"Gasadrael, I have reservations about you going away...but your plan certainly shows promise. Your Mother has misjudged you, methinks. Go forth into the world and prove yourself; when you return, you may be on your way to becoming a princess."
"I don't know if that term will even still be appropriate, Father. If anything, I would become a High Councilwoman, the first elven female to have power over this land in millenia. That is, unless Mother beats me to the punch."
My name is Gasadrael Chen Spyrn, daughter of Celian and Gomortha Spyrn. I was born in Hasaden (where I've lived all my life) during a full hailstorm, complete with lightning. Some of the local holy men considered it an auspice that I was to become a leader or a warrior, but my parents, too set in the old ways, took it to mean that I might one day become a noblewoman, or perhaps a Princess. My Mother, more than anyone, seemed to fixate on my being mated well and staying in the "upper ranks" rather than worrying upon my well-being or becoming a great woman on my own.
I have recently turned 95 years old, still just a child in my people's eyes, but I have learned much. My parents have lived quite long and are the wealthiest family anywhere outside of the Wheels, so being their only child made for...shall I say, an interesting upbringing. Most of it I found to simply be pageantry and "grooming", teaching me things like manners and proper riding techniques; in other words, subjects fit for an aristocratic female. Thankfully, my parents trusted my tutors enough that they left me alone with them most of the time. Whenever I knew they would be away, I made these teachers give me subjects of real importance: history, languages, combat, and most of all, magic.
That one was somewhat of a given, as most of my family were wizards (with the odd cleric or bard in the family, but we didn't talk much about them). I was taught in many ways of magic; my parents hoped that I would focus on enchantment or illusion (as is "befitting" a elven female in their eyes), but I grew to love conjuration. The idea of summoning creatures to do my bidding gave me such a feeling of power; having dominion over the creatures of our Plane and others made me feel closer in my devotion to Noreal, the fiery Goddess of the north. My devotion to her was welcomed and expected (as it is with most elves in our region); the carefully crafted tattoo of her scimitar curved around an aurora borealis upon my back, however, was neither welcomed nor expected nor approved. To this day, it is my most prized purchase.
As a youth, I didn't have too many friends. First, my time training with all my tutors didn't afford me much time with my peers. Second, some of the children in township automatically hated me due to my family's wealth. Some even took to calling me "Gassy" when I walked by. I found it such a rude name, since the joke only works in the Common language; I mean, yes, I was fluent in Common, but for fellow elves to craft such crude jokes in a simple tongue like that was doubly insulting. Not to say that I don't like humans; they were the only people I had ever encountered other than other elves and the odd halfling, as I had been discouraged for so long from leaving the Northern Shores. Humans are curious creatures: no matter where they end up, or what situation you put them in, they always seem to make the best of it, and use the best of whatever abilities the gods have given them. I hold humans in good regards overall (except for the human wizards, but then again, who does?).
At 75, despite my parents' objections, I began weapons training as well. I gained quite a bit of skill in daggers and bowed weapons (preferring crossbows), which my parents reluctantly approved of, but just to spite them, I also asked for training in swords, the quarterstaff, and the club. That was the one that nearly infuriated them: the idea that their well-bred, well-raised daughter would bother to train in a weapon they considered barely fit for half-orcs (and which my mother took to calling "the Ogre Stick").
After this weapons training, I became fascinated with the craftsmanship that went into making many of my training weapons. Since most of them were imported from other lands, I started tinkering with how to make some on my own (due to there being no masterwork weaponsmiths nearby). This lead to my self-taught studies on building various objects, always with a flair for artistry. My mother decried this, and even my father seemed gruffly against it; even in regards to weapons or objects made with the highest skill and best materials, they still considered such things to be "peasant's work" (I was even forbidden from going near a forge or an anvil, for it was considered to be such a base thing that I might be denied any birthright or inheritance).
I was to go on what was only ever spoken of as a "spirit journey" upon my 100th birthday; however, once I heard that Prince Thay was stepping down from his throne and pushing for a council to rule the land, I asked two things of my parents: that one or both of them go to Corlace to be considered for this new council, and that I be allowed to leave home on my own journey. If I returned home before my 100th in time for my "journey", then so be it; otherwise, I would be left to learn on my own merits. I wished to become a powerful wizard like my family many generations long. It was my belief that this new council should have at least one person adept at magic on it, and that having a potential bloodline of elven wizards could repair whatever damage having the human prince learning spells from the throne had caused. If (although it's really "when") one of my parents is voted into the Council, it wouldn't be difficult to campaign for the position once they passed away or stepped down (at which time, I would be quite skilled in wizardry and nearly all facets of knowledge, both of our world and others).
My Mother wasn't there to see me off; she showed me much of her mind the night before, warning me of the dangers of the road, and mixing with all the "others" that comprised Corlace. She didn't exactly scoff at my plan, however; the idea of being a ruling family (even within a collective Council) was very appealing to her, and as such, she reluctantly gave her consent for my journey.
My Father had the biggest grin on his face as he handed me a heavy bag of gold and hugged me goodbye. I sat on a well-paid-for carriage set to take me into Corlace, where I would begin my journey into adulthood, and perhaps, greatness.
"Goodbye, my only daughter. I hope that when I gaze upon you again, you will be all the better from your journey."
"Goodbye...future Councilman Spyrn. The next time you see me, I shall be a woman, and one of the best wizards this world ever seen, elven or otherwise."
The carriage driver led his horses forward, and I began my new life, with nothing but my gold, the clothes on my back, a crossbow and a spellbook. I hadn't even left the town's gates yet, and I had never felt so alive.
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