Raevin
Raevin's earliest memories are shrouded in darkness, both literal and metaphorical. She recalls a faint, distant melody from a lullaby, but she cannot place its origin. From a young age, she was confined to a small, damp cell. The conditions were dire—no light to distinguish day from night, only the chilling touch of cold stone and the occasional sound of other prisoners’ desperate cries. Her isolation was almost total, with only shadows as her constant companions.
Her life was an endless cycle of silent torment and fear. She was only brought into the light for two reasons: to be punished or to be sold. The punishments were harsh and arbitrary, often for reasons she did not understand. Her captors seemed to delight in her confusion and pain, further enforcing her sense of worthlessness. Each time she was sold, it was to another master who treated her as nothing more than a tool or commodity. The transactions were swift and impersonal, her fate decided in hushed, shadowy exchanges.
In this perpetual twilight, Raevin discovered a curious comfort in the shadows. They seemed to respond to her emotions, shifting and dancing with her fears and desires. This strange connection grew stronger over time. As a child, she could only make the shadows flicker or deepen, but as she matured, she learned to manipulate them, creating tangible shapes and even hiding within them.
This power became her sanctuary, her one semblance of control in an otherwise chaotic existence. However, it also made her a target. Her attempt to escape using her shadow magic was a desperate bid for freedom. She slipped through the cracks of reality, blending into the darkness, but her inexperience betrayed her. Caught and subdued, she was sold once again, this time to a particularly cruel master—Edris.
Edris was a shadow fey with a reputation for ruthlessness. He ruled over his domain with an iron fist, using fear and manipulation to maintain control. He was fascinated by the potential of shadow magic and saw Raevin as a rare asset. Unlike her previous owners, Edris recognized her abilities and sought to exploit them fully. He began training her, not out of any desire to help her grow, but to mold her into a weapon.
Edris's training methods were brutal. He subjected Raevin to intense, often painful exercises to hone her abilities. He forced her to manipulate shadows to eavesdrop on conversations, steal secrets, and even carry out assassinations. Each mission was a test of her loyalty and effectiveness. Failure was met with severe punishment—whips, magical tortures, and isolation in a cell devoid of any shadows, leaving her in a terrifying state of sensory deprivation.
Despite the harsh treatment, Raevin found a perverse comfort in her tasks. The missions gave her purpose, a fleeting sense of importance. But as she carried out Edris's will, she witnessed firsthand his cruelty and manipulation. He relished in the suffering of others, using his powers to twist minds and spread chaos. Edris enjoyed pitting his subordinates against each other, creating an atmosphere of paranoia and mistrust. Raevin saw how he destroyed lives for sport, how he exploited every weakness to maintain his dominance.
The turning point came during a particularly dangerous mission. Raevin was tasked with infiltrating a rival fey lord's court to steal a powerful artifact. The mission was risky, but Edris assured her that success would bring her favor and perhaps, for the first time, a semblance of freedom. However, the mission went awry. Raevin was caught, her shadow magic outmatched by the rival's defenses. She barely escaped with her life, returning to Edris empty-handed.
Edris's reaction was as brutal as she feared. He lashed out, stripping away at her dignity. He locked her in a shadowless cell, her senses deprived, her mind left to spiral into despair. In the cold, suffocating darkness, Raevin realized that Edris had never intended to reward her. He had always seen her as nothing more than a tool, a disposable asset.
When she regained consciousness, Raevin found herself in a new, bewildering place—the vibrant, surreal world of the Feywild. Unbeknownst to her, Edris had sold her once more, discarding her after deeming her a liability. The Feywild's strange energies resonated with her shadow magic, amplifying her abilities but also leaving her feeling disoriented and vulnerable.
Alone and confused, Raevin wandered this new land, struggling to understand her place in it. The vivid colors and magical landscapes were a stark contrast to the bleakness she had known. It was in this state of bewilderment that she encountered Tolkith's grandfather, who saw potential in her plight. Understanding her skills and the darkness that tainted her past, he offered her a chance—not just to aid the Brindlefins but to strike back at Edris and the shadow fey who had tormented her.