Zalael Shadowdrift

Artwork by Ozma Asimov

Name:	Zalael Shadowdrift
	(zə-LAY-ehl)
AKA:	Lyrane Leafblower
Gender:	Female
Race:	Night Elf
Class:	Rogue
Role:	Damage
Faction:	Ravenholdt
Professions:	skinning, herbalism
Homeland:	It's complicated
Player:	OzmaAsimov

RP Hooks

• Ravenholdt: Other members of the shadowy Assassin's League may know Zalael.
• Night Elf: Actually, no. With her isolated upbringing, other night elves really wouldn't know her. But her lack of kaldorei customs and behavior would certainly stand out if she spent any length of time among night elves.

Spoiler Warning: The following RP Hooks are major spoilers for secrets about Zalael (and by extension an implied lore spoiler).

+ Show spoiler RP Hooks

• Half-Breed: Zalael is not a night elf. She is half quel'dorei and half troll; the mix generated a kind of throwback that strongly resembles a night elf, enough that she is able to pass with some effort put into disguise.
  • This RP Hook is also meant to serve as a sort of anti-RP Hook in case someone would prefer not to RP with a character like this. It is an unusual concept and it would be understandable if it is outside someone's comfort zone. I'm also just fine RPing Zalael without bringing up her heritage (she generally won't, anyway, given how it would potentially condemn her).
• Languages: Due to her heritage and upbringing, Zalael is fluent in Thalassian and Zandali. However, she speaks and understands very little Darnassian beyond what it has in common with Thalassian.
• Lordaeron: Zalael spent some time in Lordaeron in the years between the Second and Third Wars.

Appearance

At first glance, Zalael looks like any other night elf — tall and athletic with long ears and glowing eyes — but on closer inspection some features stand out. Her complexion is pale, but notably has a slight green tint to it (though she is conveniently often in dim lighting that disguises this). Her ears are shorter than average by several inches. She has a prominent nose, wide and convex. Even her silvery eyes have a slightly bluish tint to their glow. She also lacks the prominent upper fangs common to all kaldorei, though her lower ones have some bite to them.

Zalael favors plain-colored leathers, and is never seen in kaldorei fashion. Even the braids in her hair are not a typical night elf style.

When Zalael speaks, it is in fairly plain Common, lacking any Darnassian accent. It is subtle, but now and then an unusual accent and dialectic patterns crop up in Zalael's speech.

Spoiler Warning: This next part of Zalael's description contains major spoilers for the character that some may prefer not to know ahead of time, and possibly a bit of an implied lore spoiler.

+ Show spoiler content

While she always wears boots in public to disguise it, Zalael has only two long toes on each foot, each about as thick as three human fingers. Other than the small tusks she keeps filed down, this is the most obvious sign of her troll heritage.

Personality

Anxious • Capricious • Proud • Loyal

Zalael was very much shaped by the experiences of her youth. She is constantly on edge, fearful of the truth of her nature being discovered. She does not trust easily, having a particular mistrust for both the Alliance and the Horde as entities. Strangers almost always start out as potential threats, but individuals who show themselves to be compassionate or parental can often win her over.

She is a capricious creature, flitting easily from the ruthless killer to a light-hearted flirt. But even her playful flirtation is inconstant; sometimes it's a sign she's let her guard down, but it can just as easily be part of some ploy. Discerning the difference isn't easy. In either case, she may use it as a mask. Humor and flirting are easier than facing her own loneliness.

Zalael's pride often gets in her way. She can be overconfident and boastful. Yet, she takes some strength from her pride as well. Her word is her bond. She may lie, steal, and commit all manner of dirty deeds, but if she makes an explicit promise, it is ironclad.

Deep down, Zalael is a romantic and places immense value on familial bonds. Both her birth parents and her foster parents showed her great examples of loving partners dedicated to each other, and to her, until the very end. Those few she trusts enough to adopt into her family enjoy an unbreakable bond of loyalty.

Romance

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Zalael is available for romance. Thus far in her life, she has always kept things casual in the few cases she has had any kind of relationship. They tend to be sexual in nature, as she keeps her emotions guarded lest anyone come to know her too well.

Zalael is attracted to all genders and races. She isn't very picky with partners, but any kind of racial prejudice is a major turn-off to her.

History

Zalael's childhood was an unusual one, living largely in isolation on an island with her parents. Both were outcasts of sorts and preferred to live apart from civilization. Their island life was a little piece of paradise, and they were genuinely happy. But when tragedy ended her mother's life and separated her from her father, Zalael found herself adrift in the world.

Though she enjoyed a few years with kindly foster parents that took her in, it didn't last and she was forced to survive on her own for a time, stealing to eat and constantly moving around. Her mother had once been an assassin and had taught her daughter many valuable skills that helped her during this period of her life. Eventually those skills and her survival instincts would land her in the employ of the secretive Assassin's League of Ravenholdt.

Zalael never learned what happened to her father, but believes in the possibility he may have survived. With the skills she's learned from Ravenholdt, she uses what free time she has to search for any clues that might reveal his fate.

The Whole Story

Spoiler Warning: The full version of Zalael's story contains major spoilers for the character that some may prefer not to know ahead of time, and possibly a bit of an implied lore spoiler.

+ Show the whole story (spoilers)

A few years before the first opening of the Dark Portal, a quel'dorei explorer called Ayesel Aro'ephel was captured by the Vilebranch trolls of the Hinterlands and imprisoned in Jintha'alor. They planned to sacrifice during an upcoming holy day of their dark loa.

The troll that had taken him had a daughter, Uzana. She was young and curious, always questioning the traditional ways, much to her father's frustration. She would sneak late at night to see her father's prisoner, wishing to learn more about him. As a trained assassin, Uzana had learned much of the elves' language so she could spy on them. This allowed her to have some degree of conversation with Ayesel.

The day of sacrifice was a month away, and during that time, Uzana kept returning, night after night, to speak with Ayesel. He would tell her stories of his homeland and people, but mostly of his travels throughout Azeroth. He would ask her questions, too; he was fascinated by her people and culture…and as time went on, he became more and more fascinated by Uzana.

Love blooms where understanding grows. Uzana could not bear the thought of Ayesel being sacrificed. The night before the ritual, she broke him free of his cage and sneaked him out of Jintha'alor, down to the shore where she had already prepared a boat. The two unlikely lovers sailed out to sea, forsaking their peoples for each other.

Being an explorer, Ayesel was quite the navigator. He had studied many maps made by his ancestors, the Highborne, when they had made their voyage from their homeland. There was a remote island to the east that did not appear on other maps. There, he believed they would be safe.

The island was small, but they needed little. It had trees for lumber to build a home, fresh water, animals to hunt and even capture for livestock. They made a small farm life for themselves; it was perfect. Almost perfect. Just one thing was missing. Then one day it happened. Uzana told Ayesel she was with child.

They welcomed their daughter into the world, a perfect little blend of two races that have warred for millennia. They named her Zalael, a Zandali and Thalassian name derived from both of their grandmothers, Zalanga and Aelowel. They taught Zalael the ways of both their cultures, though they knew she would never be accepted in either. The island would be her world, and they would try to make it a happy one for her.

However, the family could not stay hidden forever. In year 5, when Zalael was just six years old, a Thalassian vessel, the Suncourser was patrolling the islands to the east to ensure the Horde could not establish a base from which to launch an assault on the eastern seaboard. The lookout spotted activity on the island, and the Suncourser came to investigate.

Recognizing the elven ship design, Ayesel sent his wife and daughter to hide in a cave deeper in the forested area of the island. When the Thalassian troops came ashore, he tried to keep them distracted and insisted he was a researcher, performing a sensitive long-term study of the island and that their presence would disrupt it. But the Suncourser's captain sensed Ayesel's deception and had his men search the island. They discovered Uzana and Zalael. n the darkness of the cave they found what they perceived to be a troll with a captive elven child. Misunderstanding quickly turned to violence, and Uzana was killed. When Zalael was brought before the captain, he could plainly see that she was not a full-blooded elf. Disgusted, he arrested Ayesel for treason and took the girl for her fate to be decided in Quel'thalas.

However, the Suncourser would never reach Quel'thalas. The ship ran afoul of a terrible storm. Fortunately, Uzana had taught her daughter well; the girl managed to slip her bonds and free her father. But as the tempest tore the ship apart, and Ayesel was loading his daughter into a lifeboat, they were separated. The last Zalael saw of her father was a glimpse of him clinging to a piece of wreckage, being carried away on the waves.

Zalael floated for days on that boat, battered and exhausted, without oars or sail to guide her. On the third day she was spotted by an elderly Lordaeronian fisherman who rowed out to rescue her. Old Gideon thought the strange, pale little green-haired elf looked odd; but mostly he saw a child in distress. He took her in and he and his wife, Riona, nursed her back to health.

The couple lived on the edge of civilization on the eastern shores of Lordaeron, far from the fighting in the west. Zalael was safe, and her new "Uncle Gideon" and "Aunt Riona" kept her existence a secret. To be especially safe, they dyed her hair black with squid ink. Fortunately, her tusks had yet not grown large enough to be an issue.

Zalael missed her parents terribly. But she was lucky that she'd been found by people who wanted to protect her. But they were old, and humans live such short lives. When Zalael was only twelve years old there was an unusually hot summer, and Riona's constitution couldn't take it. Gideon passed a few months later in the winter, following his wife. Zalael was alone again.

The war had been over for years, so Zalael decided to risk traveling west. Fortunately, the presence of one vagrant was of little consequence. However, she also had to stay out of sight, as her appearance would give her away as something bizarre. She made a habit of staying very dirty to disguise her unusual coloring, and kept a supply of squid ink to continue dying her hair black.

After two years of roaming and thieving to survive, Zalael was discovered by an agent of Ravenholdt. They were curious about her lineage, but also impressed with the skills of someone so young. She wasn't particularly cooperative at first, so she was captured and taken back to Ravenholdt Manor where she was recruited.

Finally, with Ravenholdt she was truly safe and among people who did not care what she looked like or what her parentage was. All that mattered was what she could do. The skills she had learned from her mother and honed while surviving on her own were just the beginning. Ravenholdt molded her into a deadly weapon and spy.

When the Third War broke out, Zalael was largely uninvolved, still focused on her training. However, as reports came in about the night elves, curious eyes began to turn toward her. After the war, when the kaldorei joined the Alliance and Zalael finally saw one, was astonished to discover just how much she resembled these ancient elves. The similarities weren’t perfect, but they were strong enough that she could pass as one of them. It was the perfect cover…almost. She could now move in public without drawing too much suspicion…as long as she didn't talk too much.

Zalael never knew if her father survived the wreck of the Suncourser, but believes that if she made it, he could have as well. With the skills she's learned from Ravenholdt, she uses what free time she has to search for any clues that might reveal his fate or lead her to him.

Relationships

Estel

Estel Not everyone in Ravenholdt was completely accepting of me. But when Estel showed up, she never looked at me like I was strange. To her, I was just Zalael. She always did right by me, so I'll always do right by her. A true friend.

Sil	Sil I definitely almost had him. He just got some lucky hits in. Oh well.

Iphindra

Iphindra A very weird kaldorei. Even for a druid. I seem to make her uncomfortable. Good. Better she's off balance than me.

Writings

Writings feat. Zalael Shadowdrift

Title	Summary

RP Logs feat. Zalael Shadowdrift

Title	Summary
(2023-06-29) Bruuk's Brothers: Cats on the Stairs	Alysson, Iphindra, Jo, Sintha and Zalael meet up to discuss life, purpose and cats. ~2400 words.
(2023-06-07) Bruuk's Brothers: Many Questions	Sil, Skylarke, Sintha, Jonas, Iphindra and Zalael (Miss Leafblower) attend the usual Bruuk's Corner gathering. Several targets are sought, questions are asked, pebbles are thrown and covers are blown. ~3500 words.
(2023-05-24) Thievin'-Type Skills	"Lyrane Leafblower" catches up with Silvestre to find out what he may have learned about Ayesel Aro'ephel.
(2023-05-17) Sneaks	Silvestre encounters an intruder in Cobalt HQ. They talk, they laugh, they flirt, they brawl. Good times.

Journal of Zalael Shadowdrift

Title	Summary

Mentions of Zalael Shadowdrift

Title	Summary
(2023-07-14) A Question for a Friend	Sil meets up with Geth to pose a question for Miss Leafblower (Zalael).
(2023-06-08) A Weird Week	Ben and Sil catch up on a lot of current events. Discussion of a lot of active storylines. ~2300 words.
(2023-05-30) Elf Investigation	Sil asks to meet with Aszera about his investigation for Zalael (among other things). Do all sin'dorei know one another? Rating M for L.