Ardura Tor'lyn

Ardura Tor'lyn, once a princess among elves, made a pivotal decision during the cataclysm known as Earthfall. She chose not to evacuate Golarion with her kin but instead ventured into the depths below the ground with Khaylin Cirdanas, a master of the monastic Sa'har Order. Ardura, along with many elves loyal to her, sought refuge in the Darklands. The Umbral Temple, established by the Sa'har, promised sanctuary. Ardura intended to weather the storm of Earthfall from the safety of this subterranean haven until it was again safe to emerge.   However, the sanctuary became a crucible of transformation. The elves, including Ardura, succumbed to the corrupting influence of dark forces, evolving into a race recognized as the Drow. Among these forces, demon lords whispered seductions of power. Others were swaye by the corruption of the Rough Beast known as Rovagug. Ardura found her mind ensnared by a being known only as the Dark Queen. The Dark Queen offered Ardura a choice - if Ardura showed her devotion, the Dark Queen would reward her sacrifice by making Ardura her scion. Ardura, pregnant with her first child, agreed and gave the Dark Queen her unborn baby. The Dark Lady endowed Ardura with formidable powers and an artifact known as the. Ardura was elevated to the role of her herald. Empowered, Ardura embarked on a campaign of conquest and fortification, declaring herself Empress of the Drow.   Despite her ascent, Ardura's increasing might drew the ire of her fellow drow, particularly those allied with demonic entities. This enmity culminated in a betrayal that saw Ardura ambushed, her soul extracted, and imprisoned within a soulgem. The orchestrator of this betrayal, Urthadar, feared her vengeance despite her imprisonment. He secured the gem within the Vault of Jel'va, hoping to prevent her return.  

Present Day

  Ardura's petrified body was mistakenly believed to have been destroyed. Instead, it had been transformed into a statue, eventually coming into the possession of Saul Vankaserin, who displayed it in his gaming hall, the Gold Goblin. Lasdolon's revival of Ardura's body left her mind in a child-like state. Lasdolon, desiring to maintain her in this diminished capacity to avoid the threat she could pose, intended to keep her soul and body separated. He only needed her body and her blood to access the Vault of Jel'va and the power that lay within. Best her mind be left out of the equation.   The narrative took a dramatic turn in the Vault of Jel’va, where Ardura, alongside Lasdolon and the Guardians of Golarion, confronted Urthadar. The encounter triggered Ardura's fear, prompting her to attempt escape. Tragically, her escape was thwarted by an unforeseen menace: a large black ooze that awaited the escape elevator, which engulfed her.  

Rebirth Through Deathwhisper

A collective of drow spy loyalists later stole her soulgem from the Vault and embedded it within a blackwood bow of exquisite craft known as Deathwhisper. The weapon became a vessel of vengeance. Each arrow fed upon the life essence of those slain, each death slowly nourishing the imprisoned soul within. Through the bow’s magic, Ardura began to reclaim fragments of her strength, whispering to those who wielded her, biding her time.   The bow passed through many hands. Drow warriors wielded it during the desperate wars against the serpentfolk, using Deathwhisper to defend their kind from annihilation in the Darklands. Years later, it was discovered by Thexan Voronov, a human technomancer and prince of the city-state of Salisgrad. Recognizing its dark majesty but not its true nature, Thexan gifted the bow to a visiting cleric of Erastil named Alfie Bud.   Unbeknownst to either of them, Ardura’s soul stirred again. Alfie bore the weapon during his journeys with the adventuring company known as the Ruinlords, who found themselves embroiled in the resurgence of Kyuss, an ancient entity who once sought to usurp Pharasma’s dominion and ascend to godhood. In -4977 AR, Kyuss attempted a ritual of ascension using one of the Wyrmstones, artifacts forged by Tynathria herself. The dragon goddess was affronted that a mortal dared to corrupt her creation, and through divine vision, she commanded Ardura to act. Ardura reached out to her ancient kin and sent forth drow knights to disrupt Kyuss’s ritual. Their assault succeeded, and Kyuss was imprisoned within the Black Obelisk, ending his rise but not his influence.   When Alfie drew Deathwhisper against Kyuss, the weapon shattered in his grasp, scattering a storm of violet shards that shimmered with glimpses of an elven woman’s rise and fall. For a moment, it seemed Ardura's essence would be lost to the sea and the storm—but Kyuss’s ascension ritual tore open the veil between life and death. From that rift, Ardura emerged, reborn through ruin.   She appeared draped in the ruined flesh of the Faceless One, her presence sending ripples through the chaos. As the Worm God’s power surged, Ardura reached for the Dragonsoul Crucible, and it leapt willingly into her hand. A pulse of silver-black radiance swept outward, dispelling Kyuss's divine aura and restoring the heroes' strength. Her voice rang like a verdict: "Not again."   With Ardura's intervention, the tide of the battle turned. Alfie restored the Seal of the Broken Hero, Declan the Seal of the Fiend, and Cal the Seal of the Dead. Each rekindled sigil weakened Kyuss's divine form, stripping away his stolen power. The heroes pressed the assault, their strength magnified by Ardura's presence, until the final Seal of the Celestial was reignited. The Black Obelisk blazed with emerald fire as Kyuss's body dissolved into a sea of writhing worms, his scream echoing across the collapsing battlefield.   When the dust settled, the island began to heal. The worms turned to ash, flowers bloomed through the cracks of corrupted stone, and the storm above broke into gentle rain. Ardura absorbed the Crucible's fading light, her eyes reflecting both exhaustion and divine resolve. Without a word, she vanished from the mortal plane, leaving only renewal in her wake and the lingering promise that the Empress of the Drow had returned.