Nhiala Llantuatha, the Blade of the Clarion

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Role

Chapter 7

Nhiala was born in the Fortress of Light to parents employed as
servants there. At a very young age, however, she was sent at her
father's bequest to live in Eryn Galen with the woodland peoples.
During one of the frequent attacks on the fortress Nhiala's mother
was brutally killed and her father took a mortal wound. Not wanting
his daughter to experience the same life of war and struggle which
had claimed both his life and the life of her mother, Nhiala's fahter
sent her away to safest place he knew. The woodland kingdom was
peaceful and its citizens more concerned of the ebb and flow of
nature than the wars of men and elves. Surely she would be safe
there from the destruction that was soon to claim his own life.
Surely she could be happy there.

Nhiala grew up an orphan and outcast among a people who largely
resented her heritage. Her sylvan cousins were not so cruel as to
turn her out, yet neither were they overly warm and accepting. Her
distinction as a member of the "high" elves was readily apparent, a
fact which did not escape the notice of her peers. Adults, for their
part, often blamed the zealotry of Nhiala's parents for her status as
an orphan and carried some of this blame over to Nhiala herself. As
many children do, Nhiala tried to conform to the environment in which
she found herself. She learned to hunt, she tried to attune herself
to the forest as her cousins did. Her speech and mode of dress
became as theirs were, but it was never enough. She would never be
one of them; it was only a matter of time before she realized it.

As Nhiala grew older, her sense of isolation grew. She became
increasingly aware of the 'otherness' of things she had once tried to
emulate. Her sylvan cousins were often prone to deceit and trickery,
having no compunction about either. Their methods were unordered,
haphazard, seeming to have no guiding purpose. Nhiala began to
resent that she was sent away for her own protection, condemned to
life of safety yet devoid of meaning. Eventually she realized she
could not remain any longer. Donning her father's armor, sent with
her to the city when she was just a child, she simply left.

--

Nhiala is not your average elf. Having been raised by wood-elves she
lacks most of the sophistication and poise of her high-elven kin.
Her upbringing left her with an increased appreciation for nature,
but little love for the woodland people themselves. She is without a
home. Not accepted by the wood-elves, neither does she fit in well
with Darsylonian culture. The cultural elite would no doubt consider
find her simple, unrefined and course. While deeply wishing to
connect with the parents she has never known, Nhiala nevertheless
resents their choice to send her away and views it as cowardly. She
is ashamed of this cowardice; perhaps unhealthily so.

She likewise harbors an irrational resentment of the Maran for having
failed to protect her parents. While on some level she is aware of
their status as soldiers and, as such, their willingness to die for
the cause for which they fought, Nhiala's love for her parents and
anger at their deaths have caused her to shift the blame onto the
Fortress itself. "They could have done more," or, "They should have
been there," are frequent themes. Also due to her parents'

Role

Chapter 6

As she rested herself one day in the Darsylon chapel, Nhiala became
aware of a presence beside her. Waking, she took account of her
surroundings and noticed that another had joined her in the guild. He was
no ordinary Templar, of that she was sure. One moment as she looked
upon him he would seem little more than a tired priest, weary from a
life of battle and strife. Yet the next moment, even as he retained every
bit of sadness and loss, the man shone with a radiance like none she
had seen. He was called Rogardian; a name she had heard on occasion
even in the kingdom of the sylvan folk. A mighty warrior of the Maran,
take up into the skies to serve at the Skyborn's hand.

The holy one told Nhiala of her past, and of the battle in which her
parents perished. Contrary to what she had believed most of her life,
her mother's and father's lives were not forfeit due to any negligence
on the part of those who defended the Fortress. It was a hard thing
to accept, having blamed them as long as she had, but she would
attempt to let go of her anger and resentment. The task would prove
difficult...more difficult than she realized.

Role

Chapter 5

Nhiala finally heard her Lord's voice, speaking to him at some length
before the altar of Honor. He spoke of her assuming the role of
General rather than common soldier, and of leading others in a
crusade against the wicked. Chief among them being those who have
pledged their lives to the Empire. The Lord of the Clarion then
marked her as his own, emblazoning his sigil upon her physical body.
Having been deprived of approval for so much of her life, she found
the gesture particularly meaningful.

Role

Chapter 4

Today Nhiala faced a crisis of sorts. Travelling north from Galadon
she spied the Imperial necromancer, Niolas, alone on the East Dairien
road. She withdrew briefly and informed the Maran Umarojn of her
intent to engage, in case she were put to sleep. However, upon
entering the road she discovered the necromancer had moved. While
searching for him in the Ruined City she received a cryptic call from
the Maran warrior: "stunted forest", then nothing more. Fearing the
worst, she hastened to his aid and on arrival found him locked in
combat with Niolas. Rather than pause to assess his condition she
immediately engaged the necromancer, communing upon him the Clarion's
wrath just once before he fell to the Maran's blade.

Afterwards, Niolas would proclaim that Nhiala had no honor in her,
and that she should not have interfered as he strove against the
Maran. Though she normally gave little thought to the words of the
wicked, these particular words stuck with her. Did the dark one
speak truth? Had she come to the aid of one in need, or had she
merely succumbed to her own rage and lashed out against the darkness
without heed to her convictions? She pondered this question at
length, but could come to no conclusion. Exhausted, she at last
undertook three oaths.

First, to discuss the matter with her Lord at the first possible
opportunity and to submit in every way to his judgement. If she had
transgressed then Lord Vynmylak himself would be her judge, not some
wicked purveyor of death. Second, that she would stay her hand
against the necromancer until she next spoke with her Lord. Third,
that after having spoken to Him she would inform the necromancer
before again seeking his destruction.

So it is that Nhiala continues, troubled, and with a desperate desire
to know her Lord's mind.

Role

Chapter 3

Having banished once and for all her mistrust of the Fortress and
having forgiven the Brigade for the deaths of her parents, Nhiala
dedicated herself to the service of the Skyborn's cause and was made
a Squire by the Marshall, Lariya. This act represents the mending of
wounds she has carried her entire life; a home coming many years in
the making.

Role

Chapter 2

Amidst the beauty of the Azure fields, unmarred by darkness and
strife, Nhiala was charged by her Lord to serve in the Skyborn's army
as a full Maran. This charge she accepts gladly, yet not without
trepidation. Nhiala is constantly aware that by her own strength she
would surely fail, and as such is ever humble. Her faith, however,
is that by the strength of the Clarion the darkness may yet be
vanquished. Though her Lord may use her to accomplish deeds, the
accomplishment is His and His alone; she being merely a vessel.

Role

Chapter 1

War has taken a toll on Nhiala, as it must on all who think and feel.
Never has she wavered in her faith or in the belief that the struggle
must continue, yet she has grown weary of the constant conflict.
Age creeps into her bones, fairborn though they be, and the passage
of time is felt moreso than in years past. The Azure Fields beckon
with new intensity, calling to her from only just beyond the horizon
of this mortal coil. Longing for greater communion with her Lord,
Nhiala yearns for the New Life and the cessation of strife.

Yet her task is not yet done on this earth; the New Life kept from
her a while longer. Charged by her Lord with a new task, Nhiala
serves as she always has: faithfully, taking up her shield to again
to again do battle with the enemies of Light. Ever is her strength
renewed when she fights in the name of the Clarion, and weariness and
age flee from her bones. This task too she shall fulfill, in
faithful submission, until at last she is called to Rest.

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