LORELIE STARSPRAY - ORACLE OF THE MOON

I suppose the best place to start is at the begining. I was born in Zhentil Keep. My mother was an assassin. I do not know if that had always been her profession. Of my father I know even less. He died when I was very young. I have only the vaugest memories of a tall and stern man. From what others have said to me I have gathered that he was most likely some sort of Mage.

I had a twin brother, twins are rare enough among humans, but among elves they are even rarer. His name was Curifin, and the name that my mother gave me was Lorelieanna.

Zhentil Keep is a dark city, very much under the yoke of the priesthood of Cyric, as it was under the yoke of the priesthood of Bane in the elder days. The people of Zhentil Keep live in fear, they wallow in it from day to day, knowing nothing else. The very scent of it colors the air. Fear, death, evil. An odd garden for an elven maid to grow in, but I managed. My mother had a lover, he was a harsh man who did not care much for children, and seemed to find my presence almost offensive. He could be very cruel, I learned early to stay out of his sight. My mother would never stop him, but she would make him pay for his actions. I think that she was trying to prepare me for a harsher life. It is hard for me, I both love my mother and hate her at the same time.

I was always curious about my surroundings. Between my brother and I we explored the entire city. This is when I learned how to hide, how to blend in so well with my surroundings that no one would take note of me. Obviously I did not did a good enough job, as you will soon see. My mother taught me a bit of fighting with short blades and a few other skills. She groomed my brother for the same path that she tread, but she entertained thoughts of sending me to the Priests of Mask for training. I did not like the idea much, but there where few paths open to me. My music was never spoken of, even though I often wiled away my hours creating songs for my own amusement.

As I blossomed in to maturity my 'stepfather' began to take more note of me than the occasional beating. He started to keep me very close to the house, not letting me out of his sight if he could help it. Fortunately for me I knew all of the ways around the city that I could slip away and hide. This earned me another beating, but it seemed worth it at the time.

I never dreamed that he was guarding my virginity as a precious commodity, and my mother never saw fit to warn me. It was on my hundreth birthday that I discovered why he had guarded me so jealously. He took me to the temple of Cyric where the priests examined me. It was a painful and humiliating process, but as with everything else I endured it. I was fighting a growing sense of panic at this point, as I had no idea of what was in store for me. I was collared and taken before the high priest, who explained to me in no uncertain terms that I had been bought and sold. He also told me that my brother had been killed and that I could expect no rescue from that quarter. I refused to show fear, I refused to cower, even when he told me how I would die.

He soon grew tired of taunting me and had me taken to a cell. I most likely escaped torture because he feared that an accident would happen that would invalidate my worth. I was left alone, with only a single guard. That was the mistake.

I really don't know how I did it to this day. I escaped from the temple of Cyric. It was not easy, and there are still memories that will make me shudder in sudden dread. I threw myself on the mercy of a party of adventurers on their way to Shadowdale. I inflated my skills as a thief a bit, but I did not lie about my singing abilities.

Shadowdale was.. pleasant, but it was not a place that I felt comfortable, so I took to the road and made my way to Waterdeep.

To be continued ...

Original artwork by C.S.L. McKeand