D&D Campaign Journal

Wendaline

Wendaline

Race: Shadar-kai Elf Class: Monster Slayer Ranger / Grave Domain Cleric

A shadar-kai elf who walks the line between life and death, Wendaline serves the Raven Queen as both hunter and keeper of the grave. Her ranger training makes her a specialist in hunting monsters, while her devotion to the Grave Domain grants her power over the boundary between life and death.

As a shadar-kai, she carries the marks of the Shadowfell — a people touched by shadow and death, yet fiercely devoted to their purpose.

Joining the Scrambled Eggs

Wendaline met the party on the outskirts of Shadycreek Run, joining their adventures and bringing her skills as both monster hunter and keeper of the grave.

Reconciliation with the Raven Queen

For years, Wendaline’s relationship with her patron was strained by grief and anger. She believed the Raven Queen had taken the woman she loved, and that loss poisoned her faith. The burden of that belief — that her patron was responsible for her greatest heartbreak — created a rift between devotee and goddess.

After meeting the party, things began to change. Through communion with the Raven Queen, Wendaline learned of an abandoned Raven Queen temple in the south of Xhorhas. The party set off to find it.

At the temple, Wendaline underwent the drowning ritual — a dangerous spiritual trial that brought her face-to-face with her patron. In that sacred communion, the Raven Queen revealed the truth of what had happened to Wendaline’s beloved and why she had died. The story the goddess told lifted the weight of years of blame and misunderstanding.

The ritual changed everything. Wendaline emerged with clarity, understanding, and renewed faith. She and the Raven Queen were reconciled, their bond restored and perhaps stronger for having been broken and mended. No longer does Wendaline serve out of obligation mixed with resentment — she walks the path of death’s keeper with purpose and peace.

Underdark Guide

Wendaline’s ranger expertise proved invaluable in Session 71 as she guided the party through the treacherous terrain of the Underdark. Her knowledge of the dangerous underground realm helped them navigate safely through the mountain entrance and into the depths below.

The Sporeheart Enclave

In Session 72, to enter the myconid colony, Wendaline sacrificed her memories of Ophelia Mardoon from Shadycreek Run in the Dwendalian Empire — a quest to recover stolen family heirlooms she’d promised to fulfill but never completed. The memory was torn away with 12 psychic damage.

In the enclave’s marketplace, Wendaline demonstrated shrewd negotiation skills. Using the myconids’ “spore value” currency system (which values stories and unique items over gold), she traded her small knife, her crowbar, and her hammer for a silver dagger +1 from a myconid who incorporated weapons into artistic displays. Her direct, clear communication style earned the collective’s respect.

Slayer of the Beholder

Session 73 showcased Wendaline’s full capabilities as both monster hunter and devoted servant of the Raven Queen.

When the battle against Seltar the Beholder began, Wendaline activated her Blessing of the Raven Queen — becoming a ghostly, shadowy figure with resistance to all damage. This proved absolutely crucial, as Seltar’s Disintegration Ray struck her for what should have been 64 necrotic damage. Thanks to her double resistance (to necrotic damage naturally, plus resistance to all damage from her blessing), she took only 16 damage instead of what would have been an instant kill.

Throughout the battle, Wendaline struck with her swords and kept pressure on the Beholder. When Seltar tried to flee by flying 90 feet into the tower’s heights (with Umal clinging to his back), Wendaline positioned herself for a clear shot and fired her longbow twice:

  1. The first arrow (28 to hit) struck one of Seltar’s protective tome shields. When Seltar tried to cast Shield to deflect it, Tear used counterspell — allowing Wendaline’s arrow to shatter the book.
  2. The second arrow (empowered by Tear’s Bardic Inspiration, 23 to hit after adding the d8) drove deep into Seltar’s eyestalk.

The great Beholder shrieked and fell, dead at last.

After the battle, Wendaline’s knowledge of death-related artifacts proved vital. When the party found the Book of Silent Screams, she immediately recognized the skull-wearing-blindfold symbol from her studies. She identified it as volume two of the series, matching the Book of Whispered Words they’d found earlier.

Notable Abilities