(PLEASE NOTE: I am brand new, and this will probably show some ignorance to various things. I'm not trolling, I legit have only the wiki and "generic Tolkien Fantasy" lore to write this with. This backstory is secondary; I'd be willing to take one someone else wrote).
Lyra was born to the Fanalla family, in the land of Haelun'or, as a mali'aheral. At present, she is their only child. Her parents where fairly standard as far as parents go, if a little hands-off. She preferred to spend her spare time in the family study, first insisting that her parents read to her, then reading by herself. She quickly learned while reading that there was always more to the story, and a book had to be finished before you could make an opinion. She later was taught by her parents how to cook, but she struggled. Her mother was convinced that cooking may simply be a skill she may never learn, but Lyra was convinced that this wasn't the end of the book, as all her fairy tail books had happy endings if you kept going. Two years later, she was able to place an edible meal on the table for her parents and friends. She eventually learned that not all stories end happily, but she kept the motto "I'll rest when I'm dead."
Her education came from an elf approaching her sixth century in age, whom lived on a distant estate and taught nearby children. Her friend group included the sparse few children whom were also were taught there. This included a quiet girl whose family was secretly a devout Canonist, a fearless boy who yearned to become a hunter of monsters, a flirty girl who was obsessed with fashion and boys, a pair of spoiled troublemaker twins, an older girl whom was a bit of a bully, and an older boy who was a wizard's apprentice and was also her crush. She spent hours listening to him going on and on about complex theories about magic (no she does not start knowing about magic other than it exists). Little did either of them know that this "wizard" was a fraud, who was more skilled in stage tricks than actual magic.
Later, when she was twelve, her parents moved to a large city due to the failing health of a distant and respected relative. The most important part of this to Lyra is that it put her within walking distance of The Eternal Library, and being a mali'aheral meant she was allowed to visit. There, she indulged herself on books (at least ones that she didn't need a library card for) of the full world, and she realized just how small her world had been thus far. Here began her desire to travel and see more of the world. After two weeks in the city, the relative passed away, and the funeral was conducted. There, from the crowd, she saw the person whom would truly inspire her to seek magic. Iatrilemar Elervathar had personally attended the funeral to give some words for the deceased. Afterwards, she heard rumors from the fellow attendees about his legends, and began to research more on his works. The boy from back home whom knew such little magic was soon forgotten as she dove into Iat's stories and the magic he weaved. Her mild interest turned into a fury as she discovered that the "wizard" that her friend spoke of was a fake, then fascination as she realized the barest beginnings of magic. Even after earning a Library card, she was denied access to any books that actually described magic and how to perform it due to her age, so she tried to learn as much as she could on famous magicians and the people who used it.
Her studies had not gone un-noticed. The Library curator suggested she travel the world for a year or two, and when she turned 15 her parents agreed, so she left Haelun'or to go sight seeing. Her travels led her to visit the markets of Setica, packed between mesas. The high walls of Providence in the Orenian Empire, with it's steeples and grand estates. The ancient trees and mystical plants that made up the homes of the Druidic Order. The crowded city of brick and color that is Haense. And finally, she visited the fertile town of Elysium, a haven in the frigid and hardy Norland. In all her travels, she learned the local legends, enjoyed the scenery, and tried the sweetest pasteries they offered. And as always, she relentlessly pursued any knowledge on magic she could find, only to turn up empty handed. Possibly due to her age, or perhaps due to her being a stranger. When she returned to Haelun'or, she threw herself back into her studies. What truly drove her studious nature into an obsession was that she began to treat her research as escapism.
For a problem that was slowly becoming evident had become obvious by her four month travels. She had stopped growing, and was short. Very short. Just over 5 feet tall would be short for a human adult female, let alone an elf. Her parents scrambled to prove their pure lineage, or figure out if she was sick. The sad truth was it was no disease, curse, or heritage problem; she was simply unlucky enough to get a bad genetic mutation. Lyra, for once, had a problem she will likely never fully learn or solve through sheer determination. Although she did start wearing shoes and boots that made her look taller.
High Elf culture shunned impure blood, and what was an elf as tall as a human to indicate of her heritage? Lyra began to worry that she may bring shame to her parents. The curator said they wouldn't revoke her Library card, but advised avoiding the other patrons and visiting when it wasn't crowded. Her response became chaotic, and from all directions. Even as she began to grow defensive of her height and pure mali heritage, her hidden opinion on the supremecy of mali'aheral turned from indifferent to disgust, yet also she began to hide her ears beneath her hair to try and appear less elven at all. One minute she's trying to prove her pure-blood, the next she's lamenting elven culture, but the whole time her wanderlust always grew ever stronger. Finally, when she turned 18, she decided to strike out on her own, before something happened, such as a visit from someone with the Okariran. She declared that she was going off to earn a tuition to The Eternal College, and she would not burden her parents with the cost. It was not a lie, but only if she did not learn magic somewhere else first.
Thus begins the story of Lyra Fanalla....
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Lyra turns to look at the gentleman, and pinches her dress for a curtsy. "Thank you, sir. I am welcome. And I come seeking to learn."
"Learn what?"
"What I can." Lyra glances away from the man at the city before continuing. "I am a child, at least as far as us Elves are concerned. I'm at the point of independence, yes, but still a child. I am ignorant to the world, and wish to change that."
The man nods "Never met an Elf younger than fifteen, that explains your height."
He clearly did not have ill intent but Lyra's head snaps back to him with a glare. "Oi! I'm eighteen." She said haughtily.
The man holds up his hands, momentarily having a look of surprise. "My bad, I assumed you were younger than that if you were still a child."
Lyra slowly dropped her glare. "Well there's a saying about assumptions. And to an Elf, anything younger than fifty is still a child."
"You don't say? I once talked to an Orphanage-a mostly human one-that raised an Elf, and they said they grew up at the same rate."
Thankful for the distraction, Lyra and the man continued on to exchange Elven and Human customs before Lyra suddenly cut off mid-sentence.
"Is....is there a bakery stand at that bazaar?"
"Yes! Locals sell their baked goods at the bazaar, and many foreign traders cook leftover food that would perish during their next trip."
Lyra was already running off toward the bazaar, in search of the irresistible smell.
A short while later, Lyra was walking next to the man, with a basket full of steaming hot pasteries. She happily munched on them as she listened to the man give her the tour of the city.
"Whuzzut?" She asked, mouth full, as she pointed to a large tower that was predominantly placed near the center of town.
"That's the library. I imagine you may enjoy yourself there. It may not compare to some of the Grand Libraries from where you come from, but it's very impressive to us. There's also a greenhouse and an observatory on the top, although it's hard to see from here."
She gulped. "And that?" She pointed to a large Cathedral.
"A Cathedral, for worshipping....actually, aren't Elves materialistic?"
"Wub bo wu meah?" She gulped again. "What do you mean?"
"I'm under the impression that Elves don't worship deities."
"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean we....we....d-d-d-d-dism-m-iss sp...spirits."
Lyra had noticed that a downward descending staircase alongside the side of the Cathedral had a sign next to it that read 'Crypt'. The man had not noticed where she looked before she looked straight ahead, and quickly maneuvered herself so that the man was between her and the Cathedral. She cleared her throat.
"So, do you worship the dead to....appease them?"
"Oh no-no-no, we don't worship ancestors here, we worship..." The man gave a brief rundown of the local faith while Lyra returned to munching.
They passed through an archway into a mess of houses with the bottom floor walls removed. Anvils, forges, open crucibles, cooling vats, and overflowing wheelbarrows littered every corner. The sound of hammering on anvils, the whooshing wind of bellows, and orders being shouted filled the air.
"This is way more gritty than anything back home. But it seems way more efficient than how elves build smithies." Lyra exclaimed as she looked around the Smithy District.
"Well if you don't mind getting covered in charcoal soot and sweat, it's effective. Although the dwarves beat us with their open lava forges. It's a good trade to learn; you'll never be out of a job. Although elves prefer archery, don't they?"
Lyra stayed quiet.
"Up here is the barracks, across the street from the armory. Soldiers who don't have a home in the city stay there. Sometimes they train there, sometimes they train elsewhere. Mercenaries are also required to stay there by law. Mercenary work might be good for you if you can fight."
"I can use a sword."
"Not a bow?"
"I WANT to learn how to use a bow, but if I can't lift my eighty pound bed, how am I supposed to fire a short bow with a draw strength of a hundred pounds? Let alone a longbow."
"Fair enough" the man nodded. "A sword has little muscle requirement."
"But I'm not giving up on the bow yet. You can earn more muscles, after all."
The man watched her scarf down a cookie immediately after saying this and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"Perhaps you should look at learning some magic. It's possible you don't need muscles for that."
Lyra looked up at the building around her. "I want to, but no elf would teach magic to a child. And I doubt any local teachers would teach a stranger. Magic is rare, and the last thing you want is to give unspeakable weapons to a future enemy. By any chance, do you know local magic teachers?"
The man nods. "Of course I know them. I know many powerful people in the city."
Lyra began to wonder if the man was befriending her because she was particularly well-dressed and the only elf on her ship.
The man showed her to a 'most trustworthy inn' and bid farewell.
As she sat in a wooden chair on her balcony, she stared off into the starlit sky, pondering what she should do now that she was truly alone. Most likely study, perhaps simply take some time and travel around, and figure out what she wanted to do. Perhaps find a problem to fix. She briefly considered focusing on making friends, before she suddenly realized something.
"I never asked him his name!"
(Note here: Outfit on Alex model (see below) not final, I make all skins myself and while the skin I picked works, I haven't changed the outfit from a vaguely mid-renaissance fantasy marching uniform, which is probably not what High Elves usually wear when they travel). Her eyes are purple, and the wiki says that elven eye color is bright when they're young and grows darker with age, and since Lyra is very young to reflect how new I am, I made them bright but they may be a bit too bright. I went as-is until I get feedback on those details. Naturally, I am welcome to making changes to it.)
(EDIT: I've been using my waiting period to make better outfits and make further changes at the suggestions of a ST member. Although I have a few outfits prepared, I can only load one image down below. They said they thought the outfit worked, but I'm still not convinced and I am amendable to making changes, or scrapping it in favor of the newer ones.)
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