The Feral Hermit

Character name: Liraei Roden
Alias: Li, Little Li (both by mother, personal)
Gender: Female
Age: 28
Race: Worgen
Class: Feral Druid
Birth region: Gilneas
Specific area/town: Northgate Woods
Family: Mother Nallein Roden, Father Feldorn Roden, Grandmother Sael Roden
Known friends or enemies: Landren Tensil of Gilneas (friend to family, father's comrade, whereabouts unknown)

Personality and Description:

Her personality is positive at it's core. She's fair, loyal, generous, naive at times. She likes to talk, can be quite cheerful and pull random jokes. The past falls upon her at times, rendering her less open and rather pessimistic. Her way of talking varies depended on these moods. She has a close relation to animals and nature's lore since her youth. She proceeded her studies despite the family tragedy. She usually doesn't show in her worgen form, for the curse was often a subject for offense, thus making her feel somewhat ashamed.


(these are also used in-game as first glances)
Worn Outfit
Her outfit looks like it has seen better times, yet it also looks regularly maintained... for what it's worth...
Harmless Look
She doesn't look like much of a challenge... but then, she doesn't look like she would challenge anyone in the first place.
Weary of the Past
When she is not smiling or telling jokes, there is a great pain in her empty stare...
Some things are better left unspoken of.
Engraving of Roden
The sturdier parts of her armor are covered in engravement. The text is in common alphabet, but the words seem alien to most.
Light Footed
Not just one wondered in past
"When did she come here?"

History: (if you don't mind a bit of reading that is...)

Liraei was born to a druidic family of Roden, a family which specialized in growth and restoration ever since. Her mother was studied druid, wise and kind woman. She held her daughter dear above all else and always seen her as a spark in her lone days. Seeing Liraei grow and learn so fast made her swell with pride.
Liraei's father slipped off the deeper druidic ways and joined Gilnean army at fairly young age. His healing abilities were basic, but the thing he quickly became excellent at were mathematics and mechanics. He soon earned his place as engineer of 3rd  regiment of Gilneas. The druidic families did not approve of the course his life took, but his wife Nallein paid them no heed, for Feldorn was a good man at heart.
With father often away on expeditions or travels, Liraei grown up mostly with her mother. But growth and restoration did not appeal her, like it did the others. She observed and studied animals on her own accord. Her time devoted to them was increasing for the cost of neglecting the ancestral arts of the family. Her mother did not see a reason to rebuke young druid, she was happy to see her improve in a different way. Young Liraei often asked mother on her trips to the city to bring her various books about animals from the library. One day, at age of seven, her mother brought her a very uncommon book. The book looked well preserved, almost as if noone ever took it out of the shelf. "Teachings of the Wild" the book was called. It explained throughly to a druid, the predatory ways of the nature and their ancient link to us. It even explained to one, how to become part of these ways first hand. Since that day, Liraei learned and practiced those ways daily.

Three years have passed.

On the day of her father's return from yet another expedition, she insisted on going to woods early as it was her custom. Mother did not object, for she have seen that what Liraei does brings her true happiness. She thought to herself that it would also be unusual for her to miss such a rare occasion like the father's return was.
Past weeks Liraei was getting closer and closer to achieving her goal. On this day, she spent whole morning in practice of shapeshifting. After morning came the noon. After noon afternoon. The cold winds blew through the dark woods, shimmering leaves and disturbing branches. The noise of a forest was hardly of any disturbance to her, for she could feel her goal almost in her grasp. With her eyes closed, Liraei focused to the peak of her ability. She could feel warmth swell inside of her heart... no... through the whole body... It felt as if it spread in an instant as her limbs tensed and with a sharp and sudden convulsion retracted closer to body. She let out a loud scream but halfway through it became a wild feline roar. The bones and flesh reformed, thick coat of fur errupted from beneath the skin and the young one found herself overhelmed by sharp sounds and intense odors. Feeling the wet, mossy ground beneath her four legs, she stiffened in surprise. Sudden feeling of realization was followed by relief and unrestrainable joy. The world slowly turned back to it's rich colors as she shifted back to her true form. She felt uneasy at first, the change was too much. After catching her breath, smile stretched across her face. Then she ran. Fast and restlessly until she reached the clearing where their house was. She called out towards the house excitedly "Mother! Mother, I did it!".
She was brought to a sudden stop, her feet digging into the grass.
The doors... cracked open...
Father's horse Cieren... wandering aimlessly around the clearing with it's saddle hanging by it's side... The air carried an unearthy stench.
Biting her lip, Liraei walked towards the house with fear in her eyes. Upon reaching the broken doors, she stepped over the splinters and broken pots, into the house.
Blood in her veins froze at the scene before her.
The broken female body layed limp upon the bloodied floorboards. Wide cut decorated her mother's chest, her eyes staring into the otherworld. Bloodied blade lay aside her, looking too familiar...
"F... Father?.." she gasped, shifting her sight upwards. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she seen armored figure leaning towards the wall. Periodical thumps of skull against the bricks were disturbing the deathly silence.
Sharp flash, followed by a loud crackle filled the room from the outside, setting light to his pale... dead face...
Scream of terror left Liraei's mouth as she ran out into the rain. She ran. Ran far and fast, refusing reality of the situation. She ran through forest, by countless trees until at last her legs failed her and she collapsed into mud near the road.
Hear breathing was fast, her sight blurry... darkness crawled into her vision from all sides...

Darkness...

Her eyes shot open with a scream as she quickly seated up. A bed..? A room?
She quickly looked around and found a familiar kind face of her grandmother Sael. She reached out for Liraei, calmingly combing her fiery hair with her crooked fingers.

In due time, the facts behind her tragedy were revealed to Liraei.
3rd Regiment in which Feldorn had served, encountered a strange delegation of undead. They struck them down with surprising ease and proceeded in their expedition, further uncontested. After their return home though, each of the soldiers who slew but a single of the undead clerics met his grim fate.

Upcoming years didn't weight lightly upon Liraei. After Sael's passing seven years later, she sold the properties and retreated from society. Spending her time in solitude, roaming the forests, trying to forget what happened. The vision was seared into her memory, ever invoking regret and helplessness when the mind was not sufficiently occupied. Her whole world was shattered before her in one foul swoop.

The days passed, they filled weeks... months... years...

Time never fully mended her wounds but Liraei felt increasingly drawn back to her people. Eventually, she travelled south to the city of Gilneas. Strange rumors reached her, but she couldn't bring herself to worry about so muddy facts of a threat.
Her last link to the old world, Landren of Gilneas, Feldorn's dear friend and comrade was living in the city... after all the years she could still recall his face.
After few days of travel she arrived to the city at night. Beautiful architecture and decorated streets were lit up by ornamented braziers sewn across the walkways. The hour was not favourable and her body exhausted. She rode through the streets searching for a resting place. After arriving upon what seemed to be a tavern of sorts, she leashed Cieren to one of few poles serving this purpose and proceeded through the doorway.
The bartender was more than happy to offer her a room upstairs... for a price that would make most more than happy...
Liraei followed the man's directions towards her room. It was tidy, clean and smelled pleasantly of aromatic reagents. Silky curtains, sheets and pillows... Ornamented ebony table, chair and chandeliers. The room looked like a work of art more than a simple tavern lair. The price? Still a bit too high she thought, but then Gilneans try to have only the best for themselves and the poor hardly use city services.
After a moment of aesthetic sensation, she collapsed on the soft bed, closing her eyes. The dym light of a moon pierced through the decorative grating of the window, falling upon her eyelids. The visions came back to her..  ever so often...
After a moment she drifted away...

Screams.. hasty, heavy footsteps... ?
Liraei jumped out of the bed in surprise and ran across the room to the doors. She listened.
The sound of fighting and pain echoed through the lower tavern. But that was hardly the whole story. The once calm and dym moonlight was overcame by dancing, devilish orange light coming from the streets. She dashed to the window...
Destruction, fire, smoke... Battalions of Gilnean soldiers hurrying through the streets, when suddenly a sound of running and a fierce voice came from below the doors, clearly breaking things on the rushed way.
"...it's getting away! Stop it!!"
The doors flewn aside with a loud noise, shattered... swarm of splinters filled the room and through them a wild and monstrous creature leapt through the room and towards Liraei. Knocking her aside in selfless attempt to escape, the creature left several cuts and bruises upon her before leaping once again, out of the window.
The armored figure of a soldier rushed in a moment too late. His sword was bloodied and his armor battered. He threw his weapon to the floor and roared out in anger "Foul beasts! Hellfire take you!".
Shortly after, two more soldiers walked into the room, one of them noticed Liraei laying aside and headed her way. He took his helmet off, his long, bleached hair dropped around his shoulders. He analized Liraei's state and smiled before stating calmly "Few bruises never killed anyone... get your bearings.". He stood up and walked back to his comrades. They exchanged few lines and directions before departing.
Liraei was left in confusion, looking at her bloodied arm she tried to compress the sudden turn of events. After a moment she stood up and walked towards the exit. The once majestic place, filled with jokes and endless babbling was left desolate. Furniture broken, tapestries scattered and torn... blood and death around the floor. She ran outside, this part of the city appeared to be somewhat secured. Her horse, still leashed to the very pole. Not much time have passed since she was walking past the cheerful lot who were enjoying their last drinks. She untied the rope and got on the dark animal's back, riding to where the soldiers were headed. The wound on her arm was pulsing with pain, yet it looked like an ordinary cut. She paid it no heed as they approached the barricade, manned by soldiers and civilians alike.
"You with the horse!" a rough male voice called towards her. She turned hear head to the soldier in richly decorated plate as he ran closer to her and pushed a scroll in her hand. "Take this to the manor west of here, just the way you came... It has to reach the mayor quickly!" He stopped, his eyes full of despair and sadness... what could be so strong to put such a man in this state?
Liraei nodded sharply in agreement and kicked Cieren's side, they bolted towards the mansion. Strange howls carried through the dark, cold night... One could see monstrous shades leap from rooftop to rooftop in the silver moonlight. The blasts of cannons and rifles were persistent and unfaltering.
The pain.. increasingly harder and harder to bear... Her right arm felt... stiff... The wound seemed to darken and the dark seemed to spread over the skin...
After passing several streets, after the final turn they were finally closing in on the manor. Upon arriving, the guards at the gate seemed unlikely to let Liraei pass at first.
"I bring a letter for the mayor from the southern barricade." she clarified.
The guards shared a look and seemingly agreed upon letting the girl pass. She galloped towards the entrance, upon which she jumped down onto the cobblestone and ran through the large doors. The mayor was engaged in fierce conversation with another grey haired figure of clearly high status. Liraei couldn't recognize the figure from behind, but mayor clearly noticed her arrival.
"What business have you here, lady? This is not the right time!" said the nervous, old mayor.
She walked closer, raising the letter towards him with her left arm. She was hardly able to maintain balance, the world was spinning... the pain... unbearable... the mind screaming in unfamiliar manner...
She could see mayor unwrap the scroll and his eyes running from word to word. His face paled as he read through it. He looked back at Liraei, she could see his lips move, she could see the questioning expression... but there were no words... only the savage screams in her head, her world spun harder than before, her knees gave up on the weight of the body and then she fell.

Strangeness... Filling the world...
Light..? Dark..?
The strange vision seemed selfless, as if she was looking at world through thick fog behind which one could only differ day from night at best...
Sounds? Dull... muted... the numbness of this state felt like sleep... only you could not wake up despite the loud sounds... light... voices...
Voices..? The muted, senseless mumbling was all too familiar.
"... her... until.... administer..."
Words..?
The sudden realization of restraint made Liraei's mind errup into resistance. She fought the muddy vision, the numb hearing and selflessness... The fog shifted, the sounds were clearer... The words recognizeable...
"Alright, looks like another is going to make it." said a cold, rational female voice.
Liraei's vision was restored, she looked around to find people surrounding her... among them stood strange, wolf-like creatures... She tried to move but her arms were tied behind her back to the log. Anxiety and confusion swallowed her...
Her sight dropped lower, noticing the tattered clothes over a strange animal's body. It was nothing like the things of her studies... it felt.. out of control...
The nervousness seemed to shift from the gathering, at least slightly. The anticipating expressions and stares were turned into relief and smiles.
After a moment, woman came to her and asked her few questions. Upon answering, the woman cut Liraei loose and explained to her what had happened to Gilneas and it's people past months... The curse, all too real now, swallowed too many. Small portion was able to be recovered by skilled alchemists devoted to saving their comrades. What was left of the military, tried to fend off the undead attackers who assaulted the torn kingdom. Many lost their lives to undead in the upcoming months until the Night Elves fleet arrived to halt their ravaging. With their help, the surviving gilneans were able to escape their lost homeland. Many took refuge among the Elves, many scattered through the world searching for their purpose. The once proud and noble people were reduced to a group of survivors, carrying strange curse within them.
Liraei was no different.
She left Darnassus eventually and started to wander. From forest to forset, town to town until her travels brought her to the majestic city of Stormwind where she attempts to begin anew.


Things you may know about this character:
Not many, if any know anything about Liraei.
Mayhaps, a few Gilneans may recall the rumored Feral Druid who averted from classical studies of her house.

Things you may not know about this character:
The facts of the years Liraei spent in solitude are solely her knowledge. She haven't spoken of her memories to anyone, neither she maintained any lasting contact with outer world. The animals were of more company to her than humans most of her life.