Ethra Dralas

Ethra Dralas was a member of the Red Wizards of Thay, and held the position of Zulkir of Abjuration in the late 15 century DR.

Description
As a member of the Red Wizards, Ethra dressed in crimson wizard robes and her skin was adorned with Thayan-style tattoos.

Personality
Ethra was single-minded in pursuit of her goals. She was also very cautious, preferring to be over-prepared for any eventuality or encounter.

Abilities
Ethra was a potent abjurer, and was adept at casting many spells quickly. She bore special Thayan tattoos of absorption which allowed her to absorb the magic of spells cast at her.

Prior to any potential combat, she would secure a number of safeguard spells for herself, including death ward, foresight, freedom of movement, mirror image, and true seeing. She also developed a contingency plan for particularly dangerous situations which involved instructing her simulacrum to polymorph her into a giant gorilla if the battle turned against her. This contingency also entailed Ethra casting tongues on herself prior to combat so that she could continue to use her spells while in the gorilla form.

Possessions
Ethra was known to make liberal use of potions and scrolls. She wore a scarab of protection and carried a dagger. She also possessed an amulet which controlled a shield guardian, although she gave this to her simulacrum.

Relationships
Ethra was a loyal servant of Szass Tam, and in turn her underlings included the necromancer Sanir Lolka, the Banite cleric Vend Ma'non, and several Thayan knights.

She was also frequently accompanied by a simulacrum which she had convinced her underlings was in fact a twin-sister named Hetra.

History
Shortly following the events of the Death Curse in the late 15 century DR, Ethra was sent to Chult by Szass Tam to collect the residual energies of Acererak's soulmonger and use it to release Dendar, the primordial Night Serpent, from her prison beneath the Peaks of Flame. Tam had been fooled into believing that Dendar had visited him and his servants in their dreams, promising to fulfill her purpose to end all life on Toril and to leave the Red Wizards as rulers over an undead world if they freed her. In truth, this was a ruse devised by the lich Rhaugilath, who sought to trick both the Thayans and a party of adventurers into clashing over the soulmonger's power, ultimately to claim it for himself in order to break free of his servitude to the Shadow King Larloch.

Ethra arrived in Chult and collected several fragments of the soulmonger, storing its power inside opal pendants. By the time she proceeded to the Maze of Ubtao to locate the Iron Doors that held Dendar imprisoned, she had collected several such pendants, but not as many as she would have liked. Nevertheless, she successfully penetrated the Maze and arrived at the Iron Doors, although along the way she suffered many casualties, including her cleric, Vend Ma'Non, and one of her knights, Oscillok. She then managed to begin opening the doors before Rhaugilath's adventurers confronted her.

Appearances

 * Adventurers League
 * Turn Back the Endless Night