### Overview **Volza Redhand** is the deadly and enigmatic assassin of **[[Drogul Blackjaw]]’s** warband, known for her silence, surgical precision, and signature method of execution—garrote kills delivered with crimson-stained gloves. As the most elusive member of Drogul’s crew, she is both feared and misunderstood, often appearing without warning, eliminating a target, and vanishing before her presence is even fully registered. Where Dregma terrifies with noise and showmanship, and the bugbear brothers with brute force, Volza delivers death in absolute quiet. She is the whisper between screams, the absence that follows final breath. --- ## Appearance - **Race:** Orc (Half-Orc ancestry suspected) - **Gender:** Female - **Build:** Lean, athletic, unnaturally graceful - **Skin:** Deep ash-grey with faded crimson handprints dyed into her gloves - **Hair:** Long, jet-black, braided and coiled beneath her hood - **Eyes:** Pale silver with no visible pupils—rumored to be magically altered - **Attire:** Dark leather armor reinforced for mobility; carries no visible weapons --- ## Personality - **Traits:** Quiet, focused, expressionless - **Beliefs:** Death is a duty. Noise is a weakness. Mercy is illusion. - **Habits:** Sharpening wire threads, tracing unseen sigils in the dirt, watching from rooftops --- ## Skills and Tactics - **Garrote Mastery:** Uses enchanted wires and reinforced gloves to sever throats and crush windpipes - **Silent Movement:** Capable of scaling stone and wood without sound; rarely leaves tracks - **Assassination Precision:** Targets commanders, spellcasters, and morale figures in raids - **Poison Use:** Employs slow-kill toxins for long-term terror --- ## Infamous Deeds - **The Widow’s Gate:** Slipped into a barracks of thirty guards and garroted the commander in her sleep—none heard a sound - **The Red Choir:** Left a noble court without its advisor, chancellor, and spy master in one night; all found with identical red hand marks at their throats - **[[Bakorda]]’s Death Night:** Volza stood beside Drogul and did not intervene—nor did she look away. Her silence was consent. --- ## Relationship with Drogul Drogul values Volza as his most reliable killer. Though she rarely takes orders in public, she answers only to him and always obeys. The others in the warband give her wide berth, and even Dregma speaks to her only in glances. Some believe she and Drogul share a deeper pact—unspoken and binding, perhaps forged in blood magic or old loyalty. --- ## Final Notes Volza Redhand is not a shadow one sees coming—she is the moment just after. Her existence is a riddle, her loyalty unshakable, and her presence a prelude to death. Among the raiders, she is the ghost. Among their enemies, she is the end. > "You won’t hear her coming. But you’ll feel her leave." # **VOLZA REDHAND (CR 12) — NIGHT ASSASSIN** **Medium humanoid (orc), neutral evil** **Armor Class** 18 (Reinforced Silent Armor) **Hit Points** 172 (21d8 + 84) **Speed** 40 ft. (50 ft. in dim or dark) **STR** 14 (+2) **DEX** 22 (+6) **CON** 18 (+4) **INT** 14 (+2) **WIS** 15 (+2) **CHA** 11 (+0) **Saving Throws** Dex +11, Con +9, Int +7 **Skills** Stealth +13, Acrobatics +11, Perception +7, Sleight of Hand +11, Insight +7 **Damage Resistances** Poison, Psychic, Necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks (dim/dark only) **Condition Immunities** Charmed, Frightened **Senses** Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17 **Languages** Common, Orc, Thieves’ Cant, Undercommon **Challenge** 12 (8,400 XP) **Proficiency Bonus** +5 --- # **TRAITS** **Assassinate.** Volza has advantage on attack rolls against creatures that haven’t taken a turn yet. Any hit she scores against a surprised creature is a critical hit. **Silent Killer.** Volza is under constant nondetection. She has advantage on Stealth checks in dim or dark areas. She cannot be detected by tremorsense or blindsight while unmoving. Creatures using darkvision cannot see her in darkness unless within 10 feet. **Shadow Sneak.** Once per turn, when Volza hits a creature with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll or an ally is within 5 ft. of the target, she deals an additional **5d6** damage (necrotic or psychic). In dim light or darkness, this extra damage is **7d6** instead. **Night Reaper.** While in dim light or darkness, Volza gains the following benefits: • Advantage on all attack rolls • Speed increases to 50 ft. • Resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing • Her weapon attacks deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage **Moonblade Precision.** When Volza makes a weapon attack with advantage in dim light or darkness, it deals an additional **2d6** precision slashing damage. **Shadow Step.** Bonus Action. Volza teleports up to 40 ft., or up to 60 ft. in dim light or darkness, to an unoccupied space she can see. While in darkness, she does not need line of sight if the destination is also in darkness. Her next melee attack before the end of this turn has advantage and deals an additional **2d6 necrotic** damage. **Nightfall Tricks (Recharge 5–6).** Bonus Action, only in dim light or darkness. Choose one: • **Veiled Strike:** Teleport 15 ft., then make one weapon attack that deals an extra 2d6 damage. • **Umbral Blind:** One creature within 30 ft. must succeed a DC 17 Wis save or be blinded until the end of its next turn. • **Shadow Melt:** Volza becomes invisible until the start of her next turn or until she attacks. **Killing Stroke (Recharge 5–6).** When Volza hits a creature with advantage, she deals an additional **3d6** damage and the target must succeed a **DC 17 Con save** or be **stunned** until the end of Volza’s next turn. --- # **ANTI-MARTIAL DEFENSES** **Dancer’s Guard.** Once per round, Volza forces one melee attack made against her to have **disadvantage** (no action required). **Cut the Light.** When Volza takes radiant damage or is hit by a smite, she may reduce the damage by **20**. **Ghoststep Reflex.** When a creature ends its turn within 5 ft. of her, Volza may immediately move **10 ft.** without provoking opportunity attacks. --- # **ACTIONS** **Multiattack.** Volza makes two attacks with her Garrote Wire or her Daggers. **Garrote Wire.** Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target Hit: 14 (2d4 + 6) slashing damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 16). A grappled creature takes 7 (2d6) slashing damage at the start of each of its turns. **Bloodthread Garrote (Recharge 5–6).** Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target Hit: 2d6 + 6 slashing + 3d6 poison Target must succeed on a **DC 17 Con save** or be **silenced and paralyzed** until the end of its next turn. On success, the target is silenced for 1 round. **Dagger.** Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft. Hit: 8 (1d4 + 6) piercing **Crimson Veil (1/Day).** Volza becomes invisible for 1 minute. The effect ends early if she attacks, casts a spell, or enters bright light. While invisible, she leaves no scent or trace and can move through narrow openings as if under _gaseous form_. --- # **REACTIONS** **Slip the Noose.** When a creature misses Volza with a melee attack, she moves up to 20 ft. without provoking opportunity attacks. If in dim or dark areas, she may also make a Hide check. **Shadow Slip.** When Volza is exposed to bright light or targeted by a light spell, she teleports up to 20 ft. to a space in dim or dark. If no such space exists, she takes half damage from the triggering effect. --- # Volza Redhand **"The Silent Blade"** --- ## Basic Information **Race:** Half-Orc, Half-Elf **Class:** Rogue/Assassin **Alignment:** Neutral Evil **Age:** Unknown (appears to be in her prime) **Origin:** Vurasz the Red King's domain (volcanic territories of the south) --- ## Appearance **Build:** Lean, athletic, unnaturally graceful **Skin:** Deep ash-grey **Hair:** Long, jet-black, braided and coiled beneath her hood **Eyes:** Pale silver with no visible pupils **Attire:** Dark leather armor reinforced for mobility; crimson-stained gloves **The Contradictions:** At first glance, Volza appears to be a typical orc woman—muscular, battle-hardened, dangerous. But closer observation reveals inconsistencies: - Movement too graceful, almost elven in fluidity - Build too lean and refined for pure orc heritage - Facial features slightly softer than expected - The way she holds herself—predatory yet elegant Those familiar with bloodlines might suspect mixed heritage. Volza never speaks of it. **The Silver Eyes:** Her most distinctive feature. Pale silver with no visible pupils, rumored to be magically altered. The truth is unknown—perhaps a side effect of being born in a place saturated with draconic magic, perhaps intentional modification, perhaps natural mutation from her cursed heritage. Whatever their origin, they mark her as **other**. As **wrong**. As not belonging to any people. When she sees her reflection, she turns away. --- ## Personality ### The Assassin's Philosophy **Core Beliefs:** - Death is a duty, not a choice - Noise is weakness - Mercy is illusion - Only strength deserves respect - Caring about people makes you vulnerable - Attachments are liabilities **How She Sees the World:** Predators and prey. Strong and weak. Useful and disposable. There is no good or evil. No justice or injustice. Just survival. Those who live are strong enough. Those who die weren't. **It's that simple.** **Behavioral Patterns:** - Speaks rarely, only when necessary - Watches from shadows and elevated positions - Sharpens wire threads obsessively - Traces unseen sigils in dirt when thinking - Avoids mirrors and reflective surfaces - Never explains herself or justifies her actions **Emotional Armor:** Volza presents as: - Cold - Emotionless - Efficient - Detached - **Perfect weapon** No hesitation. No remorse. No attachments. **The mask is complete.** ### What Lies Beneath **The Contradictions:** For someone who claims not to care: - She grieves (though she won't admit it) - She feels anger that's too personal (not just tactical) - She questions her own philosophy (when no one's watching) - She **hates herself more than anyone else** **The Cracks:** - Turns away from mirrors (can't face what she sees) - Tenses when called "mongrel" (old wound never healed) - Watches elves with complicated emotions (hatred mixed with something else) - **Alone even in crowds (belonging nowhere)** **The Fear:** That caring about anyone will end the same way her mother's caring ended: - In abandonment - In death - In proving that she wasn't worth saving **Better to be a weapon. Weapons don't get left behind.** --- ## Origin - Born in Chains ### The Vault of Radiance Volza was born in the domain of **Vurasz the Red King**—an ancient red dragon whose depravity is legendary across Solare. **Vurasz's Collection:** The Red King collects beautiful elf maidens as "treasures," keeping them in his volcanic lair called the Vault of Radiance: - Strips them to nothing but a single chain collar - Values blondes most, followed by redheads, then brunettes - Keeps them as prizes, symbols of his conquest - "The more exquisite the soul, the more satisfying the conquest" **A Prison of Beauty:** The Vault isn't just a dungeon. It's a perverse museum where Vurasz displays his "exquisite" collection. Elf maidens kept alive, maintained in their beauty, **powerless**. This is where Volza was born. ### Her Mother - The Elf Maiden **Identity Unknown:** Volza never knew her mother's name. What she knows: - A captured elf maiden (likely blonde or red-haired) - Taken during one of Vurasz's raids - Held in chains in the Vault of Radiance - Beautiful, yes, but helpless - Unable to escape - **Unable to protect her daughter** **The Relationship That Never Was:** Volza was too young to remember her mother's face. What she remembers: - Cold stone floors - The sound of chains - Being alone - **Being unwanted** Her mother died when Volza was very young. Childbirth complications. Execution for producing a mongrel. Suicide. **Volza doesn't know which.** But the result was the same: **Her mother left.** ### Her Father - The Orc **Complete Mystery:** Volza knows nothing about her father: - Perhaps a guard in Vurasz's service - Perhaps another slave or captive - Perhaps a raider who took what he wanted - **She'll never know** The details don't matter. The result is the same: A half-breed child born in a dragon's treasure vault, wanted by neither parent, belonging nowhere. ### Childhood - The Mongrel **What They Called Her:** From her earliest memories: - "Mongrel" - "Half-breed trash" - "The mistake" - "Wrong blood" - **"Not enough"** Too orc to be elf. Too elf to be orc. Wrong in every way that mattered. **Growing Up in Hell:** Volza grew up in the periphery of Vurasz's empire: - Among slavers and dragon cultists - Among those who serve monsters - Among people who measure worth by usefulness - **Among those who would kill her if she wasn't useful** **The Lessons She Learned:** **Don't trust anyone:** - They'll use you or abandon you - Your mother proved that - Everyone leaves eventually - **Trust is just waiting to be betrayed** **Don't show weakness:** - Weakness gets you collared (like mother) - Weakness gets you killed - Weakness means being kept as a treasure instead of feared as a threat - **Strength is the only protection** **Don't care about people:** - Everyone dies or leaves - Caring just means more pain when they're gone - Love is just another word for vulnerability - **Attachments are liabilities** **Be useful or be disposed of:** - Weapons have value - People are discarded - Better to be a tool than trash - **Function determines worth** **The Formative Wound:** A child's mind, trying to make sense of abandonment: _Why did mother leave?_ - Maybe she was too weak (elves are fragile) - Maybe she tried but couldn't (dragons are strong) - Maybe she didn't want a mongrel daughter - **Maybe I wasn't worth saving** Volza grew up believing the last one. **That belief shaped everything that came after.** --- ## Why She Hates Elves ### The Paradox Volza is half-elf. So why does she hate elves with visceral, consuming intensity? ### Layer One: Elves Represent Mother's Weakness **What She Saw:** Her mother was: - Captured by a dragon (couldn't defend herself) - Kept as a treasure in chains (couldn't escape) - Beautiful, yes, but helpless (aesthetics over survival) - Unable to protect her daughter (weak) - **Dead, leaving Volza alone among monsters** **The Conclusion:** Elves are beautiful, fragile things that break when the world gets hard. Their grace couldn't save them. Their culture couldn't protect them. Their refinement couldn't free them. **They're weakness disguised as civilization.** And Volza's mother proved it. ### Layer Two: Elves Represent What She Can Never Be **Elven Culture Values:** - Grace (Volza moves like a predator, not a dancer) - Beauty (ash-grey skin, silver eyes that mark her as wrong) - Community (no elf clan would accept a half-breed mongrel) - Refinement (she's a garrote-wielding assassin) - Long lives and patient wisdom (she's learned only violence) - **Belonging (she'll never have that)** **Every Elf Is a Mirror:** Showing her: - What her mother was - What she'll never be - The heritage she can't claim - The people who would reject her on sight - **Everything she's missing** Neither orc enough nor elf enough. Too much of both, not enough of either. **Belonging nowhere.** ### Layer Three: Elves Represent Abandonment **The Deepest Wound:** Her mother looked at her and chose to die. Maybe it was childbirth complications (couldn't survive). Maybe it was execution (punished for mongrel child). Maybe it was suicide (couldn't bear the shame). **But the result is the same:** **Her mother left.** Volza, too young to understand, learned: - Elven mothers don't fight for mongrel daughters - Elven blood means abandoning what's inconvenient - Beauty and grace matter more than half-breed children - **She wasn't worth saving** **Every elf she sees carries her mother's choice to leave.** ### Layer Four: Self-Hatred Projected Outward **The Truth She Can't Face:** She doesn't hate elves because they're weak. **She hates elves because half of her IS elf.** **The Mechanism:** When she kills an elf: - She's killing the part of herself she can't accept When she scorns elven culture: - She's rejecting the heritage that rejected her When she sneers at elven grace: - She's denying the weakness she fears is inside her **The Logic:** If elves are worthless → then her elven blood doesn't matter If elves are weak → then her mother's weakness isn't genetic If elves deserve contempt → then hating herself makes sense **It's easier to hate elves than admit she hates herself.** ### The Unbearable Question **Why didn't her mother fight?** If her mother had been strong, she could have: - Escaped Vurasz (other prisoners have done it) - Saved herself and Volza (run away together) - Given her daughter a home (somewhere, anywhere) - **Chosen her** **But if her mother COULD have been strong...** And chose not to be... **Then the abandonment was a choice.** Not weakness. Not impossibility. **Choice.** Her mother looked at a half-breed mongrel daughter and decided: - Not worth escaping for - Not worth living for - Not worth the risk - **Not worth fighting for** ### The Comfortable Lie For decades, Volza told herself: **Mother was weak because she was an elf.** Elves are fragile. Elves break. Elves can't protect anyone. **Mother had no choice but to die.** It wasn't personal. It was just... elven nature. **This lie made the abandonment bearable.** If her mother couldn't save her, then it wasn't rejection. If elves are inherently weak, then her mother wasn't choosing to leave. If abandonment was inevitable, then **it wasn't Volza's fault for not being worth saving**. **She clung to this lie for her entire life.** --- ## Escape From the Vault ### The Red King Sleeps Vurasz the Red King is rumored to be **asleep**—deep in hibernation within his lair in the Ring of Fire Mountains in the North Angoria continent, far across the ocean from [[Karudasos|the Darklands]]. Whether this is true slumber or merely a period of reduced activity, no one knows. But his direct presence faded from the world, leaving his empire of slavers, cultists, and servants to maintain themselves. **When the dragon sleeps, the servants fight among themselves.** ### The Chaos Without Vurasz's active presence: - His servants competed for power and resources - Factions formed and dissolved - Loyalty became negotiable - **The Vault of Radiance became less secure** Among the chaos, a young Volza—already learning the skills of silence and death—saw an opportunity. ### The Departure **How She Left:** Volza never speaks of the exact details. What is known: - She didn't escape alone (others fled during the chaos) - She didn't fight her way out (too young, too weak) - She slipped away during a power struggle among Vurasz's lieutenants - **She left nothing behind but questions** **Why No One Followed:** To Vurasz's servants, she was: - Just another mongrel half-breed - Worthless trash not worth retrieving - One less mouth to feed - **Easier to forget than chase** By the time they realized the mongrel girl had developed into something dangerous, she was long gone. ### The Journey **Crossing the Ocean:** Volza made her way from North Angoria to [[Karudasos|the Darklands]] continent: - Stowed away on ships (silent movement served her well) - Killed when necessary (already proficient with garrote) - Stayed in shadows (belonging nowhere meant hiding everywhere) - **Survived by being useful or invisible** The journey took years. She was young when she left, grown when she arrived. **What She Learned:** The world beyond Vurasz's domain: - Was full of people who wanted to use her (nothing new) - Was full of people who hated half-breeds (expected) - Cared nothing for mongrel orphans (understood) - **Rewarded those who killed efficiently and asked no questions** So that's what she became. --- ## Finding Drogul Blackjaw ### [[Karudasos|The Darklands]] When Volza arrived in [[Karudasos|the Darklands]] continent, she was: - Alone - Young but deadly - Skilled but unknown - **Mongrel trash with nowhere to go** She drifted through criminal underworlds: - Took contracts (killing was what she knew) - Built reputation (the silent blade, red handprints) - Stayed unattached (everyone leaves eventually) - **Survived** ### Drogul's Offer **The Meeting:** Drogul Blackjaw noticed her work: - Clean kills - No witnesses - Professional - **Useful** He made an offer: Join his warband. **Why She Accepted:** Not loyalty (she had none). Not ideology (she believed in nothing). Not companionship (she wanted none). **Pragmatism.** Drogul offered: - Steady work (better than scrounging) - Resources (better than poverty) - Protection of a warband (better than alone) - **No questions about her heritage** That last part mattered. Drogul didn't care that she was half-breed mongrel trash. He cared that she killed efficiently and followed orders. **She was useful. That was enough.** ### Why She Stayed **With Drogul's Warband:** She found something she'd never had before: - A role (the silent blade) - A place (among the raiders) - A purpose (death) - **A kind of belonging based on function, not blood** Not family. Not friends. Not home. But **a place where being a weapon was valued.** Where no one asked about her mother. Where no one mocked her silver eyes. Where no one cared that she was half-elf, half-orc, all wrong. **They cared that she killed.** And she was very, very good at that. ### The Years With Drogul Volza became his most reliable killer: - The Widow's Gate (thirty guards, one commander, no sound) - The Red Choir (noble court, three deaths, one night) - Bakorda's Death Night (stood beside Drogul, did not intervene) - **Countless others, forgotten by everyone but the dead** She answered only to Drogul. The other raiders feared her. Her reputation grew. **She was useful. She had value. She belonged.** Not as a person. Never as a person. **But as a weapon.** And for someone who'd been called mongrel trash her entire life, being a valued weapon was **almost enough**. --- ## The Distance From Vurasz ### Why She's Safe **Vurasz is far away:** - Ring of Fire Mountains in North Angoria - Ocean between continents - Rumored to be sleeping - **Unlikely to notice or care about one escaped mongrel** **Even if he woke:** - She's worthless to him (half-breed trash) - His collection is elf maidens (she doesn't qualify) - His empire has bigger concerns (power struggles) - **One mongrel who escaped decades ago isn't worth his attention** ### The Fear She Won't Admit **But sometimes, in the dark:** She wonders: - What if he wakes? - What if someone tells him about the half-breed with silver eyes? - What if he decides mongrel trash needs to be disposed of? - **What if the dragon remembers?** She tells herself it doesn't matter. He's across the ocean. Asleep. Uninterested. **But she still avoids the ocean. Still watches the sky. Still remembers the cold stone floors and the sound of chains.** Some fears don't fade just because you run far enough. --- ### The Decision At some point, Volza made a choice: If she was going to be called mongrel trash, she'd be the **deadliest trash** anyone ever saw. She couldn't change what she was born as. But she could control what she became. **She became a weapon.** ### Training in Death **The Skills:** Among the slavers, raiders, and dragon cultists, Volza learned: **Silent Movement:** - Shadows became home - Footsteps made no sound - Presence became absence - **The ghost in the dark** **Garrote Mastery:** - Wire and gloves became instruments - Throats became targets - Death became duty - **Red handprints the only signature** **Reading People:** - Fear has tells - Everyone has weaknesses - Bodies reveal secrets - **Predicting movement is survival** **Patience:** - Best kills take time - Rushing means mistakes - Waiting is weapon - **Strike when they've forgotten to be afraid** **Emotionlessness:** - Caring means hesitation - Hesitation means death - Detachment is strength - **Weapons don't have feelings** ### The Philosophy of Death **Death Is Duty:** Not personal. Not vindictive. Not emotional. Just function. Volza doesn't kill because she enjoys it (she doesn't). Doesn't kill because she hates them (irrelevant). Doesn't kill for revenge (pointless emotion). **She kills because that's what she does.** Like a blade cuts. Like poison spreads. Like fire burns. **It's just what she is.** **Noise Is Weakness:** Those who announce their presence: - Alert their targets - Invite resistance - Prove insecurity - **Die louder** Silence is control. Silence is power. Silence is survival. **Volza makes no sound.** **Mercy Is Illusion:** Predators don't show mercy. They show: - Appetite (when hungry) - Disinterest (when full) - Strategy (when waiting) What people call "mercy" is just: - Weakness disguised as compassion - Hesitation disguised as morality - Fear disguised as kindness **Volza shows no mercy.** **Only Strength Matters:** Everything else is pretense: - Honor (excuse for predictability) - Love (vulnerability by another name) - Justice (revenge with better PR) - Goodness (weakness that hasn't been tested) **Strength is the only truth.** And Volza is very strong. ### The Perfect Assassin By the time she was grown, Volza had become: **The Silent Blade:** - Ghost in shadows - Death without warning - Red handprints the only evidence - **Gone before anyone knows she was there** **The Emotionless Killer:** - No attachments - No mercy - No hesitation - **No weakness** **The Perfect Weapon:** - Useful - Efficient - Reliable - **Exactly what she was shaped to be** --- ## Her Reputation ### The Widow's Gate Infiltrated a barracks of thirty guards. Garroted the commander in her sleep. Not a single guard heard a sound. Gone before the body was discovered. ### The Red Choir Entered a noble court in one night. Eliminated the advisor, chancellor, and spy master. Each found with identical red handprints at their throats. No witnesses. No survivors who could describe her. ### What They Say _"You won't hear her coming. But you'll feel her leave."_ _"The Silent Blade doesn't kill you. She just makes you stop."_ _"Red gloves, silver eyes, gone before you realize."_ **Reputation built on silence and corpses.** --- ## The Hidden Self ### What She Won't Admit **She's Lonely:** Belonging nowhere means: - No home - No people - No one who understands - **Completely alone** Even among others, she's isolated. The half-breed. The mongrel. The wrong one. **She Hates Herself:** More than she hates elves. More than she hates weakness. More than she hates anyone. **She hates what she is:** - Half and half - Neither and both - Wrong blood - **Mistake that should never have been born** When she kills elves, she's trying to kill that part of herself. **She's Afraid:** Not of death (death is simple). Not of pain (pain is temporary). Not of failure (failure is tactical). **Afraid of caring.** Because everyone she could care about: - Will leave (like mother) - Will die (everyone does) - Will prove she wasn't worth staying for - **Will confirm she's not worth loving** **Better to be alone. Better to be a weapon.** **Weapons don't get abandoned because they were never chosen in the first place.** ### The Silver Eyes Why she avoids mirrors: When she looks at her reflection, she sees: - Eyes that aren't orc - Eyes that aren't elf - Eyes that mark her as other - Eyes that prove she's wrong - **Eyes that remind her she doesn't belong anywhere** Silver eyes that saw her mother die. Silver eyes that mark her as mongrel. Silver eyes that will never be accepted by any people. **So she doesn't look.** ### The Truth She Carries **Her mother looked at her and chose to die.** That's the wound that won't heal. That's the truth she can't face. That's why she hates elves (they remind her). That's why she hates herself (she IS reminder). That's why she became a weapon (weapons have worth). **Because if she's useful enough, maybe being a mongrel doesn't matter.** **Because if she's deadly enough, maybe no one will abandon her out of fear.** **Because if she never cares, she'll never have to face being abandoned again.** --- ## Core Themes ### The Weapon Who Wants To Be a Person Volza has spent her entire life as: - A tool - A function - An instrument of death - **A thing, not a person** Because being a person means: - Caring about others (dangerous) - Being cared about (impossible) - Belonging somewhere (she can't) - **Being worth something beyond usefulness** **Weapons have value. People get discarded.** She chose to be a weapon. **But some part of her wishes she could be a person.** ### The Half-Breed's Burden Neither orc enough nor elf enough. Rejected by both, belonging to neither. **The eternal outsider.** Every orc sees her elven features (wrong). Every elf sees her orcish blood (contamination). She exists in the space between peoples: - The shadows - The margins - The forgotten places - **Nowhere** ### The Abandoned Child Everything comes back to this: **Her mother left.** And Volza has spent her entire life: - Trying to prove it wasn't her fault - Trying to become valuable enough not to abandon - Trying to never care so it can't happen again - **Trying to survive the wound that won't heal** --- ## What She Is **On the surface:** - Cold assassin - Perfect weapon - Emotionless killer - Silent blade **Beneath:** - Abandoned child - Self-hating half-breed - Lonely mongrel - **Person trying not to be person** **The contradiction:** - Hates elves / is half-elf - Believes only in strength / fears her own weakness - Shows no mercy / desperate for someone to show her mercy - Cares about nothing / terrified of caring about anything - **Weapon who wishes she could be more** **The question:** Can the mongrel half-breed with silver eyes ever deserve to be more than death's instrument? Or will she always be the mistake her mother couldn't love? ---