Esmeralda Erewan

Daughter-in-law of Princess Carlotina Erewan of Erewan

Secret Leader of the Elven Liberation Front

Witch of the Third Circle

 AC 1016

"I must warn you, milady, if my advice is not heeded, a veritable plague will befall both our houses!"

Appearance

Esmeralda Erewan is tall for a Belcadizan elf, but about the average size for any other elf. She is a unique mix of the dark Belcadizan features and the light-golden Erewan traits. But her most striking attributes, by far, are her eyes. Large, round, and in deep shades of emerald green, it was for these that Esmeralda was named such.

For public displays, Esmeralda wears dresses in shades of green—whether Belcadizan vestidas, traditional Erewan gowns, or the more chic attires of Glantrian City fashions—to highlight her best features. In fact it was with these dresses and those emerald-green eyes that she caught the attentions of her husband, as well as many other gentlemen of Glantri.

Of course, for more clandestine affairs, such as secret meetings of the Elven Liberation Front or snooping around in the Parliament offices, Esmeralda is anything but the flamboyant verdant beauty that she is.

Personality

Esmeralda is extremely intelligent and cunning. She knows how to use Belcadizan charms as well as Erewan subtleties, having spent much time dealing with both clans of elves. Doña Esmeralda is a mistress of political strategy and manipulation, skilled in both diplomacy and doubletalk. She is not above treachery or violence, though she usually arranges for someone else to do the dirty work. Ultimately, she is loyal only to herself.

Background

Esmeralda de Belcadiz was born in AC 887, a time when the elven dominion had recently split into the Principality of Belcadiz and the new Principality of Erewan, and a time of much conflict between the two elven clans. Esmeralda's mother was Olivia de Belcadiz, a member of the ruling family of Belcadiz, who was all too enamored by her nature-loving cousins of Clan Ellerovyn, and had an illicit and scandalous affair with one of these Erewan foresters. Doña Olivia never revealed the identity of Esmeralda's father, save that he was a handsome Erewan elf with bright green eyes.

Esmeralda did not have an easy childhood. She was illegitimate and was scarcely recognized as part of la familia Belcadiz.  Doña Olivia herself was accused of being an Erewan sympathizer, and under the threat of violence, had to flee her home in Alhambra to live in the forests of Ellerovyn. Amongst the Erewan elves, Doña Olivia and Esmeralda were not fully accepted either, and few mourned Doña Olivia's death at the hands of Belcadizan radicals raiding the Erewan territories. A benevolent group of Erewan foresters at least had the decency to send the young orphan Esmeralda to her next of kin, Don Virgilio de Belcadiz.

Don Virgilio, Olivia's brother, was a dull but kindly bureaucrat, living in the capital and working for the Principe de Belcadiz. He constantly worked with spokesmen, ministers, and nobles, and discovered in Esmeralda an astute student of Glantrian politics. It was at this time that Esmeralda formed her ambitions of power.

Esmeralda managed to attend the Great School of Magic, as a scholar of the Secret Craft of Witchcraft. Doña Olivia, despite her transgressions, was a high-ranking Witch of good standing, and had she been alive, would surely have passed on the Craft to her daughter. Esmeralda claimed her entitlement to Witchcraft and was sponsored by none other than Doña Carnelia de Belcadiz herself, the next in line as the High Mistress of Witchcraft at that time. 

While at the Great School, Esmeralda allowed herself to be wooed by Sire Thendain Erewan, son of Prince Celedrin and Lady Carlotina Erewan. Sire Thendain found Esmeralda so chic and cosmopolitan, and yet versed enough of Erewan sensibilities, to be presentable to his parents. As a result of this objectionable pairing, not a few curses were exchanged, insults hurled, schemes plotted, and threats bared between Belcadiz and Erewan clans.

But when Esmeralda claimed to be pregnant with Thendain's child, a wedding date was immediately set in AC 980. The marriage however later proved to be particularly inharmonious and disastrous, with the marital woes of Doña Esmeralda and Sire Thendain becoming fuel for gossip from Alhambra to Ellerovyn for years on end!

And yet, Doña Esmeralda showed her political mettle and earned her place in Clan Ellerovyn, by working for the Prince Celedrin of Erewan as a representative in Parliament (In payment for her services, Clan Erewan pays for her schooling at the Great School of Magic.) Esmeralda proved particularly beneficial to Lady Carlotina in the transition when her husband died and she had to assume the throne. Esmeralda has been an indispensable political advisor to Princess Carlotina ever since.

Esmeralda stays in Glantri City for her political duties for Clan Ellerovyn and her continuing magic education, which—if Esmeralda is to be believed—she has not yet finished due to her other responsibilities (such as her giving birth to a magically-disabled son, Unedyrin). In truth, she stays at the Great School of Magic to uncover secrets about Witchcraft, Cryptomancy, and the mysterious force called the Radiance.

Web of Intrigue

Doña Esmeralda is at the center of many intrigues between Belcadiz and Erewan. Politically, she is a trusted advisor to Princess Carlotina Erewan and is a trusted representative of Clan Ellerovyn at Parliament. She has many contacts with the Spokesmen's Guild and the Hall of Magistrates—many of whom though also have dealings with Clan Alhambra.

Esmeralda is also a key player in diplomatic and ambassadorial affairs of the Principalities, particularly to the Kingdom of Alfheim, and later to the Kingdom of Aengmor. She was a personal friend of Sire Galladin, Ambassador of Alfheim, and facilitated the immigration of Alfheim refugees into Erewan. Later, it was also Esmeralda who recently suggested to Princess Carlotina to form an alliance with the Shadow elves. Doña Esmeralda is in high standing with the Ambassadors and Ministers' Solidarity.

All of Doña Esmeralda's legal activities put her in apposition to learn much of the goings-on between Erewan, Glantri, and the other nations, not only in political affairs, but in magical matters as well.

Secretly, Esmeralda is the leader of the Elven Liberation Front, a radical terrorist group advocating the separation of Erewan from Glantri. This puts her in violent opposition of the Free Armed Elven Revolutionary Youth and Don Carlo de Belcadiz, whom Esmeralda has identified as their leader; unfortunately for Don Carlo, he has not yet accomplished the same.

The Erewan elves perceive Esmeralda as Sire Thendain's scandalous Belcadizan wife, although most of Clan Ellerovyn have a grudging respect at her political mettle. They largely remain unaware of Esmeralda's plots. Only the Clan Oracle Lady Norelia Erewan has suspected her of treachery, and has been slowly gathering evidence of her connections with Belcadiz and the Secret Craft of Witchcraft. Lady Norelia, however, will not make a move until she is sure.

Through all her conniving and plotting, Doña Esmeralda does not have any true concern or sincere loyalties to either Belcadiz or Erewan. In the end, she is only looking out for her own welfare.

Style of Magic & Combat

Statistics: 9th-level elf, Witch of the 2nd Circle (D&D, AC 1000); elf, 10th-level mage/6th-level thief, Witch of the 3rd Circle (AD&D, AC 1017); Str 9, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 13, Cha 16; AL C (D&D), CN (AD&D).

Languages: Elvish (Erewan/Alfheim and Belcadizan dialects), Thyatian (Glantrian and Caurenzan dialects), Flaemish.

Skills: bureaucracy, diplomacy (+1), etiquette, heraldry, politics (Glantrian), reading/writing, spellcraft.

Thief Skills: CW 70%; DN 70%; FRT 10%; HS 55%; MS 75%; OL 50%; PP 30%; RL 50%; backstab x2.

Weapon Proficiencies: dagger, stiletto.

At the Great School of Magic, Esmeralda is considered a mere student, despite her lengthy stay. She often pretends to be a weaker mage, and hides the fact that she is a Witch, especially from the Erewan elves.

During her stay at the Great School, Esmeralda has uncovered much about the Secret Craft of Cryptomancy. Though she cannot use them herself, Esmeralda has a considerable familiarity with runes and glyphs, and can identify if a symbol is a Cryptomancer's rune of not (40% chance). She is also quite informed about the membership of the Craft.

Most recently, Esmeralda has learned of something called the Radiance. She understands it is a source of great magical power and that certain Princes of Glantri have access to it. She also knows that Princess Carlotina has learned of it and was trying to share knowledge of it to the Alfheim elves. Esmeralda would like to use this magic for herself, but she realizes she does not yet have the skill to use it.

Throughout the course of her spying and deceptions, Esmeralda has developed consider thieving skills. Augmented with magic, Esmeralda is a formidable match to a real thief with actual training.

"You actually believe she is working for us? We would not need any more enemies if she were truly on our side!"

(Doña Blanca de Belcadiz, lecturing her sister, Doña Carmina, about politics, power plays, and their two-faced cousin)

References: History of Clan Ellerovyn 

Author: Kit Navarro