Shamur Uskevren

Shamur Uskevren, née Karn, was a famous red-masked thief in Selgaunt the matriarch of the Uskevren noble house during the mid-14 century DR.

Origins
Shamur was born sometime in the mid-to-late 13 century DR, a young noble lady of House Karn. Bored of the banality of aristocratic life, she began sneaking out of Argent Hall in Selgaunt and took up a career as a thief within the city. She loved the exhilaration and thrill found in her secret life, and became quite infamous, known for her distinct red eye-mask.

In 1292 DR, Shamur discovered the powerful magical sword Albruin had been left in her bedchamber by someone who had been fleeing the Scepters of Selgaunt. She kept the blade for a year before it was bought by a merchant on behalf of Prince Thaum of Telflamm.

In the year 1298 DR, Shamur's identity was revealed, and she was forced to flee her home city. The exceptionally skilled thief fell in with a group of treasure hunters from the Moonsea and joined them in breaking into an old crypt. Within the burial chambers were arcane devices the likes of which no one in her band had seen before. Their trespassing released a shadowy guardian spirit which assailed Shamur and her comrades. An errant spellblast activated the magical apparatuses they discharged bolts of energy throughout the room. One of these blast struck the enchanted pearl necklace around Shamur's neck, which then exploded.

In an instant the chamber appeared entirely different to Shamur. The ceiling of the crypt had fallen in, the magical devices were destroyed and her allies appeared as if they had been dead. She soon came to realize that 50 years had passed on Toril, while she hadn't aged a day. She returned to her family in Selgaunt and found they were nearly in ruin. Their last hope at turning their fortunes was to marry off Shamur's grand-niece, off to Thamalon Uskevren, but that the young noble had been murdered.

Second Life
Shamur's family implored her to take the place of the young woman who was named in her memory, and to whom she bore an uncanny resemblance. With a strong sense of obligation and a sense of fate about the situation, Shamur stepped in and married the well-off lord of House Uskevren in 1348 DR, and began a second life as a noblewoman of Selgaunt.

On Hammer 15 1372 DR, Shamur's father, the elderly Lindrian Karn, was killed Marance Talendar and possessed by the shadow-creature bound to his service Bileworm. By taking over Karn's corpse, the fell shade gained access to his memories, among them Shamur's true identity, and expertly mimicked his speech and mannerisms. A short time later, the possessed "Lindrian", who was in fact Shamur's nephew, summoned the noblewoman to Argent Hall. Using Lindrian's memories, Bileworm convinced her that Thalamon had killed the younger Shamur Karn some 24 years prior, with a poison acquired from an apothecary named Audra Sweetdreams.

Having enough evidence, Shamur bid farewell to her children on Hammer 25, led her husband out of the city to the woods by some feeble ruse and attempted to kill Thalamon in a duel.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Shattered Mask