Dyana Gloompiercer

In the densest areas of the Mistwood, there are glens and vales where the sky is completely hidden beneath impenetrable layers of branches and leaves. In these dusky glooms live darkling Fae and Sylvan Elves of a silent, brooding disposition. The Elf Dyana is one, raised learning of the fireflies and flarebeetles who gave her home what little light it possessed and training in the ways of ax and bow. Life in this area of darkened wood, known as the Gloam, gave Dyana superb stealth, keen perception, ruthless tenacity, and unsentimental pragmatism. She was keen however to see more of the Mistwood, unlike many other dwellers of her region. In one wandering, she encountered the Duke of Moonlight. He recruited her as an informant as to the activities of the inhabitants of the darkest forest, where neither his light or gaze could penetrate. For her part Dyana was excited by this turn of events, but surveillance for a Fae was not as exciting or prestigious a life as Dyana desired, so she sought adventure. Dyana learned the White Dryad Nia was recruiting tree-singers, vine-tamers, and warriors for an expedition to spread Sylvan influence beyond the Mistwood. When she discovered that Nia’s destination was the twisted woodland of Durham Forest, she volunteered, knowing her skills would be of use to the party. She had the Duke of Moonlight's encouragement, for having eyes and ears in Durham was no bad thing to him. The journey was arduous, beneath the unfamiliar sky, separated by many miles from the Rhythm. Nia and her companions sustained a meager residual Rhythm, but all longed for the day when their new Mistwood colony would create a true, strong Rhythm of its own. Dyana provided vital reconnaissance and, guided by strong intuition and keen senses, helped their party avoid Dark Elf patrols – to be captured by these cruel people would likely mean a fate worse than death. When the Sylvan party settled into a suitably concealed location, Dyana set up pitfalls lined with sharpened stakes, snares and nets. The tree-singers coaxed Mistwood-native plants to grow alongside the bulbous, noxiously-hued flora of Durham. Many seeds did not bloom, and many saplings sickened and died, unused to the dark soil and heavy air. But those that lived produced new seeds better suited to the terrain, and new generations of plants were woven into being. Their new Rhythm could not drown out the noise and chaos inherent to Durham, however. The Mistwood plants there, and the Rhythm they produced, were subtly warped. They both took on a primeval, unrefined quality, seeming to slowly bend into alignment with Durham Forest’s rough, sinister character. The insects they drew were no less unsettling, all tenacious stingers and biters that devoured the fireflies and flarebeetles Dyana brought with her. This dissonance bore heavily on the Sylvan’s psyches. They began to accidentally leave behind footprints, snapped twigs, and dislodged hairs during their sorties. As a result, Dark Elves discovered their sanctuary and launched a brutal night raid. Dyana rushed to defend the White Dryad and the precious plant-shaper mystics. Her arrows claimed many Dark Elven throats and hearts that night, and her ax drank deeply of their blood. Nia’s group was nearly destroyed, but held fast, and allowed no Dark Elf to escape and spread word of their presence. Nia returned to the Mistwood to bring reinforcements to their fragile foothold. Dyana remained behind to oversee its defenses. All but alone, her stress and paranoia grow day by day. The depraved Rhythm of Durham grows yet more predatory and the shadows draw in tighter and tighter.