Ruha

Ruha was an outcast spellcaster of the Mtair Dhafir tribe that famously helped unite Bedine people during the mid–14 century DR. She went on to have an illustrious career as a member of the Harpers, playing an important role in both the Trial of Cyric the Mad and the Return of the Archwizards sagas.

"The Weave is there to use or abuse, and it is the choice we make that determines our fate."

- Ruha, to the avatar of Mystra, 1371 DR.

Description
In her mid–20s Ruha had elegant good looks that were highlighted by her striking eyes, that were often the only feature that was visible behind the veil and shawl she regularly wore. Her cheeks were marked by tattoos in the form of a small pattern of crossed lines.

Personality
Ruha was a confident and determined individual that fiercely valued her independence and freedom to make her own choices. While experienced great sadness and isolation in her life, she was quite selective about whom she allowed to be close to her. Ruha made sure that those around her treated her with respect, even when doing so would break from Bedine custom.

After leaving her homeland, Ruha looked to prove herself in the wider world, seemingly more so to herself than others. While her confidence faltered after some failures in life, Ruha was forced to rediscover her place as a force for good. In the end she found her role to play in the world that stood in stark contrast to the one in which she grew up.

Abilities
Since she was a young child, Ruha had received visions of events that had not yet come to pass. Her first vision was that of a flutter of hundreds of butterflies, which preceded swarms of moths that filled with holes nearly every piece of clothing and fabric that the Mtairi tribe owned. She would later have more intense prophetic visions, ones that guided her path as an adventurer and others that haunted her waking hours.

Due to the years of training she spent while in exile, Ruha was adept at casting elemental magic, specifically the the provinces of those practiced by the elemental mages that originated from Zakhara. She was particularly proficient in the sand and wind provinces.

For a brief time in 1371 DR, Ruha wielded terribly destructive magical powers bolstered by the god of destruction himself.

Possessions
She owned an enchanted +3 jambiya that was extremely important to her, as it was a gift from her foster mother and first tutor of the arcane arts when she turned 12 years old. After recovering during an arduous trek across the desert, Ruha kept with her the spellbook that also belonged to her foster mother and mentor.

One of her most prized possessions was her Harper pin, a symbol of the life she had made for herself, gifted to her by her the person that introduced her to the Harpers organization.

Relationships
Ruha was born to her mother, one of the wives of Sheikh Sabkhat, leader of the Mtairi tribe. She did not have much of a relationship with either of her parents; Ruha's mother died when she was only five years old, and Sheikh Sabkhat exiled his daughter to the a isolated oasis when when it became apparent she was having visions, an affliction that was shunned by the Bedine. The two would share a brief reunions twice more in Ruha's life, though in both instances Sabkhat wanted nothing to do with his daughter for fear of how it would affect the Mtairi people.

For years Ruha was raised by Qoha'dar, the witch that dwelled alone in the Sister of Rains oasis. A fellow exile of the Bedine, Qoha'dar taught Ruha how to wield arcane magic and use that power to survive in the harsh Anauroch desert.

Romances
Ruha enjoyed a very brief marriage with the proud Qahtani warrior Ajaman, before his untimely death mere days after their union. She traveled with his younger brother Kadumi for some time, becoming quite fond of the young man, despite his misguided overbearance and strict adherence to the more antiquated Bedine traditions.

Not long after Ajaman's death, Ruha became quite close to Lander, an outsider of the Bedine that was acting as an agent of the Harpers. Despite the custom of waiting two years after a husband's death to remarry, Ruha and Lander shared growing intimacy during troubling times, and a brief but passionate romantic tryst.

While serving on a mission for the Harpers in Elversult, Ruha garnered the infatuation of Prince Kao Chou Tang of the Ginger Palace. Although the pampered Shou prince believed he was in love with the "wu-jen" Ruha, she did not return his affection.

Nemesis
One of Ruha's most troubling relationships was that which formed between and the chosen of Cyric, Malik el Sami yn Nasser. The two repeatedly tried to kill each other a number of times over the course of a year. Ruha sought to bring Malik to justice for inhumane crimes he committed against innocent servants and scholars, while Malik continually acted in service of his Mad God.

Life in Anauroch
As a child, Ruha would often have visions of things to come. Because the Mtairi viewed them as a sign of witchcraft, Ruha was outcast by her father, Sheikh Sabkhat. She was then raised at the Sister of Rains oasis by the senior Qoha'dar, a fellow outcast spellcaster and kindred spirit. When Ruha was only 16 years old, Qoha'dar died and the young witch was left alone in the world. She remained at the oasis for some time, before trying to find her way back to the Mtair Dhafir camp.

In the, Ruha finally returned to her home tribe, though it was less than momentous occasion. After nearly half of the Qahtani threatened the sheikh they would leave if Ruha remained, Sabkhat arranged for her to marry a warrior from the Qahtan tribe, a some of the sheikh named Ajaman. After only three days of marriage, the Qahtani camp at El Ma'ra was attacked by the forces of the Zhentarim and no survivors remained at the camp, save for Ruha. She was not alone for long this time however, as she soon met up with Kadumi, Ajaman's brother. The pair set off to El Rahalat, in order to warn the members of Ruha's tribe of the Zhentarim, where came across a young Harper by the name of Lander, who sought to do the same. The three were unsuccessful and just barely escaped the onslaught of the Zhentilar soldiers.

Together, the three of them saw to it that many of the desert tribes formed an alliance against the Zhentarim. They traveled to the Colored Waters oasis and managed to convince Sheikhs Sa'ar of the Bait Mahwa, and Utaiba of the Raz'hadi of their cause. After defeating the Zhentarim in a decisive battle, Ruha and her two companions traveled twice across the Shoal of Thirst to equip her with the magic she needed to aid the battle against the Zhentarim. While Kadumi was slain during the journey by a Zhentarim assassin, they were ultimately successful in their mission.

Ruha, Lander, and their sheikh allies managed to gather together the leaders of 13 other Bedine camps and meet at the sacred oasis of Elah'zad. There she had a vision of the future and served as a conduit for the Mother of Waters, and shared the goddess' messages for the leaders of the Bedine: stop the invading Zhent forces.

Harper in the Heartlands
Even though she had played a great part in the unification of the Bedine tribes, and earned the trust and admiration of their respective sheikhs, Ruha felt the same isolation that she endured for so many years in her youth. She decided to leave the desert and join the Harpers herself, the group to which Lander once dedicated himself with all his efforts. For her first mission, Storm Silverhand dispatched Ruha to Voonlar to help disrupt a slave trade, posing as a serving girl at the Swords Meet. Ignorant to local customs, Ruha inadvertently accepted money from a slaver and angered him when she did not offer the services he expected. While she was fortunately saved by the Harper spy she was meant to assist, both of them were forced to leave town. The failed mission led to many slaves being sold or killed, and came to be known in Harper circles as the "Voonlar Debacle".

In the, the aspiring Harper was then sent to Elversult, to help restore the Lady Yanseldara from a magical coma, and free her from the clutches of the dracolich Hethcypressarvil, also known as "Cypress". During the voyage across the Dragonmere, aboard the Sea Sprite captained by the half-orc Fowler, Ruha took it upon herself to come to the aid of another ship that was being assailed by a black dragon. Ruha was able to destroy the dragon at sea, inadvertently causing the destruction of the Sea Sprite. The pair were rescued the Shou caravel named the Ginger Lady and given passage to Pros.

After Ruha made contact with Vaerana Hawklyn of Elversult she was appraised of her mission to infiltrate the Ginger Palace, the Shou embassy on the Dragon Coast, and locate Yanseldara's staff which they believed could lead to her whereabouts. After gaining admittance into the embassy, Ruha attracted the unwanted infatuation of Prince Kao Chou Tang and the ire of his wife Wei Dao, a dynamic that led to her abduction. Despite being taken prisoner for a short while, Ruha managed to convince the Prince and Minister Hsieh Han Liu, as well as Vaerana Hawklyn, they should not work against one another, but align themselves to rescue Yanseldara and Tang's mother, Lady Feng.

Ruha's insight and ingenuity gave her the chance to draw out Cypress and temporarily weaken it, while Prince Tang managed to rescue his mother, and destroyed the spirit gem that bound Cypress' soul along with that of Lady Yanseldara. The plan was successful and Ruha managed to destroy the dracolich once and for all in a great battle and stop its rampage in the streets of Elversult. Having achieved such great success as a new member of the Harpers, Ruha earned the trust of Vaerana Hawklyn, Lady Yanseldara and even Storm Silverhand herself. Perhaps more importantly, she had regained her self-confidence after her previous failed mission.

Chasing the Chosen of Cyric
"You said I should do whatever is necessary to stop Malik—even if it means destroying a whole kingdom...I prayed for a sign, and you sent a shooting star."

- Ruha, to an avatar of Mystra, 1371 DR.

As an experienced agent of the Harpers, Ruha completed several other missions with great success. She rescued the daughter of Duke Wycliff from the clutches of some hill giants and saved some children that had gone missing in the Trollclaw Forest. In the, Ruha received a vision about a beggar that lived in filth in front of Candlekeep. She flew south with the Griffon Cavalry of Waterdeep, arranged for residence within the Keeper's Tower, and soon met the harbinger of misfortune that would plague her for the next year, Malik el Sami yn Nasser. Masquerading as a pitiable retch named Moukhtar, Malik lied his way into Candlekeep and butchered several innocents in his hunt of the Cyrinishad, including a monk of the Avowed, along with Gwydion of Torm and Rinda a scribe from Zhentil Keep. With help from Cyric, Malik fled Candlekeep and Ruha began in pursuit.

Ruha and her ally Zale Protelyus took to the skies, riding atop the hippogriff Silvercloud, and tracked Malik west towards the Wood of Sharp Teeth. While in the forest, Ruha demonstrated greatly increased destructive powers with her magic. Under the guise of Mystra, the mischievous god Mask appeared before the pair, informed Ruha that her new powers were a boon bestowed upon her to aid in her quest to stop Malik. When Ruha next prayed to the true Mystra for guidance, the Lady of Magic directed her to use whatever means necessary to prevent him from retrieving the Cyrinishad, unaware her servant wielded the calamitous power of Talos, by means of the trickster Mask.

The pair tracked Malik down to a minor chapel of Cyric in a village within the Storm Horn mountains. As they approached, Ruha was besieged with a terrifying vision of Cyric. She directed Zale to evacuate the village and used her newfound powers to level Cyric's chapel, believing that was her goddess' will. This proved to be a terrible mistake however, as Zale was injured in the ensuing chaos and Malik still managed to escape. An avatar of the true Mystra appeared before Ruha and admonished her for her actions. Bewildered by Ruha's actions, Mystra cut off the Harper witch's access to the Weave, preventing her from casting magic any longer.

During her ongoing pursuit, Malik managed to gravely wound Silvercloud, leaving Ruha with no advantages left over the crafty Cyricist. Stripped of her powers and alone, Ruha traveled to the nearby town of Voonlar, the site of her first great failure as a Harper. Ruha met a third avatar of the gods that day, when Talos took mortal form and informed her of Mystra's imprisonment by Helm for interfering in Cyric's trial. The Storm Lord tempted her with new powers of spellcasting in exchange for her conversion to his faith, but Ruha refused. In a conciliatory gesture, Talos helped Ruha thwart the plans of the Mad God and informed her she could find the Cyrinishad in Zhentil Keep.

Ruha made her way into Zhentil Keep riding atop the healed Silvercloud, and confronted Malik once again at the city's temple of Iyachtu Xvim. While she was unsuccessful in apprehending Malik, Ruha came to understand his true intent: to swap the Cyrinishad with the True Life of Cyric at Cyric's trial. During their confrontation, was incapacitated by High Tyrannar Fzoul Chembryl, and left writhing in pain as a sacrifice for the Godson. Mystra appeared before her faithful servant once again, touched by Ruha's faithfulness to the tenets of the Mystran faith. Goddess and servant reconciled, Ruha lent her wisdom to Mystra ahead of Cyric's Trial, and Mystra freed Ruha from the clutches of the city, allowing her to leave with Silvercloud unharmed.

Return to the Desert
By Mirtul of the, Ruha began investigating the newly-returned Shadovar of Thultanthar on behalf of the Harpers. After Laeral Silverhand arranged for Ruha to serve as a guide for Princes Brennus and Clariburnus Tanthul, Ruha gained access to the flying city of Shade. At the same time, she remained determined to hunt down Malik and bring him to justice for the deaths of Rinda and Gwydion.

Ruha managed to ambush Malik in the flying city and the two nearly killed one another. The Shadovar were forced to intervene in their ongoing feud; as each were guests of Hadrhune and the Princes of Shade, Ruha and Malik were allowed to remain in the city so long as they did not harm one another. After a short while in the city together, Malik orchestrated a plot to frame Ruha for murder, by staging the death of the celebrated giant sculptor Aris and an attempt upon his own life. Malik's attempt was a failure, only achieving the exile of Ruha to the sands of Anauroch and the placement of himself judgement of High Prince Telamont Tanthul.

While in the desert, Ruha was soon joined by Aris and his traveling companion Galaeron Nihmedu, an Evereskan practitioner of shadow magic. Ruha guided the pair of outlanders across the desert for three days, until they came upon a small oasis in the Saiyaddar and the water-deprived stone giant inadvertently rushed into the lair of a young blue dragon. While the trio were able to overcome the great beast, Aris suffered grave wounds, and he had could not travel until Ruha solicited aid from Storm Silverhand.

Once the giant recovered, the trio made their way to Arabel in Cormyr and Ruha used her status as a Harper to gain audience with city leaders. Ruha, Aris, and Galaeron were brought before the Regent of Cormyr, Princess Alusair Obarskyr, along with the attending Price Rivalen Tanthul of Thultanthar. Rivalen accused the three exiles of theft against Thultanthar and Princess Obarskyr "imprisoned" them within the dungeons of Arabel's Citadel overnight, in truth ensuring their safety from the Shadovar. When Rivalen and the Shadovar attempted to free Ruha and the others from Cormyrean imprisonment, Alusair sprang the trap she had laid. Princess Alusair used the offense to declare that all the shades of Thultanthar were to immediately leave Arabel and Cormyr, and remain banished until they ceased their terraforming magic focused upon High Ice, and no longer threatened environmental devastation across the Eastern Heartlands.

On Mirtul 26 Ruha traveled back to Anauroch alongside the War Wizard Caladnei and Cormyrean scouts to locate the flying city of Thultanthar. During their journey Ruha reunited with Sheikh Sa'ar, the leader of the Bait Mahwa and former ally at the Battle of the Chasm. She found the Mahwa tribe idling around Shadow Sea, the newly-formed body of water set upon the once-inhospitable Shoal of Thirst. Much to Ruha's displease, the Bedine people as she saw it were giving up their traditional nomadic lifestyle for one of ease and leisure.

The Cormyrean commander Hhormun generously "allowed" Sa'ar to carry out a raid on a herd of the Shadovar's flying veserab mounts, allowing the over-eager sheikh to believe he could rule over this stretch of Anauroch. This aggressive act drew the Thultanthar's warriors into battle, but granted the Cormyreans insight to the location of their flying city. For her part in all this, Ruha became a target for death by the Princes of Shade.

Joining the Chosen
In Flamerule of that year, Ruha accompanied Galaeron to a council of heads of state to Arabel, to discuss the ongoing threat posed by the Shadovar. The meeting fell apart when a lone phaerimm—whose species had besieged Evereska for nearly over half a year—took hold over Mourngrym Amcathra of Shadowdale and attempted to negotiate the cessation of Evereska from Princess Alusair and the other leaders of the Heartlands. After the meeting, Galaeron, Ruha and their recently-famous friend Aris met with Storm Silverhand and shared with her Galaeron's plan to have the chosen of Mystra take down the city of Thultanthar and free Evereska from the phaerimm threat.

During Aris' touching and bittersweet farewell to the Arabellan citizens, the four companions were joined by Mystra's other chosen, Khelben Arunsun, Laeral and Alustriel Silverhand, and Dove Falconhand, the famous Knight of Myth Drannor. As the companions ventured out, Galaeron received a troubling message from Malik el Sami, who still resided within Thultanthar. Knowing Ruha's determination for bringing Malik to justice, several among the group believed she should stay behind, lest her anger interfere with their plans. While on the High Road west to Anauroch, the companions' wagon was harried by blue dragon allies of the Shadovar. During the fighting Ruha became seperated from Galaeron, Aris, and the chosen, who continued on with their mission in Thultanthar.

On Eleasis 2, the chosen's mission in Thultanthar went awry, and the flying city briefly plummeted down to Toril. Ruha got in touch with Alustriel by means of magical communication and investigated the Shadow Sea below on their behalf. There Ruha witnessed the Karsestone falling from the sky, and spied Malik chained to the ancient artifact, praying for dear life. Ruha manipulated the Weave itself to stop Malik's descent, and shared a few select words with her longtime quarry. As the two spoke, the chain from Malik's manacle broke, and the Karsestone plunged into the Shadow Sea, where it was then claimed by Shar. Ruha reunited with Mystra's, apprehended Malik, and together they tricked him into revealing what he knew about Shar's greater plot regarding the Shadow Weave and her potential dominion over magic. With Malik finally in hand, Ruha set out for Twilight Hall to bring the little man to justice.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Harpers series (The Parched Sea, The Veiled Dragon) • Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad • Return of the Archwizards (The Siege, The Sorcerer)