Ethyris Dardellan-Lochatlan

Ethyris Dardellan-Lochatlan is an Arternaian fanatic, drunkard, and professional brewer. A member of House Lochatlan, he is native to Anglunia, and the child of Hadanna Alsey-Lochatlan and Dardellan Yinower-Nuwan. For a short time, he owned a small brewery in Norstaeyya with Sevos Zehros-Rezuraia, but his business ambitions were cut short by the Anglunian Civil War. He spent nearly a year stranded at sea with Sevos before finally shipwrecking in the Greater Mirauan Desert.

Birth and Childhood
Ethyris Dardellan-Lochatlan was born in Norstaeyya to Hadanna Alsey-Lochatlan and Dardellan Yinower-Nuwan during Autumn 159. At age 6, due to a persistent lisp, and his sudden, violent outbursts, he was removed from the public eye to avoid embarrassment for House Lochatlan. A small group of caretakers were appointed to care for him in the slums. They homeschooled Ethyris, teaching him to read and write, and took him to see Arternaian sermons.

Although his time in the slums was meant to pacify Ethyris and integrate him into Anglunian society, it had the opposite effect on him. He began to drink habitually, as he believed inebriation enhanced his spiritual connection with the Arterna. At first, his caretakers tried to curb his alcoholism, but the hedonistic culture of the slums made their attempts futile. He also became antisocial, as his lisp developed into a stutter. Notably, however, Ethyris mingled well with other Arternaians: at congregations, he would sing hymns with the attending children and socialize freely.

Early Adulthood
At age 16, Ethyris's caretakers held his Au Kava to celebrate his transition from childhood to adulthood. During the festivities, a newcomer to Norstaeyya, Sevos Zehros-Rezuraia, was attracted to the commotion and joined in. He brought with him two bottles of brandy. Ethyris drank one bottle in full, and jovially declared Fayroth to be his patron Arterna.

Impressed by his enthusiasm, Sevos offered to teach Ethyris how to brew his own brandy. Ethyris accepted, and moved in with Sevos so that he could brew full-time and devote himself to his religious studies. In only a few years, Ethyris surpassed Sevos in bartending, and the two decided to open a tavern together. For his brewing prowess, Ethyris was selected to join the Norstaeyyan council, although he refused to attend meetings because he believed the council was led by a Heartist conspiracy.

Anglunian Civil War
When the Civil War between House Nuwan and House Rezuraia broke out, the friendship between Ethyris and Sevos was initially unaffected. However, when plans of a Rezuraian attack on Norstaeyya reached Sevos, he decided to withhold the information from Ethyris. He felt his loyalty was being torn between his friend and his family, so he decided to do nothing.

When the raid finally came, Ethyris was brewing in the basement, and Formula Eldham was hosting a race nearby. Initially, Ethyris misunderstood the explosions as being celebratory fireworks for the racers. He also mistook the sound of Rezuraian cavalry's hooves as the sound of spectators stomping their feet in excitement. Once the raiders started marching towards the house, though, Sevos ran downstairs to warn Ethyris of the attack and the two fled. In a panic, they jumped in a boat and sailed together down the river.

Stranded at Sea
Ethyris and Sevos were fed from the harbor into the open ocean, where the currents kept them stranded for roughly one year. While afloat, their only possessions were the religious scriptures Ethyris carried on him, and the lute which Sevos was playing before the raid.

For the first weeks, Ethyris and Sevos kept spirits high and even bonded over the situation. As time passed, however, they grew to detest one another, as their clashing personalities became exacerbated by the isolation. Ethyris would sprawl out and rock the boat in dramatic demonstrations of prayer, which sometimes threw Sevos overboard, and Sevos would play his lute and sing loudly during the night, waking Ethyris.

When playing rock-paper-scissors to determine who had to dive for fish, Sevos would always win, often prompting Ethyris to accuse him of cheating. These disagreements sometimes escalated into physical fights, one of which ended in Sevos tearing up Ethyris's scriptures. When Ethyris tried to retaliate by breaking Sevos's lute, Sevos struck him with it and sent Ethyris into a two month-long coma. Horrified by his actions, Sevos diligently fed and washed Ethyris for the duration of his coma, occasionally sacrificing his own meals to keep Ethyris alive.

Captured by Capicans
After a year at sea, the ship washed upon the eastern shore of the Greater Mirauan Desert, southwest of Ashenvale. Sevos was asleep when the boat struck land, but the impact jolted Ethyris awake. The two were quickly discovered by the Capicans, a large collection of Azeral families numbering around 2,000 members, who use their migratory way of life to conduct transcontinental trade. Because Sevos was asleep when he was found, the Capicans nicknamed him "Placidus," meaning "sleepy" in their dialect.

Ethyris and Placidus were imprisoned by the Capicans and told that they would be killed and their bones used in jewelry, if they could not prove they were worth more alive than dead. To impress the Capican Chief, Ethyris brewed tequila, tea, and coffee, while Placidus sang Norstaeyyan hymns and played his lute. Amused by the display, though thoroughly unimpressed, the Chief decided to show them mercy and allowed Ethyris and Placidus to live as servants to the Capicans.

The Chief decided to send the two to the penal colony of Idraenya to act as viceroys. The colony was populated with other Capican prisoners, and ran by the brutal overseer Hellion Grey. Ethyris and Placidus's jobs were to work with Hellion to quell the unrest among the majority-Yirsi population and keep colony production running smoothly.