Tasha van Rikten, High Priestess of the Lady
The Everstedian van Rikten family was known for being pious and thus when they discovered that their daughter Tasha was able to see magic they recognized it as a blessing by the Lady herself. The gift she received by the godess determined her path in life as she joined the church as an acolythe while still being a young child.
Tasha was a birght kid and her devotion promised a quick raise through the ranks. The church also saw her blessing as a sign to put her in charge of the chapel at the University for it granted her an advantage to be more vigilant than others could. So even at a young age she took that role burdened with a high responsability. The young priestess excelled at her role, serving church, mages and city equally well. Her friendly and approachable demenor lead to many of the mages' apprentices take her carrying support glady, giving her the chance to preach to them about their own responsabilities towards the Realm and its people. Tasha understood the value of all those capable mages, but also saw the danger they represented should they ever seek egoistic goals or lack a moral compass to guide their powers.
In 436 YoU Tasha, while serving in the chapel of the Lady at the University, would meet for the first time Alvery Vestergaard and her half-brother Keijo Artanis. Both were sent to arch mage Cerellis to study their newly discovered magical powers. The two would also later ask her for help to question the head of a ancient elf they had discovered in some ruin underneath the city. Through the ritual they discovered that the elf was a guard in service of the house Artanis during the time of the old Elven Empire. Tasha never was told how the two had found it. The half-elf and her elven brother togher with city watch captain Vernar van Priosz would bring later again heads, but of fresher victims - some human some looking like giant rats. The two claimed to have been attacked by those and that they transformed into rats. After questioning the heads through the ritual it initiated an investigation into potential werebeings within the town. Beyond bringing her heads of deceased Alvery would also make herself a name as a source of uncontrolled but powerful magic. Tasha thus was very concerned when she heard that the young half-elf would stop her training with arch mage Cerillis and demanded that someone else would take this up or she would have to involve the church of the Lady in the matter to prevent Alvery from being a danger to herself and everybody around her. Alvery though quickly found arch mage Yrdessa to sign the paperwork necessary while mocking the concerns of the church. Tasha was fully aware that the arch mage never intended to actually teach Alvery, but at the same time the priestess had no power to enforce it. In 437 YoU Danikka van Szonek, the High Priestess of the Lady, hastly formed the Inquisition together with the churches of the Dawnfather and Duskmother after Alvery reported that she noticed that the current champion of the arena had a demonic aura around him, something that pushed Yrdessa to actually warn Danikka and convince her into action. What followed was an attempt to arrest Demian known as the Prince, but it failed and ended with the high priestess and several paladins being killed, but further demons were seen at the arena as a riot broke loose. Alvery and her companions who were attending the event knowing about the Inquisitions plans helped to bring the situation under control and killed Demian on his way out of town. Yet the church of the Lady was in a dire situation. Its High Priestess killed, the holy artefact symbol of her station missing and facing the anger for the churches of Caldis and Gynebra who were running the arena for not having been warned. The council of the highest priestess gather and tried to regain control by appointing first as an interim solution Tasha as the new leader of the church, but eventually confirming her as the new High Priestess of the Lady at a surprisingly young age. Tasha would find herself leading the church through its most tumultuous time of its existance as cults and demons were appearaning all over the continent. Beyond that the priestess would suddenly be presented with Alvery as chosen by the Lday - a claim Yrdessa would make in front of the gathered priestesses of the church. While the young half-elf didn't join the claim she still provided information that would change the understanding of the origin of the goddess. Beyond that she invited Tasha to come to the newely reclaimed ruins of Elandirill to see the temple of the elven goddess Lithet. There Tasha would share the same vision Alvery was granted realising the connection between Lithet, Lolth, the Lady and the demons. Agreeing that this information might be problematic if it came out uncontrolled the priestess agreed to support the re-construction of the temple and clensing of the town from undead, while keeping the temple secret. Through out the year Tasha would also be visited by Bran Sparkhammer who found proof of Ka'ash's cultists working behind the scene to instigate the drow attack on clan town of Rivgraad, but also hinting at their involvement in plots that might be connected to the wars of the Realm. Previously the inquisition was already dispatched towards the Far Lands as a warband was causing concerns that they might be worshipping Qharnate. Bloddwyn Bluainach would also pass through the city of Eversted on his way back north to Rykthaven pointed towards Tasha, by Alvery's companions in Elandirill. While still searched for the murder of Adelberg van Kymden, the young monster hunter took the risk of passing through just to talk with the High Priestess. After explaining the circumstances of his crime the two agreed that she would use the Inqusitions influence to have his name cleared as much as she could, while he offered her his book - which contained a meticulous yearlong study of fiends in the library in Aaradem, the most complete gathering of knowledge on this matter. She would use it to create copies and spread them among the Inquisition. Once the first copies would be done a convoy under the Inquistion's banner would bring one copy of the book to Rykthaven, while the original would be delivered in secret by a trusted source as well. According to plans after a month of writing copies of the book Tasha dispatched Grand Executioner Robbaer van Nickels with the convoy and the bard Rajsha with the original book to return them. She would later be informed by the Grand Executioner that the convoy was ambushed at the town's gate with the copy of the book being lost. Rajsha though was able to deliver it. A further attack by cultists at the library of the church of the Lady happened in the meantime. The library was used to create the transcription from the remaining copies the church had, but cultists of Ka'ash slaughtered the clerics and burned the books, luckily Alvery and Tasha were present at the time of the attack and saved the last examplar of the book. Tasha and the half elf agreed for her to move to Elandirill for the time being and personally transcribing the book to avoid any leaks. They would leave one copy of the book in the temple in Elandirill, which was still kept secret even from most members of the church, while Tasha would have copies of it again created later on in Eversted and spread out among the inquisition. In the years after 438 YoU the situation calmed down as cults and demons were reduced to unproven rumors, but that actually made her task harder. More and more people weren't willing to listen to the Inquisition's requests as the sightings of the fiendish enemies were getting scarse while the political confilict among the Realm's nobility was heating up. Additionally the churches of Caldis and Gynebra used their influence to continue to discredit the work of the Inquisition. With Elandirill become more wide spread knowledge and Alvery declearing herself Dutchess the free town Tasha saw her church slowely pulled towards a new potential conflict and the unrevelling of the truth hidden in the temple of Lithet in Elandirill.
Tasha was a birght kid and her devotion promised a quick raise through the ranks. The church also saw her blessing as a sign to put her in charge of the chapel at the University for it granted her an advantage to be more vigilant than others could. So even at a young age she took that role burdened with a high responsability. The young priestess excelled at her role, serving church, mages and city equally well. Her friendly and approachable demenor lead to many of the mages' apprentices take her carrying support glady, giving her the chance to preach to them about their own responsabilities towards the Realm and its people. Tasha understood the value of all those capable mages, but also saw the danger they represented should they ever seek egoistic goals or lack a moral compass to guide their powers.
In 436 YoU Tasha, while serving in the chapel of the Lady at the University, would meet for the first time Alvery Vestergaard and her half-brother Keijo Artanis. Both were sent to arch mage Cerellis to study their newly discovered magical powers. The two would also later ask her for help to question the head of a ancient elf they had discovered in some ruin underneath the city. Through the ritual they discovered that the elf was a guard in service of the house Artanis during the time of the old Elven Empire. Tasha never was told how the two had found it. The half-elf and her elven brother togher with city watch captain Vernar van Priosz would bring later again heads, but of fresher victims - some human some looking like giant rats. The two claimed to have been attacked by those and that they transformed into rats. After questioning the heads through the ritual it initiated an investigation into potential werebeings within the town. Beyond bringing her heads of deceased Alvery would also make herself a name as a source of uncontrolled but powerful magic. Tasha thus was very concerned when she heard that the young half-elf would stop her training with arch mage Cerillis and demanded that someone else would take this up or she would have to involve the church of the Lady in the matter to prevent Alvery from being a danger to herself and everybody around her. Alvery though quickly found arch mage Yrdessa to sign the paperwork necessary while mocking the concerns of the church. Tasha was fully aware that the arch mage never intended to actually teach Alvery, but at the same time the priestess had no power to enforce it. In 437 YoU Danikka van Szonek, the High Priestess of the Lady, hastly formed the Inquisition together with the churches of the Dawnfather and Duskmother after Alvery reported that she noticed that the current champion of the arena had a demonic aura around him, something that pushed Yrdessa to actually warn Danikka and convince her into action. What followed was an attempt to arrest Demian known as the Prince, but it failed and ended with the high priestess and several paladins being killed, but further demons were seen at the arena as a riot broke loose. Alvery and her companions who were attending the event knowing about the Inquisitions plans helped to bring the situation under control and killed Demian on his way out of town. Yet the church of the Lady was in a dire situation. Its High Priestess killed, the holy artefact symbol of her station missing and facing the anger for the churches of Caldis and Gynebra who were running the arena for not having been warned. The council of the highest priestess gather and tried to regain control by appointing first as an interim solution Tasha as the new leader of the church, but eventually confirming her as the new High Priestess of the Lady at a surprisingly young age. Tasha would find herself leading the church through its most tumultuous time of its existance as cults and demons were appearaning all over the continent. Beyond that the priestess would suddenly be presented with Alvery as chosen by the Lday - a claim Yrdessa would make in front of the gathered priestesses of the church. While the young half-elf didn't join the claim she still provided information that would change the understanding of the origin of the goddess. Beyond that she invited Tasha to come to the newely reclaimed ruins of Elandirill to see the temple of the elven goddess Lithet. There Tasha would share the same vision Alvery was granted realising the connection between Lithet, Lolth, the Lady and the demons. Agreeing that this information might be problematic if it came out uncontrolled the priestess agreed to support the re-construction of the temple and clensing of the town from undead, while keeping the temple secret. Through out the year Tasha would also be visited by Bran Sparkhammer who found proof of Ka'ash's cultists working behind the scene to instigate the drow attack on clan town of Rivgraad, but also hinting at their involvement in plots that might be connected to the wars of the Realm. Previously the inquisition was already dispatched towards the Far Lands as a warband was causing concerns that they might be worshipping Qharnate. Bloddwyn Bluainach would also pass through the city of Eversted on his way back north to Rykthaven pointed towards Tasha, by Alvery's companions in Elandirill. While still searched for the murder of Adelberg van Kymden, the young monster hunter took the risk of passing through just to talk with the High Priestess. After explaining the circumstances of his crime the two agreed that she would use the Inqusitions influence to have his name cleared as much as she could, while he offered her his book - which contained a meticulous yearlong study of fiends in the library in Aaradem, the most complete gathering of knowledge on this matter. She would use it to create copies and spread them among the Inquisition. Once the first copies would be done a convoy under the Inquistion's banner would bring one copy of the book to Rykthaven, while the original would be delivered in secret by a trusted source as well. According to plans after a month of writing copies of the book Tasha dispatched Grand Executioner Robbaer van Nickels with the convoy and the bard Rajsha with the original book to return them. She would later be informed by the Grand Executioner that the convoy was ambushed at the town's gate with the copy of the book being lost. Rajsha though was able to deliver it. A further attack by cultists at the library of the church of the Lady happened in the meantime. The library was used to create the transcription from the remaining copies the church had, but cultists of Ka'ash slaughtered the clerics and burned the books, luckily Alvery and Tasha were present at the time of the attack and saved the last examplar of the book. Tasha and the half elf agreed for her to move to Elandirill for the time being and personally transcribing the book to avoid any leaks. They would leave one copy of the book in the temple in Elandirill, which was still kept secret even from most members of the church, while Tasha would have copies of it again created later on in Eversted and spread out among the inquisition. In the years after 438 YoU the situation calmed down as cults and demons were reduced to unproven rumors, but that actually made her task harder. More and more people weren't willing to listen to the Inquisition's requests as the sightings of the fiendish enemies were getting scarse while the political confilict among the Realm's nobility was heating up. Additionally the churches of Caldis and Gynebra used their influence to continue to discredit the work of the Inquisition. With Elandirill become more wide spread knowledge and Alvery declearing herself Dutchess the free town Tasha saw her church slowely pulled towards a new potential conflict and the unrevelling of the truth hidden in the temple of Lithet in Elandirill.
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