Josephine Frostwhisper

Name: Josephine “Frostwhisper” Caranos Title(s): Red Wizard, Arcanist Affiliation: Thayan Enclave in Aquor Birthplace: Bezantur, Thay Age: 25 Race: Human Gender: Female Deity: Bane Alignment: Lawful Neutral

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Features: Josephine is short, thin, and somewhat drawn, appearing exhausted and disheveled, yet is still rather attractive, using makeup, potions, or magic to improve her appearance where possible. Her skin is tan and her short reddish-brown hair is coarse, and often uncombed and messy. Since coming to Sundren and becoming a Red Wizard at the Enclave in Aquor, she has acquired black tattoos running down her back and the sides of her arms, and around her thighs and calves. She worships Bane out of fear as her patron deity, but has closeness in belief with Shar, and venerates the Triad.

Josephine maintains a constant persona of exhaustion and moodiness. She generally seeks the approval of others, and tends to lose self-confidence when she feels people dislike her, and loses her temper when she feels she is being judged wrongly. Because of this, she often tries to show off, and tends to claim that she is superior to most others, especially in magic. She doesn't intentionally seek out situations to prove herself however, as she is afraid of potentially failing and ruining her reputation. As a side effect of this, she is very much a lone wolf, preferring to accomplish tasks on her own to prove that she is strong enough to not require help from others.

Beyond the day to day social issues, Josephine's single greatest fear is death. She will not hesitate to back down from a fight and plea for her life if she feels even the slightest bit in danger of dying. She is willing to seek whatever means she can to prolong her life indefinitely.

Alignment: Josephine is good-hearted, but neutral because she lacks the conviction to do the right thing. She is afraid of death and standing up to people, so generally lets things slide and does nothing, instead choosing to ignore the things she feels are morally wrong. If she truly believed she had the power and courage to do the right thing, she would want do her best to help people, until then, however, she stands aside and lets evil happen. She feels guilty about her inability to find the courage to do the right thing, as that lack of conviction has lead to harm and death to those she feels don't deserve it, and many others have become enraged at her for her indecision.

Early History

Born in Thay, the Mulan girl known as Josephine Caranos was never destined for anything important. Raised in the City of a Thousand Temples, Bezantur, Josephine was exposed early on to the rich culture of Thay. A vast cosmopolitan area of religion, marketing, artwork, magic, and more, the port city of Bezantur was Thay’s largest and, after the successful business of the Guild of Foreign Trade’s Enclaves, its richest one. Josephine’s master, a Red Wizard working for the Guild of Foreign Trade, lived a decadent life filled of relaxation and pleasure. The man grew lax, fat, and lazy, and Josephine found herself able to move around in secret amongst his mansion, stumbling upon his spellbooks and arcane materials that he had begun to abandon in favor of mundane economic pursuits. It was only appropriate, then, that his rivals took advantage of his laxity, killing the wizard. Though these rivals sought his servants as slaves, Josephine instead went into hiding, stealing away with her master’s former spellbooks and arcane lore, and eventually changing her surname.

Though Josephine went into hiding in Bezantur for a time, making her way through thievery and scavenging, she eventually stowed away aboard a foreign merchant ship. This precedent stayed with her, and she ended up drifting along for several years, staying in a city or town only so long as it took for the law to catch up with her before fleeing again for places beyond her reputation.

All throughout this time she took magic to heart, using her master’s former spellbooks as a stepping-stone to tap into her potential. She actively sought out magical items, magic books, and friends who knew magic who could teach her how to manipulate it. Despite having no formal training, Josephine eventually managed to understand the basics, mainly out of a driven curiosity resulting from boredom, and gradually grew in her ability to manipulate the energies of the Weave.

Of course, to the would-be disdain of most other wizards if they knew, Josephine took to Necromancy as her specialization. While usually sickened by disease and rot rather than having any kind of perverse interest in it like other Necromancers, she had become drawn to the school in order to learn to extend and preserve her own short, fragile life. She had always been afraid of death, living on the streets and away from any consolidated religion kept her from developing the same knowledge of the afterlife that many others knew, and instead she imagined her own ideas of what death was like—the end of existence, of perception, of the ability to perceive. This fear of death was also in part due to her fear of the gods, particularly of Bane, whom she came to venerate out of fear, rather than respect. To her, appeasement was a better strategy than fighting, and she was afraid that Bane would eventually come to triumph over the other gods, thus following him was far safer than following the other gods.

Along with Necromancy, Josephine also took towards an interest in Evocation. Many commented that she was, in fact, more suited to Evocation than Necomancy, as she tended to characterize the school, being highly competitive, afraid of failure, wanting to be respected, and so on. And, like the archtype, she often had a secret (and sometimes overt) desire to test herself against other spellcasters in mage duels, where she could prove that she was better than them all.

Josephine spent the last few years of her life drifting from city to city, meeting contacts and friends and quickly losing touch with them as she moved on once again, usually to escape the law or unsavory individuals.

Recent History

After arriving in Sundren, Josephine mostly took to the background of daily affairs. She was initially invited to join the Scarlet Lions, but refused due to its combat-oriented nature.

Early on in Sundren, Josephine spent much of her time studying magic and exploring the valley. She eventually met the wizard, Hlaine Myr, after seeing him in red robes that bore a striking resemblance to those of the Red Wizards in her homeland. Initially, however, the two were not on an ideal footing. She came to odds with Hlaine and Malaclypse Discordia, a local hedge wizard (of surprising intellect despite his sarcastic and insane exterior) after she unwittingly betrayed her specialization to Malaclypse (who was also a Necromancer, but for a far different reason). The two had little respect for her due to her goals, especially as they were both at the time acting as something equivalent to Harpers, operating on their own against the growing Banite presence in the valley, particularly the menace of the vampire Sylloven.

Sometime later, however, Josephine and Hlaine started becoming close. Aside from Malaclypse, they were the only commonly available wizards outside of the Thayan Enclave and Hands of Mundus. The two tended to spend time discussing magic and personal issues while partaking of the scents of the Opium Den in the old Thayan Enclave in Aquor. When Hlaine took interest in watching over the newly freed Sylloven, Josephine ended up shadowing them as well.

Eventually, due to Josephine and Hlaine’s time spent in the Thayan Enclave, they were both identified and targeted for potential invitation—-Josephine for her Mulan heritage, and Hlaine for his arcane aptitude. For both, it was a momentous occasion—-for Josephine, becoming a Red Wizard was the pinnacle status of her homeland, while for Hlaine he was a non-Thayan being granted the immense honor of being inducted into the usually exclusive Red Wizards. The Master of Transmutation, Tharkosil Kasz, set up a widely advertised duel between Josephine and his apprentice at the Gate of the Sunderer. Unknown to her or Hlaine, however, was that the duel was an entry test in reacting to unforeseen developments, as at the last moment Tharkosil ordered Hlaine to face the apprentice, instead of Josephine. Josephine instead was granted membership purely for her heritage, while only Hlaine had to earn it through the trial by combat. And earn it he did, as Hlaine demonstrated his clear superiority of the arcane by defeating Tharkosil’s apprentice with a single Fireball.

Following their initiation into the order, Josephine and Hlaine became much closer despite initial attempts by the Enclave Masters to play them against each other. Though they were both told that only one could advance to the rank of Arcanist, they still helped each other on their individual assignments, which ultimately proved satisfactory to the Masters.

Josephine's promotion came first, when she approached the Enclave one night after spending time in Sundren city. Upon entering, she was immediately struck by the realization that the Enclave was under attack. She immediately began placing wards and uncovered one of the assailants under an invisibility spell: Malaclypse Discordia. She and Malaclypse engaged in a brief fight, albeit Josephine held back initially, until Malaclypse fled after Akratan Harkonos, the Enclave's current Master of Necromancy, approached with a small pack of gnolls to assist her. The two immediately went outside and attempted to track the man, but he had managed to escape.

When they returned to the Enclave, Harkonos, half-blinded from the assault, ordered Josephine to put the slaves to work on cleaning up the mess, make sure none were trying to escape, and then to dispose of the body of Malaclypse's associate who had fallen in the attack, the Harper Taylor Windhurst. During this time, Malaclypse had snuck back into the Enclave, and while Josephine was dragging the body away, grabbed it and pulled it away from her. Both she and Harkonos engaged him, and this time managed to subdue him. He was bound and thrown unconscious into one of the holding cells.

During the cleanup, however, it was discovered that Taylor had bound a set of bombs to his body. The Enclave was evacuated, but the bombs managed to go off and damage a sizable portion of the facility, necessitating the reconstruction efforts that lead to Aquor's current, much larger, Enclave.

Following the event, Harkonos promoted Josephine to full Arcanist for her assistance in fending off the attack and aiding in the capture of Malaclypse.

A few days later, reconstruction began, placed under the command of Sethryn Khal, the Khazark's brother. After a brief introduction to Sethryn, Josephine was ordered to interrogate Malaclypse and find out if there had been any others involved in the attack. Obviously, Malaclypse did not divulge any names, and instead took the opportunity to debate Josephine's decisions, to decry the cruelty of the Red Wizards and the hole Josephine was digging herself into by serving them. Though she reacted harshly towards the elf, she couldn't help but agreeing deep down with his assessments. Master Khal then entered and proceeded to torture Malaclypse and leave him half-dead before ordering Josephine to dispose of the body. The torture only served to headline Malaclypse's arguments regarding the Red Wizards, and she felt inclined to help him escape. Instead of burning his body, as she was ordered, she handed it off to the half-elf ranger, Myrddin, a friend of Malaclypse's, and then lied and informed Sethryn that she had done as he commanded.

She initially kept the situation to herself, but a few days later she told Hlaine what she had done. He had been sympathetic, but told her that it was a very stupid decision.

After further attacks against the Enclave, including attacks against both Hlaine and Josephine, the Masters found out that Malaclypse was still alive. Enraged (or at least, as enraged as a Jergalite could be), Harkonos ordered the Divination Master, Tao, to scry Josephine to discover the truth. Tao's findings were revealing, and Josephine pleaded forgiveness. Harkonos wanted extensive punishment, but Master Tao convinced him to stay his hand. Instead, Josephine was ordered to find and kill Malaclypse, and that she would not get another chance. That very night, Josephine and Hlaine set out to find Malaclypse, and, by sheer chance stumbling across him in Viridale, proceeded to kill him.

[to be completed]

The Present

Josephine has struggled ever since Hlaine's departure from Sundren. As not only her closest, but one of her only friends in the valley, Hlaine's leaving has left Josephine feeling deserted and abandoned. As the activities of the Red Wizards grow darker and Banite threats rise, Josephine has found herself devoid of motivation to care about it all. The walls of the Thayan Enclave have taken a much more threatening demeanor to her, and she feels trapped, unable to share her concerns with understanding souls.

She has kept to herself for the past several months, trying to avoid the other Red Wizards in the Enclave while keeping busy with paperwork and enchanting duties. Recently she traveled to one of the smaller Enclaves near Icewind Dale in order to deliver some supplies and materials, but this journey did little to improve her spirit, and now that she is back she has fallen once again into the same rut, hiding in the background as she tries to steer clear of the darker, crueler activities of her Red Wizard peers.

Significant Relationships

Hlaine Myr: Josephine has had a close relationship with Hlaine since she first entered the valley. Though they never progressed to a romantic relationship, Josephine confided in Hlaine more than anyone else, and she considered him her best friend. The two grew close, especially when they both impressed themselves into the Red Wizard Enclave of Aquor at the same time. Though the masters had originally played them against each other, they found it more productive to work together, a sentiment the masters surprisingly agreed with, and they were both promoted to full Arcanist within a few days of each other. When Hlaine decided to leave the Red Wizards to pursue his own goals, Josephine was crushed, especially after his departure from Sundren. She has found it very difficult to recover.

Kaldaris Kelenvale: Josephine found a friendly companionship in the eccentric wizard Kaldaris, and she first came to know him after he had requested aid from the Thayan Enclave in dealing with a group of beings known as Lawyers, whom had framed Kaldaris in the destruction of his home village years prior. Josephine and Hlaine were placed on the 'case' by Mistress Tao, and Josephine ended up working as Kaldaris’ barrister in a trial with the Lawyers, where she proved Kaldaris’ innocence. After that incident, she began spending more time with the man, and for some time she, Kaldaris, and Hlaine were often seen together. When Kaldaris joined the Hands of Mundus, Josephine and Hlaine maintained good relations with him, despite the rivalry between the Hands and the Red Wizards, and they aided Kaldaris in the brief civil war between the Right and Left Hands.

Milo: Josephine had a brief romantic relationship with the Tiefling, Milo. She initially saw the relationship as only physical at first, but eventually found herself returning Milo’s affection. She was often very protective of the Tiefling, and even stood up against Master Akratan Harkonos when he had desired to perform experiments on him, allowing Milo’s friend, the Stormlord Deidrick, to rescue him. Despite their relationship, however, Josephine always felt more for Hlaine than Milo, and though she still cared for him, eventually broke it off, telling him that she couldn’t be what he wanted her to be.

Tao: Josephine has had a rocky relationship with the Divination Mistress, Tao. She sees Tao as almost a mother figure to her, but when Tao tried to be protective of her when she made choices that Tao disapproved of, Josephine lashed out at her and their relationship briefly became hostile. Eventually, however, they came together again and Josephine apologized to her. When Tao subconsciously tried to kill herself due to the effects her Divination had on her ability to sleep, Josephine was devastated, and found herself fearing for Tao’s wellbeing. However, after Hlaine’s departure and the gradual shift of Tao’s behaviour, likely due to the effects her Divination had on her mental condition, Josephine has fallen out of touch with her. Now, relations are strained, and Josephine once again feels that Tao has betrayed and deserted her.

Hadavi: Josephine became close to the vampire Hadavi in secret early in her stay in the valley. Though Hadavi was seen as evil by most others in Sundren, Josephine found herself caring for the vampire’s tragic existence after Hadavi confided in her. Like Tao, Josephine saw Hadavi as a mother-figure, and felt she could become close to her despite her fear of her. When Hadavi was freed from Colibrus’ service and her entire memory of her unlife erased, Josephine found herself upset and angry, unwilling to let go of the Hadavi that she knew even if it meant her freedom. When Colibrus killed Hadavi in Viridale shortly after, Josephine fell into a brief depression.

Stephano Reynolt: Josephine had a brief romantic relationship with the thief, Stephano, and despite the hostility between his thieves and the Red Wizards, Josephine continued to see him. She took part in some Stephano's underground activities, but was unwilling to leave the Red Wizards or become a devout of Mask, as Stephano wanted. Due in part to the negative beliefs many of Stephano’s companions had of her and the continuing hardships of maintaining a relationship with him, they stopped seeing each other, and Josephine does not know what has become of him since.

Malaclypse Discordia: Though Josephine and Malaclypse never saw eye to eye, Josephine always had a respect for him. Because of his disapproval of her, she found herself both hating him and hurt. While she masked herself in a façade of anger towards "Sir" Malaclypse, in truth, she wanted his approval and friendship. When he attacked the Thayan Enclave and she was ordered to deal with him, she instead found herself finally having a personal talk with him. Though she defended her associations and goals vehemently, Malaclypse’s weakened state left him without his usual biting sarcasm, and Josephine found herself taken aback by his words when he told her that he actually respected her and believed she could be something more, something better, than what she was. When Master Sethryn Khal interrupted their talk and nearly killed Malaclypse, Josephine let his words sink in deeper. Though she was ordered to dispose of his body, Josephine instead tried to do what was right and helped him escape at risk to her position with the Red Wizards. Unfortunately, after he began making more attacks on the Enclave, she was found out, and ordered to apprehend and kill him. Ultimately, she tracked Malaclypse to Viridale Forest, and with a heavy heart, ended his life. She has never forgiven herself for this.

Miscellaneous

[to be completed]