Drathir Lá
Ilros Hyliin
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Drathir was found as a baby, wrapped in cloth and crying in one of the tunnels to the city of Nelmatos, likely as a ritual sacrifice to the Drow patron goddess, Lolth. Drathir’s birth name was that of the brother of the founder of the city, Ilros. Drathir could never quite live up to the name of the prophet, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t try; this is when he began telling stories as a child in order to get attention. The vast majority of these tales got him caught in some lie or another, so often that when he was telling the truth people seldom believed him. Always a bit of an outcast, even among the drow of Ysgör, he befriended the misfits who lived on the fringes of Nelmatos.
Education
After spending a year in service to the Cathedral of Lolth, his family allowed him to choose how he wished to be educated. Half joking, and thinking they would never agree, Ilros requested to be trained as a Bard. Two days later, his father introduced him to his new teacher, Chakos Servus, who taught him how to tell stories, play the bagpipes and panflute, as well as to sing and dance. He was tutored by the man for 25 years before Chakos departed from Nelmatos.
Employment
The only time Drathir ever worked was during his time in Nelmatos, as an attendant in the Cathedral of Lolth. He was forced to work there for a year as penance for an incident which greatly embarassed his family. While in the employ of the Cathedral, he saw many awful things as he was often made to clean the altars after a sacrifice. This only helped to futher his disassociation from reality.
Failures & Embarrassments
The first night he met his friend Jez'zep Jurile, Ilros got him drunk and went back to his family home, where they cooked and ultimately charred some very expensive meat. They were discovered by Jez’zep’s mother, an incredibly important member of Drow high society, who quickly blamed Ilros for the state of her son, and for ruining the meat. She forced him to carry the charred meat through the streets, and marched him to his family home, where she informed his father of what he had done and demanded Ilros be punished. After a heated discussion with his father, he agreed to the ‘discipline’ he had been threatening him with for a while ‘without complaint’. It was then that his father revealed his intended punishment of having him work at the Cathedral of Lolth. Ilros resented Lolth and Her importance in Drow culture because he didn’t believe She aided them at all during the conflict with the Fire Giants. He also thought the sacrifice of innocent civilians was ‘barbaric’ (something heavily influenced by his abandonment).
Mental Trauma
Having been on the road ‘alone’ - though because he travels exclusively at night he doesn’t see it that way - he is always looking out for himself. He has terrible luck so that wherever he goes, chaos seems to follow in his wake without him trying too hard; looking at the wrong person a certain way, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, these are just a few of the misfortunes that have plagued him in the past and has made his pilgrimage fraught with misadventure.
When the giants tried to invade human lands in 965, he witnessed their assault from below ground. The Dwarves and Drow refused to ally together and they had been forgotten by humanity on the surface, so it was everyone for themselves. The trauma from this is what began Drathir’s mental decline, and to deal with the PTSD symptoms he turned to substances so that the awful things ‘seemed less serious’. Because of the amount of substances Drathir has indulged in, after his vision of the moon goddess Sehanine he sees himself as ‘awoken to the secrets of the universe’, which has led him to develop an attitude of ‘there are things greater than us so nothing matters let’s enjoy ourselves’. The combination of these has led to him being a little bit insane.
When the giants tried to invade human lands in 965, he witnessed their assault from below ground. The Dwarves and Drow refused to ally together and they had been forgotten by humanity on the surface, so it was everyone for themselves. The trauma from this is what began Drathir’s mental decline, and to deal with the PTSD symptoms he turned to substances so that the awful things ‘seemed less serious’. Because of the amount of substances Drathir has indulged in, after his vision of the moon goddess Sehanine he sees himself as ‘awoken to the secrets of the universe’, which has led him to develop an attitude of ‘there are things greater than us so nothing matters let’s enjoy ourselves’. The combination of these has led to him being a little bit insane.
Morality & Philosophy
Because of his adversion to the Goddess, Drathir refrains from lying so as not to 'feed Lolth'. This is in stark contrast to what many expect from Drow, to the point where those he comes across believe him to be lying about this as well.
Taboos
Because he grew up in a culture that normalised keeping slaves, he didn't understand that it was wrong until he arrived in Mithral and spoke about it openly. This got him into a bit of social trouble.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Drathir's lead motivation for everything he has done for the last year and a half has been to follow the Moon, which he believes will bring him to Sehanine. Since his banishment over the wall, he has continued his trajectory, his commitment even getting him noticed by the Goddess, who has revealed to him that She is in danger from Her divine sister, Lolth. Because of this he been asked by the Goddess Herself specifically to locate her Cleric Arielle, who is supposedly the only one Sehanine is currently able to reliably contact. Though he was given the option to refuse this quest, Drathir has taken it upon himself without question.
Social
Family Ties
Drathir does not know his birth parents, however was adopted by a couple soon after he was found abandoned.
Religious Views
Drathir holds a near obsessive love for his chosen deity, Sehanine the Moonweaver. He views her as his saviour and would do anything to appease her.
Social Aptitude
Drathir is very confident and charismatic, though his simple existance as a Drow is immediately off-putting to most people who cross his path.
Because of his disassociation from reality, Drathir has a tendency to be overly trusting and his adversion to lying makes him overly honest. If he is asked a direct question he often cannot say anything except for the whole truth.
Because of his disassociation from reality, Drathir has a tendency to be overly trusting and his adversion to lying makes him overly honest. If he is asked a direct question he often cannot say anything except for the whole truth.
Speech
Drathir possesses a thick Nelmatossi accent, however when he sings, his accent seems to disappear. He is able to flawlessly imitate the voices of others.
Relationships
History
On Ilros's 92nd birthday, Alauvan revealed that the family would be adopting an infant who had been found alive in the tunnels as part of a group of whom only two survived. By the time she turned 6, Ilros's opinion of his sister had been cemented as he witness her acts of cruelty.
During Ginafae’s Right of Passage Ceremony in the Cathedral of Lolth, as snakes were placed on her and began crawling over her skin, she giggled as if someone was speaking to her. Slowly, she began to levitate; a light shone onto her and the snakes turned to ash. Thinking that something awful was happening, Ilros dropped to the floor and pressed his ear to the ground to ‘listen to the earth’. Quickly, others around him began to do the same, except they were bowing to Ginafae. Ilros quickly tried to leave but was pulled down by his father Alauvan who angrily demanded that he not embarrass the family. He stayed reluctantly and as Ginafae eventually lowered to the ground again, the people could see that a necklace had been placed around her neck. It was a divine focus and she was revealed to have been chosen by the goddess as the youngest cleric in known history. Everyone who had gathered in the temple began to rush to congratulate her and her fathers. Ilros, horrified by this, left the Cathedral and ran to the Ironspire tavern, and requested ‘the strongest thing you have’ from the barkeep, ranting to Kiatlara in a hushed voice about what had just happened in the Cathedral.
During Ginafae’s Right of Passage Ceremony in the Cathedral of Lolth, as snakes were placed on her and began crawling over her skin, she giggled as if someone was speaking to her. Slowly, she began to levitate; a light shone onto her and the snakes turned to ash. Thinking that something awful was happening, Ilros dropped to the floor and pressed his ear to the ground to ‘listen to the earth’. Quickly, others around him began to do the same, except they were bowing to Ginafae. Ilros quickly tried to leave but was pulled down by his father Alauvan who angrily demanded that he not embarrass the family. He stayed reluctantly and as Ginafae eventually lowered to the ground again, the people could see that a necklace had been placed around her neck. It was a divine focus and she was revealed to have been chosen by the goddess as the youngest cleric in known history. Everyone who had gathered in the temple began to rush to congratulate her and her fathers. Ilros, horrified by this, left the Cathedral and ran to the Ironspire tavern, and requested ‘the strongest thing you have’ from the barkeep, ranting to Kiatlara in a hushed voice about what had just happened in the Cathedral.
Wealth & Financial state
Though his family is not outlandishly wealthy, due to his fathers' services to the Empress they have received many valuable gifts, such as their family home and staff. Drathir benefits greatly from this, and is known to spend his resonably generous allowance at the Ironspire tavern most nights of the week.
Relationship with Sehanine
After Ginafae's selection as a young Cleric of Lolth, Ilros went to his usual bar and used substances in order to try and forget about what he had just experienced. It was then that Kiatlara made a joke about him leaving the city. Taking the joke literally, he got up and left Nelmatos for the first time. By the time he finally exited the tunnel, there was a large, bright full moon above him, and still a bit drunk, and very high, he believed he witnessed a ‘sign’ that this ‘being’ required him for a higher purpose:
As he stared up at the sky, the light of the moon seemed to get brighter and brighter until he could barely keep his eyes upon it, at which moment he saw a woman reaching towards him calling out his ‘true name’ (the name of his soul). The moon backlit her form like a halo and as the winds picked up he was ‘overwhelmed by the smell of pine trees and destiny’. Being unable to keep his gaze on this being any longer, the vision was interrupted and he pledged himself to the celestial giant, dancing in the moonlight and playing his bagpipes in reverence. This of course woke up an angry individual who lived nearby, who chased him back towards the Underdark. After successfully evading this person’s crossbow, he passed out in the tunnels, making his way back home in the morning. He arrived babbling ‘like a man gone mad’, and in the immediate aftermath of this ‘religious experience’ he found out everything he could about the moon and it’s goddess Sehanine, even learning Celestial and changing his name to ‘Crescent Moon’ in Elvish (Drathir Lá) in tribute, finally shedding the expectations associated with his birth name, as the devoted brother to a great leader, in the process.
As he stared up at the sky, the light of the moon seemed to get brighter and brighter until he could barely keep his eyes upon it, at which moment he saw a woman reaching towards him calling out his ‘true name’ (the name of his soul). The moon backlit her form like a halo and as the winds picked up he was ‘overwhelmed by the smell of pine trees and destiny’. Being unable to keep his gaze on this being any longer, the vision was interrupted and he pledged himself to the celestial giant, dancing in the moonlight and playing his bagpipes in reverence. This of course woke up an angry individual who lived nearby, who chased him back towards the Underdark. After successfully evading this person’s crossbow, he passed out in the tunnels, making his way back home in the morning. He arrived babbling ‘like a man gone mad’, and in the immediate aftermath of this ‘religious experience’ he found out everything he could about the moon and it’s goddess Sehanine, even learning Celestial and changing his name to ‘Crescent Moon’ in Elvish (Drathir Lá) in tribute, finally shedding the expectations associated with his birth name, as the devoted brother to a great leader, in the process.
Crimes
The following is the list of crimes that Drathir was accused and later convicted of, none of which he actually committed:- The counterfeiting of coin and by extension robbery of the Dwarven woman who had exchanged his coins.
- The murder of Lilybet.
- The plan to assassinate the King upon his arrival to Mithral.
- Evading arrest.
- Causing a famine in the town of Allejord.
- Impersonating a notable figure in order to spy on the Prince (treason).
- Tax evasion.
Family Tree
Portrait by Tamara Osborn (GoLightlyFinch)
Conditions
Age
101
Date of Birth
913 HU
Circumstances of Birth
Abandoned in the tunnels to Nelmatos (assumed sacrifice to Lolth )
Birthplace
Nelmatos (assumed)
Spouses
Siblings
Ginafae Hyliin
(Adopted Sister)
Children
Pronouns
He/They
Sex
Male
Gender
Male
Eyes
Black sclera, white iris
Hair
Black, short back and sides
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Lavender
Height
5'10"
Quotes & Catchphrases
"It's not all about you Jera!" - Drathir to Jera Isalya on multiple occassions.
"It's not all about you Jera, except sometimes it is about you!" - Drathir to Jera when he felt she wasn't taking responsibility.
"It's not all about you Jera, except sometimes it is about you!" - Drathir to Jera when he felt she wasn't taking responsibility.
Belief/Deity
Related Myths
Related Plots
Ruled Locations
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