Elspeth von Draken

Elspeth von Draken, called the "Dark Lady of Nuln," and the "Graveyard Rose," is a magisterix of the Amethyst Order and respected advisor to Elector Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz of Wissenland. Von Draken was instrumental in defeating and slaying the Kurgan Champion of Nurgle Tamurkhan when the Maggot Lord launched a massive invasion of Wissenland with a great horde of the Warriors of Chaos and their Chaos Dwarf allies out of the Eastern Steppes that culminated in the savage Battle of Nuln in 2511 IC. For three generations the name of of Elspeth von Draken has been spoken of in hushed tones in the reeking tavern gutters and vaulted noble halls of Nuln alike. And for three generations her lonely, blackened tower has stood at the edge of the Gardens of Morr on the outskirts of the great city, and stories of the "Graveyard Rose" have been used to frighten recalcitrant children home before nightfall lest "the dark lady snatch them up!".

Yet despite these stories few have ever paused to think what exactly the admitted presence of von Draken in the city actually means, and fewer yet could guess at her true power or influence. Furthermore the few foolhardy or overenthusiastic witch hunters -- unaware of her relationship to the governing powers of Nuln or too fanatically sure of their own righteousness to care -- who have attempted to delve deeper into her business or storm her tower have been swallowed up so completely that they have never been able to share anything they have learned.

The truth is that Elspeth von Draken is but one in a long bloodline touched by the Winds of Magic, a bloodline that has produced both monsters and saviours in its time. She is also one of the most powerful Amethyst Wizards of the age, but one who will have little to do with the daily machinations or power-politics of the Imperial Colleges of Magic in which she was once a student and still in theory holds fealty (for which many within its ranks are profoundly grateful), and with whom she now sits in an uneasy truce. Instead, she is an obsessive experimenter and mystic who goes where she will, and has collected and collated a storehouse of mystical artefacts and lore which she guards jealously and has become so saturated with Shyish, the Purple Wind of the Lore of Death, that there are some who whisper she is no longer Human at all, a theory perhaps given credence by her almost spectral, pallid aspect, which has remained unchanged for decades.

Despite her reclusive nature, dividing her time it is said between her tower in Nuln and another like it hidden within the Grey Mountains, or in search of lost lore, she is however a true scion of the Empire of Man, and the bane of its foes where they cross her path. She also has long-standing pacts and alliances both with the Cult of Morr and the ruling council of Nuln to come to its aid in times of war in return for their alliance in turn.

Supreme Patriarch Thyrus Gormann regarded von Draken's independence as a liability and resented her enigmatic manners and evident power, with his agents failing to discover any hints of disloyalty. Balthasar Gelt, his successor as supreme patriarch of the Imperial Colleges of Magic, is understandably wary of von Draken's independence and power, and has long had his agents keep track of her where they can.

Over the last score of years they have reported a dozen conflicts both widely known and hidden where von Draken has proved the victor against terrible enemies such as the Mire Hulk Rawbones who had been devouring whole villages along the lower River Sol and demanding a bloody tribute in young lives, to the Vampire Vashara of Lahmia who had sought to corrupt the noble Jaegersbruk family of Pfeildorf and turn the city into a shadowy realm of Undeath. While Elspeth von Draken continues to concern herself with her own affairs, and stands as a protector of the Empire, Gelt must do no more than watch, but there are those beneath him in the hierarchy of Imperial wizards who fear that Gelt's suspicion of the powerful von Draken may yet provoke a deadly conflict one day between them. Von Draken's appearance can be described in two words: pale and dark. Her almost transparent skin is diluted with black makeup, and she carefully gathers her raven hair, wearing it under a plated hood.