Born to an elven father and a human mother, Elowyn is the eldest of four siblings. While her father wasn’t entirely absent, his work as a Zhentarim assassin kept him away for long stretches of time. As a result, her early years were spent mostly under the care of her mother, who was not known for her warmth.

 

Having grown disillusioned and resentful of her husband’s criminal life, Elowyn’s mother endured it only for the sake of their family, doing her best to shield the children from the darker aspects of her father’s profession. Thanks to her efforts, Elowyn and her siblings had a somewhat average upbringing. They always had food on the table and a roof over their heads, though little beyond that. With their mother distracted and their father away, the children largely looked after themselves.

 

The neighborhood was their playground, and they ran wild through its streets, causing all kinds of mayhem with the other local children. Elowyn, a bit bolder than the others and eager to impress, often led the charge. In her younger years, her mischief was mostly harmless, amounting to petty theft, broken windows, and disturbing the neighbors. As she got older, her propensity for mischief evolved into lock-picking, dagger-throwing, and the reselling of stolen goods. She truly was becoming her father’s daughter.

 

Despite her mother’s attempts to keep the family separate from the Zhentarim, she couldn’t protect them entirely. Mysterious visitors would appear at the house, speaking in hushed tones with her father behind locked doors as their mother ushered them outside. Then, her father would vanish for weeks at a time. Elowyn never knew why - only that he worked for these people, and he had to obey them.

 

Then came the mission that changed everything. Not long after Elowyn came of age, her father was sent on another assignment, partnered with his longtime friend and fellow assassin, Morvir. Only Morvir returned. Sent to assassinate a high-ranking member of a rival gang, their target proved too dangerous, and the mission went awry. Her father had been killed by one of his cronies.

 

The loss hit Elowyn hard. Though he had been distant and she - like her mother - occasionally resented him, she had loved and admired her father in her own way, treasuring the rare moments they shared. But out of necessity, she had to put her grief aside. With their family’s provider gone, someone had to step up.

 

That someone was Elowyn.

 

With her uncle’s promise to look out for her, she followed in her father’s footsteps, joining the Zhentarim to provide for and protect her family. Under his mentorship, she honed her skills and earned a reputation of her own, and eventually adopted a name that paid homage to her father’s legacy:

 

Little Thorn.