Llyre es vel Volaerys

""Llyre es vel Volaerys sel Bakura sen T'arga're'yahsv O’Valmeñ kes dem Spheniscidae (More commonly known as The Traitor or The Warden, or shortened to Llyre ke sel Bakura) is the Minister of Communications and the former 14th Archon of the Imperial Archonal Union of Viodoxa and Tovarisha, a guildmaster in the Blacksmithing Guild, and the former Warden of the Almmori Freehold, a province of Kartek in Sparwood.

Appearance
Llyre often cuts a distinctive figure, standing quite tall in comparison to many people around him, as well as his notable wooden wolf's-head mask and wings. Despite his rather imposing first impressions, he is lean (bordering muscular), and surprisingly young, looking around 17 or so.

He has pale, greyish-tinted skin, messy black hair, and distinctively pale grey eyes circled by long eyelashes and fading dark circles. His eyes are described as the colour of dirty ice, paler than stone and darker than milk, like two white moons. They reflect light much like an animal's eyes in the dark. He has pointed ears shorter than those of a fullblooded elf, and wears many earrings in them, as well as a multitude of simple rings on all of his fingers. He also has two large, bird-like wings on his back. The left side one has been (haphazardly) pinioned, rending him incapable of flight. They look most close to crow's wings, being black but faintly iridescent in the sun. Unfolded, Llyre's wingspan is close to 10-12 feet (300-370cm). These wings are somewhere between the appearance (in terms of shape) of a hawk or owl's wings, adaptable to passive soaring as well as more high-energy flight. The plumage seems to extend across his back between the wings as well, before trailing off. The natural colour of his wings are tawny brown with white undersides and speckling, but are dyed black for unknown reasons.

While rarely unmasked, his face beneath lies on the plainer side of handsome, or would be without the scars he bears, most noteworthy of which are a trio of haphazardly sutured wounds across the left side of his face and a large, jagged burn scar on the right side. The rest of his body is speckled with faded scars from his adventures in Rathnir, some of them held together by staples. He has distinctively long canine teeth, and when he does smile, it looks like an animal snarling.

He is most commonly wearing a tight black tank top and brown or black cargo pants with leather boots, though he just as frequently wears a heavy grey poncho. As of lately, Llyre has also taken to wearing a pair of goggles, either in his hair or around his neck, as well as armour, which he previously distinctively disliked.

Personality
Over the years since his ressurection, Llyre has changed wildly-- from a calculating businessman to a hollow shell of himself to the soft-spoken writer he is today.

Before the Viodoxan war, he'd always been confident, assured in every decision he made, no matter how calculated, how monstrous and abhorrent it was. He was always in control, calm and steady as he planned his scorched earth tactics, nuclear responses to everything. He was a scathing writer, ripping his opponents to shreds verbally, pointed and intentional with each word. His morals were also rather fluid, fluctuating with his goals, and had few qualms against distasteful acts such as murder, treason, massacres, and other crimes, most often seeing these things as means to an end. He could be best described as somewhere between chaotic neutral, neutral evil, or chaotic evil, depending on who you ask.

After the Second Siege of Viodoxa City, during which he saw most of the unit under his command (his first military post), he fell into a deep depresion, which only became exasturbated at his crumbling relationships (both platonic, romantic, and familial) and increasing responsibility. All of this came to a head with his father, Vansh Tizoc expressing a desire to "repair" him with redstone technology (an attempt to alleviate Llyre's chronic pain and increasing anxiety over his health), which sent him into a spiral, fleeing to Silvay and going into hiding, convinced that there are people attempting to hurt him. He also exhibited delusional, obsessive, and otherwise "unhinged" mannerisms, as well as his extremely concerning and somewhat fanatical religious beliefs. He would be alternating between profusely apologising, intense paranoia, anxiety, and sobbing uncontrollably, to ranting, incomprehensible and feverish writings, and threats of violence, accompanied occasionally by attempts to actually inflict bodily harm on people, some of which have succeeded. He at one point expressed a desire to line up the heads of Karolium soldiers atop the walls of Viodoxa City.

Following this, after the fall of Karolium and the full formation of the Imperial Archonal Union, he began to settle down somewhat, spending increasingly long times sleeping, withdrawing into the confines of his partially-constructed home. After his return from the Kaminhagen Sanatorium, he seemed to be closer to his old self, a bit more cheery and less sullen or prone to tears. By the time he became Archon on the 21st of March, he'd mellowed out entirely, ending up a quiet, mild-mannered builder and writer. As of currently, he rarely leaves the territory of the IAU, often sticking to the western reaches of the empire in Silvay or Eisenland.

During his singular day as Archon, he spent much of his time trying to foster unity between the Viodoxan/Eisenlandian and Tovarishan provinces, as well as trying engage the populace.

Early Life —
Llyre's mother died when he was just a young child, leaving him and his older sister, Rhaelys, alone before they were sent to join their father, the then-Lord of House Volaerys, where he was renamed from Lirei-Nai to Llyre. He and Rhaelys were also granted the name “yu vel Volaerys”, one meant to denote an illegitimate bastard child.

There’s nothing left beyond snapshots and memories. He remembers his mother's laugh, soft, his siblings, a brief glimpse of the sea over a field of golden wheat. He knows that his childhood was happy, for a time, but much of it is tainted with a deep sense of misery.

The siblings were subject frequently to their father’s anger and disdain, though Rhaelys was saved from much of it when she came of age and left home in order to seek a higher education and to see the world.

Not much else remains. Years have long slipped away to nothing more than these fragments.

Wanderer —
By his fifteenth birthday, his father seemed to have grown weary of his youngest child, and following what could have been a harmless misunderstanding or an act of wilful malice, removed his son from the family tree, exiling him to the wilderness. Much of his time as an adventurer is also shrouded in the same mystery as his youth, large gaps in his memory that he can’t seem to recall much of, if anything.

While travelling, Lyre kept a (now-lost) journal detailing his findings, including sketches and pressed specimens of plants, and detailed notes on a strange discovery he had made– the ruins of a city now wreathed in fire. It is thought that this city was Asahiri, but due to his journal’s whereabouts being unclear, this fact is unknown.

During this time he was captured and hunted for sport, getting his left wing pinioned haphazardly using shears, which almost killed due to the resulting infection.

Shortly afterwards, while he was still recovering, the people hunting him caught up once again, mortally injuring him. Far from a warrior and unable to fly or do much more than lay down to wait for the blood loss to overcome him, the boy found a small cave and accepted his fate.

Resurrected —
When he woke up again, things were different. Someone, or something had brought him back from the darkness, the eternal void, but it had gone wrong. Cold, delirious, and barely clinging to his newly found second life, the young man found that despite his revival, some of his wounds would not heal, and his mind was infected with a quietly simmering anger, a desperation to see the world around him engulfed in flames like the strange city he had once seen. Quelling this desire, he slowly began to recuperate in the cave that he made his home until he was well enough to travel. On his journey home, he began to hide his disfigured face with his distinctive wooden mask, dying his wings black for a reason he could not explain.

After months of travel, he had finally made it home.

Homecoming and Time in Serafaint —
Lyre returned to Serafaint to find his father dead and his older half-brother, Aerin, now head of the house. His reunion with his siblings was short lived, but he set to rebuilding his own life, as well as the family name that had been so long slowly descending into obscurity. During this time, Noodle joined the family, initially as an employee, but soon revealed his true identity and purpose.

The rest of Llyre's time in Serafaint was marked with turmoil. While in Serafaint, the family had run a brewery from a large warehouse in the port district of the city near their home. While initially seemingly quite positive, relations with the Doge, Exarian Crimsone, rapidly declined after a perceived slight towards Aerin during a discussion in the brewer's guild. Due to the rising tensions, House Volaerys announced their departure from Serafaint and Tovarisha as a whole, which only drove the wedge further between the formerly friendly relations of House Crimsone and Volaerys. They left shortly after, with the tensions turning to outright hatred and distrust. Following this event, Noodle returned to complete his vengeance against House Crimsone, finally getting justice for his own past.

Thalassii —
After leaving Serafaint, Llyre and House Volaerys as a whole settled in Thalassii, establishing themselves in the promising young nation as it healed from the Kartek Wars. Llyre, who had befriended a young Blake Almmore during his travels, began alongside several others to develop the Thalassii peninsula into a small town, which Blake became the Duke of, founding what would later be known as Almmoria.

While initially continuing their brewing business, Noodle, and later Aerin and Llyre would expand into selling arms and other enchanted gear alongside alcohols, helping to fund both Almmore’s expansion and growth. It was during this time that Llyre also became friends with the ruler of Thalassii, King Chorboi I, who encouraged his political career, first on the Almmori high council, before becoming Chancellor of Thalassii. He was wholeheartedly dedicated to unification and peace in Northern Sparwood as well as the development of a dedicated ice road network, eagerly throwing himself into the work along with his responsibilities as head of Thalassii Secret Police.

He would consider these times his happiest, the return of his sister to the family home and living a relatively carefree life spent fishing, writing, and befriending citizens of the neighbouring states, including Jonathan Lozharo of Lozaria. The two grew closer quickly, sharing a common interest in peace and prosperity for the North. Llyre felt as though he had finally recovered from his own traumatic death and subsequent resurrection, and had begun to look to the future, occasionally even entertaining the idea of building a future with his friend, who he had started to develop feelings for.

The Traitor —
However, it seemed that it was not to last. One day while mining, Llyre found a mysterious altar, and upon touching the idol sat upon it, a figure carved of a black stone, he began to change.

What began as an idle thought and a happy dream soon festered into something darker. Something dangerous. The Unification of Northern Sparwood was all he wanted, all he could think about. Any means necessary, he told himself, as he began to feud with Chorboi over how Thalassii should proceed in terms of international politics. The once pleasant and cheerful young man grew paranoid, prone to fits of madness, the hunger and evil in his mind that he had so long repressed slowly unfurling itself within him.

It's unclear what drove him to this place, the gaps in his memory growing wider and deeper, eating away at his mind. An infection.

When Loic returned to Rathnir, promising conquest, this new creature that Llyre had become saw an opportunity that could not be missed, a chance for Sparwood under one ruler, the Uniter himself. One day Noodle came to him with the news that his order had allied themselves with Loic, he saw it as a natural reaction, as simple as breathing, as simple as flying had once been.

Perhaps this was how things always would have ended. It wasn't hatred for anyone, or a specific desire. He saw it as nothing more than a transaction, business, but in exchange for his loyalty, he would be paid in his dream coming to fruition. The only price was his own honour and the future he’d wanted with Jonathan, one that had become more than just an idle thought.

In time, word of his betrayal reached his former friend, King Chorboi's ears. Furious and hurt, he exiled Llyre, as well as Noodle, the two stripped of their ranks and titles without trial, something that had been promised to them by their citizenship in Thalassii. Horrified by the treason, Jonathan cut all ties with Llyre. By then, the madness had already taken root in his mind, and he resolved to see the Thalassii capital of Nova Thebanii conquered, swearing as he left that he would be back, and Chorboi would regret not seeing reason and allying with Loic when he had the chance.

Almmori Independence —
Following his banishment from Thalasii, he returned to his home in Almmore, where his old friend the Duke, Zeth Ritonidas, secretly sheltered him and offered sympathy for his situation. For the time being, he travelled to the city of Maxstadt, where he spent some time before receiving a letter from Zeth.

Almmore and Dubris, two of the provinces of Thalassii had declared independence, temporarily uniting together under the now-King Ritonidas of a united Almmore-Dubris. Thalassii refused to accept this independence, giving the deed to the Almmori peninsula to Rohel, who then granted it to Almmore several days later, officially establishing the state as independent of the Thalassii crown. Dubris and Almmore then seperated. Llyre, who had been heavily involved in the negotiations, was installed as Hand of the King, taking over diplomatic discussions with the neighbouring states.

Peace —
Following Almmore's independance, Llyre put a forefront on his political career, despite the nation's isolationist stance on world affairs. Much of his time and energy began to be put towards construction and terraforming the peninsula, while the rest was put into expanding the family business, The Cache.

During the holiday truce, Llyre seems to have also began to attempt to fix some of his relationships, sending a letter to Jonathan in an attempt to explain his side of the story and any questions the other had. It seemed as though he was in a better place mentally, but it was still unclear if his motivation were a true desire to reconcile or just an attempt to clear his name. He mostly seemed to want to move past the entire situation.

Following the end of the holiday truce, Llyre's mental state seemed to take another turn for the worse, being killed and brought back several times, with each new attempt seemingly degrading his stability. While continuing with his business endeavours with his siblings, he spent a lot of time in the Nether or with bandits, often in Eisenland more than his own hometown.

As the war drew nearer, he travelled to Viodoxa City several times, both to scope out the city as well as see he historical sites, though on his last visit he was apprehended by the town guards under Hazel's orders, leaving the new scar on his face. He was later rescued by his mother, Mel, and didn't return to the city until the seige.

Aroung this time, Llyre also joined the Viesten Order, and began practicing swordplay with Sihor, a warrior from the Kingdom of Councils.

Days before the Viodoxan war began, Mercrio abdicated the throne, and Elijah An Scha Faidh and Llyre were installed as the diarchs of Almmore in his stead, the Overseer and Warden respectively. For several days, this system worked, but it quickly devolved into threats of violence and screaming matches between the diarchs. Following a string of thefts by Blake Almmore and Elijah an Schá Faidh, the pair were exiled from the nation and Llyre took complete power, with no second Diarch.

First Siege of Viodoxa City —
During the first battle of the Second Purple Insurrection, Llyre remained in Maxstadt with several others, building up city defenses as the battle waged on in Viodoxa. It wasn't until after the battle that he returned to the south, witnessing the chaos and destruction from the battle. He lingered there for some time with his mothers, briefly visiting the Hexturnal and the library, though he was denied access to the former. The destruction of the city disgusted him and he left to return to Maxstadt.

Shortly afterward, he resumed stabilisation and reconstruction attempts in Almmore, absorbing Refugio and Thalassii under the Freehold's banner, as well as entering discussions with God Emperor Cube of Kartek that resulted in Almmore becoming a protectorate of the empire.

It was around this time that he killed two seperate people with an axe, though the crime seems to have been either swept under the rug or otherwise hidden, as he was never prosecuted in court for either murder. Around this time, he also visited the ruins of Istanboulder, looking for something.

It was shortly after this trip that he went to Voskovy, managing to get his hands on several restricted books and taking them home with him. His mental state took another turn for the worse after this, experiencing long stretches of amnesia and finding a strange book in his own handwriting that he didn’t remember writing.

Moyye's Maze —
(Dubiously Canon) During the maze event in mid January 2022, Llyre entered the maze with Hiiro dem Spheniscidae and CASELOAD, the trio aiming to get the artefact. They passed through the Stone section with comparative ease due to their cooperation, but ended up trapped within the second section of the Nether reigon.

Second Siege of Viodoxa City —
Llyre spent the second battle bedridden due to redstone poisoning, having severely burned his lungs and throat to the point of permanently damaging his voice. Despite this, he remained in Maxstadt, barricaded into a command room and armed with radios, TNT, and flint and steel, in the event the city was taken he planned to destroy all the documents and communications in the stronghold before blowing himself and the fort up. He was initially in command of the Defense Garrison, but once Uldarashi forces entered the city and demolished most of his unit, passed authority to Only100Gamer and Jericho dem Spheniscidae, who alongside some Huskarls, demolished the Uldarashi strike team, holding Maxstadt.

Following the battle, he wrote several speeches and sat in on multiple meetings under the order of Archon Hiiro of the Viodoxan Union, eventually also providing the public announcement published intentationally by the Union. Still recovering, he settled down back into ruling Almmoria. He had another episode, writing/translating a completely incoherent play named "Of Tekhelet Blue", before his health took a turn south for a few days. He soon stepped down from his position as Warden of the Almmori Freehold due to his poor health.

During this time, he experienced multiple panic attacks, as well as falling into a deep depresion, which only became exasturbated at his crumbling relationships (both platonic, romantic, and familial) and increasing responsibility. All of this came to a head with his father, Vansh Tizoc expressing a desire to "repair" him with redstone technology (an attempt to alleviate Llyre's chronic pain and increasing anxiety over his health).

Heavenly Gardens —
Following his discussion with Vansh, Llyre immediately packed up his entire apartment in Almmoria in one afternoon and fled to Viodoxan Union territory with the help of Havi Asagrim, convinced that if he didn't that Vansh would operate on him regardless of his own opinions on the matter. His mental health quickly spiralled out of control, leading to nearly-constant anxiety and paranoia, accompanied by out of control sobbing and despair. Being in either Viodoxa City or Miklagard proved to be too much for the boy to handle, and shortly afterward, he and Jericho moved to the half-constructed town of Ryoujing, ruled by Ryou Bakura.

Ryoujing quickly became home to Llyre, and he began constucting his own house, an elaborate, multi-level structure with extensive underground rooms and spaces for his projects, as well as his large pack of dogs and Jericho dem Spheniscidae. Shortly afterward, he married Ryou Bakura, which quickly devolved into emotional abuse from the other, causing increased distress on Llyre's part. Eventually their relationship mellowed out and resulted in relative affection from both ends.

The One-Day Archon —
On the order of Loic dem Spheniscidae, Llyre was made Archon of the Imperial Archonal Union of Viodoxa and Tovarisha for the entirety of 24 hours, after buying Loic a sandwhich. He spent most of his reign asleep, and breifly considered declaring war on Huitca for relatively vague reasons, one of which was "disliking [Huitca's] flag", and "everyone asked [him] to". He also began the Unity Project, a massive collectivisation of Union nationalism and culture. He was ultimately relatively uncontroversial as Archon and reasonably popular.

Family

 * Ryou Bakura (RyouBakura1789) - To say their relationship is complicated is an understatement. Married in a haphazard ceremony, Llyre is extremely dependant on Ryou for regulating his emotions, despite the older man's frequent emotionally abusive behaviour and personality. He is desperate to please his husband, and relies on him for both direction and sees him as a source of safety and comfort. They are extremely affectionate, as well as extremely toxic. They could loosely be defined as Stockholm Syndrome-like.
 * Rhaelys es vel Volaerys (welcometothehive) - Llyre's older sister, and his only full sibling. She's nice. She has taken a neutral stance on the war, which Llyre dislikes, but accepts for his beloved sister. Rhaelys seems to take a somewhat motherly role, but spends much of her time travelling, leading to a more distant relationship between the two of them, especially once she moved to Vassa, a city in Karolium. He was extremely supportive of her relationship with Kogan.
 * Aerin mo sen Volaerys (Cyme_) - Aeren is Llyre's older half-brother through their father, and the current lord of House Volaerys. They were closer before Aerin left to wander the world for some time, and upon coming back, Llyre seems to have increasingly isolated himself from his formerly close brother. Still, he frequently gifts his brother builds and material items.
 * Noodle es wir Volaerys (Noodle_Woodle) - Adopted family member, Noodle is Llyre's close political ally, the pair frequently teaming up together against rivals. Between the two of them, Noodle almost always plays bad cop, levaraging his own connections with Llyre's charm. Outside of work, they're fairly close, often involving eachother in their shenanigains and pestering Aerin.
 * Mel Evar Leyla-Earcala O'Valmen (Numis) - Adopted mother. Llyre is close to her, despite his rather closed-off personality. He is incredibly anxious about disappointing her, but seems to not realise that some of the things he does are directly fulfilling that. Llyre rarely visits, and his marriage to Ryou has caused friction between them as well.
 * House O'Valmen - With an extremely large family, Llyre is the youngest of 9 children, and between five parents (and Numis McSpiegel) and a good deal of nieces and nephews, it's easy to say he gets lost in the mess easily. His full list of siblings include Spitfire O'Valmen, Aerin mo sen Volaerys wir O'Valmen, Rhaelys es vel Volaerys wir O'Valmen, Noodle es wir Volaerys, Frostbite Luon, Ibris O'Valmen, Phillip O'Valmen-Spheniscidae, and Apollo O'Valmen. His parents are Mel Evar Leyla-Earcala O'Valmen and Vansh Tizoc, and formerly were (the now deceased) Moka of Keisaria, Valerie Hirshy, and Cherno von Mapel.

Friends

 * Jericho dem Spheniscidae (JerichoZ) - Llyre's husband, they got married for tax benefits and to commit insurance fraud. Jericho is Llyre's closest friend, and seemingly his only support system, functioning both as a roommate, best friend, and bodyguard. They live together in Ryoujing with many dogs.
 * CASELOAD (CASELOAD) - Case and Llyre are friends, and often work together on building projects and general mischief. They were both members of Osseus together and later Norskonia.
 * Hiiro dem Spheniscidae (oxxu) - Llyre's loyalty to the Purple Insurrection seemed to hinge entirely on his loyalty to one man, Hiiro dem Spheniscidae. His best work as a minister and writer of legal documents was produced during Hiiro's (admittedly) short reign as Regent Archon of the Union, and he was outspoken in his preference for the man as Archon over Cube. Following his abdication, Llyre has often turned not to Havi Asingrim, the current Regent, for instruction, but instead looked to Hiiro, causing friction between Havi and Llyre.
 * Mikael def Spheniscidae - Llyre sees Mikael as a genuinely kind person, and despite his wariness, the two have become close friends.
 * Moncie Se Aldfrith (Mongoose10) - Llyre sees Moncie as a friend and also as a suitable heir for when he stepped down from his place as Warden. They get along well, often mining together or otherwise spending time before Llyre went into hiding.
 * King Zeth "Mercrio" Ritonidas I (Mercrio) - An old friend and longtime ally, Mercrio became King of Almmore-Dubris after the Independance. They have long supported eachother, with Mercrio sheltering Llyre after his banishment from Nova Thebannii, and helped eachother rise to the High Council back when Almmore was nothing but a dream by Blake. Llyre served as Mercrio's Hand of the King before his abdication.

Enemies

 * Barend (BarendKramer) - Llyre doesn't hate the man, but he does not like him by any means. While Barend sees Llyre as untrustworthy and shifty, Llyre in turn finds Barend uncompromising, irrational, and stuck up.



Other Relations

 * Jonathan Lozharo (NateThunder_) - In another lifetime things would have been different. Before Llyre's maddened obsession for Northern unification had consumed his mind, the two were friends. On Llyre's end at least, he had considered courting the king, but never made any moves towards his affections beyond writing some poems that he burned after Lozaria sided with Thalassii. Following his defection to Viodoxa, the two were not on speaking terms for a time, but are currently beginning to correspond through letters, against the reccomendation of Llyre's therapist.
 * Chorboi Etruscii (Chorboi) - A former friend, their relationship soured following Llyre's choice to follow Loic. For a while, the two stood on opposite sides of a looming war, each with their own hatred and anger. Things are mostly civil between the pair, despite their frequent bickering, often about Chorboi's age or Llyre's short-lived crush on the older man.
 * Arthur Edishield-McSpeigel (imjust1cutecat) - Llyre's ex-fiance. It's unclear how he felt about Arthur, though he was extremely distanced emotionally, as well as extremely unaffectionate through their engagement. Their betrothal was been marked with turmoil, with Llyre demanding Arthur divorce his wives, and refusing to participate with the planning of their wedding.
 * Loic dem Spheniscidae (Loic_1) - Llyre idolised Loic, in a sort of form of somewhat unrealistic hero worship to a degree. He was willing to sabotage both Thalassii and Almmore for the Uniter, and expressed a strong desire for the man's approval, happily and eagerly throwing himself into writing speeches and propoganda for the Archonal Union. His mothers and brother being ardent supporters of the Union are likely to have influenced his opinion as well.

Trivia & Meta

 * His full name, Llyre es vel Volaerys sel Bakura sen T'arga're'yahsv O’Valmeñ kes dem Spheniscidae, means Llyre, legitimised bastard of Volaerys , and married into Bakura, adopted child/heir of T'arga're'yashv and O’Valmeñ, as well as a paramour/consort of house dem Spheniscidae. This follows the naming conventions of House Volaerys, as Birth House > Marriage House(s, in order of importance) > Adopted House (s, if applicable) > Other House (s, in order of importance).
 * The name he was given at birth, Lirei-Nai, is based on the the characters of 黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn",  鈴 (rei) meaning "bell" or 霊 (rei) meaning “ghost” or “spirit”, and 賴 (nài) meaning "to depend on". Nai was a traditional suffix for House Is, and Llyre is a romanisation. Based on this, his name could be translated as "bell of the dawn", or "the black ghost". The coin has been tossed, but has yet to fall.
 * Llyre's current name is derived from the Welsh or Irish name "Llŷr", meaning "from the sea".
 * He is completely colorblind, seeing the world in shades of grey.
 * Llyre's favourite flowers are lily of the valley.
 * He's very relaxed in terms of relations with bandits, often contracting them for tasks.
 * Portrait by Creamee. :)
 * My personal views and feelings of events do not always line up with the actions of my character please be aware of this. Please remember I’m not my character. :(