Diana looks thoughtful "Seems an age ago now, so much has changed…"

"I was born a little over 100 years ago on the island of Evermeet, the Elvenhome. My father, Eleron, is a powerful mage, and a well-respected sage learned in the secrets of ancient Myth Drannor and the Age of Ledgends. I did not know him well, as he was often traveling, exploring or excavating this or that dungeon. My mother, Anaca was a High Priestess of dead Mystara. She raised both myself and my brother, Michael."

A slight smile crosses her features, stronger boned and deeper than most elves, lacking the exquisite delicacy that attracts so many.

"My brother is older by some 100 years, and when I was born was already a rising star in the elite Bladesinger guards, the defenders of Evermeet. We were… are very close, and he would often take time to play with me or show me the wonders that exist in this world."

Her eyes, an incredible deep blue in the dim torchlight, shift ever so slightly to a lighter gray, like the ocean on a overcast day. The light again? Or unshed tears?

"I think perhaps that I was very much my mothers daughter. She was so proud when I choose to enter the Academy and study magic. If the world had not interfered, I would no doubt have been introduced as an Alcolyte of Mystra as soon as possible. She did her best by me, trying to teach me the world in which she lived, of high fashion and higher powers, politics, parties, dancing, and so forth. The stuff that any good daughter of powerful and respected priestess should know."

Her hair drinks in the light, nearly waist length as she carefully undoes the braids she normally wears.

"Sadly, I did not have her grace and beauty, or even her sense of timing. And I have never been comfortable in large groups of people. Too many books, too many spells, not enough people I guess. She never said anything, but I still feel that she was disappointed, just a little, that I wouldn’t be the court darling. She married so young, only as old as I am now, and the competition for her hand was fierce. No one could understand her choice of an eccentric sage, with dirt on his clothes and strange notions in his head. I had too much of my father, in the end."

Diana brightens suddenly, tossing her hand as if to throw something away.

"So gloomy! My childhood, in the end, was happy, and the happy memories are the memories I cherish. I did not want, I had the love of two parents, at least for awhile, and a brother who I adored and adored me. Good teachers, access to the greatest library in the world, and a career chosen for me when I was old enough. What more does one want?"

Her happiness fades as quickly as it came, mercury on metal.

"Well, I guess there is no more significant event than the Time of Troubles. Those of us alive at the time cant help but be changed by the traumatic events that overtook the world."

She pauses again, visibly composing herself.

"This is still hard for me, even now. When the gods where banished to this plane, Evermeet was attacked by the Drow, in concert with members of the Cult of Baal. I suppose the drow held as their ultimate objective the destruction of their hated brethren, but the Cult of Baal had other motives."

"My father was away, as usual, and I was out shopping when the actual attack came. I do not know the details of what happened, but Cultists broke into our home and stole from my mother a powerful symbol of Mystara. I suppose Baal hoped that it would allow him to escape this plane before the others, gaining an advantage. It doesn’t matter now, as Mystara was slain by Tempus before he could possibly have used it."

"I did not know that at the time of course. My brother had rescued me from the panicked mobs that where stampeding about the city. The Tower of Magi had fallen, with great loss of life to both sides, and he was cut off from the other guardsmen. We fought our way to our home, where we discovered the aftermath of my mothers last stand."

A few tears escape at this point, seemingly unnoticed.

"She did not go… easy.. As much as they must have wanted that symbol, they paid a very dear price for it. But in the end they won, and my mother was left for dead. With Mystara banished to the Realms, she was unable to cure her wounds or neutralize the poison in her blood, and she died shortly after we found her."

"My brother and I pursued the remaining cultists off of Evermeet and across the Realms. In the fullness of time, we destroyed the last of our mothers killers and recovered the symbol they had stolen, much good it did us. The Realms themselves were in chaos, and Evermeet was closed to us. Our father, normally hard to find, was out of reach. I began my days as a wandering adventurer then."

"Well, that should be obvious from my previous responses. My mother was my primary role-model, and I spent much of my time trying to live up to her expectations. My father had less of and impact on my life, but in the end may have had the most affect."

"Well, I studied magic at a very early age at the Academy of Magic on Evermeet. That gave me a good background in mystical studies. But the defining moment of my studies was when I was researching the symbol of Mystara that I had recovered. While the symbol itself had no intrinsic power, it did allow those who studied it to contact Mystara or one of her agents and learn magic from them directly. When I studied it however, it put me in contact with the Goddess Isis, who had stepped into the void created when Mystara had been slain. She knew of my past and my training, and was kind enough to take me in as a Chosen of Isis. Now I use the powers and abilities I have been given to help others, and prevent abuses of magic that could lead down the deadly path of lost Netheril."

"That question is a difficult one to answer. Originally I took up the mantle of adventurer because I literally had nowhere else to go. Later, however, my brother and I discovered a colony of elves, which invited us to join them. It would have been a much safer life I am sure. But… I felt a calling. Perhaps it was Isis guiding me, perhaps it was just my fathers blood carrying with it his wanderlust and desire to explore the unknown. Whatever the cause, I have spent my time helping those most displaced by the Time of Troubles, and traveling to places I have only read about. It has been a good life so far, and I do not regret my choices."

"I spent most of my time working with my brother, Michael, to find and destroy the Cultists of Ba’al that had killed our mother. Afterwards, I spent a lot of time wandering, helping those who needed it. Little things usually, trouncing the local bandits, killing a marauding Ogre, helping contain and cure a outbreak of the spotting sickness. I kept in touch with those in the following of Isis, and continued my studies in the arcane."

"Well, I am an elf, so I have many of the traits commonly associated with elves, although I never learn to use a bow or a sword. I am also a mystic, a mage and priest who follows the teachings of Isis. This provides me with many unique abilities with regards to my magic. The ability to gain my spells directly from Isis, rather than laboriously memorizing them from a book or scrolls is perhaps the most important of these abilities, but I also know more efficient means of casting spells, generally completing them sooner. Of course, my studies do not leave me much time to learn other skills, like weapons or the use of armor."

"I have studied many things, including Alchemy, the arts of Healing and the use of Herbs, as well as Spellcraft and Thaumaturgy. My mind has been trained to strengthen it against the rigors of magical assault, and to carefully observe the world around me without betraying myself by what I want to see. I know much about the worship of Isis, and I am very familiar with libraries and methods of research. Of course, I also speak the common tongue, my native High Elven, both of which I can also read and write as is required by my craft, and the base language of Orcs."

"I have never forgotten something that I have seen or heard, which is both a blessing and a curse. And despite my time isolated from others, I can usually empathize with even the most diverse or strange of people I meet. I have been told that I will sleep through even a pitched battle, which is a substantial weakness in this profession. Also, I am not comfortable in crowds, and try to avoid them as much as possible."

"I am a generalist with regards to magical studies, but more of a ‘master of all’ rather than ‘mater of none’. With only a few exceptions, I know and can cast spells from traditions and groups that most are denied access. Of course, Wild Magic is one of those exceptions, as using the Wild energies requires a certain… dedication."

"The pursuit and proper use of magic is the guiding foundation of the worship of Isis, as is ensuring that the abuses that led to Nethril’s collapse are never again repeated. I find discovering more about magic and how it interacts with the world around me to be very satisfying, but I also find helping others to have a better life through magic to be equally satisfying. One teacher accused me of being a ‘engineer’ mage, constantly trying to fix things with magic when other ways where available and less dangerous. Perhaps he is correct, certainly there are lessons enough pointing to magic as dangerous. I try to be wise enough to use my powers appropriately, and Isis is an excellent guide."

"Well, I have become quite entranced with Simbul, who leads the Seven Sisters. She follows many of the ideals I myself aspire to, and as the leader of Symbia she can implement many of the magical solutions that I only dream about. Also, anyone in my profession looks up to Eliminster, with his incredible knowledge about nearly everything. Someday I would love to meet with him, and I would love to have the chance to sit with him and talk."

"Goals and dreams…. Well. I plan to stay here and finish this quest to destroy whatever evil is behind these kidnappings. And in the fullness of time I would like to establish a place of worship here in Jurgenville for Isis, with so many Guild Mages here. Eventually, I would like to start training others as Chosen, as I would like to leave someone here as the head of the church so that I can continue my travels."

"As to my dreams. I would love to find my father, and talk to him, discover how he has been since we last met. Discover weather or not he is even still alive. Perhaps someday I could travel to the south, and see the wonders there. Becoming a magus, in service to Isis, if I should survive so long. I don’t know, its hard to talk about dreams when so many around me are lost and suffering. Finding or creating some way to help them, that would be a real dream."

"I guess I just lost my position as the newest member of the Truth Seekers, since Thengal has joined us. I had heard of the kidnappings and had come to investigate, and contacted Valdaeron for more information. He told me of the Truth Seekers and of their exploits, and arranged an introduction. I believe that was late Nightal, just before the new year."

"Well, I am still new to this group, so I’m still trying figure out things myself. But destroying the secrecy and deception of these kidnappings is a good beginning for anyone called the Truth Seekers. As to the truth that I seek, magic hides its own secrets, and reveals its own truths. And maybe kindness and love can be tempered with a practical mind and determined will to create a new truth."

"Well, again, I’m quite new, and so I have not had a chance to experience much. But the most important event I can relate was the fight against the deepspawn. I like to believe that I was instrumental in turning the tied of that battle."

"Of course, my small part in the Battle of the Red Vale is of great importance to me. Saving lives both on and off the battlefield was deeply satisfying, and helping the Guild was educational as well. I only wish I could have been even more help."

"Well, Ari is the comrade that I have had the most interaction with. She has worked hard to help me accept that not all Drow are evil, despite my initial revulsion. She is quite devoted and kind, and I hope in the future we can be friends."

"It is amazing. I of course never had problems in the past with such things, as it was just my brother and I. But now, we agonize endlessly about the simplest of decisions, we are paralyzed by strange moral fights, and perhaps most importantly, we are poorly led and we follow poorly. I know this is not a military unit, were obedience must be immediate and unquestioning, but we are still too fractious. Recently, both Sigurd and Matar have proven their leadership capabilities, at least with large military groups. I believe that Matar especially would be a good choice as our leader. Also, we need to arrange for some motivation to the rest of us to follow without questioning every decision made. Better a mediocre leader that is decisive than a good leader that we all ignore. Perhaps, in the end, that is an impossible standard for such a group as we. I believe that I could adhere to such a leadership organization, but I am uncertain the others would accept it so easily. In the end, we need a good leader, who has a solid understanding of each of our strengths and weaknesses, good tactical and strategic sense, and who we will all follow and obey as much as we can."

(ooc: btw, have you ever read the prelude to the cat who walks through walls? The one about the mother of Lazarus Long and her husband and step-son and daughter? It dramatically shows the clash of wills and dangerous results when you have many strong willed people who think they know what is right all pretending to follow someone without actually doing so. Of course, you’re in the military, and must be even more annoyed by our eccentricities. Makes me want to go to OCS or join ROTC Army just so I can get some instruction on solving these kinds of messes :P)