Mithrala Lifebane
Few of those with the courage to gaze upon Mithrala Lifebane’s twisted countenance realize she was once a fair child of the Elven people. Indeed, little of Elven beauty remains beneath the scaled skin, or in the amber eyes that burn with malice. Where once golden hair cascaded down her shoulders, a host of venomous snakes now dwells, their hissing ever echoing Mithrala’s voice. Hers is a cautionary tale against vices that far too many fail to heed.
It all began in the joyful days before the great schism. Teleria was younger then, and the predations of Siroth seemed to have been thwarted forever, but many threats and mysteries still lingered in the world. A bright young sorceress by the name of Mithrala dreamed of becoming a legend among her peers. She had always felt a strong affinity with beasts in whose veins magic flowed, and dedicated much of her research to studying those creatures, learning their strengths.
As time went on, Mithrala became obsessed with ancient monstrosities. She scoured the legends about Siroth’s attempts to create life to spite Lumaya, and though the children molded by the Dark One were vile and terrible, none could deny their power. Mithrala desired to know how that primal might could be harnessed and used to enhance frail mortal bodies to cultivate a perfect being, unburdened by weakness. And of all the beasts she researched, there was one that captivated her mind - an ancient serpent abomination known to Teleria as the Hydra.
According to folklore, the Hydra once dwelled in a great temple the Lizardmen had built to honor her. No one knows exactly what happened next. Some claim the Lizardmen rebelled against their “deity” when her avarice and cruelty grew too much to bear. Other accounts speak of a great battle that shattered the island upon which the temple was built and sank it beneath the waves of the Sea of Serpent. Mithrala had dedicated decades of her life to finding the temple and spent every copper she had on countless expeditions that turned up with nothing.
She had almost lost all hope when a vision came to her at night and guided her, alone, to a patch of rocky cliffs that jutted out amid the roiling waves. A great storm broke out when Mithrala first set foot on solid ground, and an island emerged from the bottom of the sea once more as if guided by an implacable divine will. Mesmerized, the sorceress beheld the crumbling walls of a once-great temple and listened to the ominous whispers that called her inside. There, she came face to face with the creature she had sought for so long.
But rather than devour the foolish mortal, the Hydra recognized Mithrala’s potential. She shared her venom and her power, transforming Mithrala in her image - a herald of the sinister demigod’s will. But while Mithrala sought to transcend mortal weaknesses, she instead became a prisoner, bound to the Hydra and forced to obey her every whim for eternity. Now, she seeks her freedom, plotting in secret and biding her time to strike.
