Elusa

Full Name: Elusa Myrn

Title: Druidess of Selûne

Aliases: Wildflower

Home/Location: Viridale Forest

Birthplace: Unknown

Age: 118

Race: Moon Elf with human ancestors.

Gender: Female

Deity: Selûne

Alignment: Neutral Good

Description:

Elusa has been described as a rustic beauty, with soft skin and long, midnight blue hair. Her skin is uncommonly pale by moon elf standards, which has attracted human males on several occasions. She is softly spoken for the most part, except when angered or excited. Her voice has a power to it though, giving her a commanding tone. Her body is lithe, contributing to her skill with a bow, but she is not strong by any standards.

Elusa prides herself in self-reliance. She avoids asking for help, instead preferring to offer her help to others, for mutual benefit. She is kind and friendly to people of all races, but rarely smiles and almost never laughs. She is easily embarrassed, however, especially when comments on her beauty are made. Often this embarrassment manifests itself as anger.

Prior to Sundren:

Elusa was abandoned at birth for unknown reasons. She was left to human parents who took her in as their own child. She aged faster than most elves, but her parents were dead before she was even a teenager. She was taken in by an experienced ranger of Selûne, from whom she learned her expert marksman skills and love of the wilderness. Yet even this teacher she outlived, as the small town was raided by orcs, who killed everyone but a select few, whom they took as slaves. Elusa was taken in this way, and spent most of her childhood with the orcs, learning their ways and their language. Elusa stood out from the other slaves, however, with her silver tongue and calming attitude. On many occasions she served as a diplomat, and even a soldier in a few rare cases. After two decades, the orcs finally granted her freedom.

Elusa's travels took her down many paths afterwards. Wherever she went, she took the teachings of Selûne with her, promoting acceptance and tolerance. Though she was still a child by elven standards, she was mentally matured. Her skills with a bow were highly valued, though her moral code was often looked down on. She was determined to save every life she could, whether it was worth saving or not, a moral code which she still follows today. In her own words, "No one deserves to die. No one." Still, those years were uneventful. She gained both enemies and friends, but she never stayed in any one place long enough for it to matter. She worshiped Selûne, but as a follower, not a priestess.

First arrival at Sundren:

Eventually Elusa stayed in one place too long. Her following of Selûne became common knowledge, and it attracted servants of Shar. She was ambushed on the night of a new moon, and she barely escaped with her life. It was by chance that her flight led her to Sundren, and she was finally able to find a safe haven.

Elusa found a place among the citizens of Sundren, though she did not always agree with the government. She opposed the move to ban all Drow from Sundren, a decision which severed several friendships. However, she remained low-key enough to avoid conflict or arrest. During this time, she formed a close friendship with Caelryth Dy'ner. Over several weeks, they became lovers, though their time was suddenly cut short.

Captive of Shar:

It was only a matter of time before the servants of Shar found Elusa, though it came unexpectedly. A priestess of Shar attempted to kill Elusa, whom she found praying to Selune. However, the shadow of the priestess formed by the moonlight alerted Elusa to her presence, and in the ensuing struggle, Elusa killed the priestess. She only got a short respite, however, before the priestess's cohorts came seeking revenge. They were not satisfied to kill Elusa, and instead kidnapped her, taking her out of Sundren, and into the Underdark. There, in a region of dead magic, they tortured her endlessly. They devastated her body with the dark magics of the shadow weave, only to bring her back to life and continue. They tried to convert her to Shar, but as time went on, her faith only grew stronger.

Elusa's escape was mere coincidence, or fate, whichever the case. The servants of Shar gave up trying to convert her. They assaulted her with dark energies and left her in the Underdark, thinking her dead. Burnt and scared, a lingering curse of the shadow weave had completely blocked her memories. She wandered for days with no food, only finding water in scarce underground pools. She was ready to die when she saw a light. Moonlight lit her path to freedom.

Though she had no memory of her past, pieces came back to her in scattered dreams. Mostly they were unimportant, or worse, memories of her torture. But when the nightmares gave way to peaceful dreams, it was of her time in Sundren with Caelryth. Over the course of several months, she was able to retrace her original path to Sundren, every now and then meeting someone who knew her and who could point her on her way. She walked with a renewed faith in Selûne, transformed from a ranger of Selûne to a druid. Finally she reached the gates of Sundren for the second time, where she lives now.

Second arrival in Sundren:

Upon her return to Sundren, Elusa searched for Caelryth, but he had left for the Silver Marches. He believed she left because he was a warlock, an unfounded assumption. She was able to contact him through his brother Sehron. Caelryth returned with great haste, but their relationship had to start over. Elusa could not immediately love who she saw as a stranger. Caelryth told her as much of her past as he could remember, but it was not enough. Elusa is still somewhat distant to Caelryth, and she keeps her options open.

Current activities:

Elusa is officially the leader of the second team tasked with uncovering information about Genum's Cube, but unofficially, the leadership role has passed to the halfling Pom. Elusa doubts her own ability to lead, lacking the knowledge and ability required.

Elusa is currently preparing for the two ceremonies performed by Selûnite clerics, the Conjuring of the Second Moon and the Mystery of the Night. Although she is a druid, she considers herself a priestess of Selûne, but it is not official until she performs the Mystery of the Night. She often spends her nights praying at a self-built shrine to Selûne within the Untrodden Grounds. Her days are spent patroling the Viridale and attempting to repair the forest, particulary in the Untrodden Grove, where both her cave home and shrine can be found.

Player's notes:

For the purposes of important holidays and the phases of the moon, I use real-world dates and moon calendars. The Gregorian calendar dates are converted to real-world dates with some modification. Holidays always occur at the end of the corresponding month, regardless of the number of days in the month. Shieldmeet is held every year, rather than every four, since the server is not likely to be operating four years from now.

Quotes:

"All hail the war kitten!"

Caelryth: "Are you always this serious?"
Elusa: "No, sometimes I'm a cat."

Image
All credit for the drawing goes to the artist Linda Tso. It's not exactly what Elusa looks like, but it's close enough.