Lyria

Lyria
Player: Zhaei Character Full Name: Lyria Moonwhisper Character In-Game Name: Lyria Associations: The Watchers and the Kaldorei people Race: Night Elf Class: Warden (Warrior) Age: 11,312 Sex: Female Hair: A bright silver, kept tied neatly down her back. Eyes: Silver Weight: 212 lbs Height: 6'8”

Appearance

Forsaking the standard Warden attire in favour of something less ceremonial and more practical, Lyria wears layered leather and cloth dyed midnight black, with plated backing in key areas. She wears an avian mask in place of the usual metal helmet as well as a tabard of the Watchers. Lyria wields the iconic round glaive in combat.

Personality

The Watchers are a force separate from the kaldorei people, a group dedicated to their protection. Lyria has been a Warden for so long that this has burned itself onto her personality. She no longer considers herself an elf like any other, on a subconscious level, but a Warden and only a Warden. Her desire for vengeance and justice permeates her every thought, every feeling. Not a minute passes where she does not think of her work or target.

Lyria is an individual who has mastered the presentation expected of one in her position. She is calm and stoic, with a patience that spans into months and years. Polite, respectful and firm, she is aware of her position in society and neither abuses nor disregards it: she has had aeons to master the art of working with all manner of her kin, from the highest Sentinel commander to the lowest craftsman.

History

By the grace of Elune and with the blessing of her chosen, Lyria was brought into the world in a time of peace and prosperity. The benevolent Queen Azshara, blessed was her name, looked over all her subjects with grace and kindness, ensuring the children of the stars enjoyed a life of comfort and happiness. The centre of elven glory was undoubtedly the great city of Zin-Azshari, jewel of the land as its namesake was jewel of the night sky, and it was there Lyria was raised. Her mother was a respected Priestess, favoured even of Dejahna, and her father was well liked amongst the upper castes for his skill in jewel-crafting. Soon inducted into the ranks of the Sisterhood, Lyria took to a life of study and tutelage. From the sacred tenets of the Mother Moon to the ancient ways of bow and blade, the novice drank up all that it was to be a Priestess. Be it due to some inner spirituality or simply her parentage, she had no doubts that her duty was to spread Elune's light amongst her people. With the guidance of her mother and others, Lyria was shaped into a true Sister of the order.

The War split Lyria's life apart. Not only did she lose her beloved city, her beloved queen, her beloved temple, but she lost her chance to pass away to death in happiness. No longer were the kaldorei an imperial people of peace and prosperity, but a broken race, duty-bound to protect the world from those who would seek to destroy it. Given the blessing – or curse – of immortality, the elves were charged with defending the lands they had so recently split apart. Much changed in the span of a few years. Kaldorei traditions, not quel'dorei, were made law. The great cities torn down in the war were not replaced, and the artifacts still stowed within were left there. So soon after their reckless ruination, they were gifted with the power to heal the land, to restore it to what it once was. Such trust was given to this broken, shamed people.

With a new world came new needs. Not only was the lacklustre, bureaucratic army disbanded in favour of the regimented Sentinels, but the Watchers were created. Charged with the defence of the night elven people and their lands, whatever be the cost, they took upon the role of the law. Chief amongst them were the Wardens, a select few of Maiev's most trusted Priestesses, of which Lyria was one. Given this new purpose, this new duty, she found herself a way to calm her troubled heart. Hunting down those who had caused such havoc and strife just years prior was not only necessary, it was satisfying. In the wake of the destruction, Lyria relied on vengeance to calm her pained mind. Yet, it was only a temporary relief – the rush of the hunt only served to dull the pain, not remedy it.

Over the years Lyria became more and more reliant on the satisfaction of justice that, when she finally overcame the trauma of the War, she could not let it go. She could not separate herself from her job, for it was no longer a job – it was her. She spent less and less time amongst society, drifting away even from the temple in favour of solitude. Weeks upon months would be spent alone, hunting her next target. Only the sense of fulfilment that came from securing the kill brought emotion through her consciousness. This solitude and isolation caused Lyria to change, over the centuries. She gradually left behind many of the canon Warden traditions and methods, believing her own interpretation of their role was the correct one – she forsook the ceremonial, avian platemail and took up lighter, more practical armour, replacing the helm with a simple mask; she retooled her skills to assist her only on the hunt, teaching herself how to silence an enemy's spellcasting and how to freeze their movement; and she sacrificed the raw strength needed by the jailors amongst her sisters and focused her efforts on speed and agility.

Months blended into years and years into centuries as the elves undertook the long vigil. They were comfortable and proud in their security, blind to the workings of the world outside of their forest. However, their arrogance proved to be their undoing, for they had not learned their lesson of aeons past. Over a thousand years, the kaldorei were forced into two more wars; Lyria fought in both. First came the Shifting Sands, the torrential waves of silithid that threatened the very earth's existence. Then came the 'Third War', where the elves' forest was invaded, their god slaughtered, and their pride and safety scattered into the wind. No longer could the kaldorei rest idly in peace, living out their eternal lives in prosperity and comfort.

Lyria resigned herself to servitude in mortality. The hollow feeling quickly began to return to her, and she found herself more and more troubled over the months following the Third War. She began to delve further and further into solitude, often abandoning even the Watchers in favour of her own company. So much did she neglect society that fellow Watchers and even Wardens were tasked with seeking her out to find out why. With her brothers and sisters' urges, Lyria realised her actions were becoming reckless and foolish. Resolving to change her ways, she took upon herself a group of Watchers and occupied an abandoned barrow den amongst the roots of Mount Hyjal. With the second cataclysm had come new enemies, and it was her task to combat them.

Skills and Abilities

At the behest of the role of jailor, Lyria is a Warden focused solely on the bounty hunting and assassination sides of her work. As such, she has tailored her skillset to accommodate her duties – she can traverse the forest without equal, silence enemy spellcasters, and even momentarily freeze an enemy's movement through sheer force of will. However, her strength and battle stamina suffer, and she can not use fan of knives.

A Warden is possessive of a judicial and political power, but only with good reason; a Warden that hunts an innocent quarry is powerless, and this extends to exerting their influence. Neither the lowest craftsman nor the highest commander will listen to her words if her cause is unjust. Lyria's influence extends outside of night elven lands as well: on the rare occasion that she answers the call of the Alliance, her word and blade are respected amongst many with power.