Lanilae

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Information

Player: AmyraTess

Full Character Name: Lanilae (l-nigh-lay, often phonetically shortened to 'lh-nh-lay') "Owlgaze" Swiftglaive

Character In-game Name: Lanilae

Alternate Names: Owlgaze (Owlgaze is a chosen name, stemming from Lanilae's crossover into Druidic practices. She, seeking to further distance herself from the warring nature of many, chose to adopt this name rather than her surname. A disgraceful act, in Kaldorei culture, to forake ones surname...however, she feels even this stands to affirm her allegiance to Nature above even her own race when such things are called into question.)

Race: Kaldorei (Night Elf)

Class: Druid (Initially, Lanilae aspired to the warrior/huntress qualities which are widespread and ingrained in the Kaldorei culture. However, personal disposition and events in her young---relatively---life often put her at odds with this racial disposition. So it is that she was not somehow born into druidism, but was trained early on as a combatant of some sort. The class listing of Druid is recent, and declares more her life decision to follow Druidism than long years of training in the arts. This means she would, most likely, still be very proficient with bow and short blade, which were favored by her before. However, she will not lay hands on either of these things lest she forsake her avowed loyalty to nature. To only fight for the gifts of nature, using the gifts of nature.)

Occupation: Currently without occupation. Spends the vast majority of her time either in Kaldorei lands studying, or in Moonglade.

Association: Cenarion Circle, Kaldorei (when the druids approve), Nature

Sex: Female

Age: 304

Hair: White

Eyes: Typical Night Elven Silver

Height: 6'

Weight: 200 (approximately)

Other: Notable on the subject of her Druidism is that -many- of the abilities of Druids are still lost to her. She is new to learning the craft, and though her affinity to nature has allowed shape shifting to come with relative ease... such things as truly requesting nature's aid are either muted or nonexistent as of this point.

As she is early in her learning, she concentrates her studies on further aligning herself with nature, not finding ways to use nature to her means. This has, of course, been a promising trait to those who would teach her. The chosen hardship is a pride to her as well, Lanilae feeling that this willingness to only look into requesting aid of nature once she is confident she is fully aligned in body and spirit solidifies her promise to nature.

All well and good, but it would leave her handicapped in, say, a battle. As compared to other Druids anyway. Thus far, her shapeshifting has served her well at least to flee danger effectively.

Appearance

Her clothes are, by and large, simple. Meant to cover her form and little else. She's been known to fashion clothing out of opportune surroundings, or purchase light gowns---but only of certain types. She will not wear anything that bears evidence of an animal harmed to make it. Leather, then, is out of the question. As are many cloths.

Build

Solidly built, when in Kaldorei form. Her body shows the crafting of her youth, which was filled with physical training and, due to the chaotic world she was born into, battle. Still, while solid, bulky or burly would not be the words to describe her. Instead, one might feel that the streamlined quality of that body's power hinted long before the rest of her did of very natural dispositions.

A tamed, controlled feral force---but feral none the less. Emphasizing raw capacity to use what nature has provided...in this case, the body of a huntress oriented race.

Markings

Lanilae has become a Druid, and functions by those ideals now---but the markings of her youth can still be seen, and she does not hide them. Presumably the dashes and scars littering her frame are from her early training or hunting, as well as battle that would have been necessary during the wars which have plagued her time. Lines of lighter blue on her thoroughly blue skin. To be noted is that scars visible on her body when in Kaldorei form seem to carry over whens he shapeshifts---it is nearly impossible to mistake her for truly being an animal of the wild for this and another prime reason.

She also bares the facial tattoos of a huntress. These were place on her early in life, when there seemed little reason to do anything otherwise---her uneasiness with things had not yet surfaced fully enough (and, as with most youth, she was more eager to find a means to conform) so it was never given a second thought. However, the markings remain even after she has promised herself to nature and to the craft of Druidism.

The markings remain visible when she shapeshifts---markings are visible on many Druids of her kind when they shapeshift, but hers still retain a markedly angular quality. Because of this, she has a somewhat self conscious feel in the presence of other Druids. Feeling that this speaks too firmly on her former purpose in life, and that wearing markings she feels are heedless to the call of nature, when assuming an animal form, is a quiet disgrace.

She has been repetitively spoken to on the topic---but her full amalgamation into the teachings of Cenarius has hit a few rough areas. Simple logic (in Druidic terms) would dictate that this is part of her form, thusly part of her natural state, thusly nothing to be ashamed of. It is because of relative youth that her instructors have been tolerant of this lapse in thought on her part, and progress has been made.

Weapons

A staff. By and large, there is nothing special about this staff. It is a long, noticeably straight, wooden staff. Presumably she can fight with it, but this is due to her origins and battle experience. Used far more often as a balance when sprinting over terrain, or as leverage to reach a difficult point. Seems very sturdy, to support her weight and constant travel as much as it does.

Personality

Lanilae is a 'coming of age' persona, complete with 'coming of age' personality. Stuck in a disorienting limbo for quite some time, she acts with noted exuberance toward things that interest her. These things are easy to predict---they are either green, brown, or shades of violet and blue in her home realm.

She does have a streak within her that would seem hostile---not so quickly can the impulses of one raises as a warrior(ess) be weaned out of an entire personality. Still, even with her tendencies, they seem to align her more along the lines of feral or animalistic than outright aggressive. More of a willingness to do what must be done, if something is pushed so far that whatever it is must be done.

There is a conflicting mix in her behavior...the confidence of a warrior(ess) or hunter(-er +ess) being steadily overshadowed through her learning by the steadiness, certainty, and perception of natural order of a Druid. It may sound, not knowing these facts, as mutually exclusive that someone be described as both self assured and self conscious.

With Lanilae, that is simply as it is. She second guesses her confidence when it arises, to be certain her actions are in alignment with nature and not tainted by former teachings and cultural disposition. However, when she is certain of a course of action she behaves in a manner that makes that fact very difficult to ignore---that meaning she'll simply take action and give little excuse.

Regarding other races...well, there has simply been little interaction. Some presume that younger elves would be more acclimated to the many other races---they are likely correct, for some. Lanilae however developed on a different route. When suddenly, in her mid 200's, her race was abruptly reminded of its involvement in the outside world---the High Elves and assorted races pitching greater and greater conflict---she was not apt to find ways to join them.

Instead, before their involvement in the Great Wars, she felt a weariness. Despite training as a fighter, something in her could not be brought to care so terribly about these events. They felt far from her, and she felt there were greater things to be concentrated upon. Still, she did her part and fought---and while not present at Mount Hyjal when their immortality was lost, her bitterness was and will always be. Thusly, she doesn't hold much regard for the other races aside from their place in nature when they behave accordingly to having a place in nature. She never learned much common, and seems to see no reason to learn to communicate with other races. She may seem aloof and dismissive, unless their interactions expressly deal with her craft and purpose.

This does not count the Taurens of Moonglade, whom she will associate with freely.

History

Lanilae began her life as an immortal Kaldorei. In many times, in many events catalysts will set in motion events and reactions that simply had no necessity to occur otherwise… though a very small example, Lanilae is most certainly one of them. Even at a young age, being brought up in the ways of the hunt, of a strong Kaldorei female, she was a bit at odds with certain aspects of her life. It was a subtle hint of unrest, one she could not quite wrap her mind around.

Being of so few years (as ‘young' and ‘old' mattered little when she came into the world) she saw no reason to take a closer look at her uneasiness concerning the workings of things around her. She felt an affinity for nature---but assumed that in her few years she could not hold wisdom greater than those who were molding her. This was most likely true---but it also made her ignore aspects of herself, as pertains to herself. Things she would prefer, things she felt required attention.

It manifested instead in her ways of battle during training. She had, and it was noted, a very…base quality about her. She was unafraid to fight simply as was effective. A style of motion that, while possessing a certainly functional grace, seemed…feral. Unpolished---or rather, polished by the hands of requirement and nothing else. She found further ways to utilize her personal preferences and still fit in with the culture she was born into. Truth be told, she thought nothing of it.

With so many years ahead---and with little otherwise bothering her---being slightly askew from her kind wasn't something to panic over. She was never ostracized, and even when she began holding ‘pets' on the level of equal companionship there was little issue drawn about it. After all, a nightsaber, if for some reason you communicate especially well with one, makes a great hunting partner.

Her path veered, then---early enough that she was given the facial markings of a huntress. It is worth note that she has spent much of her life softly tugged upon by her culture, toward different classes. Baring hair the soft white of the Goddess Elune, she was naturally looked upon with favor to develop into the priestess caste. It is not entirely a rare thing, so missing one Kaldorei with white hair was no issue---and they will not take those who are not thoroughly devout. It is simply worth note that, even before she was of age to be trained as a warrior(ess) she was looked upon to grow as a leader of their faith.

For a time, after she came to bare the markings of a huntress instead, there was peace in her lift. Around seventy years of it. Still uncomfortable in ways she could not quite place, with the treatment of nature…the natural solution was to work to preserve it in subtle ways. She grew plants. Her stable of ‘pets' grew. She had developed a means to be content with what was, and again had little reason to look elsewhere.

On a far shorter scale, the wars that erupted tore the life of Lanilae asunder much as a war the Kaldorei were a part of had done to Azeroth ages ago. It forced a sudden but irreversible change, visible through history as it is told in both directions. To sit at the beginning and look, one can say they saw it coming. To look back on it, nothing would ever be the same.

She fought in the wars---she swallowed her discomfort with warring over such things at all, and furthermore in answering a call that to her felt small. She voiced those concerns, when she was able, in the form of discomfort aiding non Kaldorei. Why help the mortal races? If she thought back on it now, that wasn't the object at all. She could not help but see the scars etched upon the land by the warring… she could not help but feel that they were destroying something much larger---and taking part in it for the sake of foolish mortals.

Even scarcely above childhood, amongst her kind, most members of other races were infants to her and she let that be known.

Still, the Kaldorei fought and lost their immortality. That is how she saw it, for a time---lost. Taken from them… in reality, it was given. In reality, those that most aligned with her ideals had been awakened purely for the purpose of beating back the demons that had caused them to make that sacrifice. In time she came to grudgingly accept this. Grudgingly, and to this day not without argument.

Feeling lost and angry without a certain object of that anger, her activities in the time between Mount Hyjal and present day are not so much steeped in ‘mystery' as uncertainty. She became reclusive, likely fighting against impulse to be very angry at just about everything. It was not as though her opinions could have stopped what happened, but that the price for following action that she felt so strongly---and so vaguely---against was their racial immortality… and she had only seen approaching three centuries… it made it bitterness a fierce opponent to her.

What is known about that time, is that the druids played a part for her. Or one in particular. The story goes that she happened across on… she and her then pet nightsaber. She would not return to centers of Kaldorei population, even after Teldrassil and Darnassus were erected. She stayed within lands that were markedly Kaldorei, but could not bring herself to be around many aside from her animals.

The story goes, she found him in a small clearing. He was sitting. And he was looking rather contentedly at a leaf. She approached, if only to inquire halfheartedly what he was doing. If he was well.

The story goes, he asked her how she could not be well. She was irritated by this---she'd posed a question to him, not the other way around. And though his amber eyes leant him to being a druid…as did staring at a leaf as though it were the World Tree---the real one---he was also male. She decided answering questions with questions didn't suit her, and she was angry.

He paid her no mind as she fumed at him, or so the story goes. He commented that, when her nightsaber bared its teeth at him in response to her anger, he felt that it did this partially out of protectiveness of her… partially out of wanting of its own survival. It felt attachment, but it also was bound by pack mentality.

If she fought, it fought. If it did not fight eagerly and well, it would die. Much as it felt affection for Lanilae, it was still as much servant as friend. Lanilae had never known this, and was hurt to hear it. She knew, though, that his words were true. A look into the eyes of her friend---who was only just then her friend, and not a servant--- affirmed this. No words were passed, but the nightsaber only sat with them as they spoke in that clearing. When they left, it went a different direction and did not return to Lanilae.

Or so the story goes.

Again Lanilae dropped out of contact, generally. Most likely, the druid felt her affinity toward that which is natural---and with quiet nurturing turned her fury of their lost immortality, her frustration, into more useful thoughts. She calmed somewhat in that time, but was not entirely satiated. The story goes, he let her stew in that now quieted frustration for a time---long enough to be certain what her issue truly was.

He returned to her, and asked that she sit with him. So she did. And they waited beneath a tree for several days until a leaf fell within arm's reach. He plucked it gently from the air, and offered it to her. He said “Learn this. If you require help, ask.” Then, he stood up and left.

By the fourth day, she was frustrated. Confronted with what her mind had pushed on the edges on for a long while---and found it to be too large for her. What that leaf had for her to learn, she truly valued. It rained very hard, the third day. And she felt that sheltering the leaf was worthwhile---not because she was tasked to learn it, but because it had something to teach her. Similar reasons, but not identical.

She asked for help. Simply said ‘help'. Expected that druid to return to her and explain. He did not---she felt bitterness rise again. How could he? Unless he'd been watching her, how could he know? Nothing else would help her, certainly.

But she stayed. Fell back on her pride as a huntress, and stayed---weeks went by. She ate what was near to her. The rain bathed her. The leaf was beginning to wilt---she did not know how to preserve it. This felt as a battle to her, a test of will, but no will of hers would keep the leaf from withering away. She would lose, and nothing could be done. It felt like watching her own doom---attached to that tree, the leaf would flourish indefinitely. But cruel fate had it plucked loose by the wind, and turned to the hands of a lesser being (that being the first time she'd thought of herself as inferior to nature as a greater being).

Just as immortality was no longer theirs, and they were turned over to be part of the whims of those who were so very different.

She asked again for help, admitting she simply did not know what to do. Out from the dark, that night, came a nightsaber.

This exchange was brief and pointed. She held the leaf out to it, unknowing even why she would do such a thing. The nightsaber could not save the leaf. Nor could she.

It lifted a paw, pressed down on her hands, and pushed until the leaf touched the ground. Then nudged her hands away. Then the nightsaber sat down, and stared at her. She released the leaf, and cried. When she was done, the druid resumed his Kaldorei form.

“There was nothing I could do for it.” She wept/grated at him. Distraught and furious simultaneously. Unsure why she would mourn a leaf---so sure of it, at the same time---and furious for being strung along by the male.

“No. There was not.” He replied simply. “Aside from place it on the ground, there was nothing. After all, had we let it fall to the ground that's where it would have been. Correct? The rains would have washed it, browned it…by now it would be indiscernible from the dirt.”

He said it so calmly. She let anger flare toward him. “And without you, it would still be in my hands! It would still be---“

“Without me, the leaf would have fallen to the ground days ago.”

“But why? Why wouldn't w---“

“Because it fell from the tree.”

And that was that. He told her she could leave that spot, but did not tell her to follow him. She just did. He began to explain the imbalance of nature he'd willingly created when he stopped that leaf from hitting the ground and handed it to her. Explained that her actions very clearly demonstrate how many will disrupt nature, and not even be aware. Explained that his created imbalance was only a worthwhile price for her lesson because it was easily correct.


And so her learning began. Adopting the surname ‘Owlgaze' shortly after, rather than her former which glorified her place in combat---this to reflect her willingness to watch in order to learn, even if watching is all she may do.