Ellanora's page

About Ellanora

Ellanora was a character created for an in-person playthrough of the D&D 3.5 adventure Castle Whiterock.

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Ellanora grew up in a small frontier village, where her parents were the town herbalists and healers. One season, when Ellanora was quite young, a plague swept through the town. Ellanora's mother worked feverishly to try to devise a cure for the plague, but to no avail. Ellanora found her in her lab, slumped over her latest attempt at a healing draught and burning with fever; she died several days later, and Ellanora herself took sick as well. The night after her mother's passing, Ellanora was visited in a dream by an angel, resplendent in celestial glory but recognizable as her recently departed mother.

The spirit told her that upon arrival at the Boneyard, she had immediately beseeched Pharasma's aid, and the aid of any other deity or servitor who would listen, for help in defeating the terrible illness. Moved by her passion, the gods had granted her wish and offered to pass along the power that would be needed to cure the diease, but they needed a conduit to carry that power to the victims. Before her mother could even phrase the question, Ellanora volunteered to channel the gods' power to heal her village.

But as she touched each victim and the potent forces channeled through her young body, her eyes began to sting, only a little at first, but more and more as she continued to heal the townsfolk. Soon, her eyes were completely covered by a gold mist, and she could see no further than the next house, yet she still insisted on continuing until every last villager was healed.

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She was the savior of the town that day, but such terrific power left its mark. The blindness remained, and she was barely able to travel around town by herself, although she noticed that even in the dead of night, she was still able to see the shapes of her surroundings. Her eyes kept their unnerving gold mist. Over time, opinions began to change, transforming her from a hero into an oddity, even a liability.

Worse, she discovered yet another change a year or so later. A wandering cleric came to town, and Ellanora, being intrigued, followed her into a dimly lit shop. The man was bending over a ledger, and muttered a few words along with a gesture, calling a nimbus of light around his hand. Ellanora imitated the words and gesture, and suddenly, light sprang up around her own hand as well!

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Her schoolmates began to ostracize her, teasing her for her disability and strange appearance and abilities. When Tarin began to woo her, she was surprised, and ecstatic, hoping that it marked the beginning of her wider acceptance. They continued to meet, speaking words of love to each other. He worried, though, that they wouldn't have the money to marry. But he had a solution - a powerful wizard was traveling through, staying at the inn. Surely something from his pockets would be worth a fortune, more than enough for them to start a life together!

Ellanora waited until the wizard was distracted by his dining companions and his wine, and slipped a hand into his satchel while she poured him another drink. She withdrew a fabulous gem, and slipped it into a pouch at her waist. She and Tarin met at their usual rendezvous point, and she produced the flawless stone. His eyes went wide with surprise and - mirth? "I knew you'd fall for it," he said, his voice slipping into a cruel, mocking tone. "Perfect little goody-two-shoes Ellanora, too good for the rest of us, but I knew I could get you to do it." He slipped the gem into his trouser pocket and left, still chuckling, leaving Ellanora standing aghast.

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She ran to her father, sobbing out the story. He began to berate her, but stopped when he saw the look of sorrow and regret on her face.

"It hasn't been easy for you, has it, sweet?"

She shook her head listlessly. "The nicest anyone treats me here is ignoring me," she gasped out between sobs. "I don't know what I'm going to do!"

He nodded once, seeming to set his resolve. "You're going to leave, that's what."

"What?"

"I've set aside money for a dowry; it should be enough. We'll send you with a caravan."

He paused at the look on Ellanora's face. "Ella, you're a woman nearly grown now. You said it yourself - there's nothing for you here in this backwards town. You have so much power; letting it languish doesn't do you or anyone else any good. You need to use it, to help people, and so you can understand it better yourself."

He pushed a lock of hair back from her tear-stained cheek and kissed the top of her head. "You'll find your way. I have so much faith in you."

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As Ellanora traveled with the caravan, one of the guards, Osgiliath, began to draw her attention. His crude manners and rough demeanor isolated him from the rest of the group, but Ellanora was compassionate, and struck up a conversation. They began to grow close. When the caravan made its stop in Cillamar and Ellanora heard of a local family that had disappeared in the night, she volunteered to join the group of adventurers that were going to investigate the disappearance, and Osgiliath offered to stay and be her protector.

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Their investigations led them to the castle on the hill, where they encountered everything from a band of slavers posing as traveling holy men to a fierce dragon protecting its hoard. As the group worked together to rid the castle of its dangers, as well as stopping an incursion of undead from ravaging the town, friendships grew. But tragedy struck when they encountered a strange creature with a shriek that could stop the heart of those who heard it. Osgiliath fell in the first onslaught, and Logan sacrificed himself to contain the monster so that the others could recover Osgiliath's body and retreat to their base, which contained a fabulous fountain that could revive the newly dead. Logan's loss was a blow to the entire group, but to Ellanora most of all. She realized that Osgiliath was fortunate enough to receive a second chance, an opportunity not all are lucky enough to find. So that very day, she asked Osgiliath a question, and soon, they were married in the castle's newly repaired courtyard.

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Ellanora and her friends now reside in the Castle Whiterock, having eliminated the threats that lurked in its lower levels. Using powerful magic, they have repaired and reshaped the castle, with each resident creating an area to suit their tastes. Ellanora maintains a hospital hallowed by Pharasma in a wing of the castle, using her healing skill and magic to cure the sick and wounded. She and Osgiliath remain deeply devoted to each other, and they and all their friends live on, safe and happy in their beautiful new home.