Drasha Must

Drasha Must was born in Vallahal, a blue elf stronghold in the Erkenheld Forest. Her childhood was no different from any others of her culture: she was raised by a band of male elves and young female elves who had yet to give birth with the other children of her age, with little care as to who her mother or siblings were.

As she grew older, Drasha became increasingly more devout and interested in the magicks of the forest. After displaying prodigious magickal abilities in her early teens, Drasha was encouraged to become a mother at a young age, so that she could begin to train as a tender - a cross between a preistess, shaman, and political leader unique to the Vinkenti. Drasha was swayed by such advice and gave birth to a son at the tender age of 70. After a month's recovery, she packed up her things and traveled, alone, to the great city of Norsa for magickal training.

Drasha survived the long arduous training the elders put her through, but could never shake the nagging fear that she was not prepared for whatever was to happen right around the bend. Though she became a recognized tender, with apprentices of her own, she felt that she was not respected enough in the elite of Norsa's society and resolved to give birth once again to raise her status. To her great dissatisfaction, she gave birth to another son.

Eventually, Drasha's fascination with magic and her ever-present anxiety drove her to a obsession with the art of seeing. Though most believe the ability to be indpendent of the use of magic and inborn, Drasha was determined to develop the ability in herself. At first, she was content to make extra prayers and offerings at the temple, but soon she felt that more direct action was needed. She began frequenting the fortune telling parlors of Norsa, always under assumed names, in order to catch a glimpse into what the rituals the clairvoyant practitioners used to gain their otherworldy sight were like. It was only a matter of time before she began using her tender-related excursions into the forest as an excuse to gather caryx fortuna - the leafy plant used by seers to enhance their clairvoyant abilities - and experiment with it.

The constant ingestion of the plant did not give her the ability to see the future, but she did in time become quite dependent on it. She found that if she did not ingest small quantities of several times a day that she became feverish and ill quite quickly. By this point, Drasha had ascended to Queen Svava's ring of advisor, and Drasha knew that her unseemly addiction would risk her place at court. Always cunning, she devised many ways to feed her addiction without raising the suspicions of others.

Today, not much has changed for Drasha Must. Despite her obvious magickal talents, she remains wracked with insecurity, still hoping that inexplicably she will one day become a seer and secure herself a place of esteem in the eyes of her people. Her anxieties have only worsened, with her fear that she will be passed over for recognition and promotion now combined with a very real fear that she will be exposed for the addict she has become. Drasha has now given birth to six children - all male - each of which was an attempt to strengthen her reputation. Though the birth of six children is considered notable to the Vinkenti regardless of their gender, Drasha cannot shake the worry that her lack of female children actually undermines her position. Drasha Must's story is one of lost potential, imagined foes, and impossible dreams.