Lira Silverroot

A child by age, a world-weary adult by experience, Lira has settled a mantle of cold efficiency around herself to hide the fact that she feels, not just completely out of her depth, but hopelessly lost as well. She knows little of the grand scope of war (just what Elian taught her before he was killed), and so plays every encounter by ear, trying to combine what worked previously with advice she has managed to garner from the few elves with war experience. She no longer cringes at the death of sentients, and barely even spends the time anymore to send a prayer after the souls of her people that are killed.

Despite this, she is determined to see the war ended, even if the final blow has to be laid by her own hands. To this end, she has dedicated every waking moment to training and planning, perfecting a plan that she can implement herself.

Lira is tall, slender, and delicate like many elves, with typical pointy-ears, sharp eyes, and the wood-sense of a native of the forest. Her eyes are bright silver, and her hair, though originally black, is now as silver as her eyes due to an accident while learning the finer points of potion and poison craft. She never wears anything heavier than leather armor, and tries to keep the amount of metal on her outfit to a minimum.

She's an expert with a bow, and can be quite lethal with her dual daggers if she gets an opportunity. Not much for a toe-to-toe slugfest, Lira prefers to strike hard and fast from the shadows, appearing and disappearing before most can spot her.

Lira was recruited early on, due to her skill with blade and bow, and her uncanny knack for succeeding against the odds. There, she met Elian, human paladin and all-around smartaleck, and eventually struck up a friendship with the man (mostly because he wouldn't leave be, so she just got used to him being around, and a friendship evolved from there).

Unfortunately, everything began to tumble to the ground shortly after. The army they were part of got crushed, she and Elian and a small handful of others barely managed to retreat, and then all of them were labled deserters by the remaining nobles of the human realm.

Elian was convinced he could sway things their way again, and so it began. The small group of survivors rallied together and became what Elian hoped would turn into the seed of a great army, with the two of them leading. They traveled, enticing a few warriors here, a handful of mages there, a couple bowmen from yet another place. They were welcomed by most, and praised by many, and the rage of the nobles was a near-palpable thing, even as they crushed bandits and routed units of invaders.

Eventually, Elian's sweet tongue won them access to the nobles, swaying many of the dissenters to their cause. With them, came the promise of assistance from the personal armies of the nobles.

Neither Elian nor Lira trusted these promises, however, and created a plan to deal with the betrayal they sensed was coming. While this plan placed those of questionable loyalty at points where betrayal would only cause their own death, it also severely crippled their ability to wage war effectively.

The final, crushing betrayal came at the hands of their own men, though. Swayed by gold and a promise of high place, a small segment of their army turned on them. Elian, enraged by this betrayal and unwilling to run a second time, struck out at those who attacked him, bringing down many with his fury and skill. Lira, unwilling to run while it seemed they might still have a chance, stayed and struck from afar, her arrows finding chinks in armor and holes in guards. Together, they fought off the betrayers, but Elian paid for the victory with his life, a poison-tipped arrow embedded in his back.

The nobles had been working hard at destroying the point of 'rebellion'. By killing the personable (and human) Elian, and discrediting the 'devious rogue' Lira, their army crumbled into dust, and Lira was left alone, betrayed, and branded traitor and killer of her closest friend. Using all her skill, she escaped the untenable situation and retreated back to the elven forest to collect herself once more. Though several elves have tried to sway her from continuing to pursue her goal, she still persists.

It's not just for her people anymore, or the abstract of truth and justice that Elian believed in, though she holds those thoughts close in memory of him. Now, it's personal.