Lalaith Va'lash

[Lalaith Va'lash]

Character Name: Lalaith Va’lash Current Level: 20 EXP to Level to NEXT level: 10,486,000+/-
The night is dark and dawn’s arrival is still many hours away. Tree leaves rustle as a passing Twilight Harvest breeze skirts through the treetops near Ranger’s Vale. The air is cold and crisp. Above gray clouds blanket the obsidian sky, even the shimmering light of Orn would be difficult for most to travel by this night. Below shadows converge on the ground. Seemingly restless they roll over one another as if rippling waters disturbed by a mass wading through them. For a brief moment a slender figure is seen emerging from the darkness. It is as if the shadows through an intricate and beautiful dance have weaved together to form this vision. At once however the vision is gone. It appears as if nothing has moved save the leaves in the wind, and simple shadows cast by what moonlight manages to escape the clouds, are all that fall to the ground.
The wind picks up, blowing swiftly again. This time two quick flashes of light can be seen a bit further in the distance. Something gleams brightly as it catches the moonlight just right, before fading deep into the shadows, leaving once more for all to be at calm rest.
A few moments later this flirtful dance with shadows finally comes to an end. Lalaith steps from the shadows, her slender elven figure pulling away from the darkness to reveal her pale elven skin in the moonlight. Her axe blades glisten a bit in the light, similar to the flashes seen before. Lalaith ties them tightly into her sheaths hiding the precious metal. With her eyes lingering on the blades she fingers the longbow on her back briefly while drifting deep into thought. Pulling the bow from her back she runs her gloved palm down the finely crafted mahogany. She holds the bow tightly in her hands, her mind lingering on past thoughts. Lalaith has come a long way since her return to Layonara so many years ago, and she has changed so much…
In her thoughts, she watches the shadows; slowly they begin to move, taking on shape, taking on form… She sees two figures in the shadows. She watches carefully and begins to remember…
*Original Character Bio*
Talan and Lalaith Va'lash were raised by their father, Arandil Va'lash, a noble and the commander of the elite archery regiment of the city guard. Neither knows much about their mother, her origins, or present whereabouts. Arandil raised them from a young age to follow in his footsteps as warriors and leaders of men.
Lalaith, angered and wearied by the growing controlling nature of her Father decided to leave her father's home at an early age. Pretty much cast out of her family for her choice not to "follow in her father's footsteps" Lalaith took to the roads to find her own path in life. Having little to nothing except the clothes on her back and her bow, that she had been taught to use when family actually meant home to her, she took a less noble path in life hiding in the shadows and resorting to thievery as a means of survival. She watched others on the streets and learned to pick locks and set and unarm traps and gradually learned to hide in the darkness of the shadows going unnoticed to the untrained eye. Lalaith further developed her skills enabling her to bypass many dangers unseen and has begun to discover powers within her that she is still unclear where they may have come.
Curious and restless Lalaith has wandered many lands often just avoiding dangers and experiencing many s...es with death. Until recently Lalaith wandered alone avoiding contact with others whenever possible and developing a very cold outlook on life. However, by chance or by fate, Lalaith reunited with her brother Talan who had set out to further his shining career. It was a clash of dark and light at their first meeting but slowly the rift between the siblings began to close as Lalaith's memories of their friendship as children began to warm her cold emotions. Lalaith will never abandon what she has learned on the streets and still seeks answers to the powers with in herself, but for the time she travels with her brother Talan learning from him and picking up his interest in rare items and trade.
Talan and Lalaith now travel together and roam across the lands. They have recently arrived in Layonara, which seems, on first inspection, a land quite different than they are used to.
*End Original Submission*
Lalaith’s eyes watch the shadows, as the figures of herself and Talan seem to melt away into the multitudes of darkness. As she watches a small sad smile crosses her lips. She thinks back to all the memories that her and her little brother had shared since being reunited. The two have fought side by side in the littlest of things, such as saving the Hlint crypt from the attacks of a vampire, too much larger, when they helped to destroy a Bloodpool and fought beside the Longstorm. Lalaith’s main motivation back then was in protecting her little brother. Perhaps she felt guilt from when she had left him so many years before? Either way it didn’t matter… truth be told, it was always Talan who protected her anyway…
The wind picks up, blowing lightly. Lalaith shivers slightly and small goose bumps begin to dimple her bare skin. The shadows once more begin to take on form in front of her eyes, as the wind reminds her of a time high in the mountains, an image forms in the shadows, an image of her…
Lalaith sits in silence on top of a dangerously steep cliff with her feet carelessly dangling over the edge. She rests her tired head in her glove-covered hands, which are propped, on her legs. She sits alone, just thinking about the events of the past few days. The wind loudly whips and howls to her as she intently listens. She pushes her hair out of her eyes continuously as the wind blows it into her face violently. She lays herself back onto the soft grass covered ground to avoid the constant whipping of the cold night winds. Staring straight up into the cloudless darkness of the sky one single tear rolls down the side of Lalaith's pale cheek. Suddenly the wind stops completely. "I know this,” she says as if talking to someone or something "something has changed" she quietly repeats herself "something has changed" She tightly closes her pale eyes as if to block out the entire world. Quietly she whispers to herself "If only it were that easy"… Lalaith furrows her brow slightly watching the image of herself play in the shadows. Her body involuntarily shivers as she remembers the biting cold she felt that night. A cold like no other change in the wind had brought to her life. This was the first time Lalaith felt the Soul Mother’s icy fingertips plucking away at the strands of her soul, unfortunately it was not the last either. Finally beginning to understand the power of the bindstones and the reach of the Soul Mother, Lalaith vowed that she wouldn’t fall needlessly in battles, she was given the gifts of the shadows for a reason, and with this she should be able to protect herself.
A light breeze echoes through the trees, still gripping her bow in her fingers, Lalaith continues to watch the shadowy apparitions. As the spire of mountains displayed in the shadows begins to melt Lalaith recognizes the form it takes. Nearby the lake in Krandor two figures sit speaking in low voices…
Cole looks into Lalaith’s eyes in such a way that many would easily be able to see his budding young love for her. “There will be those that need to fight this” He can be heard saying as a light breeze drifts through the air. Lalaith looks back to him, her features may be shaded by her hood, but her voice is stern and her meaning clear “It is not my war to fight” she retorts back to him as the two continue to speak about the recent drow attacks on Hlint. As their conversation continues a dark figure appears at the edge of the scene, cloaked in red and black he remains unnoticed to the two. His leering glare watches them briefly before he extends his left hand out, with short bow in hand. Suddenly a quiet snap as he releases an arrow knocked in the string, then quickly draws and shoots another. Dark red blood begins to soak Lalaith’s clothing where the two arrows pierce her chest. She stumbles and falls foreword, the world going black as a deadly poison pulses through her veins. Lalaith swallows hard, her throat becoming a bit choked as she remembers the feeling of the poison seeping into her blood. She rubs slightly the back of her neck where the small tattoo of a spider remains after that fateful day. Glancing back to the shadows image she watches as Cole lifts her limp body from the ground and carefully but hurriedly carries her back to the healer in Hlint. Those two arrows changed Lalaith’s life more than she could have imagined. However, it was in the war with the drow where Lalaith found her love Veldrin, she found herself united by a gift to a brother, Connor, and a sister, Katrien, and she truly began to understand just what gifts the shadows granted her.
The vision of Cole carrying Lalaith dissipates as warm breeze blows through the air scattering the shadows. Slowly the scattered shadows join becoming many flowing waterfalls. As the shadowy water pours down it converges in the center forming an island. Full of flowers Lalaith recognizes the place as Az’atta’s Grove. She looks on the image with sad eyes…
Red and yellow flowers speckle lush green foliage giving energy and life to a small island in the middle of a lake. Around the island several waterfalls rush into the lake wetting the many faceted rocks below and spraying mirages of color onto the rock walls that surround. On the island Lalaith remains focused on the kneeling figure before her, as she presses her lips together slightly and struggles to catch her breath, one can tell her heart is full of joy as he speaks in soft sincere tones… “Lalaith, you have captured my very essence in yours, stopped time and moved my heart to a place of pure joy that I thought I would never know. My soul is yours, life is yours. For an eternity in rain, will you be my all. Would you marriage me?” For a moment tears begin to form in the corners of Lalaith’s eyes. She watches the scene as Veldrin places a ring on her own finger. Despite her once cold outlook on life, Lalaith had fallen in love with Veldrin, their union sealed in Az’atta’s Grove deep in the Underdark. Through their time together Lalaith learned much about her gift of the shadows, and the three gifts of the T’ol that she carries within her. Someday those gifts might continue to allow her to make a big difference in the world, someday…
As she continues to watch though the shadows begin to stir angrily about. Lalaith bites her lower lip slightly, instinctively knowing what the shadows will show her next, but unable to turn away despite the pain she has known. The vision appears of Lalaith’s small room in her home in Ranger’s Vale…
Angry shadows stir wildly in the small bedroom. The shadows pull from the corners of the room converging around a figure in the bed. Lalaith tosses and turns restlessly in her sleep. She wakes in a cold sweat with burning tears streaming down her pale elven skin. She opens her eyes and looks down to her now bare left hand. “Was it a dream?” she whispers. Her hand is empty, there is nothing? “No not a dream” She manages to stutter between her cries. The room blackens in an impenetrable darkness. Slowly Lalaith rises from the bed pulling robes around her. Pushing sweat-dampened hair behind her ears she makes her way to her bookshelf just outside her bedroom door. She pulls a small black diary from one of the shelves. Lalaith turns clasping the book to her chest under her arms while her eyes continuously search the shadows as they dance around the room. She makes her way through shadow to the edge of the room where a single candle burns. The candle’s light is nothing but a faint glow in the restless darkness of the shadows; its light scarcely penetrates the shadows.
Leaning against the wall Lalaith slowly slides down almost collapsing into sitting position, the diary still clutched in her arms she pulls her knees into to her chest. Her head bowed into her chest, tears from her eyes sparkle slightly on her cheeks in the dim candlelight as it struggles to pierce the shadow that Lalaith pulls around herself. The room is dead silent except for the erratic breathing of the small elf as she tries hard to calm herself.
“Lia Ceela what happened?” she whispers looking up, as if expecting an answer from the shadows. However, there is no answer, nothing, only silence and the faint sound of her breath. Lalaith closes her eyes tightly as visions of her wedding ring, L' Ze'zhuanthen Ssussun, vanishing from her finger play very cruelly over and over again in her mind.
Slowly Lalaith opens the diary she holds in her arms; it is the diary of shadows, a journal of the accounts of an elf of the family of shadows from many years ago. She flips through its pages to find old letters she had saved between the pages of the diary.
Timidly she opens one of the notes left behind, wondering if the magic of the shadows is still held within it.
As she touches the letter shadows move across it, forming small pantomimes of magic. It seems the magic is not completely gone from the letter, the shadows dance across it as she unfolds it watching.
The first fold shows a shadowy woman crying comforted by a distorted haze of sight and sound, the shadow moves around her, concerned and confused by her tears. The second fold slowly comes free, darkness streaks from the edges of the room to form gentle traceries, hands touching and lips meeting with ethereal wisps of smoke moving in between. The third page, shadows spread from all corners of the room to form a cavern, a woman and endless drips of dark rain The image flows forward, the female figure breaking free of an inky black web that surrounds her, the male stepping forward from the faceless multitudes.The final scene before the note is revealed is simply and shows two people atop a mountain of great height. Snowflakes of shadow whip in the breeze and ever so softly form around the pair, coming together in the shape of a ring.
As the last scene is revealed tears once more stream down Lalaith’s cheeks. The drops land on the letter creating water spots, and washing away portions of the writing. “What happened?” she whispers once more, her strained voice abruptly breaking silence as her sadness transforms into anger. She replaces the note in the book and closes it firmly, holding the journal in her hands tightly her knuckles begin to whiten. Exhaling deeply she releases the book letting it fall into her pack. In these moments something changes within Lalaith. Determination set in her features she grabs her pack and sets out to find out what happened. Lalaith silently slips into the shadows and is gone.
With a slight sigh Lalaith closes her eyes tightly. The vision fades and the shadows calm, resting naturally on the ground in front of her. Since then Lalaith had learned that is was Ramanon Vensk who deceived Veldrin causing him to undergo the purge of the Drow and to steal her wedding ring. Lalaith is still unsure if she believes that, that is all that happened, she sits quietly beginning to recall a spring day so many moons ago… Slowly her thoughts manifest themselves into silhouetted forms as the shadows lift from where they naturally lay. Softly at first, the forms pulse like the beating of the wings of a large bird, finally they unite into the image of Connor’s familiar, Ember… Stepping from the shadows Lalaith follows Ember to where Connor stands. She approaches him quietly; she is soaked from the rain. Turning to him she brushes the remaining water from her clothes. Connor looks to her with sadness and concern in his eyes, his eyes glance down to her bare left hand and up again. He breaths deeply before he speaks “Lalaith...does the name, Elamshin mean anything to you?” Frowning slightly, Lalaith answers in reply “Elamshim Laralweki.” Hot tears begin to roll down her cheeks as Connor tells her about Ramanon’s deception and the fate of the one she knew as Veldrin.
Some time later as the sun begins to set over the water at Blackford Castle, Katrien arrives to greet the two. Her attempts at comfort are futile, as Lalaith sits with her knees to her chest and her face buried while lost in her sadness. Lalaith’s sadness turns to anger however when a note is received, and soon a meeting ensues.
Ramanon approaches the group cloaked in invisibility. Upon hearing footsteps, Lalaith quickly slips into the shadows, hiding as he approaches. “She is here” Connor remarks coldly as Ramanon inquires to Lalaith’s whereabouts. “I need to speak to her” Ramanon’s voice floats from the air, as he remains invisible. His tone is even colder than Connor’s and is heartless…
The conversation continues with Ramanon explaining the fate of Veldrin, and his perception of what had occurred. At that point angered and frustrated Lalaith asks for her ring back, which Ramanon was supposed to receive from Veldrin to give to the council. Tempers flair and an argument begins, somewhere in the chaos cloaked in shadow Lalaith manages to get behind Ramanon. She remains motionless her cold sharp blade against his neck.
Lalaith swallows hard and her pulse begins to race slightly just as it had that day. Her breath catches in her chest and she intently watches the image blur in the shadows, her hands form in tight fists. The arguing, the confusion, a pair of shadowy silhouette appearing at the crest of the hill, and then in a pivotal moment the image is clear as crystal: Lalaith slitting Ramanon’s throat as he turns away to escape invisibly.
The red streaks of blood on Lalaith’s short sword darken into inky black traceries as slowly once more the shadowy ghosts of her past fade into the darkness around her. Lalaith had not pressed her sword deep enough to kill Ramanon that day, but it left a scar to remember her by, and in a peculiar sort of way, it left Lalaith comforted in knowing that despite the hatred and vengeance in her heart, the shadows were not fleeting.
With a slight sigh, the last streaks of inky black disappear from the image Lalaith watches. The winds seem to have stopped and the air around Lalaith feels very heavy. She takes a deep breath to stave off the slight feeling of suffocation before she looks back to the shadows. The darkness seems to have thickened and a new image has formed…
Sitting in bed, Lalaith opens her eyes to see darkness. There is nothing but darkness as far as she can see. She watches as thick shadows swirl around her. She stirs. Lalaith places her hands at her sides, and they fill with her covers, she is still in her bed. She spins slightly in the sheets, her eyes searching in the darkness, something isn’t right about the shadows. The dim glow from the candelabra by her bed is absorbed into the shadows; it is as if no light can pierce the thick black veil that surrounds her.
Stepping from her bed Lalaith looks surprised by the sensation under her feet. It is not the cold hardwood floor she expected. Instead it’s soft, damp and cold…. “Grass?” She whispers, as she kneels down touching it with her bare fingertips, and confirming her suspicion. Lalaith runs her hand in the cold wet grass, looking around still, confused by the place she now is…
Then, as if from no place, she hears something. Standing abruptly, Lalaith instinctively moves her right hand for her short sword, but it is not there, she has no weapon. Lalaith backs away slightly, peering into the darkness as her eyes begin to take focus on a figure. Then an elf appears. It is the ranger Alwainn.
Recognition overcomes Lalaith’s face, her features softening slightly as he approaches her from the shadows. Quiet words are exchanged. However, panic over comes his face, as he looks past her. Lalaith spins quickly around as she sees this, looking behind her, there is a shadow… She watches the shadow take on a humanoid figure, and then just as quickly the shadows begin to take on the humanoid figures, surrounding the two.
He seems to panic, mentioning regretting contacting her. Lalaith questions him as he backs away, seemingly afraid of the figures surrounding them. Then in a fear strained voice Lalaith calls out to him, telling him to wait… Her eyes locked on the glowing eyes just behind the elf…
In the darkness a creature of shadow looms red burning eyes… black shadowy wings. The elf turns back, and the creature fades before his eyes focus on the darkness, he sees nothing and continues backing away.
Lalaith lunges forward, grabbing after him, trying desperately to stop him, but somehow she misses him and stumbles to the ground instead. Looking up she screams after him, almost begging him to stop. But it’s too late
The shadows and darkness close in around her, and its dark once more… “Its too late…” The elf’s words to Lalaith echo in her mind as she finds herself in her bed once more… tossing in her covers, and tangled in the sheets, Lalaith nearly falls out of the bed. She finally stops, shivering as the sweat on her skin evaporates, giving her chills. Lalaith slowly steps onto the hardwood floor. She glances at her sweaty palms, and then her eyes look around her, she is back to her own room
Lalaith closes her eyes, his face, filled with panic, burns into her mind. His voice rings in her ears…
“A dream?” She questions, her strained voice breaking through the silence. But it seemed so much more real than a dream…
Then with out much more thought Lalaith pulls her packs together and quickly readies to travel.
Pulling up her hood as she steps into the shadows, she again sets off from her home.
This time she journeys quickly through the night, not stopping to rest. The elf’s panic stricken face haunts her memory and his voice rings in the sound of the wind as she travels. She does not stop, until she reaches the docks…
The ebb and flow of the sea at the docks resonates in the pulsing of the shadows in front of Lalaith. Inspired by a vision, or perhaps more, Lalaith had rushed off to meet the ranger Alwainn, a friend from her training in her earlier days. The ranger plagued by the shadows that haunted his mind was nearly at death’s door by the time Lalaith reached him in Ulambree on Voltrex. With a bit of luck, and using the skills she knew best, Lalaith was able to aid the ranger, even if only temporarily. Once in a conscious state, the ranger charged Lalaith with a task. A task that would take her to a place like no other she had ever seen. A place where no shadows fell. Lalaith glances around the forest briefly, her mind deep in thought of this place, her pale brown eyes filled with a mix of wonder and fear. She takes a deep breath and focuses once more as the small pantomimes continue in the forest shadows Sudden bursts of energy radiate outward from a great glowing creature as it attacks Lalaith and her companions. With sword and spell they each advance on it trying their best to dissipate it before it puts them to an unnatural rest. Suddenly, however, the glowing form concentrates its energies on Lalaith. Startled briefly by its overwhelming power and radiant visage, she shields her eyes as she steps back, her boots sinking slightly in the sand. Taking a deep breath Lalaith focuses, calmly looking to call shadow to her aid - but something is not right. Frantically now, her eyes search around for the tiniest of shadow to blend with, but there is none! She tries quickly to flee from the entity… but the soft depths of the sand fail her escape. The massive power overcomes her, sucking the last breath from her slender Elven form. With a sudden rush of burning pain throughout every fiber of her being, everything goes black to her, and Lalaith's body falls lifeless in the sand. Clenching her jaw slightly, the muscles in Lalaith’s body tighten as if recalling the burning pain of the Radiance Quasi-elemental. For the first time, in a long time, Lalaith had a sense of complete vulnerability as she searched for the shadows, to realize there were none. She recognized then how much a part of her the shadows really were, and what it would be like to live in a world without them…. But, what of a world of only shadow? Lalaith pauses a moment in thought. A light breeze tumbles around her form, sending a small shiver down her spine. After Lalaith had fulfilled her promise to Alwainn he spoke to her of an enemy of destruction and shadow, an enemy greater than Bloodstone whom should not be forgotten. Constantly conflicted by this, Lalaith strained to understand the true nature of these shadowy creatures he spoke of, and the true nature of the shadows themselves for that matter. In time Lalaith had the opportunity to meet those that Alwainn spoke of.
The shadows around Lalaith begin to swirl, becoming increasingly dark and slightly unnatural looking. Slowly an image forms in the darkness, an image of a sundered land. The land looks eerily similar of the Dragon Isles off the coast of Mistone, there is what seems a massive dragon claw mark etched into the facing of deep chasms. It is as though the very face of the planet was ripped away from the fabric of Layonara and placed in an unknown realm. The shadows swirl about on the land as the winds echo strange unsettling words of torment, betrayal, sadness and anger. A group of wearied and well-traveled adventurers looks on.
Two figures, shadows in their own right stand out from the group. The deep Gnome Vin and then Lalaith, both dancers, they appear to be in some sort of understanding and sharing of the anguish in the wind, it is as though they might have even welcomed the communication to help ease it. The rest of the travelers however seem to fight the continued frenzy of emotion blowing in the breeze and rising from the emptiness of the deep chasms. Lalaith speaks softly remembering the words she has heard, "...And here it has sundered. I speak of this very city... find what I speak.. And return...” Lalaith tears her eyes away from the shadows, the vision of this place fading quickly into the blackness of the forest floor as she looks away. Holding her bow to her chest now, she wraps her arms around it, and herself, trying to stop from shivering. The Lumbral Ruler had wanted the group to feel what his people felt, to show their history, illustrate where they had been and why... The witnessing of the Sundered Lands was an etched marking in all, like your own name, something that could never be forgotten. He wanted them to open up to this pain to truly understand them. While, to some it may have been just another simple loss of innocence, to the hearts and minds of Lalaith and many of her companions, the revelation of past wrongs bore a large blanket of guilt and even fear. Could they ever repair what had happened? Will the council's return be fraught with feelings of vengeance and recovery of what was lost? Would they ever be willing to forgive? If not, what were the consequences...
Lalaith closes her eyes tightly, the look on her face likened to that of when you feel an ache deep in the pit of your stomach. Lalaith had tried to speak to the others about the things she knew, the things she heard and saw, but none would really listen. Lalaith doesn’t solely blame them though, at the time, to many she was nothing more than a shadow, a dark figure hiding in the back, listening and watching in silence. However, recently, Lalaith has come to realize just what shadows are capable of, and so starts a new path, with a single goal in mind. No longer will this shadow be cast idly in the back of groups… Lalaith knows her destiny brings much more than that. With the stars flown to rest, and the last glow of Orn fading into the lightening skies over Rangers Vale, the sun begins to peek above the horizon. The fogs start to burn off in the warming beams of the great volatile orb, and the birds begin to sing lightly. After spending many hours watching the small shadowy pantomimes of her past, Lalaith once more slips quietly into the shadows, her form blending into the darkness as she disappears, and then like a simple change in the wind, she is gone…
Her destiny awaits.
*****
Additional stuff:
Character development thread: A Change in The Wind World Involvement (limited to what comes to mind): - An escort to Queen Allurial and King Kareem - Participated in the failed attempt to disrupt Milarra’s ritual - Aided in the destruction of a Bloodpood - Fought the battle at the Gnoll Watch Tower - One of 8 who sought Ozlo, and were assigned to gather the gems of Voltrex - Assisted in gathering all the gems of Voltrex - Supported the return of the metallic dragons - Saw at least one bridge being built - Fought alongside the Longstorm - Trapped in Shadows and Darkness for 3 months - Fought at the battle of Stone - Fought in operation Bloodfall to take back Roldem - Current involvement in Drezneb quest Roles/Leadership: Shadows of the Lakes: Early on in her days in Layonara, Lalaith was the barer of the Ring of Fire, of the Shadows of the lakes. Though she didn’t profess a leadership, when the time came she was able to work with the group to succeed in their goals. The Caged Heart: Becoming linked to the fate of the caged heart through a powerful Geas, Lalaith assumed a leadership role. Testing her skills, determination, and at times sanity, Lalaith was able to help lead a group to send a demon back to where she came. Shadows and Darkness: Though not the most positive experience for Lalaith, being one of the two who could understand the Language of the shadows, she was left to help translate and ask Question of the Lumbral in the Shadows and Darkness series. The Battle of Stone: Being the last left standing as Stone fell, Lalaith used her raise dead scroll to bring back a single cleric to raise the rest of the party. This inspired her to gather groups of adventures to seek resources, and create a large number of raise dead scrolls to be used to turn the tides of battle in the wars to come.
***
-LV

[Leanthar]

Approved. Grab a GM to have your ecdq run, keep in mind the wait lines as well as the phased time off (which are nearing their completions--but still going on).

Have fun.