Mistress of Shadow (Inestra Crane)

Inestra was the daughter of Lord Ivor Crane, the regional Governor of the eastern province of the Kingdom of Ephoria, born in the shining city of Brightspear. From a young age, Inestra showed an innate talent and interest for the arcane, spending most of her time with her head in a book. Head-strong and at times sharp-tongued, Inestra was not known to have many friends; in fact, it was said she may have had no friends, seeing her study of the arcane as far more important. However, there was no doubt that if there was anyone she was close with, it was her father. Inestra adored her father, and he in kind treasured her above all else. He encouraged Inestra’s studies in all things magical, seeing great potential in her. Unbeknownst to then this would lead to her fall into darkness, and leave a scar on the kingdom that would last for hundreds of years.

## Early Years and Training

When she reached the age of 16 she had read every book in Brightspear, and she thirsted for more knowledge. Her father decided that for his daughter to become stronger, she was to be sent to be trained by the court mages in the capital, Palmrock. With a heavy heart she agreed, knowing it would be many years before she would return and see her father again.

Training as an apprentice, her powers grew under the court mages’ tutelage, although under great pains. Her ability and powers surpassed even some of the eldest mages. Fearing the rampant growth of her powers, the court mages attempted to contain her abilities through tedious work, making her write pages after pages of essays. Despite their attempts, she became more powerful, and her hunger for arcane knowledge grew. As the years passed, at court she found it difficult still to integrate with society. Between studying and writing letters to her father, she had little time to mingle, and many at court didn’t take much notice of her. Other than the mages that taught her and a few servants that tended to her, she didn’t know anyone else, until she met the young Lord Tristan, the son of the Lord of Eastshield. Young Tristan’s charmed cut through Inestra’s cold demeanour and soon, she fell in love.

It was at this time there were rumours of an Orc warband cutting through the Endless Green that would soon reach the eastern border of Ephoria. Inestra, hearing word of this, naturally feared for her father and her home, knowing Brightspear was directly in the path of the invading horde. A message was received in the capital that a pre-emptive attack was to occur from Brightspear, led by Lord Crane, in a matter of days. On her way to the castle library, Inestra overheard two nobles, rivals of her father, whispering of receiving news that the Orcs were aware of the coming attack and had prepared an ambush. Scheming between themselves, they decided to withhold the information from the king, seeing it as an opportunity to take control of the region themselves. Inestra rushed to send a message to her father, praying to the gods that it would reach him in time.

Days passed without any news and all the while, Inestra sat unable to focus on anything. Even her beloved, Tristan, was unable to soothe her for at this time he had joined the Selunite order, “The Swords of the Lady”. She secluded herself to her room, staring out to the east for a sight of a raven or rider. It was in her seclusion that she became lost in her own thoughts.

“*Was I too late?”*

“How can I live if he dies?”

“Will I ever see him again?”

“I should have spoken to the king!”

After a week of seclusion, she found her mind answering those questions, in a voice that was her own but darker.

*“Was I too late?”*

“It is too late, he is dead already!!”

“How can I live if he dies?”

“If he’s dead you can’t bring him back”

“Will I ever see him again?”

“You have no way to see him again”

“I should has spoken to the king!”

“King is just as much to blame as those treacherous nobles”

It was three weeks later that news arrived and Inestra rushed to court to hear the message. As she entered the main hall, the king’s servant held out the message to the king. He read; “The battle was lost. The Orcs ambushed us and most of the army has been destroyed. Lord Ivor Crane has fallen.” The halls echoed with a deafening wail as Inestra ran forward and fell to the floor.
*“It’s your fault, it’s all your fault…you trust these rats around you…and now my father is dead…”*
It was said that on that day when she looked up to the king and his court, a dark shadow covered her. She spoke, but with a voice that was not wholly her own “I will avenge my father, you will all pay”. With that she ran out of the court room, guards stood to block her, but the king waved them off. She ran to the stables and took the nearest horse and galloped out of the capital heading eastwards…heading home.

## The Grieving

It was said she rode non-stop for 6 days and night, that when she arrived at gates of Brightspear, her legs and hands were bloodied and raw. The horse she rode collapsed from exhaustion and died at the gates. She was taken up to her father’s castle, the home she hasn’t seen in many years.

She awoke the next morning, startled by her surroundings, it took her a moment to recognise her old belongings. In that moment she felt a moment of joy believe she will see her father, but that was followed by realisation, to sadness, to anger. She called out to her servants demanding to see her father’s body but was responded only with silence. One servant bravely responded, sheepishly stating they were unable to find his body. At this point, Inestra struck at the servant.

“How dare they to leave their Lord to be picked at by wild animals, I will have to do this myself”

As she marched down to the stables, many of her servants and her father’s oldest advisors tried to persuade her not to go. Exclaiming how she needs to rest, how the forest is dangerous, how the orc army is still there. All of which fell on to deaf ears. Still healing from her wounds, she rode east into the Endless Green to where the ambush took place.

She arrived at the battlefield, many bodies of both orc and Ephorian soldiers scattered among the forest floor. The smell of decay hung in the air, thick and imposing. Frantically she started searching for any sign of her father’s body, she scrambled through body after body late into the night.

Her search was interrupted when she saw torches approaching, carried by a small band of orcs. She hid away, waiting for them group to pass. The orcs were searching through the bodies too, finding anything that hasn’t rotted too much that they could eat. It was during their passing did Inestra overhear mention of her father, the leader they took back to their camp. Steeling herself and holding back her rage, she silently followed the orc band back to their camp.

While the orcs slept, Inestra crept into their camp and began to search, hoping that the news was wrong and that her father was alive. Under her breath, she muttered a small incantation of detection to help her find any trace of her father. The incantation led her to the other side of the small orc camp, evading the patrols that walked between the crude orc tents. As she drew closer to where the spell directed her, her heart beating harder with every step. When she was close enough that she believed would be in sight, she began to frantically look around, walking closer and closer, and slipped into a pit that was hidden by the darkness. It was in this pit all hope was extinguished.

As she picked herself up, her wounds opened again, she found the bottom of the pit not to be soft mud but covered in hard and sharp bones. She recoiled in terror and a dark feeling churned within her, and tears filled her eyes. She quickly bent down and began to dig searching for her father’s remains. She sobbed an incantation, and a faint glow emanated from deeper within the pit. She continued to dig, that glow getting brighter until at last, she found the source. Before her was a single shin bone, snapped at one end.

This is what remained of her father.

In that moment, the camp was filled with a haunting scream that shook even the toughest orcs of the warband. Grabbing their weapons, the orcs rushed anxiously towards the source of the scream, there they saw a horrifying sight. Before them, Inestra with the bone clutched tightly floating above the pit. The first few bravest of the orcs charged at her, but with a slight mutter and gesture of her hands a dark energy wrapped around them and with a sickening crunch they collapsed to the ground.

An orc sorcerer stepped forward and began to mutter his own incantations, but before he was able to finish his spell, Inestra held out her hand and cone of cold magic blasted forth, freezing the sorcerer where he stood.

The orc camp fell to chaos, a mixture of fear and anger, as some orcs took to running into the forest to escape, while others attempted to attack falling to a gruesome death. Inestra savagely destroyed the orc warband, blood soaked into the ground, parts of orc scattered across the ground. That night the forest was filled with fearful shouts as she hunted down every orc she could find.

## The Call of the Shadows

When she returned to Brightspear, none approached her as she walked up towards the castle. Covered in blood and filth, the bandages that held her wounds frayed, many could have mistaken her for a wraith that haunts the graveyards.

When she awoke in her room, she found herself surrounded by darkness, a thick shadow that felt almost alive.

[TBC]