Lyra
birdko
Profile
Lyra
About
Lyra was raised by her father, Rhylaun Zaura'hel, a Seldarine Drow and keeper of a shrine to Eilistraee in the Misty Forest. Her mother, Cassiopeia, was a human druid who travelled with her circle, but occasionaly visited them. She taught Lyra her first cantrips. Despite her acolyte background, Lyra never showed any divine gifts. This led her to idolize her mother and wish to become a druid like her.
When her mother's visits became less frequent and eventually stopped, Lyra set out to find her. Instead, she found her druidic circle mourning her loss at the hands of a necromantic cult of Myrkul. Lyra was initiated into the circle and trained with them to face her mother's killers and bring an end to this cult. Later, she left the circle to see the world, joining a party of adventurers. She grew fond of one of them, a tiefling paladin named Hadrian. However, when they were stocking up in Waterdeep for an escort mission headed to Baldur's Gate, Lyra got kidnapped by the Nautiloid and infected with a mindflayer tadpole.
During the journey to cure herself, she grew close to her companions, especially Shadowheart, Gale and Astarion. She journeyed to the Underdark for the first time, feeling oddly at home in her ancestors' place of origin. She was forced to face her fears of undeath and Myrkul, and successfully overcame them; in doing so, she rid the Shadow-Cursed Lands of their darkness, one of her proudest achievements. The Emperor, wearing Hadrian's face, tempted her to use illithid powers, but once she realised she was being deceived, she refused to follow his coercion any further.
Her relationship with Astarion blossomed from lies and mutually beneficial circumstances into real feelings over time. After Baldur's Gate was safe, they descended together into the Underdark, using the abandoned Arcane Tower as headquarters to guide the vampire spawn that survived. Lyra did not give up searching for a cure for Astarion. She returned to visit her father in search of possible leads, and investigated the history of drow and their sunlight sensitivity; in parallel, she kept in touch with Gale for any information on powerful spells that might help him. She continued to practice her druidic arts, becoming a powerful mage in her own right.
"All's well that ends... not as bad as it could have."
Combat
Lyra is a versatile fighter: she can control crowds with magic, tank damage in wildshape, act as a backup healer, and summon elementals.
Wildshape
Lyra can assume the shape of beasts and magical creatures - usually a bear, wolf or owlbear, or occasionally a myrmidon. Her beast forms always have white fur or feathers.
Mourning Frost Staff
Lyra's main spells often feature frost (Ray of Frost, Ice Storm, Ice Knife) or lightning (Call Lightning, Shocking Grasp), heightened by her staff.
Personality
Lyra makes a quiet first impression; she watches and listens more than she speaks, and may appear naive and easily swayed at first.
CALM | OPENMINDED | REFLECTIVE
She often becomes lost in thought and can have trouble staying focused. However, her patience and wisdom make her a good leader, especially as she grows more confident in her own decisionmaking. At first, though, she's rather indecisive and thus easily influenced by her companions.
Lyra is very non-judgemental by nature (sometimes making her too trusting), and she believes in giving others the freedom to decide their own path. Her insightfulness helps her give good guidance when needed. She's generally very guileless in her demeanor, so her deadpan nature makes the rare instances when she lies much more effective. She's awful at lying about her own feelings, though.
She can be very curious, and likes new experiences - she'll try everything once. She has an unexpected sense of humour, a more flexible moral compass than most would assume, and isn't afraid to spill some blood. After all, the ways of nature can be quite violent.
She's a very selfless person, prioritizing the needs of her companions over her own. Her self-sacrificing impulses can often be misguided, or even a subconscious justification for seeking power (i.e., being the only one to consume tadpoles because she didn’t want to risk anyone else if it turned out to be dangerous). Her saviour complex can become a blind spot in her moral compass.
Design Notes
- Hair is always a bit messy
- Right eye slightly duller than left
- Nose scar only after goblin camp
Likes
- The Underdark
- Frostkiss Ale
- Healthy doses of pain
Dislikes
- Loud or very bright spaces
- Judgemental people
- Squeamishness
Trivia
- Her epithets include True Soul, Faithwarden, One-Eyed, Peacebringer, Kin Spirit, and Life-Chanter.
- Her Intelligence score is actually her lowest (8), but the Circlet of Intellect she wears helps her focus her mind and brings it to second-highest.
- Lyra smells like the ingredients she uses in her potions: weavemoss, musk creeper petals, and a faint scent of animal fur.
- Jaheira reminds her of her mother (who was also a druid), so being called 'cub' by the older elf means a lot to her.
- Her face and neck tattoos were part of her druidic initiation rite.
