#taelan

[eluviannaa]

What is one of the most courageous things your character has ever done for a loved one?

This one had the biggest repercussions, of course Elu couldn't know at the time.

She took a risk for both herself and Taelan because he believed a relic held redemption. For a disgraced paladin. For his family. For himself. She knew it might take him from her. She helped him anyway.

Sigh. Why do I write this stuff haha.

Thank you for the ask, @themadamelioness!!

[eluvianna-ooc]

It's the little things. Some fun editing bits today:

At the doorway, the initiate stood silent, his earlier strikes against the pell stilled by a summons. From a single window, the afternoon's radiance cast a halo over plated shoulders, knighting them in formality.

He was nearly as tall as the Vindicator—impressive for a human—yet it was his story that truly reminded the Draenei of himself.

[mywitchcultblr]

@oxygenforthewicked

[thereluctantinquisitor]

19. sea change

Thanks for the prompt, nonny!

19. sea change (550 words)

Taelan had never seen the sea. At least, not since he was a child, and even then, the memory was vague, tainted by fear, thick with uncertainty. All he remembered was the feel of bodies, pressed together in a too-tight space. The taste of salt. The smell of iron and sweat.

It was nothing at all like the translucent water, cold to touch, that now lapped gently at his feet.

The others were busy arguing with a coast-runner, attempting to barter passage to Tel Shival via the Trade Coast. Apparently that was easier than just going through the front gate, if you could convince a captain to risk their reputation and take you. At first, Taelan hadn’t cared what route they took. But now, his boots discarded by the shoreline, his feet submerged in the bite of the water, he found himself wanting to go further. To sink down into the maw. Spread his arms. Let himself drift away...

“Your toes falling off yet or what?”

Taelan opened his eyes, not even realising he had closed them to begin with. “Not yet,” he said, after confirming with a downward glance. He couldn’t exactly feel them. Turning, he threw a questioning frown back at Sylda. She was standing on the thin strip of sandy shore, arms crossed, looking thoroughly disconcerted about something. About him. A familiar pang lurched in Taelan’s stomach and he quickly turned away, palms pressing instinctively to the sides of his thighs. What was he doing? “I’ll come out.”

“What? No - hey, it’s alright. I was just teasing.” Something in his voice must have given him away. Or maybe it was the fact that his hands had curled into fists without his permission. But before he had a chance relax, a splashing sound from behind stole his concentration.

It was Sylda, her trousers rolled clumsily to her knees, wading into the ankle-deep water. “Divider’s ass!” She gritted the words out through clenched teeth, a pink flush already colouring her cheeks as she braved the bitter cold. “You’re fucking with me, right? You can’t be enjoying this!”

He didn’t really know how to explain. How to put into words that the throb of the cold was comforting because it was something he had never felt before. Unlike so many things, it wasn’t a memory he’d made as a bondsworn. There was nothing to compare it to. Nothing to taint it. It was new. It was his.

“I guess I just like the cold.”

“Ugh. Insanity.” Sylda cringed, but continued wading out towards him like he owed her money. “I s-swear, this is----ACK!” The water suddenly swelled, rising to mid-shin, and Sylda’s voice pitched with it, her horrified yelp loud enough to disrupt the negotiations taking place further down the shore. “Shitttt!” She rose to her toes, but it did little to save the bottom of her haphazardly rolled clothes. “Shit shit shit!”

Abandoning her misguided quest for solidarity, she spun and hurried back to shore, cursing and yelping the entire way, threatening every gentle wave with a painful death until she was back on dry land. Once safe, she immediately began the futile task of trying to wring the sodden ends of her trousers, muttering darkly, glaring and snapping impotently at any wave that dared venture too close.

And, for the first time in a long time, standing there in the glittering water, Taelan laughed.

[eluviannaa]

Umbral

This year felt long. Even still, we did the thing.

Umbral went from three characters to twenty plus. But I love them all, and can't wait to get everyone into deep, dark trouble next year.

And with that, I leave you a dream from Act 2. Back during Legion, when things were simpler. Well, for a little while anyway...

Netherlight Hall’s corridor had filled with a thick mist. As layered whispers beckoned with impatience, an unnatural light fell over a seemingly infinite stretch of identical doors. As Eluvianna pressed forward, reality warped impossibly, multiplying them in dizzying succession. The slamming echoes of unseen entryways punctuated her steps.

In the distance, a familiar golden ribbon curled around a single portal's handle. Drawing closer, a fractured silhouette faded into view. The hovering fragments shuddering to form something achingly familiar: Taelan.

He leaned with a broad shoulder against the wood. He watched her approach, the only thing clear in the swirling dreamscape. She knew she was dreaming, yet the sight of him anchored her.

As the distance between them narrowed, his eyes fell to the ground, his form rippling. “Look, this is hard for me to say. And if I'm wrong—” His voice echoed, muffling as it plunged into obscurity.

His eyes lifted, reaching for hers through the mist. Her lips parted to reply, but no words came. The space between them snapped as their foreheads touched. Unable to complete the thought, he sighed heavily, his hand weaving deep into her hair to pull her closer. As if resisting his thoughts, his eyes closed. His voice wavering as fingers threaded with urgency. “Tell me to go… and I'll go.”

Suddenly, Eluvianna’s eyes snapped open. Her reflexes took over as she squinted, light glaring through the room’s parted drapes. The dream whimpered, clawing with desperation, a futile plea for her return.

“Ughh…” She groaned, lifting the back of her hand to her brow. Propping herself up on her elbows, the bedsheets twisted around her, she glanced around, half-expecting him to be there. But as reality settled in, the dream released her.

[eluviannaa]

May Writing Challenge, Day 5

Restless/Faith

Faran and Liora stood before the threshold of the Sanctum’s quarters. For an eternity, close, lost in each other's eyes. Quiet breaths. A dim corridor their only witness.

Faran’s head bowed. He waited. Then, stepped closer, easing open the door behind her. The gust catching the ends of his auburn hair.

A question—reverence and restraint.

Liora rounded his fingers to her cheek with care. Another, palm to a heart beneath plate.

An answer—steady as her hand.

Through a rise of windows, Dalaran's shadows had already slipped inside, noting faceless armatures, attentive in darkness and ceremonial armor. A pair of simple beds mirrored the space. A rare moment in Taelan’s absence.

There had been leisurely steps through the gardens that night. And a knight's hand offered to elven grace at the dormitory steps. A boldness that found no hesitation.

—at the edge of a divan, their hands entwined in the half-light.

“Is it true what they say about paladins? That your vows of virtue extend even to the art of conversation—as chaste as sanctum devotions?”

Faran brushed her cheek with a gloved hand. He had thought of her often. And now, so close. An unreality he would gladly entertain with veiled words.

“Indeed. But it is within these devotions that truth is found.”

“Unless,” he leaned closer, intrigue threading his voice, “you intend to lead this one astray?”

She met the gesture with the same mischief that had led him to this very moment.

“Even a darkened path cannot tempt the truly faithful. I only wish to know the shape of your resolve—where the Light’s virtue does not reach.”

He touched a pauldron, attention steady to her. Breath finding restraint as he unclasped it.

“To walk in shadow without fear,” he said, “one must trust they will be brought back to the Light. Even amidst temptation.”

He set the armor aside. Meaning coiled between them—something earnest. Something decided.

“And yet,” she whispered, “the shadows eagerly pursue all who wander freely with such curiosity.”

Slipping her cloak from a shoulder, she drew him closer once more with a knowing smile.

“With nary a sword or shield.”

@daily-writing-challenge

Just a little sidequest drabble with characters from Umbral.

[eluviannaa]

What was your main source of inspiration for Elu?

Ooh, I love this! There's so much, definitely had to take a minute to think back here. Two things:

Paladins—Even before I rp'd, being on Wyrmrest, I would always get whispers from paladins while afking in Boralus. I wanted to play into it and came up with this whole rival lore. It started as a joke but became a HUGE story beat for her e.g. Taelan and his corruption.

Dragon Age—Probably the biggest inspiration was from one of my favorite moments in Inquisition.

There's some dialogue with Leliana where you're asking about her relationship with Justinia. I think I actually died when I read this, and basically wrote the story for Umbral entirely around it, but for Elu and @zevendra.

Then, everything else just came from making that work, leaning into Void stuff, and really enjoying archaeology in game. Maybe even the Rejection of the Gift cinematic with X'era and Illidan. Also, Taelan is 100% Cullen vibes.

But, my heart...

Player: “Were you more than friends?”

“Was there something more than friendship between you?”

Leliana: “You’re asking if we were lovers. Typical. I was devoted to her, therefore it must be romantic. Love is common. Love is simple. My bond with Justinia was something greater. She was a sister, a mother, a teacher. So to answer your question: Yes, it was more than friendship.”

Thank you for the ask @losseignol!!

[eluviannaa]

February Writing Challenge, Day 6

Annoy/Holiday

The note was waiting for her, affixed to the door by a single, slightly bent tack. Eluvianna paused, brow arching as she plucked it free, attention lingering over a crude but earnest heart drawn in one corner.

She unfolded it, already smiling before taking in the words. The handwriting was bold, strokes deliberate...yet almost nervous. A poem—of sorts. A riddle, though not a particularly difficult one. Charming in its overdone sincerity. She exhaled a quiet laugh.

Her boots echoed along the stone as she made her way to the Hero’s Welcome. Even from the outside, the atmosphere was different—soft candlelight flickering against the windows.

Inside, the tavern had transformed. A single table set with roses and a modest spread of candles. The usual bustle now intimate, garish hearts and banners clashing slightly against rugged charm.

Taelan stood beside the table, poised, but restless—waiting, uncertain if she would come. Meeting her with a knowing glint, he straightened, hands clasped at his back.

“Ah, my humble verse has found your curiosity,” he said, voice lifting with a knightly flourish.

She stepped closer, both amused and taken.

With his usual gallantry, Taelan took her hand, a reverent kiss pressing to folded fingers, then guided her closer.

“And yet, poetry does no justice to this sight,” he whispered.

@dailywritingchallenge