Tondra Leighlin

Tondra is very cool and collected, as she has had centuries to practice controlling her emotions. However, she holds an intense soft spot for upstart adventurers seeking to prove themselves, and has helped many a young person who had either stumbled across her home or sought her out intentionally. She is fiercely loyal to those she calls 'friend', and will go to the ends of Lore to protect them. She is normally difficult to rile up, but anything that reminds her of her past and the tragedy that befell her friends strikes a nerve that is very slow to calm.

STORY:

Tondra was born and raised in Willowshire, and from a young age displayed inklings of magic - energy magic, to be specific. As she got older, she pored over any books she could find on magic, trying to learn how to harness and control her powers. When she was thirteen, a wizard named Brump came through Willowshire. An excited Tondra sought him out and demonstrated her powers, and the old wizard was impressed enough to take her on as an apprentice.

Upon arriving in Swordhaven to begin her apprenticeship, Tondra met her fellow apprentices - Warlic, Alexander, and Jaania. Alex and Tondra quickly struck up a close friendship. Warlic seemed less interested in making friends, and was often hostile towards both of them. He and Alex constantly vied for Jaania's affections, while Jaania herself was always reading and studying, and was completely oblivious to the boys' feelings. Tondra unfailingly took Alex's side in their conflicts, and had no qualms about helping him humiliate the other boy. Unfortunately, the rivalry soon spiraled out of control. The boys secretly planned an epic duel in the basement of Brump's tower, and Tondra helped Alex to master a particularly difficult ice spell, doing everything in her power to make sure he was able to reverse its effects.

But the duel went horribly wrong.

Warlic's natural fire magic flared out of his control as he shielded himself from Alex's spell. The fire consumed Alex's head, setting it aflame. His ice spell hit Jaania, who had come to try and stop the duel, and for her efforts, she was trapped in an unbreakable ice crystal. Tondra, who had arrived with Jaania, could only stand by in horror as Warlic enchanted the fire to heal Alex, but the damage was already done, and the constant pain began driving him insane. She tried to destroy the ice with the strongest energy bolt she could muster, but it was useless. She angrily blamed Warlic for everything as she and Alex fled the building, and she swore that she would do everything in her power to help her friends.

Book 1: The Elemental Orbs
Over 200 years after the horrific duel, Tondra is still searching for something that can help Alex, who is now calling himself Xan. She has not truly forgiven Warlic for his role in Xan and Jaania's fate, and she still deeply resents him for his role in the tragedy. However, her anger has cooled off enough to allow occasional cooperation between the two. She has taken up residence in Surewood Forest, and she aids young adventurers who manage to stumble across her home.

Book 2: Elemental Dissonance
Despite the great victory that has been achieved, all is not well in Lore. The elements have been thrown into chaos due to the destruction of the Orbs, and Warlic has gone missing. Rifts begin appearing across the land, and a strange race called the Atealans arrive, seeking shelter and aid. However, they are not alone. Fire creatures known as Infernals follow them through and begin wreaking havoc. Soon, the one that the Atealans are fleeing from, the tyrant king Wargoth, crosses over as well, appropriating Xan's lair and taking Xan himself prisoner. To combat this new threat, Tondra, along with Arima and Aegis, work closely with a small group of Atealans: the Ascendant Isiri, the Riftwalker Alz'ein, and the Cryptics Nirios and Etaos.

Wargoth possesses an Atealan named Veyla to use as his general, and eventually manages to possess the Fire Avatar Fiamme herself. Once defeated and freed, Fiamme tells the group that Warlic is their only hope of defeating Wargoth. Tondra refuses to accept this, as not only has Warlic been missing since the elemental dissonance began, but she does not like the idea of the world's fate being in his hands. The Atealans offer an alternative - the Professor, a man who helped them escape their homeworld of Somorah when Wargoth attacked. Tondra, Arima, and Aegis find him hiding in the Deadlands. They also find Konnan, who has somehow survived both falling into lava and being tortured by Sepulchure, and is now working as the Professor's apprentice.

Book 3: The End of Magic

EXTRA:

• At some point in her past, she was hit with an experimental time potion that stretched out her lifespan by an indeterminate number of years, which is why she still looks young despite being over two centuries old.