General OOC Content

Ilwyn is the illegitimate child of a relationship between two nobles - One elf, one human. The pair's respective houses did not approve of their relationship, and as such they ended up absconding from their families to be together in secret. Of course, a little too much wine and some fancy elven poetry can lead to rash decisions, and it wasn't long until Ilwyn's human mother was pregnant with her. Unable to hide their secret affair any longer, both Ilwyn's parents were cast out from their houses, disowned and left to fend for themselves.

Although this made life difficult for them, having been raised in the finest of manners and suddenly finding themselves thrown to the slums, the couple knew that this meant they could at least be together now, without judgment. It wasn't as if they were totally broke, either. Between the two of them, they'd stashed away a tidy sum, planning to run away themselves one day. Their exile had really only brought their plans forward a little. No longer nobles, the two bought a commoner's property in the city, and set up a general goods store.

The environment had Ilwyn growing up around people, and 'service with a smile' went as standard around the store. As such, the young girl had no shortage of confidence or energy, and was often seen as a little too smart for her own good when it came to conversation. When she wasn't helping out around the store, she was outside playing with the local children.

Amongst the city's brood of guttersnipes, orphans and street kids, Ilwyn became one of two things - A leader figure or a nuisance. Ilwyn was the type to stand up to the local bullies and ruffians, and made no shortage of childhood enemies doing so. Of course, this also made her a fast group of friends, to whom she was held up as a hero. It helped that she was one of the oldest children around, creating a sort of 'big sister' role for her. The innocence of her youth seemed boundless, but it would change dramatically when she was fourteen - When the grit of the 'hero' Ilwyn would truly be tested.

On a truly dismal night during winter, shadowy figures stalked the streets. Ilwyn was in the midst of seeing her rabble made it safely back to each of their homes when they encountered one such figure. Before they knew it, all their exits were cut off by similar individuals. The first of them blew a cloud of sparkling dust onto them, and one by one they began to collapse. Ilwyn clawed at consciousness for as long as she could, but in vain. Eventually even she caved to the drowsiness that was overtaking her.

When she woke, it was on a cold, stone floor in an unfamiliar garb - A single, pure-white dress that dropped to her knees. When she looked around, she saw the others, all in similar clothes, though the boys wore versions akin to a chorister's raiment. She went about waking each of her fellows, comforting them as much she could despite their alien surroundings. To her surprise, one of the kidnappees happened to be a human boy her age, named Oris. He was the blacksmith's son, and a resident bully. No keen admirer of Ilwyn, for sure.

Before an arguement could break out, however, the sound of shrieking metal alerted the children to a raising grate. Ilwyn led the group beyond it, with Oris begrudgingly following behind. They emerged into a dimly lit labyrinth of stone, somewhere underground.

They spent hours navigating it, or attempting to. They had no idea what to look for, where they were heading, and wandered in circles for most of the time. But no matter what, Ilwyn never stopped reassuring them that she would get everyone out. However, it wasn't long before the true purpose of the maze made itself apparent.

They were scared, hungry and cold, with no sign of that changing any time soon. Tensions were running high, and even Ilwyn was feeling the mental strain. A fight broke out between Oris and another boy, and the latter produced a knife. He made to kill Oris in his frustration, but Ilwyn threw herself between them and ended up sustaining the injury herself. Oris, taken aback by her self-sacrifice for him of all people, knocked out their attacker while Ilwyn held him, then set about making sure she survived.

The wound wasn't fatal in the slightest, but it had shaken Ilwyn. Presa, the local herbalist's daughter and a close friend of Ilwyn, tended to her. Oris made sure the others remained calm until she was back on her feet.

Once they were patched up and ready to go, the three of them took the lead together, they lead the group out and to safety - But not before discovering a sinister secret.

They had been taken by an evil cult, loyal to a god of murder and depravity. They had sought to turn the maze into a bloodbath of lost innocence, and then subject the survivor to horrors as a sacrifice to their patron. Having escaped their clutches, Ilwyn could never quite rest easy knowing that they were out there.

It was this that spurred her to her now righteous path. As soon as she was old enough, she began training as a paladin, serving the temples of devotion with zeal and spirit. She applied as a squire to a knight she began to develop her combat prowess. Soon enough, she was a full fledged holy knight.

With her new status, she sought about dismantling the cult. It was her sole objective, taking her many years and to varied corners of the world. Pressa and Oris, ever loyal and concerned for their friend, followed her and would go on to become her retainers. With the decade, Ilwyn found herself face to face with the cult's last leader, in a climactic stand off in the very place it had began, beneath the city.

Emerging victorious, Ilwyn's victory over the cult was celebrated, having put an end to the disappearing children and rooting out some of the foulest corruptions in the city. She was officially knighted, her family being restored to a new nobility once again in the process.

Seeking to bring justice elsewhere, having witnessed other evils she had been too occupied to chase on her travels, Ilwyn finally departed from her beloved home, along with her friends, in order to find those who needed protection, and provide it.