Information

Shierza
Legacy Name: Shierza

The Storm Keeto
Owner: Possum

Age: 7 years, 1 month, 2 weeks

Born: March 1st, 2017

Adopted: 7 years, 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Adopted: March 1st, 2017

Statistics

• Level: 8
   
• Strength: 20
   
• Defense: 10
   
• Speed: 13
   
• Health: 10
   
• HP: 10/10
   
• Intelligence: 28
   
• Books Read: 25
• Food Eaten: 0
• Job: Groomer

Nature vs. Nurture

A group of adventurers comes across a small town which has seen better days. The townsfolk seem nervous, although none will say why when questioned. The lord's estate, on the other hand, seems quite peaceful. The lord requests their presence, and the adventurers are not the type to turn away the request of a man of power.

The lord of the town tells the adventurers over a fairly sizeable meal that every summer for as long as he can remember, the gnolls have come. First, they came in a small war-band. They would come, attack some of the smaller farms on the outskirts of town, maybe steal some livestock or take human captives, and leave. However, with each subsequent year, the gnoll tribe grew larger, and with size, more emboldened. They started coming into the town proper as of last year, causing havoc and killing just about every armed soldier the lord threw at them.

The lord offered the group a fairly hefty sum of gold - a sum large enough that each member could easily live like a noble themselves for at least a year, if not more. The gold would be delivered to them as soon as they had proved that every last gnoll, "every male, female, and child," the lord said, "is dead. I want their pelts as proof."

The gnoll encampment was set up not far north of the town, and at the first light of dawn, the adventurers made their move. The battle was long and bloody, but the group eventually emerged victoriously. As Garder, the group's ranger, and Klaros, the rogue, began to skin the corpses, Belanor the wizard took the time to scout the remainder of the camp. Empty, for the most part. The gnolls' weapons were largely crude implements; anything the town guard would have would be far better. The gnolls had gathered their spoils of war in another tent; mostly slaughtered sheep and a few calves.

In another tent, the lifeless body of a gnoll - female, though her size might've suggested otherwise - was slumped over in a curious position. Had she tried to grab something and run? There was a soft, sucking noise coming from... somewhere in the tent. Belanor cast Light over a small pebble on the floor and tossed it on the other side of the tent - across from the gnoll's body. The shadow cast from the body was moving ever so slightly. Belanor turned the body over gently, and the sucking noise ceased.

Nestled at the exposed breast of the dead gnoll was a small gnoll babe, barely a few days old. Its eyes were still closed, or perhaps they were just sensitive to the light Belanor had brought to the room. Belanor plucked the tiny gnoll from its mother's chest, and the little hyena-demon made a noise of protest. "Shhh. Shush, little one." Belanor recalled the words of the lord - every last one of the gnolls needed to be killed. But surely the babe would die on its own without the care of another, how would he know any differently? Belanor, though not a cleric or paladin, was a follower of a god of Life. He didn't wish to cause harm to an unarmed babe - one who couldn't even see, much less walk or talk or take up a weapon. No, he couldn't kill this little one. He vaguely recalled hearing tales of a tribe of gnolls who had turned away from their Demon Lord, Yeenoghu. A tribe of relatively "Good" gnolls, if gnolls could ever be considered Good. Perhaps...

"Belanor? What was that noi-" Klaros entered the tent. "Oh, shit. Is that a baby? Did they steal a baby?"

"No. This one is one of theirs. I don't know who killed the mother, but they didn't see it. I'm not killing it. Nobody will."

Klaros cleared his throat. "Belanor. Buddy. We're being paid to kill every last one of them."

"I'm keeping the babe, Klaros. I can raise her to be Good. I know I can. Pretend I've been killed by the gnolls. Tell the group to pretend the same. Take my share of the gold. I have a little place near Cael Syloth, I can raise her there."

Klaros sighed, dejectedly. "My friend... for you. Alright. I'll do it. I'll bring you your share back to you when I can."

"It's a deal."

Belanor teleported then, back home to his little cabin outside of Cael Syloth. The gnoll babe cried softly, obviously not used to long-distance travel. The elf threw together some sheets in a drawer by his bed. "Hush, little one. I'll be right back." He left the cabin, and headed into the large city. He inquired as to where he might find a wet nurse, one who could be trusted to stay quiet. Belanor was pointed in the direction of a midwife's home.

The midwife, who had under her employ a few wet nurses, promised absolute secrecy. She would be over to his cabin later that same day, and would stay with him "until your babe is weaned. It must've been so hard for you, to lose your wife." After a brief uneasy quiet, Belanor whispered to the midwife the truth. "Oh... Oh, my. Well, perhaps I'll send Carmella. She'll be less likely to fuss over such a... babe."

The orc wet nurse arrived later that day, as the gnoll babe cried hungrily. She smiled a toothy grin, her eyes laughing at the clearly-stressed older elf. "I'll take it from here, sir. Do you even know what the baby is? What's between its legs?"

Belanor stared, handing the baby over to the orc. "Uh... well, it's clearly a..."

"She's a little girl," the orc cooed, looking into the blankets. "Does she have a name?"

"I didn't... but perhaps I'll name her after my late sister... Shierza."

Ten years later...

"Shierza, we've been over this a thousand times. You are not allowed to go outside. Not without a disguise." Belanor's arms crossed over his chest, his grey eyes looking down at his adopted daughter. The little gnoll girl pouted.

"Then give me one! Turn me into a sheep, a sparrow, an elf, even! I'm TIRED of being stuck in here all the time! Having to hide whenever you have a patient over. Tired of having to hide whenever you leave to go to town, just in case someone comes by. Why don't I get to go outside?"

"Because, my dear," Belanor sat in a chair so as to be at eye level with Shierza, as his daughter had grown considerably in the less than ten years since he'd taken her from the carnage of her former clan. "You are a gnoll. And gnolls are typically considered Evil. And those that are Evil are usually killed on sight. So you need to stay here, where you'll be safe. Stay hidden."

The gnoll grumbled softly. "Fine. But if I have to stay here, at least teach me some of the things you do? Maybe I can help you?"

Belanor laughed. "When I think you're ready, I will."

A few years later, the now teenaged Shierza began sneaking out at night to go running around in the forest. Gnolls are considered adults at fifteen, and Shierza was only two years away from that milestone. She was restless. Outside, in the forest, she felt free. She felt the moist soil between her toes, felt the wind on her fur, and could smell the sweetness that only exists in a forest with the slightest of enchantments. It was here, deep in the forest, that Shierza met the goblin.

She was a druid, she said. A mage who made her home in the wilds, far away from the influence of the city and all things urban. "I wield the elements, enlist animals to aide me, and can even control the very weather."

Without hesitation, Shierza fell to her knees in front of the goblin. "Will you teach me?"

The goblin chuckled. "Only if you agree to meet here every night. We shall train by moonlight."

Each night, Shierza found herself sneaking out of the cabin to meet the goblin. First, she was taught the Druidic alphabet and language; a melodic, yet still somehow harsh tongue, with an Elven script. "This," the goblin explained, "will be the easiest part for you." Next, she spent her time meditating in a clearing by a spring. Meditation, it was explained to the young gnoll, would allow her to commune with the spirits of the natural world, to hear their voices on the wind, and to learn their names.

Learning actual spells, it turned out, wasn't incredibly difficult, either. Shierza found she had a natural affinity for spells involving fire and ice, creating small flames in her furred hand with little effort, and creating small ice floes in the stream which ran through the forest. Electricity would come next, with time - summoning lightning and thunder with a snap of her fingers. Wind and earth magics, however, proved most difficult for Shierza. It would be some years before she'd be able to move boulders with a wave of her hand, or walk on air without thinking about it.

Communing with animals was Shierza's favorite part of her training. She loved watching the owls hunt, seeing the various fish swimming in the stream, hearing the wolf packs howl to the light of the moon. Her goblin mentor taught her how to study each animal she came across. "Watch how the animals move, see how they fight for survival. The little mouse will make a burrow in an attempt to hide from an owl. Wolves surround their rabbit prey. Learn their movements; only then will you be able to assume their forms." Shierza found that as much as she liked being able to play with the animals and talk to them, she wasn't fond of transforming into them. Although she loved being able to soar through the skies as an owl! Swimming like an otter in the streams and catching fish with her mouth - only to let them go after - also provided her a few hours of entertainment. She decided to herself that she would save transformation, "wildshaping," as the goblin had called it, for utility purposes only.

And then one night, one of her new friends followed her home. Just before the dawn, Shierza snuck back into her father's cabin, being ever so careful to not make any noise - elves do not actually sleep, after all, instead they go into a trance-like state. If her father ever realized that she'd been sneaking out... but she didn't think he knew. A loud snuffling noise and scratching at the door to the cabin snapped Belanor out of his trance, however, and Shierza found herself frozen with fear in the middle of the room.

"Young lady... what was that noise? What are you doing out of bed? Have you... you smell like soil. Have you been sneaking out at night?!" Her father was angry, for the first time in a long time. The snuffling noise and scratching continued. Belanor practically flew to the door, one hand on the handle while the other was poised in a threatening manner - a spell awaiting the would-be intruder.

Shierza did not move. Belanor opened the door, and an animal barrel-rolled into the cabin. It was larger than other badgers, but was definitely a badger. A fluffy, fanged boulder of a creature, the badger shuffled around the cabin while Belanor stared on in confusion. Shierza found herself laughing soon enough, and scooped up the badger into her arms. "Hello there, friend!" she cooed, and the badger pressed its snout against her neck.

"You... you're not keeping that thing. Put it back outside. It's a dire badger, Shierza. It belongs in the wild." Belanor moved to take the badger away from his daughter, and it bared its fangs and growled. "It might even have rabies. Take it outside."

"I don't know. I think he's rather cute. I think I'll call him... Reaver."

"Oh, for the love of the Seven... you can't name it, Shierza! Now put that thing back outside and go to bed! If I ever catch you going outside again - "

Shierza rolled her eyes. "I've been going outside for months, Father. Almost an entire year, now. There's this nice goblin lady teaching me the ways of Druids. I can cast spells, Father! She's been willing to teach me magic, since you won't." Belanor sighed.

"A druid. Hah. I should have known. Shierza, sweetheart... I'm not happy. I'm really not. Though I'm glad you're getting proper training. But please, put that badger outside. I'll start training you in healing if you just do me that one favor."

She pouted, but relented in the end. She whispered in Druidic to the badger's ear, "I'll see you again tonight. We're gonna be best friends. I promise."

Two more years come to pass...

"Shierza. You're a grown woman now. You know how to heal wounds and cure diseases with just a touch. I've taught you medicinal herbalism, and how to wrap bandages. It's time you joined your father on a house call." Belanor handed his daughter a wrapped package. She tore the parchment eagerly; presents were rare, even on special occasions such as her birthday.

In her lap lay the signature dark outfit of a plague doctor. Hat and hood with beaked mask, dark leather robes, gloves and boots. She squealed; her father was finally allowing her to go on a business trip to the city! And with this disguise, nobody would be able to tell she was a gnoll. Shierza scratched behind Reaver's ear, then jumped up to hug her father.

~~~~

"Shierza of Storms" was my first "true" character in Dungeons & Dragons, edition 3.5. First conceived to be more of a "red mage" as opposed to the strict healer/support class that druids often are played as in D&D, she's still one of my favorite characters. Her spells mostly focused on the elements, with Produce Flame and Ice Storm being her most-used, non-healing spells. Her dire badger companion, Tresahk/Reaver rarely left her side, and though she had trouble controlling him during a Rage-induced rampage, she loved him as one loves a close friend. Unfortunately, Shierza's monstrous nature often times meant that she felt a non-hostile monster was "cute", and she often wanted to keep one as a pet (she never did manage to get her hands on a bullette egg, sadly).

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