**Full Name:** Syllin Elanari **Race:** Elf (High Elf ancestry) **Age:** 13 (at introduction, appearing younger due to her frail and innocent demeanor) **Campaign:** The Crimson Blade **Region:** Ruins of Gor'Karn, Gray Thicket (Continent of [[Karudasos]]) --- ### **Appearance:** Syllin is a strikingly beautiful young elf with **long, flowing blonde hair** that catches the light like strands of sunlight. Her eyes are **piercing blue**, deep with sorrow and quiet curiosity. She possesses the kind of ethereal beauty elves are known for, but hers is marred by haunting trauma and loss. Her face is **youthful and angelic**, but often weary, and her clothing is simple, typically chosen to keep her identity hidden. After the incident with [[Tarnik]], she often wears **a mask or hood**, keeping her features obscured. --- ### **Personality:** Syllin is **gentle**, **softspoken**, and carries a heart-wrenching **innocence** despite all she has witnessed. She speaks rarely and chooses her words with care. Her compassion runs deep, especially toward those in pain. Though timid by nature, she displays **occasional moments of bravery**, especially when [[Grom]] or [[Cub]] are threatened. She is quietly loyal and emotionally intelligent, often comforting others with subtle gestures or a few well-timed words. Her growing affection toward [[Grom]] is tender and layered with emotional complexity, especially after she **sacrificed her soul to bring him back from death**. Her bond with [[Cub]] is more akin to familial trust. --- ### **Past:** Syllin was born to **Lareth and Maelen Elanari**, humble elven farmers who lived in a peaceful, hidden valley nestled deep within the **Ketaca Forest** in **[[Karudasos]]**. Her family was known for their herbal remedies, which they occasionally traded with travelers. Her parents originally hailed from **Lialandra**, the elven continent, but were not simply fleeing its dangers—they were on a **spiritual pilgrimage**. Lareth, once a **scholar of elven lore**, uncovered ancient texts in the Vault of Aevirith that spoke of a mystical place across the sea: **a “Veiled Grove” untouched by war, where the Moonflower blossoms under [[Laurel|Lerithal]]’s gaze.”** Maelen, a **weaver and priestess of [[Laurel|Lerithal]] ([[Laurel]])**, received visions affirming the grove’s reality. Despite warnings, they crossed the ocean to [[Karudasos]] and followed divine signs to the **Ketaca Forest**, an ancient grove believed to be blessed by [[Laurel|Lerithal]] herself. Long forgotten, it had once been visited by elven pilgrims seeking divine communion. There, they built a quiet life, believing they had found sacred sanctuary. Syllin was born in this enchanted woodland, **"touched by the silver breath of the Moonflower,"** as the priestesses said in Lialandra—an omen of fate and sorrow. But the ancient wards protecting the forest had weakened over time. When the **Orc Kingdom expanded eastward**, they discovered the hidden valley. Lareth and Maelen were slain defending their daughter. Syllin, just a child, was taken in chains—destined to be used in a brutal rite. She was eventually chosen as part of a slave elf group used for the **Trial of Blood**—a deadly test for aspiring Chosen of [[Gonosh]]. --- ### **The Crimson Blade & The Trial:** During the second trial of The Crimson Blade, Syllin was brought out with other slaves to be slaughtered as a test of ruthlessness. While the others fought, Syllin was frozen in terror. **[[Tarnik]] demanded her death**, seeing hesitation as weakness. But **[[Grom]] and [[Cub]] intervened**, concocting a desperate plan. [[Grom]] **slit her throat** in a way that appeared fatal, satisfying the trial's demand. However, **[[Cub]] used his magic to stabilize her**, saving her life in secret. Since then, she has remained hidden within the group, masked and disguised as a servant or minor companion. She became especially close to [[Grom]] and [[Cub]] over time, forming a **deep emotional bond**. [[Grom]], though rough and brooding, became a figure of protection and comfort. [[Cub]], ever watchful, became her second lifeline. When [[Grom]] later fell in battle, **Syllin offered her soul in a dark pact to bring him back**, an act that now casts a heavy burden of guilt over him. --- **Current Status:** Syllin no longer walks among the living. After sacrificing her soul to [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death]], to resurrect [[Grom]], her fate was sealed. When Syllin died during the Ruins of Gor'Karn arc (taken by the Hexa mist and killed, confirming her damnation), her soul descended immediately to the Nine Hells as payment for the bargain she made. **Her Torment:** Syllin now suffers eternal damnation in the Nine Hells. [[Grom]] witnessed her fate during his own death experience—saw her screaming in agony, her body engulfed in flames both outside and within. Fire burns through her from the inside out, her ribcage visible when the flames flare. Her bare form is torn apart repeatedly by demons, skin ripped and shredded, only to be restored so the torment can begin again. This is the price she paid willingly to bring [[Grom]] back from death. **Impact on the Living:** [[Grom]] carries crushing guilt for Syllin's sacrifice. He experiences psychological triggers whenever he smells burning flesh (vivid flashbacks to witnessing her torment) and feels overwhelming guilt whenever he remembers her trust in him. [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]] herself appeared to [[Grom]] during his death and warned him that his pride and recklessness directly led to Syllin's eternal suffering—a burden he must now carry for the rest of his days. **The Unanswered Hope:** [[Grom]] possesses [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]]'s crystallized tear, obtained from freeing Sela's spirit in Gor'Karn. Whether this divine artifact might somehow be used to bargain for Syllin's soul or alleviate her suffering remains unknown. For now, the innocent elf who showed mercy and love to a world that gave her only cruelty burns endlessly in the Hells—a saint damned for an act of selfless love. --- **Legacy and Mystery:** The Moonflower omen that marked her birth in the sacred Veiled Grove may have foreshadowed this very fate—not sainthood in life, but eternal sacrifice in death. Whether her bloodline carries echoes of elven prophecy now matters little to her tortured soul. Syllin's story became one of the most tragic in the Crimson Blade's history: a child of light who descended willingly into darkness to save another, and whose screams now echo through the Nine Hells as a reminder of love's most terrible cost. ### **Legacy and Mystery:** Unbeknownst to many, Syllin’s bloodline may carry echoes of **old elven prophecy** from Lialandra. The Moonflower omen linked to her birth may point to a greater role in the unfolding fate of the world. Whether she is destined for sainthood, sacrifice, or sorrow—only time will tell.