#irai'el

[rykhafirehand]

Have you had that nightmare again... ?

[ask-silverfire]

Unfitting End

~20.04.2020

Finale of Vengeance Incarnate. (Parts 2 and 3 here.) 

Alaroth Sunstorm- no, Voidstorm - stumbles backwards after she takes her hand away. It is not enough that he has delivered Starflare to them and that she has just confirmed through forcing her way into his head that everything he said was true. It is not enough that Illethiann has stormed off to his refuge, telling her to deal with it. None of it is enough for what happened to Nivendi’en. 

“Go find your brother.” Nothing else needs to be said. Rei’ann knew Alaroth before he allegedly died. She offered refuge to the identical twin of Vellidan Sunstorm, when he needed it, having had no idea that he was alive until it happened. He brought the criminal to justice, and therefore deserves to go to his own family.

They are underground, in the hidden chamber where she kept Sylvarys Sunglance confined years ago, in order to guide him back to sanity. An anti-magic field surrounds the half of the room where he used to live. Where Irai’el Starflare now stands, released from the imprisonment of the void elf warlock who is rapidly leaving the chamber.

Rei’ann remembers her. Former fiancée to her deceased and now missing son, Irai’el’s skin, hair and eyes are irreversibly altered by the void. These are the only changes, for the young woman is otherwise exactly as she used to be, with her calm, dispassionate manner, hands clasped before her lap, as if she is waiting to be summoned. Her now pearlescent eyes are downcast. There is no tension in her posture. Rei’ann recalls the brief catch-up she had with Priestess Nightwhisper a while back, when Dorielle told her about her own encounter with Starflare. The things that were relayed were disturbing, but what she heard made sense as a possible motive for what Irai’el did.

“Why?” Her usually husky voice cracks from the cries of rage and grief. Her throat is sore, as are her eyes. Never in her lifetime has she ever lost control of herself in this manner. Her grandfather and father would have strung her up and whipped her if they were still alive, giving no sympathy to the fact that she lost her flesh and blood. Her Star. Her Light. Her first-born child.

Irai’el is unmoved. Her calm appears to be a reflection of an acceptance of her fate. A flare of rage overcomes the numbness as Rei’ann steps towards the invisible barrier that separates them, jaw clenched and fists tightened. She wants to hear it from Irai’el herself. 

“Why?”

There is the most miniscule of cants as Irai’el raises her head, finally meeting Rei’ann’s eyes with her own. Again, the impeccable calm. A demeanour fitting for a priestess. Of good stock. Perfection: what her own grandfather wanted from her but was never happy with.

“I believe you know why, my Lady.”

My Lady. How dare she? After what she did? Rei’ann would have sent an ice lance through her throat if she had less self control at this point. But she knows and recognises the tools Irai’el is using. The more Irai’el unnerves her, the more she shows that she has won.

“Is this about the Everbough case? What you had to do? What Magister Sin’oriel ordered later? He held my old position while I was out of action on Argus! I was not the one responsible!” Regardless, her hoarse voice is raised in protest. “He removed all evidence of your involvement. I didn’t even know you were in any way tied to it until Dorielle Nightwhisper told me!”

“Liar.” Even the tone of voice has not changed. Irai’el’s voice is husky too, but only because of the alto timbre spoken barely above a whisper, as Rei’ann remembers. 

“Sin’oriel is dead, Irai’el. He was transferred out to the frontlines on the Broken Shore when I was deemed fit to resume my former post. There is nothing on Everbough except for one single case file, and every agent involved in it has gone with him.”

“Because of you.”

Rei’ann stares. “What?”

“You had to conceal the mess-up. You had to get rid of me. I was involved only because I was in the Sun’s Fury. Lyzande Fairdusk let me witness what he was creating. And then I was suddenly transferred to work as Inquisitor under Everbough. I barely joined the Thori’Belore missions, because I was unwittingly already undercover. It would have been a mark on your pristine track record if you were shown to have used me, an untrained agent, for your own purposes in the Spire. And when Nivendi’en chose Taryane, there was no more use for me, so you did what you had to do.”

Of all the conspiracy theories she has ever heard, of all the complicated intrigue she had to deal with in her position in the Spire, Rei’ann had never had such accusations brought against herself. 

“No, Irai’el.” Her voice trembles from the effort to keep her anger controlled. “I did not get involved with the Sun’s Fury until Magistrix Windblaze was out of commission. After that, I was thought dead on Argus. I was technically dead on Argus. I would never involve you in anything that would put you at risk. Nivendi’en was going to marry you! You were to become my own daughter!”

“Nivendi’en.” Irai’el lifts her chin up. “And Irelia Sunglance, and her husband Sylvarys Sunglance-”

Rei’ann frowns deeply. What have the Sunglances to do with this?

“- are the worst kind of rats that are bred out of your household.”

Rei’ann stares, lips parted, as Irai’el tells her of how Sylvarys found her in the field, and offered her his protection and his staff in apparent pity. How Irelia and Nivendi’en later attacked her to take the soul fragment of Illethiann’s that was needed to trace him in the Twisting Nether, thereby negating Sylvarys’ promise. How Nivendi’en spat on her and backhanded her, accusing her of being a traitor. After Irai’el did the noble thing and backed out of what she always knew to be the love Nivendi’en had for his childhood best friend.

Her heart turns cold. “Is this what this is all about? You wanted revenge on Nivendi’en? He didn’t know you were scapegoated! How could he have known? I didn’t!” Irai’el shakes her head slowly, pale and colourless under the illumination of the ambient arcane lamps. “I was only the woman he wanted to marry. I was only going to be your daughter-in-law. Funny how little trust you and your family place in people who are going to join it, isn’t it?”

She lifts her chin slightly as she peers down the length of her nose at Rei’ann now, like a Lady herself. A noblewoman of the highest caste regarding nothing less than the dirt under her foot. “So different from my own.. Did your parents ever teach you that there’s nothing more important than your own family? That everything you do must always  be with them in mind? Sacrifice yourself for your blood and kin, Lady Firestar. It is the way of those who are born like we are.”

Rei’ann mutely watches Irai’el, unblinking. With each word, her heart sinks even more, unable to respond as Irai’el continues.

“I lost my own family. We served the royal court. After the Fall, I even killed my own Matriarch for turning felblood, and lost my brother in the process. I had no more family, except for the rest of us who remained. Everything I did, I did for them. I did for you. 

“But you did not appreciate any of it. Not you. Not Nivendi’en, for whom I would have done anything if it meant he could be happy.”

She understands now. Rei’ann understands why. But it does not change the fact that Irai’el is wrong. Her fists tremble as it is her turn to shake her head.

“If I had known, I would have done something. I did not. I wish I could turn back time so that I could have intervened, Irai’el. If you’re angry at me because you thought I caused your suffering, direct it at me. Why Nivendi’en? Because you hate him for what he did?”

“Because if there is a fate worse than death, then it is to suffer in grief over losing those you love.” Irai’el is motionless. A living statue of alabaster and storm grey shadowed in twilight indigo, as she speaks with preternatural calm. “I know it too well.”

“It is our choices that define us, Irai’el!” Rei’ann is inches away from the barrier now. She can step in if she wants to: it is her enchantment, her spell, but she holds back still. “You have chosen to be no better than what you think Nivendi’en and I are!”

“On the contrary,” Irai’el’s lips appear to curl into a smile. Rei’ann has never seen her smile. “I am free, my Lady. Freer than I have ever been my entire life.”

She has seen it once too often. One does not need to be inflicted with whispers of the Void to turn mad, or to lose all sense and sensibility, Irai’el Starflare is not delusional from the corruption of her body and soul. She is a victim of circumstance, and she has turned down the wrong route, to the point where she can no longer be helped. 

“Where is Nivendi’en.” No more questions.

Irai’el cants her head to the side. Her surprise appears genuine, which infuriates Rei’ann even more. “What do you mean?” “You know exactly what I mean.” Rei’an almost spits out. “His body is gone! Where did you move him?”

The void elf looks almost amused. “I have no idea what you are talking about. But it is a brilliant idea to take his corpse away. I wish I was the one who had thought of it.”

Rei’ann does not know which is worse: the fact that Irai’el genuinely appears not to know, or the fact that she is relishing in her pain. 

“I am very sorry, Lady Firestar. I do not know where he is. I wish you all the best in finding him. He does deserve a funeral, as does any elf.”

And then, as if a final slap to her face, Irai’el leans forward, keeping her gaze locked onto Rei’ann’s.

“Tal’anumen no Sin’dorei, Lady Firestar.”

There is no ice lance. There is no burst of flame. There is no blast of arcane. No magic for the undeserving. There is only a fallen body. A dripping blade, and void tinted blood pouring from the clean slice across the front of Irai’el’s neck. 

Judge, jury, and executioner: this is her role as Magistrix of Quel’Thalas. 

But Rei’ann knows - as did Irai’el - that this will not bring Nivendi’en back. 

Her sword clatters to the ground as she sobs, crumbling into a mess by the body of the void priestess.  (mentions @irelia-ad @dorylory )

[safrona-shadowsun]

Character breakdown for Irai'el @ask-iraiel, if you like!

How I feel about this character(s): { I think Ira’iel was intelligently written and that she and Saf had some things in common in their mannerisms beyond being Void Elves. Yet, Ira seemed to be a far more intense character with a wealth of trouble in her wake.She felt like a vengeful lead in a Shakespeare work - a slow burn in family betrayals and tragedy. Her aesthetic was also very fun to work with, that alabaster, cool demeanor, pearlescent, dispassionate eyes. Just really liked working with her art commission and it remains a favorite. }

All the people I ship romantically with this character. { None, really. I never felt Ira was a character that wanted a romance or ‘needed’ some kind of a romantic sub-plot. She was very interesting story all on her own. I loved her being vengeful toward the one she was to be married to, in fact. }

My non-romantic OTP for this character: { Again, no character in particular...I sort of liked her weaving within her own story and through that of your other characters. }

My unpopular opinion about this character: { I’ve no idea what was popular or unpopular to Ira’iel’s canon, so I couldn’t begin to say.}

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. {...I miss her already lol. She was sort of my favorite of your characters

{ I realize this has been sitting in my inbox for a while, but here you go, @ask-iraiel​

[rykhafirehand]

A quickie of @ask-iraiel, an absolutely lovely friend.

OOC that is, Irai’el is Genuinely The Worst. :p

[ask-silverfire]

Watch the stars at night How they shake against the dark Like firelight And feel the weight of time As we move about this world Love, you and I Oh my love my heart don’t cry We were born to die But for this moment, for all time Oh I will fight for you I will die for you Oh I will fight for you I will die for you I will die for you Rage against the waking dawn Take the seconds of this life and pull them through your palms And watch the day break through the night And watch it die As we bend and break through time Lover, you and I And for this day, for all our lives Oh I will fight for you I will die for you Oh I will fight for you I will die for you Run lover speed now fly Feel the years go by As the weight of time it shakes As the earth it turns and quakes Shed your fears your tears your pride And then ramp into the night And I will fight for you I will die for you I will fight for you I will die for you Oh I will fight for you I will die for you I will die for you

There is a shuffle of footsteps. Perhaps more. The clip-clop of.. hooves? They hurt her ears, hurt her head. Her head spins. Her stomach turns. 

She hasn’t eaten in a long while. Why should she feel nauseous?

And then there is light. Light behind her closed lids, causing a severe ache in her eyes. Light in the darkness. Beautiful symbol of hope.

“Lady Firestar?”

That voice. It is familiar. Eyes open now. Rei’ann obeys.

Her sense of smell is dulled. Somewhere at the back of her mind is a reminder from a lifetime ago. “Use all your senses, grand-daughter.” Smell is related to memory is related to creating mental barriers in the Divination school of magic-

Dawnbringer. That is the name of the woman. She remembers her. Clad in dark leather, her blonde hair used to be longer. There is something different about her. It isn’t just because she is bloodied and injured, and seems tired.

She looks back at Rei’ann. With a bow of her head, she turns and leaves. And then, everything comes back.

Dizzy, she feels so dizzy. Her head is pounding. Her eyes burn. In fact, she is sore everywhere, but she can’t lie down. She has to get up. 

Firm pairs of hands reach out and grab her on either side, grasping to her arms as well as her waist and shoulder. She recognises the ship that they came to Argus on. Vindi-something? The ridiculously draeneic name will come back to her. It isn’t important now. She had stabbed the nathrezim. She can still hear Illethiann’s last words to her. “Here we are. Come on then.” He was smiling.

“My Lady please.”

Hands. One pair stronger and more calloused, the other owning slim, surgeons’ fingers. Both feminine. The voice is familiar too. What is her name again? The one Illethiann brought home? The one Nivendi’en wants to marry?

Everything comes back, crashing like a massive tidal wave. Divination school of magic. “Make the strongest mental barrier you can, grand-daughter.” 

Where is her world? Where are her Lights? I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars. Words on a grave, inscribed on the edge of an enchanted glass coffin. 

“My Lady, you’re on the Vindicaar.” Taryane Windblaze’s voice cuts through the weight of the flood. Korkruun. The Sun’s Fury. Failed mass teleports, but they managed in the end. They killed the dreadlord. She should be dead. “You were captured and unconscious. We got you back from Archanorius. Just you. Vendi’en is here. He leads us. You’ve just woken up and you need to calm down.”

That name sends an eruption of both fear and loathing in the middle of Rei’ann’s chest, and just as quickly, at the mention of her son - her Light - her heart skips a beat. She turns to the elf holding her on her left side. Taryane Windblaze stares back at her. She has her father’s eyes.

Where is Illethiann?

She must have said it out loud. Though Taryane stares at her, it was Irai’el - yes, that’s her name - holding her on her other side, who answers.

“Just you, my Lady.”

Calm, collected, gentle. So different from the fiery blood knight. 

It all comes flooding back, like waking up from a dream and facing reality when what you thought was real is all a lie.

And then, there is only numbness. Numb yourself to the world, so that you don’t feel. You cannot hurt if you cannot feel.

The world spins. She hasn’t eaten. She hasn’t drunk. Her entire body aches. If these two don’t let go, she will drain them dry.

“Sit down and eat something. Please..”

Taryane’s voice breaks. She has never heard Taryane’s voice break. 

Blankly, Rei'ann obeys.

[safrona-shadowsun]

✵ for Irai'el (@ask-iraiel)

Send ✵ and my muse will answer the following.  

First Impression: “Ren’dorei, yes?. Not quite so familiar with the name, and...vaguely familiar with the face - I don’t know all of my exiled kin now.” The importer played up one of her little distant smiles, finally gazing off in the general direction of the referred. “Comes off with a bit of a noble bearing, I’d say. Young, cooled face. Old, distant eyes.”

Current Impression: A quick, soundless chortle escaped her knowing smile as Safrona drew her eyes away. “Looks like she needs wine.”

Something Frightening about Irai'el: “I see nothing more frightening in her than I do myself…” there was a pause after her own commentary, as if thinking over what she had just said before being carried to the next question.

Something Adorable about Irai'el: “Adorable is a very strong word for someone I do not know. I...suppose I like the unusual shade of her hair. She stands out a little from the usual palettes of the Abyss.”

Would I sacrifice for Irai'el? “Given legitimate reason, perhaps? Business in itself has its potential risks and little sacrifices. Moreso where the Ren’dorei are concerned. For some Void-touched, we are all we have to rely on in the end.”

Date? Platonic/Romantic: “I make time for people professionally, not so much personally. But I never mind very platonic company for confessionals on the week’s end in Dalaran.”

One Word to Describe Irai'el: “Mmh…” a thoughtful hum rolled in the Courier’s throat as her violet pupils glanced once more the other Void Elf’s way. “ Collected, I suppose.”

Slap Irai'el? A strange look was given to the inquisitor. “For what reason?”

Hug/Kiss Irai'el? The look was a stranger one now, complete with a gradual chuckle, and a faint shake of the head. “I think not. I have a habit of respecting a stranger’s personal space. Well. Most times.”

( @ask-iraiel )

[safrona-shadowsun]

Irai'el @ask-iraiel did not ask to be a void elf. She was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Safrona couldn’t sweep her connection with the Void under the rug as a mistake - she often pushed the brink of what was considered taboo in the earlier years of her apprenticeship, following the Path of the Dark Art. Cracking that door to the Void realms was recognized as a premature move for the Warlock years ago however. In the knowing she was not ready to study such things, the ‘door’ to that knowledge was sealed with the sacrifice of memory surrounding it, creating one of many ‘vacuums’ in her memory of who she is. Still, her consciousness was permanently opened to hear things she could not before, such as the voices of bound souls, and this additional sense was simply registered as a natural evolution of her ability as a Warlock and the Fel-corrupted hunger to consume the essences she could track.

What Safrona did not forsee was the events that lead to her ending up on Argus after being charged by her connections to Karazhan, where she first touched upon the Void. Doors were flung open, memory came rushing in, and when the Void-addled of Ma’cree set upon her, she was compelled to consume, and fight for her own sanity.

Though Safrona has learned to strengthen her own will as one of the Ren’dorei, she struggles with the seeded feeling that she always meant to be a child of the Great Dark Beyond, and all that entails.

{ Thank you, @ask-iraiel​ / @videtur-existentiae​! }