Irilan

Information

Player: Ukarai

Character Full Name: Irilan Vendicci

Character In-Game Name: Irilan

Nickname(s): Iri

Association(s): Stormwind, Kirin Tor, Argent Crusade

Race: Human

Class: Mage

Age: 27

Sex: Female

Hair: Long black hair drapes over her shoulders.

Eyes: Blue

Weight: 128 lbs

Height: 5'6"

Appearance

Irilan's eyes are a lively blue hue, identical to the sapphire pendant she is never seen without. The pendant hangs from a silver chain around her neck.

Irilan has a thin, lithe frame, and her torso is covered in an intricate series of black tattoos.

Personality

Alignment: Neutral Good

Irilan has a solemn, dignified demeanor. She's retained the curious nature that drove her childhood, but no longer pries for answers. She's empathetic and considerate of others and tries to retain a neutral stance as far as relations with the Horde and the Alliance go.

History

Irilan grew up in Brill, a small town within the kingdom of Lordaeron. Her father worked the forge to supply the townsfolk with horseshoes, shovels, hoes, scythes, and other miscellaneous tools, but only started crafting weapons and armor during the Second War. Irilan's mother was a tailor by trade and ran a small shop next to the forge. They both worked hard to ensure an easier life for their daughter, who was steeped in the ways of family and tradition.

Irilan was sheltered from most of the world's problems. Her parents thought they were freeing her from the burden of a darker reality by not talking about war and death, but it had a different effect. She felt stifled and uncomfortable around them. It became clear to her that her parents didn't have the answers to the hundreds of questions running through her head, so when she had time, she visited the Town Hall to borrow books.

She read about war, magic, herbalism, and the men of old. She yearned for something more than being apprenticed to her mother. Irilan began to grow weary of the simple life she had in front of her, but fate had something else in store. An opportunity arose, one that would soon define her.

The town of Brill was quiet. Her father came home later than usual, bringing with him a lost traveler by the name of Brinndar, who carried with him a wizardly staff. His robes were simple and his beard nearly reached the floor. Irilan knew he was a mage as soon as she saw him, bombarding him with questions of far off lands, tales of old, and magic. There was a hunger for knowledge in her eyes, and he saw potential in her.

Brinndar sat around the fireplace and answered Irilan's questions to the best of his ability. When morning came, Brinndar approached Irilan's father.

"I must thank you for letting me stay the night. Your child's quite the curious one. Reminds me of a not-so-old me, I'd say. Have you ever thought of apprenticeship?"

Grynlor furrows his brow and crosses his muscular arms. "Having her follow in my footsteps? She means the world to me, but the forge is troublesome enough without having Irilan around."

"No, no... I'm not talking about smithing, Mr. Vendicci. She has the workings of a fine mage. I could instruct her."

"Mage? She's barely fifteen. What could she possibly hope to learn from you?"

"The basics, in time."

Brinndar returned the next day with a bag full of books and more answers to Irilan's questions. These visits happened four to five times a week, each day bringing a new lesson, a new problem, and a solution to said problem. The days he visited were long and arduous, but Irilan persisted on furthering her education.

Despite all of Irilan's studying and practicing, she remembered to get out of the house from time to time. She took long walks in the wooded hills of Tirisfal Glades, enjoying the freedom the outdoors brought to her life. Little of this time was spent alone, however. She would often be accompanied by a childhood friend. They'd stay up late and silently point at constellations in the starry night, though they seldom talked. They could go weeks without saying a single word, but when they did have a conversation, it was heartfelt and solemn.

Irilan's quick grasp of magic surprised even Brinndar, but the days were grim. The townsfolk of Brill started falling ill to a mysterious plague. Irilan's father helped in expanding the graveyard, but was stricken with grief after his wife passed away. Grynlor talked with the old mage, who agreed to take her to Stormwind, where she wouldn't be at risk of catching it.

Irilan agreed, but it wasn't without hesitation. She took a long walk with her friend the night before leaving, receiving an expensive sapphire pendant with a silver chain. She said her goodbyes and left in the morning, barely escaping what was to happen to the town of Brill.

Brinndar spoke of many things during the carriage ride to Stormwind, but one of his speeches spoke out above the rest. It told of a more vulnerable side, a side she didn't see often.

"There are four things that you should know about magic, Irilan. One is that magic is undoubtedly powerful. The use of arcane magic is growing, and as history has shown us, each time this happens there is a great disaster to shortly follow. The reason we don't stop using magic altogether is because it is addictive, but only few races and nations can operate without powerful mages. I like to think that I pursue magic because of some noble ideology I had come up with as a child. To make the world a better place. It would be unfair of me to let you continue training without knowing the risks. It's corrupting and it attracts the Twisting Nether, and with it, demons are sure to follow.”

Irilan always looked up to Brinndar, but she never looked at him the same way again. The look he gave her when he told her of the four laws was a look of experience, a look that says 'I've been there'. Yet, despite all of their time together, Irilan never learned about Brinndar's past.

When they arrived in Stormwind, they were met by Krynlor, Grynlor's twin brother. Irilan's father never spoke of having a brother, let alone a twin, but they looked alike. Krynlor was a blacksmith and had barrels for arms, along with a neatly trimmed beard and a bald head. He greated Irilan and Brinndar warmly and welcomed them into his home. He was glad to have company. Having never married, one of his only friends was the forge. He often told her the secret ingredient to his powerful steel were manly tears. Manly tears, he said, because whatever he did, he managed to do so with great masculinity. She believed him.

Brinndar made sure she found schooling in the Mage District and left the next day, saying something along the lines of 'I wish you well, I'm old, and I want to live the rest of my days in peace.' It pained her to see her mentor leave, but he left with her an old book of spells. It went into great detail of arcane blasts, teleportation stones, polymorphs, and the basic fundamentals of Ice and Fire. She often used it to help in her studies, but she wouldn't be able to cast the spells in his book 'til many years later.

She heard of the plague that had ravaged her homeland a while later. At first she was devastated and glad she hadn't been there. Then she felt guilty for being so selfish, but finally came to accepting what had happened. She kept her mind focussed on her studies, but every night brought a new nightmare.

Irilan seemed to integrate well into Stormwind society, but apart from eating lunch with Krynlor on a daily occasion, she mostly kept to her studies. The rolling hills of Elwynn Forest didn't have the same ring as the glades had, however. She would hold her sapphire pendant tightly and watch the starry sky at night, remembering the long walks she would go on with her dearest friend. Her dearest friend... A friend that she would never see again.

It was the eve of her twenty-fourth birthday when she received a mysterious letter, a letter that would forever change her life.

“My dearest Irilan,

Not a day goes by where I do not think of you or how much you've grown, in both mentality and stature. I am writing to you to tell you that I am still here in the Glades. I have long thought of whether or not I should contact you, if it would bring you more pain, or if it would bring you peace. I hoped the latter would be the case in this situation.

I have been freed from the Scourge's control and my will is once again my own. Do not return to the Glades, my daughter. You will find nothing but a broken heart.

May your days be long, and your hardships few.”

Forever your father,

Grynlor Vendicci”

Irilan, after consulting with the wizard that had been overseeing her training here in the Mage District, decided it was time to leave Stormwind. She had learned so much over the past nine years since she started down the path of the powerful Arcane, but now it was time to find her place in the world.

She made her way to Dalaran after saying goodbye to Krynlor. He didn't want to see her go, coming to think of her as his own child, but it was time. Brinndar was working in a wand shop when she arrived. They caught up on missed time, exchanging stories and hardships. Much to her surprise, Brinndar was the one asking all of the questions. He was impressed by how much Irilan had changed in the time they had been apart. She now held a dignified demeanor that often came with the knowledge and study of magic, even after receiving the letter, which she soon shared with Brinndar.

“Grynlor's fate would have befallen upon you as well, Irilan, if he hadn't sent you away. I often wondered what became of him, but deep down, I had a feeling I already knew. If you've come to fight the Scourge, I won't allow it.”

“Brinndor, you once told me why you took up the arcane arts. You said it was to make the world a better place. I intend on doing that, even if it means fighting hordes of undead to do so.”

“You remind me of a not-so-old me,” he said in a darker tone than he had nine years ago. “I have decades of wisdom to tell you that this will destroy you. You will not be the same when this is over.”

“Those are risks I'm willing to take.”

Irilan spent the last two years helping the Kirin Tor and the Argent Crusade in their fight against the Scourge. While she never officially joined their ranks, she considered herself a part of the men and women she fought beside.

She did not return unscathed, however. She was wounded in the field, leaving an arcing scar down her lower back. After recovering, she covered her front, back, and shoulders in an intricate series of black, flowing tattoos, covering up the scar. It was her way of letting it go. She faced her mortality and lived, but it is not a story she is willing to share. The war took more out of her than she'll ever tell.

Irilan's now an accomplished mage of twenty-six. She's returned to Stormwind, where she spends most of her days in the company of Krynlor and her fellow mages, always looking to further her education. She's beginning to grasp the concept of using teleportation stones, but is far from using them as a means of getting around.

She's never seen without her silver-chained sapphire pendant.