Syrinthia Runekeeper

Syrinthia Runekeeper is the current High Magistrix of the Dominion, and the head of their extensive Research and Development department. She originally came to the Dominion just over two years ago as an Inquisitor. Fate took an odd turn, and she ended up joining the organization, bringing her vast knowledge to the aid of the Dominion.

=Appearance=

Syrinthia Runekeeper is young-looking; seemingly fresh out of adolescence. She is short and small, with modest curves and lightly tanned skin. Her heart-shaped face is framed by medium-length apple red hair that starts out neat, but is inevitably restyled by the wind and the day's activities.

Her body has been littered, recently, with light scars along her back, and the backs of her arms and legs. They are still pink from newness. An equally-fresh scar, a bit more obvious than the rest, cuts a jagged line from just below her left ear to the middle of her throat.

When not in battle, her sea foam-green eyes peer out at the world from behind a pair of thin, wire-framed glasses. Those eyes are large and almond-shaped, and framed by long, dark eyelashes. She has a smattering of freckles across her small nose as well as her high, prominent cheekbones. Her jaw is narrow, tapering off into a slightly pointed chin.

Although her clothing is always clean outside of battle, there are the occasional rips and tears here and there until she gets around to repairing them. Her tabard and weapons, however, are always kept immaculate.

=History=

Syrinthia Runekeeper was born out of wedlock to a noble mother (Alandia Runekeeper) and a poor father (Endelius Highperch) who worked the docks in Sunsail Anchorage. They were both young, and their relationship was kept secret from her mother’s parents. Alandia was the middle child and had a rebellious streak. They had planned to run away together once Syrinthia was born, but her parents were not as easily tricked as Alandia believed them to be. Using their connections, they made sure Endelius was sent on a lengthy journey to trade goods with Stormwind, which would prevent him from being in Quel’thalas when Syrinthia was born.

They made arrangements to marry Alandia off to a nobleman, Lord Emrid Brightsun, who was below her station. In exchange for the social boost it would give Lord Brightsun’s family, he would agree to accept the unborn child as his, and never claim otherwise. The marriage was hurried along before Alandia could no longer hide her stomach beneath draping gowns, and then she went out of sight at her parent’s estate. The plan was for her to not emerge until nine months after her marriage.

Unfortunately, Alandia died during childbirth. Not wanting to be saddled with a child that wasn’t his, Lord Brightsun had his marriage to Alandia annulled under the grounds that she had deceived him. He claimed he had no knowledge of her pregnancy, and cited the span of time from his marriage to the child’s birth. The annulment was granted, and Syrinthia’s grandparents were left with an unwanted bastard that was a stain on their family name.

Lord Andromalius Runekeeper, Alandia’s older brother, volunteered to take Syrinthia in and adopt her as his own. Andromalius and his wife, Salinda, were unable to have children of their own; they had been trying for decades without success, and had resigned themselves to this sad fact some time ago. They gladly took Syrinthia in, and raised her as if she were their own daughter.

Syrinthia was given the best education available. Private instructors and an impressive private library, as well as her uncle’s connections as a high-ranking official of Silvermoon, ensured Syrinthia would want for nothing in her training and intellectual pursuits. There was no question that she would become a Magistrix; the Runekeepers did not follow any other path.

After a time, Syrinthia studied in Dalaran, like many of the more promising Magi of Azeroth. While there, she studied under a human tutor who was said to be a Ley Walker. After a time, this tutor began to educate Syrinthia in the ways of Leywalking as well. Syrinthia was a quick study, and soon she was grasping the basics of the delicate craft. After many more years of hard work and study, Syrinthia could call herself a Ley Walker as well.

Meanwhile, her grandparents had made sure to pass along to Endelius that Alandia had died in childbirth, along with their bastard. He thought it strange, however, that Alandia’s brother suddenly had an adopted daughter. Endelius was not stupid; he knew that was his child, and not Andromalius’. Still, he knew that Syrinthia would have a better life with her uncle than he could provide. Free from the ‘burden’ of a family to look out for, Endelius stole a ship from the docks in Sunsail with a small crew. Endelius was a charismatic man and a natural leader, and so it wasn’t long before his small crew became a formidable one. He quickly gained a reputation as one of the fiercest pirates to sail the seas of Azeroth.

It seemed that Syrinthia and her father were never to meet, but the invasion of Arthas and the scourge changed everyone’s fortunes.

Syrinthia, Andromalius, and Salinda survived the invasion; her grandparents had not. Due to her uncle’s high rank and connections, they were fortunate enough to receive more aid than the average citizen. Her uncle worked tirelessly to aid his people and find a way to slake the magical addiction that grew stronger within them with each passing day.

Then came the breakthrough with the fel crystals, and it seemed they had finally found their miracle cure, just as all seemed nearly lost. It was during this time that Endelius showed up, unannounced, at the Runekeeper estate; security was lax due to the crisis Quel’thalas was going through.

Endelius, despite not being particularly gifted with the arcane, was going through withdraws like the rest of his kin. He needed Andromalius’ aid, but he knew the man would not willingly give it to him…and so he sought out Syrinthia. Syrinthia had been told very little of her mother and father; only the lie that her mother had been taken advantage of by a peasant. Needless to say, the arrival of her biological father was a shock. He told her the truth about his relationship with her mother, and why he had never come back for Syrinthia.

The story, true as it was, was told to get Syrinthia—and by extension, Andromalius—on his side. Sure enough, Syrinthia begged Andromalius to give aid to Endelius and simply would not take no for an answer. Andromalius gave in, and helped Endelius by hiding him at the remains of the Runekeeper estate. He let him work with the carpenters that were repairing the severely damaged property.

It was shortly after the Sin’dorei realized they could use fel to slake their magical cravings, that Syrinthia took her first job as a mid-level Magistrix working for the government of Silvermoon. Her specific job was to investigate abuses of magic. At a time when one could argue that is all the elves were doing, however, there was not much for Syrinthia to investigate. Syrinthia often found herself working with the Magisters who kept the peace in the city and quieted dissenters.

Once Kael'thas' betrayal was made apparent, however, there was much to investigate. Swiftly, the tides of opinion changed and Syrinthia had plenty of work to do. She was an inquisitor, seeking out those who were still Kael’thas loyalists. Her work often took her to the Outlands, helping to exterminate the Felbloods and other Sin’dorei who refused to drop their loyalty to Kael’thas, even after his passing.

Endelius had left some time after the Sunwell was restored, slipping into the night without a word. Syrinthia was hurt, but she had work to do. She moved on.

Syrinthia volunteered to aid the Kirin Tor by joining the Sunreavers, shortly after pledged his support to Aethas Sunreaver. There was little need for inquisition, after all, at this time; there were few Kael’thas supporters left, and those who did still support him were smart enough to keep it to themselves. Syrinthia spent the remainder of the Northrend campaign with the Sunreavers, helping in the fight against Malygos and his crazed followers.

When the trouble with Malygos had finally come to a close, Syrinthia decided to seek out her absentee father once again. She had never truly believed his stories that he was merely an independent trader, and did some research into him during her free time. It didn’t take much for her to discover the truth about him, and so she set off to find him. She searched common neutral port towns, getting herself in plenty of bad situations due to her naivety and lack of street smarts. It was during a bar fight that Syrinthia found her father again.

Syrinthia was ecstatic to see her father again, but it was clear he wished she had not found him. Still, he did not turn her away. Syrinthia begged him to take her along with him on the ship. At first, he flat out refused; he did not want to see her get hurt. Syrinthia would not take no for an answer, however, and began listing all of the ways a Magistrix could help them on their expeditions. Furthermore, she argued, she was a scholar and could help them appraise their loot, as well as keep the books for them. By the time she was finished, Endelius was sold. Syrinthia made only one request; that they not rob Horde ships while she was on the crew. Her father reluctantly agreed, and she ‘joined’ his crew.

Syrinthia mostly kept the books for her father, although she did aid in a few key battles against some Venture Co. and Alliance trade ships. She used her time on the ship to get to know her father, and the two quickly learned they had a lot in common. Syrinthia found she enjoyed herself on the ship more than she enjoyed any other work she had done before. Some of the men weren’t exactly nice to her, but she learned that if she didn’t take crap from them, they would give it far less often. Slowly but surely, she earned their respect.

…or so she thought.

A raid on a Horde ship while she was still sleeping (a late night updating the ship's books) made Syrinthia absolutely livid; her father had agreed not to attack any Horde vessels while she was on board! Endelius' first mate, Gillad, snipped that perhaps it was then time for her to leave. Syrinthia snipped right back at him, but it was clear from the way the other crew members were reacting that they agreed with Gillad. Gillad said the crew was tired of doing easy missions with little payout, just because the captain's daughter was on the ship; they felt they were being held back by her presence. Her father tried to reason with her, stating it was about the bottom line, and they couldn’t discriminate when it came to gold. Syrinthia wouldn’t hear it. Her father could not afford to try to coddle his daughter, and so he told her he thought it best she leave the crew if she could not understand the need to rob any and all trading ships that crossed their path.

Syrinthia, furious at herself for not realizing she had made a mistake by thinking she was 'one of the crew,' and not wanting to be part of any other robberies on Horde vessels, agreed to return to Quel'thalas. She created a portal back to Silvermoon in the first port town they docked in. After reuniting with her worried aunt and uncle, she resumed her work with the Silvermoon Government, investigating abuses of magic.

Her career was rather dull, especially in comparison with her time on the seas with her father, until the case of Panna Dawnsorrow came up. Panna Dawnsorrow was the current High Magistrix of the Dominion of the Sun, an upstart Sin’dorei militia that the Silvermoon government felt was getting a bit too prominent for their liking.

Dawnsorrow’s father had been murdered, along with his fiancé…a low-born woman that had once been his servant. Panna Dawnsorrow was well-known to be highly conscientious of status…and it was also well-known that she hated the fact that her father was marrying some former serving girl.

Syrinthia was called in to investigate what seemed to be non-magic related crime because of Dawnsorrow's rank within the Dominion of the Sun. They believed, or so they told Syrinthia when assigning her to the case, that Dawnsorrow had been aided by the Sovereign of the Dominion in an effort to keep their record untarnished. It was a stretch, to be sure…but Syrinthia wanted the opportunity to help investigate Dawnsorrow.

Through much hard work, it was proven that Dawnsorrow hired an assassin to kill her father and his fiancé. Unfortunately, Dawnsorrow fled capture under odd circumstances; she seemed to have been aided by individuals wearing the colors of the Dominion of the Sun…or so the reports said, at any rate. The Magisters and the government of Silvermoon were furious; there was no doubt in their minds that the Sovereign of the Dominion, Tendael Dawnlight, had aided Dawnsorrow in fleeing justice.

Syrinthia, however, believed differently. After working with the Dominion, she believed Lord Dawnlight had no idea of his Magistrix’s true temperament and background. She presented her findings to the Magisters, who intended to brand the Dominion as a rogue organization of criminals that worked outside the law and support of Silvermoon. Syrinthia managed to get them to delay such a decision. She said she would give them the choice of taking her as their High Magistrix, so she could continue her investigation, or else they would face being condemned by the government of Silvermoon.

Despite Syrinthia’s attempts to assure the Sovereign that she was only forcing herself into the High Magistrix position to help the Dominion, he was not happy about the decision. Still, he was wise enough to know it was the only way, and so he accepted her as the new High Magistrix of the Dominion.

There, she remained for a few months, working both her job with Silvermoon and the Dominion. It was hard, at first, for her to gain the trust of the Dominion soldiers; many of them did not know the exact details of Panna's departure, and suspected foul play on Syrinthia's part. However, she eventually won over the other officers and the majority of the Dominion soldiers as well. Then, one day, Syrinthia seemed to just...disappear.

When Syrinthia returned months later from whatever mysterious journey she had gone on, she decided it was time to seek out the Dominion again. She had every intention of climbing the ranks, but the Sovereign asked her to resume her position as High Magistrix. It seemed that, since her departure, they had not been able to keep a stable Eminence in that position. Syrinthia was surprised, but gladly accepted.

Her former rank and position with the Magisters of Silvermoon was also offered back to her, almost immediately after she returned to the Dominion. Syrinthia found it suspicious, but the Sovereign convinced her to take it back. The connection, after all, was useful...she would just have to be wary about not allowing the government of Silvermoon to stick it's nose into Dominion business. Sensing such sentiments from her, they sent her a 'secretary' to keep tabs. She makes him do most of her paper work for the Magistrate while she handles Dominion business.

As head of the Magisterium of the Dominion, Syrinthia spends most of her time on researching relics, arcane weapons development, and the education of Dominion soldiers.

=Personality=

Many view her as a quiet, and perhaps even passive individual, as it takes a lot to get her riled up. Syrinthia is actually quite passionate in a lot of her views, but she usually has the wisdom to see when something is worth fighting for, or if she should just move on. Syrinthia will not waste time trying to convince someone who cannot be reasoned with, nor will she waste time on something that she feels will work itself out in time. Syrinthia instead extends her energies to immediate problems or matters that she believes she can have an effect on. Make no mistake, she does not give up easily; she simply takes the logical approach to matters. If something is important, but she keeps hitting road blocks, she will simply keep trying to find a more successful route to her goals.

Syrinthia is highly intelligent and, some may argue, quite sly. She finds it amusing to play devil’s advocate, and very rarely gives her true opinion on a matter unless it is business-related. While she would never withhold her real opinions from a superior or fellow officer, for example, Syrinthia has no problem with toying with the minds of her subordinates. It’s mainly a harmless diversion for the High Magistrix; she does not toy with their minds in the sense that she’s trying to upset or deceive them; rather, she is trying to get them to think outside their comfort zone and see things from many different perspectives.

She simply disapproves of viewing things in a linear or black and white fashion. Syrinthia may have many strongly-held views, but she has an open mind and can be swayed when it is obvious she was wrong. She hopes for this trait in others, but knows better than to expect it.

Despite being an advocate for keeping an open mind and thinking "outside the box," Syrinthia appears to have quite rigid views on the Alliance races and the humans. Like most Sin'dorei, she views the Alliance as traitors that left her people to die. She was quick to take up the government's dogma about the Sin'dorei being the superior race. Whether or not she truly believes it remains to be seen; although her actions and words certainly suggest she does, there are a few oddities here and there. For one, she speaks of the Sin'dorei as equals to the Forsaken, Tauren, and Pandaren. She also speaks quite highly of one of her former instructors from her time in Dalaran; a human mage.

The High Magistrix has a reputation for remaining calm under pressure; she keeps her composure during even the most seemingly dire of situations. There are few situations that would force an outburst out of the High Magistrix, but they do exist. Should her anger boil to the surface, it is usually in a quick, sharp burst that is hidden almost as quickly as it was accidentally released.

Beliefs
Syrinthia does not believe in the light as an entity to be worshiped. She sees it as simply another form of magic, to be used as seen fit.

Outside of religion, Syrinthia seems to subscribe to the standard dogmatic views of Sin'dorei supremacy. Whether or not she truly believes this with all her heart, or merely reciting the words and going through the motions, is difficult to say. Her words and actions certainly suggest that she does wholly subscribe to that doctrine, but those closest to her may see the inner conflict boiling just beneath the self-assured surface.