Grizella's Backstory
Grizella's Backstory
Grizella's Backstory
Grizella was the daughter of librarians in the elven city of _________, tucked deep in the woods.
Her father and mother were both high elves. Her biological human father died before she could
remember, and her mother quickly remarried a widower with a daughter of his own, Jandara.
Her parents instilled in their children the idea that to attain knowledge is the utmost example of
integrity and honor. As a child she tried to learn the difference between knowledge and truth, as
she had always been perplexed by her father’s saying, “Knowledge is the path, Truth is the
destination.” In some ways her upbringing gave her wondrous exposure to the world, but in
many others she was naive and sheltered.
She grew up surrounded by books of elven history and literature. One of the most beloved
stories of her youth was the tale of Ilduin the Intrepid:
Ilduin was an elf whose town was overtaken by an evil Bloodmage. In order to defeat him, Ilduin
sought out a great Oracle for guidance. The Oracle sent him on a quest to find 4 magic relics,
that when brought together, would grant him a wish. Ilduin’s journey was fraught with danger,
but through courage, cunning, and the aid of his companions, he was able to collect the relics
and wish the Bloodmage away.
Grizella found Ilduin’s story so inspiring. She hoped that someday she would be able to have
the ambition and freedom to go on her own adventure. For now, she would have to settle for
preparing for such an adventure by living vicariously through her books.
When her elder sister Jandara came of age, she was accepted by the Mage Cabal to study
wizardry. Her letters over the years inspired Grizella to follow in her footsteps. Grizella dreamed
of becoming a librarian at the Cabal, or perhaps even a professor if she worked and studied
hard enough. The day she left her small city for the Cabal filled her with that sense of adventure
she had always sought. (The Story of the Arbutus Wood Staff)
She found that this prospect of adventure was very quickly snuffed, however. She became
immersed in her studies, and found that her interests lay in studying the history and origins of
magic itself.
Several years passed. Jandara rose the ranks as an administrator and teacher, and she
became a powerful spellcaster. Grizella’s skill progressed more slowly than her sister’s over this
time, as she tended to spend more time on research (and getting lost in the library) rather than
on application.
Eventually, Grizella received her official registration card from the College, but decided to
remain in order to continue her studies. Her hard work finally started to pay off in the form of
being awarded the position of Assistant to the Librarian. In truth, the Cabal had several
librarians. Grizella was pulled away from her research in order to perform menial tasks, replace
books, and tidy offices. She found that it was less than fulfilling, to say the least.
One day, she was reshelving books and one of the titles caught her eye: Ilduin the Intrepid. Who
among the great minds surrounding her would've been reading a children’s fairytale? With her
interest piqued, she began to go through the other books on her cart: Mystical Herbs of the
South, Advanced History of Talismans, Tome of the Master’s Forgotten Runes...and then, A
Children’s Guide to the Gods.
Over the next few days, Grizella paid close attention to which books came from which offices.
She noticed a few other books of children’s tales as well as various books on theology that
appeared to have been pulled by Rhistel Vennan. Rhistel was a beautiful high elven man with
sleek silver hair and eyes to match. He specialized in abjuration, and was a scholar and librarian
like herself...well, like she would be. Grizella had always been a bit put off by him in the past, as
he was always so serious, and he generally came off as stern. But having this new information
about him made Grizella see him in a different light, as if there were a softness about him, a
deeper layer she didn't notice before.
Grizella found herself daydreaming about Rhistel. In her mind, he was kind, light-hearted, but
profoundly intelligent. In reality, she knew nothing more than his name and occupation, for now
she was far too petrified and caught up in her infatuation to actually try and strike up a
conversation with him.
One night, unable to sleep, she decided to go for a walk. Letting her imagination direct her path,
Grizella found herself outside Rhistel’s office door. Candlelight flickered underneath the door
frame. She sat outside the door, back and head against the wall. Suddenly, her eyes went wide
as she heard a chair slide back, a few quick steps, and the door opened. There he was, silver
hair glimmering in the candle light. A hand at his temple, looking out at the stacks in the dark. As
she sat in the shadows staring, she realized he hadn't even noticed she was there. She held her
breath.
“Of course they're at the bloody nodes,” he muttered before sauntering off toward the stacks.
Grizella got to her feet, took two steps toward the hallway to leave, then suddenly stopped. She
turned and looked into Rhistel’s open office and went inside.
Scrolls, maps, stray parchment, and books were amassed on top of the desk. She had an
overwhelming impulse to see what he could possibly be working on that would keep him up at
this hour. She found a notebook, the ink still fresh. It was written in elvish script, but was a
language she didn't understand. Flipping through a few of the pages she recognized the name
Ilduin.
She grabbed the notebook off the desk and made her way back to her quarters. She sat on her
bed and tossed the notebook beside her. She found it difficult to catch her breath, not from
overexertion, but from the anxiety of what she had just done. No, not anxiety, but thrill. She
smiled and picked up the notebook and began to go through page by page. Ilduin, Pozonux,
Zelduraz, Lakzia, and Talidare - a fairytale hero and four deities. The rest was gibberish.
She lay in bed, thinking back on her childhood memory of Ilduin’s story. Her memory was
vague. Ilduin had recovered each relic by succeeding at some challenge, or riddle. She
remembered one of the challenges was to meditate outside of a large circle, the middle of which
stood an altar that held the antlers of a deer. Whereas several skeletons littered the floor inside
the circle before him, Ilduin remained seated on the floor with his eyes closed. Though no one
saw the altar ever move, over time it became closer until it was outside the circle and attainable.
Could it be that the nature of the challenge, the relic in the form of antlers, was really a
representation of Talidare, the goddess of Patience, Gentleness, and Tolerance? We're the
other challenges linked to the other deities in Rhistel’s notebook, perhaps not relics, but idols?
What were the other challenges? She wished she had reread the story instead of placing the
book back on the shelf. At least she knew where to find it.
The next day, feigning to perform her normal duties, Grizella made her way over to where she
had placed Ilduin the Intrepid. She plucked it from the shelf and turned to leave. Before her
stood Rhistel, as serious an expression as ever. Their eyes locked and he smiled. She thought
her heart might might burst from her chest.
“Griselda, isn't it?” he asked. She couldn't find her voice to correct him, so all she could do was
nod in agreement. “I just wanted to let you know that I admire your work ethic. I honestly don't
know what we'd do without you. I'm glad to see you've found the time for some leisure reading.”
He reached out and gently took the book from her hands. Again, all she could do was nod as he
inspected the cover. He handed the book back to her as he said, “One of my favorites from
childhood. I like to reread it from time to time. Well, please don't let me keep you. Have a
pleasant day.” And with that he began to leave.
“Rhistel,” she was surprised to hear herself say. He turned to meet her gaze once more.
“Perhaps we could discuss the story over tea sometime? Thursday? At 1 o'clock?”
He smiled again. “I would enjoy that very much. Good day, Griselda.”
Back in her quarters, she was conflicted by thoughts of excitement, and guilt, and fear. He had
to have known it was her. It was almost inconceivable that he should notice her at all, let alone
approach her the day after she had stolen his notebook.
That night she decided to return it. If she couldn't get it into Rhistel’s office, she'd stash it in the
stacks somewhere - no evidence, no crime, right? She made her way down to the office and
found the area deserted. She went to the door. No candlelight, no sound. She opened the door,
which was unlocked. This was too easy, something was amiss.
The room lit up revealing two hooded figures and Rhistel. “I thought you'd be back,” Rhistel
said. The three of them each lifted a hand toward Grizella, releasing white lightning-like energy,
striking her torso. She immediately fell unconscious.
Grizella awoke in a bedroom she did not recognize. She looked about for something or
someone familiar. She arose slowly, her body stiff and slow. Looking about the room, there was
the bed she was sitting on, an armoire, a desk with a lamp, a chair, and a vanity. Upon the
vanity lay a satchel, which she went over to inspect. A letter with her name lay atop the satchel.
As she reached for the letter, she noticed there was something wrong with her hand. Both
hands. They were thin, dehydrated. She looked into the mirror as a strange old woman stared
back at her.
My Dearest Sister,
The Circle is not pleased with your actions, to say the least. You have been accused of breaking into Rhistel
Vennan’s office and stealing his research to pass off as your own. I believe in your integrity, but I must
admit to being somewhat swayed by the evidence against you. It seems you had his notebook on your person,
and there were witnesses to your unauthorized intrusion. It took quite a bit of persuasion, but they have
agreed to let you leave without further punishment. They will not be restoring you to your former self. In
fact, I get the feeling from some that the fact you survived at all was somewhat of a surprise.
Though it was quite difficult, I have secured your registration card for you along with a bit of money, which
you will find enclosed. For your own safety as well, as mine, I urge you to steer clear of the Mage Cabal
whenever possible. If the Circle discovers I have aided you, we may both be in further trouble.
I am saddened that I cannot say goodbye to you in person, but I cannot jeopardize my position and my
research. It has been made quite clear to me that to see you again would raise suspicion of a conspiracy
between us, as I have been your sole advocate during this time.
As I'm sure you'd have guessed, you have been removed from the premises. I anticipate you will return home
to be with Mother and Father. Please take care of yourself on your journey. I will write to them and let them
know to expect you. I regret that we didn’t have more time together.
Your loving sister,
Jandara
She had the sudden realization after reading her sister’s letter that her time in this world was
approaching an end. One always thinks they have all the time in the world - until they don’t. She
had spent the majority of her life safe and insulated. Doing what was expected of her, being
boring. The first thing she ever did in her life that was even the slightest bit exciting nearly got
her killed.
With her mortality looming in front of her, she wanted to be free. To the hells with safety. To the
hells with the Cabal. She would not return home to finish out her remaining days - the way she
had lived up until now - in quiet and in moderation.
Her first order of business was to go on an adventure. Unfortunately, this proved to be much
more difficult than she anticipated. She walked the streets, loitered in taverns and inns, and tried
to make friends with local merchants. It seemed that no one wanted an old woman slowing them
down. She spent the next several months using her magic to to odd jobs in order to keep herself
fed and a roof over her head. With everyone treating her like an old lady, sometimes she forgot
she was a young half-elven woman. She couldn’t help but ruminate on the events that led her to
this moment in her life. Thoughts of distrust, resentment, and loathing of the Cabal festered
within her. Oh, Applesauce! She couldn’t let them win, she couldn’t let her life be stolen away
with nothing to show for it. All she needed was someone to give her a chance.
She was on the verge of giving up on living the adventurer’s life and contemplated returning
home to her parents. She set sail on a ship toward home...