Gender: Male Height: 5'4" Weight: 110 lbs. Age: 105 Eyes: Deep Green Hair: Dirty Blonde Skin: Dark Brown

Race: Wood Elf Home: Wealdath forest region of Tethyr Profession: Needle of Our Lady of the Forest Memberships: Order of the Bow (Initiate Level) Patron Deity: Mielikki Temperament: Chaotic Good Weapon of Choice: Magical Composite Longbow

Biography:

One-hundred and five years ago, Tethyr was much different than it is today. Beginning with the mysterious death of King Errilam in 1277 DR while he was hunting with both human and elvish nobles, until about five years ago, there was much chaos. Due to the suspicious events of the king's death, there were many hard feelings between the human and the elves for some time, and during these times of chaos for the human kingdom of Tethyr, many campaigns of terror and violence were waged against the elves of Wealdath (known as the Forest of Tethir by the humans). Because of the continuing slaughter of elves and felling of trees by three concurrent kings (not including the nearly 200 false-rulers trying to fill the power vacuum in Tethyr during the Interregnum Years following the Ten Black Days of Eleint), all but two of the seven large tribes of Wealdath remain today. Before these dark times for the elves of the Wealdath, the Suldusk lived in friendship and prosperity with the humans of Tethyr by finding a way to combine the need for intelligent use of nature as well as preserving the sacredness of the forest and the rest of nature. Due to these factors, the faith of Mielikki migrated quite quickly throughout the Suldusk and the other remaining elves of Tethir.

Born into the native Suldusk tribe of wood elves living in the Wealdath in 1264 DR, Azmadi was noticed at an early age for his strong tracking abilities, sharp-shooting eye, and deep sense of reverence for the splendor of nature, with an equally deep sense of respect for civilization. By the time he was old enough to begin his race's typical seventy-five year apprenticeship, it had already been decided by the elder priests of Mielikki as well as by his family that he would be a Needle for the Lady of the Forest; a ranger of the woods who served as the military arm of the faith of Mielikki. He was assigned to be the apprentice to the Needle of the Forest Queen, Kenzik Ul'thun.*
^{* the elven phrase which means literally "true-shot"; used to refer to those that the wood elves recognized to be supernaturally talented with a bow.}

While he spent much of his early apprenticing in the art of bowcraft and near-forest hunting, by the end of his first fifty years with the Needle Kenzik Ul'thun, Kenzik recommended (more appropriately demanded) that Azmadi take part in a great ceremonial hunt - a contest of his people. He did, and won, by one of the largest margins ever. After this, though he still had twenty-five years of apprenticeship left, he was treated as a full Needle by Kenzik and those around him.

The most impacting event in Azmadi's life came in 1364 DR, the end of his seventy-five year apprenticeship near at hand. During routine scouting exercises near some human encampments near the edge of the Wealdath that bordered a major human settlement, Azmadi and his master-ranger were caught in the trap of mercenaries. Though they escaped with their lives, upon return to their village they heard news that Bunlap, a notorious human mercenary and logger was plowing through the forest, destroying all trees and elves in his path. All of the able-bodied males of the village were immediately sent to counter the threat, and the Needles of the Forest Queen were sent to lead this defense. But the elves were horribly outnumbered. Azmadi had witnessed Kenzik ruthlessly cut down after surrending his bow and knife (his only remaining defensive weapon). After dispatching Kenzik's assailants, Azmadi approached his mentor and knelt beside him, trying to mend his wounds as he had been taught by the dying man. "Do not bother, young true-shot...there is not but a fleeting breath of life left in me..." The last words Kenzik spoke before he died. He had called Azmadi 'true-shot,' the name Kenzik had been given by his master when he graduated and took his place as an adult in elf-society. The mentor's last words were quite of different thing from the Rite of Passage most wood elves go through, but Azmadi understood the message. He was an adult now, and he needed to take charge.

By the end of five days of fighting much of the forest had fallen under control of Bunlap and the mercenaries. Azmadi soon heard news that his home village had been destroyed, his mother and sister had been taken to be either raped or murdered (likely both). Days later he received news from another Needle-friend that his father and his three elder brothers had been caught by Bunlap's men (which effectively meant they were dead). Things seemed bleak, to say the least...

And that is when the tide turned. An envoy from Evermeet arrived in Tethir, lead by an elven swordswoman of much legend wielding a moonblade. She was able to rally all the sylvan people of the Wealdath into a single force that routed and killed the human despoilers of the forest. Early during a major battle and victory for the elves, Azmadi had been caught surprised by a patrol. He was able to hide in nearby trees waiting for an opportunity to surprise the humans; he now cared very little for his own safety, after losing his family and mentor. He lept from his hiding place to the branches of another tree and loosed a barage of arrows from his quiver down upon the patrolling mercenaries. Though he was quickly knocked from the tree by an arrow that grazed his left cheek, he was not on the ground for long. The woman the elves had all been talking about, the one from Evermeet with the moonblade, had pulled him out of the way of a greatsword that was making its way toward him. She lept in front of him and felled three mercenaries before turning around to pick him up of the ground. Had Azmadi been a human, such as they are distracted by the beauty of a goddess, he would not have been able to react quickly enough to notch up another arrow from his quiver and let it fly directly into the neck of an advancing mercenary targeting the beautiful swordswoman with a longsword of his own. "We must escape," she said to him, "more of them will be in the area." Azmadi, now too dumbfounded by her beauty to say anything, just nodded and followed after her. Once they were far enough away from front lines of the battle, she set him against a tree and told him to rest before returning to the fight. "Today will be a great day for the elves...you will see my young friend." She then kissed Azmadi on his cheek; a thank you for watching her back minutes ago. "Perhaps we will meet again, true-shot." Within moments she had disappeared into the forest. And all Azmadi could do was put his hands to the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him and wonder how she knew his honor as a true-shot. He never forgot her, or their meeting that day, and hopes even now that he will get a chance to meet her again.

The elves won that battle, decisively. They also won three more in the next two days. The humans that had not been cut down by the swordswoman from Evermeet or her allied sylvan forces had run. Soon after, notices came to the city council at Zazesspur (the largest governmental seat in Tethyr at that time) that the eastern boundaries of the forest would be restored to their rightful expanses as they were a century before. These notices, delivered by an elven representative of Evermeet on Higharvestide of the Year of the Wave (1364 DR), held the veiled threat from Queen Amlaruill that any transgressions against the elves and their restoration of the trees would be met with extreme prejudice and force, if necessary. Aside from the internal threats of monsters native to Tethir, the elves of Tethir have been left in peace since then.

With the coming coronation of Queen Zaranda at the beginning of 1369 DR, the elves of Tethir felt safe that the peace would hold. The faith of Mielikki, under the guidance of the elder priests of the village that Azmadi returned to with many of his Needle-friends from the war, wished to expand their believes and bring the ideals of peace between nature and civilized expansion to other regions of Tethyr, Amn, and Erlkazar. They hoped to avoid another incident like the one that befelled them almost one hundred and culminatted in this war. Azmadi was chosen to make contact with a young, but well-known elf trader named Rin in Llorbauth, the capital of Erlkazar. Though his ultimate goal was to help creating a presence for the Lady of the Forest in Erlkazar, his mandate was quite open-ended in that he was only specifically directed to make sure the region, and specifically the Haranshire, was safe for establishing secluded forest shrines. He was quite delighted to hear that Rin and the other companions he met in Llorbauth were contracted to deliver a chest of magical items to Thurmaster, a town in Haranshire just by the estate of Count Parlfrey, a well-known human faithful. Azmadi decided that the best place to begin his quest was there and so he accompanied the others to deliver the chest to Tauster of Thurmaster...

Since Joining the Party:

Azmadi has fallen in love with the Haranshire for its rural simplicity, its people and their respect for nature, and for the forests and other natural formations that surround it. He began his adventure with this party to rid the Haranshire of whatever evil was brewing so as to fulfill his churchly duty and help bring Mielikki to this region. And while he still has that mission of faith in his heart as he continued on through the Broken Spire Keep, the Garlstone Mines, and now into the Underdark, he finds something else pushing him forward: a love for this land as deep as any love he has known so far in his life. He hopes to fight this land out from under the shadow of darkness falling over it, and then settle down here as one of its ruling rangers along-side Kuiper, Garyld, and Shiraz; here to spend the rest of his life continuing to protect the Haranshire and the faith of the Forest Queen.

Animal Companions:

Name: Lizmare Gender: Female Height: 6'1" Weight: 1093 lbs. Age: 18 Eyes: Gray Hair: Black Skin: Brown

Race: Draft Horse Home: Nafton's Breeding Stables; Milbourne, Erlkazar Profession: War Horse Memberships: Patron Deity: Temperament: Neutral Good Weapon of Choice: Hooves Status: Alive; set wild by Azmadi upon delving into the Underdark

Name: Snapper Gender: Male Length: 19'10" Weight: 1724 lbs. Age: 7 Eyes: Brown...ish; no one dared go close enough to look Tongue: 20' long Skin: Mixed green and brown

Race: Cave Lizard Home: Underdark regions of Erlkazar Profession: Riding Lizard Memberships: Patron Deity: Temperament: Neutral Weapon of Choice: Tongue grab and clamping jaws Status: Deceased. Killed in battle to rescue Nalthik and Kaleen

Name: Kuo-Toa's Bane Gender: Female Length: 18'11" Weight: 1524 lbs. Age: 4 Eyes: Hazel Tongue: 20' long Skin: Mixed green and brown

Race: Cave Lizard Home: Underdark Profession: Riding Lizard Nickname: KB, The High Ride Patron Deity: Temperament: Neutral Weapon of Choice: Tongue grab and clamping jaws Status: Alive