The Ven'Lark sisters outside the Academy. Dobeshae to the right and Lea'sha to the left. Lea'sha is an Initiated at this time
Lt. Ven'Lark is a talented fighter. Here she is taking down Maylara Maltree
Lt. Ven'Lark looking intense!
Left to right, Laeh'le Dahl'Arak and Dobeshae Ven'Lark. Here, Ven'Lark is projecting a calm and confidence
In the left foreground, Lt. Ven'Lark ensures that everyone is prepared for an assault on the Temple of Doom, particularly Maylara Maltree to the right foreground
Dobeshae Ven'Lark (Negeémiliel circa 2343 - ? a.a.H.)
Dobeshae Ven'Lark is a Negeémi Drow Acolyte who has achieved the rank of lieutenant and has appeared as a secondary character in the "Maylara Maltree" story, and alongside Xuunera Lo'Kee in various flashback stories. She serves the role of an aide and friend to Xuunera Lo'Kee and a story mechanism to have allowed Captain Lo'Kee to leave her company in the Maylara Maltree story.
Attributes[]
- An officer
- Generally Good Natured
- Balances Out Xuunera's more extreme reactions
- Common Sense
- Tactical Magic User
- Loyal to Xuunera
- Excellent Fighter
- Well Disciplined
- Supportive of Others
- Attentive to details
Known Family[]
- Unnamed mother
- Lea'sha Ven'Lark--sister
- Unnamed aunt--the family matron
- Draeve Ven'Lark--cousin and heir to the family
Biography[]
Early[]
Drowlings[]
Dobeshae has been seen very early on in conjunction with Xuunera Lo'Kee from early days in the Academy, to later periods of their training, to graduating and serving alongside her superior officer. Her age and career is believed to very nearly match that of Xuunera.
So, Dobeshae would have been born circa 2343 a.a.H., and entered the Academy in about 2353. She presumably latched onto Xuunera as friends and allies in the often hostile and competitive Academy, and the two supported each other akin to the relationship with the Drow Trio. A difference being that the two drowlings would have both been selected to enter the 'officer training pool' together, and might have faced more competition between each other later in their training.
Concern for her Friend[]
Early on, Xuunera seemed to have a more optimistic outlook, and Dobeshae would serve to point out problems that her friend would miss. Particularly, her suspicion of the White Hermit, who had once came to kill Xuunera.
Speculation: It is possible that Dobeshae helped Xuunera avoid various pitfalls of Drow competitive politics in the Academy? In any case, either through guidance or hard knocks, Xuunera would have a much harder and suspicious persona near the end of her training.
'Tactical Magic User'[]
Dobeshae was found to have sufficient mana manipulating ability so as to use alchemical reagents to create fireballs and perhaps other effects. She would receive specialized training so as to become such a tactical asset.
Student Officers[]
Both girls would be selected to continue officer training, and part of that is to help train young drowlings as they enter the Academy and as they mature. The two were excited to get Laeh'le Dahl'Arak assigned to them. They discussed the opportunities this might bring, without much thought of the problems a poorly performing Initiated would bring to them.
Even so, the episode indicates that the two were thinking politically and with long term plans well before graduation.
Graduation[]
When Dobeshae graduated is not precisely known. Xuunera is stated to have graduated in 2383 a.a.H., but that date is rather late for entering the Academy as of 2353 a.a.H. where the time is usually 26 years. Xuunera and Dobehae might have graduated together or separately, but it would make sense if they graduated together based on previous depictions of being more or less equivalent to each other in age and performance.
It is possible that the two might have both graduated together at a date earlier than 2383, and / or they were both graduated at about 30 years as that is the extra time taken for officer training?
Interim Career[]
Not much is specifically known of Dobeshae's career save that she probably served in the same company as Xuunera and might have been one of her rivals as well as allies in getting promotions? In any event, Xuunera would rise to become the captain of the company at a young age, and Dobeshae would serve as her 'right hand woman'.
Punitive Postings[]
Failure of the Company[]
Dobeshae's 'star' would both rise and fall with that of Captain Lo'Kee. Great honor was accorded the company--and its officers, naturally--due to success in the field, and in maintaining order in the capital. Dobeshae would serve in the capital city of Negeémiliel when her company served as guards in the Temple of Doom as it made for a cushy assignment and she could have close contact with her family. However, with the assassination of the High Sorceress Khariel Baener, the company would be reassigned to the peripheries of this Drow empire.
Border Actions[]
In succession, she would serve in actions against the Nortunk Dwarves, Wild elf incursions against the southernmost of land holdings in Zarhuy, and finally returning closer to home with an outpost guard duty against Kokto Orc and Ur Dur tunnel raiders. These were not glamorous assignments, but they were done well, particularly in hope of expiation of the failure in guarding the Temple of Doom.
Loyalty[]
It was noted, and indeed considered somewhat remarkable by her sister, that Dobeshae remained loyal to Xuunera Lo'Kee at this dark time. It being felt like Dobeshae might have sought to have replaced her superior officer with Xuunera's diminished reputation seeming like an excellent time. Dobehae herself saw no value in such disloyalty as the two had always 'had each other's backs', and she believed that Xuunera would be able to recover.
She maintained her good humor, and served to calm the sometimes volatile Captain Lo'Kee down. In the cramped conditions of the outpost, she knew that it was important that the acolytes stationed there let off some emotional steam even as they needed to maintain discipline.
Dobeshae was also gratified as Xuunera had started to make money for them from accepting bribes for allowing illicit business at the outpost. Although this would come back to haunt Captain Lo'kee.
Maylara Maltree[]
A Chase[]
Early in 2428 a.a.H. Xuunera was attacked and humiliated in her own home by an assailant that she interpreted as an agent of some rival out to prevent her from recovering her bad reputation. Later on, Laeh'le Dahl'Arak was also attacked on the grounds of the outpost by this agent. Lo'kee would take a task force from her company, and together with Dobeshae, and Laeh'le as a witness who had seen this mysterious agent, would take after her, heading towards the capital.
The 'Super Agent'[]
The task force would stumble upon the agent--really Maylara Maltree--along with a large band of orcish raiders. Xuunera interpreted this as the agent colluding with the orcs, coming to believe that the agent wasn't just someone employed to make the captain look badly, but an actual foreign agent bent of destabilizing the Negeémi state in the midst of an ongoing war with the Hebonnor Mountain elves. The task force would fight and kill the orcs and continue their efforts to chase the now so called 'Super Agent'.
It's possible that Lieutenant Ven'Lark might have taken charge of the wounded Acolytes and continued onto Negeémiliel with the secondary group of the task force. Captain Lo'Kee and the leading force continued on ahead.
Capture of Maylara[]
Captain Lo'Kee secured permission from Leg of the Spider Danieh'le Dahl'Arak to look for Maylara, who was supposed to be wearing Laeh'le's priestess coat. Members of Lo'Kee's task force searched the city looking for her, and guarded gates looking for her, with various members of the public also keeping an eye out. While she wasn't wearing the stolen priestess cloak, Laeh'le happened to see and recognize Maylara and tried to capture her but failed. However, Lieutenant Ven'Lark was on hand and quickly beat and captured Maylara.
Lieutenant Ven'Lark stayed on hand to help interrogate Maylara, and was aware of the embarrassment of the young woman not being some 'super agent' but instead the escaped illegal sex slave of Hubbaerrzo Lo'Kee, the husband of her superior officer!
Ven'Lark in Command[]
Captain Lo'Kee would be essentially reassigned to the capital doing administrative work, pretending to be investigating the mysterious super agent 'False Priestess' whose capture was told to Danieh'le Dahl'Arak, but otherwise kept secret. Xuunera Lo'Kee was mostly put to secret work by General Dahl'Arak as the Leg of the Spider put on her armor and went out to battle in the war with the Hebonnor mountain elves.
Dobeshae Ven'Lark instead went back to the Outpost and ran operations there as the commanding officer. As there were several days of absence, presumably the company has another lieutenant who was running things?
The Dahl'Arak Coup[]
Time in Command[]
Lieutenant Ven'Lark would run the company and its operations at the outpost for almost ten months. How events played out for the company is not known save that all known characters remained alive and healthy in this interim period. It is not known if Ven'Lark remained a lieutenant at this time, or gained a promotion to captain. Although, as the whole company was ostensibly being punished, she might have remained a lieutenant.
Losing Women to the Plot[]
During the last several months, General Danieh'le Dahl'Arak would ultimately order Ven'Lark to secretly transfer several of her acolyte soldiers to her, so as they could be smuggled into the capital until they would be unleashed in a planned 'self coup'. Many women were kept in the large house of Captain Lo'Kee, but surely many or most were also stashed in other places?
The Temple of Doom[]
Lo'Kee's Mission[]
In the end, Lieutenant Ven'Lark herself and an unknown total number of the Company's acolytes were the last to be smuggled into the city. Perhaps half the company was ultimately smuggled into the capital? Captain Lo'Kee with some priestesses and sorceresses and the smaller group of soldiers, but with a band of Hebonnor slave soldiers trained to serve Lo'Kee, took control of the Low Council, and dissolved the assembly.
Ven'Lark's Mission[]
Ven'Lark herself took the greater number of acolytes and infiltrated and captured the Temple of Doom, using their inside knowledge as they'd been guards there before. There was considerable risk in attacking the temple, given its large number of guards and powerful magic users that might be there. The plan was largely to secretly get into the heart of the temple as quickly as possible, capture and neutralize magic users found there by sealing their auras (the sealing of auras was the job of Laeh'le Dahl'Arak). Laeh'le's powerful big sister, War-priestess Shi'Nill Dahl'Arak, and Maylara Maltree herself, were charged to take down the very powerful High Sorceress, Selene Paen'Dhirra.
Taking the temple was very difficult as it was a shoestring operation. Both operations also got recruits of certain assets of the Negeémi Senatorial Party, mainly magic users and newly graduated acolytes from other units to help out. But it was hard going, and capturing the Temple of Doom was tricky, and holding it against waves of attack from acolytes of the Negeémi Populist Party, and their allies in the Cult of the Flower nearly pushed Ven'Lark's women to the breaking point. But due to good luck and good leadership, the Temple stayed in their hands, and siphoned off forces that attempted to retake it which might have been better used elsewhere.
Dobeshae Ven'Lark's successful mission in taking the Temple of Doom helped in decapitating the Negeémi Populist Party, had enormous symbolic value on the populace, and made for a great distraction. Again, the vigorous efforts to retake the temple might have been better employed elsewhere.
Current Status[]
Dobehae Ven'Lark hasn't been seen since the end of the Dahl'Arak Coup, but is known to have survived the siege of the Temple. Due to her lengthy time in commanding the company and her actions in holding the Temple of Doom, she might be well rewarded, certainly with a promotion.