Sefris Nathandem, Aasimar - Contemplative of Mystra

Status: Active

Illustration by Keith Parkinson

Born in 1340, the Year of the Lion, in Skuld, the capital city of Mulhorand, one of the few remaining empires in Faerun - a patriarchal nation, where the first son inherits 2/3 of the family's fortune, the second son gets the remainder, and all others fend for themselves. A nation where slavery still remains, where 99% of the population is human, with a culture resistant to change and hostile to visitors, especially if they're nonhuman. A nation ruled by clerics, warriors and wizards, ruled by a pharaoh, and the descendents of the gods.

Here, that the third child of a major noble house, a daughter found herself pregnant. Her name was Umara, an initiate of the priesthood of Isis, and her problem grave, as the father of her unborn was elven, a nonhuman - true, she was Aasimar, a carrier of divine essence, and thus not technically a human, but in a nation ruled by the physical manifestations of their deities, such is a mark of honor and nobility, not hate and rejection. However the father was an elf, uncommon in these lands, a true nonhuman, subject to slavery, or a merchant or diplomat, subject to very large fines and a cold reception, not one that anyone in Mulhorand might wish as their child's father. Umara kept it quiet from her parents, as well as her oldest brother, Aoth, a high-ranking military aide to the Pharaoh, but confided in her brother Ramas, a wizard merchant, without telling the identity of the father. He helped her conceal her pregnancy, until time came for her to give birth; so it came as quite a shock to her family. They were quite proud of their family name and their children: a warrior, a cleric and a wizard, the three most powerful sects of Mulhorand. They hoped to hide the truth by keeping Umara and her child, a daughter named Sefris, isolated and confined to the family estates, which worked for a while. It seemed motherhood changed their obedient daughter to an outspoken being, quite protective of her child and their future; unfortunately, disease claimed her life before any plans of hers might be put into place, and Sefris's future was left for the family to decide.

Ramas came home from Gheldaneth, and spent a great deal of time behind closed doors with the family, sometimes his voice rising in argument; finally it had been decided, if not altogether approved by the rest, that Ramas would take Sefris and raise her as his own - this way she'd be away from the family and the capital, where the family might continue playing their political games and hope their ambitious dreams, without a mark of shame among them. Ramas was unmarried and unlikely to provide an heir, so Sefris became his surrogate child - a situation acceptable to the family, who would have a member of their family provided for, but still get nothing from them. Sefris was only 5 years old, still a baby, so it seemed a great adventure to go with her uncle, and leave the known family estates.

Gheldaneth, the second largest city of the nation, is a port ruled by the clerics of Thoth. It is home to the Great University and the Wizard's College, and is a more free-thinking, tolerant city - the perfect place for Sefris to explore and learn. Visitors on ships came there from all over: Unther, Thay, Aglarond, Thesk, the Great Dale, Impiltur, the Vast, the Dalelands, Sembia, Cormyr, the Dragon Coast, Turmish, the Vilhon Reach, Chondath, Chessenta. The family name of Nathandem is quite known in Mulhorand, Unther, Thay, Murghom, Chessenta and Semphar (all settled by the same people), as a rich noble house; also it is known to all those who are able to reach Mulhorand by ship, as a powerful and successful merchant house, mostly due to Ramas.

Ramas, a sailor and merchant, a powerful wizard, who oversaw the family's merchant dealings, and proved to be quite successful, and thus quite rich when comparing to other second sons, took care to nurture and teach Sefris, and when her dormant sorcereous powers came to life, took her around the city, getting her into the libraries of both the University and the Wizard's College, using his title and wealth to get her the best education, and to ensure her health and happiness, her want for nothing. Still, he worried about her safety, so he encouraged her to hide her half-elven ears, and to take care in whom she places her trust; he also took care to have her birthmark, that of seven blue-white stars, on her left temple tattooed, that none might miss it and know her, with her golden eyes, as different, born of the gods, respected. Sefris grew, happily until around her 16th year, when she begged her uncle to let her go with him to a family gathering, the celebration of the birth of Aoth's first-born son. It was a very big mistake, one that Sefris vowed never to make again - for starters she wasn't allowed to enter the capital and her uncle had to pretend she was his slave, and had to pay a hefty fine, then, the family reception was cold and distant, shunning her completely, ending with an argument between her, Ramas and Aoth. Feeling unwanted, uncertain about where she belonged, Sefris wondered about Gheldaneth and eventually came to the attention of clerics of Mystra, who welcomed her with open arms, giving her a feeling of belonging and encouraging her to develop the ability of channeling divine spells; as the new Mystra rose, Sefris' abilities came to the fore, as they shared the same alignment, and Sefris happily took the cleric responsibilities of an initiate of Mystra. Ramas was relieved, for now there were others to whom she might go in need, as well as the weight that clerics carry in Mulhorand, would protect Sefris, but still he made sure her education did not suffer, introducing Sefris to more physical skills, and survival techniques. Ramas took her with him on his trips, hoping to teach her the ways of the merchant business; it was on one of this trips, that Sefris found her familiar, a jhereg named Loyosh: she went through the ritual of calling for a female jhereg, offering a sacrifice in food and in return getting an egg; it was on another trip, in Unther, where an ill-advised excursion to check out some new found ruins, led to her party being attacked by a dragon; a portal was present there as well, and unwilling to face the dragon's wrath, Sefris was forced to take it - she found herself in Fakovnia, a land unknown to her.

Being in Ravenloft, taught Sefris the importance of fighting evil; being forced to hide herself, and fight undead and evil clerics/wizards, and being involved in the Grand Conjuction, taught her the importance of having her goddess on her side, and the unfamiliar rituals and magic sources taught her how to improve her familiar, and left her wanting to know more. As she found herself in Damara, she's chosen to stay there and help that nation; still she's always on the lookout for more magical items and ways to learn more about magic. In Damara she also found a cohort, named Nym, an elf, she hoped would better protect her and help her know more about her elven blood and their ways (Sefris has heard of Aglarond, a place she hopes to someday go to, where half-elves are more welcome; a nation a ship's ride away from Mulhorand, ruled by a Chosen of Mystra)

Sefris is a bright 19 year old, about 15 year old human equivalent, with red hair, elven years, and golden eyes; she's 5"7, 130lb; she's loyal to those she trusts, and rather naïve about the conditions of the poor, or the life of other nations, assuming them to be about the same as her own land; she never worried about money, and is quite comfortable in libraries, temples and wizard's places; her main interest in life is magic, Mystra and knowledge, and she loves her familiar dearly, whom she absolutely trusts and protects; she's generous to her friends, but hasn't had many, and hasn't faced many trials in her life; she's curious about her father and his people, but won't come out and say so.

Sefris Nathandem is played by Daniela Bogdan