Ezmerelda d'Avenir
Ezmerelda d'Avenir, a Vistana, is the protégé of Rudolph van Richten - despite the fact that her first encounter with the vampire hunter was anything but pleasant.
Ezmerelda's early life was spent growing up in a Vistani family that preyed upon unsuspecting travelers. When she was about 10 or so her family kidnapped Erasmus van Richten, and it was the beginning of a moment in time that would come to haunt Ezmerelda for the rest of her life. In the brief time that she got to know him, Ezmerelda befriended Erasmus and was amazed by his stories of a less dysfunctional family. It wasn't long before her family sold Erasmus to a vampire, known as Baron Metus.
Even today, years later, she can still hear Erasmus's pleas for mercy. That event haunted her childhood.
At the age of fifteen, Ezmerelda, still troubled by what her family had done to van Richten, ran away from home and joined a Vistani trader caravan. She journeyed far during this time, but never felt a true sense of belonging like Erasmus had spoken of to her.
She tracked down Rudolf van Richten two years later. Thinking she was a Vistana assassin, he put a sword to her throat and threatened to spill her blood. Ezmerelda convinced him that she genuinely wanted to help him find his missing son, whereupon van Richten told her the saddest of tales. He had found his son, who had been transformed into a vampire spawn. When Erasmus pleaded to his father for salvation, van Richten granted his request by ending his existence.
Ezmerelda remained by van Richten's side for two years, helping him track down and slay many creatures of the night. But because van Richten could never bring himself to fully trust a Vistana, he kept secrets from her. The two vampire hunters got on each other's nerves, and their arguments became more frequent. At last, Ezmerelda suggested that they part company with some shred of their friendship still intact, and van Richten agreed.
Van Richten tracked down Ezmerelda's original family soon after they parted ways and murded them in vengeance for taking his son from him.
Since bidding farewell to van Richten, Ezmerelda has amassed a sizable personal fortune, some of which she used to buy a wagon to carry her vampire-slaying paraphernalia. On one of her less successful adventures, a werewolf bit off her right leg below the knee, and although she avoided being afflicted with lycanthropy, Ezmerelda was sidelined for months. During this time she found out about the killing of her estranged family. Knowing what they did to Erasmus though she couldn't blame Van Richten as in his position she'd have done the same. She commissioned a master artisan to craft a prosthetic lower leg and foot. After several tries, he delivered a prosthesis that restored her mobility. She has since adapted well to the false appendage.
While in the company of a Vistani caravan, Ezmerelda heard a rumor that Rudolph van Richten had gone to Barovia to slay the most powerful vampire of them all. She decided that she either needed to save him from himself or at very least assist in the task if she couldn't talk him down. She traveled for months to reach Strahd's domain. She rode her wagon to Vallaki and learned about an old tower that seemed the sort of place van Richten would use as a base. When she arrived there, she found some of van Richten's belongings, but of the vampire hunter there was no sign. Although she is anxious to learn the whereabouts of her mentor. To that end, she has been pouring over van Richten's research and learning about Strahd and Castle Ravenloft, with every intention of dispatching the vampire herself if she cannot find van RIchten first. She fears her old mentor too old and weak to manage such a powerful foe no matter how much research and cunning he employs in the endeavor.
Ezmerelda's early life was spent growing up in a Vistani family that preyed upon unsuspecting travelers. When she was about 10 or so her family kidnapped Erasmus van Richten, and it was the beginning of a moment in time that would come to haunt Ezmerelda for the rest of her life. In the brief time that she got to know him, Ezmerelda befriended Erasmus and was amazed by his stories of a less dysfunctional family. It wasn't long before her family sold Erasmus to a vampire, known as Baron Metus.
Even today, years later, she can still hear Erasmus's pleas for mercy. That event haunted her childhood.
At the age of fifteen, Ezmerelda, still troubled by what her family had done to van Richten, ran away from home and joined a Vistani trader caravan. She journeyed far during this time, but never felt a true sense of belonging like Erasmus had spoken of to her.
She tracked down Rudolf van Richten two years later. Thinking she was a Vistana assassin, he put a sword to her throat and threatened to spill her blood. Ezmerelda convinced him that she genuinely wanted to help him find his missing son, whereupon van Richten told her the saddest of tales. He had found his son, who had been transformed into a vampire spawn. When Erasmus pleaded to his father for salvation, van Richten granted his request by ending his existence.
Ezmerelda remained by van Richten's side for two years, helping him track down and slay many creatures of the night. But because van Richten could never bring himself to fully trust a Vistana, he kept secrets from her. The two vampire hunters got on each other's nerves, and their arguments became more frequent. At last, Ezmerelda suggested that they part company with some shred of their friendship still intact, and van Richten agreed.
Van Richten tracked down Ezmerelda's original family soon after they parted ways and murded them in vengeance for taking his son from him.
Since bidding farewell to van Richten, Ezmerelda has amassed a sizable personal fortune, some of which she used to buy a wagon to carry her vampire-slaying paraphernalia. On one of her less successful adventures, a werewolf bit off her right leg below the knee, and although she avoided being afflicted with lycanthropy, Ezmerelda was sidelined for months. During this time she found out about the killing of her estranged family. Knowing what they did to Erasmus though she couldn't blame Van Richten as in his position she'd have done the same. She commissioned a master artisan to craft a prosthetic lower leg and foot. After several tries, he delivered a prosthesis that restored her mobility. She has since adapted well to the false appendage.
While in the company of a Vistani caravan, Ezmerelda heard a rumor that Rudolph van Richten had gone to Barovia to slay the most powerful vampire of them all. She decided that she either needed to save him from himself or at very least assist in the task if she couldn't talk him down. She traveled for months to reach Strahd's domain. She rode her wagon to Vallaki and learned about an old tower that seemed the sort of place van Richten would use as a base. When she arrived there, she found some of van Richten's belongings, but of the vampire hunter there was no sign. Although she is anxious to learn the whereabouts of her mentor. To that end, she has been pouring over van Richten's research and learning about Strahd and Castle Ravenloft, with every intention of dispatching the vampire herself if she cannot find van RIchten first. She fears her old mentor too old and weak to manage such a powerful foe no matter how much research and cunning he employs in the endeavor.
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