Azalahr

Azalahr was a Githzerai wizard and member of the Plane-Stryders. Though very old he showed himself to be an aggressive and impatient individual. Azalahr would frequently come to a head with the other members of the Plane-Stryders, though none could deny his tactical awareness. The last sighting of Azalahr came from Laurence VaDuva, who Azalahr considered his closest companion.

Appearance
Azalahr is a Githzerai, which means his figure is lanky, green, and spotted. Due to his Maledicti heritage, his skin has strange inky patterns on it. His head is bald, and he has a thin mustache and beard with beads in it. One arm ends in black inky pointed fingers, similar to quills, and the other is silvered from the Lightning Sleeve. He wears magically enhanced leather armor under his bright robes. Azalahr almost always wears a five-pointed brass helmet of unknown origin.

Personality
Azalahr was not a particularly good individual. He rarely acted outside the realm of self-preservation, and did most things for himself. Azalahr was both tactical and immoral. This led to him being the only Plane-Stryder to support the massacre at the Still Water. Azalahr would also get into shouting matches with the party, but never beyond that point.

Azalahr also had an affinity for two things: sailing and sex. Perhaps this was due to his being cooped up in a cave in Barovia for 100 years, but either way, Azalahr consistently wanted to go to the port town of Duncaster, and would take up sexual offers by anyone who did so.

Pre-Campaign
Azalahr, born Y3417, came from a lineage of Gith that had made their homes in Jaed-Najar ages ago. The original nomad in the line was said to have made a pact with a dark knowing entity. Its influence is long gone, but it still makes itself known down the line. Azalahr was taken in as an intelligent and prodigious fighter, making him a perfect candidate for the Medish position of Bladesinger.

The events leading him to such a place remain unknown, but eventually the Bladesinger Azalahr found himself alone in a desolate land called Barovia, ruled over by the oppressive Strahd von Zarovich. Azalahr quickly mounted a small force to storm the castle itself, but the tide turned against him. The militia was felled, beaten, and captured, all until Azalahr himself remained. He kept the vampire at bay, but only for a short while. Finally, Azalahr was beaten and thrown into the mists far below. The wizard miraculously survived, but worn and broken. He found his way to the isolated reaches of southern Barovia, at the base Mt. Ghakis, where for 100 years, he would remain in solitude, watched only by the dark lord himself.

Book 2: The Curse of Strahd
Newly introduced to Ireena Kolyana, the party was tasked with taking her to the safer location of Vallaki. Along the way, they stopped for a night in a Vistani encampment, where the tired travelers listened to an engaging storyteller speak of a wizard who came to Barovia long ago, fought the vampire himself, and was cast into oblivion.

A matter of time later, through a series of events, the vampire Laurence VaDuva was alone in the mountains of Barovia, after laying Blackhoof to rest. He was found by the vampire Strahd, who among other things warned him of what happens when he is challenged. He departed at the end of his speech, leaving Laurence in front of a small save with a wooden door in the snow. There, Laurence found the shell of the Medish general.