Janella Silentread

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Janella is the product of surface elves that were taken as slaves during drow surface raids. While most noble families among drow culture use surface elves as a sacrifice to Lolth, one noble family kept some of theirs for 'fun.' The matron mother and high priestesses of this particular family secretly kept the surface elves as slaves.

Some were used for pleasure, some were tortured for fun, others were trained to fight. The fighting slaves were made to fight each other for the amusement of their mistresses. Janella is the result of some of those slaves being used for pleasure. Male drow were allowed to have their way with some of the female slaves, since it made the males themselves easier to control. The male drow could take out some of their frustrations on the surface elf females, as well as experience the unheard act of dominating a female. Fewer of their males were lost to rogue bands, and it helped keep the slaves in line.

This also produced more slaves, the moon elf females that had been taken were all eventually impregnated. The dark elf females would never carry the offpsring of a faerie, but they considered their female captives to be vessels for the task of expanding the numbers of slaves over the decades.

Half-breed slaves were trained in combat and a variety of other skills to be put to use, particularly to absorb the brunt of attacks from other houses while they were under magical enchantments that made them look like full-blooded dark elves.

None of their rivals, peers or allies could figure out how House Aldurael improved so much in their attacks over the decades. Any time the House came up against a foe, it performed well. Dark elves around the city speculated they had some kind of outside help. Some noble dark elf females and males that no one recognized had been spotted among the forces of House Alduraell. Dark elves of rival houses could only wonder about where these drow had come from, and thought they must be mercenaries hired from outside the city. Little did they know that they were half-drow disguised as full-bloods so they could assist in taking down enemies.

Janella grew up without affection or compassion. She grew up without concepts that many people on the surface take for granted. Her life consisted of cruel conditions and harsh treatment that molded her into a hardened killer and thief. Having experienced trauma and abuse for decades, it has left her with mental illnesses. As a mixed breed, she only ventured away from the House whenever she was under a disguise as a full-blooded drow. And she was only allowed to venture away to perform dirty work for her Matron.

She and her siblings shared a certain bond, but it was tenuous. Their drow masters and mistresses did not want them to form solidarity, and frequently turned them against one another.

Eventually, Janella was offered the powers that a noble drow possesses. It was a ceremony that was hand crafted by Janella's Matron, Elva, the vicious Matron of House Aldurael. Janella was not told what would happen during the ceremony. She was summoned by the Matron, told she would be given this gift, and to return when called.

When she was called back to her Matron, her sister Ashera had been brought as well. Janella and Ashera both entered the inner chambers of the compound where their House resided. Only Janella returned. Janella was altered with magic that day, and it had it's benefits and it's downsides for her. Ashera was never seen again after the ceremony.

House Aldurael was at the pinnacle of it's power whenever they fell. They had struck down all their enemies without fail so far, it was getting more and more risky for anyone to challenge them. A House that had been spotted keeping tabs on the activities of the House of Aldurael was rumored to be plotting an attack. Matron Elva decided to make the first move and sent many of her slaves, Janella included, to lead the attack, with the priestesses behind them and the soldiers flanking them for support. Having found what they thought what looked like a weakness in the defenses of their rival's compound, they initiated an attack that ultimately failed. What they thought had been a weakness had been a trap.

The spell cast on Janella to create the illusion of full-blooded dark elves fell as the priestesses died, and her new captors were intrigued with both Janella's fighting skill and the aesthetic look created by her mixed heritage. She was sold to the Coliseum and forced to fight in the arena. Between fights, she flirted with one of the guards and lured him into her cell. He was found hours later, dead and stripped of his weapons. The half-breed stowed away in cargo being carried to the surface in a caravan, even though it was very uncomfortable and made for some occasional starvation and dehydration.

For the first several years Janella wandered around the wilderness, the extended periods of isolation did not help her already afflicted mental state. She often stooped to sharing the company of orcs or goblins. Human settlements were much more to her liking, especially since she knew that no surface elf would ever accept her. Often mistaken as a full-blooded drow, she rarely bothers with correcting people when they refer to her as a dark elf anymore. The bands of orcs and goblins she traveled or stayed with helped with teaching her broken Common, or some of the smarter members anyway. From there, she used her skills both magical and learned to infiltrate the criminal organizations of human society. It took years for her to make a name for herself among the less reputable social structures of the surface. It also took time to build upon the basic spells that enhanced her abilities as a rogue. Janella has been doing all that she can to please her deity and to advance her own goals since becoming embedded in the underground network of spies, thieves and assassins that consist of thieves guilds.

The first criminal organization she was recruited into was the Red Hand, led by a full-blooded drow by the name of Drovic Claddsek. She worked with humans, other drow and gray dwarves in this group. The group was based in Skullport, and it was much like an anchor for Janella. She solidified her knowledge of Common, learned more about societies on the surface and was able to branch out from there.

Her upbringing, experiences and profession do not allow for love, mercy or compassion. Janella has twisted principles that guide her perspective and actions. She is ruthless, calculating and has very little empathy. Though she is far less prejudiced than the typical dark elf, she still has her biases. Decades away from her trauma have helped her learn to deal with any mental issues, but her abnormalities still lurk beneath the surface.