Yulenia

She smiles so much, it's creepy. --Vierdiel Sunshatter, Sin'dorei

Physical Description
Once a denizen of Quel'Thalas, this former High-Elven woman was likely somewhere beyond a hundred-and-fifty when she fell to the Scourge. Seven years of decay and more than a half-year fighting the Alliance on the front-line has left her a far cry short of the echo of beauty she once was: her ears have worn down to small nubs, her eyes are little more than sockets of hideous rot, and her face is stitched together in places to prevent it from outright falling apart. The rest of her body is hardly in any better shape, with the flesh at her joints worn away and her skin criss-crossed with scars and long stitches. Despite her haggard and decaying appearance, the Forsaken woman nearly always displays a cheerful smile, bordering on senseless glee. Regardless of her combat gear or uniform, however, she always carries an Ancient Bone Longbow on her back with a pair of daggers at her sides, marking her as one of the many Dark Rangers under Sylvanas' command.

Personality & Motives
Cheerful and happy-go-lucky, Yulenia is nothing short of bubbly and nearly always displays a rather disturbing smile punctuated with an other-worldly giggle. Easy to get along with, honest, and slow to anger or taunt, she often seems innocently oblivious to the world around her, but glimpses of her masked lucidity, wit and humor can often be gleaned. A military woman through-and-through, she obeys the strictest sense of the law and adopts more of a neutral position on most issues, instead attempting to view topics from as objective a viewpoint as possible. Those who look down on Yulenia's demeanor as a sign of weakness, childishness or incompetence, however, will quickly find themselves led astray by the subtle misconception. On the battlefield, Yulenia is a capable tactician, veteran soldier and a competent leader who has more than earned her place in the Dark Rangers and on the front lines.

While Yulenia was once one of the Farstriders loyal only to Quel'Thalas, she views the current state of her homeland as nothing more than the dead remains of her home that was massacred under the relentless assault of the Scourge. The haunted memories and plagued images of her once-homeland prevent her from making extended stays in Silvermoon City, often keeping to business and then returning to Forsaken lands as quickly as possible. With Quel'Thalas little more than a mausoleum in her mind, Yulenia took quickly to establishing a new home for herself with the Forsaken. Sworn to her brothers and sisters in undeath as well as the Dark Lady, Yulenia works to see Lordaeron independent, left in peace, and reborn into a world power. To that end, she encourages her brothers and sisters to think beyond the short-term goals of revenge and instead to look towards the distant future of how they will live out their second-chance at life. While Yulenia holds no abhorrence or dislike for the work of the Royal Apothecary Society or the Lightslayers and even sees the need in both organizations, she views their ends as being ultimately self-destructive should they become all-consuming.

Yulenia enjoys drinking strong alcoholic beverages, brewing unique tea blends, idle banter and small talk, and has a particular fancy for the raw mana-infused flesh of spellcasters- especially night elf females. While she detests druids and hunters and despises trolls, her hatred of the Scourge is second to none.

Before the Plague of Lordaeron
Born one-hundred and thirty years before the first opening of the Dark Portal that ushered the orcish Horde into Azeroth, Yulenia Ravensong had the pleasure of growing up in one of the more peaceful eras of Quel'thalas' history. Her High Elf parents- Viridal and Coria Ravensong- were arcanists of the Magisters of Silvermoon and likely had intended their daughter to follow in their footsteps. The young, rough and easily-excitable Yulenia, however, could never focus long enough to study and learn even the cantrips of a mage. Instead, at the age of twenty-four, Yulenia shed the last hopes of her parents and enlisted in the Farstriders to become one of the elven rangers. Yulenia took to the training over the next hundred years of her life with great difficulty, but her indomitable persistence eventually rewarded her with some measure of skill and won her the respect of her peers. Ultimately, Yulenia was stationed in southern Quel'thalas, assigned to standing guard against the ever-present threat of the Amani Trolls.

When news of the First War reached the ears of Quel'thalas, Yulenia was unmoved. Preoccupied with the defense of elven lands from the trolls, she rarely gave the rumors of the orcish Horde much thought or mind, instead concerning herself with the present threat to her homeland. News of the fall of Stormwind and the great exodus to Lordaeron prompted little more response in the adult Yulenia. Even as the token bands of elven rangers marched off to join the Alliance military operations, she never once considered that her homeland might become a battleground. When the Amani Trolls- now allied with the Horde- put the borderlands of her homeland to the flame, Yulenia was suddenly catapulted into the middle of the Second War. With the loss of the runestone at Caer Darrow, Quel'thalas pledged itself to the utter destruction of the Horde and the victory of the Alliance. Yulenia, along with her squad and many of her peers, were moved to the front lines to support the new Alliance offensives into Horde territory. With the passing of several more months, battles, and promotions, Yulenia returned home to Quel'thalas far different than she had left it. Although the Alliance crushed the orcish onslaught and claimed victory, the young and cheerful Yulenia had become a casualty of the Second War; in her place, a battle-hardened woman had been reborn, far more mature and far less naive to the turmoil of the world around her.

Even as the Alliance began to wage war beyond the Dark Portal, Quel'thalas withdrew into itself, and Yulenia with it. The experiences of the Second War had left her with nightmares of the battlefield and a restless post once more along the southern borders of Quel'thalas near the outermost elfgate. With the threat of the Amani Trolls neutralized for the time being, Yulenia's garrison duty found her increasingly bored and aloof. It wasn't until several years later that rumors of plague in Lordaeron reached the elfgates, and soon after, the Scourge. The defenses at the first elfgate were ill prepared for the tides of darkness that came down upon them, and Yulenia among the defenders. What little she does remember of that day is clouded only in fleeting images of slaughter and blood, twisted reflections of the life and friends she once knew. The one thing she remembers with absolute clarity is the searing pain and agony inflicted by a necromancer who enfeebled her and then eviscerated her soul, turning her into a banshee.



During the Time of the Scourge
At the talons of the Scourge, Yulenia suffered severe mental trauma as one of the many High Elf banshees that came to be in the Scourge's employ during the destruction of the elfgates. Ultimately, she came to participate not only in the razing of Silvermoon City itself, but also the defilement of the Sunwell and the slaughter of over ninety percent of her race. Warped and twisted by the experiences and driven partially mad by the ever-present voice of the Lich King, Yulenia regressed into her childhood, reclaiming her childish, carefree and cheerful personality which mixed with the ghoul-like psychotic need for meat and bloodlust and the tactical experience of a war veteran. Even as she sent her kinsmen to their graves, she giggled and laughed with senseless amusement as her sanity slipped further and further away.

In the aftermath of the slaughter, Yulenia managed to repossess her former body through the whims of the Lich King, though it did little to help her state other than augment her capacity for bloodshed and murder. As with many of the other Scourge, Yulenia began to adamantly practice cannibalism as a means of regenerating wounds and injuries sustained during combat, and this unsavory habit served only to further traumatize Yulenia, regardless of what enjoyment it did bring in time.

Birth of the Forsaken
With the waning power of the Lich King brought on in Northrend, Yulenia suddenly found herself lucid in Lordaeron and thrown into the midst of a civil war within the Scourge. Falling in with the thousands of lost and bewildered undead under the leadership of Sylvanas Windrunner, Yulenia found herself unable to commune with the natural affinity she had once used as one of the Farstriders. With the loss of all the equipment she once possessed, Yulenia was reduced to fighting with salvaged blades in close-quarters combat as the newly-minted Forsaken fought the Scourge for their freedom. When the Forsaken were able to claim their independence from the Scourge, the collective group settled into the ruins of Lordaeron into what was to become Undercity. Yulenia decided to remain with them, both out of a feeling of brotherhood and a fear to return to face what had become of Quel'thalas.

In Undercity, the Deathguards, Deathstalkers, and the Dark Rangers were formed in quick succession as a means to protect their fledgling nation. Yulenia- as one of the former Farstriders- was soon given the chance to claim a place within the newly-formed Dark Rangers, and once more, the woman's indomitable perseverance was put to the test. Subjected to rigorous study into the arts of necromancy, numerous trials and tests, Yulenia's training culminated in a profane ritual which stripped her of the vestiges of her former natural affinity. Afterward, Yulenia embraced undeath, shadow, and necromancy under the tutelage of her peers, which ultimately yielded her to the ranks of the Dark Rangers. Perhaps as a testament to her time with the Scourge, Yulenia continues to prefer close-quarters combat to ranged combat as some of the newer Dark Rangers do, although her skill with the bow is still accurate despite the lack of use it receives. A master of the shadows and an adept in necromancy, Yulenia served in many roles within the Forsaken military from this point on, always thanklessly carrying out the will of the Dark Lady.

Present Day
While Yulenia still bears the horrible scars of mental trauma brought on by the Scourge, she yet possesses a fair amount of rational sanity and thought which enables her to undertake the responsibilities of her post. Even when engaging in day-to-day duties, conversation and relaxation, however, her demeanor is most often punctuated with the out-of-place laughter, giggling, and the expressions of a young and immature girl.

Due to the untimely death of Sergeant-Major Belaris Delenada, Yulenia was transferred from the reserves into The Shadarim as a replacement captain almost immediately. Understandably, both Yulenia and the soldiers of The Shadarim were forced to adapt rapidly in the midst of the war. Despite initial friction in part due to her deceptively insane and bubbly attitude, Yulenia has proven herself a capable and sane commander to those she leads as well as a skilled assassin and scout, even going so far as being nicknamed "That Damn Dead Elf" by AEGIS commanders. Yulenia picked up a knowledge base in engineering in order to conduct her own routine maintenance on the unit's comlink system as well as the production of additional comlink devices for new recruits. In addition, Yulenia has combined her experience in tailoring with her necromancy training, which permits her to practice fleshcrafting which can be used to heal minor wounds and replace the limbs of other Forsaken. Through her devotion and hard work, Yulenia has earned the respect of her subordinates and leads The Shadarim with pride.

Having to pick up the responsibilities of her predecessor, Yulenia has engaged in a fair amount of Horde politics despite her strong distaste for it. Regardless, she has done relatively well in networking with many other Horde units and allies, as well as rectifying command structure issues that occasionally surface when coordinating joint strikes on Alliance targets. Finally, she occasionally serves as the COBRA commander when the need arises.

After several months of less-than-favorable dealings with the disciples of the Holy Light in the Horde, Yulenia decided to become a convert to the Forgotten Shadow, a religion popular amongst the Forsaken for its central focus on power and balance. Shortly thereafter, Yulenia became involved in shady research and development in collaboration with her unit's master apocathary, Doctor Rasomil. Rumored to be a weapon of mass destruction, Yulenia formed strong ties to the Fel Fiends, a power-hungry coven of traitors within the Alliance, who provided Alliance test-subjects to The Shadarim to further the project. However, when it was discovered that the Fel Fiends were working for the Burning Legion, Yulenia and The Shadarim were quick to sever ties with the warlock coven. While AEGIS forces successfully rescued most of the test-subjects and took the Fel Fiends' leader captive soon after, the research project had nevertheless been completed and several test-subjects- most notably Kelmia Duskbane- had already been transported out of the Fel Fiends' installation. In the end, three vats of strain were produced and transported secretly to Vengeance Landing, while the surviving test-subjects were placed in Warsong Hold under the supervision of Yulenia and The Shadarim.

Yulenia then directly oversaw the processing of the test-subject Kelmia Duskbane at Warsong Hold in the weeks following the fall of the Fel Fiends. While their relationship began as that of a sadistic scientist to a lab rat, Kelmia became more cooperative over time and their relationship transformed into something more befitting of a young girl and her pet. Whether this transformation was caused by a willingness on Kelmia's part or due to brainwashing is unknown, but many of Kelmia's former friends- such as Kaidea, Kaliili, and Casylia- claim it to be the latter. Eventually, Yulenia subjected a willing Kelmia to a full dose of the strain, which killed her and transformed her into one of the Forsaken. Ever since, Kelmia can almost always be found loyally at Yulenia's feet, being a target for affection that would more often be found directed at a trusted family dog or cat.

During the following execution of the Fel Fiends leader, Lady Surreal, Doctor Rasomil captured a portion of the warlock's essence within a demon heart, intending to give the woman a proper burial as tribute for her assistance in the research project. However, after deeming the resulting artifact too powerful and with so many special-interest groups learning about its existence, Yulenia destroyed the Heart of Surreal in front of AEGIS commanders Eredis and Valdiis. The resulting explosion damaged Yulenia severely, but she and Doctor Rasomil were permitted to leave unhindered despite their vulnerable state.

Yulenia came forward and exposed the extent of The Shadarim research as well as the product it produced to COBRA following these events. Primarily done in the interests of putting to rest any rumors that had circulated about another "Putress plague weapon" and reaffirm COBRA's trust in The Shadarim, Yulenia revealed that the strain produced during the research was not a weapon at all, but a poison developed to directly sublime the living into free-willed undead. Citing the necessity of the Forsaken to be able to propagate as a species, COBRA's council was quickly divided. While the strain clearly had no military applications in part due to its unique properties, the Stormrock Clan was still vehemently opposed to the creation of additional "unnatural" undead. Ultimately, the controversial topic was declared far above COBRA's ability to dictate, and subsequently dropped. While most of the member guilds of COBRA were sympathetic to the problem the Forsaken faced, the Stormrock Clan continued to oppose any further research or testing with the strain.

After deliberations, it was decided to move the three vats of strain from Vengeance Landing to Warsong Hold for safekeeping. COBRA forces, aware of the importance of this logistical movement and the likelihood that AEGIS would intervene, deployed dense guard formations to escort the vat convoy. AEGIS forces managed to destroy two of the three vats in transport, but failed to destroy the final vat- much to Yulenia's relief. As irony would have it, Erier Fireiris- the most outspoken Stormrock Clan critic of Yulenia and the strain- was the carrier of the single surviving vat. It was delivered safely to Warsong Hold, stored, and secured.

Two samples of this strain were given out to other organizations for select reasons. The first, handed over to Urgas, was given so that the strain's properties could be tested and verified. Unfortunately, the Stormrock Clan's shamans attempted ill-informed experiments on the strain sample instead, attempting to create an antidote or "cure" for what they believed was a weapon. Their attempts ultimately failed after one of their shamans was slain and transformed into an undead by mishandling the strain, at which point the situation became public. The resulting political backlash left Yulenia increasingly hostile towards the Stormrock Clan. The second, gifted to the Burning Tusk Tribe, was given as a show of good-will in the interests of a formal future alliance.

Yulenia was transferred from her command of The Shadarim to the frontlines for more specialized work soon after beginning work on another shadowy coalition similar to COBRA but rumored to include Alliance operatives. Consequently, her work was never fully completed nor saw realization. Instead, she left Kelmia Duskbane in her place to ensure the legacy both she and Sergeant-Major Belaris Delenada had begun with The Shadarim. For the next three months, Yulenia was assigned numerous missions behind enemy lines as a solo operative, performing reconnaissance and assassinations. She was then placed on indefinite leave for about a month before she voluntarily re-entered service under The Shadarim once again.

Currently, Yulenia is listed as MIA.

Family
Viridal & Coria Ravensong - Father & mother. Presumed deceased. Although Yulenia doesn't know exactly what happened to her parents, she hasn't seen or heard from them since the invasion of Silvermoon City, where her parents regularly worked. Nindrina Deathsong - Sister. Currently existing as a member of the Forsaken in The Shadarim. Yulenia's younger sibling, Nindrina was of comparable skill and prowess to her elder, although Yulenia is far more experienced. Like Yulenia, Nindrina suffered from mental trauma from the Scourge as well, though her experience caused her to exhibit more psychotic and xenophobic tendencies. The two are nearly inseparable, and can often be found verbally and physically rough-housing with one another in the downtime between battles. When combat does erupt, the pair travel together and attack in tandem.