Ephraim the Vile
Ephraim the Vile
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Ephraim (they/she, born the second child (of four) of drow parents Jahaziel and Azariah, was born into a family of well-known (for a small village, somewhere in Anbhor) exotic mushroom (re: ones that grow in the Underdark) cultivators. Ephraim grew up mostly happy, entirely restless, excited to explore the world beyond their humble abode (and secret tunnels into the Underdark to find and harvest medicinal and hallucinogenic mushrooms to sell.)
Ephraim joined up with a local adventurer's guild as they began to come of age ~70, really for them, having some experience with a sword and a natural affinity for dueling, ready to rush headlong into a new era of her life. Their parents seemed content with a comfortable life in a comfortable home, especially since their older brother, Zebulun, took a shine to the intricacies of mushroom and mushroom hybrid cultivation and her young siblings (twins Naphtali and Asher) seemed to be taking up much of her parents' time and energy.
Ephraim, within their first year in the adventurer's guild, ran headlong into the conflict between the Commonwealth and Bearingpool (and Ashley Moztel). Most of that first year had been spent either acting as sellswords or running fetch quests for a merchant fascinated with magical artifacts. Her adventures took her across another elf (a wood elf) in their party - Elijah, a necromancy wizard - had taken Ephraim under her wing, and Ephraim, delighted to make new elf friends, had welcomed her companionship with open arms. Elijah, however, seemed more concerned than Ephraim of the potential intrusion of Moztel's influence, as the oversight from the Assembly tended to be lax and allowed her the ability to perform 'experiments' in an easy sort of secrecy. In this time, even within the span of a year, Ephraim had sworn their allegiance to Elijah, "with you or for you," vowing to follow Elijah to the end of their days.
With the transition to The Democratic People's Republic of Kelemvor and the influence of the Neo Dogma, Ephraim watched the slow deterioration of their dearest friend and love (unreciprocated, unfortunately, since Elijah, too singleminded in her rage against the Neo Dogma and the new republic and all that they stood for was always too busy plotting and scheming to notice. Elijah also hailed from the now frozen-over Kelic region, and was also determined to find revenge for her homelands, whatever the cost.) Elijah, in a fit of blind rage, had accused all in their company of undermining her and her goals for vengeance and split off from the rest of their party. Ephraim, ever loyal, left what they had come to know as home to follow.
Elijah and Ephraim would spend the next thirty or so years waging a two-elf war against the Republic of Kelemvor, taking the form of acts of vandalism (burning down crops, finding and executing merchants, haunting small Republic towns with small hordes of the undead, or anything that would seem to chip away at the might of the Republic.) Ephraim remained silently disapproving of these acts, but conducted them regardless, hoping for Elijah to notice and reward their faith and dedication. Each night, when Elijah managed to fall into a fitful sleep, Ephraim would remain awake, standing watch, reaffirming her private vows to her beloved, as unrequited as it were.
Little did Ephraim know, the Neo Dogma had been made aware of them, and while Ephraim and Elijah remained isolated from the rest of society, managed to intercept them en route to their latest attack.
A fierce and bloody battle ensued, with dark necrotic energy curling around Elijah's fingers and sprays of blood from the steel of Ephraim's sword. Many soldiers and clergy fell before the might of them combined, but a misplaced step and a shield raised a fraction of a second too late left Elijah bleeding out, crimson blood melting the muddled snow of their battlefield. Ephraim was left alone, frozen in the moment when a sword pierced through Elijah's chest, watching the manic, raging energy leave her beloved's eyes. It didn't matter in the end, despite Ephraim's best efforts to finish off the rest of the soldiers in the face of her grief, when two arrows lodged themselves in her back through her shorn leather armor, and she followed Elijah into the darkness.
After they were raised back from the dead by The Dark Maker, Xaro Voss, himself, they became and remain a loyal companion to Jainan the Fool. Wherever Jainan goes, they are not far behind.
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