Vhaidra Uoswiir

Vhaidra is a drow monk and one of the five starting playable characters in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II. She is a formidable fighter who can excel in both armed and unarmed combat.

Background
Vhaidra is the first in line to the noble Uoswiir household. However, she was forced to flee Menzoberranzan when much of her family was slaughtered by rival houses. Since then, she has been adventuring while secretly planning the return of her household and the downfall of those who were responsible for attacking it. To this end she has allied with her half-sister, Ulua, who conducts operations to regroup the Uoswiir household and to eliminate its rivals. Vhaidra is proud, ruthless and often dismissive of those who are neither an expedient nor a threat to her purposes. In the introduction to the game her motivation for travelling to Baldur's Gate in search of adventure is said to be 'power.'

Adventuring Career
Playing as Vhaidra pits her not only against the schemes of Mordoc SeLanmere but also opens up the optional sidequest of furthering the cause of her noble house. Initially Vhaidra can only divert gold gained through adventuring to funding Ulua's efforts, but late in the game Ulua finally learns the location of the dark monastery where the assassins are hidden. Vhaidra's unique game level is to storm this monastery and find its archimandrite, Draezen Direhand. He dismisses Ulua on the grounds that she is only of half Uoswiir blood and says that House Uoswiir will die with Vhaidra. Having killed Draezen Vhaidra takes the secret scrolls the monastery guards, allowing her access to greater power. Once Vhaidra has returned to Baldur's Gate Ulua informs her that she has already sent agents to destroy the monastery, having heard of her success, and that when Vhaidra is ready to take up her place as head of the Uoswiir household she will not stand alone.

Vhaidra gives little indication that her quest to save Baldur's Gate is out of any degree of concern for its citizens, yet she does have a strict code of conduct by which she operates. She is openly mistrustful and derisive of others, and even tells Ulua not to make her regret trusting her. On resolving to thwart Mordoc's final scheme against Baldur's Gate she adds that it can't hurt to have the jewel of the Western Heartlands in her debt. Whether this cold and suspicious behaviour masks any benevolent instinct is unclear.

Abilities
Vhaidra possesses the rare ability to be as deadly in unarmed combat as with any of the numerous weapons she can master. Her strict training and self-discipline allows her to attack with focus and to endure greater physical punishment. Once she has achieved higher levels of experience she can combine her surgical precision with remarkable speed to make her onslaughts truly devastating. That said, she has is weaker in defence than some of the other playable characters and cannot use great swords or axes.