Realms Personalities
Vishara "The Arm of Mielikki"
By Robert Wiese

Born in Battledale, Vishara grew up between worlds. Her father retreated to Evermeet in the Elven Retreat, leaving her busy mother to care for her. Since no one really cared that much what she did with her life, she never grew to care either. She drifted through youth, and eventually she entered the church of Mielikki as a paladin at her mother's prompting. Her mother, glad to be rid of the child finally, turned her attention to her own life and practically abandoned young Vishara.

In the church of Mielikki, Vishara found more of a home than she had known before, and though she never showed any real ambition, she did well as a paladin. She began to put Mielikki in the place of her mother and became a cleric of her goddess. She was a very militant cleric, mostly because of her paladin training and her desire to be noticed for something. But she still did not have any real direction and learned a variety of skills. She was quite harsh in defending the forests of Cormanthor a few too many times, though, and her superiors sent her toward a more direct service of Mielikki as a divine disciple.

While she was growing as a divine disciple, an event changed her life. A volodni called Nashyim came to the woods of Cormanthor. Nashyim, a blightlord from the Great Dale in the service of Talona, began to corrupt the animals and plants of the forest into blightspawned creatures. This Vishara could not allow. Finally something came into focus for her: a direction for her life. She took up the mantle of divine champion with enthusiasm and immediately began a campaign to eliminate this fiend (term used loosely) from her home forest.

Vishara is of average height for a human, and she has adopted a "tough" look by wearing spiky leather armor and blades. Her auburn-blond hair is cut short on top and worn in a ponytail in the back. She is well versed in many weapons and favors the scimitars that represent the weapon of her goddess as well as the kukri and the longbow. Her spells are chosen for combat effectiveness, and she takes the time to prepare for a fight if she can. Since her training had not been focused as much as she now wishes it was, she must use whatever tricks she can come up with to eliminate her foes.

Her organization at present is small, but it grows as the tendays pass. The blightlord has established a small hold in the drow-controlled part of the forest, and Vishara has located her "forward base" as close to the drow borders as she safely can. She leads a small group of rangers and druids who also feel horror at the presence of a Talona-driven monster in their home. Her cohort, Ivellin Farwanderer (male elf Rgr7/Wiz1/Arcane Archer 2), oversees the scouting operations necessary to keep track of the enemy's movements and plans. Her other followers use their animal companions and their own friends to help with defenses and with making raids to destroy blightspawned creatures and plants.

Vishara is not sure that she is up to the task, but she would never quit now or surrender leadership of it to another. Even the orders of the church cannot sway her. For the first time in her life she feels that she is doing something that matters, and she is powerfully affected by the resulting senses of belonging and achievement. They are almost like a drug, given her past, and she is slowly becoming addicted. Should she succeed at driving out the blightlord, she might find some other enemy to take on so that she can continue to feel empowered. She might also, though unconsciously, prolong the campaign against the blightlord for the same reason. Her superiors would do well to keep a close eye on her.

Vishara and Nashyim are natural enemies. Their conflict could be the backdrop for a number of adventures, or even a campaign.