| Lasha Everglory | |
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Female |
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16 July, -58 L.C. (105) |
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L.T. |
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Alive |
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"I'm not ashamed of them, you know? They're me now. I made them mine, just like I made the rest of my body mine, and I'm proud of that. Yeah, it was... not great. But these? They're the property of me." |
Lasha'theda Everglory (Born 16 July, -58 L.C.), often referred to as Lasha or L.T. is a High Elf Engineer of the Silver Covenant and the Science United Network of the Silverguard. Often dubbed "the Mushroom Farmer" for her fascination with NUKULAR weaponry, she was specifically enlisted by the Covenant to supply powerful magitech weaponry for use against the Undead Scourge. A patriot and a proponent of freedom, Lasha believes her weapons serve to protect the free people of the world from the menaces against Azeroth.
Even as a specialist in weapons development and Magitech, she actively tinkers with almost any field of engineering, ranging even into robotics. Despite being driven mad by the whispers of the Old Gods and torturously mechanized by the Patch, Lasha upholds a distinct positivity both about her life and her body, that accepts and embraces who she is, seeking to improve upon it at any opportunity.
On the whole, Lasha embraces anyone who she is certain believes in universally granted liberties, regardless of faction. Conversely, she wholly condemns powers that seek to control the populace and restrict their freedom of will, historically placing her at odds with organizations such as the True Horde, the Magisters, and the Black Empire, conflicts she continues to this day, even when encouraged not to.
Background[]
Lasha'theda was born to the wealthy House Everglory, inheriting her parents' luxurious lifestyle and culture of hard, lucrative work. As a child, rambunctious was a humble term for Lasha as she was 'inspired' even in her youth, fascinated by the cultures outside of isolated Quel'thalas and their crafts, especially those of the Gnomes to the south. In a society that lived and breathed magic, Lasha was enamored with the imagination of how people treated technology almost like a magic in its own right. Souvenirs she obtained or was given were often dissected and tinkered with, only honing her curiosity.
Valuing their status and wealth, Lasha's parents vowed to raise their daughter with the best their money could afford, paying for her enrollment in prestigious academies and universities. When Lasha was an adult, they encouraged her to pursue an education in primarily profitable ventures. Though she still fancied the intrigues of technology, she was convinced to prioritize realism, studied in the fields of geology and gemology alike, attending a trade school in Ironforge. Countless internships, several terms and a few degrees later, Lasha had ready experience for a broad career in not only studying and cutting gems, but also research on the enigmatic metals of Azeroth coveted from humble blacksmiths to legendary mages.
But Lasha was never one for desk work. Secretly craving exploration and discovery, she frequently volunteered as a miner in areas she herself prospected with the hopes of finding something new. Even as an adult she still indulged her tinkerer fantasies, making mundane trinkets out of metals and items that did not sell, and often incorporating gems that had little demand. Otherwise, her time and skills were taken up by wealthy jewelers and socialites of Quel'thalas, mages seeking reagents and materials, and providing materials to metalworkers across the lands.
Following the Fall, Lasha and her family survived through the pains of the mana drought. Though they lost a great deal to the Scourge, much more was lost to their exile. Outspoken against the methods used by the Blood Elves, Lasha - supported by her family - vocally protested the decisions made by the powerful Magisters, only to earn her family's eventual exile, their nobility swiftly endangered. They recuperated through the trade of magical supplies and crystals, tools needed by the general population to survive their addiction. Peaking demands made these items all the more precious, and filled the Everglories' coffers as a result. Lasha herself took to more freelance work in the human lands, especially in studying and researching unique metals recently discovered by Azerothian Heroes, such as Elementium. Such valuable, high-paying work from all of the family was successfully able to bring the house back onto its feet, in the comforts of the Alliance.
However, after years of travel, Lasha found herself grounded once again with the founding of the Silver Covenant, finding some peace in being among kin once again. With the Silver Covenant's operations in the north, word eventually reached Lasha of the incredible findings across Northrend, particular in the far corners of the enigmatic Storm Peaks.
The Mad Mechanic[]
Lasha booked passage to the Storm Peaks to arrive in the goblin town of K3 where she collaborated with the goblins' research on Saronite. At the time however, the adverse effects of Saronite exposure had yet to be fully documented, and while Lasha was not believed - at the time - to succumb to insanity, it was noted that she experienced deviations in her behavior that have led some to believe her mind to be addled by the Saronite. She experienced frequent night terrors and was plagued with visions and whispers, and eventually left of her own volition into one of the Saronite mines.
Though Lasha was retrieved, she had to be restrained as she frequently had episodes of bizarre behavior, such as an almost hypnotic trance believing a "Master" expected her, or violent outbursts that typically attempted to harm herself or those around her. She often spoke in unfamiliar tongues now known as Shath'yar, and what could be understood of her speech was often accusing others around her of being the true evil. Despite removal from the mines, failure to remove Lasha from Northrend led to her delving only further into her impending madness that was eventually marked by the near death of a co-worker at her panicked hands.
While some believed Lasha was too far gone, others saw her as an opportunity to learn about those who were typically too insane to collect for study. The mad elf was delivered to the Institute for Magical Incidents, where she was subjected to trials and tests, and given experimental treatments of alchemy, therapy, and removal from distressing and corruptive stimuli. Though it took nearly a year, Lasha began to make a recovery from her madness. She fortunately reached a point that, with near constant supervision, she was fit for work. However, madness was not without its mark on her psyche, as a more "inspired" mind seemed to have taken the place of the previously hard-working and studious prospector.
As Lasha was kept away from the mines and anything obtained from Saronite mining, she instead found new work as an assistant to the goblins of K3 who had helped pioneer some of the treatments given to her. Typically responsible for preparing and setting up the various mine fields surrounding the town, Lasha grew enamored with the culture of those taking care of her. Though it somewhat distanced her from the norms of elven culture, Lasha's unease and trauma were suppressed by a love for the goblins who encouraged her free spirit to experiment rather than simply abide. A "trial by error" way of life rubbed off on Lasha, as did their passions for engineering.
With the war finished, Lasha briefly stepped away from war and schooling to travel and study her new interest abroad. She traveled worldwide to communities such as New Tinkertown, Gadgetzan, Ironforge, and more, to get a better grasp on engineering. Though she was mostly self-educated, she found work experience and training at various businesses, with an especially informative employment at Steelcove Robotics that inspired her to push the limits in technology.
However, in this time, Lasha's relationship with her family became strained. The oddities of the prodigal daughter of House Everglory became outstanding to nobles, friends and rivals alike. Her parents were confused and dismayed as Lasha all but cast away her degrees and education in favor of a seemingly independent approach to tinkering on the crafts of younger races, especially on weapons. As the story of Lasha's madness spread and she presented her shoddy creations with pride, she became the laughingstock of what remained of the elven nobility, forcing her parents to impose an ultimatum: hide her madness, or hide herself.
Though confused by the shame brought down upon her, Lasha did not stop tinkering and learning the ins and outs of her new passion. The Alliance-Horde War and onwards proved to be a point of interest for Lasha as it was the first time she began to truly consider the scope of high-power weapons. Stories of the goblin nukes used in the Hillsbrad Foothills caught her interest, but the Bombing of Theramore was the true turning point. Learning of the Mana Bomb that had been used, Lasha secretly traveled to the radioactive site to see ground zero for herself. Her reaction was awe in every way, for she felt horror... and glee.
The Freedom Fighter[]
The bombing of Theramore became a point of inspiration for Lasha to do more, to do better, to advance what she was making. Politically, Lasha grew to resent the tyrannical rule of Garrosh Hellscream and became outspoken about her beliefs in true democracy. Though the Alliance was actively waging war against Hellscream, she could not remain inactive and simply supply her weapons. Eventually, Lasha decided to test her weapons on the field herself, journeying to Pandaria to join the Alliance's war effort.
She acted more as an employed adventurer than a soldier, taking acts of vigilantism against the Horde's outposts, frequently sneaking into strongholds to plant and detonate her bombs. However, Lasha also realized that the Alliance was equally guilty of crimes in Pandaria, conscripting and borderline enslaving Pandaren natives. Unbeknownst to her, the ambient influences of the Sha fed into her underlying madness, and soon the whispers began to return. Though Lasha struggled to resist, Doubt was feeding into paranoia she could never leave behind.
Her doubt peaked with the Purge of Dalaran, forcing her to question who was guilty and who was innocent. However, memories of the totalitarian regime under the Magisters, and the words spoken to her within the Silver Covenant earned her fervor against the Sunreavers. Lasha joined the Covenant in hunting down escaping Sunreavers for capture and incarceration within the Violet Hold. However, doubt continued to gnaw at Lasha's mind, wondering if the Alliance leaders could be once again committing an evil act.
Despite it, she pressed on with her personal mission to hit the Horde as hard as possible. When the Darkspear Rebellion first began, she immediately chose to back the revolutionaries of the Horde. Worried that the Alliance's own vested interest was just as corrupt as the Horde's, she believed that a true revolution would be more pure in motivation. Lending her gun to the rebellion, she was present to see Orgrimmar liberated, and remember the faces that supported Garrosh.
Garrosh's escape from his trial made it plain that his supporters were not gone. Believing that there were sympathizers in hiding, Lasha's mission had yet to end as she began to hunt down Orcs she recognized or believed to be supporters of Hellscream. She made her most public debut after capture by a Kor'kron remnant where they had kept a tormented fire elemental. After striking a bargain with the elemental for revenge, Lasha successfully used the elemental's core as an explosive catalyst, eventually creating her first nuke that earned Lasha a reputation as an anonymous terrorist.
However, Lasha's work was sloppy; while she was able to successfully track and kill many supporters in hiding, she failed to prove their culpability and was cast as a murderer of common people of the Horde. Worse yet, Lasha's paranoia had begun to get the better of her, and her terrorism eventually began to reach innocent Orcs based on suspicion alone. With all the crimes seemingly focused on the Horde, and witness accounts describing an unusual elf, blame was placed on the Alliance for someone who may have been committing crimes out of hate.
Under pressure from the Horde following the peace treaty, the Alliance eventually apprehended Lasha for her vigilante acts. Interrogation led many to believe that she was suffering from an episode of madness once again, and she was returned to psychiatric care once more. As the wars against the Iron Horde and Burning Legion passed her by as she was treated. It was not until the Fourth War that the Covenant gave her a second chance; she was approached by Taes Duror, who was preparing a proposal for the Covenant and, with faith in Lasha's intentions and her creations, wanted her help.
Lasha was tentatively cleared and released from psychiatric care under a set of conditions. Her work was to always be under supervision with oversight from her superiors, and she was to commit herself to discouraging any thoughts of vigilante justice, as it was believed this was the root of her madness. Though reluctant, Lasha agreed to behave and work within the regulations assigned to her.
The Robotic Revolutionary[]
Lasha helps with the development of Azerite weapons in the Fourth War.
By the time of Lasha's release from the Institute, the Fourth War was already underway, marked by the Burning of Teldrassil. Such an atrocity was all the incentive Lasha needed to throw herself at her work, and she was put to task in the research and weaponization of the newly discovered Azerite. Though more than eager to get her hands on the material after learning what it was capable of, she was unsettled by such a potent mineral. Experiencing the mental effects of the 'blood of Azeroth' made her resistant to working with Azerite, as it reminded her too much of her research of Saronite. She conflicted by Azerite's revolutionary properties as a weapon and her paranoia surrounding the mineral; ultimately she compromised by reserving her work on Azerite for weapons outside her hands.
However, in Lasha's stay in Kul Tiras led her to catch wind of the rumors of an old technological legend: the lost treasures of Mechagon. Lasha had heard of such a place in her past visits to New Tinkertown and Ironforge, and where most were skeptical of its existence, Lasha was immediately passionate to find it. Though she failed to be part of the exclusive expedition organized by Tinkmaster Overspark, she followed the footsteps of their travels to find her way onto the forgotten island. It was a utopia that appealed to all her interests, but it did not take long to realize the extent of the region's turmoil under the tyrannical King Mechagon.
Lasha was quick to bond with the Rustbolts, eager to champion their cause. She often assisted the Resistance by joining field deployments to repair faulty or broken tech left behind by either the Resistance or Mechagon's followers. However, an unfortunate venture to scavenge the scrap from a firefight against Mechagon's forces led to Lasha, and the team she was a part of, being captured. Though Lasha was useless to Mechagon as an elf, she was soon given a purpose. An enigmatic Mechagnome researcher, operating only by the moniker of "The Patch", wanted Lasha for his research.
It turned out that Lasha was one among many test subjects gathered from the foreign races recruited by the Rustbolt, being fed to the Patch's research. All races participating in his experiments were non-Titanic in origin; orcs, tauren, vulpera, goblins, and various elves were among those he had acquired, one by one subjecting each to horrific tortures. It turned out that the entire purpose of the study was to assess the compatibility of non-Titanic races with Mechagon's mechanization. Ultimately, Lasha was subjected to this process like all the rest, undergoing the excrutiating process of mechanization, her arms and eyes removed without anesthetic, and replaced with machinery.
The experience was nothing short of traumatic and left Lasha in states ranging from hysteria to catatonia. At the same time, the assault on Nazjatar saw to the true release of the Old God N'Zoth, permitting its whispers to reach nearly anyone. Lasha threatened to snap under the pressure of resurgent whispers and enduring the trauma of the Patch's experiments, before she finally took it out on her captors in a delirious frenzy. As others joined, the subjects of the Patch's study were able to successfully escape their confines, only to learn that King Mechagon had been successfully overthrown during their time in captivity. With the civil war reaching its conclusion, focus was shifted to recovery.
The Explosives Expert[]
Victims of the Patch were kept in Rustbolt to receive relevant therapy and cope with their forced mechanization, learning to use their bodies. Lasha in particular struggled with this process, exacerbated in no small part by the increasingly frequent voices she was being subjected to. It was decided that it was best for Lasha to stay in Mechagon and receive what care the Resistance could afford. As fortune would have it, the Resistance helped her come to accept her mechanization and all the versatility that came with it, and learn to adapt. However, no amount of advice could silence the whispers in her head.
As Lasha heard word of a war against the Old God waged in Pandaria and Uldum, she wanted to leave and join the fray. The gnomes insisted otherwise, and even grounded her gyrocopter so as to keep her from endangering herself or anyone else. However, their actions only fed her paranoia, voices imploring her to see their actions as sabotage and betrayal. Frenzied, Lasha refused to remain confined and repaired her gyrocopter, to depart Mechagon and join the war against N'Zoth.
Lasha never joined a committed force against the Old God or even worked with the multitude of organizations focused on stopping its dream from becoming reality. Most only came to know of Lasha as an elusive ally to none and enemy to anyone that gave her cause for suspicion. She was subject to all the scrutiny that Void Elves typically received, but few considered it a concern to apprehend someone who's only concern seemed to be to dismantle the works of the Old Gods. Most of Lasha's work came in the form of explosives, bombings typically sowing chaos among Aqir hives or setting back gathering cultists. She fought almost exclusively on her own in a dangerous frenzy, determined to destroy every trace of the Old Gods' corruption.
It was not until N'Zoth's eventual destruction that Lasha could rest, however her delusional state could not accept that it had all been cleansed. Paranoid, she believed there were still agents of the Black Empire within civilization; however, she was ultimately convinced to stop by none other than her friend, Taes. Unbeknownst to her, Taes had been searching everywhere for Lasha ever since her capture by the Patch, and was able to track the occurrences of her attacks on the Black Empire to know not only that she was alive, but where she was headed. Intercepting her, Taes was able to calm Lasha and convince her to settle back into her work in Dalaran, and the Covenant.
The Silver Star[]
The period after Mechagon's defeat and N'Zoth's death was a veritable golden age for Lasha. Time, work, and the promise of progress gave her the reprieve she needed to move on from her delusions and accept what had been done to her, even coming to improve upon her mechanization. At the same time, Taes had finally convinced the Covenant to green light his project much to Lasha's delight, allowing her to explore the greatest extent her weapons expertise could reach: weapons of mass destruction.
However, while Taes encouraged Lasha and her passions for their work, he could not shake a persistent feeling of guilt and shame. He secretly felt doubt in his decision to let Lasha out of the Institute, knowing it had put her in harm's way, leading her to suffer under the Patch and N'Zoth. Additionally, Taes was counseled against putting trust in Lasha due to her shaky mental stability, especially in the handling of WMDs. Ultimately, Taes decided to place Lasha in a position where she would both be better protected and under more careful oversight.
Contacting Miralyne Valetender, Taes arranged to have Lasha transferred to the elite division of the Silverguard. As the Fuselight Project progressed, the Silverguard would be permitted special access to the weapons they developed, with Lasha managing their construction and deployment under the Silverguard's Council and official rules. With Miralyne's agreement to the transfer, Lasha was officially delivered to the Science United Network, where she now works with mechanical minds as eccentric as her own.
Appearance[]
Lasha, carrying an MM4 Rotary Beam (left) and an S46 Pulseshot (right).
Under normal circumstances, Lasha would appear to be a youthful, physically fit specimen of an elf. Freckles dot her face, and her physique remains consistently toned through her military service and work on the field. Despite this, she somehow manages to be perpetually lanky and somewhat androgynous in build, standing at a notable 6'0" in height with the body type of a pencil. She often likes to sport rather casual - if eccentric - garb, frequently seen wearing tank tops and leggings, with knee high boots and a belt full of engineering tools.
Though her hair is naturally blonde, she has maintained a shockingly vivid hue of blue, typically either cropped short or tied back in a messy ponytail - either style typically leaves a strand of hair lodged between the items of her most noticeable trait: her mechanization. Her eyes have been completely removed and replaced with cybernetic ocular implants, which are often confused for goggles. Though both lenses see perfectly well, the right lens provides a running feed of data analysis and calculations, while the left is primarily used for focused sight, including the ability to zoom and collect visual data.
Likewise, both of her arms have also been replaced, and presently make use of her own modification of the mechagnomes' prosthetic designs. Both arms are covered in protective mithril plating, with an insulated lining underneath to minimize the risk of damage due to environmental hazards. The right arm is outfitted with tools such as a blowtorch in the finger, and a flare that can be fired at will. The left arm is typically modified to be able to directly interface with a device, robot, or vehicle of Lasha's design.
Personality[]
Lasha can be considered eccentric by even the most lax of standards, with an unusual sense of flair, an almost goblin love of explosives, and a passion for liberty and freedom. She has embraced her state of being part machine, and revels in the progress of gnomish engineering as well as the destruction of goblin engineering, with an uncanny genius for both. For the most part she is usually in a drastically different state of mind to others around, seemingly making her own fun even in formal circumstances.
Despite a seemingly chaotic exterior, Lasha is much more aware and knowledgeable than it may immediately seem. She has political interests following the Alliance-Horde War and Garrosh's tyranny over the Horde and the Pandaren. While her understanding may be a bit simplified, she has come to value democracy all the more, she is often an advocate for civil freedom. Despite her affiliation with the Alliance - which she values as the greater proponent of freedom in the world - she is not entirely belligerent to the Horde. It was for this "ideology" that she was deeply involved in the Rustbolt Rebellion, and prefers the Silver Covenant to the elven homeland that remains partly under Magisters' regime.
Lasha is also not oblivious to moral virtues. She makes a point of helping people rather than suiting her own needs, willing to sacrifice her own gain if it is focused on another's wellbeing. Furthermore, she will often place high priority on rescue and protection in military operations, rather than the execution of other objectives that do not preserve a friend or ally's life. While she revels in destruction caused by her weapons, she is not one to sacrifice friendly lives to see it happen. Rarely will she accept financial rewards for genuine efforts to help.
Madness[]
Among elves, Lasha has often been viewed as mad, her mind considered to be addled by Saronite. It is often speculated that her penchant for destruction and violence can be attributed to her prior madness, and that her potential aggression has not abated since. Due to her Saronite exposure, she has increased sensitivity to hearing voices and other hallucinations; memories of Northrend and this sensitivity have led to a deep-seated aversion to matters concerning Void and the Old Gods, often in the form of fear, or open hostility when most pressed.
Though recovered, she still struggles with episodic bouts of severe paranoia, and much more rare occurrences of psychoses. Considering other past traumas, it is unknown if all her hallucinations are strictly void-induced. At her worst, Lasha was recorded to be extremely violent and impulsive, to the point of even being frenzied at some times and spurred into hostile action. She can be nearly incapable of trusting anyone around her, becoming very skeptical of leadership, and suspecting that anyone attempting to deter her from a course of action has an ulterior motive for doing so. Her treatments typically involve discouraging thoughts of betrayal or sabotage from other people, and fostering trust in her friends and colleagues.
Relationships[]
Color Key: Family Friendly Unfriendly Neutral Romantic
Danori Flareswitch: A colleague and fellow engineer in the Silverguard, Danori and Lasha were quick to bond over a deployment to Bastion, also Lasha's first mission with the division. Enjoying each other's shared eccentricities and passion for technology, the two have bonded significantly, with the two eventually falling for each other and embracing one another in romance.
House Everglory: Lasha's relationship with her family was a previously positive one that saw a great deal of unconditional emotional and finanical suspport for their daughter. However, in light of her recent void-afflicted madness and unconventional passions, her relationship has become progressively strained. In public and diplomatic affairs, Lasha's family typically has her hide her true self from others, presented as blind and otherwise meek. However, her parents do worry for their daughter, and want to help her as they can.
Taes Duror: An engineer of the Silver Covenant, Taes found Lasha while she was still receiving psychiatric care for what was feared to be relapse in madness in the wake of terror bombings on the Horde. He personally reached out to her, and had her released, for recruitment into the Fuselight Project. Over time their relationship as colleagues has evolved, and Taes has since become one of Lasha's closest and most reliable friends, and trusts her to do the right thing.
Armaments[]
Machine Gun: Typically Lasha's default choice of weaponry for field deployments, a standard vehicle-mounted machine gun that primarily saw use in the early deployments into Pandaria. It has been modified to function with manual use on the ground as well as attachment to her gyrocopter. It is emblazoned with the symbol of Theramore, in honor of the then recent tragedy.
BZ-300 Missile Launcher, AKA "Blastostrasz": A beloved classic of Lasha's, a four-shot rocket launcher modified with a rudimentary guidance system. Primarily used against vehicles, significant groupings, and larger enemies, Lasha's personal modification of the weapon has been adorned with draconic imagery, hence the affectionately draconic name.
MM4 Rotary Beam, AKA "The Spray Ray": Developed with inspiration from past expeditions into Ulduar, the rotary beam employs Gatling-style rotating barrels that fire instantaneous Arcane beams in rapid succession, with an energy output of up to 2.1 gigajoules. It is nearly unrivaled in destructive ability, as well as cost.
Arcane Radiation Modulator: A device of Lasha's own design following the bombing of Theramore, the ARM serves to draw Arcane radiation from the atmosphere, but also sees use as a weapon by venting the radiation as well, able to quickly inflict severe radiation poisoning and even death, as well as dilute the magics of certain entities.
90W Boltcaster: An energy based sidearm of Mechagon origin that fires off concentrated bolts of electricity at varying levels of voltage, typically kept at Lasha's side whenever she can help it. It has been used to stun and subdue as well as kill at lethal levels, and has been known to rarely arc to other enemies.
Kearnen AMR: An extremely precise, long-range, bolt-action anti-materiel rifle that fires rounds of depleted uranium capable of clipping the wings of a dwarven bomber in one shot. High-maintenance with expensive ammunition, the Kearnen is reserved for specialized use rather than general deployment.
S46 Pulseshot, AKA "Road Exploder": A rifle modeled after the common shotgun, with a bolt functioning as the "pump" that accumulates a charge, which is released as an explosive burst of densely packed Arcane energy.