• Tumble: As said above, she's graceful and dodges attacks easily before retaliating.
• Use Magic Device:Aly can figure out how to use many things or bypass some wards without too much problem, as many drow can.

Personality

Aly can be a puzzle at times. Her first year on the surface has taught her how to be an elf, to behave like an elf, and to reject every single Lolthite way she could think of. Thanks to Valin, she has found the meanings of both love and friendship. However, one year and a better understanding of the ways of the world have not erased old habits that she has lived with for over a century.

She still behaves in a certain noble way that is hard not to notice. Her attitude towards the poor and the commoners is the one of a caring, gentle maiden that would bring food, care and healing. However, she walks like a noble, most of the time speaks like one, and carries a high born stance that make up for her not so impressive stature.

Aly always speaks calmly and kindly, even to her worst enemies. That is due to a long diplomatic training. She is, most of the time, able to conceal her feelings about one person and conserve a polite and gentle tone even if she plans to murder them sooner or later. But that is also due to her Eilistraeeean priestess training. As Eilistraee teaches, "Be always kind, except in battle with evil. [...] Repay rudeness with kindness." And so Aly'Faerae rarely shows her hatred for some individuals when in their presence.

However, after all these years, Aly has developped, at last, a sense of what is good and what is evil. Therefore, she no longer fully rejects her drow side, but rather uses what she knows to get to an end. And when she slips into her more drow side... Aly then becomes snide, cryptic and rather scary. She spies and studies everything people say, and her brain goes back to its usual plotting mode. She is not above assassination and backstabbing anymore, if it means getting rid of a problem that threatens her newly founded family or friends.

The whole "drow" part of her resurfaces easily then.

Close Ones

• Alabyran Haladar: Alabyran is a respected bladesinger to Aly. She enjoys his company, both as a good friend who has helped her and Valin in times of need, and as a powerful, older and wiser figure. She sees him as a model Valin can look up to.

"Sometimes, I wonder what I have done to find such friends. Alabyran is a good soul. In the way that no matter what happens, he will fight evil to his last breath. Now, if only people could give it back to him." ~ Aly

• Cadius Eldanesh: Cadius makes Aly laugh, although she wonders everyday how he managed to survive for that long. His repeated insults towards the gods slightly worry her, as she is persuaded one day nobody will be there to help him when he sets the wrath of an evil god on himself. In the end, she wishes he was a bit more... discreet.

"Cadius plays a dangerous game. It is interesting to think of how unaware of himself he is. But it is scarier to understand that he is also unwary of the powers of the gods." ~ Aly

• Cerin Te'les: Aly trusts Cerin completely and has more than once asked for his help. He is, to her, a model of wisdom she can look up to and a force of nature. His friendship with Valin is important to her, and she knows Valin needs friends more than anything else. She would not hesitate entrusting him with Ardur.

"Cerin will always be "uncle Cerin" to Ardur. In a way, he is a rock in the storm, standing still and pretty much unscathed despite all the trouble he got himself in. That will always amaze me. But Valin and I both need somebody to rely onto, when everything turns to chaos." ~ Aly

• Dierna Strikeanvil: Aly has not known Dierna for long, but they have very quickly found that they had a lot in common. Given what Cerin has told her, she somewhat trusts her, and anyway enjoys her company a lot more than she shows.
• Gilweth: Gilweth and Aly have met briefly, in their respective pasts. Their Houses were close to each other in term of ranks. They know quite a bit about each other's past activities, and that created some kind of a connection, perhaps friendship between them, despite the devout but ill-based adoration that Gilweth shows to Aly. She is trying to show him the better ways of Eilistraee, and help him adapt to the surface.

"Gil... well. I've known him. He has known me. Or at least, our past selves. It is hard to look at him at times, as a flagrant reminder of who I was. I wonder if he can truly see the light. But perhaps there is still hope, xas, perhaps." ~ Aly

• Iris: Iris and Aly have known each other for a long time, back when she, Aly and Line Webber were among the most well known Eilistraaeans of Highmoon's region. She has come to see Iris as a reliable ally and friend.
• Isilme: Aly doesn't completely trust Isilme yet, but has seen enough of her good actions to hold her in high esteem.
• Isiolia Nightstar: Aly likes Lia a lot. She sees a good natured sorcerer, who is pretty and intelligent, and an excellent mate for Alabyran. She is a bit worried about her, though. But she hopes to be a good friend to her, and helpful for her future child.

"Isiolia is who Alabyran needed. A strong independent soul. And a good person. I see a lot in her that I wish I could see in me. A brilliant mage for sure. They will be happy together, if as Valin and I, they can overcome the darkness that always tries to take us all in." ~ Aly

• Mateo Lyrundel: Mateo is an old friend of Aly's and one of her first surface friends at all, outside of her temple in Velarswood. She has taught him the drow language, and shares with him the "deeper understanding" that priests have of the deities. That gives them something to talk about. Mateo was the priest who performed the bonding ceremony between her and Valin.

"There is one word to describe Mateo. Peaceful. Perhaps "godly". Ever since I met him, he had this aura around him. He has the eyes of one who has seen a deity, who has gazed into the endless woods of Arvandor." ~ Aly

• Shalarnes Marthdal: Like Mateo, Shalarnes is an old friend and one of her first. The two often chat and their two children, Ari'nes and Ardur, will probably end up being good play mates. She enjoys taking advice from her as a mother, as well.

"Shalarnes and I will always be friends, I think. She is always so calm, as well. It is good to have somebody to rely onto, when I need help with Ardur, notably."~ Aly

• Solmur'ss: Aly has known Sol for a long time and she has come to relatively trust him. She thinks he still has a lot to learn about the surface, but deep inside, she wonders what he really knows... and what he really doesn't.

"Sol is an enigma. Now if only I could return the trust that he has in me to the fullest. Unfortunately, there is still a doubt."~ Aly

• Valin Llanowar: Valin is Aly's hold on the world. He taught her what real love is like, not just lust, and was the first person she could ever trust completely. She cares deeply for him, and the two have decided to bond a long time ago. Although they are sometimes very different from each other, they know each other better than anyone else, and that is reflected in the way they fight together, sometimes back to back in a flurry of perfectly harmonious moves. Aly will do anything to stop Valin from getting hurt, and although she is sometimes frustrated by his various problems, nobody cares more for him than her.

"Valin and I are one. Is there anything else to say? I will be there for him, always. And he will be there for me. No-one shall harm him ever again if I am there to prevent it. I will not repeat it. Stand back!"~ Aly

• Wylan (Noc): Noc is not such an "old" friend, but she appreciated his humor and company, as well as his apparent devotion to Eilistraee, until a certain incident with Valin has sort of brought them apart from each other.
• Zac: Zac is an old friend from Aly (once again one of her first) and despite his... shadiness, she thinks he does not have an evil heart. She knows some of his past that he told her of, but sees it as hers: past.

"Zac and I... would have a lot of talking to do... after all these years..."~ Aly

Known Ones

• Arcturus Menson:
  
• Celia:
  
• Elle:
  
• Eira:
  
• Gordorel:
  
• Grigory:
  
• Michael von Wolfhousen:
  
• Nergal:
  
• Rapture:
  
• Rosalinde O'Madain:
  
• Wylin Maidenshealer:
  

Disliked Ones

• Ariela:
  
• Alasia:
  
• Bijou:
  
• Kriegnar The Warmonger:
  
• Samira:
  
• Valkhar:
  

Biography

Aly'Faerae at the baths in her House's mansion of Menzoberranzan.

Aly’Faerae, “Oath of Song and Dance” was born in the city of Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, into the House of Auvryath, a minor noble house who was known for coming from very, very distant relatives of House Melarn who left Ched Nasad to found their own house in Menzoberranzan and famed for having a small number of their members breeding with shadow dragons (the first matron of the House was actually half shadow dragon), around –982 DR. The small, near commoner family was first accepted as a vassal of House Xorlarrin, then made its way to independency as a minor noble house As they were far from shadow dragons, the dragon blood nearly completely faded in the family, occasionally reminding its members of their far origins with odd children; however, the house was mostly renowned for producing good spellcasters and decent assassins.Aly’Faerae held the title of Third Daughter of the House. Her name was given to her after one of the mages of Sorcere, the arcane academy, foretold that she was going to be beautiful and skilled in the arts of dancing and singing. Needless to say that her mother was disappointed with such a prediction and had both mages severely punished. Nevertheless, she gave Aly that name for her to keep in mind how insignificant she was. She grew up between the walls of her House’s manor, learning to fight with various kind of weapons with one of her brothers (who was later accused of worshipping the Masked One and sacrificed to Lolth), and secretly learning to dance and sing by herself, until she reached the age of 90. Her mother then decided to send her to Arach-Tinilith, the temple of the priestesses of Lolth, to become a priestess and fortify the place of her House in drow society.She had always been one of her mother’s favorites, being gifted in the art of fighting as well as beautiful, clever and even more important : loyal and respectful. She would never discuss an order from her superiors, or disobey. Therefore, her mother saw her as a loyal puppet to be used against enemies whenever it pleased her, while Aly’Faerae thought to be her mother’s confident. The truth was that Zebeya Auvryath considered her daughter as a tool, an arm, and nothing else. But Aly’Faerae strongly believed that she would, one day, rule the House and have power over all her arrogant sisters and cousins.

Matron Zebeya, Aly, her brother Brach and her sister Yauna

When she was forced by her mother to become a priestess, she started to understand that her mother never cared about what she wanted to do with her life, and even less about what pleased the young girl, as many young drow eventually realize. She reluctantly entered Arach-Tinilith, at one condition: her mother had to let her keep singing, and learn the secret arts of the bae’queshel, an ancient order of dark minstrels. Her mother eventually agreed, thinking it could be a good idea to keep her daughter as an ally, and a powerful one. Thus young Aly became a priestess of Lolth, hiding her secret to the others, revealing her true powers only when it was needed. She hid her singing and dancing abilities, becoming for the others’ eyes no more than a docile, usual priestess serving her House.She stayed in Arach-Tinilith for the ten required years, faking to learn from patience and submissiveness, although secretly increasing her powers and her knowledge of the spellsinging art. In the academy, ignoring the cruelty of her siblings, she was unnoticed.When she left the academy and returned to her house, she had become a lot more important in her mother’s mind, being her primary secret weapon as well as a loyal servant of Lolth. As an assassin for her mother, Aly was known through the House as Minrae, the Hunter Daughter. Although she never enjoyed death and torture as much as she should have, she did practice those arts, and did many sacrifices without any regret or guilty feeling. Thus, her sisters and cousins started plotting against her, planning her demise. Avoiding assassinations and poisoning, using her songs to resist her cruel family, she managed to survive and gain respect in the House. Everything seemed to go as her mother had planned, and she was truly her confident for the first time. On her mother’s orders, she assassinated many members of other Houses more important than hers, although she never truly fitted: what she wanted was a safe position and some power over her sisters. Preferring the beauty of a well-sung song or the slenderness of a well-crafted rapier to the screams of agony of the slaves being whipped, she was always distant from many of her kin. For twenty years, she followed her mother’s orders, until a fateful day, when a plot organized against her House by the House Frearn, a minor noble house just under Aly's, led to the dissolution of her family.Her House was accused of betrayal against the reigning Council, after a relative of House Baenre was found assassinated, and all of House Auvryath members were put to death, enslaved or forced to exile. After the painful death of her mother (or so she thought...), Aly’Faerae, who was just back from a trip to the close city of Ched Nasad, discovered that she was being chased by most Houses of the Menzoberranzan as the Third Daughter of Auvryath. Escaping their attempts to kill her, she fled Menzoberranzan, praying to Lolth for help, only to discover that her goddess had decided to totally ignore her and refused to give her spells. She later realized that she was simply undergoing the test of Faith… which she failed, obviously.

Enraged and disoriented, she stopped worshiping Lolth, realizing that all that cruelty was senseless, as it led to nothing in the end but exile. Throwing out her whip and most of the objects that tied her to Lolth, she erred for two years in the Underdark, going from city to city, using her songs to protect herself from being captured and sold as a slave. She started to hate the other drow and their constant plots and intrigues, and thought of her past deeds with remorse, a feeling that she considered before as a sign of weakness, of humanity, that her mother would have regarded with scorn. But it was time for her to ask herself the big question: what did *she* want? Trying to answer this, Aly’s exile led her to Sshindylryn, the city of Portals. She spent a few days there dancing and singing for a bit of gold (and occasionally, more…), shunned by most as a stranger, a houseless female, not even a member of the clergy anymore. For two years, she had been feeling quite confident with her safety: she was a female after all. But that day, a group of males looking for slaves to give to their matron decided that her gender was no excuse. As she ran away from them, too tired to sing or defend herself, she found herself in what looked like an abandoned warehouse, where stood a huge portal… she hesitated but eventually ran through it… and found herself in a forest, on the Surface, the second day of Hammer, Year of the Rogue Dragons.

Scared, tired of her miserable life and blinded by the bright sun light reflecting on the snow, she tried to return to the Underdark, but the portal wasn’t there anymore. She stayed there, abandoned by her goddess and people, desperately trying to find the portal again, when she was attacked by a pack of wolves. They wouldn’t have been a problem if she had fully rested, but she was exhausted and unsettled. Badly wounded, she eventually gave up and passed out on the ground, waiting for the wolves to kill her. But death never came. When she woke up, she was lying in a comfortable bed, healed, wearing new, clean clothes, surrounded by drow and surface elves. Stunned, realising that she was in a cell, she first thought that they had captured her to torture her. However, nothing like that happened. She had been saved by priestesses of Eilistraee. At first, she tried to escape – several times – before understanding that they had no hidden thoughts, and only wanted to help her. Such kindness disoriented her even more, but she started to like this comfortable, safe place, where no lying plots or assassins lurked in the dark. After a few weeks, she was allowed to leave her cell accompanied by a few wood and moon elves, and join a feast given in the honor of Eilistraee. The priestesses explained to her that she was near the great forest of Cormanthor, in a hidden temple of Eilistraee, precisely in Velarswood. It took no time for the priestesses to convince Aly of Eilistraee’s good intentions, of the quality of life on the surface: after a few days, she joined the priestesses of Eilistraee and devoted herself and her singing abilities to the goddess, repenting for all the atrocities she had committed. For a few months, almost a year, she stayed at the temple, and learned all she could about Eilistraee’s ways, fully rejecting Lolth and the Underdark with a satisfied pride. Then, when she decided she knew all that she could learn there, she left the Temple to wander around the world, as any bard would, and learn new songs, new tales, and new dances. Indeed, she now has to live a new life, away from the Underdark, rediscovering the meaning of songs, dancing, and fighting. Her wanderings led her to Deepingdale, where she lived for a year with Valin Llanowar, a sun elf to whom she is now bonded. She gained in the Church the title of Sword Dancer. After over a year spent there, she became pregnant, and they both moved north trying to get closer to Elventree, a city which they knew would accept their newly founded family and raise their child.

Important Information about House Auvryath of Menzoberranzan

See this page : List of Menzoberranzan Drow Houses used by PCs

Great-great-great-grand-daddy!

Timeline (Shortened Biography for DMs)

This serves both as a reference for myself and DMs who want to.

The Underdark

• 1251: Year of the Crown

- Hammer 23, 1251  : Birth of Aly'Faerae, third daughter of House Auvryath.

• 1371: Year of the Unstrung Harp

- Alturiak 1, 1371  : After a plot organized by House Frearn, House Auvryath is accused of betraying the Reigning Council by House Baenre and is destroyed. Aly flees Menzoberranzan, as most of her family is killed or enslaved by House Baenre.

• 1372: Year of Wild Magic

- Alturiak 1, 1372  : One year has passed since Aly was exiled in the Underdark

- LOLTH'S SILENCE - WAR OF THE SPIDER QUEEN DURING THAT YEAR

• 1373: Year of the Rogue Dragons

The Temple of Velarswood

- Alturiak 17, 1373 : After a chase through the city of Sshyndylrin to escape slave traders, Aly appears on the surface near Velarswood and is saved by Eilistraaeans.

• 1374: Year of the Lightning Storms

- Hammer 5, 1374  : Aly leaves the Eilistraaen temple and departs for Highmoon and the Dalelands. She meets Valin around that time.

Highmoon

- Alturiak 1, 1374  : Aly has been exiled for three years.

- Alturiak 17, 1374 : Aly has been on the surface for a year.

- circa Uktar 1374 : Valin is abducted by drow and manages to escape a month later.

• 1375: Year of Risen Elfkin

- circa Alturiak 1375  : Aly and Valin get bonded.

The Moonsea

- circa Flamerule 1375  : Aly and Valin move to Yûlash.

- circa Uktar 1375  : It's been a year now since Valin was abducted.

• 1376: Year of the Bent Blade

- Hammer 24, 1376  : Ardur Llanowar is born.

- Alturiak 1, 1376  : Aly has been exiled from her House for five years.

- Alturiak 17, 1376 : Aly has been on the surface for three years.

• NOWADAYS