Ruavain (Ryvvik) Zaurahel
Female High Elf from Divaekah (701 - 1264 TGR)
Wife of Ievos Zaurahel
Mother of Aolis and Yinris Zaurahel
Grandmother of Shi'Nynze Zaurahel
Creator of the Wand of Wonder
Ruavain came from a long line of accomplished elves. She was easily worthy to uphold the legacy of her ancestors. While her family originally thought her talent would fall within the arts of war, she proved them wrong at a young age with an intelligence and skill in magic rarely seen within the Wildlands. Although there are many tales of her exploits, it is her creation of the Wand of Wonder and the acts that followed that easily overshadows all of them, especially as, before the success of her wand, Ruavain existed as Ryvvik.
Tales of wands of wonders floated among the chatter at family gatherings. It was said that some of Ryvvik's ancestors had attempted to create such an item before. Only one had succeeded in recent memory, but the wand broke within only a couple uses. Always seeking a challenge, Ryvvik gathered what information he could and soon attempted to best his ancestors. After years of trial and error, of seeking exotic ingredients and dodging near-deaths, Ryvvik succeeded, but the success of the first cast came at the change of his gender. Still, Ryvvik was undaunted by such a change, and after changing his name to Ruavain to match her new gender, set upon improving the wand. Satisfied it would last far longer than two castings, she took it out into the world to test it.
Ruavain's children and grandchildren grew up on the stories of her adventures, although it was difficult to know which were true. There were stories of the wand backfiring nearly piercing her heart, creating massive flooding through heavy rains, butterflies that enveloped her enemies or being turned to gas, talking floors and gourmet meals, and once, Ruavain swore, the sudden appearance of a wall of cheese that saved her from certain death. She would continue that the same wall also saved her from the rat she unintentional caused to fall in love with her. Until the giant wall of cheese, she could find no escape from the rat that tried to woo her.
It is likely these tales helped to fuel Shi'Nynze's wanderlust. It was Shi, more than any of Ruavain's other descendants, who was completely enraptured by these stories. Although Ruavain generally got along well with her son's wife, Lorahana Uladi, Ruavain disapproved of the sheltered life Lorahana tried to impose on her daughter. It was during the tough, boring years of her priesthood training that Shi'Nynze let her grandmother know how she felt about her mother's restrictiveness and about her own desire to see the world. After making Shi swear complete secrecy, including promises to not tell Ellidor, Ruavain tried to teach Shi how to use the Wand of Wonder. It was her secret hope that Shi'Nynze would carry on her magical legacy in full, perhaps even dropping her priesthood to become a mage. Even with the last years of her life, Ruavain kept that hope and allowed Shi'Nynze to keep the Wand of Wonder. As she told Shi'Nynze, there were many centuries left in her life and many charges left in the wand. There was no telling what the future would bring for her granddaughter.
Ruavain willingly passed on to Arvanaith at the ripe age of 563. As she told her family, she wanted to see Arvanaith while at the prime of her life. As one of the more well-known elves within the Wildlands, the funereal ceremony was one of the most memorable to date with plenty of magic, pranks, music, dance, and cheese.
Tales of the Wand of Wonder
- The very first cast from the Wand of Wonder resulted in a gender change as Ryvvik became Ruavain.
- In a fit of curiosity, Ruavain used her wand to try to clear a rat-infested cellar. Unfortunately, one rat that she soon named Kery, somehow fell in love with her. It wasn't until she blocked the sword of a would-be robber with a wall of cheese she managed to shake Kery loose. There is speculation that it had to be some of the finest cheese ever to exist to break such an infatuation, but Ruavain was too focused to escape Kery to be able to confirm the speculation.
- During a moment of boldness, Ruavain attacked a camp of orcs who soon found themselves surrounded and blinded by butterflies. As the butterflies disappeared, one orc became a cloud of gas. The others ran in fear of the wand-wielding elf.
- While showing off her creation at a mage's guild, Ruavain managed to create a gourmet meal and music with a flick of her wand. Impressed by both the meal and her creation, they held a party. Unfortunately, the party ended with one mage turning purple, another who grew leaves, one still left unaccounted for, and the rest somehow became covered in gravy.
- Surrounded by a band of marauders, Ruavain used her wand which released such stink that they all fainted from the smell, including her. Thankfully, an earlier spell from her wand allowed her the ability to talk to animals. A bear she made friends with moments before being surrounded by the marauders managed to drag her away before they awoke. Sadly, Ruavain found herself unable to speak to her new friend the next day.
- During an attempt to add more charges to the wand, Yinris walked into his mother's study as she worked. It was at the exact moment the wand was accidentally fired off and Yinris found himself temporarily bald, but permanently able to speak multiple languages. Knowing his fate could have been much worse, Ruavain never worked on the wand near her children again. It is one of the few stories confirmed to be true.
- Ruavain claims she once summoned a dragon with her wand. It is one of the least believed of her stories.
Wand Creation Notes from Ryvvik/Ruavain's Journal:
Do you want to dance? Le merna salk?
- Ask Esyae for piece of horn from Okapi (who names a unicorn Okapi?) or would just hair from tail work?
- Need wood shavings from the Fhociin's finest flute (perhaps a piccolo? depends what he wants in return).
- Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms, and morning glory. Mistletoe? Mayhaps marigold? Mint!
- Ankheg acid? Catoblepas in moonlight? Venali's venomous soup, perilous pudding, or carefully crafted cheese?
- Fire from a pit fiend might be strong enough. Didn't Talila claim to know about them? Always dragons instead.
