Ezmeralda d'Avenir
The Younger Ezmeralda d'Avenir- Ozols (a.k.a. Izzy, Nerea Ybarra)
Ezmeralda is a Vistana who was born in the Valley, but has managed to spend a great deal of her life outside of it, exploring the world outside. She grew up idolizing her mother, known as Ezmeralda the Elder, who was an adventurer. Her mother used the blessing of the Vistani to leave the Valley frequently, going on adventures and growing in strength and knowledge and, more importantly, in stories to tell her daughter.
When Ezmeralda was seven, her mother left the safety of their camp with a group of powerful adventurers in tow. She told her family that they were going to take on Strahd. She told her family that they should prepare themselves in case she did not survive. Although Ezmeralda the Elder did survive the assault, no one else in her party did. From that moment, she adventured no more.
A few years later, a monster hunter named Rudolph van Richten entered their camp. At first, hearing his name, he was welcomed by Ezmeralda's mother, but it became clear that his visit was far from friendly. Van Richten introduced himself as the father of a member of the band Ezmeralda the Elder had traveled with. It was clear that he blamed the Vistana for his son's disappearance, having come to the conclusion that she must have sold him to the vampire for her own safety. He interrogated Ezmeralda's parents for the location of his son, refusing to believe Ezmeralda the Elder's insistence that the man had perished with the others. He physically tortured them, as well as keeping the younger Ezmeralda as a hostage. When he was satisfied with their answers, he left, having finally accepted that his son truly was dead at the hands of Count Strahd. Ezmeralda's mother died a year later, spirit and body broken by the aftermath of her adventures.
Ezmeralda grew up resenting Van Richten, but she also knew that he was a powerful vampire hunter. She wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, and succeed where her mother had failed in defeating Strahd. She knew there was no one in the Valley who could teach her what she needed to know. So, at the age of fifteen, she sought out Van Richten, hoping to take advantage of his knowledge before he died to find a way to kill Strahd. Her plan was to learn everything she could from him, and then perhaps even adventure with him, and then kill him when he had served his purpose to her. She kept her heritage a secret, going so far as to go by an alias that bore no resemblance to her true name. He trained her despite their clashing personalities. They parted ways when he discovered she was a Vistana, though he never discovered who her mother was. When he discovered that she had come from Barovia, he got the notion to go out in a blaze of glory by taking out Strahd himself. Ezmeralda resents him for this, knowing he sees this as one more conquest, and he has no interest in freeing the people suffering under Strahd's rule. They parted ways bitterly after 5 years.
Since leaving Van Richten's teaching, Ezmeralda has amassed a sizeable personal fortune, some of which she used to buy a wagon to carry her vampire-slaying paraphernalia. After a less successful adventure, she was forced to amputate her left left below the knee to avoid being infected with lycanthropy. She was sidelined for months, during which time she was under the care of a doctor named Ségolène. The two fell in love quickly. Knowing her life would not allow for another chance, Ezmeralda married Ségolène and took her last name, d'Avenir. The two sought a master artisan to craft Ezmeralda a prosthetic lower leg and foot. After several tries, he was able to deliver a prosthesis that fully restored her mobility. She has adapted well to the appendage in the years since she lost her limb.
It's unknown how it came to be that both Ezmeralda and Van Richten ended up in Barovia at the same time. They are both simultaneously keeping an eye on one another and avoiding one another. Ezmeralda has left her wife with her family at the Cahyrst Pond Encampment, and has parked her wagon at the Mount Baratok Tower.
Relationships
Current Status
Imprisoned
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Date of Birth
702 BR
Year of Birth
9821
42 Years old
Birthplace
Barovia
Spouses
Ségolène
(Spouse)
Siblings
Children
Pronouns
She/They