Gwendolyn Ravenshade

> *"I want to send them a token... So that they know I'll never forget their kindness."*
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**Gwendolyn Ravenshade** was a young girl from Baldur's Gate with extraordinary magical power. Discovered by her later mentor Ixium to be the new vessel for the Soulheart, she assisted in the Journey to Canton and lost her magic, eventually becoming the wizard Ixium's apprentice.

## Gwendolyn Ravenshade

### Relatives

Altrea Dove, Gorean Ravenshade, Dreyis Ravenshade, Sabrina Ravenshade

## Early Life

Gwendolyn's power originated from a divine curse set off by her parents while she was in utero: the destruction of the original Soulheart vessel. Having been orphaned due to a freak wild magic accident in infancy, Gwendolyn was raised by her grandmother, Dreyis Ravenshade. Even while she was very young, Gwendolyn was hidden from much of the world, and had many restrictions to prevent future accidents. Inevitably, the two began to resent each other over time. In a final act of desperation, Dreyis planned to send Gwendolyn to her aunt, the Duchess Sabrina of Athkatla, as a last-ditch effort to rid herself of the girl's unpredictable outbursts. In truth, Dreyis had become afraid of the girl, and hoped her escorts would discover her true nature and kill her, or Gwendolyn would accidentally kill the adventurers and no longer be under Dreyis' care.

## Escorted to the Duchess

Fortunately, the kind-hearted adventurers had magic users of their own among them, and upon learning of true abilities committed themselves to taking her safely to Athkatla.

Upon arrival, the adventurers (Will, Strike, Chrissy, Kenzie, Charlotte, Seven, Dai, and their newly-acquired dog Balthazar) soon realized the Duchess was ill-equipped or even unaware of the child's abilities. Just days later, an outburst occurred at the Duchess' manor, killing the Duchess and several servants. Now frightened, Gwendolyn stole a horse and took the wizard, Will's, advice: she headed north.

The party caught up with her once more, convincing her that they were no threat to each other, and took her to Baldur's Gate, where they met Ixium. He and a local priest of Kelemvor discovered Gwendolyn was the Soulheart they were searching for, and began to search for a suitable replacement for her magic.

## Journey to Canton

Their search for a replacement vessel led them to the Earth realm of Canton, Ohio, the true home of the adventurers. They journeyed through a demon-infested Pro Football Hall of Fame to find the most magical item Earth had to offer: the first Superbowl Ball. The adventurers then revealed their true identity in turn, providing a sense of trust, and they returned safely to Baldur's Gate.

The party, and Ixium, were safely able to perform the ritual that rid Gwendolyn of her magic and freed her from her curse. As they left, Will instructed her to learn teleportation magic, that she may one day visit her friends again.

## Life After Sorcery

Under Ixium's leadership, Gwendolyn began to learn a new brand of magic in a controlled environment. She learned not to be afraid of her abilities, and instead chose a new goal: being able to communicate with Earth. Having been there before, Gwendolyn dedicated three years to learning about Terra before she was able to communicate once again. She sent a magic coin into each of her friend's pockets as proof she had not forgotten them.

## Great Ascent Setting

In the Great Ascent setting, Gwendolyn vouched for Lily and also helped the group out of Candlekeep. She also had a hand in the creation of the portals that allowed Elien's rescuers to and from the Abyss.

### Trivia

* In the original notes, Gwendolyn was an evil princess named Annelise who bewitched the Kelemvorian priest Namru to give her the Soulheart. I decided it would be more interesting to have her be the Soulheart itself, so I changed her name and her role in the story. Namru is still canon and is Ixium's friend, but was unnamed in the campaign.
* The exact gods that cursed Gwendolyn were unknown, but are believed to be minor deities known as "Snipperdoodle" and "Doctor Slug." However, their actions were originally approved by the major pantheon, so they were allowed to curse her after all.
* Gwendolyn's power and situation in general was inspired in part by Princess Cirilla (Ciri) from The Witcher. However, her personality and abilities are of my own making. *(Please don't come after me, I've only seen the Netflix version, however I WILL be playing the game and it will become everyone's problem at some point)*
* Gwendolyn is my own character, but the Ravenshade family is actually official content from WOTC