High Lady Ordalf, also known as Queen leShay, was the leShay ruler of the fey kingdom of Sarifal on the isle of Gwynneth in the Moonshae Isles, a rule that had lasted over 11,000 years.[2][8][5]
Description[]
Ordalf commanded immediate respect, both owing to an aura of majesty which surrounded her and to the force of her spoken words, which resounded with strong, symphonic chords. She was nearly—but not quite—immortal.[2]
She was breathtakingly beautiful,[2] and could appear as a charming young eladrin maiden with straight dark hair, golden eyes, and pearly skin. She wore tight or transparent clothing, and traveled barefoot. She had small but perfect teeth and a purple mouth with dark lips and a dark, lavender-colored tongue. She bore a tattoo behind her right ear of the Rose of Sarifal—the royal symbol of her family—with pink petals.[3][9] Her breath was cool and she had no scent.[3]
Personality[]
Ordalf was proud and cruel. Because of her long life and incredible magical power, she considered all mortal races—including all manner of fey, elves, and gnomes—to be beneath her. She hated shifters and she humans likened to mice or weasels owing to their brief lifespans. She was known to keep a cadre of fully submissive human slaves.[3]
She was quick to lie or haggle as a form of emotional manipulation,[9] and she was said to be stingy with her gold.[10] She could also be mischievous, and would pretend to be drunk and flirtatious when she wished to ensnare an unsuspecting victim.[3]
Abilities[]
Ordalf was immensely powerful, particularly in her use of illusions[3] and charms.[4] She could paralyze whole crowds,[9] seemingly alter geography, turn friends against each other, and isolate her enemies in darkness.[4] She claimed also to have the ability to twist and corrupt the bodies of other fey.[9]
Her power was said to diminish if she ever travelled far from Sarifal.[4] She wore an amethyst ring that appeared to be a focus for some of her power.[9]
Activities[]
She ruled from a crystal throne in the city of Karador.[7] She rarely left the city, but was unafraid to travel within her realm for important meetings or confrontations.[3][9] It was by her decree that Sarifal was isolated from contact with non-fey, and while not all of her subjects liked this arrangement, few were willing to openly defy her.[5]
She commanded the unwavering loyalty of the Sarifal feywardens,[11] her realm's most fanatical guardians.[12] She also maintained contact with spies in the Moonshae Isles beyond her realm, most notably in the courts of Derid Kendrick on Alaron and of Erliza Daressin on Snowdown.[3]
Relationships[]
Ordalf was obsessed with the purity of her royal family's bloodline, and in pursuit of a pure lineage, Ordalf's first son, Araithe, was conceived with her own father. Her second son was in turn conceived with Araithe, although this child died shortly after being born. Ordalf hated her own mother, Princess Callia, for having borne a child, Amaranth, with a non-leShay, and she further despised Amaranth because this half-sister stood to inherit her title (owing to the leShay tradition of leaving inheritance to the youngest member of the family).[7]
While she seemed to care about her son, Araithe, she was not above chiding and humiliating him if he disobeyed her.[9]
History[]
High Lady Ordalf established the realm of Sarifal in the Moonshae Isles circa −10,500 DR.[8][1] She later received a prophecy from a satyr seer that she could only die in the mortal realm, but that she must die to save both worlds from a disease spread by a beast lord. In response to the prophecy, she moved the city of Karador from the Moonshae Isles into the Feywild.[1] around the Year of Running Unicorns, −500 DR.[8]
While in the Feywild, she was a member of the Court of Stars. She was instrumental in the banishment of the hag Urphania from the Feywild.[13]
Eventually, she felt compelled to believe that her death was both necessary and imminent.[1] In the Year of Risen Elfkin, 1375 DR, she moved Karador back to Faerûn and subsequently conquered Gwynneth from House Kendrick.[8][14]
She was weakened while defending the Moonshaes during the Spellplague, and decided to delegate most duties of rulership to her son, Prince Araithe.[2] Her reign thus came to be contested by the likes of the unseelie fey and archfey of Sarifal,[14] and by Urphania, who swore revenge upon her.[13] Beginning in the early 15th century DR, some of her subjects in Synnoria became increasingly disillusioned with her and her son's reign, and began seeking alternative claimants to the leShay throne over the subsequent six decades.[15] After the death of her newborn son in the late 1460s DR, Ordalf sought to solidify her rule by eliminating her younger half-sister, Amaranth, leading malcontents to attempt to whisk the girl away to Snowdown to keep her safe until she was ready to challenge Ordalf. This plan went awry, and instead Amaranth went missing for a decade with no knowledge of Ordalf's hatred toward her.[7][16][note 1]
As of the late 15th century DR, High Lady Ordalf was the most influential ruler in the Moonshae Isles despite her many challenges.[1] Around this time, she consented to be party to a plot to kill Aldon Kendrick, cousin to King Derid Kendrick of Callidyrr. She then hired the adventurers who had been Aldon's bodyguards—the crew of the Sphinx—to find and kill Amaranth,[3] but instead, they returned to Gwynneth with Amaranth alive. This led to friction between Ordalf, who wanted her half-sister dead, and Araithe, who wished to wed his young aunt.[9][7] In attempting to humiliate and eliminate Amaranth, Ordalf instead drove her to aspire to claim the throne of Sarifal for herself.[17]
As of 1489 DR, Ordalf continued to rule as the High Lady of Sarifal, and remained uninterested in allowing the humans to regain a foothold on Gwynneth.[18]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Canon material does not provide a year for the events described in The Rose of Sarifal, although the novel indicates that it takes place "more than a hundred years" after the return of High Lady Ordalf to Gwynneth in 1375 DR (ch. 1) and "nearly a hundred years" after the Spellplague in 1385 DR (ch. 3). While this fits the usual assumption that all 4th edition material is set in 1479 DR, the novel contradicts a number of other sources set during that year: at the start of the novel, Caer Moray is held by lycanthropes rather than by soldiers loyal to House Kendrick (as stated in Backdrop: Moonshae Isles), Citadel Umbra has been home to Prince Araithe for at least 12 years rather than being the base of his enemies (as stated in Backdrop: Moonshae Isles, the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, and Realmslore: Sarifal), and Malar is stated to be "dead" rather than an active exarch of Silvanus (as stated in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide). These contradictions are largely resolved by the end of the narrative, meaning that the novel is best assumed to be set prior to 1479 DR. Unless a canon source contradicts this assertion, this wiki will thus assume that the events of the novel take place after 1475 DR but before 1479 DR.
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Brian R. James (June 2009). “Realmslore: Sarifal”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #376 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 61.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 1. 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. 2. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Jean-Philipe Chapleau (October 2008). The Sea Drake (MOON1-2). Living Forgotten Realms (RPGA), p. 6.
- ↑ Mick Hand (October 2009). Lost Love (MOON1-5). Living Forgotten Realms (RPGA), p. 6.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 11. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 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.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 14. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ {{Cite book/The Rose of Sarifal||45}
- ↑ Matt James (November 2011). “Character Themes: Heroes of the Moonshaes”. In Steve Winter ed. Dragon #405 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 3.
- ↑ Matt James (November 2011). “Character Themes: Heroes of the Moonshaes”. In Steve Winter ed. Dragon #405 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 1.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Shawn Merwin (November 2011). “Backdrop: Moonshae Isles”. In Steve Winter ed. Dungeon #196 (Wizards of the Coast) (196)., p. 8. Archived from the original on 2015-11-03.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 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. 15. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 0. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ Paulina Claiborne (May 2012). The Rose of Sarifal (Kindle ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 18. ASIN B006NPFFHY.
- ↑ Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 68. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.