Areesa Tallshade
From Mizahar Lore
| Race | Human | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 95 BV | ||||||
| Place of birth | Alahea | ||||||
| Date of death | 22 BV (aged 73) | ||||||
| Place of death | Tallshade Keep | ||||||
| Title | White Enchantress, former Seven Robes member | ||||||
| Skills |
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Areesa Tallshade was a famous Alahean wizard who lived before the Valterrian. She was known as the White Enchantress because of her white robes and her ability to craft magical items of great value and significance, most notably the lost Anvil of Souls. She is one of the only pre-Valterrian wizards to still be remembered by more than a few scholars in modern Mizahar. Her items are highly sought after, and every now and then one appears on the market, though they often turn out to be fakes, either nonmagical or crafted by one of her apprentices. It is estimated that a high-level Tallshade original could be worth millions of gold Miza, hence the constant treasure hunt for her items.
Biography
Tallshade did not exhibit magical talent from an early age; instead, she spent her youth living the good life with her family's considerable wealth. As the war with Suvan went from bad to worse, however, the Alahean government resorted to mass confiscation of lands and money in order to hire more and more mercenaries and fund forbidden magic projects. Families that had displayed no particular loyalty to the country were, of course, targeted first, and the Tallshades found themselves fallen from grace and without a roof to sleep under.
Reputedly, Areesa entered a magical curriculum because she thought she could make money without working that way. While nobody would have given the somewhat air-headed blonde any credit, she surprised everyone by breezing through the normal three-year introductory courses in six months. Fascinated with Magecraft and what she at first described as the creation of "shinies", she likely did not immediately realize her own potential as she entered one of the most dangerous branches of world magic.
Decades of studying magic changed Tallshade considerably. She did not marry, though considerable gossip surrounded her supposed liasons. It is said that she maintained a youthful look throughout her life, a fact some attributed to a non-Human lineage, others to blood tranfusions from magical beings. While her body forgot to age, though, her soul did so twice as fast. A woman consumed by her passion, Tallshade would build impressive magical items only to sell them to finance even greater projects. Not a loyal woman, she made business with anyone, openly with Alahea and under the counter with Suvan. Whoever could provide her with reagents was immediately her friend.
She was 55 when she reached the zenith of her career, with the most successful batch of items ever created. The Anvil of Souls, an item capable of making a soul escape the cycle of reincarnation and the only known instance of a Gnosis mark granted by Lhex, was her opus magnum. She also crafted the Zariath, a sword specifically forged to cut the immortals, and the Kingmaker, a scepter originally meant for Emperor Kovinus. All these items are still missing to this day.
It is said that, upon turning 60, she was visited by horrible visions of the devastation her careless crafting would bring upon the world. Whatever she did see, it changed her completely; the once bold, passionate woman turned silent and introspective. At first, she sought to destroy her own items, but most had already been sold and the most powerful were beyond her ability to undo. In the end, she reportedly hid these objects "where only the worthy would find them", but continued to research methods to destroy harmful magic, perhaps sensing an upcoming tragedy. She was probably performing one such experiment, when she died in a dramatic accident that destroyed her laboratory at Tallshade Keep. A small magic club and school has been founded on the ruins of her keep, though no items have ever been found.
Major creations
Areesa Tallshade is credited with the creation of dozens of magical items, though many of these were actually crafted by her apprentices under her close supervision. She maintained several major laboratories all over Alahea, constantly on the move thanks to her special permit allowing her to use the Watchtower system at will and without being questioned. Nevertheless, there are six magical items commonly associated with her name. None of these have been recovered yet. It is said that she recorded hints leading to their locations on a Powercube. Several factions are actively seeking out these artifacts due to the enormous potential they hold, especially in the magically weakened post-Valterrian world.
The greater three:
- The Anvil of Souls: marked by Lhex, rumored to turn its users into higher creatures called Outlings outside the cosmic cycle of reincarnation while allowing them an unknown amount of power.
- The Zariath: a sword said to be harmless against mortals, but capable of cutting the gods and Alvina. If found, it could easily upset the balance of divine politics within the world.
- The Kingmaker: a scepter that enhances one's leadership abilities hundredfold. People flock to its wielder like sheep, eager to make any sacrifice in his name. Kovinus turned it down upon receiving it as a gift, not wishing to manipulate his people.
The lesser three:
- The Book of Roth: a self-rewriting book that feeds upon other books by incorporating them into itself. The Book is suspected of having absorbed knowledge from thousands of other manuscripts, many of which lost with the Valterrian.
- The Djed Eye: a glass eye to be used as a replacement for a real one, and granting its wearer the ability to double his usable Djed and execution speed with no penalties.
- The Najim Pearl: an item rumored to allow a wizard to keep as many Familiars as he wanted, as opposed to only one.