Shizune DeVir - Oracle of Eilistraee

[Blanket_Thunder]

“Come now, let us settle the matter. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be washed white as snow. Step out of the darkness and into the light.”

Shizune DeVir

Class: Oracle

Race: Drow

Deity: Eilistraee

Alignment: Neutral Good

Height: 5’ 1”

Weight: 95 lbs.

Appearance

Shizune is a small woman, at just under a hundred pounds and just over five feet. She stands tall (as much as she can) wearing a dense cloak over her shoulders and long flowing sleeves, concealing her many burns. Her mithral chainmail glints inside her clothing and her holy symbol of Eilistraee shines brightly on its chain around her neck, hanging loosely above her chain suit. In late evening her white hair seems to glitter silver under the starlight and pink eyes shine brightly in the glint of the moon.

In combat situations, she holds a mithral shield in her left hand--embossed with the symbol of Eilistraee--and a staff in her right hand. The staff is an elaborate wood carving of two snakes intertwined about one other. She keeps a small crossbow and coldsteel shortsword at her hip, but she rarely uses either, preferring her staff, baequeshel magic, and diplomacy as needed.

Personality

Anyone who's had any conversation with Shizune comments on her kind eyes. 170 years of hard life have done little to extinguish the fire and glow that lies behind them. Shizune is strong-willed and calculating, but fair and uncommonly kind. Knowing the true darkness of her kind & their existence has opened her up to know true kindness, friendship, and love. She is the kind of person to fall on her sword before giving up on a friend.

When fighting demons, monsters, and remorseless enemies, she shows no mercy and fights until one of them dies. When fighting mortals, she chooses to open with a call for mercy. Due to the tenets of her faith, evil drow will ALWAYS get one chance to surrender and be converted before a fight.

Backstory

Shizune Devir was born a noble daughter of House Devir, Fourth House of Menzoberranzan. Because her father was unknown, and her mother was one of the lower daughters of the Great House, she was noble-born by blood, only. She had very few rights to a noble seat in the house, and the path to typical Drow promotions would be paved with the blood of nearly fifty powerful women. As such, Shizune never really harbored any interest in the common avarice of Drow high society. She chose a gentle touch, instead.

When she was of age, her mother did her lawful duty and enrolled her in the clerical school of Arach-Tinilith so she could grow in power and hopefully become a mighty force for the great house DeVir. Her schooling, however, was short-lived, as it was readily apparent that she had neither the talent or drive for clerical learning. Casting even the simplest of clerical spells was beyond the young girl.

As such, she was cast into the service of the family as a commoner. She was treated like captured house slaves: abused, beaten, and mistreated whenever the chance came, yet she could find no comradery among the commoners, as they despised her for her noble birth. “If only she would work for her status, she could have been something,” was a bit of gossip about she often heard about herself.

Her only solace was music. In the lone hours of night—when the light of Narbondel was low in the black cavern of Menzoberranzan—when the servants were free to do as they pleased, dark melodies would call to her in the black of night. They were at the same time haunting and lovely, beautiful and frightening. The words were so mighty, full of divine power that she could barely understand. They called to her and she called back, sharing her pain with whoever, or whatever, was calling to her. Magic came to her, then, as she learned to manipulate those words and manifest them into reality by song. She still did not know their origin.

As time wore on, and she approached her hundredth birthday, House DeVir lost the favor of Lolth. Some say it was inbreeding with non-Drow, others believe that Matron DeVir aided svirfneblin with Lolth’s power, which was a fatal crime. Either way, the house was targeted and destroyed by House Do’Urden in their moment of weakness. During the siege, most of the servants were captured or killed, but Shizune only hid, unsure of how to progress in the night. However, when the house was leveled by unholy fire—as was the divine command of Lolth—Shizune was badly burned. So severe were the burns that she would never fully heal from them, yet she did not die. Somehow, someway, she had been spared the judgement of Lolth.

As she escaped the wreckage of her home, a Bregan D’aerthe agent captured her, and in her weakened state, kept her as a slave. For the next twenty five years she would serve as a healer, entertainer, and preform other services as needed, all for her new Drow masters. Many times she considered ending her life, but the music of the night called to her, sustaining her in her pain, until she finally escaped one night in a surface raid.

She ran through the forest, and was captured by elven sentries, who nearly killed her, simply for the color of her skin. However, they brought her home to stand trial for any crimes she may have committed, but they could find no fault in her. Throughout all the divinations, the saw the life of pain and misery led by the poor woman, and spared her life, turning her over to the Priestesses of the Dark Maiden, Eilistraee. There she found meaning.

She learned that the music she had been hearing, that had sustained her for over 120 years, had been the calling of Eilistraee, through the ancient Drow music of the baequeshel. The powerful, magical, musical language had been lost to the deep-dwelling drow when they fled from the surface under the might of Correllon’s curse. Yet, throught the millennia, Eilistraee had called Drow up from the deep with the powerful magic of the song-words.

As she grew in power with her baequeshel magic, Eilistraee kept the pain from her burns, as much as could be done, for god-inflicted wounds cannot be healed. Though the pain dulled, the scars remained, and she would rarely dance sky clad in the forest with her sisters: the embarrassment was too much.

While her magic and power grew, so did her talent with the spoken word. Shizune became a powerful healer, diplomat, and voice of charity, kindness, and reason for the local courts. Many drow women were liberated from the yolk of Lolth’s tyranny by Shizune’s actions and voice. Her songs were like lessons from the goddess, and her words we sweet words of healing and love. Nothing can call someone from the dark like a voice of pure love, and Shizune’s was mighty.

As she became more influential in the region, the Seven Sisters began to employ her as a diplomatic aid, to try and strengthen their relationships with the local kingdoms. Throughout the Time of Troubles, when the gods walked Toril and no prayers were answered, good diplomats played a large part in keeping society together. When the gods were restored and divine magic returned to them, Shizune maintained her relationships with the various rulers in the area, having become a trusted advisor throughout the land, and known for her uncharacteristic kindness and compassion.

After the silence of Lolth, with the restructuring of the church of Eilistraee, and the continued battle to redeem the drow, Shizune DeVir has been recalled, and is acting as the church needs her. Currently, she has been assigned a post in Cormanthyr where the old alliance between that nation and the Church of Eilistraee has been rekindled. As with all alliances, this new one is tenuous, and the Church is sending one of its best diplomats to aid with anything the nation of Cormanthyr might need.

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by Blanket_Thunder (see edit history)

[Blanket_Thunder]

Rolls & other junk

STATS:

STR 8 (+2 Belt)

DEX 14 (+2 RA) (+2 Belt)

CON 18 (-2 RA)

INT 14 (+2 ABI)

WIS 10 (+2 Headband)

CHA 18 (+2 RA) (+2 Headband)

roll

Edited November 15, 2023 by Blanket_Thunder (see edit history)

[Blanket_Thunder]

I think I'm finished with this one, and I'm awaiting your perusal.

 

EDIT: I may add an RP sample of her being converted, to help add some flavor to her backstory, and give unique, important people

Edited November 16, 2023 by Blanket_Thunder (see edit history)

[Kylia Quilor]

I see no issues. Very well done, very tied into the setting. The only thing that it could use - and this is not required - is a bit more on why she's here in Cormanthyr in particular, even a line like "with the old alliance between Cormanthyr and the Eilistraeeans renewed, her superiors in the church have sent her to aid the kingdom in these trying times"

Or something like that. Otherwise, very nice.

[Blanket_Thunder]

I added that extra line to the backstory! I feel like it fits. Combat definitely won't be her forte, but she has enough tricks up her sleeve to help with that should the need arise.

 

Hope that helps!