Lily Nibelung

BIRTH

Lily's tale begins in the Shroud, where she was born to a woman named Cecilia Silverhair and her husband Kelvothan Nibelung. Lily was the second child of the pair, but her birth was destined to be the last. After Lily's birth, Cecilia's health rapidly declined and she passed away less than a turn after the birth.As a beloved conjurer of the Shroud, Cecilia's death was mourned by many, though none mourned her more than her husband Kelvothan, who took the loss profoundly. Left to raise his young son and new daughter alone, he threw himself into his work as a marshal of the Wood Wailers of Gridania. Though he raised his children as best as he could, he slowly turned into a cold, stoic man... having been robbed of the light of his life.

Lily's youth was spent amongst the trees and leaves of Gridania where she was often watched by her older brother, Jeruh, and her wet nurse Marielle. The former would play with his little sister at the edge of the woods, getting into all sorts of youthful misadventures while Marielle would take care of Lily's development and schooling.The Conjurer's guild also took particular interest in young Lily, though most believed this was obligation due to Cecilia's strong ties to the guild. Guildmaster E-Sumi-Yan would often visit the little girl, subtly testing her attunement to the elementals of the Shroud. While Lily demonstrated promising signs of talent, she was far too young to begin any sort of formal training.

When Lily was seven years of age, her older brother left to apprentice with the Wood Wailers proper, leaving the little girl alone for the first time in her life. Lonely and looking for friends to fill the gap left behind by her brother's absence, Lily turned to the forest creatures at the edge of the Shroud - finding more kinship with them than her fellow children. The little girl could often be found curled up asleep with small fauna and other docile woodland creatures near her.Isolated from the other kids, Lily found herself teased and bullied mercilessly. Her father - having thrown himself into his job - offered no respite, instead encouraging his daughter to toughen up. One day, things came to a head when a group of children found Lily with her animal friends and threw rocks at the 'animal girl'. Shielding the creatures with her body, the children were chased away by a flare of wild conjury the little girl managed to evoke in the moment.

At this time, E-Sumi-Yan appeared to Lily, gently becoming a source of guidance and gentle attention that little Lily needed at that moment in her life. For the next ten years, Lily learned to listen to the Elementals of the Shroud, becoming an able-bodied conjurer by the time she turned fifteen. Her talent was considerable, far beyond what any normal fifteen-year-old should be able to accomplish. Yet E-Sumi-Yan did not seem surprised by the revelation, instead urging his fellow colleagues to simply watch over and encourage Lily's growth.Lily had never stopped pining for her father's approval - something that she was ever short of gaining. In an attempt to garner Kelvothan's attention, Lily decided to cease her training in the conjurer's guild in favor of apprenticing with the Wood Wailers like her brother did. She enrolled as a recruit and after two years became a recruit in the militia organization.

Lily learned to wield a spear, throwing herself into her duty. As her brother and father had both favored the bow, Lily was bequeathed her family's namesake weapon - a spear known as the Nibelung. Stationed in the South Shroud, she was a passable talent with the Wood Wailers, learning to wield the Nibelung with decent aptitude. She had trouble connecting with the others in her regiment, however, as several of the other recruits were former children that used to tease her as a child. Nevertheless, she trained with them and worked hard to try and gain their trust.When Lily was 18, she was assigned to the Fifth Spears of Quarrymill and tasked with keeping the roads safe for travelers in the area. The area was relatively quiet during her tenure, and so Lily was offered plenty of time to walk the woodland trails and learn more about the woods about her - culminating a fascination with plants and alchemy that she still practices to this day.

One day, Lily's troop was sent on a mission to cull a group of antelopes that were rutting along the path and causing havoc. Lily and her companions engaged the creatures, with Lily being forced to skewer and slay one of the animals. The act so revolted her, that Lily fell to her knees, dropping her lance and weeping for the dying creature. Her action left her flank vulnerable, and another antelope broke through the ranks, gouging and gravely wounding the soldier to her right - a man named Arthro. Though Arthro would recover, he would never walk again.Lily received a reprimand from her commanding officer, but worse than that, word filtered back to her father on what had happened. Kelvothan denounced his daughter publicly, declaring her to be unfit for the Wood Wailers. It would prove to be the last time Lily raised her spear as a Wood Wailer, later resigning her commission and leaving the Shroud altogether.

With her father all but cutting off contact with her, Lily had little reason left to remain in the Shroud. Unable to withstand the looks of the villagers who had heard the tale, and with few friends in her corner, Lily left Gridania to find her fortune elsewhere. The young girl was woefully unprepared for the world at large - but what choice did she have?With few coins to her name, Lily departed Gridania. She would eventually find herself in a whole new world unlike anything she had ever seen before - the pirate city of Limsa Lominsa. She ended up finding work as a botanist and alchemist, utilizing the skills she had practiced in her time in the South Shroud. With few alchemists in the island city-state, Lily managed to secure a comfortable living, even earning enough to open her own little alchemy shoppe.

For the next several years, Lily would make a living for herself as an alchemist - primarily dealing in potions meant to aid the sailors of Limsa Lominsa. She created potions of water breathing, tinctures to cure hangovers, and other such conveniences that were ever in high demand in the pirate city. Few in the island city-state knew of her past and the few that did hardly cared. Lily managed to fit into the city-state better than she ever did Gridania.Despite her distance from the Shroud, Lily's talents in conjury only grew. She became known as a local healer - charging pittances for healing magics and becoming immensely popular with the locals for his kindness. As her popularity in the city-state grew, so too did her shyness as she learned to navigate a brand new challenge - being wanted.

Lily would eventually travel to new places as requests for her potions grew - and one fateful trip would take her into the desert city of Ul'dah. Here, the innocent woman had been commissioned for a variety of potions by an establishment she was unfamiliar with - a place known as the Whispered Wish. Making the journey to the place, Lily was both fascinated and horrified to learn that she was being commissioned by a brothel. The sheltered and beautiful young woman soon drew the attention of patrons and courtesans alike - it was not often such a pretty new face showed itself.At the Whispered Wish, Lily learned skills she had never had to practice before - socializing and navigating the attentions of others. Out of her element and socially stunted from her childhood, Lily stumbled... until she met the first person who would change her life for the better. A woman by the name of Elia Nelia.

Elia was a courtesan at the Whispered Wish, one known for her soft voice and gentle way of easing the most nervous of customers into the back rooms. After sensing Lily's difficulties, Elia took it upon herself to help develop the Hyur's social skills and ease her anxieties. What followed were many patient and careful nights of care. Elia taught Lily that it was okay to express herself... and it helped that Elia also harbored an innate talent for conjury that Lily shared.Slowly, Lily grew out of her shell with Elia's persistence and became a more confident woman - one able to express herself without lowering her eyes or being a wallflower. To this day, Elia and Lily remain the closest of friends and occasional lovers, Lily eternally grateful to Elia for helping her learn herself.

A frequent visitor of the Whispered Wish, Lily would make many lifelong friends there. With her new budding talent as a charismatic young woman, Lily found herself the center of attention more often than not. One day, Lily would be introduced to a captivating woman known as Zozola Zola. Newly-come to the Whispered Wish as a part-time courtesan and performer, Zozola and Lily struck up a conversation and connected instantly. Lily was drawn to Zozola's talent and ability, while Zozola found herself attracted to the beautiful Hyur's spirit. What followed were many, many nights spent together.Zozola's past eventually caught up with her, however. A distant relative of the infamous Lolorito, the lalafell's propensity for debauchery and disregarding her family's wishes caused her to garner Lolorito's disfavor. One day, Zozola simply disappeared from the Wish. Lily would later learn that Zozola had been taken by Lolorito and sentenced to hard labor in the far distant Gyr Abania - primarily in a family-owned salt mine. For many, their tale would end there... but Lily was unwilling to give up on her new lover.

Working together with Zozola's friend, Daerin, as well as another of Zozola's confidantes known as Lalamune, the trio would slowly come to learn what had happened to Zozola. While Lily had never been much of a fighter and perhaps did not truly understand the scope of the risk she was taking by making an enemy of Lolorito, she would make the trip to Gyr Abania with the others in a daring rescue.The worn Zozola was found being essentially worked to death in the salt mine by a brute of a man hired by Lolorito. What followed was an intense battle where Lily's talents would be tested. While others fought and bled against the man, Lily focused her efforts by utilizing her conjury to prevent the worst of injuries... as well as recover the battered Zozola's health. Thanks to the combined efforts of the group, Zozola was saved. Overwhelmed that Lily had undertaken such a risk to save her, Zozola and Lily became official lovers and partners.

In the years that followed, Lily, Lalamune, Daerin, and the others would travel together while spending their nights at the Wish and in each other's company. While the group would eventually take their leave of the Whispered Wish, it did not happen before countless adventures together had been undertaken.Through it all, the group remained close friends and companions - eventually forming an organization known as the Legatum Mysteria - dedicated to safeguarding the secrets of the star and further the collective interests of the individuals in the organization. Lily herself would eventually close her alchemy shoppe, relocating back to the Mysterium's headquarters in Gridania in order to further the group's goals. She was no longer afraid of the people in Gridania, nor her father - she knew she had companions who had her back.

The most profound adventure for Lily was sparked by a tragedy during an adventure. Daerin, now one of Lily's best friends, was killed by one of the Mysterium's enemies... a woman named Koyano. Koyano had also been involved in the abduction of Zozola at the behest of Lolorito. As Daerin's body lay sliced to ribbons by Koyano's magic, Lily's magic transcended their limits. Wielding an immense amount of conjury the likes of which she had never utilized before, Lily coaxed Daerin's spirit back from the Lifestream and mended her broken body. It was a miracle the likes of which none of her companions had ever seen before.The miracle began to spark a transformation with Lily - a metamorphosis of who the woman was and who she was meant to be. As the power manifested, Lily began to temporarily lose her memory... and eventually would become nearly comatose. Desperate for answers, her friends began exploring Lily's past. Contacting her father and then subsequently speaking with E-Sumi-Yan, the group learned the truth.

Lily's mother, Cecilia, had been transformed into a Pad'jal while pregnant with Lily. The subsequent birth had resulted in Lily - who was neither a true Pad'jal nor a regular Hyur any longer. She was something in-between... but a woman intrinsically tied to the Shroud and Elementals. Cecilia's transformation and Lily's birth had been no accident - it seemed that something else was at play, though E-Sumi-Yan was unsure of what that was. The massive toll of the transformation and birth is what had led to Cecilia's death. Fearing what this might mean for Lily, E-Sumi-Yan swore those that were present to secrecy: Kelvo'than and Lily's wet nurse, Marielle.Returning back to the Mysterium, the group discovered Lily being compelled to a site in Urth's Fount. There, the group witnessed the rise of a massive structure from the ground far into the sky - a structure that took Lily with it. Horrified, the group worked together to pursue and discovered none other than Marielle herself. Marielle - a duskwight of Gelmorra - had seen an opportunity to utilize Lily's dormant abilities to realize her ambition of bringing Gelmorra back to relevancy. What followed was a fight between Marielle as well as those she had partnered with - Koyano and a woman named Lazz. Though the party would eventually triumph, the subsequent explosion of the structure would knock the group out... and bring them face to face with divinity...

The group would awaken to see a red-haired woman floating before them - a woman that matched all depictions seen in Gridania. They were in the presence of divinity - the Matron of Gridania, Nophica, stood before them. Nophica would explain that Lily had a purpose to play - that she was to be reborn as a towering tree that once thrived in the Twelveswood before the Fourth Umbral Calamity of Fire... a tree known as Yggdrasil. Lily would need to be sacrificed so that the Shroud could usher in a new era of prosperity.The loss of Lily's agency sparked only outrage in Zozola, who promptly drew her weapon on the goddess. Zozola protested that to consign Lily to such a fate made her a wicked goddess, and that Lily's life was her own to decide. Rather than take offense at the Lalafell's impudence, Nophica was impressed. She struck a bargain - allowing Lily to live her life and that she would only become Yggdrasil when she passed away. Lily would become Nophica's Chosen, granted mastery over conjury in the Shroud, and would otherwise be allowed to live her life. Nophica warned the group that they must protect Lily at all costs, though the goddess would not elaborate on why.

With Lily's memories restored and the woman possessing new strength, Lily became one of the most talented healers in the Mysterium. Capable of mending the most grievous wounds, the Hyur became a staple of the organization - a beloved motherly figure to the entire Mysterium. Their bond strengthened by the adventure they had shared and the bond that had only grown since leaving the Wish, Zozola and Lily would later marry.Lily would frequently commune with Nophica through ritual and prayer, and for a time, the woman became a most devout priestess, heavily advocating for Nophica's worship and harbboring the utmost faith for the goddess. However, in recent times, Nophica has grown quiet - something Lily does not understand. Why would Nophica ask so much of her, and then refuse to answer her call? This would eventually lead to the second chapter of Lily's tale...

[WIP]

Standard

Marshal's Daughter - Lily is the daughter of Serpent Marshal Kelvothan Nibelung and his late wife Cecilia Nibelung. Kelvothan's opinion of his daughter is strained, and the two do not have a positive relationship. Some believe this stems from Lily's failed stint with the Wood Wailers, but others whisper it has to do with Cecilia's death.Vibrant Aether - Lily's aether is incredibly strong and potent. This enables the Hyur to perform feats of healing that others can only marvel at. On the downside however, this makes her an attractive target for those who covet such strong aether such as voidsent.

Hidden

Shackles in Obsidian - For a brief time, Lily's body was overtaken by a voidsent succubi known as Lydaea. Usurping the woman's free will and chaining her in a mental prison that took the form of an obsidian prison, Lydaea attempted to destroy and consume her friends. She was rescued by her lover Zozola and other members of the Mysterium before Lydaea's plans could come to fruition, but the mental trauma of the ordeal lingers. As a result, Lily bears a strong distrust and resentment towards anybody void-aligned.Miracle Worker - Lily witnessed the death of one of her best friends, a Viera named Daerin at the hands of a dark mage known as Koyano. In the moment, the trauma of the incident awakened a power within Lily that allowed her to call Daerin's soul back from the Lifestream and resurrect her. This incredible act was without precedent, but it also seemed to awaken something long dormant within the Hyur... a manifestation that would have dire consequence down the line.

Top Secret

Daughter of the Shroud - Lily's mother Cecilia was pregnant with Lily when she became a Padjal. This unprecedented moment was kept well hidden by the Padjali of Gridania for fear of the upheavel this would cause. When Cecilia gave birth, her health rapidly worsened and resulted in her death only a year after Lily was born. While Lily initially did not manifest Padjal traits, this changed after her miracle performed on her friend Daerin. Now she harbors a small pair of sprouting Padjal horns that she keeps well hidden beneath her hair. Though not a true transformed Padjal, Lily is nevertheless the product of one... and manifests many of their attributes.The Legend of Yggdra - Many centuries ago, there lived a priestess named Yggdra who worshipped the goddess Nophica. Aware of the danger of the imminent Third Umbral Calamity of Fire, Nophica would ask Yggdra to make the ultimate sacrifice and become the vessel for a great tree to protect the Shroud. Yggdra accepted the responsibility much to the chagrin of her lover Odin, and became the tree Yggdrasil with a fragment of Nophica's power... a massive tree that towered over even the largest trees in the Shroud. Odin, overcome with grief, made a pact with Nophica to protect this tree with his life... and became the immortal guardian of the Shroud.When the Third Umbral Calamity came, Yggdrasil burned despite Odin's best attempts to protect it... and the knight died alongside the ashes of the tree that had once been his lover. From these ashes life grew anew... and the torched Shroud would survive the Calamity of Fire thanks to Yggdra's sacrifice. Haunted by his failure, Odin too would be reborn, but the grief-stricken knight became twisted into a force hellbent on protecting the Shroud against any who dared walk it. The Elementals too were born from the fragments of Yggdra's spirit, coalescing into the myriad forms that now populate the Twelveswood.Chosen of Nophica - While Cecilia was pregnant, Nophica imbued her babe with the fragment of the largest elemental, Driade. This act caused Cecilia to transform into a Padjal while still pregnant and subsequently give birth to Lily. The reason for this act by Nophica was so that eventually Lily could serve the same role that Yggdra did... to become the next reincarnation of the great tree Yggdrasil in the Shroud. In a sense, Lily is the reincarnation of Yggdra and harbors a small divine spark of Nophica herself. Still far from any sort of divinity however, Lily is fragile and vulnerable... and Nophica has tasked her companions with protecting her so that she can one day fulfill her duty. Though Lily has accepted her role as the future guardian of the Shroud, secretly she carries a small degree of guilt for foisting this burden upon her friends and especially her lover Zozola. Nevertheless, when Lily passes away, she will sprout as the second Yggdrasil to watch over the Shroud forevermore. Of course, this divine mission carries consequences in of itself... especially when it comes to those who would seek to steal the essence of divinity for themselves.....