Kylie's Biography

[Kylie]

Kylie is a young woman whose family has fallen on hard times. Her father, Tomas Lanthorn was a low-level officer in what was left of the Cylonian army around the time of the fall of Illefarn and the Glory Hole Mine. His unit was assigned to battling the humanoid incursions around Corunglain and the Dorwyn Elfholds. At one point, they were forced to team up with several Elven units against an orcish swarm attempting to invade the Elfholds from the northwest. Fighting side by side, they managed to drive back the orcs, but at terrible cost on both sides. Tomas displayed great courage and prowess, and one of the Elves who survived the battle fell in love with him, and he with her.

Over the next few years, Tomas and the elf, Allurien Cortheledran of the Clan Feador, spent whatever little time they could together. Some years later, Tomas retired from the army and he and Allurien married, despite objections from some in her clan. They settled in Elcadan, where Tomas got a job as a commander in the City Watch. Three years later, they were blessed by the birth of a baby girl, whom they named Kylie.

Kylie was a very bright girl, and Allurien taught her daughter much of elven history and culture. She also trained Kylie in the use of the bow which she herself had used in the fight against the humanoid hordes. Life was good for quite a few years.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck when Kylie was 9 years old. Allurien fell victim to a disease which she as an elf had little resistance to. Her only hope of survival proved to be a return to her clan, where she could be treated by the healers among her own people. Worse still, the clan would not allow Tomas or Kylie to accompany her, as they were seen as possible carriers who might infect others. Sadly, nothing further has been heard of the fate of Allurien Cortheledran Feador ne Lanthorn.

The transition to a life without wife and mother was difficult for both Kylie and her father. Tomas threw himself into his work to avoid facing the grief caused by the departure of his wife. Thus, Kylie was forced to learn to manage by herself and became both more independent and more withdrawn.

Fate, it seems, was not done with the Lanthorns, however. Kylie was 13 when it was discovered that the catacombs beneath the city were not as vacant as had been surmised. Tomas lead a large contingent of the City Watch into the darkness below. Nearly a week passed before they returned, much reduced. Better than two thirds of those who entered the catacombs never returned, and many of the remained were injured; Tomas's right arm was missing and he now walked with a pronounced limp.

For Tomas, this proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Whatever peace he had found following the loss of Allurien shattered. Drowning in grief and self-pity, Tomas sought relief in a bottle and soon lost his job as well. No longer able to hold a regular job, Tomas and his daughter soon found themselves living in Dog Alley, one of Elcadan's infamous slums. Despite their poverty, Kylie hid and never parted with those few momentos of her mother that were left behind with Allurien's departure: a cloak, a pair of bracers, a bow and a small handful of arrows.

Kylie soon turned to stealing in order to eat. It turned out that she had considerable natural talent, and eventually caught the attention of an older halfling thief named Rat who helped her "learn the ropes".

One night, Kylie made the unknowing mistake of trying to rob the home of an accomplished mage named Sherwood. She got in easy enough, but wasn't prepared to deal with the magical alarms and traps therein. Luckily, and due to the goodness of his heart, he didn't simply slay her on the spot, as some might have done. Additionally, Sherwood sensed within the frail young half-elven girl an innate magical talent or capacity. Sherwood promptly turned her over to his cousin Jallarzi for training, and she has been there ever since.

Even her father's life was better now. He wasn't a bad man, far from it; unfortunately, he just never found a way to deal with the tragedies in his life. Since coming here, Jallarzi had found a way to give him a new life. She had found a small town that had a use for a man of his talents, despite the missing arm. He was still just getting by financially, but he felt valued and had a future to look forward to. Now, Kylie's holiday visits were times of joy for them both.