Bethany Edgetower
From Mizahar Lore
| "The present is just the past's logical conclusion; we are what we remember." - Bethany Edgetower |
 Bethany Edgetower | |||||
| Race | Human | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 429 AV | ||||
| Place of birth | Zeltiva, Sylira | ||||
| Date of death | 451 AV (aged 22) | ||||
| Place of death | Falyndar | ||||
| Skills |
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Bethany Edgetower was a Zeltivan linguist who died during Kenabelle Wright's circumnavigatory expedition.
Early Career
Bethany Edgetower was born into an academic family in Zeltiva. From her childhood, she displayed a phenomenal acuity for languages, learning to speak and read four languages by her eighth birthday. She was admitted to the University of Zeltiva at the age of nine, and by her fourteenth birthday, she had received the robes of an Academic Master in linguistics.
Edgetower never actually taught classes at the University, preferring instead to work on research in translation of ancient texts. Her efforts produced dozens of translations that are in the holdings of the University's library; it is also rumored that she had made significant progress into the decryption of the famed Azianthan Tablets. Much of her work was never made public, and so the exact scope of her labors remains somewhat unclear.
It is known that Edgetower had at least three, and possibly four, gnosis marks from Qalaya; many speculate that this was the source of her phenomenal skill with words and languages.
The Circumnavigatory Expedition
The University assigned Edgetower to the expedition led by Kenabelle Wright to circumnavigate the continent of Mizahar, largely because her linguistic skills had much potential to be useful when traveling in unexplored areas. This proved to be true; Edgetower was able to learn both Vani and Denvali during the voyage, which greatly aided the ship and crew.
Edgetower and Wright became extremely close friends during the journey. After the death of Frederick Stevenson, Edgetower became the leader of the University contingent aboard the ship, and Wright gave particular weight to her ideas and suggestions.
Death
Edgetower died in the summer of 451, before the expedition was complete. She had been part of a party that had been sent ashore in Falyndar to obtain fresh water; the party had been ambushed by Myrians, and Edgetower was shot in the stomach with an arrow. She managed to return to the ship, but died of her injuries shortly thereafter. Her body was buried at sea.
When Wright published her memoirs in 457 as An Account of the Circumnavigation of Mizahar, she added two monographs that Edgetower had been working on as appendices: Vani Grammar and A Denvali Lexicography. These remained attached until the University of Zeltiva published the third edition in 486; Edgetower's monographs were removed and published as a separate volume.