Ann

Ann using her Life Drain

Ann was an Aetherborn Monk who pursued the cause of peace. In 1454, she joined a group of students from the Royal Green Dragon Academy.

#### History

Ann was formed from psionic energy rising from an Illithid community in 1451. Quickly deducing her nature, Ann realized that she would soon fade away, as Aetherborn were notoriously short-lived. Struck by this realization, she concluded that she would seek to make the world a better place with the time she had, seeking out a monastery and pursuing the path of peace.

On one fateful night in 1454, Ann was alarmed to discover that a Blue Dragon was attacking the settlement of Redbreak and rushed in to help the emperiled townsfolk. Ann fought bravely against a group of raiding humanoids (mostly mercenaries hired by the Cult of Tiamat) and helped many of the townfolk to take refuge in the keep. Having learned from the town govenor that a group of townsfolk were trapped within a nearby temple of Berronar Truesilver Ann decided to rescue them, reaching the temple through a secret tunnel, where she met Xendon, Grog, and Julia Stormwhisper. Meanwhile, James led the townsfolk still in the streets toward the keep and Grub snuck off to the Aurora, which he crashed into the dragon, driving it off, although the dragon swore revenge.

In the temple, Grog and Ann guided those trapped in the temple through the secret tunnel back to the keep, while Xendon and Julia Stormwhisper battled a group of cultists who had managed to break through the building's fortifications. The pair managed to capture a cultist named Angus Nickledreamer, to whom they offered freedom in exchange for information. After learning from Angus that the raid was conducted by Tiamat-worshipping cultists led by a Wyrmspeaker called Lalzuran Prideclaw who sought to gather an enormous treasure hoard worthy of the Dragon Queen. After interrogating the Cultist, the students were approached by Sariel Stormblood, a squire of Edwin Mountainbrace, who told them that the two knights, who had seen the attack on Redbreak from a distance, had been ambushed by Cultists on their way to lend aid. Although she escaped, Sariel sustained several injuries in the battle and her master was captured. Sariel, who was too weak to pursue the cultists on her own, asked the students for help in rescuing Sir Edwin. The students and Ann, hoping to track down the cultists, eagerly agreed.

Following the tracks left behind through the countryside, the party traveled east until they came across a secluded hollow that the Cult of Tiamat was using as a camp. Grub snuck into the camp and found sir Edwin tied to a stake. While Grub untied the captive knight, James and Xendon attacked the camp's small guard tower as a distraction. After a short battle with the Cultists of Tiamat, which ended in Xendon burning down most of the camp, the students escaped with Sir Mountainbrace, although they were pursued by Lalzuran Prideclaw, who struck them with a *Fireball*. Impressed by the students' heroic actions, Ann offered to join them on their journeys. Once they had returned to Redbreak, Grub, who had befriended Sir Mountainbrace, told him of his wife disappearance and, from the knight's uplifting words, became inspired anew to search for her. Grub, after examining the locations marked on the map, decided to investigate a castle belonging to Torlor Dathrak, which was located in Eglor. Telling his companions of his plan, the group decided first to travel to Heraldur, in order to collect a platoon of soldiers, then made the journey over the border into Eglor. After a perilous crossing of the Glaive's Edge into Eglor, the group came across a rift leading to the Underdark. Ann, who needed Tessadyle Fungus to prolong her life, asked Grub and James, as well as an Uswonian Corporal named Branrik Blackdigger to accompany her down the rift into the Underdark while Xendon, Julia, and Grog led the soldiers on to Torlor's castle.

Under Branrik's guidance, the group found their way to the Chapel, where Ann asked its organ-playing Mind Flayer inhabitant politely for a sample of Tessadyle Fungus. The aberration initially agreed, but, once it had enclosed her in the back room of the chapel, ordered its Chuul henchmen to seize her so that it may inject her with an insanity-inducing serum (concocted from the brain fluids of other insane creatures) and devour her mind. While Grub, too frightened to enter the chapel, hid outside, and James found himself being terrorized by the lunatics the Mind Flayer kept imprisoned, Corporal Blackdigger burst into the back room of the chapel and attacked the Chuul that was holding Ann, giving her an opportunity to escape. Ann then dodged out of the creature's grasp, seized a growth of the fungus, and made a dash for the window. Although she was stunned by the Mind Flayer's psionic attacks, Grub, James, and Corporal Blackdigger managed to fight off the aberrations long enough for her to make her escape. As he followed his escaping companions, however, Grub was seized by the Mind Flayer. Before the creature could consume his brain, however, Branrik attacked it with his warhammer. While Grub, James, and Ann fled with the fungus, the corporal stayed behind, to hold off the Mind Flayer and the surviving Chuul. Although he fought bravely, he was killed.

A few days after the incident at the chapel, the three adventurers managed to catch up with Xendon and the rest of the party and made camp on a hill overlooking the castle. Grub and Xendon, under the effect of an *Invisibility* spell, teleported into the upper levels of the castle and began to search for Escrula, while Ann and James approached the main gate in order to distract the guards. Grub and Xendon (after fighting their way past a group of Deathlocks) discovered a room in which Escula was contained by a *Prismatic Wall*. Escrula, who was being forced to try to re-create the orb, was in the process of concocting a Wild Magic Liquid, when Xendon mustered enough energy to dispel the Prismatic Wall, leaving himself drained. As the three fled the tower, they fell under attack by another group of Deathlocks, one of which managed to gravely injure Escrula with a *Fireball* spell, prompting Grub to carry her. Just as they were about to make their escape, Torlor Dathrak appeared and attacked, taking advantage of the *Time Stop* spell to recapture Escrula. During his battle with the wizard, Grub signaled for the platoon of dwarven soldiers he had brought with him to attack. While the troops (aided by Ann and James) rushed the castle's front gate and engaged in battle with a Glabrezu, Grub was knocked unconscious after being pelted with *Magic Missiles* and dumped in a drainage ditch by Torvald Simpworth, although he was saved by Xendon. Once he had defeated Xendon and Grub, Dathrak magically restored Escrula's health and teleported the two of them away. Although he survived the battle, Grub was emotionally crushed after having lost his wife once again.

Returning to the Academy on foot, the students (minus Grog and Julia Stormwhisper) were tasked by Carnelis with tracking down a group of Cultists of Tiamat (part of the same cell who had attacked Redbreak). Following the cultists' trail into the Xaspenian Shield Mountain Range, the students were attacked by Dondrirog the White Dragon, who had been tasked with guarding the peak of Mount Gloomshear by the Cult of Tiamat. After defeating and subduing the dragon and plundering its hoard (using a *Saddle of the Cavalier* they found among the dragon's treasure to restrain it), the party continued to the mountain's summit, where they found a Cloud Giant castle, owned by Johsmohr. Approaching the castle on Dondrirog's back, and descending stealthily to investigate, the party questioned a Cloud Giant servant named Benvolio and discovered that Johsmohr, who had abandoned his faith in the Giant Gods, was helping the Cult of Tiamat, allowing them to use his flying castle to transport enormous amounts of treasure over the Xaspenian shield. Confronting Johsmohr, the students attacked, with Ann ultimately pushing him from the fortress. Just before he fell to his death (unable to save himself with magic thanks to James), Johsmohr claimed that a great upheaval was coming for Giantkind. Leaving Benvolio at the helm, the students descended into the lower levels of the castle to do battle with the cult of Tiamat.

In the castle's cellars, the students discovered a stockpile of wealth the Cultists had stolen from people across the Uswonian countryside and came face-to-face with Lalzuran Prideclaw. After defeating the Half Dragon and claiming the Black Dragon Mask, the party assisted King Thoradin Goldflaw in returning the treasure to its original owners. Entrusting the castle to Benvolio, the students returned to the Royal Green Dragon Academy to discover that Toby Greybeard had been rescued. Toby revealed that he had been abducted by the Cult of Scrix, who were in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramid of Amasis. The students rushed to the pyramid, travelling through the Misty Moors, and into The Lonely Steppe.

After negotiating peacefully with a wandering tribe of Tlincalli, the students found their way to the Pyramid of Amasis, only to discover that the Cult of Scrix had already arrived. Xendon and Ann, making use of a *Dimension Door* spell, teleported to the summit of the Pyramid, arriving beside a sarcophagus. Making use of another *Dimension Door* to escape from Torlor Dathrak, who had been about to claim the *Talisman of the Sphere*, the students fled into the desert, although Dathrak managed to kill Ann and trap Grub through the use of his *Dark Star* spell.