A leShay was an immortal, albino, elf-like fey creature of extraordinary magical power.[1] They were said to be the progenitor race of the fey.[2]
Description[]
LeShay were legendarily beautiful.[4] They were tall and thin and looked like albino elves, with white skin and glossy dead-white hair. However, instead of the red eyes common to true albinos, leShay had deep black eyes; even the whites of their eyes were black. Their ears were pointed, but more closely resembled the ears of a half-elf.[1]
Personality[]
A leShay typically was haughty[5] and very concerned with proper behavior, manners, and mores. They cared strongly about matters of respect.[1]
Abilities[]
LeShay were immortal; they could not die of old age or illness but only be killed by someone.[1]
LeShay had a vast array of magical powers inherent to themselves. Most notable among such powers were their ability to charm other creatures by simply looking at them and the strange power of forming weapons out of nothing by power of thought alone. These "leShay weapons" were formed from the essence of each individual leShay as if they were extensions of his or her own body. LeShay could also change form, teleport, turn invisible, and breathe underwater with their magics, among other things.[1]
The minds of leShay were particularly geared towards the learning of language; that is, all leShay were essentially polyglots. They could understand nearly any language within only moments of hearing it spoken.[1]
Combat[]
Despite their great power—on par with the oldest of dragons—leShay tended to avoid initiating combat. They were superb fighters, but they preferred to act on the defensive.[1]
Society[]
LeShay were solitary and could survive in any climate and terrain.[1] They preferred to make use of temporary structures (such as pavillions) rather than build permanent buildings.[6]
They spent most of their time in their immortal lives attempting to occupy their attention and amuse themselves.[1] Their endless lifespans meant that they could not generally recall the details of their childhoods,[3] and the many years ultimately could rob them of any subtlety or passion save for their pride. This eternity-induced apathy extended to their culture: everything from their wine to their fashion to their taste in music was bad by human standards.[4] Their idea of fine dining included force-fed ortolans drowned in brandy and roasted whole.[7]
Despite their eternal lifespans, leShay females did not tend to bear more than one or two children owing to low fertility and yearslong, dangerous pregnancies.[8][3] Generational differences within a family meant little to the endless leShay, whose familial bonds grew strained and strange over the eons: knowing that ultimately their fellow leShay were the only ones who could always be there for them, they came to both hate and cling to each other.[3][7] Inheritance and succession favored the youngest rather than the eldest child.[3]
Uses[]
The amber-colored[4] blood of a leShay was said to be so rare and potent that it made for a powerful component in dark summoning rituals.[7]
History[]
Led by the High Lady Ordalf,[9] the leShay founded the kingdom of Sarifal circa −10,500 DR on the island that would one day be known as Gwynneth of the Moonshae Isles, and some believed that it had been their influence through the preceeding 500 years that ended the volcanic activity of the islands and caused them to take on their final shapes. From their shining capital city of Karador, they ruled over the many fey inhabitants of the island and subsequently welcomed high elven refugees circa −9800 DR, who would become the Llewyrr.[5]
High Lady Ordalf (second from right) announces the rebirth of Sarifal in the Year of Risen Elfkin, 1375 DR.
Around −4000 DR, the leShay were said to have allied with the Imaskari,[5] and to have taught them planar magics that would one day allow the Imaskari to enslave the ancestors of the Mulan people from another world.[10] And in 1374 DR, Ususi Manaallin found an image of seven leShay, each carrying a tome, in Imaskaran ruins, prompting her to wonder if these were the "more-than-mortal" creatures that helped make the Imaskarcana.[11]
The leShay would subsequently retreat from Toril circa −500 DR, traveling to the Feywild and causing Karador to sink to the bottom of the Myrloch lake. They returned in dramatic fashion in the Year of Risen Elfkin, 1375 DR, causing Karador to reemerge and beginning the process of driving all humans from the island of Gwynneth as they reestablished their realm of Sarifal.[5][12]
As of 1479 DR, only a handful of leShay yet lived on Toril, all of whom were immensely powerful spellcasters residing in Karador in Sarifal on Gwynneth island. Most of the leShay were reclusive, rarely seen even by most of the city's populace, and served as advisors to the less-reclusive High Lady Ordalf and her son Prince Araithe, who governed the city.[2]
As of the late 15th century DR, some elven crusaders who revered Lashrael opposed the influence of the leShay of Sarifal.[10]
LeShays of Sarifal[]
While there were many families of leShay in the Feywild, as of the late 15th century DR, the ruling leShay of Sarifal all hailed from the same family,[3] and occasionally used "leShay" as a family surname.[4][14] They were cruelly protective of the purity of their bloodline, which led to a great deal of inbreeding, ultimately resulting in several stillborn or monstrous births.[3] The family's royal sigil was that of a climbing rose, which members had tattooed on their bodies, including Princess Amaranth (in yellow), Princess Callia (in white), and Queen Ordalf (in pink).[8]
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Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
Darkvision
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
The Sea Drake
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell (July 2002). Epic Level Handbook. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 202–203. ISBN 0-7869-2658-9.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brian R. James (June 2009). “Realmslore: Sarifal”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #376 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 64.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 11. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 14. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Brian R. James (December 2007). “Grand History of the Realms: The Moonshaes”. Dragon #362 (Wizards of the Coast). Archived from the original on 2009-06-01.
- ↑ Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 0. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 18. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 1. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ Shawn Merwin (November 2011). “Backdrop: Moonshae Isles”. In Steve Winter ed. Dungeon #196 (Wizards of the Coast) (196)., p. 3. Archived from the original on 2015-11-03.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Brian R. James (June 2009). “Realmslore: Sarifal”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #376 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 62.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell (2006). Darkvision. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. ?, p. 51. ISBN 0-7869-4017-4.
- ↑ Brian R. James (June 2009). “Realmslore: Sarifal”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #376 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 60.
- ↑ Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 2. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ Jean-Philipe Chapleau (October 2008). The Sea Drake (MOON1-2). Living Forgotten Realms (RPGA), p. 6.