Storm Silverhand

Storm Silverhand, called "The Bard of Shadowdale", was one of the Seven Sisters and a Chosen of Mystra.

Description
Storm was 6 feet, 2 inches tall and kept the silver hair she shared with her sisters so long that it came down to her knees. Also like her sisters, she was astonishingly beautiful and had a regal bearing even while wearing road-stained leathers.

Personality
"The Mage Masters at the Academy always said you were the merriest of the Seven Sisters."

- Galaeron Nihmedu to Storm, after she threatened to plunge him into the Nine Hells.

Storm was known and loved by many in her home of Shadowdale and elsewhere in Faerûn. She was high-spirited, fearless, merry, and possessed a lust for life that grew greater when she saw other happy people. She also had a vengeful streak, which was aimed at the Zhentarim, thieves and swindlers, people who carelessly started fires or despoiled the land, and any ruler who acted maliciously. Storm treated children as equals and took the time to listen to what they had to say as well as play with them. She was a good teacher and an inspiration to many. As a youth, she was selfish and rebelled against authority. Although she grew out of this, she still empathized with youths who felt poorly treated by authority figures.

When faced with people she cared for getting harmed, Storm had a tendency to assume the worst possible situation, becoming quick to judge others and difficult to convince away from her initial judgments, even in spite of evidence to the contrary and prior assurances to the character of the people she deemed guilty. Examples being her accusing Midnight and her companions for having murdered Elminster, and later her holding Galaeron Nihmedu responsible for the disappearance of Elminster.

Early life
Astorma was raised by Elminster after her mother died, along with two of her sisters, Dove and Laeral. Storm earned her name when, as a toddler, she demonstrated an immunity to naturally occurring lightning. Storm was a wild child and Elminster struggled to keep her in line while he was also traveling the planes and righting wrongs. Storm ran away from him several times until she was kidnapped by a mage who altered her appearance to that of a slave he had not paid for and since killed.

So, rather than benefit from the tutelage of Elminster, who failed to locate the girl, Storm lived as a slave in the south of Faerûn. She danced in bazaars and worked in festhalls until she managed to steal a flying carpet and returned to Elminster, brazenly demanding he restore her true features and take her back under his care.

A bored Storm eventually joined her sister Dove as a very involved member of the Harpers and both were instrumental in recruiting new members after the reformation of the group in 1022 DR and again, after the Harpstar Wars.

At some point, Storm won a duel against Iyachtu Xvim. A tale told among the Harpers states that she was once drugged by a group of Calishite slavers to be sold to a satrap of their realm but such was her beauty that two of them killed each other in order to claim her as his own wife. Another of them ended up helping her escape his fellows, and in return, she came to play for him on his deathbed when she learned of his contraction of a fatal illness, using her magic to ease his passage into death.

14 century
Storm came to lead the eastern branch of the Harpers, aiding Alustriel's rise to power in the Silver Marches by uniting the fractious armsmen of Silverymoon under her sister so they could help claim victory in the Battle of Tumbleskulls. She also slew Alustriel's political rival, the wizard Shaloss Ethenfrost before establishing a Harper stronghold in Everlund.

After centuries of adventuring, Storm decided to settle in Shadowdale, a quiet farming town in the Dalelands. She was a bard by trade and den mother to the Harpers who traveled through Shadowdale. Her position in Shadowdale included the roles of bard, midwife, farmer, healer, and friend to those she likes. Elminster's decision to settle in Shadowdale was inspired mostly by the desire to protect Storm and Syluné (who also lived there) from ambitious Zhents wishing to gain recognition in the Zhentarim, who were expanding into the Dalelands at the time. She was later caretaker to her sister Syluné, whose ghost resided in Storm's cottage, after her death in 1356 DR, while defending Shadowdale from three dragons. In 1356 DR, Storm also lost her lover Maxam Maxer. She was still mourning for him in 1357 DR, but shortly after she began her relationship with Lhaeo, which lasted until 1368 DR. In 1357 DR, Storm also pledged the support of her branch of the Harpers to Shandril Shessair. In 1358 DR, during the Time of Troubles, she believed Adon and Midnight guilty of killing Elminster after Bane's assault on Shadowdale, and represented the prosecution in their trial. After the Time of Troubles, she helped restore the name and works of the proscribed Nameless Bard, Finder Wyvernspur.

Even after the Harper schism of 1370 DR, Storm presided over her branch of the Harpers in much the same way as she always had. When Seiveril's Crusade came to reclaim Myth Drannor three years later, both Storm and Dove joined the elven army. They attempted to return when they learned that Shadowdale had fallen to the Zhentarim, but were grievously wounded and turned back by the Rite of Unwinding, therefore Storm could not return home until after the Rite had been disrupted.

In the, Storm joined Laurel at the Waterdeep council, where the Lords of Waterdeep and other leaders of the Heartlands held conference with Prince Aglarel Tanthul of Thultanthar, the flying city of Netheril that recently returned to Faerûn. After negotiations turned sour, Storm accompanied Laeral as she led the newly-formed Army of the North in battle against the monstrous armies of the phaerimm. Their side won the initial fighting, but were left fatigued and suffered significant casualties.

Storm survived the Spellplague. The plague turned her body into that of a perpetually young woman, approximately 19 years old, but it stole her singing voice, and much of her magical power. She cared for Elminster, being the only one who could treat the insanity that came over him when he used magic.

15 century
In 1479 DR, after her sister Alassra recovered her sanity thanks to the help of a Blueflame item and Elminster revealed that the goddess Mystra has returned, Storm traveled to Cormyr along with Amarune Whitewave and Arclath Delcastle in order to get rid of the corrupted nobles who'd allied with Manshoon to take over King Foril I's throne. Using the noble title of Marchioness of Immerdusk granted to her by Azoun IV many years before, Storm traveled through the country, visiting noble houses to discover the traitors and, at the same time, recruiting people to reform the Harpers by Mystra's command. After the goddess of magic was restored by Elminster, she recovered her magical powers.

At some point before 1487 DR, Amarune Whitewave was made one of the Chosen of Mystra and taken under Storm's wing as her protégé. Storm trained her in the simpler aspects of her Chosen abilites to prepare her for the potential deaths of her and other senior Chosen during the struggles against Shar and the Shadovar during the Second Sundering.

In 1487 DR, at the request of Elminster, Storm, accompanied by Amarune Whitewave and Arclath Delcastle, joined in the battle for Myth Drannor on the side of the elves, fighting a mercenary army under the command of the Shade Enclave.

In 1491 DR, Storm was spending her efforts on healing the broken mind of the archwizard Mordenkainen of Oerth.

Skills and abilities
As a bard, Storm was a skilled harp player and singer. She was also especially adept at detecting falsehoods

Storm favored her magic and the longsword in battle.

As well as the standard abilities of a Chosen of Mystra, Storm was immune to all forms of natural electricity, such as lightning, which earned her her given name. Her wounds were healed whenever she was struck by chain lightning, ice storm, lightning bolt or magic missile spell.

Activities
Storm spent much of her time involved with the farmers and influential people of Shadowdale and some considered the amount of political clout that she held in the Dale made her the real ruler of it. She worked her own farm and worked to curb logging as well as persuade her peers to farm certain crops for sustenance and others for export to increase the town's prosperity. In her spare time, she ran her branch of the Harpers and performed increasingly rare missions to further their cause. She was also happy to heal any sick or injured residents of Shadowdale who came to her, no matter the time of day or night. She also brought any orphaned children who came to her attention to the nearest temple manned by clergy that she trusted so they could have a decent upbringing.

At some point in her career, she penned A Harper's Song.

Elminster
Despite a rocky beginning, Storm was a good friend (as well as protector) to Elminster of Shadowdale. They shared a number of adventures together but after the Spellplague she became his caregiver.

Lhaeo
Storm was once a lover of Elminster's assistant, Lhaeo, who later went on to become King Haedrak III of Tethyr.

Maxan Maxer
Storm had a companion for many years named Maxan Maxer. An orphan from Neverwinter who lived with her in Shadowdale until he and Storm stumbled across a planar gate opened by illithids in 1260 DR in the ruined city of Dloemen. Storm was unable to get to Maxer before the marilith Araunrhee beheaded him and teleported away with his remains. Maxer was returned to life by the tanar'ri but eventually escaped her clutches and secretly returned to Shadowdale. Using a power he gained to turn himself invisible, he announced himself only to Storm and Syluné. He became Storm's consort once more and also used his new powers to spy for her and guard her farm when she was away. Storm wanted to bear his child and the fact that she did not bear a child in the time they were together, or in her time before meeting him, led to the belief that she was barren.

Vangerdahast
A former Royal Mage of Cormyr, Vangerdahast claimed to have once been Storm's lover and the two desperately tried to have a child together. He intimated that their relationship failed when she repeatedly failed to conceive. When King Azoun IV confided in him that he could easily fall in love with Storm, Vangerdahast did not seem overly bothered but instead said that the two of them had drifted apart.

Trivia

 * Storm was barren.

Novels

 * Shandril's Saga (Spellfire, Crown of Fire) • Avatar series (Shadowdale, Tantras) • The Shadow of the Avatar Trilogy (Cloak of Shadows, Shadows of Doom, All Shadows Fled) • The Parched Sea • Windwalker • Stormlight • Silverfall • Return of the Archwizards (The Summoning, The Siege, The Sorcerer) • Sage of Shadowdale (Elminster in Hell, Elminster's Daughter, Elminster Must Die, Bury Elminster Deep, Elminster Enraged)
 * Hand of Fire • The Veiled Dragon
 * Hand of Fire • The Veiled Dragon

Short Stories

 * The Best of the Realms II: "One Comes, Unheralded, to Zirta" • Realms of Valor: "Elminster at the Magefair" • Dragon Magazine 390: "Lord of the Darkways"

Card Games

 * AD&D Trading Cards