Isira Lure'mil

Battle for Azeroth

Shadowlands

Isira Lure'mil
Ranger Archer Isira in the Hinterlands, as a ranger. Isira during Operation: Sandstorm. (Render by Keremos)
Race:	High Elf
Gender:	Female
Birth:	20 March, -41 L.C. (83) Quel'danil Lodge, The Hinterlands
Nickname(s):	Mother Blue Archer
Affiliations:	Affiliations Green Dragonflight Night Fae Grand Alliance Silver Covenant The Silverguard 812th Farstrider Battalion Highvale Brood Alliance-Horde Coalition (Formerly) Alliance of Lordaeron (Formerly)
Family:	Family Sisila Allure'millen (Ancestor) Galadean Allure'millen † (Ancestor) Larenthar Lure'mil † (Father) Valanzara Lure'mil † (Mother) Zaralfara Lure'mil † (Aunt) Tothelon Lure'mil † (Cousin)
Mentor(s):	Valanzara Lure'mil Lyraeni Sorrowsong Verikus
Alignment:	Lawful Neutral
Status:	Alive

"You are not alone. And you already on the path to grander things. Think of all you have endured - all you have fought against, and through. You have faced down eldritch abominations, fought undead hordes on the back of dragons... you have spirit and strength unmatched." - Lyraeni Sorrowsong

Isira Lure'mil (born 20 March, -41 L.C.), often known as Blue Archer among Dragons, is a High Elf Ranger of the 812th Farstrider Battalion in the employ of the Silverguard, and a Dragonsworn to the Green Dragonflight. She is the youngest of the Lure'mil Clan, and an apprentice to Lyraeni Sorrowsong.

Growing up in the Quel'Danil Lodge, Isira's love of the wilds and exploration was balanced with a fierce hatred of Trolls to conform to her family's traditions of old vendettas. As the last of her family, she feels even greater need to uphold this legacy to the utmost, manifesting as an unyielding and violent hate for the Horde. Though confined to the Hinterlands for much of her life, she was recruited by the Silverguard following N'zoth's emergence.

Having endured triumph and terror alike, Isira has since outgrown her once simple roots as a warrior of the Alliance. After shedding the mutations forced upon her by the Aqir, she has since embraced the path seemingly paved by destiny, becoming a Dragonsworn and promising to protect nature, and the Emerald Dream.

Background

As a child of the Lure'mil family, Isira was raised with the same dreams many young elves have - to become a ranger. Much of her childhood was spent idolizing the Ranger-General, Sylvanas Windrunner in stories that she had been told. As a girl Isira dreamed of the craft of the Rangers, believing in the possibility of becoming one of the legendary Farstriders in her life. Though this is a common phase for elves to reach and ultimately outgrow, Isira never abandoned that dream.

Growing up in the Hinterlands gave her forests to play and learn in, where she learned to love the forest and know its layout like the back of her hand. She had been known to explore old ruins as well, sometimes delving into the mysterious remnants of Dun Deldor. Very sociable and prone to making friends, she very frequently visited the Wildhammer Clan in their capital of Aerie Peak, sometimes learning from them just as she learned from her elven kin.

While her parents raised her lovingly and with great care, Isira was also a Lure'mil, and she was born into a lineage of hate. She often joined her parents' warbands into the Hinterlands to hunt trolls, even at a very young age. At one point, while preparing for her cousin, Tothelon, and the ceremonial bloodying of his blades, she happened to meet Durnhir Craghammer, whose gryphon had been damaged by a Vilebranch hunting party. After a night of welcome and festivity, she and Durnhir became good friends as she matured.

Isira never lost her love of exploration, ever curious about Dun Deldor, but one sight always enraptured her interest: Seradane. The ancient ruins of a culture completely unfamiliar to her were perplexing enough, but she was more interested in what had forbidden her from ever entering Seradane. She took great interest in the Green Dragonflight that guarded Seradane, watching the dragons from far away, too far to even get a truly satisfactory glance of them. Nevertheless, she had seen dragons, and was awed by the knowledge of their presence, hoping one day to meet a dragon herself.

Last of the Lure'mils

In the onset Second War, Isira fought with her family against the Orcish Horde as it invaded the Eastern Kingdoms. With word spreading of the Orcish threat moving north, elves deployed from both Silvermoon City and the Quel'Danil Lodge to survey the threat to protect their own interests. Like Alleria Windrunner, the Lure'mils believed in upholding their ancient debts to the Arathi bloodline.

Isira kept an eye on the region of the Hillsbrad Foothills herself, and assisted the Alliance of Lordaeron in their efforts to free captive elves from the Orcs. The shared threat, and the display by the humans of Lordaeron in rescuing their kin, ensured the elves' loyalty to the Alliance. The Lure'mils shared this loyalty, helping cement control over Hillsbrad while Silvermoon dispatched elven destroyers to aid the Alliance.

The battles that raged in the Hillsbrad Foothills during the Second War.

However, the defense proved to be unable to hold; the Horde's forces met the Alliance on the field and overwhelmed them, resulting in the destruction of Southshore in exchange for the conquest of Zul'Dare. Though they were forced to flee the shore, Orcs still spread into Lordaeron. The Lure'mils survived the conflict and were forced to retreat to their home in the Hinterlands, biding time to rejoin the war and helping provide accounts of their defeat in the Foothills. Reprieve did not last long, however.

With the intentions of attacking Quel'thalas in the north, the Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer deployed one of his clans under his command to the Hinterlands. Assaulting the Wildhammer and their home of Aerie Peak, the elves of Quel'danil were forced to aid in the defense. The battle continued against the Horde until word finally reached the Lure'mils of Doomhammer's attack on Quel'thalas. Horrified by the realization of the Horde's plot, the Lure'mils were split in the defense of their people.

Valanzara and Larenthar decided they would join their kin in the north, having familiarity with the land and the fastest route back to Quel'thalas. Meanwhile, Isira and her aunt, Zaralfara, would remain in the Hinterlands, where they would finish off the Horde presence and retake what was theirs. The battle against the Orcs and their allies in the Witherbark, Revantusk, and Vilebranch was long, but ended in the Wildhammers' and Highvale's victory.

The Second War cemented many of Isira's present day hatreds, especially for the Horde. Where she had already learned to revile the Forest Trolls of the Hinterlands, Orcs earned her ire through two evil practices. The first was the employment of Warlocks, who in turn created the first Death Knights as a desecration of the dead. Far more abhorrent, however, was the enslavement of the Red Dragonflight, which she learned from her Wildhammer friend, Durnhir.

However, the greatest pain came in the news that Valanzara and Larenthar had not returned from the attack on Quel'thalas, and had perished in its defense. Unforgiving to the Horde and their troll allies, Isira and Zaralfara waged a crusade on the Forest Trolls of the Hinterlands, including the neighboring Revantusk and Vilebranch. This lasted for years until Zaralfara's abrupt disappearance during a troll raid she had been leading. Isira spent years searching for her aunt in vain, eventually forced to accept the grim reality that she had fallen in battle, with no body to retrieve.

An even more harrowing realization dawned on Isira with the disappearance of her aunt as she suddenly became painfully aware of her dwindling family. Now that Zaralfara was dead, Isira was officially the last of her Lure'mil bloodline. Though the Lure'mils normally tried to celebrate their valor in battle and honor the dead, Isira could not as she panicked and struggled to cope with the seeming finality of her family. For a time she became obsessed with her self-preservation, trying to stay alive and sometimes withholding herself from battle out of fear of her death. Romantic flings in a futile effort to keep her bloodline alive were briefly attempted, but she never followed through.

With the rise of the Undead Scourge, Isira was relatively sheltered from its true horror. As the Scourge was meant to sabotage the greater populations of the north, such as Lordaeron, their presence was hardly felt at all in the Hinterlands until well over the Scourging had begun. As Lordaeron transformed into the Plaguelands, the pass that joined the Hinterlands to the land later known as the Western Plaguelands became a narrow route that renegade undead periodically traveled, forcing the elves to take swift action in culling any wayward undead who entered the land.

Left alone in the Hinterlands, Isira only barely felt the calamity of the contamination and destruction of the Sunwell. Living so far from the homeland and having never truly felt nor channeled the magic of the Sunwell herself, for Isira it was akin to simply feeling great exhaustion for days on end. Unbeknownst to her at the time, the elves' birthright and lifeblood had been robbed from them, and her detachment from the regular practice of magic inadvertently disciplined her innate addiction to help her avoid the fate of the Blood Elves.

When she was finally informed of the catastrophe, Isira lamented the losses suffered by her northern kin, scarcely able to imagine what they must have endured. Details were learned primarily by stories told from what survivors might have come to the Lodge, messages delivered from the homeland to the southern settlements, and more. Knowing what the undead were capable of instilled a fear of the Scourge, but she lacked the true perspective of what the Scourge was capable of, which allowed her to foster somewhat more tolerance for victims of undeath down the line.

This discipline against magic was a rather strict practice, however; the elves of Quel'danil, in the wake of the Sunwell's destruction, detached themselves from the practice of magic wholesale. Isira's practice of magic was already minimal as it was, mostly confined to a minor enchantment or the imbuing of runes, and it took her little effort to acclimate to a life where every elf had put magic aside. However, without the Sunwell, she was constantly fatigued, and could feel the addiction gnawing at her, tempting her to seek out as a reprieve. She remained strong, resisting the inclination to find magic to sate her, up until the Sunwell was finally restored by the Shattered Sun Offensive.

Unwaking Nightmares

Though Isira remained bound to her homeland to defend the Hinterlands, no elf would not hear of the fall of their greatest nemesis, Arthas. With the conclusive death of the Lich King, every elf reveled in yet another victory to emerge from the ashes of their greatest defeat. With the Sunwell restored and Arthas slain, the elves of Quel'danil celebrated their people's perserverance and honored the stories of the heroes who fought for such a victory.

Isira succumbs to the Nightmare in her sleep, and attacks the Quel'danil Lodge.

Yet peace was not to last, for an even greater threat soon gripped the world in a way no one could combat. People across the world began falling into deep sleep that they could not wake from. People in the Hinterlands were not at all safe from this, and neither was Isira, for she too passed into an unwaking nightmare. For a time, Isira's mind had been ensnared by the Emerald Nightmare, and one of the countless victims of the War Against the Nightmare.

The nightmares Isira witnessed plagued her with memories of war and the losses of her family, turning her hatred for trolls into her torment. She frequently was subjected to dreams where she was seemingly responsible for her family's end, and threatened with the inevitable end of her bloodline, twisting her idyllic realities into horrific circumstances. During this time, Isira was among the unwaking, and also among those who were compelled to attack the yet uncorrupted in their sleep. Furthermore, the Nightmare corrupted her dreamform - for a brief time, the elf's otherwise pure dreamform had been twisted into one of the shadow satyr, and posed a danger to those within the Dream as well.

Fortunately, the Highvale elves were able to keep Isira restrained within her home to ensure she would not attack anyone else until the dreamform heroes waging the war were able to finally quell the Nightmare's advance. With this victory, Isira was finally able to wake from her nightmares, and her dreamform was released from its shadow satyr state to its normal form; however, unbeknownst to her, the Nightmare left its mark upon her, a benign but subtle scar of darkness that she would carry with her for years to come. Additionally, her foray into the Nightmare had also been revealing.

The last living ancestor of the Lure'mils, the Satyr known as Asaesisilae, still served Xavius as an agent of the Emerald Nightmare and of the Burning Legion, but had long been following the trail of her descendants following their exile, all the way to the Eastern Kingdoms. When Isira was plunged into the Nightmare, and raved as one of the shadow satyr, Asaesisilae discovered her. Initially she treated the satyr Isira as just an ally in the corruption, but the nature of her nightmares led her to suspect that this was in fact the descendant she had been searching for. With this revelation, Asaesisilae began orchestrating her own journey to the Hinterlands to track down her long lost bloodline.

The Fourth War

Isira was not blind to the development of war on the horizon. Meetings in Arathi, murmurings of aggression, and the fast-spreading word of a great atrocity reached the Lodge. For years now, Isira had known her childhood hero, Sylvanas Windrunner, was not the same woman she remembered her to be, not by what she had heard. However, the news of Teldrassil's burning devastated Isira, knowing that one she had idolized could turn to such cruelty and evil. It was with both sadness and anger that Isira finally came to renounce Sylvanas as her hero, and turned her eyes to the conflict she had been waiting for for decades.

Isira's involvement in the Fourth War involved scouting and surveillance.

The Battle for Stromgarde finally pulled Isira out of the comfort of the Hinterlands and into open warfare with the Horde once again in service of the Alliance. Joining the forces of Stromgarde, Isira offered her bow in the large battles, and elven sight to monitor the Horde's movements during the night. Much of Isira's involvement in what became known as the Fourth War was centered within the Highlands and monitoring the Hinterlands. For a time, Isira was pleased, especially in the Alliance's eventual victory over the Highlands. However, she eventually heard news of the armistice that had been reached with Sylvanas' final act of betrayal.

Isira was torn by the news, furious that the war was to suddenly be ground to a halt. Her hatred for the Horde continued to boil, supplemented only by the ever-worsening news of Sylvanas' cruelty. Where others had come to begrudgingly accept that the war was to halt with a truce, days of idle stewing and frustration pushed Isira over the edge, and she made moves to continue the war herself. However, as she was preparing to make her march on the Revantusk Tribe, she was met with an unusual guest. An undead ranger had visited the Lodge, some time following the incursion into Nazjatar.

What she was searching for was not immediately apparent, but she took interest in the young Isira, referring to her as a ranger. The younger elf promptly denied the title, simply claiming to be an archer. The ranger introduced herself as Lyraeni Sorrowsong. Isira expressed her fondness of elven rangers and her ambitions to one day become a ranger herself, though she also held firm to her belief that all trolls in the world should be exterminated. Lyraeni took a moment to explain to Isira that a ranger finds balance in all of nature, even in the existence of enemies such as trolls. Acts of culling were sometimes necessary, but never extermination.

Dismissing Lyraeni's explanation, Isira departed into the Hinterlands to scout out the Revantusk settlements, monitoring their paths to lay out an ambush. She returned later to find Lyraeni still present. Though she had dismissed the ranger moments prior, she was curious as to why the ranger was present. Approaching Lyraeni, she inquired, and the ranger informed her that she was seeking aid in other threats, threats more important than trolls in the Hinterlands. Isira initially brushed off this explanation, questioning what would be more important.

Isira is found and recruited by Lyraeni Sorrowsong.

Lyraeni revealed that N'Zoth, an Old God of legend, had been freed from his prison during the battles of Nazjatar. Though Isira had never known the existence of Old Gods to be a confirmed truth, the thought and Lyraeni's own certainty gave her pause. The undead ranger eventually managed to convince Isira that the threat of N'zoth's return did outweigh her own vendetta against the local trolls. Isira knew she could ignore this to continue to pursue her hatreds, but reason had presented a very real threat that endangered all.

Isira offered to pledge herself to Lyraeni's services to aid in the coming fight against N'zoth. Lyraeni accepted, declaring that she would train Isira to become a ranger of the Silverguard so long as Isira never once hesitated in her decision, never questioned her path. With understanding, Isira agreed to these terms. For the first time in years, she set foot outside the Hinterlands, and for the first time in possibly her life, she departed the Eastern Kingdoms.

Shadow in the Sands

Isira during Operation: Sandstorm. (Render by Keremos)

Eventually, the time came for the battle that Isira was called upon. Operation: Sandstorm was beginning, and Ranger-Lady Sorrowsong deployed the Silverguard to Tanaris to meet with a force known as the Coalition. Alliance and Horde, working together under their armistice, had answered the call to do battle against the Old God, N'zoth.

The Coalition Gathers

Isira followed the Silverguard to Gadgetzan, the current staging ground for where the Coalition between Horde and Alliance would begin. Already Isira's patience was taxed - the presence of orcs and trolls caused rage to swell within the elf, rage that she was forced to suppress for the betterment of the mission at hand. To better combat her desire to fight the forces of the Horde, Isira set herself to task in finding new friends among the Coalition forces, getting to know people around her.

The elf took in the knowledge that she might have very well been the first of her family to set foot on Kalimdor for the first time since the exile of their Highborne ancestors, realizing the honor she was experiencing in coming to this fight. Furthermore, as she was finally returning to the world, she realized there was a lot more to learn from this campaign than she had originally thought. Now excited to learn, Isira consulted others in Gadgetzan, even making new friends in the process.

Eventually the time came for the Coalition to set out and engage the enemy. Isira gravitated towards her mentor to lead her into battle, following Sorrowsong into a nearby Silithid hive alongside the rest of the Alliance forces. The mission was to find a team of goblins who had already gone into the hives, yet had not returned. Isira was eager for battle, but had no experience with the Silithid, let alone the ancient Aqir. As the Coalition delved into the hive equipped with flamethrowers, they came upon a lone survivor.

The goblin began to speak to those who approached, yet soon became bloated as her body exploded with the emergence of a swarm of insects that descended upon the Alliance. Isira herself was stung several times as reanimated Silitihd warriors emerged to attack the Alliance forces. After the shock of the Silithid tactics had passed, Isira let out an invigorated roar to use her flamethrower and help burn away the insect menace.

Isira is attacked by the swarm, and infected with the mutagen.

As the Alliance began to leave the hive, however, they were met with a new opponent. An Aqir hivequeen spoke to them in telepathic communication, reaching out and taunting the party before unleashing a swarm upon them. Isira herself went down underneath the swarm's onslaught, stung several times. What she did not realize, however, was that being sting had introduced something to her body, an experimental Aqir mutagen.

While she was briefly incapacitated, a nearby priest revived Isira and sent her into a Void-induced rage. Though the rage calmed, it lasted long enough that it gave the mutagen time to seize a hold on her mind, steering away from revealing a possible infection or seeking treatment. Anytime she thought of seeing to the medics in the hospital, she would seemingly forget and become distracted by something else.

Isira aids the Coalition in the invasions of the Silithid hives of Tanaris.

Over time Isira's behavior changed in somewhat bizarre fashion, becoming hyper social and eager to return to the Silithid hives. When the next mission to return to the hives was announced, she was excited and eagerly joined the operation. However, as the Alliance neared the hive, she abruptly darted into the depths without confrontation.

It was soon revealed that Isira had been held in the hypnotized grasp of a facestealing entity, the Dissector, who promised her destin to be grand. The millipede-esque insect wore the face of a goblin, staring deep into the High Elf's widened eyes. With the Coalition engaging the creature in battle, Isira was distracted from the Dissector's hypnotic control and able to regain control of herself. However, she remained stunned by the ongoing battle, especially as new enemies entered the fray.

These enemies were people like the Alliance, twisted by the Aqir into infested minions. Isira watched in horror at the sight, wondering if that was to be her fate had the Alliance not reached the Dissector before it could claim her, all the while confused by her sudden initiative to enter the hive. Nevertheless, the Alliance progressed deeper into the hive, where they discovered a stockpile of corrupted weapons, guarded by a lone and fearful Mantid.

Noting the Mantid's fear, some began to approach the creature in an act of diplomacy. However, Isira was still shaken by her encounter with the Dissector. In a panic and believing the Mantid to be yet another foe, Isira drew an arrow and fired it into the Mantid's head, killing it instantly in a gory display. The elf was promptly reprimanded, particularly by Gooldaro Chainbreaker, bringing no ease to her mind as the Alliance elected to move on from her actions and make use of the weapons found.

With the intrusion moving on, they eventually discovered the hivequeen, Shathra, once again. As battle was engaged, it did not take long for Isira's body to suddenly fall under the Aqir's sway through the Void. Unbeknownst to her, the mutagen coursing through her system had made her susceptible to the domination of her mind, turning her against the Coalition. Her manipulation was brief, however, as she was swiftly bound in roots by the druid Fladorath Everbloom.

Taken back to Gadgetzan by Lyraeni, Isira soon came to and discovered she had been taken under the control of the Aqir. She was given a run-down of the mission's success, and soon instructed to get her rest. Despite the harrowing experience of being seized in a state of mind control, Isira was oddly unfazed, her exuberance as strong as ever.

A healthy competition between archers Arc'ulerith and Isira.

Isira remained social, bonding with her fellow coalition members and even making some friends among the Horde, such as Syeris and Arc'ulerith. Yet all the while, a constant pain began to ache in her head, a physical pain as the mutagen's effects would seen reveal themselves.

The Metamorphosis

It was not until the coalition's arrival in Uldum that the mutagen finally reared its head in full force. With the exposure to the abundance of void in Uldum, Isira began to undergo a small but hardly insignificant transformation, a metamorphosis spurred by the mutagen in her brain. From the back of her brain, antennae began to form, growths not unlike what the Aqir possessed themselves. These antennae would serve to connect Isira to the Aqir hivemind, when they had completed their growth.

Isira stumbled and fell as she muttered incoherently, her motor skills impaired and her vision filled only with flashes of light as her brain transformed within the confines of her skull. She collapsed to the grass of the oasis, and with no means of relieving the agony she was in, ultimately fell into unconsciousness from the trauma of her affliction. It was not until some time later that she was found by C'thonia, who delivered Isira to the medical bay.

While she slept, Isira was visited by a peculiar dream, in which she found herself submerged in amber fluid. It was warm, and though she should have felt afraid, she found an odd comfort in her stasis, and was content to simply rest there, to enjoy her time in her chrysalis. Fortunately, Raelor Valeclaw had sensed the disturbances within the young elf's mind, and proceeded to enter her dreams, where he discovered her impending assimilation into the hivemind.

Raelor alerted the coalition to Isira's condition, prompting an immediate divide between those who believed Isira must be executed and those who believed she should be quarantined to ensure the Aqir learned nothing of their operations. Aelenicus Sunblade and Casylia were ultimately responsible for guarding Isira while she was chained in quarantine away from Mar'at.

As the coalition debated how to address Isira's condition, she once more lapsed into her dreams, even voluntarily. She found a bizarre eagerness in experiencing these dreams, where she flew among the swarm and tended to their broods. As she delved into these dreams, however, she soon found herself plunged into the abyss, where she ultimately stared into the eyes of the enemy, N'zoth.

N'zoth gently coaxed Isira into the swarm, offering her the comfort and security in a place where she felt she belonged. It was not untrue; Isira, who had struggled to feel like she upheld her family's legacy, and felt like a stranger to her own kin for never knowing what Quel'thalas looked like, found a sense of belonging in the hivemind. It was a perfect unity, devoid of suspicion and fear of one another, and she liked it.

Before she could lapse into N'zoth's control, she was awoken once again. From that point forward, Isira's dreams and growths were carefully monitored, as her antennae grew with each passing day, and her dreams became more and more concerning. Yet as Isira seemed to be ever worsening in her corruption, she assured Lyraeni that nothing had been forgotten. Her mission to fight the Old Gods and exterminate troll kind had not been forgotten, nor would she ever abandon the fight.

Quarantine was released after Raelor shrouded Isira's brain in a ward of nature magic, sheltering her mind from the Aqir hivemind. With her condition safe and ready for duty, Isira returned to aiding the front, though she frequently met with Casylia for secretive tests to evaluate her gradual transformation.

A Conflict of Identity

Unbeknownst to Isira, however, her affliction had drawn the ire of Rilennia Rimeshard, who was secretly infested by a parasitic worm in her brain that perceived Isira as a threat. Riley became spiteful towards Isira, stalking her and regarding her with hostility, even at one point briefly threatening to attack her with a portal. The truth behind Riley's aggression was unknown to Isira, and it discouraged the young elf as she feared she would be ostracized by others as well.

Worse, Isira was finding herself changing not only in body, but as a person as well. She found a new appreciation for the lives of the insects around her, taking interest in what she had once found mundane. She realized that a feeling of kinship had grown for these small creatures, a sense of likeness as though they were like herself. With that kinship came a reluctance to fight the Aqir, as Isira suddenly found the act of killing insects tantamount to murder.

Alexander Grayson visits a stressed and lonely Isira.

Isira's stress only grew as her obligations to the Silverguard and the coalition warred with her desire to help her insect "kin". In the midst of her stress, she was comforted by others, such as Alexander Grayson assuring her to find peace despite a growing sense of loneliness. She also looked to Raelor and Casylia for help, as they proved to be understanding of her affliction and confusion of identity.

Eventually Riley was cleansed of the parasitic worm in her brain, her own struggles revealed as her trauma nearly killed her, were it not for the quick action of coalition members. Shortly after, Riley came forward to apologize to Isira for her bitterness and hostility. Though she was tense, Isira was willing to welcome the apology and the offer of goodwill.

The coalition pushes the war against the Amathet.

Isira returned to the front lines and joined the conflict against the Amathet. When Lyraeni was incapacitated by an explosion caused by the Amathet forces, Isira dragged her mentor back to Mar'at. She joined a bombing run led by Zaria R. Blackmoore that later transitioned into a push on foot into the Amathet territory. Complemented by naval forces and an army approaching from another angle, the push was successful in thwarting the Amathet and routing them from their holdings. This left only one enemy left in the form of the Aqir.

At this point, time in the coalition proved stressful for Isira. The mad worgen alchemist, Lewin, had taken keen interest in Isira's mutations, hounding her time and again to assess her condition since Gadgetzan. Meanwhile, Lewin's companion, Mordrime, had taken his own interest in Isira, noticing her Lure'mil crest as she vocalized her discomfort with killing Aqir. Though he was unaware of the crest's significance, Mordrime rightly brought forth the hypocrisy in Isira's beliefs; she was willing to massacre trolls to extinction, yet could not be asked to fight their enemy, the Aqir.

The dissonance only worsened Isira's struggles of identity, to the point that she was even paralyzed during a mission into an Aqir hive, struggling to fight. Finally, her will reached its breaking point when she heard the coalition's plan to bomb one of the Aqir hatcheries and cull their population. Internalizing her fury, Isira formulated a plan to steal an egg, and cultivate it on her own.

Isira on the operation to the Aqir birthing chambers.

Volunteering to participate in a stealth operation organized by Zaramy to plant bombs in the Aqir birthing chambers. The goal was to detonate these bombs and cripple - if not destroy - the swarm's continued reproduction. Isira, however, regarded this as cruel and inhumane, tantamount to the murder of unborn children. With this in mind, she was determined to save at least one egg to help save the swarm.

Unnoticed in her secretive act, Isira claimed an Aqir egg while setting up her own bomb. To her surprise, and great pleasure, another had stolen an egg as well, a human named Aering Ashton. Giving her a knowing smile, Isira journeyed with the rest of the coalition to depart the hives and destroy them.

Though Isira hated her involvement in the birthing chambers' destruction, she found solace in her work and reveled in her success. Confiding in Lyraeni and Casylia, Isira planned to care for the egg and raise it with the same love she would devote to her own child.

Bloody Your Blades

To the misfortune of the Coalition, however, destroying the Aqir's birthing chambers - and much of their hives - would only be a kick to the hornet's nest. The next day, a completely unprecedented assault came for the Coalition's establishment. Isira, away from the battle, prepared to join the conflict before realizing that fighting could place her egg in harm's way.

Caught between the choice of fighting for the Coalition or protecting her egg, Isira weighed her odds. As citizens in Mar'at screamed for help within burning homes, Isira knew that to enter the fray would offer little to change the course of a lost battle. Meanwhile, she knew that if she was to prove that her belief in redemption for Aqir was well-founded, she could not risk the egg which she had grown attached to. As such, she reluctantly deserted the battle, instead taking to the dunes of Uldum.

Yet in that moment, Isira cursed herself and condemned her decision to flee from the battle. Already she felt herself tarnished by her dishonor, even if she had justified it. Taking shelter in a cave with the egg, Isira resolved to make amends by killing her share - specifically she had to kill the hundred foes she had killed to bloody her blades in her youth. When Lyraeni contacted Isira to request her location, Isira explained what she needed to do to regain her honor.

Isira spent the next couple days hunting down adherents of N'zoth, K'thir and, reluctantly, Aqir. She killed any she came across, leaving a trail that Raelor and Casylia would ultimately follow to find Isira and bring her back to Ramkahen. Unbeknownst to Isira, her protection against the Aqir Hivemind was waning day by day, and would soon begin to dissolve. For a brief moment, Isira almost lost herself to the Aqir before Raelor came to her protection, convincing him that a new step would need to be taken to protect her.

While surveying the damage of the battle in Mar'at, she found comfort in the sight of nature already recovering from the catastrophe, the life of the oasis returning with the aid of Coalition druids and more. However, an item piqued her interest - caught upon a tree was a strange fabric, the color of the sky and barely noticeable against it. Isira retrieved the fabric and brought it down to the earth, and it transitioned to a color that mirrored that of the sand. Realizing the item to be a cloak of Thalassian make, she became curious about it, and decided to hold onto it to explore its history, as well as her own unfamiliar heritage.

A New Side

Aftermath

With Isira still at risk of lapsing into the Old Gods' machinations, Raelor and Casylia took the task of keeping her safe while ensuring her egg would also remain safe, as per her wishes. Casylia offered to raise the egg in the facilities of her home, Light's Dominion, based in the Hinterlands. Though Isira agreed, Raelor decided to bring Isira to Nordrassil for a boon, and travel through the Emerald Dream to reach the Hinterlands.

The two walked through the Dream, leaving Isira in awe of such a natural world and the creatures that inhabited it. Arriving at Mount Hyjal, the two ascended to the peak, where they overlooked the land. Eventually, their gaze settled upon the transformed Azshara, and from their altitude they could make out the Horde symbol that had been carved into the land. Isira swelled with rage at the sight, cursing the Horde's existence and their acts upon the world, only for Raelor to calm her and direct her attention to the World Tree.

Raelor spoke to Nordrassil, beseeching the tree for a boon to protect Isira from the Old Gods' influence. In response, the World Tree extended a branch to their pair, yielding a small medallion fashioned from its bark. In the center of the circular medallion was an emerald gem, surrounded by a ring of vines to symbolize the trinket's protective properties. Raelor gave the medallion to Isira, and the medallion served to permanently bolster the protective measures in Isira's mind, keeping her safe from the Aqir hivemind as long as she wore it.

With their work finished, Isira and Raelor now traveled to the Hinterlands to reunite with Casylia, who brought Isira to Light's Dominion. There, the egg was now kept in a den to incubate until it was ready to hatch. The nutritional royal jelly was being artificially synthesized, and Isira continued to be evaluated by Casylia. While under Casylia's care and hospitality, Isira was overjoyed when the egg finally hatched, giving birth to an Aqir larva. A worm-like, spiny creature, Isira took the larva with her into the world to let it "hunt" - in other words, she fed it the flesh of what she killed, from wolves to trolls.

Eventually, the Alliance held an awards ceremony in Stormwind City, to commemorate the valorous and the selfless who had fought in Uldum. Though she felt an internal sense of shame for her desertion of the battle, she attended out of respect to those who had fought to the bitter end where she had not. Lyraeni, who had also attended the ceremony, eventually requested to meet with Isira in private. When she did, Lyraeni gave her the Grand Alliance Ribbon of Sacrifice, as she personally believed that Isira had, in fact, endured much with an affliction that could possibly never leave her.

Isira was grateful, but later broached a more disconcerting topic with Lyraeni by revealing her desire to cultivate a new swarm of Aqir. This swarm, she idealized, would be raised separate from the Old Gods, free from their evil and able to evolve as the Nerubians had, ultimately independent of the Yogg-Saron. Knowing that Ashton still possessed an egg of her own, Isira posed the request, to which Lyraeni ultimately agreed to allow. Enthused, Isira began her new personal ambition with almost unforeseen pasion.

Remaining in Stormwind to locate Ashton, Isira attending an ongoing job fair out of curiosity, where she encountered the organization United Aegis. A conversation with Volhellian Duskwhisper revealed that the World's Faire Carnival would soon take place in Uldum, intended to celebrate the ongoing fight against N'zoth. Though she had extreme reservations about a carnival in an active war zone, Isira decided to attend and see what it had to offer.

To her delight, Ashton was also attending the job fair, and Isira requested a secret discussion with her to broach the subject of Ashton's stolen egg. In a quiet, isolated discussion, Isira explained her plan to cultivate a new breed of Aqir. Aering hesitated, but agreed to permit Isira to take her egg into safekeeping, if Isira only promised that the Aqir would never come to harm. Isira made that promise, and was determined to stand by it.

World's Faire Carnival

When the time for the Carnival arrived, Isira arrived alone to spectate the opening ceremony, but was soon joined by Mavissa and Lyraeni. They initially traveled as a group through the Carnival, sampling its offered activities, purchasing curious wares, and enjoying what the festivities brought. However, the Carnival meant less to Isira as a materialistic venture, and more as an opportunity to revisit the relationships she had built in the Uldum campaign not long before the Carnival.

She was fortunate to reunite with Arc'ulerith, and she and Mavis began to travel alongside him in exploring the Carnival. At one point, Isira and Mavis met with a young elf named Aeriden, who seemed to be depressed or upset for reasons Isira could not discern, even though she readily identified his apparent disappointment. She quickly worked to bond with him and alleviate his concerns, offering friendship to one she believed needed it most.

Isira during the World's Faire Carnival (Art by Irishmoo).

The Carnival came as a welcome reprieve from the stresses of war, and from the insecurity she felt in her mutations. It was not entirely easy, however, for Isira soon learned that the Ashen Sun Accord had attended the Carnival as well. Recalling mention that the Ashen Sun had plans to study and use the Aqir as well, she approached their booth to speak directly to Illindrà Dustbearer, the Magistrix of their order, and discuss the Aqir.

What Isira learned shook her to the core, hearing details of plans she interpreted as an attempt to enslave the Aqir. Though Isira tried to mask her true feelings, she brimmed with fury in knowing what the Void Elf was planning, deciding she would one day try to stop them and free the Aqir under their control. However, the Ashen Sun would not be the only confrontation Isira endured at the Carnival.

Isira's hate for trolls was thinly veiled even at neutral occasions such as the Carnival. Though she refrained from open hostility, spiteful behavior and commentary still leaked through into her interactions. People were attentive, however, listening in on her actions with disgust for her racist behavior, even confronting her. The most vocal of these confrontations came from Ela'thias Everbloom, who thoroughly believed that Isira's hate was unjustified and that his troll friend did not deserve her spite.

Initially, Isira was unfazed until she and Mavis were both generalized as being racist towards trolls, to which Mavis defended herself, claiming she was not nearly sadistic enough to enjoy a troll's failure or suffering. Isira was shocked, taking this statement to be an implicit assertion that she herself was a sadist in Mavis' eyes. Mavis, regretting her words, fled the scene, leaving Isira to the final scathing words of her opponents, condemning her as they left her alone.

Though it was a blow to her enjoyment of the Carnival, Isira reconciled with Mavis, determined to still enjoy the last few days of the event. She introduced Mavis to Aelenicus, who had also come to attend the Carnival. However, Isira expressed her newfound fondness for insects and arthropods, leading Aelen to a realization that not only was Isira changed by the mutagen, but she kept the changes as well. Horrified, Aelen abruptly vomited at the news that Isira still remained an Aqir hybrid, much to the latter's great dismay.

By the time the Carnival ended, Isira felt only weariness. She returned to the Hinterlands during the night, worn down by the repeated confrontations, ill news, and hurtful comments against her. She wanted nothing more than to return to the comfort of her swarm.

Dissonance

Following the Carnival, Isira continued to work on cultivating her swarm, especially as Ashton's egg soon hatched into its own larva, and the first larva had spun its cocoon, awaiting a metamorphosis. Isira was pleased with progress, but found herself deeply concerned when she received a letter from the sinister worgen, Lewin, delivered with a mangled Aqir that provoked fury from Isira. Remembering Lewin's obsession with her mutation, the letter requested her presence in Uldum, in order to perform "tests" regarding her mutations.

Hesitant, Isira contacted Lyraeni to receive her input. Lyraeni was similarly suspicious, ordering her to be careful and remain wary to the worgen's intent. Fruitful knowledge, while useful, may not be painless, to which Isira asked if she should attend to the worgen's request. The Ranger-Lady left the decision to Isira's prerogative, and the latter ultimately decided to see what Lewin wanted.

While preparing for her meeting with Lewin, the Aqir progressed. Her first larva had emerged as a swarmleader, a large wasp, while the second had now spun its cocoon. Waiting eagerly, she was delighted when the larva emerged from its cocoon as the hive queen she had wanted. The queen, unlike most Aqir, was sentient and thinking, as part of their small, personal collective. Isira lovingly named the queen Lvuru, and Lvuru soon began her work to repopulate the hive.

Eventually Isira and Lewin met in Uldum, and Isira was furious at what she saw. She beheld an Aqir, kept in a cage, lobotomized and unable to rejoin its kin in the hivemind. Initially Isira threatened Lewin for the damage he had caused, but the worgen was unfazed, offering to spur on her mutations and change her further. Isira refused, initially, believing that her changing could endanger her place in the Silverguard. The worgen conceded, seemingly, before baiting her with guilt over abandonment of the Aqir, wondering what Isira's motherly feelings towards the Aqir really wanted.

Frustrated at having her insecurities so easily picked, Isira reluctantly conceded and agreed to let Lewin inject her with additional mutagen, for the sake of the Aqir. Lewin was delighted, and eagerly injected her where she was believed to have been stung beforehand, with the advice that she start keeping a journal to document her changes. Though she had a dangerous feeling about the consequences of her interaction with Lewin, Isira ultimately accepted it and moved on, beginning to return to Ramkahen.

Yet Lewin's frequent companion, Gabriel Mordrime, was also in Uldum. The crusading warrior tended to the battlefield, disposing of the fallen who had perished against the Aqir. Isira initially prepared to take arms against him, fearing for his judgment and not fondly remembering his opinions of her back in the Uldum campaign. To her shock and dismay, Mordrime also recognized her, and immediately revealed his awareness that she had deserted the final battle of Uldum.

finds Mordrime in Uldum, talks about hate and prejudice

comes to Lyra, promises to never take mutagen again

learns a lesson about hatred, protect, don't exterminate

Discovery of the Self

Isira during the defense of Duskstone.

On a day when free time was available to Isira, the young archer had been attempting to record an audio sample of bees swarming in their hive. Due to her bizarre affliction, her love for insects also came with a sense of peace and contentment when listening to the sound of insects buzzing, which she thought could be useful for easing her into sleep. However, when Volantus Dawnseeker found Isira, he chose to mock her love of insects by slamming his tower shield into the tree where the hive was situated.

The hive fell, crashing into the dirt and destroying it entirely. Enraged, Isira immediately interrogated Volantus as to why he had so callously destroyed the bees' hive. In response, he set what remained of the hive alight, combusting it and reducing it to ashes in moments. Furious and distraught for the insects' destruction, Isira violently tackled him before she left for the barracks, sobbing. Word got out about the incident over the beacon, which the Council took note of.

Word eventually reached the Silverguard about troll assaults upon the small town of Duskstone, within the duchy of Quellorian. With the Silverguard deployed to lend aid and defend the town, the elves were promptly put to task in helping optimize the town's defenses before the trolls ultimately returned for another attack. These trolls evidently served a "Lady of the Night", who seemingly empowered them, but ultimately were defeated.

After the battle, Isira set herself to work creating a war banner that was customary of her family's conquests. She was visited by Lyraeni while she worked, who inquired as to what the incident from before had entailed. Isira apologized for her part in the violent exchange, but explained in full how the event had taken place. Understanding, Lyraeni advised Isira to take care in how she expressed her new side given by her mutations, as eccentricities would earn her skeptical looks.

The Silverguard rallies for battle.

The next mission involved a departure from Duskstone itself to further investigate the trolls' dark magic. There, they found a lone High Elf in distress and in need of rescue. However, when the Silverguard went to aid the woman, they were all struck with foul magic that caused them to succumb to a deep sleep.

Together, they awoke in a veritable nightmare realm, which was cautiously explored. There, a text in Eredun was discovered and translated before the Silverguard found and killed a giant, grotesque, and malevolent heart.

Soon freed of the nightmare realm, the Silverguard regrouped in Duskstone once more. With time free to them until the next departure, Isira was approached by her superior, Ranger-Captain Liara. Liara, also realizing there was significant tension between Isira and Volantus, asked for her side in what was wrong. The two conversed, with Liara helping to try and mediate the conflict between the two elves with a promise to speak to Volantus just as she had spoken to Isira.

The final incursion into the Shadowpine village involved a charge into the trolls' ranks to fight their way to their leaders' position. During the battle, however, Volantus was inflicted with a temporary curse that compelled him to attempt a lethal strike with his glaive towards Isira. Nimble on her feet, Isira dodged the strike before sweeping his legs and pinning him to the earth. Though she successfully subdued the controlled spell breaker, her antennae slipped out of her hair and into view.

Isira was suddenly apprehensive about incoming judgment, especially when Volantus glared at her with palpable fury. Nevertheless, it was agreed that the Silverguard needed to press on in their objective, and that Isira's antennae could be addressed later. Together, the elves fought their way to the "Lady of the Night" - a satyr who had been acting through the Shadowpine trolls, as well as a succubus that held a High Elf named Calitherno in her thrall.

Isira plants a Silverguard war banner to mark their victory over the trolls.

The elves were ultimately victorious, slaying their foes and capturing Calitherno. Isira reveled in their triumph, and planted the Silverguard war banner she had made atop a cliff overlooking the village. There, anyone who entered the village would see who had conquered its people. By Isira's side was Caedori Morrowsky, a ranger Isira had yet to meet. The two exchanged greetings, respecting one another for their combat prowess and fervor in battle, before the elves returned home.

Interactions between Caedori and Isira grew in frequency. It began primarily through their shared missions, hunting trolls and demon insurgents together, often working side by side on scouting duties and combating local troll threats. Caedori was especially affectionate towards Isira, though the latter seemed convinced their relationship would remain platonic.

During a day of levity, the Silverguard enjoyed a night of drink and games. Among these games was a classic game of truth or dare, during which Isira was dared to kiss Caedori. Initially, Isira took the challenge as meaning nothing, and was quick to act upon it. However, much to her surprise, the kiss did mean something to her, and she felt more than just the fulfillment of her dare. In an instant, Isira realized an attraction to other women - specifically, she realized she was now enamored with Caedori.

Overcome with the stress of the dare, Isira lapsed into a panic attack and abandoned the game. Caedori did so as well, coming to lend the confused Isira a comforting presence. Rather than reject Caedori's presence, Isira instead chose to welcome it and keep the ranger close, and the two spent some time alone together in the local inn of Dalaran.

Still, the experience of their kiss lingered on Isira's mind, and could not go on without further discussion, or perhaps exploration. Meeting in Quel'danil, Caedori and Isira struggled to converse about their dared kiss and what they experienced, before Caedori suggested they simply try to kiss again and see what came of it. Though the experience was awkward, their second kiss was ultimately shared, and their new relationship began.

Visions of the Vale

Raelor meets with Isira before the deployment to Pandaria.

Isira and Caedori had forged their relationship, and spent their time cultivating it through many hard-fought battles. Side by side they worked together in all things, strengthening their bond. Even when Caedori was accidentally taken with Isira to the hive of her Highvale Brood, she had grown able to trust in Isira's own judgment and sense of will. Willing to be a confidant, Caedori promised to trust in Isira's strength.

Perhaps only a day before Isira's next deployment, she was fishing in the local river before she was visited by a large, druidic bird. The bird was none other than Raelor, the man who had helped Isira endure the struggles inflicted by the Aqir in Uldum. Isira greeted the druid fondly, and the two shared a friendly discussion under the shade of the pine trees of the Hinterlands, offering respite from the rain. As they talked, Raelor turned the conversation towards Isira's transformations, to which she confided in her personal confusion about her identity as a result of it.

Understanding her plight, Raelor suggested that she take advantage of their next deployment to manage the Black Empire's resurgence in Pandaria. Known for its wise monks, spiritualists, and the August Celestials, Pandaria as no stranger to troubles of the spirit. Raelor suggested that Isira look to the Pandaren monks in the south, who could possibly help Isira look to her spirit and see what it was she truly sought, and what she truly was experiencing.

In time, the next orders for deployment finally came, and the Silverguard set sail for the southern shores of Pandaria. Before the Alliance would begin their briefing and preparations to land, Isira searched for Caedori. Recognizing the gravity of the battle before them, Isira wanted to speak to her partner before the battle was to begin. Meeting below deck, the two discussed the depth of their relationship, and how far they had come together and determine what they had. They affirmed their deep care for one another, sharing a kiss before they departed for the briefing.

The Alliance planned to drop into the occupied Zouchin Province using a shore party as well as troopers with parachutes descending from a gunship up above. Isira and Caedori both joined the paratroopers in an aerial drop onto Mogu forces that had taken the Province. The battle was swift and a success, though not without some cost as the gunship that had delivered the Alliance forces was destroyed by the Mogu lightning magic, crashing into the land.

Isira, Lyraeni, Arianiie, Zevorreva, and Rease gather outside the Engine of Nalak'sha.

Still, the operation was a success, and Alliance and Horde forces moved into Zouchin and into Kun-Lai proper. Setting up in One Keg, planning was already underway to salvage the gunship wreckage, among other objectives. While waiting in One Keg, Isira overheard Lyraeni speaking to one of the commanders of the Coalition, Zaria Blackmoore. Lyraeni made mention of Isira as the two discussed their proteges, and she expressed both her fondness and expectations of Isira, in the face of the troubles she struggled with since Uldum.

Resolved to succeed and prove herself to her mentor, Isira set herself to do her utmost across the missions in Pandaria. She joined expeditions to delve into lost Mogu ruins and an entrance to the Engine of Nalak'sha, and aided Pandaren farmers in the Valley of Four Winds against corruptive magics turning their own harvest into monsters. In the battles, a Pandaren swordsman lost a sabre that had embedded itself in the earth, which Isira retrieved. Unable to find the blade's rightful owner, she took the blade into her ownership until such a time she could find the original wielder.

The first greatest challenge for Isira came in a desperate mission to the village of Stoneplow, where the Pandaren living before the Serpent's Spine were in danger of an impending Mantid attack. The Aqir mutations to Isira's brain still deeply sympathized with the insect races spawned by the Old Gods, andi it took considerable will for her to bring herself to fight against Mantid. However, she shifted her focus away from the battle, and instead joined Caedori in a nobler purpose of evacuating the vulnerable citizens of the village. The two elves ride side by side along the Pandaren caravan back to Halfhill, delivering them to safety from the Mantid swarm.

The gunship salvage had several hurdles, however, as the Yaungol began to interfere with the Alliance's efforts to recover their supplies, even stealing some of them. A team was deployed to confront the Yaungol in their camps, kill the aggressors, and take back what was claimed. Isira and Lioriae Vanyali fought side by side in the battle, facing against two hulking, armored Yaungol worshippers of Ordos - Yosu and Urak. The battle did not come with ease - a spy and an archer, in close combat against shield bearing warriors was a difficult match.

Yosu and Urak both fell, but Isira was far from unscathed. The two blew ash and fire upon the elves, sundering the earth at their feet and dredging up magma. Isira was armored, but when magma made contact with her armor, it burned through her equipment and scorched her flesh. Crippled with pain as her body soon caught fire, her childhood bow was left behind to burn as Lioriae hurriedly picked Isira up and carried her to the medical team in the local village.

Isira is cornered by Yosu and Urak.

Isira was in shock as care was administered by a gnome priest and a troll shaman. Initially Isira tried to avoid the troll, repulsed by the notion of a troll caring for her. However, she was in no state to fight, and simply lied still as the healers cared for her. She sobbed in both pain and grief as her molten armor was surgically removed, and her scarred flesh was mended. She also wept for the loss of her bow, which had been with her much of her life, one her mother helped her to make. With numerous second to third degree burns across her body to heal, Isira was unable to serve for roughly three days, and restricted to rest.

While Isira recovered, she was visited by Caedori, who kept her company. It brought her some small relief, but the pain was magnified by the cruel dreams delivered by N'Zoth and the forces of the Void. One such dream exploited Isira's deepest fear as she dreamt of her eventual pitch to the Silverguard to care for the Aqir and help them grow. Rather than acceptance, Isira was met with condemnation and branded a traitor of the Alliance, sentenced to death. To her great terror, her executioner was Caedori herself, who rejected Isira's appeals to trust before forcing her into a coffin, and sealed her inside. Once Isira was trapped within the coffin, she was thrown helplessly into the ocean.

For hours, Isira was locked within her coffin, rapidly losing air both as time progressed, and as water began to fill the coffin. She was aware that she was going to die a slow death, yet as she sobbed in the face of her betrayal, whispers came once again. The whispers called on her pain and distrust, trying to convince her that no one trusted her, and that they would betray her if they were given just the right information. She would die, drowning and suffocating to death, unless she opened her mind and let the whispers in. Then, they would make the dream cease.

Though Isira considered the release from the dream, she refused. Caedori came to visit Isira in her rest while she dreamed, only to find Isira was drowning in her sleep, violently shaking in bed as she struggled to breathe. After trying to help her, Isira began to spit out ocean water, and it suddenly became apparent that she was somehow drowning. Arianiie Andros was called in to help, and managed to finally rouse Isira from her horrific slumber, treating her carefully for Void corruption while Caedori lovingly held and comforted Isira, reassuring her that she was not in danger.

Isira was able to finally make a recovery from her burns, making use of her desert armor from Uldum and borrowing a standard issue longbow to resume her service. Yet as she did, more dreams were visited upon the Coalition forces, this time a dream that played to Isira's weaknesses once again. In this dream, Isira and the Coalition fought atop the Serpent's Spine, yet Isira was visited by the Empress' swarming song. The song grew louder and louder, and Isira could feel her body changing, transforming as she battled. This finally culminated in her literally shedding her skin, emerging from her elven form as a Mantid beholden to the Empress' will.

Transformed into a pawn of the Mantid, Isira was compelled to assault her allies in the dream. Meanwhile, others had already woken, sharing similar experiences with concern before Aelenicus finally requested to know where Isira was, knowing of her experiences in Uldum. He, and several others, began to visit a tent where Isira was sleeping, only to find her sleeping contentedly, seemingly enjoying the experience of the dream. In truth, she was, and found deep gratification in the experience of being an insectoid being as she secretly craved.

Isira joins the strike team to assassinate Grand Empress Shek'zara.

Eventually the commotion surroundeding Isira woke her, and she was perturbed by the discussion surrounding her. Aelenicus accused her of being a liability for her love of insects that the Aqir had planted in her mind, and that the Mantid would turn her into a threat. Insulted and hurt, Isira resolved herself not to be the threat people saw her as. When a briefing was given to take the battle to the Mantid, Isira steeled herself and offered to participate in a mission deployment that she believed was certain to put doubts to rest: she joined the mission to assassinate Grand Empress Shek'zara.

A small team, including Raelor Valeclaw, invaded the Heart of Fire and cut through several defensive lines to make their way to the Empress' throne room. Shek'zara was there - supposedly. As the team battled the Mantid Empress, it soon became clear that she was a fabrication of the Void, and it was all too likely that the real Shek'zara had actually left the Heart of Fear long ago. However, real or not, the Mantid Empress was slain by Silisea, now known as "The Typhoon" by the Mantid. Though she could not claim the kill, Isira humbly asked to take the head of the Empress as proof of her willingness to to fight the Mantid.

With Silisea's permission, Isira claimed the Mantid's head, and from their treasury and axe forged of kyparite. Secretly pitying the Mantid's loss and vilification, she took the axe with the promise it would not simply collect dust in the wake of the Mantid's defeat. Hiding the axe away, she returned to Halfhill and presented the head to Lyraeni, as proof that she would not put her personal feelings before her duties.

With the Mantid threat quelled, the Coalition returned to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, preparing for their next deployment against the forces of N'Zoth as they began to pour into the Vale itself. For one last time, the Coalition rallied, and as Azerothian Heroes ventured into Ny'alotha, they moved to defend the Vale.

Risaela Dawnsong, Isira Lure'mil, and Caedori Morrowsky during the final battle.

Wielding the Mantid axe, Isira fought among her fellow rangers against the Faceless enemies marshalled against the Shado-Pan. However, an unexpected event occurred in her rival, Volantus Dawnseeker, once again succumbing to mental domination by the Void, and attacking the commander Seriphene Vanyali. Enraged by his display, and fueled by her spite for the man, Isira declared her refusal to stomach his attacks on others, and loosed an arrow directly for Volantus' eye. He was relieved of his control just in time to notice her arrow ping against his faceplate, harmless yet revealing to him her intentions.

Angered, Malithanore Vanyali immediately called for a cessation of hostilities from Isira, and that they would be speaking after the battle. With the consequences of her action made apparent, the Silverguard returned to the battle, destroying obelisks of the Black Empire and weakening the Old God forces before Isira was briefly incapacitated by a blow to the head, suffering damage to her antennae that disoriented her for a short period of time. After the battle she recovered, preparing to return to the staging grounds before a great flash of light surrounded her.

Before Isira could even grasp at what the light was, Isira was overwhelmed by noise and pain in her mind. Unbeknownst to her, N'Zoth had been defeated by the Heroes in Ny'alotha, and his corruption was being erased from the world. However, his death unleashed such a storm of psionic feedback that it breached Isira's mental barriers and flooded her, rendering her unconscious within seconds. Raelor soon found her lying on the ground, picking her up from the dirt and carrying her to the medics for treatment.

While she remained asleep, Isira dreamed. She dreamed with no small amount of fear, dwelling on the potential consequences of her choice to attack Volantus. She was not only afraid of her potential removal from the Silverguard, but more importantly she was also afraid she had failed her mentor in the cause she had been recruited for, to fight the Old Gods. In her dream, she was visited by a Blood Elf clad in solid gold with hair of fiery red, who asked her about her fear and uncertainty. When Isira revealed what she was fearful of, the man encouraged Isira to have faith in her friends to trust in her sense of what is right, and to have hope that her story did not end here.

The man departed, telling Isira that a great journey lay ahead of her, and its end was far from sight.

Between Two Worlds

Isira is summoned by the Silverguard council following the Pandaria campaign.

With N'zoth dead and the Ny'alotha expelled, now was a welcome respite from war for those who fought in Pandaria and Uldum. Isira returned with the Silverguard to the Eastern Kingdoms, but for her, rest would have to wait.

Isira's actions against Volantus had not been forgotten, and she soon called to the council's chambers to face the consequences of her decision to lethally attack the spellbreaker. She was lectured accordingly, and agreed with the council's assessment. Furthermore, it was revealed that though she was on the path to a promotion to the rank of Ranger, this act had set her back and required that she be placed on probation for a month.

The topic of Isira's antennae also came up, prompting Lyraeni to interject. With N'zoth dead, Lyraeni asked what the status of Isira's Aqir currently was, an inquiry that came to the surprise of the rest of the apparently uninformed council. With the shift in topic, Isira took the opportunity to explain her motivations for raising her own swarm. Not only did she wish to offer the Aqir a new future away from the Old Gods, she also believed that the swarm could offer their might to the Silverguard, different from other orders who sought to enslave the Aqir.

The Council agreed to deliberate on the matter and discuss the Aqir among themselves, dismissing her for the time being. Not long after, Malithanore Vanyali contacted her in the Hinterlands, requesting to see the Aqir for himself. Isira obliged, leading him to a destroyed troll village in the forest situated in the hills, which the Aqir had destroyed prior. There, in the caverns, the Highvale Brood made their home, working to expand and protect their hive. As Malithanore made his inquiries, Isira introduced him to Lvuru, who explained that under their "mother's" guidance, they were free, and they would survive.

Isira Lure'mil and Zora'cardia Windseeker scout the Altar of Zul.

Yet as Isira made her case for the Aqir's acceptance, she struggled greatly with a new sense of identity. During her time in Pandaria, the dream in which she transformed into a Mantid stuck to her mind, causing her to dream of herself in a new, favorable form as a humanoid Aqir, a form she soon began to crave. She began to crave sleep in order to dream further while despising her waking hours, at some points threatening to alter herself to be less elven. Wracked with guilt and frustration, Isira attempted to confide in Arianiie Andros.

Meanwhile, the stress piled on as a sudden resurgence of Forest Trolls in the Hinterlands began to threaten Isira's home, keeping her on edge as she tried to defend the home front. Enraged at the news that her own comrades had helped the Witherbark rather than just killing them, Isira was even further incensed to discover that the Vilebranch were attacking across the region, and resolved to stop them.

Though the battle against the Hakkari Vilebranch was finished with the trolls' defeat, relief did not come easily for Isira. Her dysmorphia only worsened, caught between her elven identity and her desperate yearning to become Aqir. The conflict came to a head when Lyraeni reached out to Isira and requested that they meet in the Quel'danil Lodge. Upon arrival, Lyraeni pulled them to a private conversation about Isira's mutations, in which she revealed a completed cure for Isira's partial transformation.

Immediately Isira rejected the cure out of fear for her Aqir, to which Lyraeni revealed that there were plans in the works to facilitate Isira's dream to help the Aqir without bloodshed. Proposals such as moving them to Outland or even a Pocket Dimension were made, with suggestions to tailor the environment to allow the Aqir competition and survival without risk of annihilation. The hope was that, once the Aqir were independent of Isira's maternal control, then Isira herself would take the care and return to normal.

Though comforted by the explanation that bloodshed might not be the Council's first option, Isira still could not confidently accept the cure. She revealed to Lyraeni her struggle and her inability to feel comfortable in her own body, a pain that was quickly attributed to the mutations. Lyraeni explained that she wanted to allow Isira a choice in her changes because she saw a parallel between Isira's mutations and her undeath; both had been afflicted with a painful burden that they had never chosen. The difference was that Isira now had the choice to leave that burden behind.

Harboring reservations about leaving the Aqir without her control, Lyraeni suggested speaking to Coriena Nightcaller about the possibility of retaining psionic connection or control after the change. Still struggling to determine what she wanted, she chose to comply and begin with reaching out to Coriena. Isira revealed her actions thus far, how she had secretly been tending to an Aqir hive and helping them reproduce and survive in the Hinterlands. When asked why, Isira reluctantly confided in Coriena about her deeper troubles of identity, caught between Quel'dorei and Aqir.

Isira meets with Coriena.

Though it was certainly a concerning subject, Coriena could not afford a simply answer or solution to Isira's crisis. Instead, the pair agreed to focus on what Isira had come for - a way to commune with the Aqir in the event that she lost her mutations. Coriena assessed Isira for the possibility that she had latent psionic potential as part of her development, even her youth, but the results were ambiguous. Isira was an empathetic person, but whether she was a hidden empath or simply compassionate was unknown.

Still, regardless of Isira's inherent potential, there was no doubt that Isira's mutations had granted her a significant opening to the possibility of delving into Psionics, which could lend her the potential to perhaps commune with the Aqir without changing further, or even control them.

However, there was another troubling subject that would soon weigh on Isira's mind. After joining Miralyne Valetender on an expedition to Outland to retrieve Khorium, the Silverguard deployment was suddenly thrown into a war between the defenses of Shattrath City and the Arakkoa of the region, bound in a completely unprecedented union. These Arakkoa used a wide array of magics, including magics that corrupted the local ancients and bent them to their will, driving them into agonized madness. Isira was deeply perturbed by the sight of the ancient that assailed the Allerian Stronghold, knowing full well the wrongness of what she witnessed.

Wishing to spare other ancients from such pain, Isira came to Rhenawedd Meadowsong, an Everwarden of the Silverguard. Isira informed Rhenawedd of the pain the ancients suffered, how the Arakkoa wracked nature with such agony, in an attempt to spur the Everwarden into taking action. She even asked the Everwarden if she could at least be taught something to help resolve the problem herself, if need be, requesting some level of tutoring in the ways of Nature magic. However, though Isira had convinced Rhenawedd of the severity of the problem in Terokkar, there was more to be said.

Isira still could not reach her own decision of her identity. Still caught between her place as an elf and her kinship among insects, she decided to revisit what Raelor had suggested - introspection of the spirit. Though Rhenawedd was no monk, the Everwarden still delved in matters of life and spirit, and Isira asked for guidance from the Everwarden, to help her discover what it was that she truly wanted to pursue and become. Rhenawedd agreed to help, and set out to identify the reagents needed for such an experience.

Isira participates in the Trial of Vigor at the Tournament of Ages.

Meanwhile, the Silverguard's deployments into Terokkar yielded success, pushing back the Arakkoa and unveiling their plots led by High Arakkoa, eventually allowing the offensive to be taken against their holdings in Skettis. With these victories came a reprieve, and that reprieve was turned towards a most celebrated festivity - the Tournament of Ages.

Having never been to such an event, Isira was quick to join the rest of the Silverguard in attending the Tournament, even signing up for the Trial of Vigor, a series of sparring matches in a tournament to lead up to a final clash. Though Isira made it to the final battle, she ultimately lost the fight, yet walked away proud of her participation.

The Tournament was fruitful in other ways, including meeting and befriending a fellow High Elf, Kaina Duskstrider. The two were quick to bond over their shared skills in archery, until Kaina took note of a suspicious presence following Isira. That presence was Lewin, returned to taunt Isira as he always had, hinting to her mutations and her secret desire to further transform herself. Though Isira spurned the Worgen, he tauntingly held the offer before Isira, assuring her that if she changed her mind, she knew who to turn to.

Isira and Caedori converse at the Tournament.

With temptation looming over Isira again, she turned to her greatest confidant - her lover, Caedori. Trusting Caedori to have a vested interest in her happiness and her well being, Isira confided in her about her feelings and secret desires, but also with the full intent of asking Caedori for her thoughts and feelings on the matter. Though Isira could guess where Caedori's advice would lead, she braced for any advice the ranger may give.

Such advice was as Isira anticipated. Caedori was not supportive of Isira mutating herself further, but her reasons were more compassionate than most others'. She revealed that she had noticed Isira's behavior change significantly since her mutations had begun - Isira had become withdrawn from others despite her normally warm demeanor, and her dreams were plagued with violent intent and desire. Most of all, Caedori knew full well of the pain caused by her bodily dysphoria and dissatisfaction with her form. Caedori explained that Isira's suffering due to the mutagen meant that it was better discarded than preserved, especially for the sake of her future as a ranger.

Though these were not the words Isira wished to hear, there was no one she wished to hear them from more than her lover, and she took them close to heart. The two enjoyed the rest of the tournament together, though ultimately failed to share the Wonderlight Ball together. They instead made up for it through a series of romantic ventures, from Quellorian to Elwynn Forest to Loch Modan, deepening their relationship together even further.

Eventually, Isira was called to the Silverguard's infirmary by Rhenawedd, who revealed she had prepared a concoction that would introduce her to a Dreamscape to help her find a resolution to her struggles with the Aqir and her changes. Rhenawedd was to guide Isira through the Dreamscape, helping her to reaffirm her sense of identity and determine what it was she really wanted.

The dream began in the Hinterlands, but a version of it that had yet to be shaped by mortal presence. It was very much akin to an image out of the Emerald Dream, and soon Rhenawedd joined her in the open forests to help lead her on her journey. Rhenawedd began by asking Isira where her dreams to become a ranger first began, and how she set foot on her path.

As a result of Isira's memory, the dreamscape shifted to a night around a bonfire in which all of the Lure'mils had gathered, in a night of story and song before a hunt to take place in the morning. Isira identified this moment, spent as a child on her mother's lap and regaled with stories of heroism among rangers, as the moment she was certain on her path to become a ranger.

Next came a question of how long Isira had served the Silverguard. When Isira answered that almost a year had been spent in the Silverguard's service, the scene changed again, this time to one of the battles in Pandaria. This battle specifically was one of evacuation, in which the Alliance had been tasked with evacuating a village close to the Serpent's Spine and in danger of coming under attack by the Mantid.

When asked why she placed such an importance upon this battle, Isira looked to the citizens she helped to escort to safety, taking pride in her role in helping others. Another factor, however, was who she protected the caravan of civilians with - Caedori. She cherished every battle by her lover's side, and felt stronger for it. Rhenawedd understood the importance of the deployment to Isira, then asking her how she felt about her comrades.

At first, Isira praised her comrades in the Silverguard, saying that she trusted them. However, her tone gradually became less optimistic as she revealed that she did not feel as if they trusted her in return. She confessed to feeling judged and harassed for her changes, and that she felt hurt by her allies for it.

Rhenawedd reassured Isira that no one in the Silverguard meant her any harm, but instead they felt concern. Their concern may have been harsh, but it was concern that prompted their ire towards the continued harboring of the Aqir. Safety was the priority of the Silverguard - safety for Isira, but also safety for the Alliance. As such, Rhenawedd revealed a painful truth that if she wished for one choice, the other would have to go.

Isira was presented with two scenarios. In one scenario, she had taken the cure, remaining among the Silver Vanguard by Lyraeni's side, even helping her to strategize and plan. In the other scenario, she turned down the cure, living with her brood with freedom to as she pleased, yet entirely alone. Isira desperately waited to find companionship in the latter scenario, waiting for her mentor or her lover to appear as well. They did not.

With the visions observed, Isira withdrew, painfully aware of what she had always suspected by never wanted to believe. If she was to choose the Aqir's survival, it would undoubtedly mean throwing away everything she cherished most in her service to the Silverguard. Rhenawadd encouraged Isira to do as her heart felt was best, but the visions cemented what Isira needed to do.

Of Death and Dragons

The Bloodmoon Heist

Months after her death, those closest to the late Valythra Bloodmoon had not forgotten her. Valythra's mentor, Kora Deathwhisper orchestrated the return of her lost squire, stealing the San'layn's corpse from the care of the Silverguard's leadership, now conspiring to claim her soul. Lending aid to this nefarious plot was Alytheria Bloodmoon, queen of the Bloodmoon Dominion.

The two agreed that the best way to acquire Valythra's soul was to kidnap Isira and ransom her to her mentor, Lyraeni Sorrowsong, in exchange for the soul. So while Kora trained herself to mask her identity as a Dominion soldier, Alytheria scouted out Isira's itinerary, routes, behavior, and more, until they finally agreed upon a plan to attack. With her spiders stationed in the forests of the Hinterlands, Alytheria had Kora ambush Isira in the thicket of the Hinterlands.

The battle between the two was brief, but Kora swiftly disabled Isira and disarmed her. Isira resisted, spitting in the face of her "vampire" captor, provoking Kora's rage. Though she was eager to kill Isira, she swiftly incapacitated her with a fist to the fist, rendering her unconscious and ready for transfer to Banu Alyca. Kora and Isira were transported by the Dominion's telemancy network, delivering both of them directly before Alytheria herself, along with Sanaeron Sanguire and Verina Senesse present.

Alytheria wished to speak to Isira on Kora's behalf, and so the disguised Kora violently struck and manhandled Isira until she would wake and comply. Though Alytheria began asking her questions such as the Keep's location and the Silverguard's operations, Isira said nothing and refused to betray Silverguard information. This did not trouble Alytheria, however, as the questions were a front for allowing Kora to speak to the elf herself. When Kora asked nothing, Alytheria simply scratched Isira on the cheek, releasing an agonizing venom into Isira bloodstream and leaving her in a prison to await her ransom.

Isira recovered from the venom some time later, but little time was wasted as the archer was hauled from her cell back to the Hinterlands. Bringing her to the Altar of Zul, Alytheria cleared out the Vilebranch population and contacted the Silverguard on their public beacon channel with a threat to turn Isira into a San'layn unless Valythra's soul - and Amorath, the Ravenous - were relinquished to her. The provided deadline for Lyraeni to deliver both was twenty four hours, after which Alytheria would, presumably, hold to her ultimatum.

Lyraeni soon arrived, with only Amorath initially provided. After a brief exchange of taunts, threats, and demands, Alytheria bade Lyraeni to reveal Sorrow's Song, the blade that had killed Lyraeni. Once she did, Alytheria ordered the disguised Kora to retrieve both under the guise of a mage tasked with identifying such weapons, with the request to prove their legitimacy. Kora returned with the blades, and confirmed that they were legitimate, but that Sorrow's Song had also been tampered with recently and that Alytheria should expect treachery.

With the prize given to the San'layn, Alytheria complied to Lyraeni's own demand and ordered Isira's release to the Death Knight. Keeping herself as resolute as she could, Isira was escorted back to Lyraeni, who hoisted her apprentice upon her steed. Signalling Malithanore Vanyali, Lyraeni ensured their immediate departure in a sudden flash of Arcane, moments before Inkorkast descended from the sky in an attempt to assassinate Lyraeni.

Freed by her mentor from the vampires' grasp, Isira was given time to recover... though the experience left her shaken. Her first defeat at the hands of San'layn was not one she would be quick to forget.

The Veil, Shattered

After Isira was successfully retrieved by the Silverguard, she was quick to report for duty. It was prudent, too, for shortly after she was returned to service the veil between life and death was shattered. As the way to the Shadowlands was opened above the skies of Icecrown, a flurry of activity came from the seemingly dormant Undead Scourge. The most immediate call to arms came from Miralyne Valetender when she warned the Silverguard that Windrunner's Overlook had come under attack by the Scourge.

The Silverguard swiftly deployed to the Overlook, with the primary objective of keeping the Overlook out of Scourge hands. However, the deployment did not account for the sheer numbers the Scourge had delivered, and when the battle swiftly turned into one of survival, all focus was instead shifted towards evacuation. Holding off the Scourge long enough for the Silver Covenant to escape, the Silverguard were the last to depart the Overlook, leaving it to the Scourge's "control".

The Silverguard defend their keep from invading Scourge.

The Scourge threat did not apply to Northrend only, for soon the duchy of Quellorian came under threat as well. The Silverguard was called to defend the keep, and prepare for yet another rampant attack, with Isira taking position atop the ramparts alongside Caedori Morrowsky and her fellow members of the Vanguard.

Initially an assault of naught but ghouls and magi proved easy to repel through magic and blunted arrows. Even the ground assault from within the keep, tunneled by Nerubians, was swiftly dispatched by the line of Spell Breakers. However, an unprecedented blow came in the form of a risen Frost Wyrm that assailed the keep with breath like a blizzard and wings that beat with winds like a hurricane. Despite her best efforts, Isira was unable to hold her position on the ramparts, and plummeted to the courtyard below.

To Isira's great misfortunate, she landed on her left arm, the fall and the impact of her weight crushing it and breaking the bones. Her legs were weakened as well, and she was unable to escape as the Silverguard began to retreat into the keep proper, and the ghoul horde began to descend upon her. Caedori fought through the horde to come to her lover's rescue, but aiding Isira's escape did not come without cost. As Isira was carried, she was bitten and scratched by the horde, and lapsed into unconsciousness.

Treated by Ylandra Nightstar and Miliel Sunblade, Isira was able to recover from her gravest of wounds, though she would need time to mend her broken arm. With her arm in a sling, she awoke not long after, but was pale and rife with a fever, indicating an infection to the ghoul attack she had suffered. With her bow missing as well, on top of her wounds, Isira was deemed unfit for battle and transferred to the Dalaran infirmary to recover, while the rest of the Silverguard fought for the liberation of Quellorian.

Lyraeni and Isira transport the Aqir to a new home, and cure Isira of her mutations.

Days after the final battle for Quellorian and the Scourge were routed, Isira soon made enough of a recovery to be let out of the infirmary, even though her arm remained useless. Not long after her release, Isira was summoned by Lyraeni to address a matter still left unresolved: the Aqir. Though Isira was still struggling to decide what she wanted, and still resistant to the Aqir's transport to another realm, she ultimately conceded that it would be for the best to see the Aqir to a safer location.

The two journeyed to the Hinterlands, where Isira led Lyraeni to the mouth of the cave where the Highvale Brood lived. Using a means designed with assistance from Malithanore Vanyali, Lyraeni opened a portal to a pocket dimension with the instruction to issue all of the Aqir beyond its threshold. Obeying Isira's command, every Aqir exited the cave as a swarm to go beyond the portal to the pocket dimension, until only one remained.

Lvuru emerged last, slowly and deliberately, uncertain of the intentions behind sending them away. She bluntly declared that Lyraeni feared the Aqir, having listened to the conversation through the telepathic link shared with Isira, knowing that they were to be moved due to a belief of security risks. Though Lyraeni reaffirmed it was necessity, and not fear, that warranted the Aqir's transport, Lvuru remained suspicious. She was especially wary knowing that Isira had no intentions of going beyond the portal with them.

At that, Lyraeni confirmed that Isira had a different place to be, and that her place among the Aqir had not been a fate she chose. It was inflicted upon her through mutations, and that the time had come for her to return to her original state and be among her own kind. Confused, Lvuru understood that if this happened, Isira would no longer be able to stand amongst the Aqir, or be considered like them. Lyraeni disagreed, acknowledging that Isira would still be as strong, valorous, and passionate for battle as all in the Brood craved.

With a final conversation with Isira, Lvuru decided to go beyond the portal into the lush jungles that awaited the Brood. Isira gave Lvuru a sorrowful farewell, trusting the hive queen to remember everything she had been taught and to lead the Brood well in her stead. Finally, the sole Goliath of the Brood emerged from the earth, and joined the rest of the Brood beyond. The Aqir had officially departed Azeroth.

Isira despaired, pained by the goodbyes she had been forced to make. Lyraeni empathized with her, understanding that such goodbyes were never easy. With only one final task remaining, she asked if Isira was ready for what was next to come, producing a syringe containing the cure to the Aqir mutagen. Resigned, Isira agreed that she was ready, and Lyraeni distracted her from the pain - physical and emotional - by discussing Isira's youth, and growing up in Quel'danil.

As Isira told the story of the First Enemy, and how the Lure'mils came to loathe Queen Azshara millennia ago, Lyraeni successfully injected Isira with the cure, completing all they had come to do. When she suggested that Isira return to her fellow rangers, the latter dejectedly refused, claiming she was no ranger. In an effort to raise Isira's spirits, she offered to change that; her mutations by the Aqir were a security risk, but they were also the only thing barring Isira from being the ranger she longed to become. Time and again had she proven that she was everything Lyraeni wanted in a ranger.

Yet as she was offered the promotion, Isira was not convinced. Instead of welcoming the gesture, she pried to understand why Lyraeni offered the promotion only now. After learning that her mutations were all that held her back and kept her from progression, Isira was shaken, and insulted. She saw the offer to become a ranger as nothing more than a reward for conformity to the Council's norms, and rejected Lyraeni's offer. Isira claimed that she had dreamt of becoming a ranger her entire life, and would not have it tarnished with the knowledge she earned it for conformity.

Isira asked the Ranger-Lady to leave her, and opted to spend some time alone before the cave her Aqir once inhabited. Lyraeni agreed to her request, but pleaded for her not to lose herself to despair.

In Death's Shadow

With the call to arms sounded, Isira's arm was healed enough to remove her cast and clear her for duty once more. She departed to Menethil Harbor with quiet and reservation, still suffering her depression from the loss of the Aqir. As others of the Alliance gathered, Lyraeni soon arrived and offered Isira a new warbow, this one of Thalassian make, using Eversong heartwood and mithril, materials Isira herself had never fashioned a bow. With uncharacteristic neutrality, Isira simply accepted the weapon with gratitude, now prepared for the battles to come.

Isira confides in Gabriel Mordrime before deployment to Northrend.

After the Alliance was briefed on the campaign that was to be Operation: Valiance, Isira withdrew into solitude once more. She was noticed during the late hours by Gabriel Mordrime, a recurring companion during recurring campaigns, who mostly sought to catch up after their last meeting. He took note of her seeming despair and inquired as to what troubled her. Isira revealed that her mutations had been reversed and that the Aqir had been removed from her custody, seemingly not by her choice.

Though Mordrime had no love for the Aqir, he and Isira discussed what she defined as choice. Isira revealed that she felt wronged and cheated by the Council, forced to push away her Aqir to preserve herself and her station, and even moreso frustrated knowing that the Aqir barred her from becoming a ranger. Though Isira blamed much on Lyraeni and the Council, Mordrime denied this, recognizing that Lyraeni had no ill intent, and that most were likely trying to protect Isira rather than push her down.

Isira walked away from that night with renewed clarity and even appreciation. Though she still felt the sting of her loss, she reconsidered the severity of Lyraeni's seemingly unkind gesture. Resting in Menethil, Isira awoke the next morning ready for the journey to Northrend, where the Alliance would help stave off the undead threat. Gathering upon a fleet of ships, Isira rallied under the command of the designated leaders of the offensive, and joined the ground assault on the Forgotten Shore of Dragonblight.

Lyraeni Sorrowsong and Isira during the landing on the Forgotten Shore.

Landing, the Alliance ground forces were met with a dense mist that obscured all they could see. Traversing the beach to make their way to land, they were met with sounds, voices, cries of despair and rage from entities who spoke of wanting to return home or see their family once more. It was soon revealed that these voices came from the spirits of the soldiers who had once journeyed north with Arthas Menethil in his quest against the Scourge. They gathered upon the beaches before ships that still continued to burn, without end.

As the Alliance landed, they attempted to help the soldiers in dousing the flames that consumed their ships, but to no avail. The spectral soldiers cursed the Alliance, believing them to be the very mercenaries that Arthas had hired to destroy their passage home to begin with. Furious, the dead turned mortar fire, steel blades, and magical spells on the Alliance and engaged them in battle.

The Alliance pushed back with swift retaliation, forcing a retreat. However, these two sides were not alone as a voice mocked the invaders from beyond their perception, hidden within the mist. The spirits retreated to the hills leading up into the mainland, their mortars setting up on a ridge where the majority of the fighters could not reach them. Seeing this, Isira proceeded to take advantage of the mortar team's focus, darting around the side of the battle and climbing the ridge until she could begin to snipe the dwarves from behind.

With the spectral remnants of the Alliance of Lordaeron defeated, the true orchestrator of the chaos revealed his hand: a Lich, alone yet radiating his power, threatened the invaders personally. The Alliance swiftly engaged the Lich, who employed a cunning tactic of sowing discord by polymorphing several soldiers into mindless, flesh-craving ghouls. Though the effect was temporary, it successfully disorganized the Alliance until, finally, the Lich's body was destroyed, his soul fleeing to his phylactery.

With the Lich vanquished, the Alliance were free to begin their march into Northrend, delivering them to the fortification of Wintergarde Keep, still within the shadow of Naxxramas. The sight of the necropolis startled Isira, who had never before witnessed such a structure, just as she had never once known of a Lich in the flesh. The realization of her misinformation led her to finally consider doing proper research on her enemies for the coming battles, once she had found a tavern to remove herself from the biting cold.

Isira keeps watch as the Alliance burn the dead.

The next day, the first series of missions were doled out, with Isira being assigned to a mission to burn away the corpses of those who had been slain outside of Wintergarde, to prevent their reanimation in an impending assault by the Scourge. While the Alliance did the grisly deed, burning corpses upon a pyre, Isira herself took to a dilapidated building, situating herself upon the roof to keep watch for any threats that may approach.

And such a threat did approach; undead began to rise from the corpses not yet burned, converging upon the Alliance on the ground. Though they were easily dispatched, nothing prepared them for what came next: from the mists, a massive Vrykul warrior charged with unprecedented speed, an axe like a slab in his hands. With it he completely ripped a human soldier apart, but was swiftly destroyed. Death was not the end, however, for this entity seemingly corrupted his killer with his death.

The Alliance only had a momentary reprieve before the Sea-Scourge charged once again, eager to kill none but his previous murderer, and anyone who made the mistake of barring his passage. The Sea-Scourge died again, and again, but the Alliance began to notice that the Vrykul was an entity cursed hundreds of times over. With each death he would return, and the only way to put a stop to his rampage was to remove the curses. They were successful, reducing the Sea-Scourge to a still figure, but retreat was still deemed the wiser course of action.

On the next day, the Alliance was tasked with stemming the tide of Scourge pouring from the Crystal Vice into Dragonblight. To combat this, the Alliance deployed riders on horseback, cavalry to fight back against the undead tide. With no mount to call her own, Isira borrowed a spare from the stables - a lone, white unicorn of the Silver Covenant, whose rider was seemingly absent. With no contention for her use of the steed, Isira rode the unicorn into battle.

Isira takes up Ashor'iena's reins.

The Battle of Crystal Vice was long and bloody, with many lives paid to prevent the Scourge's advance. While some stayed behind to tend to the dead, Isira exhaustedly rode her steed back to Wintergarde and returned her to the stables. When a Silver Covenant handler arrived to take the unicorn into his care, Isira commended the creature for her valor in the face of battle, and asked that he pass her compliments on to the unicorn's rider.

The handler smiled sadly and admitted that he could not, for the unicorn's rider, Sylvarian, had perished in a battle prior to the Alliance's arrival to reinforce Wintergarde. However, the handler respected Isira for having taken the steed into battle, for it was deemed unfitting for such a brave horse to be locked away within the stables and likely to never have a true rider to call a companion once more.

Isira asked what Sylvarian's last wish was, and the handler believed that such a wish would have been for his steed to find a worthy rider to take up his steed's reins. Following this, he asked Isira how dedicated she would be to ensure that such a wish was fulfilled. She would have to ensure that the steed was more than a mount; she was to be treated as a companion, and her valor was to be trusted just as she would trust Isira's. Isira agreed, and learned the name of the unicorn: Ashor'iena.

In the following morning, Isira was visited by Lyraeni in the tavern. There was no real significance to the meeting, for Lyraeni was simply observing the troops, gauging morale, and ensuring everyone was prepared for the next battles ahead. Though Isira admitted she was ready, she stalled Lyraeni a moment longer to express a personal apology to the Ranger-Lady. She apologized for her misguided belief that Lyraeni had wronged her with the offered promotion, and recognized that she only wanted to help her be happy.

Lyraeni expressed her gladness for Isira to have overcome her despair for the Aqir, and for the apology. She admitted that she greatly cared for Isira, which took the young archer by surprise. Surprise for such an admission would have meant little, however, for nothing could have prepared Isira for the revelation to come.

Blessings of the Dragons

When the Alliance rallied for their next deployment, it was revealed by Lyraeni that the Scourge had begun making moves against the Dragonflights. As such, she had determined to lead a detachment to the Ruby Dragonshrine, where they would lend assistance to the Red Dragonflight. Isira was taken aback by the very possibility that she would be able to finally meet a dragon in person for the first time in her life. Though filled with excitement, Lyraeni cautioned her, reminding her that they were on duty and that ultimately, they had a battle to win.

Isira fights alongside the Red Dragonflight to defend the Ruby Dragonshrine.

Isira heeded her mentor's words and took her role in the upcoming fight seriously, but to fight among dragons was a dream come true. The archer positioned herself atop a cliff where she rained arrows upon the undead from above, lending support to the Alliance fighters on the ground. As they dispatched ghouls and abominations, the Alliance moved deeper into the Dragonshrine, approaching the central tree that was being subjected to corruption. Descending with the others, Isira and the Alliance found that a Lich was responsible for the infestation of the tree.

The Lich, known only as the Hand of the Necrolord, was defeated, and his corruption stopped. Powerful voices bade the Alliance emerge from the sacred tree, and they did only to find four dragons had come to them - Veristrasza of the Red, Cerugos of the Blue, Verikus of the Green, and Femtormi of the Bronze. They were great in size, practically wyrms, and each represented one of the four remaining flights. Recognizing the Alliance's aid, the dragons agreed to bestow a blessing of their power upon the mortals, a fraction to help them against the Scourge.

Others were quick to decide who they would beseech for a blessing, but Isira was hesitant. Overcome by the honor of meeting dragons and utterly humbled, she did feel herself worthy to receive any dragon's notice. However, contrary to her expectations, Veristrasza addressed her directly, naming Blue Archer and reassuring her that they were imparting their gifts willingly, and had deemed her worthy. Isira remained unsure, but with the dragons' urging, she finally found herself able to step forward, and beseech Verikus for his gift of Life.

Isira, like many others, received a blessing of power from the dragons, specifically a power with Life magic from Verikus of the Greens. Feeling pride in her contributions and the momentous occasion of finally meeting dragons, Isira returned to Wintergarde with her head held high. However, her conflicts with her comrade, Arash Grissom, rose up once again when she noticed he was in possession of a peculiar weapon, a Scourge Runeblade.

She passively challenged him regarding the runeblade, as if to suggest he should be kept under watch; this aggression escalated to a direct vocal clash between the two. Just as others began to intervene in the confrontation, Arash hesitated for a moment before spitting in Isira's eye as a rebuke. Without a moment to spare, Isira immediately retaliated with a punch to his face, warning him to never disrespect her or any comrade again, before storming out of the tavern.

When Isira did find sleep, her dreams were no longer the same. She slept with full awareness of her dreams and the reality ongoing within them, and even had control over them. She visited great forested landscapes, not unlike her own home, or the landscape that Rhenawedd had shown her in the past. Though she did not yet know it, in her dreams she would sometimes find herself visiting the Emerald Dream itself.

The next day was once again dedicated to stopping the Necrolord and his agents. Riding Ashor'iena to the bones of a great wyrm, she and the Alliance fought against necromancers who attempted to reanimate the fallen dragon before the Necrolord once again intervened. After raising a portion of the dragon to threaten the Alliance, the Voice of the Necrolord was deterred, and the Necrolord himself was once again set back. The draconic patrons arrived again, thanking the Alliance on a personal level now, for the fallen wyrm meant more to them than the mortals might have known.

Believing it would be in the fallen wyrm's desires, had he been living, the patrons once again offered boons fashioned from his skeleton, artifacts of power. Turning to Verikus once more for power, Isira was granted a quiver fashioned from the fang of the fallen wyrm, which bore draconic power that it might imbue her arrows with in every shot. Isira accepted the boon with gratitude, promising to carry it with her for as long as she lived to honor the dragons' kindness. However, she noted their reverence for the fallen wyrm, and kept it in her mind.

As Isira fell to sleep once again, this time she did not dream just yet. Instead, she reached out to her patron Verikus, seeking answers as to who the fallen wyrm was. She asked not out of whimsical curiosity, but out of respect, for her clan's culture was ever fond of remembering the fallen by name and by story. She told Verikus that she wished to honor the fallen dragon's memory, and to ensure his name was never forgotten. Verikus afforded the name of the dragon: Phyllion.

After promising to commit Phyllion's name to memory, and learning more of the history of Seradane and the Dream, Isira finally fell to sleep, preparing for the next day's deployment. Said deployment was going to be a truly unique experience; in order to assist the dragons in protecting the Nexus from a Scourge Lich that had taken up a position upon the complex, the Alliance would need to ride drakes into battle, draconic scions to the four that had been assisting the mortals to begin with.

Isira fights with the Green drake, Remsera.

With permission from Cerugos, Isira joined with the green drake, Remsera. The two quickly decided their roles with Isira as a spotter to call out targets and give commands, which Remsera would enact to the best of her ability. The two were an able team, joining the other drakes in bringing down gargoyles and more from the skies before Cerugos was suddenly defeated by the Lich, revealed to be Jaxus, the Necrolord. Thankfully, the Lich was defeated by the combined might of the dragons and the Alliance, a decisive blow dealt by Ylandra forcing his retreat entirely.

With a reprieve from the battle, Remsera offered her thanks in the form of one of her own scales shed from her hide. Whenever Isira wished to join Rem in battle again, she needed only to use that scale and call upon her. Thankful, Isira prepared herself for the final effort to end Jaxus. Learning of his destination, the Alliance found that Jaxus had escaped to the Obsidian Dragonshrine next, carrying on his sick ambitions with the dragon's powers.

Arriving at the Dragonshrine, Jaxus' undead minions were swiftly purged by the Alliance. However, Rethaxian abruptly assumed a draconic form, claiming he could break the barrier upon the shrine's entrance. In doing so, however, he found himself drained of his power by the shield, the same measures used to defeat Cerugos the day prior. The Alliance mustered to destroy the barrier instead, and eventually made their way to find the Necrolord. He disappeared, however, and left his phylactery unguarded.

Necrolord Jaxus possesses the corpse of combined dragons, becoming the Dragonlord.

Jaxus' phylactery was swiftly destroyed, but the Lich was not yet slain. Instead, it was revealed what his project was, for he had possessed the horrific body of an amalgam of dragon corpses, and proclaimed himself to be Jaxus the Dragonlord. Wielding the powers of all five flights, Jaxus was a considerable challenge against the Alliance, but eventually his stolen powers waned, and he was slain. The power stolen was released among all of the Alliance who had received draconic boons.

Isira was filled with the power stolen from the Green Dragonflight, and her first wish was to return it all to Verikus. However, Verikus, like the other dragons, believed that the mortals deserved this borrowed power for a time, and wished for Isira to keep what she had gained. Reluctantly, Isira did so, returning to Wintergarde with the powers of the Green Dragonflight. It was not until later that night, when she realized its full potential, however; in an effort to torment the Alliance, nightmares were inflicted upon them by the Mawsworn. However, even as she was visited by torturous nightmares, she was unfazed, and she held control of the dream enough to banish it entirely. Through the Green Dragonflight, her dreams were no longer a weapon against her.

The Elf Who Rides a Dragon

Time to go to Icecrown

Isira riding Remsera into battle. (Render by Sonceri)

Tank battle of Scourgeholm takes place

victory times

Isira makes Remsera heal Rethaxian

After the battle, Myldessian asks Isira why she healed them

Approving of her answer, he gives her a black scale and offers her to become a champion of the Black dragonflight instead of the Green

Isira surveys the frozen expanse of Icecrown.

Regroups at the Vanguard, meets a fellow veteran of the war named Huon, nice

Joins the tank battle at Aldur'thar, kills a dragon, helps heal, etc

Retrieves Khudaal's corpse when he kamikazes, sees the big af skull rezzing the dead

Nakster asks for Khudaal's body, but Isira gives it to Bromas of the Dwarven Vanguard instead

Isira asks Lyra about the black dragon scale and learns about their corruption

Lyra suggest Isira becomes Dragonsworn and that she might have destiny with the Emerald Dream

Isira and Remsera join the aerial division in the final battle before Icecrown Citadel.

Final battle comes, Isira joins Tilliea I. Furlbrow in the Aerial Fight

Helps take down the Revenant and heal others

Isira passes out from exhaustion and Remsera returns her to the Vanguard

just

push

this

up

Nightmare in Red

Isira communes with Verikus in the Emerald Dream.

Eventually, Isira awoke from her slumber, wearied but relieved by the Coalition's apparent victory. With the battle before Icecrown Citadel complete, it seemed apparent that the Coalition had earned a reprieve before the Scourge and the Mawsworn resumed their assault, buying time for the Argent Crusade to carry on a stable battle in their stead. With the Coalition set to depart Icecrown and return home, Isira decided she would not leave before one final discussion with her draconic patron, Verikus.

Still considering her mentor's suggestion, Isira reached out to Verikus within the Emerald Dream to ask him about the duties of the Green Dragonflight and what it would mean to be a Dragonsworn. Verikus divulged the answers she sought, explaining that the boons the Alliance had received were but a taste of the true experience of what a Dragonsworn could accomplish. He recognized that Isira had fought well beside Remsera, and explained that their connection could continue in devoted service.

Isira remained uncertain, and Verikus proposed a compromise that would allow service to the Dragonflight without truly being sworn. Though with minimal benefit and the loss of any connection to the Emerald Dream, it would grant Isira insight into what it means to serve dragons, and allow her friendship with Remsera to continue. Isira was grateful for the offer, and explained that she would seek the insight of her friends to help inform her judgment. Verikus understood, and promised to uphold the connection until Isira made her decision.

Isira speaks to Raelor about the idea of becoming Dragonsworn.

Attending a memorial hosted by the Alliance, Isira decided she would begin with asking her old friend Raelor Valeclaw. Knowing Raelor to be a druid most attuned to the wilds and the Dream as well, just as Verikus was, Isira sought Raelor out near the end of the memorial to seek his input on the idea. Raelor gladly shed light on his own perspective of the Green Dragonflight and their duties, as well as the roles they played for druids such as himself. He was quick to recognize the direction Isira's questioning, and her consideration to become Dragonsworn.

Isira finally issued the main question on her mind, seeking a clear answer on whether or not she should become the Dragonsworn Lyraeni suggested she become. To that, Raelor did not provide a clear answer; he did not encourage nor dissuade her to take the path. Instead, he encouraged her to take time to consider the choice for herself, as such a commitment was not to be taken lightly and would likely stay with her for much of her life. Still, he did not push the idea away, which Isira found some degree of comfort in as she continued to give the idea thought.

Not long after their return from the north, however, the elves found their homeland still beset by threats. Among these threats was the Vilebranch Tribe, opportunistic hexers employing the maddened Wildkin to assault the Quel'Danil Lodge while all eyes were on the Scourge. Furious and hateful towards the audacious trolls, Isira requested over the beacon for the Silverguard to send any aid they could afford to aid the Lodge against the attack.

The Silverguard, the Highvale elves, and the Draenei settlers were able to successfully repel the trolls. However, an elven priestess who came to their aid, Vhaenyra, was hexed into the form of a frog for her efforts. Eventually finding her, Isira brought Vhaenyra to the Dalaran infirmary to receive treatment from Arianiie Andros to rid Vhaenyra of the hex. Eventually, Arianiie was left with no option but to contact a colleague and Isira's friend, Rhenawedd Meadowsong.

This was especially convenient to Isira. Not only was Rhenawedd qualified to dispel the curse, but she was also exactly the person to whom Isira needed to speak. After the priestess left, Isira confided in Rhenawedd about the proposition to become Dragonsworn, and needed Rhenawedd's judgment. Similar to Raelor, Rhenawedd advised caution and careful consideration, as the duties of a Dragonsworn would last a long time, and bring about changes. Most concerning, there may be a day when service to a dragon would outweigh her service to the Silverguard.

Acknowledging this, Isira set out back to the Lodge with Rhenawedd's insight, taking time to think and prepare her decision.

The Silverguard infiltrate their keep to reclaim it from the Scourge.

Sneak into keep and retake it from Scourge

it's a vampire!

the San'layn bites Isira and drains her blood, yikes

she recovers, helps to run an attack on the vilebranch

nightmare revealed

another san'layn attack, enthralled

tries to kill three people, is now traumatized

super paranoid, almost attacked again

but she's promoted to ranger and now she's happy again

time to get sooroo home

Isira swears herself to the Green Dragonflight and bonds herself to Verikus.

dragonsworn time

dragonsworn now, but panic attacks from trauma - for the love of god just write this

hanging with a boy

research on druidic runes

Life Beyond Death

With the initial venture of the Knights of the Ebon Blade beyond the veil, the Attendants of Oribos began to look to mortals to lend aid to the ongoing crisis in the Shadowlands. As such, Lyraeni rallied the Silverguard to their keep, briefing them on the problem before them before issuing orders of deployment to the Shadowlands, with the intention sending aid to any realm that they deemed it best to help. As a group, the Silverguard journeyed to Oribos, where they were introduced to each of the covenants.

Isira found a unique connection with the Night Fae almost immediately, her oath to the Green Dragonflight and her fondness for nature leading her to find a calling in the cycle of rebirth within Ardenweald. Believing it to be her duty as a Dragonsworn to help defend the cycle of life and rebirth for the Wild Gods, she was already committed to aiding the Night Fae. However, before she could depart, she had a personal request to make of Lyraeni.

Decades of acceptance of her mother's death and the passing of her family were a time Isira did not wish to lose. She worried that if she met her family in the afterlife, it would undo so much time spent learning to live without her loved ones. However, with the ongoing crisis, she also worried for the safety of her family's souls. Therefore, she privately asked Lyraeni to search for her family and ensure they were well. She had a hunch as to where they could be found, considering their warrior culture.

Isira pledges herself to the Night Fae.

Free to go their separate ways, Isira journeyed to Ardenweald, where she pledged herself to the Night Fae and was tasked to serve alongside the Wild Hunt. She was granted two unique gifts. The first was the gift of accessing her soulshape, the ability to transform into an animal form to traverse the forest. Using this ability, Isira discovered her soulshape to be that of a unicorn, much to her approval. The second gift given to her was a fae branch she could use to return to Ardenweald as needed, for any journeys made back to the realm of the living.

Isira's service to Ardenweald came to an abrupt pause, however, as she returned to Oribos to read over messages delivered from Azeroth, only to find that Lyraeni had become a captive of the Dreadlord, Tal'dranim. With only minimal noticee sent to the Night Fae, Isira took transport back to Azeroth with a promise to help recover Lyraeni by any means, and was prepared to organize the venture herself. Though she was able to appeal to Sabariel Greenwood and convince her to organize a mission, her approach went beyond an orderly response, drawing ire from the leadership as she stubbornly waited for deployment.

Eventually the time came to execute Lyraeni's rescue from the demons' ship, the Divine Entropy. Sneaking aboard this ship with no combative effort, the Silverguard navigated the vessel and located the Ranger-Lady shackled with felslate driven through her very flesh. However, witnessing a Dreadlord for the first time, Isira briefly spun into a panic as she remembered the attempts on her life by the San'layn, a panic calmed with the help of Aeriden. While others distracted the demon forces, Isira and Sabariel set to freeing Lyraeni from her bonds, allowing the Silverguard to retreat back to their home.

Once Lyraeni was recovered, Isira never left her side within the infirmary, keeping her company as she recovered. Aeriden joined her, and they exchanged banter before the prospect of learning archery was brought up. Enthused - and relieved following her mentor's assured safety - Isira offered to teach Aeriden how to handle bows before she would depart for Ardenweald, to which he agreed.

The Slaver's Scheme

Main Article: Poisoning the Well

The Silverguard meet the Mountainpine wildkin.

Eventually, the plans of the Vilebranch had been deciphered by Anthelon and the elves back at the Lodge. It was determined that the Vilebranch were after a remote tribe of Wildkin - one of the only tribes left - known as the Mountainpine. These Wildkin were somehow one of the few pockets of Wildkin presence in the Hinterlands to have been spared the mysterious rampancy that plagued so many others. It became a priority of the Lodge to not only investigate how these Wildkin survived in such a docile fashion, but also to ensure that they were protected as well. Furthermore, it was deduced that Sooroo, the hatchling held captive by the Vilebranch, belonged to this tribe and was to be returned.

While the Silverguard were away and preoccupied with other affairs, the Lodge took to establishing a forward outpost in the uncharted wilds to make first contact with the Mountainpine. When the time came to finally get in touch, Isira reached out once again to her fellow Silverguard to exercise their diplomacy and return Sooroo to her tribe. Though the Silverguard was initially met with apprehension, the realization that they had come to return Sooroo to their village eased the tensions, and the Mountainpine permitted their entry to see their chieftain, Hooroom.

Hooroom was beyond grateful to have his daughter returned to him, thanking the elves for their kindness. The elves were permitted to learn more about the Mountainpine's culture, as well as how they had avoided madness for so long. The answer was soon revealed, in the heart of their village, where the elves were taken to an enchanted stone structure, with a basin filled with a water. It was recognized as a shrine to Elune, which the Mountainpine claimed was left behind by elves far older than the visiting Silverguard, when they first planted the Great Tree Seradane.

The hospitality of the wildkin was short-lived, however; rangers of the Silverguard detected the presence of something in the trees, alerting everyone moments before a troll ambush. The Vilebranch had descended upon the village in force, and the elves were commanded to defend the wildkin and their shrine. However, the ensuing battle drew the elves' attention away from the shrine itself, allowing two more trolls to sneak behind enemy lines: Zuli "Six Hands" and the infamous Jin'kul the Slaver, an elusive Shadow Hunter and adversary to both the Highvale and the Wildhammer alike.

Though the trolls were routed, Zuli held the Silverguard off long enough for Jin'kul to drop a mote of Emerald Nightmare into the basin of Elune's shrine, with him escaping shortly after and leaving Zuli to die. Despite this, Zuli was instead taken captive for interrogation, when the rest of the elves soon realized what Jin'kul had done. Concerned, Isira decided to report what Jin'kul had done to Anthelon and the Highvale, explaining the danger that the wildkin were now under.

As Isira explained what had happened, Anthelon understood the gravity of the situation, and proposed that they meet with the White Goat. Though Isira was familiar with vague stories of the "White Goat" she was reluctant to put her faith in such things, knowing that, left unchecked, the Nightmare could corrupt the last vestiges of wildkin society in the Hinterlands. Instead, she proposed that she use her ties to the Green Dragonflight to request aid in cleansing the corruption.

The two deliberated for some time until the Silverguard convened for their next move against Jin'kul's schemes. Isira explained to them the two options they proposed, but the Silverguard was uncertain about either of them. At Anthelon's behest, Isira did not disclose the identity or even the alias of the White Goat in suggesting his "contact," but the Silverguard doubted the credibility of such a dubious connection. Meanwhile, Isira's proposal to turn to the dragons was also turned down, for fear of jeopardizing any more of the Greens to the Nightmare's taint. Instead, one of the Highborne in attendance, Adrelais Moonwhisper, proposed seeking out her cousin, a priestess of Elune, to provide aid.

Eventually a compromise was reached. Half the Silverguard would go to join Adrelais in recruiting the priestess to their side, while half would go with Anthelon to meet his contact. Isira met with two recently recruited associates, Diidlet Starbinder and Vindicator Noviri, in following Anthelon. They traveled southwest, deep into the woods, far deeper than any civilization reached, before finally coming upon a lone hut.

From the hut emerged a most unexpected creature - a Satyr. Not only a satyr, but a female one, with fur as white as her silvery hair, bearing a peculiar dirk with dark red runes etched into her flesh. Isira watched from afar, within the trees, uncertain what to make of the newfound knowledge that the White Goat was in fact a demon, and that Anthelon had been in league with a demon the entire time. She remembered the events in Duskstone, organized by a satyr then as well. Cautious, she watched as Noviri and Diidlet handled the meeting.

Noviri cautiously explained their quandary, and the White Goat declared that she could, in fact, help cleanse the Nightmare's influence. However, for their access to her service, she wanted a favor in return. While Noviri and Diidlet seemed to weight their options, eventually they received word over the Silverguard beacon network that the priestess' aid had been secured. Noviri declined to accept the satyr's bargain, leaving the site, but also upholding the confidentiality of her identity.

With Kaylasa Moonwhisper recruited, the Silverguard set out again to the Mountainpine Village. There they found that the Nightmare's influence was slowly seeping over the wildkin, with thorny growths planted through the terrain and Jin'kul sitting on top of an unconscious Hooroom, as if expecting something. Indeed, when the Silverguard arrived, he ordered no hostile action, permitting them to even get close enough to inspect the Shrine.

Eventually he let battle be joined, hexing Hooroom into assaulting the elves while other troll allies joined the fray. As Ranger-Captain Sabariel set out to destroy the miasma growths, and the elves battled Hooroom and the trolls, Kaylasa worked to pray to Elune in order to cleanse the shrine of the Nightmare. Isira supplemented the effort with her presence, her bond to the Green Dragonflight and the Emerald Dream helping the cleansing effort. After finally slaying a dire troll, the Silverguard managed to successfully purify the shrine to Elune. However, Jin'kul did not express disappointment; he merely thanked the elves for teaching him.

Sixty Years of War

The defeat of the Vilebranch in the Mountainpine village earned a welcome reprieve for Isira, even as the Highvale elves worked to hunt down Jin'kul. Enjoying her time spent with the Silverguard, she eventually met a newly recruited markswoman of the Vanguard, Ilari Shadowveil. The two bonded quickly due to Isira's hasty acceptance of the Void Elf, despite her corrupted being and doubts about herself. In fact, Isira insisted that she accept Ilari through the corrupted nature, because she herself understood that kind of isolation.

Over hunts and exchange of experiences in the Hinterlands, Isira divulged that part of her sympathy for the Void Elves came from her own experience as once being a mutant of the Aqir hivemind. Knowing that evil creatures and powers can be purposed to good intentions, she did not judge Ilari for her condition. Conversely, when asked about her hate for the trolls, she blamed the trolls of the world for being complicit in their evil deeds, willfully taking dishonorable and cruel actions against her people when it was most advantageous, such as after the fall of Quel'thalas. Understanding Isira, Ilari resolved to support her.

As fate would have it, the war against trolls was destined to resume. Word spread of the remnant Gurubashi attempting to manufacture a new blood plague, and consort with their Loa to bolster themselves once again within Zul'Gurub. Isira relished the opportunity to wage war upon the trolls of Stranglethorn, reminiscing upon her family's involvement during the Gurubashi War almost sixty years ago.

At the same time, however, Remsera joined Isira, convinced to journey with her. The Green agreed to come in order to balance nature against the trolls' corruptive influences and the destruction of the Venture Co., but warned that she would not be part of Isira's racial hatreds. Similarly, though Ilari and Isira were all but attached through the campaign to Stranglethorn, Ilari tempered Isira's fanaticism with a voice of reason to not engage in any reckless acts of war.

However, Isira's bloodlust soon proved taxing upon their relationship. In a battle against the Venture Co., to seize control of oil for the Alliance, Isira broke off from attacking the Venture Co. alone to instead assault a gronn controlled by the Horde. The gronn, attempting to seize oil, was additionally attacked by an ancient, previously called forth by Raelor Valeclaw. The two defeated the gronn, but the oil was lost. After the battle, Remsera harshly reprimanded Isira, stating that she was not here to kill her racial adversaries under false pretenses, and would not hesitate to abandon Isira if she was deceived again.

Even this did not abate Isira's bloodlust, however, As the Silverguard joined the Alliance strike team under Bromas Ebonram to invade Zul'Gurub, she all but brimmed with glee, prepared to count her kills and demonstrate them to all. Even her fellow elves did not join her in her bloody fanaticism, as she racked up almost thirty kills before they invaded the domain of Shadra. Slaying Shadra's spawn and the troll acolytes within, Isira declared victory, staking a Silverguard banner where all the survivors of Zul'Gurub could see it, before using a torch to set flame to the city, and burn it as much as she could.

But the defeat of the Gurubashi was not enough, for Isira soon set her eyes on her next adversary: the Horde. As the Alliance left Zul'Gurub, Isira stayed behind to collect the heads of the slain trolls in secret, before purchasing parchment, and setting out to Booty Bay with the rest. As the Coalition slept, Isira prepared a message during the middle of the night by stringing up the severed heads surrounding the areas where the Horde was quartered, as well as the joint command area. A severed hand carried a written message, "This is my letter unto you," a retort to the back and forth letters being sent between factions.

Almost immediately, Isira was suspected for the crime due to her zeal in killing trolls. As waking Coalition members began to react to the heads or dispose of them, Tilliea I. Furlbrow was directed to question Isira on the matter. Isira denied all, and was even defended by Raelor, but the matter was not resolved so quickly. On the Horde's side, Lampyris Aranduranor began to conduct an investigation of her own, also pointed to inquire into Isira's involvement, eventually acquiring her handwriting. During the Coalition's continued deployment, tensions only continued to rise as Isira goaded the Horde, taunting them and threatening them.

Relations with fellow elves began to strain as well. Ilari knew immediately that Isira was responsible, and harshly condemned the actions, and the lawlessness of her decisions. She promised to help defend her, but did not condone the decisions made, and certainly did not want Isira to lie to the authorities. However, when interrogated by the commanders of the Coalition, Isira denied all accusations. Eventually, even the Silverguard council was forced to make an appearance, as Seriphene Vanyali arrived to inspect Isira's handwriting using the Law of Sympathy.

When tensions almost escalated into open hostility during a confrontation with Jab'trah, Isira was taken by Malithanore Vanyali into house arrest. Meanwhile, the test found that Isira's writing matched the note left in the hand, and she was deemed guilty. While she was seemingly punished for the macabre crime, in actuality she was to be punished for her refusal to admit her crimes, and lying directly to the Alliance command. She remained under house arrest for the duration of the campaign, after which she would be sentenced to the jails of Quellorian.

Though Isira was initially unrepentant, her stubbornness broke when visited by Ilari. Ilari denounced Isira's decision to lie in the harshest possible terms, and rejected her actions against the law. Though Isira tried to defend herself, Ilari would not hear it, and eventually renounced their friendship, leaving Isira heartbroken in her 'cell' in the tavern. Jab'trah later visited Isira to question her, though the ranger was not interested in indulging his taunts - instead of voicing hatred, Jab'trah simply stated that he pitied Isira.

The next day, Isira's punishment was decided: she was to perform the funerary rites of the decapitated trolls, issue a formal apology to the Horde, and serve an indefinite period of time within the custody of the Silverguard. Isira resigned herself to her punishment, but never conceded her wrongdoing.

Not Alone

Isira was confined within the Silver Spire in Quellorian, rather than the jails of the keep. Within the tower, she was generally alone, receiving virtually no visitation. In this time, she fostered contempt for the Silverguard that had been absent from the battle, only to arrive to sentence her as a criminal. However, in prison, Isira did not permit herself to waste away and neglect her development. She continued to train, exercising and keeping her physique, while being spirited away to the Emerald Dream by Raelor during her sleep and meditations. Within the Dream, she was taught by Raelor to understand the innate power of instinct, the guiding force it brought to nature, and how it could hone her own ability.

Ilari and Isira begin their relationship.

Meanwhile, though no one from the Silverguard ever visited Isira, she was visited by Ilari. Ilari apologized to Isira for attempting to end their friendship, and the two reconciled with a promise from Isira not to lie again. Ilari began to visit Isira frequently, and the two shared stories and details of their lives, fascinated by their contrasting walks of life. Ilari even suggested that Isira write the lore of her family, even if it was not part of the Lure'mils' spoken tradition. The two were growing increasingly enamored with each other, until the two finally confessed an attraction to one another, sharing a kiss through the bars. Often did Ilari bring gifts and trinkets, mementos for Isira to remember her home by, until she could see it herself.

Three months after being detained, Isira was finally released, though with no small amount of disdain for the Silverguard council that did not deign to be present for her release. Considering them cowards, Isira left with Ilari in company, and the two traveled immediately for the Hinterlands, to take Isira home. Once there, Isira was reluctant to ever leave, as she was growing to reject the Silverguard. She began to neglect her beacon, preferring to leave it at home rather than wear it on her person, and no longer returned to the Silverguard keep.

Appearance

Isira in her ranger's armor, with her bow.

Isira is a woman of average height and athletic build, quite often seen in the armor of a ranger. She will frequently be seen dressed for war wearing light-fitting cloth and leather, beneath an elven set of armor, cyan and bronze to honor High Elven pride. Where most Farstriders are more heavily armored, Isira has modified her outfit to be sparing in armor and only cover her chest and legs, lending to her nimble movement and ability to traverse terrain. At all times she wears the Cloak of the Prismatic Huntress, which camouflages her through a magical enchantment.

Her armaments would suggest a fondness for war. A bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver of arrows at her hip, completed by a war horn crafted from the tusk of a troll and a knife kept in its sheathe. Always seen on her person is a braid of fiery red hair, usually looped where it is conspicuously seen. Around her neck is also a necklace upon which carved troll tusks are strung. On anything Isira wears, she will carve or sew on the crest of the Lure'mil family - a troll skull with twin daggers driven through it, crossing one another.

Her brown hair was often kept in a long ponytail that drapes over her chest, but is now usually worn loose. One can find that her sky-blue eyes are often wide with curiosity and a generally optimistic outlook. Despite her family's reputation for hatred, she seems to be a rather happy young woman. Her canines are actually somewhat more pointed, suggesting that she has retained a hint of the fangs of her Kaldorei ancestry.

Thanks to Caedori Morrowsky, Isira also has a very intricate tattoo inscribed onto her back, two pairs of insect wings. The innermost pair is a pair of bee wings, representing Isira's honesty and compassion, while the outermost pair are wasp wings, representing her profession and skill in combat. Joining the two is her family's crest in the center. Recently added to accompany Caedori's handiwork are tattoos given by the Wildhammer Clan, possessing traditional markings befitting a denizen of the Hinterlands to complement depictions of green dragons, representing Isira's Dragonsworn oath.

At one point, Isira possessed four Aqir antennae that grew from the back of her head, roughly a foot in length, covered in dark segmented chitin. They have since been removed.

While in the realm of Ardenweald, Isira's soulshape takes on the form of a spectral Unicorn.

Scarring

Roughly sixty years of warfare have certainly left their mark on Isira's body. Most of the wounds suffered over the years have since been mended, though recent conflicts have inflicted some much more serious injuries. Three of her most predominant scars include the following:

Burn Scars: Scattered among her arms, legs, and abdomen, the scars of second and third degree burns still linger where they were last healed. Suffered in the battles of Pandaria at the hands of the Yaungol, spewing magma severely burned her body until she received treatment.

Antennae Sore: Though the mutations inflicted by the Aqir were removed, they still left their mark on the base of Isira's skull in the form of a sore where the antennae had grown from her skull.

Vampire Bite: Bitten by a San'layn who had occupied the Silverguard keep, the scar remains on the right side of her neck and frequently is subject to aching pains even weeks after she was healed.

Possessions

Cloak of the Prismatic Huntress: Found after the climactic battle in Mar'at against the forces of N'zoth, this silken elven cloak shimmers and changes with the light and setting. Somehow, its beauty is never compromised. This cloak was partially damaged by the Ordon Yaungol in Kun-Lai, but still remains functional.

Nordrassil Medallion: A boon given to Raelor Valeclaw when he beseeched the World Tree Nordrassil for help in shielding Isira's mind from the Aqir hivemind. An emerald gem is encased in the circular item, surrounded by a ring of protective roots.

Mantid Axe: During the incursion upon the palace of the new Mantid Empress Shek'zara, Isira retrieved an axe forged with amber. She felt it a beautiful work of art that should not be insulted in being left to waste away in a tribute chest, and so she claimed it with the intention of ensuring such a weapon saw battle.

Pandaren Sabre: Discovered during the efforts to cleanse the Valley of the Four Winds of Void corruption, this discarded weapon was found without a wielder. Though Isira had intended to return it to its owner, said owner was nowhere to be found, and so the blade remains in her hands. The weapon is enchanted, and seems to offer its own benefits even without actively being used.

Fang of Phyllion: When the Undead Scourge ran rampant across Northrend, their necromancers made an attempt to reanimate the bones of a fallen dragon named Phyllion. The Alliance, Isira included, was able to stop the attempt, and their draconic patrons bestowed a boon upon them from the bones of their fallen friend. Isira received this quiver, fashioned from a hollowed out dragon's fang, from her Green patron, Verikus.

Personality

Still young in her years, Isira is a rather ambitious individual with a penchant for wide-eyed optimism and curiosity. Contrary to her Lure'mil heritage, she is a very inquisitive individual who always seeks to learn more, especially to make up for how limited her knowledge can be after decades of being confined to the Hinterlands. She is very friendly and caring towards others, and demonstrates this most through a keen abundance of empathy. Isira is usually able to empathize with another's pain if she senses it, and often mirrors positive emotions.

She tends to be traditionally inclined, and often adheres to the norms of the community she is closest to. Due to her rather simple lifestyle of surviving in the forests and off what one can hunt or gather, she has a preference for a more "hands on" approach to living over the convenience of magic. This is bolstered by the widespread detachment from magic following the destruction of the Sunwell, after which Isira's willingness to use magic has become minimal, often restricted to smaller, benign displays. With such a lifestyle as hers, Isira is often bothered when visiting cities and is uncomfortable with abundance of magic.

Isira is a born and raised Lure'mil, taught to never forget her grudges and always kill the object of her hatred. For this reason, her hatred of Orcs and Trolls borders the genocidal, escalating to an extreme that some elves might not even possess. She is capable of suppressing this hatred if it is practical, though she does it begrudgingly. Isira sometimes struggles with questions of identity, as she has often failed to live up to the name she was born to. This struggle with identity made Isira more susceptible to control by the Aqir hivemind, as a secret yearning to belong and find a certainty of self made it easier to find peace in the Aqir unity.

After being subjected to an Aqir mutagen, Isira developed a few unique - if somewhat bizarre - traits in her personality. The most notable change was that Isira developed a unique kinship with all insects, finding a new fascination in what she had once considered mundane and beneath her notice. She sees them as more than a subject of interest but almost as something close to her, perhaps even somewhat like her own kind.

Despite her determination to become a ranger and follow in the footsteps of her warrior family, Isira is not a perfect soldier, guilty of her share of mistakes and hesitation on the field of battle when contending with more supernatural forces. She tends to compensate for this shortcoming with a refusal to give up and salvage a bad situation, preferring to make the best of her failures over dwelling upon them. Furthermore, though Isira can empathize with negative feelings, she actively speaks against using negative experience as fuel for poor treatment of others.

Relationships

Color Key: Family Friendly Unfriendly Neutral Romantic

Larenthar and Valanzara: Isira's relationship with her parents was one of unconditional love and respect. Along with her main source of inspiration in Sylvanas, Isira idolized her parents above all and looked to them as her guide. They nurtured her with great parental care, but also exposed her to the Lure'mils' lineage of hate. Though Isira largely enjoyed a prosperous childhood, she grew to adopt their belligerent racism towards trolls.

Quel'danil Lodge: Though they may not be family by blood, the elves of Quel'danil Lodge are the closest kin Isira has known, and a family to her when she had none otherwise. She loves her fellow Highvale elves dearly and is closely conforming with their lifestyle. No matter where life in the Silverguard leads her, Isira always finds her home in Quel'danil.

Ilari Shadowveil: Isira and Ilari's relationship began primarily with the former extending support to the latter, who felt outcast for being steeped in the Void, and changing as a result. Refusing to acknowledge Ilari as monstrous, Isira instead made an effort to be supportive for Ilari, which Ilari returned in kind. The two only bonded further upon the battlefield, and their relationship eventually developed into romantic affection for one another.

Caedori Morrowsky: Two women of the battlefield, Caedori Morrowsky and Isira were quick to bond in their shared love of the wild, combat, and the death of trolls. Initially only an awkwardly physical relationship, the two grew to care for one another, a commitment that only strengthened in every battle they shared. Though Caedori helped her resolve her personal confusion regarding sexuality and her dysphoria, she and Isira ultimately parted ways due to the former's transfer to another division.

Lyraeni is a strong influence to Isira as her mentor.

Lyraeni Sorrowsong: Isira's mentor and even somewhat of a maternal figure, Lyraeni has helped to take Isira from an otherwise lost and uncoordinated state to put her on a path of true purpose to help her excel in her lifelong dream to become a ranger. Isira holds Lyraeni in the highest respect - especially after Sylvanas' fall - and looks to her as an example of what a ranger should aspire to be. Even in matters of secrecy, Isira finds herself able to trust the Ranger-Lady.

Isilirae Sundancer: Isira and Isilirae were friends in the Quel'danil Lodge for some time prior to Isilirae's departure to Nazjatar and subsequent death and raising. Saddened by Isilirae's darker outlook on life, Isira is doing the best she can to brighten her friend's spirits.

Coriena Nightcaller: When faced with the dilemma of deciding the fate of her Aqir and whether or not she would cure her affliction, Isira found a companion in Coriena Nightcaller, who took interest in Isira's condition and the psionic potential it brought to her. Presenting a possible route to commune with her Aqir without being plagued by transformation, Coriena has become something of a friend to Isira, as well as a teacher of much that Isira has missed in her isolated life.

Raelor Valeclaw: As Isira mutated, the first person to realize what was happening to her was Raelor. Since then, Raelor has taken an active role in keeping Isira's mind sheltered from the Aqir hivemind, while offering a new source of knowledge as well as sympathy for her affliction. In many ways, Raelor became a guardian for Isira as well, quick to come to her protection. He has also served as a mentor, teaching her the nature of the Emerald Dream as part of her duties as a Dragonsworn.

Casylia: Initially Casylia's interest in Isira was purely out of an interest to study her mutations. However, the two gradually developed a legitimate friendship as Casylia performed tests to evaluate Isira's progression into her mutations. Since then, Casylia has become one of the more trusted individuals Isira can turn to.

Aelenicus Sunblade: The relationship between Isira and Aelenicus has been a consistent up and down. Though they were initially amicable towards one another, Aelenicus' prejudice against Isira's Aqir mutations and frequency to cast doubt upon her as a liability in war wore Isira's fondness for him thin. Her patience for him was especially tested in Pandaria, when she forced herself to kill Mantid in a grueling process solely to prove she was not a threat as he suggested. Furthermore, his affiliation with the Horde has made it more difficult for Isira to find a relatable friend in him.

Whatever friendliness existed between them is now gone, however, after Aelen actively accused and investigated Isira for her threat to the Horde in Booty Bay. Isira now spurns Aelen as she does all the Horde.

Volantus Dawnseeker: Initially, the poor relationship between Volantus and Isira began with an act of harassment, the former mocking the latter's love of insects. However, since discovering Isira's mutations from the Aqir, Volantus has held Isira in significant contempt and regarded her as a threat, animosity that Isira has been quick to reciprocate.

Companions

Valan'zafu: As part of a training program for would-be dragonhawk riders, Seriphene Vanyali gave eggs to prospective riders. Bonding with Isira as a hatchling, Valan'zafu has since grown into a vibrant blue dragonhawk with streaks of silver along her underbelly, a faithful companion to carry Isira into the skies.

Ashor'iena: After the Scourge ran wild following the exposure of the Shadowlands, the Silver Covenant rider Sylvarian perished in battle. His valorous unicorn, Ashor'iena, was deprived of a rider until Isira rode her into battle among the Alliance cavalry. Deciding to honor Sylvarian's legacy and grant Ashor'iena purpose, Isira took the unicorn's reins to ride her into her own future battles.

Lvuru: Hatched from an egg given to her by Aering Ashton, Lvuru was the second Aqir to be born into Isira's growing brood. Through Isira's psychological and physiological nurturing, Lvuru transformed from her larval state into the hive's first queen, responsible for its direction and reproduction in Isira's absence. Though they were forced to part ways, Lvuru was learned much from Isira much as a daughter would from her mother, and uses these teachings to lead the Brood.

Remsera: During the campaign against the rampant Scourge in Northrend, Verikus of the Green Dragonflight offered his blessings to Isira. Among these blessings was the offered partnership of one of his brood, his daughter Remsera. Together, Isira and Remsera flew over the skies of Icecrown, wreaking impressing havoc upon the undead and becoming good friends in the process. Now, as Dragonsworn, Isira and Remsera share a much deeper bond as defenders of the Emerald Dream.

Stories

An Encounter with the Lure'mils: Durnhir Craghammer of the Wildhammer meets the brutal Lure'mil family on the eve of an important tradition.

Isira's Nightmares: Subject to the Aqir mutagen, Isira is subjected to nightmares of the Old Gods, every night during the foray into Uldum.

What She Fears: The Old Gods twist Isira's fears in Pandaria, in an attempt to turn her to their service.

Waiting: In the wake of Pandaria, Isira is plagued with turmoil over her changes.

Return to Top