L'Olonnais

Artist: Pixie Inktvis

## Appearance

L'Olonnais appears as many would expect of the elves inhabiting the Underdark. He is slender, of dark complexion, and has long, wavy strands of silver hair. However, what most set him apart is the hue of his eyes, glowing a phlox purple especially in the moonlight. As himself, L'Olonnais almost always wears a set of dark armor with a blue cloak draped across his shoulders, which is clasped with a broach of silver, marking his home. At his waist lay two blades on either side, held by a fine leather belt, which also holds a pouch of various knick-knacks and his infamous Midnight Raven mask, if it is not worn upon his face. In general, the dark elf wears a gentle, almost subservient smile, which can almost as easily turn into a smirk of flirtation or grin of malice, especially when that Midnight Raven Mask touches or nearly touches his face.

## Personality

Having lived in two very different environs, both in inferior positions, but the latter offering the opportunity for social mobility, L'Olonnais can be said to be a little quirky. In initial encounters, L'Olonnais would seem to be extremely passive, introverted, humble, and even a little cautious. It would seem that his self-confidence is non-existent for any who did not know him well. However, when the situation calls for it, especially when he puts on his mask, L'Olonnais seems to become an entirely different person, someone arrogant, tyrannical, and extroverted.

## Family

* **Hi'Matron,** the Matriarch,of course, is not L'Olonnais' mother's real name, but it is the only thing that he knows his mother by. By nature, she is cruel to the extreme, following the will of Lolth zealously. In her lifetime, she managed to bring her house's rank up by two places, and before he left, L'Olonnais heard rumors of a third. As a son, L'Olonnais' birth came as a disappointment to the Matriarch, who tried to get some use out of him as a common soldier; unfortunately for her, L'Olonnais became worse than useless.
* **Hi'Saffir**is the eldest daughter of Hi'Matron, holding the second greatest, if tenuous, power within the house. Years before L'Olonnais' birth, Hi'Saffir killed Hi'Tidra, which resulted in Hi'Phei's birth soon after.
* **Hi'Tidra**would have been L'Olonnais' third sister had he known her. She, however, using forces outside their house, attempted to wrest control from Hi'Matron by pitting her against Hi'Saffir. Unfortunately, her plot did not work out, being manipulated by her mother to act as a suppression against Hi'Saffir. Unfortunately, in their struggles, Hi'Saffir emerged victorious.
* **L'Oreau** is L'Olonnais' only known brother, though it is quite possible that the Matriarch had several other who died prior to his birth, who, following tradition, became a wizard at his mother's command. Although cruel and malicious as any drow, L'Oreau was the only male figure in L'Olonnais' life, becoming the pillar on which L'Olonnais relied, especially when attempting to escape his life far below the surface. Unfortunately, after L'Olonnais attained his brother's help, L'Oreau was captured and dragged away by his family's forces.
* **Hi'Raelia**is the sister closest to L'Olonnais, being the consummate rebel of the family. Having witnessed Hi'Tidra's death at the hands of her sister, Hi'Raelia gave up all ambitions to becoming the family matriarch and, instead, attempted to carve her own power outside of the house multiple times, but failing when discovered. Hi'Raelia seems to have a deep seated fear of her mother and elder sister, while being cautious of her younger siblings. While escaping with L'Olonnais to the surface, Hi'Raelia was forced to face Hi'Phei, who, being one step younger, attempted to get rid of her "rival," which resulted in her death.
* **Hi'Phei*,*** the fourth sister, grew up ambitious and cunning, knowing the story of Hi'Tidra. However, this did not stop her from pitting herself against Hi'Raelia.
* **Hi'Viri** is the sister closest in age to L'Olonnais, and she was his direct superior and "caretaker" for most of his life. As the youngest female with no power over those above her, she exerted control over L'Olonnais, being to him, the epitome of cruelty and chaos, the sister whom he most feared.

## Childhood

Born into a lower house of Drow nobility in the Underdark, L'Olonnais grew up indoctrinated to the teachings of Lolth. As far as he can remember, he was trained in the cruelties and harsh realities of living in Drow society, so as a second son, with no hope of becoming a particularly powerful entity within his home, L'Olonnais was trained as a soldier (if high ranking because of his nobility) for his House.

## Adolescence

With a greater knack for subtlety than straight combat, L'Olonnais was trained in ambush tactics for small raiding parties, eventually being sent to the outpost of Atiol, where he carried out assassinations against rival houses under the direction of Hi'Viri.

## Adulthood Prior to Discord

In his first raid upon the surface, L'Olonnais was changed, questioning his belief of Lolth and of adhering to the practices of Drow society. In the end, he decided to leave the Underdark to explore the mysteries of art in the world above, gaining the help of his brother, L'Oreau, and third sister, Hi'Raelia. Together they journeyed toward the surface, before being forced to sacrifice L'Oreau in their bid to escape.

On the surface, L'Olonnais and his sister were forced to assimilate into a world that hated the two of them. However, on their journey, they chanced to meet Elvid, a minstrel more interested in the stories of these two than in following discrimination. It was Elvid who taught L'Olonnais how to bring out the magic in music (though he could not do the same himself) and introduced the dark elf to high society, giving him the alias "Sir Midnight" in the courts they visited in Swifthorn and Eastborough. Unfortunately for Elvid, even he did not know about the "backwardness" of Drow society, which resulted in several blatant mistakes of even common etiquette within the court. However, through his teachings, L'Olonnais was able to secure his identity, seducing one Baronness Rhoades and settling a dispute (through deception and trickery) between Earl Dimshaw and Earl Foxtrot, in Foxtrot's favor. But in order to gain the acceptance and an easier time, L'Olonnais headed south to Penrith, a city where he hoped his dreams of art would come true.

## Defining Event

On a surface raid, L’Olonnais heard, for the first time, a harmonious song that so contrasted with what he
previously heard in the discordant praising of Lolth that he was stunned, only moving again at the behest of his superiors. He was further enthralled by the beautiful, instead of vicious, movements of the elves as they fought off their assailants. When he finally recovered and was about to strike down a spawn of the surface dwellers, she, the green-eyed elven girl, instead of screaming, sung a song so sweet that L’Olonnais seemed to see a sovereign god, and, in typical drow fashion of what they deem mercy, knocked her out with the flat of his blade before retreating from the elven assault.