Elenna Evenshade

Personality

Elenna is the still water that runs deep. While her elder brothers—Althar and Rafin—draw attention in their own right (one dutiful and commanding, the other charming and restless), Elenna is the most quietly formidable of the three. She speaks with rare precision, measuring her words like a scribe measures ink—never too much, never too little. She radiates poise, intellect, and quiet moral authority, even when she is not the one officially in charge.

Philosophy

Elenna believes that knowledge is best wielded when it is tempered by mercy and wielded with care. She holds true to the teachings of Oghma, yet is not blindly dogmatic. To her, truth is powerful—but dangerous—and she often plays the long game of truth's unfolding. She values listening over speaking, strategy over impulse, and gentle influence over domination.

Relationship with Family Members

Edric Evenshade (father): Elenna has his respect more than his affection. He recognizes her competence, often entrusting her with delicate diplomatic tasks, but does not fully understand her emotional reserve.

Marlena Thryndel Evenshade (mother): They are close in a quiet, affectionate way. Marlena nurtured Elenna’s early love for poetry and herbal lore.

Althar Evenshade (brother): They share a professional camaraderie. While Althar seeks power for stability, Elenna seeks wisdom for insight. She often acts as his counselor, especially in matters of nuance.

Rafin Evenshade (brother): Elenna is the one person Rafin confides in without games. They share a bond forged in intellectual sparring, secret laughter, and shared observations of court life. She admires his spirit and is pained by his exile, though she understands his need for freedom.

Public Reputation

To the people of Evenshade, Elenna is the mind behind the veil. Locals speak of her as wise beyond her years, though some nobles see her as “cold” or “calculating” due to her refusal to engage in typical aristocratic posturing. Scholars from Berdusk and Iriaebor, however, seek her out for her debates, especially in philosophy, ethics, and political metaphysics.

Symbolic Role

Elenna represents the living bridge between tradition and awakening. She is the heir to Evenshade’s intellectual and moral conscience. Where Althar upholds the visible order and Rafin walks the shadowy edge, Elenna holds the center.

Quirks

Elenna talks to birds as if they are councilors. Not in any magical or druidic sense—just in the garden, with ravens, crows, and doves.

She often says, “A raven has never lied to me.”

She also writes backwards when deep in thought, a habit from childhood mimicking a technique she found in a book attributed to Venzhir Korrathal.