Adara Dev Corvus

Adara Dev Corvus is a character played by Ryan Neenan. She is a doppelganger who was a true changeling, and who has been blessed with both a beautiful voice and quick fingers. She is an attempt to combine two aspects of previous characters I never got to play: a woman, and a shapeshifter.

Themesong: Invincible by Ok Go (with a minor modification)

''When they finally come to destroy Faerun, they'll have to go through you first. ''I bet they won't be expecting that. ''When they finally come to destroy Faerun, they'll have to deal with you first, ''and now my money says they won't know about the thousand Fahrenheit hot metal ''lights behind your eyes. ''Invincible. You're invincible. That crushing, crashing, atom-smashing, ''white-hot thing... It's invincible.

''When they finally come, what'll you do to them? Gonna decimate them like you did to me? ''Will you leave them stunned and stuttering? ''When they finally come, how will you handle them? Will you devastate them deliberately? ''Cause I'm gonna guess they won't be prepared for thousand Fahrenheit hot metal ''lights behind your eyes.

''Invincible. You're invincible. That crushing, crashing, atom-smashing, ''white-hot thing... It's invincible. ''So, please use your powers for good. Please, use your powers for good... You're invincible.

Description
Dev is a female doppelganger, though she rarely enters this form. In this true form, she has long white hair, and dark blue eyes.

Adara, her main personality for over 50 years, is a beautiful human female in her late 20s. She has long red hair, but otherwise has little to mark her as different or noticeable from other humans. She is often seen with musical instruments, but also usually with a sword on her belt.

At times she does stray into other personalities, and these differ wildly in appearance.

Personality
Dev is good at heart; she is friendly, personable, and loyal. Adara shows her true personality, rather than a made-up one. She is likable, tolerant of differences in race, creed, or sex, and a lover of the arts and bardic talents. She loves to tell tales, singing them often, and worships some of the most famous Bards in Faerun history. She enjoys being around people, and often is the last one at the party.

Most who get to know her, however, never see the hints of her younger life that taint this otherwise lovable girl. Dev really trusts no one, and only came close with her father. Though she seems to have dozens of friends, she is really rather lonely.

Dev often finds herself noticing loose coin purses and unlocked doors. Though she gave up petty theft long ago, she still feels a tad disappointed when she lets an easy steal go. In times of conflict, she consciously has to control her lust for battle. One too many times she has taken too much joy in the deaths of others, and these feelings often fill her with shame and sorrow afterward. Still, she is never far from her sword, and more than one innocent has died in the past 10 years when they had suspected Dev's true race. The fear of being found as a shapeshifter quiets any misgivings of violence to keep that secret. She has never told anyone her true race, nor does she ever plan to.

Dev has been known to change to other personalities when necessary. These often change with her mood, but a change to a blood thirsty barbarian has more than once helped her vent her rage.

Family & Relationships
Dev's birth father, Kam, is thought to be long dead. Though Dev has no proof of this, she is quite sure that if he were alive, he would have found her by now.

Dev's adoptive father, the human bard Sheratan Corvus, was killed in Eltural in 1475. As far as Dev knows, he had no other relatives, as his wife was killed in child birth.

Dev has little other real relationships, as she keeps moving and rarely stays in any place for more than a few years.

Early Years
Dev's birth is rather cloudy, as her father refused to fill her in on any details. She was born sometime in 1444 and somewhere in Amn. Though her father told Dev that her mother died in childbirth, in reality Kam killed her shortly after Dev's birth in an argument. Though Dev suspected her father's sociopathic nature, she never saw it in person. In truth, Dev was the only person Kam truly ever loved, and he protected her as best he good from the "solids." He kept her hidden from those he worked for, and taught her at a young age how to shift and appear human.

Kam worked for the Amnian government. A few higher officials knew of Kam's true race, and used his abilities and his seemingly lack of morals to do many dirty deeds without dragging Amn's name through the mud. Eventually in 1445, a year after Dev was born, he was assigned to the Island of Snowdown in the Moonshae Islands. For the next 10 years, Kam helped to subvert the Kendrick's rule from the island of Alaron. He infiltrated the government in several forms, undermining much of what King Derid tried to accomplish.

While his work was going on, Dev existed mostly on her own in the care of humans on the island of Snowdown. As she grew, she took interest in the Fflok way. Her father, when he was around, taught her everything he knew: sword, stealing, and stealth. It was a confusing childhood, to say the least, but Dev grew with knowledge coming from both sides, enjoying them both.

The Changeling
In late 1455, Kam came into their house late one night in a panic the likes Dev had never seen. His eyes looked wild and foreign, and he yelled at her quickly to gather her things and follow him.

She followed him down to the docks, where there was an Amnian ship. They walked through the crowd, huddled together in the cold night. Finally, Kam stopped and whispered quietly for Dev to look at a young girl. The girl was roughly her age, tall, with flowing red hair. Kam ordered Dev to study her and be ready to shift into her appearance within the hour. They left the harbor for an ally, where Kam left Dev to prepare. When he came back, he had a sad look on his face. He knelt down and put a trembling hand on her shoulder, which now was covered in her new long red hair. Kam told Dev her new name was Adara Corvus, and her father was a human minstrel named Sheratan. Dev did not understand what was going on, and she blocked out what her father probably had done in the last hour. Kam explained that they needed to separate; that the "vampire" knew too much, including what Kam knew about her. Kam was convinced she would come and kill Dev. Kam promised Dev he would find her in Amn once he took care of this "problem."

Dev left the ally with tears in her eyes, but did not look back as her father instructed. When she reached the docks, she found an older man calling her new name, looking frantic. When their eyes met, the man rushed to hug "Adara." Going onto the ship and lying in a cabin seemed like a dream the next morning when she woke up, a few miles from the shores of Baldur's Gate.

That night, Kam's human personality was seen going into the capital building of Westphal. He was not seen again.

The next morning a fisherman found the body of a tall, young, red headed girl washed up on shore. With no reports of a missing child, the body was buried in an unmarked grave.

The Fabulous Mr. Corvus
The next few months of Dev's life are mostly a blur to her. She wavered from trying to emulate her new personality and life of this "Adara", to thinking of all possible ways to escape with enough gold to get her far away from Baldur's Gate. What made her stay, ultimately, was her new "father."

Sheratan Corvus was an exuberant, flamboyant, and happy man. He was a minstrel, gifted at playing musical instruments and singing, and made his living in doing so. It was quite apparent to Dev early on that music and Adara was Sheratan's life. Dev could not help but be sucked in by Sheratan's love for life, and explore her own curiosity for music. What made living with Sheratan so exciting was the difference between him and her "real" father. Fear left her life, and it was replaced with the simple joy of music and a decent living.

Her cover was almost blown two months into living with Sheratan, when she sang for him the first time. Sheratan was clearly taken aback, and told Dev how she had never sung like that before. He was clearly proud of her voice, and immediately decided to bring her along with him to some of his performances. For the next 10 years, Adara lived and learned to love her new father. She learned his ways as a bard, but never let go of her father's teachings, stealing what she could safely. Still wary of her true identity, she never did anything with a high risk. Together, these 10 years in Baldur's Gate were a very happy time. In early 1466, with Dev now in her early 20s, the duo decided to take their act on the road and explore more of Faerun. Adara was now her name as much as Dev was.

Elturel and a Misstep
Dev and her father traveled the west coast of Faerun for some time. They stopped for lengths of time in Silverymoon, where Adara learned much of bardic lore, especially of the local legend Keldoc. They also spent many months in Waterdeep, taking in the large city. In 1470, they traveled east to Cormyr and stayed for several years in Suzail. Throughout this time, Adara embraced her bardic training. Though she still stayed sharp with the occasional pickpocket, her former life was getting more and more of a distant memory.

In 1475, on their way back to Baldur's Gate, they arrived in the town of Elturel and decided to stay a few days. Sheratan, now a venerable 68, had little heed for the rules, and within days was warned about unauthorized playing of music in the streets. Despite the warnings, it wasn't long before Sheratan went too far: the next day, his property was seized, and he and Adara were thrown in jail for two days.

When released, Sheratan was told that his property was now owned by the Elturel government and would not be returned. Adara knew that her father's very expensive instruments were most likely just going to be sold or disenchanted. Sheratan believed they should just leave the next morning. Adara agreed with her father, but that night snuck out of the Inn and toward the barracks.

For the first time in years, Adara changed shape, posing as a guard of the town. Her silver tongue and disguise convinced the other guards that their shift was over. Finding her father's property was easy - getting out of the barracks was not. Before she could exit, another guard had arrived and knew something was wrong. Adara had little choice. Within seconds, the guard was dead.

Dev panicked and ran, hiding her father's stuff in an abandoned building. Adara arrived home at dawn to see her father being arrested. Adara was livid, yet the guards told her he was being charged with bribery and coercing a guard to break into the barracks. Since a guard died in the process, her father would be tried for murder. The penalty was death.

Kam's words echoed in her head. Proving her father innocent would most likely mean her death. There was little hope of escaping with her elderly father in tow. They could not find out who she was. The next night, Sheratan's property was returned to the barracks with a note proclaiming Sheratan's innocence. It did little good. Two days later, Sheratan was sentenced to death.

Dev had hardly slept since his arrest. Her father was an old man, Dev thought. His time would be over soon anyway. They could not find out what she was. His death would be quick, hers most likely not. The guard should not have gotten in her way. It was his fault he was dead, not hers.

Adara had hardly slept since his arrest. Her father was the kindest man she had ever known. He had protected her for over 20 years. He had taught her his love of music. He had shown her the diversity of Faerun. He did not deserve to die. It had been her fault, and she should help him now.

The next day at noon, Sheratan Corvus was beheaded, convicted of murder. The woman named Dev and Adara wept until sunset.

The Joker and the Thief
Note - This character's history is part of an alternate timeline starting in 1479

Dev fled Elturel the next day. Her guilt over her father's death built in her for the new few weeks. Convincing herself that the law was to blame in Elturel, she gained a new loathing of law and Torm in particular. If a law was the cause of a good man like Sheratan's death, than lawlessness could be no worse. This new outlook led Dev down a dangerous path. She embraced lawlessness and increased her thievery skills. Most of this time she stayed in Baldur's Gate, where she helped random thieves groups in whatever work she could do. Using her musical skills, her songs led more than a few men to the poor houses. For the next 6 years, she never took the form of Adara, and fulfilled her suppressed urges of violence by killing more humans than she can remember. She even allied herself with Cyricists in several missions, although resisted full assimilation into their dogma and causes. Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep were her main targets, and she gained much experience and gold in the process.

Faerun Falls to Asmodeus (1484)
Faerun's fall in 1484 was the jarring experience Dev needed to reevaluate her life. 1484 was chaos all across Faerun, and the other God's lack of intervention was most likely the most devastating part of it. Dev had never been deeply religious, but during her time with her father she learned much about the deities of Faerun, and even started to pay homage to Milil in her songs. She knew Asmodean dogma, and she knew that the only thing worse than those who used law to control others were those that became evil tyrants because of it. During the chaos of 1484, good fought beside evil, and former enemies bound together for mere survival. Dev was no exception. A common enemy, and one that every part of Dev could hate without moral objection, gave her new life.

After Baldur's gate was overrun by Devils, she retreated toward Silverymoon and joined the fight there. She helped lead the struggle against the Devils in various degrees around Silverymoon for the next 12 years. It was during this time that she first transformed back into her Adara form and personality. With sword and song, she was a formidable foe on the battle field, and a comforting soul off of it. Silverymoon stood as one of the few places in Faerun Asmodeus did not control, and Dev liked to think she had a small part in keeping his tyranny at bay.

Bloodwing takes Over (1497)
Though it was a dark world, Dev was confident in her role and her ability. Silverymoon was still much of what it was when she was much younger. In late 1496, the fighting suddenly died down rather quickly. Word started to come in about a new force that was fighting against Asmodeus and his Devil army. Hope returned somewhat to Silverymoon and to the others that heard. For the first time in many years, Dev started to imagine her old life, and the simple joy of old Faerun.

All hope quickly died, however, when it was learned that this new force was no better, but worse than the Devils. Dev's life came crashing down in 1497, when Fzoul and his Banite followers led an army of robotic men called warforged into Silverymoon. The city fell quite quickly, as the mechanical men overran the city's already weak defenses. Dev had a simple choice, and she chose to flee to fight another day, using her changeling powers to eventually escape the city. Her last images, of the city and its colleges burning; of old Ulfgar surrounded by 100 warforged, yet still fighting on with his fists; of the city's mages being destroyed one by one by the imposing figure of Fzoul, haunted her dreams for many years.

She retreated toward Cormyr, where she knew was another stronghold against Asmodeus. By the time she got there, she was sickened to learn that much of the nation had fallen in much the same way Silverymoon had. Here, a man named Bloodwing had led the mechanical men and taken over the Dalelands and much of Cormyr.

The source of tyranny had changed, but Dev's purpose had not. She vowed to do all she could to fight against the Banites and restore Faerun to what it once was. She also vowed to learn why the gods had seemed to disown Faerun and let evil run rampant.

Shadowdale (1511)
By 1511, the now venerable Dev joined the local resistance against Bloodwing. This organization, located in Shadowdale, did all it can to subvert Bloodwing's control over the area. With the death of the resistances' leader Connor in 1510, Dev saw its influence and safety weaken significantly. Still, she was convinced of their cause and knows that her last breath will most likely be drawn during a battle with the blasted warforged.

Despite her confidence in her abilities and her lifetime of experience, she still kept her true race a secret. The resistance knows her as Adara, a human bard and rogue. She aged herself accordingly from when she first joined, so today she is thought to be in her late 20's and human. Dev suspects Connor knew of her true identity, but believes he most likely kept the secret to himself. She embraces both her bard and rogue abilities, but is truly ruthless on the battlefield.

A Future Forged of Blood and Steel
The fight against Bloodwing eventually came to a head in 1511, when a group of adventurers joined Adara to find and finally destroy Bloodwing. They succeeded, but in the process released Cyric onto the world.

Current Whereabouts / Activities
Adara, now believing the Warforged are no longer a threat, could not convince all of the resistance to not attack them. She and Rangrim the Red took control of the forces that stood with her and retreated back to Shadowdale to regroup and decide what their world has become and what threats await them. Though she did not stand with Metal and Wood she does believe he survived and awaits a time when she can count the "race" of Warforged as allies.

4E Character Sheet
Adara's stats are no longer updated here as they are kept on character builder

Inventory
Other Magical Items:, , +2 , 2640 Gold

Powers
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