Found in Light

Niviene Larethian, Headmistress of Darkshire Academy, priestess, wife, and mother. This is the IC life and OOC inspirations for my main character on the Shadow Council server in WoW. 

[niviene-larethian]

DWC - 6 Event/ Recovery

Ysynarys watched her human friend, even closer than usual. It seemed there was something that lay heavily on her mind but the little priestess was keeping her thoughts to herself. They had only been friends for a short time but already she knew that it was unusual for Korissa to allow herself to be lost in her thoughts for too long. 

The girl had been silent for quite some time now and the dracthyr had begun to worry. She changed into her human visage and approached the young girl, placing a perfectly manicured hand upon her shoulder. It took a moment before the girl turned her gaze to the hand then allowed her eyes to travel up to Ysin’s face.

She shook her head, murmuring softly, “Don’t. I would rather see you for who you really are. No masks, no subterfuge.” she turned her gaze back to the middle distance, lost in whatever images played out in her head.

The evoker shifted again, and a blue hued dracthyr stood in her palace, “Tell me Kori, what plagues your mind?”

The girl sighed heavily, lowering her eyes, “I… I had a book. I found it at the edge of the yard when I was a little girl.” she paused, dropped into a nearby chair and inhaled deeply before continuing, “I took it in the house and hid it in my toy box. I never told anyone about it. Or the voices that came out of it.”

“I have always known that they weren’t my real parents. My mother gave me to a warlock for potions, her addiction was more important than her baby girl and the things he had in store for her.”

She folded her hands neatly in her lap, her fingers clasped tightly, “Momma. Niviene. Saved me. Her friends helped her vanquish the warlock and she took me in. When she and Braghaman married I became his daughter, just as surely as Banagan was his.”

“They don’t think I know. Momma was always afraid that I’d become a warlock.” she glanced up, her expression conflicted, “She didn’t… doesn’t… hate them. Her husband before dad was a warlock. She loved him very much. She thought they would be together forever. But he chose his daughter over her. It was while she was recovering from her broken heart that she and dad got together.”

Kori laughed softly, “To say my family has mixed emotions about warlocks is putting it mildly. Banny’s real mom was a warlock too. And Niv’s step daughter.” she shook her head, “A really twisted family tree.”

“Anyway. The book… I was pretty young so I had a hard time with it but I always understood that the voices I heard weren’t really coming from the pages. They were from the void. And they were telling me what I needed to do to set them free.”

Kori rose and began pacing the room, “I had it out in the backyard one day, reading, and Temperance, momma’s sapphire panther charged at me. I was terrified that the construct had lost its enchantment and had gone feral. But it grabbed the tome in its claws and ripped it to shreds. I could hear screams coming from the pages. They became fainter as the torn pieces fluttered off on the breeze.” her expression softened slightly, “Then both Temperance and Valiat came to me, they curled up so that I was sandwiched between them.”

She turned to look at Ysynarys, “Have you ever heard a kitten purr, felt the little vibrations against your skin? Well… I got a giant dose of both.”

Ysynarys took a slow, deep breath, unsure of what to say or do. Unsure if she should break the seeming trance that had overtaken her friend.

Korissa shuddered, shaking her head before she raised teary eyes to the dracthyr, “I have never told anyone about that. Not even Banny. It has haunted my dreams for years. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, only what I didn’t want to be. When I decided to be a priest, to follow in momma’s footsteps I worried that I was doing the wrong thing. That I was doing it to run from who I might really be.”

As Ysynarys watched Korissa seemed to change, she stood straight, squared her shoulders and lifted in her chin, as if defying the fates, “But. Being here has taught me that I’m stronger than I thought and I’m on the right path. I don’t have to question my own motives anymore.”

Kori looked in the direction she supposed Duskwood to be and smiled, “I am my mother’s daughter. Not the woman who birthed me. The woman who gave me her strength and love. I can do anything I put my mind to. Because she said I can. And because I believe her.”

@daily-writing-challenge

[niviene-larethian]

DWC - 6 Devoted/ Trauma

Have you always led such a charmed life, little priest?”Ysynarys teased.

Korissa tilted her head to the side, gazing off into the middle distance, “I suppose so. There was a time, back when I was little, that momma, Banny, and I lived in a flat in Dalaran. We had to be very quiet so no one would know we were there. I remember being really scared, Banny was too. I didn’t understand what was happening and why we weren’t at home in Duskwood.”

Ysyn’s expression sobered, this was not at all what she had expected from her friend.

“I remember asking momma where was dad? She would always lean over and kiss the top of my head and declare, “Don’t worry baby, he’ll be here. You’re daddy will come for us.”

The priestess clutched her hands to her chest and took a deep breath, “I asked her, “How do you know momma? How do you know he’ll come?” She took me to the window and pulled the curtain back just a tiny bit and pointed down, “You see that really dark doorway down there? That’s your Uncle Erik. He’s watching us, watching the area. He’ll get us out of here if we need to but until then he’ll watch for your father, to make sure nothing harms us until he can get here.”

Kori fell silent, lost in distant memories until she felt a tug of her golden tresses, “Well? Did he?” Ysynarys asked.

“He did. In the night. Me and Banny were sleeping in our room but mom was on the couch, I don’t know if she was sleeping or standing guard. She didn’t sleep much then.” Kori shrugged, “I didn’t hear him but Banny did.” She laughed softly, “Have you ever heard a 9 year old boy try to be quiet? He rushed into the living room with me close on his heels and there he was. Our golden paladin, holding momma in his arms and making everything right.”

She smiled at the memory, playing the scene over again in her head, “We stayed a little while longer and then he took us home and everything seemed okay. Dad would stay close to mom, hug her more than usual, and he kept his mace within easy reach. There were a few times when I would wake at night because I thought I heard screaming but when I crept downstairs all I heard was his deep voice humming softly and sometimes murmuring words I couldn’t make out.

Kori took a breath and let it out in a huff, “After a few months momma’s nightmares went away and she went back to work at the academy. I never knew exactly what happened to her but I know that dad did everything he could to bring her back from it.”

She turned a sly grin to her friend, “I don’t lead a charmed life but my mom and dad work really hard to make it seem that way.”

@daily-writing-challenge

[niviene-larethian]

DWC-5 Ambition/ Relentless

“She has got to be the silliest girl I’ve ever seen. Stars in her eyes and sparrows in her head.” 

A group of girls sat on the stairs above the crafter’s terrace, watching Korissa and Ysynarys chat as the priestess worked on a colorful piece of parchment.

“I swear, the only ambition she has is her relentless desire to make her parents proud. To serve the Light, be a good priest, help her fellow beings.” a brunette human wrinkled her nose in distaste, “I swear, she makes me sick.”

Another girl looked from her companion to Korissa and shrugged, “I don’t know. I think it’s kind of sweet.”

“So sweet I can feel my teeth rotting in my head.” the brunette sneered.

The other girls laughed, agreeing with their self professed leader’s opinions. 

“If it wasn’t for her dracthyr bodyguard I’d put little Miss Sunshine in her place, scare her so bad she’d go running back to mommy and daddy.”

As they watched, another woman approached Kori and Ysyn, her back turned toward the stairs so they couldn’t see who she was.

“They’re talking about you again. You should watch your back. That Agnes really has it out for you.” The newcomer said to Kori before turning her attention to Ysyn, “Don’t get far from your friend, they’ll swoop down on her like vultures if they can get her alone.”

Ysyn swept her gaze across the terrace, not lingering long on any one spot but long enough to see the girls on the stairs. She looked back at the woman, head tilted to the side, “Thanks for the warning but how do you know?’

The woman smirked, “They aren’t as quiet as the think.” giving the two a slight bow of her head she turned and was quickly lost in the crowd of shoppers.

Ysyn shook her head, “I don’t believe. Well, I believe those girls have it out for you but I don’t believe she could hear them, not from this distance. How could she?”

Kori looked into the crowd, speaking softly, “She’s a worgen.” taking a deep breath, she shook her head as if trying to dislodge unpleasant thoughts, then thumped the dracthyr’s shoulder, “Now look who needs to pay attention to details.”

@daily-writing-challenge

[niviene-larethian]

DWC-4 Influence/ Distant

“What direction do you think it is?” Korissa asked, blue eyes scanning the horizon then turning in a slow circle to see its expanse.

Ysynarys glanced up, “Missing them are you?”

The priestess glanced down and sighed, “Yeah, I guess. It’s just, I’ve never been far from them before. Banny… he left for training, I kind of gotten used to that. But momma and dad? I feel like there’s a hole in my gut sometimes. You know what I mean?”

Ysyn thought for a moment then shook her head, “I can’t say I do. I was separated from my loved ones but I was sleeping, we were all sleeping. Some of them didn’t make it. Some of them…” she shrugged, “Who knows.” 

She raised her eyes, her expression guarded, “Even when we were together they never had the influence your folks have on you. The only ones who truly influenced us were the dragons.” she grumbled under her breath, “We all know how that worked out.”

Kori laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “But maybe that makes you stronger, what you do comes from your own head. You make your own choices from your own head. It’s all you.”

She sat next to the dracthyr, arranging her skirts across her legs as she continued, “They’re a world away, I wish I could talk to them, ask them what they think. Every day I have to make choices and most of the time I don’t know what to do. I know momma could tell me, and she would tell me why it was the right thing. Dad would ask me questions and then help me to realize what the right thing to do is. But now, it’s all on me. And I’m scared.”

[niviene-larethian]

DWC - 3 Velvet/ Consequences

Korissa’s eyes widened with each bite of Red Velvet cake her friend took, thankful that she was currently in her natural form, and somewhat confused as to why it was less disturbing to witness the voraciousness with which Ysynarys devoured dessert while she looked like a dragon.

“Really Ysyn, slow down. It isn’t going to scurry off your plate.” she said.

The evoker narrowed her eyes, swallowed thickly and waved her fork at Kori, “You don’t understand. For 10,000 years I slept, no cake, for all my years before that, no cake. Not this cake anyway. It’s wonderful, I can’t get enough. I could eat this stuff every meal, every day.”

“I understand that, I really do. Red Velvet cake is delicious. But you’re going to make yourself sick. And fat. There’s tons of sugar and calories, if you eat as much as you say you can you’re going to regret it.” she pushed her chair back from the table a bit, “Besides, I think I’m going to be sick if I watch you eat any more.”

Ysynarys rolled her eyes and shoveled another fork full of cake into her mouth, ignoring the crumbs that had begun to pile up on the table and her plate. “Fine. One more and I’ll stop.”

Korissa smiled and cut another slice, extending it to the dracthyr. Ysynarys grinned, pushed the plate away and took the remaining cake, “One more cake. You can have that slice.”

Sighing heavily, Kori set the plate down and rose, “I can’t watch this anymore. I’m going to bed.” she said as she made her way from the room.

Sometime later the priestess was awakened by the sound of a deep grumbling and a tortured moan. She raised her head from her pillow to see the dracthyr curled up on her own bunk, clutching her stomach.

“Ugh, this pain, I’ve never felt like this before.” Ysynarys groaned.

Kori dropped her head back down to her pillow, rolling her eyes at the ceiling, “I tried to tell you, maybe next time you’ll listen to me.”

“No really Kori, this is awful, what is this?”

The priestess raised her head once more, giving her friend a pointed look, “That’s easy. It’s consequences.”

[niviene-larethian]

DWC-2 Opportunity/ Eternity

“Nothing lasts forever, eternity is a hollow word. Not even the mountains are eternal, wind and rain chip away at them, grinding them down.” Ysynerys looked toward the horizon, the mountains in the distance, and the faintly glimmering sea. “Not even the ocean can claim eternity.”

“I wasn’t talking about things Ysyn.” Korissa said with a frown. “I am talking about emotion. About love. Love can last forever.”

The dracthyr looked her friend pointedly, “Your parents. That’s what you’re talking about. Again.”

Kori nodded sheepishly, “Yeah. Their love is perfect. It will last forever. That’s the kind of love I want.”

“Have they always been together? Your brother, Banagan? He is not your real brother is he? Your father was married before yes?”

“I know what you’re getting at. No, they haven’t always been together, there were other… relationships before they married. There were other loves. But not like theirs.”

She glanced at her companion, reading the smirk in her eyes. “Their old now, they’re passed the romance and giddiness of first love. They complete one another’s sentences. Dad knows just what to say to calm momma down when she get angry or upset. She is always knows what he wants before he asks for it, and she takes good care of him.”

Kori sighed wistfully, “I found a pile of letters once, in daddy’s desk. They were all from momma from when he was away at war. There were also little notes she would leave for him in his lunch, or tuck into his gear bag. Sweet little reminders that she loves him. And the fact that he treasures them all is proof that he loves her too.”

“They’ve been through hard times, believe me. They’ve faced lots of danger. But they were… are… always there for one another. They always will be.” she turned and let her own gaze travel to the far horizon, “That’s the eternity I want. Not the eternity of forever, but the eternity of true love.”

She turned, gazing again at the musician, “Some day, Light willing, I’ll get my chance.”

[niviene-larethian]

DWC-1 Love is in the Air/ Weakness

“He’s much too old for Kori.” Ysynerys chided as she watched the young priestess watching  a brown haired troubadour strumming his lute.

Korissa glanced at her friend with a raised brow, “How do you know he’s too old? He doesn’t look that old. Besides my dad is about ten years older than momma and they have a storybook love.”

Ysynerys looked at the young woman as she processed this bit of information and all it hinted at, finally deciding to focus on the question at hand. She nodded toward the musician, realizing that Kori’s attention had never wandered elsewhere, “He’s Dracthyr.”

The priestess blinked then lowered her eyes and looked away, “Oh.”

“I can see where it might be hard to tell, his visage is very human. You should really work on paying more attention to the little details. Being able to see the telltale signs is a strength not many possess, especially people your age. It will give you an advantage, and in turn will keep people from taking advantage of you.”

Kori’s gaze turned back to the musician, her eyes traveling from head to toe and back again, “At his hair line, are those scales? And his hands, they seem a bit elongated don’t they?”

Ysyn nodded, a smile tugging at her lips, “Exactly so. Now, look at me, then watch.” Kori turned her attention to her friend, once more giving the head to toe examination then gasped as the air seemed to ripple, in the woman’s place stood a blue scaled Dracthyr. 

“I too have faint scaling at my hair line, and my hair carries the same hue as my scales.” she held out an elongated hand, topped with wicked looking claws capable of shredding an opponent to ribbons. There was another shimmer and the visage reappeared, black hair with blue highlights, her nails long and immaculately manicured.

“Physical appearance is important and the first way to see a person. But the best way is to look more closely, look in their eyes, peer into them. The eyes can give away cruel intentions.”

“You’re really cynical aren’t you?” Kori asked.

“And you are far too trusting; your golden paladin and shining priest aren’t here to protect their daughter. Your trust will be exploited like any other weakness. Best to guard your heart.”

Kori frowned and shook her head, “If I guard it too closely love will never find me. It’s not like it’s floating in the air waiting for me to breath it in.”

[butteryplanet]

kitchen ghosts

[niviene-larethian]

The Demands of a Priest

The troops shuffled in from the chow hall, bellies full and energy waning. It was time to turn in, they had a busy day ahead, but for some, the adrenaline of the day still lingered and sleep was far away. They gathered in the barracks, murmuring amongst themselves until the final straggler made her way in.

“Give us a story priest!”

“Yeah, a story, tell us another one of your stories!”

Korissa looked around the room, her cheeks stained red with a blush, looking at the group and groaning slightly, “Another one? Really?”

“Well yeah. We’ve been sleeping so long that we’ve missed the world, you’re filling in the blanks for us.”

A green scaled dracthyr nodded, adding, “And you’ve such a vivid imagination, you’d almost think the heroes of your tales were real. Tell us more.”

Kori draped a damp towel across the headboard of her bunk and picked up her comb, sitting at the foot of her bed. She began working the tangles from her freshly washed hair only to have the comb plucked from her hands.

“I’ll do this, you tell the story.” Ysynarys chided, as she gently pulled the comb through Kori’s honey blonde hair.

Kori looked at each of the troops gathered around her, making sure she had their attention before she launched into another story of the golden paladin and his shining lady, guardians and protectors of the roads of far away Duskwood.

Unnoticed by the group, a pair of priests stood in the doorway observing, “I’m not sure this is what the bishop intended by sending the Larethian girl out here alone. This doesn’t look like punishment to me.”

The older priest smirked, “She is definitely not the spitting image of her mother. I honestly think she’s having fun.”

[seasonsofwinterberry]

[niviene-larethian]

Alt character: Nytheanna

I hear his voice at night, speaking, telling me stories of the things we’ve done in the past. Embellished of course, because real life is never so exciting as the words he utters to me in the dark. 

But. Truth be told, he isn’t there. He isn’t with me, either in the dark or light. 

The wonders of mechanics and magic. I hear his voice in a creation of gears and enchantment, the new, and the old. He is gone yet he is with me. His deep voice, like the strings of a cello, singing me to sleep. When it stops I awake and see… hear… he is gone. And all that’s left is the glaring light, a cold bed, and the cacophonous din of morning without him. 

I work in a flower shop, creating arrangements that are perfect for weddings, anniversaries, whatever the event. My customers have no clue how much of my heart bleeds into their special occasion. So much so that I fear, one day, there will be nothing of me left. They won’t know it but, the heart and soul of a broken woman adorns their sacred vows. Showers their union with blessings.

Blessings?

How can so much pain become a blessing?

How can a broken heart and a shattered spirit bring love and light to any union?

Those questions will remain unanswered. I am human. I live. I meet each morning as if it is a chance to move on, to become someone new, someone without pain and despair. 

Maybe someday, upon awakening, I will be that which I have dreamed of all along.

Loved, cherished, happy.

[niviene-larethian]

Follow Settings

Is there a way to set my Tumblr so that people cannot follow me without me granting them permission to do so? Every day I have notifications that  new people are following me and they’re all questionable accounts with no content. I spend most of my time while on Tumblr going in and blocking them. It’s almost enough to make me not come back.

[niviene-larethian]

A Priest and Ysin

Korissa watched the dragons and dracthyr fly around her as if they were fireflies floating on the breeze, enraptured and content all at once. The wonders her were more than she had ever dreamed, more than even her mother could have seen. 

“It’s a bit overwhelming isn’t it?” 

The priestess blinked, her gaze flitting to the woman... er ... being, to her left, “y.. yes.. it is.” realizing she’d been staring Kori cleared her throat and started again, “Yes. It is. I’ve never been so far from home before.”

The dracthyr at her side nodded, “I can relate. I think. I don’t know for sure but. It feels like I haven’t ventured far.” She lowered her eyes, her chin dipping in the same direction, “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound obtuse. It’s just, I’ve been sleeping ever so long and the world I’ve awoken to is... different.”

Kori sighed, “The world seems different every time I open my eyes, and I haven’t even been sleeping.” she reached a hand toward the dracthyr beside her, “I’m Korissa, Kori.”

Smiling brightly, her teeth a little too white and a little too sharp, the dracthyr replied, “I’m Ysynarys.. Ysyn,”

Korissa clasped Ysyn’s hand and smiled her brightest smile, “Well. It’s always easier to face the world with a friend than alone so, what do you say we face it together?”

[seasonsofwinterberry]

[niviene-larethian]

Wrathion’s face claim.

[niviene-larethian]

Ysynarys

Waking. It seems a simple thing. You sleep, you wake. The sun sets and slumber takes you. The sun rises and the yoke of sleep is cast off, you are free to continue. To live. 

Oh how we take these things for granted. 

I slept and when I woke it was ten thousand years later. How? How can a body sleep so long? How can one go so long without awareness of the world around them? Yet here we are. Alive, Awake. And once more fighting for who we are and where we belong. 

Like many of my Dracthyr brethren, I have awakened. I have travailed against the foe and made my allegiance. And now I must find a way to fit in, to become a viable, valuable member of the Alliance. 

And if that was not difficult enough, my scales mark me as a member of the blue dragon flight, not trusted, though not fully reviled. As such, I will keep to my visage as much as possible. I am not ashamed of who, or what, I am. Rather I seek to promote the good will between our kind and theirs. 

Survival depends on it. Whose survival remains to be seen.

[ultrakw77]

In your arms, I feel safe You are my Seasons of Love Beloved Blessings Belong

[niviene-larethian]

Korissa gets Caught

Niviene was instantly awake though she didn’t know why. She reached a hand to her side and felt the reassuring warmth of Braghaman sleeping next to her. The room was dark, the house silent. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing herself to relax and close her eyes again.

There it was again, that prod that would not allow her to return to her slumber. Quietly she rose from the bed, careful not to disturb her husband. She slipped on her robe and started for the door when suddenly she felt a jolt of realization. Temperance. The sapphire construct was calling out to her but the message was growing fainter, more frantic. 

The priestess grabbed a staff that had been leaning against the wall and headed to the back door. Her thoughts going out to the creature that had been her personal mount for years now. When she had been gifted the creature they’d said it would adapt to her, bond to her, and they would eventually be able to communicate. But this was a first. There had never been a feeling of urgency and despair as strong as this.

As Niviene stepped out on the porch she set her thoughts, determined and fierce, to the beast, “Return to me now.” She stood, sky blue eyes cast to the heavens as she waited. 

“No anger. Not my fault. I tried to stop her.” came a reply.

“I will not be angry with you Temperance. Fear not for yourself.” she answered, her eyes narrowing as she saw the gleaming blue panther descend through the clouds, a small figure sitting astride its back.

Korissa sawed at the reins but the sapphire panther would not pay head, it continued its course back the way they had come. Frustration and fear threatened to overwhelm the girl and she caught herself attempting to measure the distance from the saddle to the ground. Realizing her fear of broken bones and possible death was only slightly stronger than her fear of her mother, the girl settled back and allowed the great cat to take her home.

Braghaman stepped out of the doorway wearing only his sleeping pants and carrying his war hammer. He scanned the yard and saw nothing. Turning to Niviene, he furled his brow before turning his gaze in the direction that she was looking. Seeing the dark form in the sky flying toward them, he gripped his weapon tighter and planted his bare feet on the ground.

“What’s going on, Angel?”

Niviene didn’t turn as she crossed her arms over her chest, “It would seem we have a rebellion on our hands.”

Temperance landed with a thud in front of her mistress, bowing her great sapphire head. When Korissa didn’t dismount the cat shook herself, dislodging her passenger. Kori squealed as she struggled to catch her balance. Being brought home by an automated statue was bad enough but being dumped at her mother’s feet was a humiliation she did not want to endure.

Niviene raised a delicate brow, her sky blue eyes leveled on her daughter, awaiting an explanation. Kori glared at the construct before turning to look at her mother and father, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of Braghaman gripping his mace tightly.

“I…” she started then shook her head and turned defiant eyes to her mother, “I want to go. I want to answer the summons. You went, why can’t I?”

Seeing their daughter so unceremoniously removed from Temperance’s back, Bragh relaxed a bit and stood straighter. He rested the haft of his war hammer on the ground and leaned against it slightly as she watched the staring contest that seemed to be taking place between Niv and Kori.

“Where exactly did you think you were going?”

Reluctant to be the first to look away, but mindful of the manners she’d been taught, Kori turned her gaze to her father, “To Stormwind. To answer the summons of the Cathedral of Light”. 

The last was said with a tone of reverence and Niviene couldn’t help but roll her eyes before responding, “You were told that you cannot go. It wasn’t up for discussion. The answer is no.”

She looked at her daughter, the expression of defeat stamped across her features finally tugging at Niviene’s resolve. She sighed heavily and uncrossed her arms, “I am only trying to protect you. They know you’re my daughter, they will take it out on you.”

Stepping forward, Niviene put her arm around Korissa’s shoulders and led her into the house. “I have no doubt that your training is superior to that of the cathedral. My fear is not that you will be found wanting in any other aspect than that you are my daughter.” 

When they were safely ensconced within the walls of their home Niviene motioned for Korissa to sit. The priestess paced across the room, her eyes seeing something distant, her voice only less so, “Before your father, I was married to a warlock. My mentor within the cathedral was… a traitor to the crown. I… fell into madness and embraced the shadow that haunts us all.” 

Niviene stopped, finally turning to look at the girl who could have been her mirror image, “I have tried to shield you from my past, to protect you. But it seems they have been watching. Waiting. My fear is not that you cannot meet the standards of the cathedral, rather it is that they cannot meet the challenges of the Light.”

Braghaman quietly followed the two into the room and watched Niviene as she explained to Kori. The paladin did his best to keep a neutral look on his face as he listened. Then, when Niv paused in her explanation, he chimed in.

“Why do you want to go, Korissa?”

The girl gaped at her mother, trying to process the things that were being said. If it were not coming from Niviene herself Kori would have called her a liar, to think that her mother could have been and done the things she’d just heard was a bitter pill to swallow.

Seizing on Braghaman’s question, the safer topic for them all, she answered, “You two always taught us that helping others is the right thing to do. I’ve watched you helping those around you, either in the school or in Darkshire.” she looked directly at Bragh, “even joining the war effort.”

Turning to Niviene, she continued, “I don’t know what the people at the cathedral are like, I don’t know if they truly serve the Light or whatever. But I know who I am. I’m your daughter. I want to continue the Larethian legacy of helping. And if leading by example helps someone to find the Light, well I guess that’s helping too.