Morrigan Oweland

Morrigan Oweland is a half elf Noble of The Owelands. She is the only daughter of Eda Oweland, and with her mothers untimely passing she has assumed the mantle of Matriarch of the family.   While in isolation she built her powers as a cleric and worshipper of Hecate, goddess of Evil Magic, before returning to her hometown of Saltmarsh. Her mother, Eda Oweland, was happy to have her daughter back and quickly set her about gaining some political power. Her mother worked closely with Gellan Primewater, an ally on the towns council, and paired Morrigan with one of his men by the name of Zelem. Together they set off on numerous adventures. The primary focus was opposing the influence of Bards Gate and its Suzerienty in the town.   The first task was to get Eliander Fireborn, a loyal of Bards Gate, and his position of town councilman separated from captain of the guard, as this was causing trouble for those who wished to conduct illicit business. With 2 votes needed of 3 to pass a resolution, help was sought from Anders Solmor. In return for Anders Solmors vote, if a nearby keep was cleared of inhabitants so that he could renovate it for the Knights of the Black Adder. Later it was learned that this was because Anders was planning to develop an overland trade route to Darnagal and capitalize on the political and economic influence this would gain him. Before departing, her mother told her she was to sponsor a circus coming to town in a matter of months, that would be done in her name in an effort to garner goodwill from the public.   After setting off to the keep and conquering a group of goblins that inhabited it, it was found that most of the threats stemmed from a nearby cave system. In the caves Morrigan found her step-father Hector, who was thought to have been slain long ago by a paladin named Valentine Ebner. He had survived the ordeal, forced to hide in the darkest recesses of the world while he awaited Morrigans coming darkness. Numerous tribes of humanoids infested the caves and the group began to either conquer or slay them. Unfortunately Morrigan was struck down in a duel with an Orc chieftain, her body evaporating into mist and wisping off to the altar of Hecate nearby, gaining sunlight sensitivity and foretelling events to come. But with her return and the efforts of her companions, the entire system was conquered and under her step-fathers command. Now commanding the dark forces of hills, he set about making the land surrounding the region under their control. One of the mighty foes was a young red dragon whom they struck down, but not before losing her ally Danta. Morrigan soaked 666 gold coins in the dragons magical blood while chanting evil rites, cursing them, but those around her have still not determined what use they have.   With new forces under her control, the group returned to Saltmarsh. Morrigan was promoted to interim council member by her mother and the day of the council meeting arrived. Morrigan had made a deal with Yacksa of The Stoneheart Valley Trading Company to construct a grand citadel for the navy in the town, but failed to honor her side of the deal and made an enemy of the company. That night, Eda Oweland was found dead in her home and Morrigans position on the council was terminated.   Shortly after Anders Solmor departed on the maiden voyage to Darnagal with a new caravan, but Zelem alerted Hector of his trip and they were overwhelmed in the woods by orc and undead forces. Anders was not found until later when he turned up dead, only three council members remaining alive.   With the turbulence in the city and the guard on high alert, the group decided to lay low for a bit. Morrigan and Zelem gathered a crew and decided to set off to Abbey Isle where they hoped to gain favor with the priests of Muir and resurrect their ally Danta. On the way, a group of wererat pirates assaulted the group, infecting Morrigan and her ally with Lycanthropy, and the full moon was coming. They were hired by some unknown foe to slay them, and a lead was discovered upon possibly tracking them down. Upon arriving at the isle, a Stoneheart Company ship attempted to apprehend Morrigan and Zelem, though how or why they were after them was not quite known. Morrigan and her companions managed to escape and met up with some friendly moored pirates around the bend, who then proceeded to negotiate passage to the Isles of the Sea Princes and Santa Quint once their business on the isle was complete.   Further on the isle a mysterious Tortle gave her companions a quest, but Morrigan was not invited into the home and found herself unwilling to enter. With only one night until the full moon and no sign of Wolfsbane, Morrigan beseeched her deity for aid and was given a list of reagents and a ritual to conduct to ward off the wererat infection. The group set about collecting one ingredient from a tribe of goblins and another from the village ruins. The last reagent was found at the Abbey itself, where the Stoneheart company had burnt it to the ground. Morrigan and crew entered the abbey cellar and found that it had been corrupted by the forces of Orcus.   Upon clearing it Morrigan began to combine the ingredients and say the rites as the full moon rose, before consuming the vile concoction. A spectral version of her in the guise of a wererat was ripped out of her, but it seemed that Hecate was only willing to trade one curse for another as she dropped dead. Her cousin Robin rushed to her side and grieved, before carrying Morrigan into the wilderness and burying her. Around the campsite she began to tell tales of when they were young in an effort to come to terms with losing her, but a shadow stepped out of the Darkness.  

Morrigan, Vampire

Morrigan, now turned into a fearsome creature of the night, grabbed Robin and plunged her fangs deep into her neck. She collapsed in a heap, and rose as Morrigans thrall. The remainder of the group was terrified of this transformation, but Morrigan pleaded with them to keep her with them and help her find a cure for the affliction, hoping that something could rid her of Vampirism.   As the night finished and the sun began to rise, the planets second moon, the Dark Sister, rose with the sun, blotting it out and shadowing the entire region in an eclipse. her companion Panic recognized this extremely rare astronomical occurrence from reading ancient texts and happening only every few thousand years, the eclipse lasted for some manner of days or weeks before finally returning to normal. It seemed that despite her transformation she was blessed, as it seemed she was able to walk during the daylight for now.   After aiding her companion Pink in the Pinnacle of Freedom Isles, she returned to Saltmarsh to find that the The Stoneheart Valley Trading Company had begun to arrest Gellan Primewater. Upon seeing Morrigan and Zelem, arrests were also issued for them. Unfortunately for the company, the populace loved Zelem (after revealing he was actually Valor Windsail) and Morrigan, and quickly rose to their defense and expelled the invaders. In the aftermath, Morrigan and Gellan now co-run the town. She has since negotiated with the neighboring towns of Gleamshore and Orlane and formed the Akadian Pact, an alliance of towns that have formed a council to vote on various matters that impact them.  

The Long Winter

With the eclipse over the set on the Akadian cost, her and her companions set out establishing control over the areas they now found themselves in charge of. Zelem focused on Fortune's Crossing, while Pink returned to the Pinnacle of Freedom Isles. With the longer winter over, Morrigan and her companions departed to Darnagal.  

Darnagal

In Darnagal she aided her friends in their own quests, delivering a hand to corrupt the church of Muir, and visiting the Library of Brighthallow. Inside a mysterious portal to the Library of Biblios was discovered, and the group found the key to the sickness plaguing Panics Wife, Ember, lie within the family line of Gilean Vel. With a name, the group returned to Saltmarsh where earlier the group had agreed to let the circus owner set up in Saltmarsh. On the way, Morrigan was gifted a mysterious weapon known as the Quill of Clemecy, capable of turning into any other weapon with a simple command. But she knew it possessed power far beyond what the others knew. Muir had sent her celestial agent down with the weapon to give it to a champion of light, to use its power to cast Wish and put an end to the planar drill that Gilean possessed. But Hecate had clouded Muirs sight, and the goddess knew not that Morrigan was a creature of the night.   Upon return to Saltmarsh, evidence was found that Gilean Vel had been abducting many folk, including Morrigans cousin Leo Oweland, along the Akadian coast, but to what end was unknown. After searching the circus the trail led to the Miasmoore in the swamp, and Gileans fortress was discovered. Billowing black smoke, the imposing fortress stood as a monument to evil in the swamp. The group fought their way through until the drill was discovered. Gileans second in command had redirected the drill from the Plane of Shadow, and straight through into the negative energy plane! But Morrigan knew this, and when Gilean was confronted she used her wish. Instead of destroying the drill, she wished it and herself teleported to her castle, leaving her former friends alone to confront the powerful archmage.  

Trapped

With Morrigan's betrayal complete she stood on the balcony of her castle of the damned. 666 souls had been siphoned from the cursed coins she had scattered, forged with the blood and souls of the innocent and collected by her avatar of death. The drill whirred and sputtered, no longer connected to Gileans vile factory it tore a gaping hole into the Shadowfell before grinding to a halt. For miles around the region was plunged into darkness as the planar boundary was ripped asunder. The negative energy plane spilled its vile energy into the region, all around her the minions she had fought to conquer and aid suffered, choked, and withered until they died an agonizing death. Hector, who had done so much to ensure Morrigan's rise to power, was found lifeless, still clutching his holy symbol. One by one they died, and one by one they rose as creatures of undead, as Morrigan's servants of darkness. Eventually the negative energy dissipated, having annihilated all life nearby. But even worse, the Ioun Orb shattered the essence of creation itself disrupted the very nature of reality.   The strange power of the orb led to Morrigans realms being brought out of time, for centuries she was trapped in her prison. She lost the last sliver of humanity that dwell in her black heart, she lost her sanity, she missed her friends, and she wallowed in agony. But... slowly the realm returned to normal. While Morrigan was still trapped, trees began to grow, water flowed and plants returned. She confined herself to the castle, but over time some humans began to arrive. Unbeknownst to them, they would soon find themselves imprisoned here. They built their farms and towns in the shadow of Ravenloft, Morrigan's castle, and after some ill-fated expeditions to investigate it those of Barovia decided it best to leave it be. After generations of confining herself to the castle, Morrigan could no longer sustain herself. She introduced herself to the townsfolk but was outed for the being she was by a warrior of light. After being rejected, Morrigans fury was unleashed. She plunged the realm back into the mists in fury as punishment, cutting them off from the world. Sometime shortly after, the Vistani arrived. Led by Danta, the wandering group was allowed into her domain and because of their history together were allowed to come and go as they please. But Danta... Morrigan would not let go of him, and he was stuck in Barovia for centuries. Morrigan now rules the realm of Barovia, and a group of adventurers seeks to end the vampires reign.   With a source of food and her ambition returning, Morrigan wishes to finally leave the cursed realm she found herself trapped in. She finally understood that Hecate had brought her here not to control it, but to imprison her. The Goddess was *afraid*, and Morrigan had waited long enough.