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<blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 7374973" data-attributes="member: 6816692"><p><strong>One fateful day, eight years ago</strong></p><p></p><p>So I guess this small cliffhanger might be the best opportunity to insert a part of Auryn's backstory to make the similarities between the events in adventure 4 and her past a bit clearer. </p><p></p><p>Regarding the style, I sometimes switch my backstories to full prose to explore certain NPC and explain their mindsets to my DM. So this is the chapter where Auryn just arrived at Fordren's estate almost a decade ago:</p><p>---</p><p></p><p>She did not know what time, let alone which day it was. The light that fell into the corners of her eyes bothered her a little. What really unsettled her, however, was the fact that her body did not obey her. These vermin had given her some strange substance that turned her obedient to their commands. She had been in a trance, followed them to a place tinted in green, to a place tinted in grey which smelled like burnt iron. Then they had her drink another liquid which made her world turn black. </p><p></p><p>She slowly regained her senses and everything turned much clearer now. Someone had brought her here, she assumed. Had put her on a couch. The temperature was pleasant. The smell surrounding her was pleasant. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear various birds chirping. Then she panicked as she felt a continuous pressure on her throat. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe and neither could she raise her arms, nor her hands to find out what choked her. For several minutes she struggled with the fear of losing consciousness at any time.</p><p></p><p>Then, at some point she noticed a shadow looming over her, accompanied by an unfamiliar voice. The voice was soft like velvet, but it had such an eerie undertone that every hair on her body stood to an end. </p><p></p><p>“Welcome to your new home, <em>my</em>… modest home”</p><p>The person sat down next to Auryn and looked down on her.</p><p>"Don't be afraid. I'm unlike the others, you know? I don't wish to harm you and neither do I intend to make you my mistress or courtesan. I'm just here to enjoy your beauty."</p><p>He formed a thin smile on his lips as he took a strand of her silvery blond hair in his hand and held it against the warm sunlight.</p><p></p><p>"And you are so much more than I've ever dreamed of. A perfect, immaculate image of bronze and liquid silver, with eyes like sparkling violet gemstones adorned by tiny golden veins... I can't wait to see the full elegance of your body in motion. I've heard so much about it, you know?" </p><p></p><p>Auryn’s eyes did sparkle indeed in this very moment - albeit full of contempt. She couldn't object, couldn't move, couldn't do anything to teach this aberration of a human that these were <em>her</em> eyes, <em>her</em> hair,<em> her </em>body and<em> hers alone</em> he spoke of. And that he didn't have any claim on it. All he was talking about were gifts of her mother and her mother’s husbands. They had been given to her at birth, were part of her bloodline. And he, on the other hand, had no right to even dare touch one strand of her hair.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry, the paralysis will fade in time. But they had to put this choker around your neck to prevent you from slipping into this faerie realm of yours. It is made of gold and enchanted with a sleeping spell should you try to leave the boundaries of my estate. So you better don’t waste your energy on futile attempts to escape. From now on, this court will be your domicile. You’ll see that it is also a home to some of my animal companions – maybe you’ll even become friends in time.”</p><p></p><p>He then stroked one of the sleeves of her - obviously new – dress. </p><p>“Pardon me for this poor choice of a dress, I’ll make sure to get you more suitable clothing soon. This one was supposed to be a gift to one of my relatives, but it is unworthy of your grace. My tailors will surely conjure up something nicer and more adequate in time. Besides… I heard you eladrin prefer to perform your ceremonial dances while being clad in nothing but flowers? I would surely love to witness this spectacle.”</p><p></p><p>He got up from the couch, took her motionless left hand and lifted it briefly, then gently let it down again. </p><p>“I know these fiends hurt you badly with their bonds. My healer’s salves work miracles, though. Soon you won’t feel any pain anymore and your wounds will heal in no time. And now… sleep peacefully and softly, my Charusheela.” </p><p></p><p>The shadow looming over her vanished and the steadily softening steps indicated that the man withdrew from her presence. Auryn closed her eyes and despaired. She was imprisoned in the house of a foreigner, dressed in garments that weren’t her own and wasn’t even called by her own name. It had all been in vain, all without meaning. Zahir’s death had changed nothing at all. </p><p></p><p>Her memories of that fateful day came back at once. Her branch brother wouldn’t let the pirates take her away when they had boarded the Salty Spray. He had acted when no one else had dared to move a finger, all on his own. He had killed a pirate before she knew what happened, got struck by the cruel blow of a cutlass and thrown overboard. He had been so young, so naïve, so weak and yet so kind and brave. She had killed three of them in a bloody rage, including the one who had spilled Zahir’s blood, before she got hit on her head and everything turned black. </p><p></p><p>And now she was here, despite her efforts to flee from the pirates, to flee from captivity. Now her chances were utterly destroyed. All of her rage, her hate, her wrath, all of that dropped off of her at once, leaving only an empty void behind. She wept bitter tears that day and the night that followed. Zahir was dead. Never again would the seed of his actions, of his words fall on fertile ground. Her dearest branch brother was dead. And it was her fault.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lylandra, post: 7374973, member: 6816692"] [b]One fateful day, eight years ago[/b] So I guess this small cliffhanger might be the best opportunity to insert a part of Auryn's backstory to make the similarities between the events in adventure 4 and her past a bit clearer. Regarding the style, I sometimes switch my backstories to full prose to explore certain NPC and explain their mindsets to my DM. So this is the chapter where Auryn just arrived at Fordren's estate almost a decade ago: --- She did not know what time, let alone which day it was. The light that fell into the corners of her eyes bothered her a little. What really unsettled her, however, was the fact that her body did not obey her. These vermin had given her some strange substance that turned her obedient to their commands. She had been in a trance, followed them to a place tinted in green, to a place tinted in grey which smelled like burnt iron. Then they had her drink another liquid which made her world turn black. She slowly regained her senses and everything turned much clearer now. Someone had brought her here, she assumed. Had put her on a couch. The temperature was pleasant. The smell surrounding her was pleasant. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear various birds chirping. Then she panicked as she felt a continuous pressure on her throat. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe and neither could she raise her arms, nor her hands to find out what choked her. For several minutes she struggled with the fear of losing consciousness at any time. Then, at some point she noticed a shadow looming over her, accompanied by an unfamiliar voice. The voice was soft like velvet, but it had such an eerie undertone that every hair on her body stood to an end. “Welcome to your new home, [I]my[/I]… modest home” The person sat down next to Auryn and looked down on her. "Don't be afraid. I'm unlike the others, you know? I don't wish to harm you and neither do I intend to make you my mistress or courtesan. I'm just here to enjoy your beauty." He formed a thin smile on his lips as he took a strand of her silvery blond hair in his hand and held it against the warm sunlight. "And you are so much more than I've ever dreamed of. A perfect, immaculate image of bronze and liquid silver, with eyes like sparkling violet gemstones adorned by tiny golden veins... I can't wait to see the full elegance of your body in motion. I've heard so much about it, you know?" Auryn’s eyes did sparkle indeed in this very moment - albeit full of contempt. She couldn't object, couldn't move, couldn't do anything to teach this aberration of a human that these were [I]her[/I] eyes, [I]her[/I] hair,[I] her [/I]body and[I] hers alone[/I] he spoke of. And that he didn't have any claim on it. All he was talking about were gifts of her mother and her mother’s husbands. They had been given to her at birth, were part of her bloodline. And he, on the other hand, had no right to even dare touch one strand of her hair. “Don’t worry, the paralysis will fade in time. But they had to put this choker around your neck to prevent you from slipping into this faerie realm of yours. It is made of gold and enchanted with a sleeping spell should you try to leave the boundaries of my estate. So you better don’t waste your energy on futile attempts to escape. From now on, this court will be your domicile. You’ll see that it is also a home to some of my animal companions – maybe you’ll even become friends in time.” He then stroked one of the sleeves of her - obviously new – dress. “Pardon me for this poor choice of a dress, I’ll make sure to get you more suitable clothing soon. This one was supposed to be a gift to one of my relatives, but it is unworthy of your grace. My tailors will surely conjure up something nicer and more adequate in time. Besides… I heard you eladrin prefer to perform your ceremonial dances while being clad in nothing but flowers? I would surely love to witness this spectacle.” He got up from the couch, took her motionless left hand and lifted it briefly, then gently let it down again. “I know these fiends hurt you badly with their bonds. My healer’s salves work miracles, though. Soon you won’t feel any pain anymore and your wounds will heal in no time. And now… sleep peacefully and softly, my Charusheela.” The shadow looming over her vanished and the steadily softening steps indicated that the man withdrew from her presence. Auryn closed her eyes and despaired. She was imprisoned in the house of a foreigner, dressed in garments that weren’t her own and wasn’t even called by her own name. It had all been in vain, all without meaning. Zahir’s death had changed nothing at all. Her memories of that fateful day came back at once. Her branch brother wouldn’t let the pirates take her away when they had boarded the Salty Spray. He had acted when no one else had dared to move a finger, all on his own. He had killed a pirate before she knew what happened, got struck by the cruel blow of a cutlass and thrown overboard. He had been so young, so naïve, so weak and yet so kind and brave. She had killed three of them in a bloody rage, including the one who had spilled Zahir’s blood, before she got hit on her head and everything turned black. And now she was here, despite her efforts to flee from the pirates, to flee from captivity. Now her chances were utterly destroyed. All of her rage, her hate, her wrath, all of that dropped off of her at once, leaving only an empty void behind. She wept bitter tears that day and the night that followed. Zahir was dead. Never again would the seed of his actions, of his words fall on fertile ground. Her dearest branch brother was dead. And it was her fault. [/QUOTE]
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