Althaea Silberstrahl

Character & Nature

Powerful battle mage and war heroine. Fought in the great Dwarf War side by side with Ammetharion AND Morvaeth — the three were comrades-in-arms; she and Ammetharion were often victorious.

• Character: despised the power games at court. Direct, honest, hard but fair. Rewarded diligence and loyalty, punished the opposite. Highly respected among the elves.
• Her teaching to the children (the sisters' moral DNA): Do not strive for power — bear it as responsibility and use it as a gift. → Explains why the daughters despise power games and stand loyally by their father — and why they differ fundamentally from Morvaeth (pure lust for power).

Element System

Althaea commanded all four base elements with equal strength:

Althaea's most powerful element = Wind/Lightning/Thunder — was meant to pass to her unborn son. Lost with her + the son → no living Sternenfall carries it anymore. The lost element is a silent wound of the family.

• Water (→ Ice): Mirianwe
• Fire: Aryael
• Earth: Cindeya
• Wind / Lightning / Thunder: LOST ELEMENT

Pregnancy

Was already pregnant at her death — with the son Ammetharion longed for. With her died the fourth child and its element (Wind/Lightning/Thunder). The letter (→ below) announces this pregnancy.

Relationship with Ammetharion

Deep mutual love — not a political marriage of alliance. Althaea died to protect him (→ circumstances of death). The letter is her last sign of life to him.

Circumstances of Death (Complete Truth — Player Knowledge)

The trap was NOT meant for Althaea. The family does not know what really happened.

What the family knows: Althaea found on a field — traces of battle + magic signatures + simultaneous death of elf+dragon (the perpetrator knew the bond's weak point). Perpetrator unknown.

What really happened (player knowledge, reveal in the finale) — two-wave trap:

• Morvaeth's network hired orcs and lured the target (actually Ammetharion) to a remote field.
• Althaea learned of the trap, went in Ammetharion's place with her elven guards — and deliberately kept it from him.
• Elven guards + Althaea beat back the orcs (which explains the traces of battle + orc corpses on the field).
• On Morvaeth's secret order the guards rode off — Althaea remained behind alone, exhausted and weakened.
• Velyra + Kira (then 26, mortal) + mercenaries fell upon the weakened Althaea → Althaea + Eldrinath † (explains the magic signatures + simultaneous death).
• Her death was unintended — even by Morvaeth (his target was Ammetharion). Velyra killed Althaea in his stead. She fought to the end.

The Letter

Before setting out, Althaea wrote a letter to Ammetharion — unsure whether she would return. Contents: her motives (protection) + announcement of the pregnancy (the longed-for son).

• Fate: Handed to Sylwen — Althaea's own chambermaid, who as Morvaeth's debt-slave was obligated to pass it on to him. The letter NEVER reached Ammetharion. Today in Morvaeth's possession.

Significance for the Story

• Ammetharion has been hunting the perpetrator for 300 years — without success (information cage).
• The daughters know the circumstances, not the perpetrator. Dramatic irony: Velyra is at once the mother's murderer AND the current huntress.
• The letter is the central reveal object: fully exonerates Ammetharion, incriminates Morvaeth, can convince the Council Chairman.

Burial Site

• Location: Stone circle directly beside Elen-Garth. Grave of Althaea + Eldrinath + the unborn son.
• Storm Phenomenon: Since the burial, a permanent storm (thunder, lightning) over the stone circle — the lost element (the unborn son's Wind/Lightning/Thunder) discharges at the grave. The family sees the storm, does not know its cause. The letter brings son + storm + element together → the storm becomes readable in hindsight.
• Dragon watch: All four remaining family dragons (Elvireth/Aelrindel/Erevan/Paelias) guard the grave without interruption. Explains why the grave has remained untouched for 300 years and why Velyra had to catch Althaea outside it.