Lyall Mistshroud

== Appearance ==
Even for an undead, whom one might expect to be scraggy, Lyall looks slightly emaciated. Her purplish hair is unkempt and matted, and natural rot has begun to conquer parts of her face and her body. Her pallid eyes have sunken deep into their sockets, and a dirty yellow light shines from within them. The pungent stench of decay is partly covered by the smell herbs and strange brews she carries, but all in all, Lyall isn't the kind of person whom one would usually like to stand close to. Her voice sounds somewhat tight and a bit creaky. As far as it can be judged, she looks like she was in her thirties before the plague claimed her.
Lyall's face seems to have frozen into a permanent frown. What little is left of her eyebrows are knit to give her a glaring look, and the corners of her puckering lips droop downwards. When she rarely isn't showing dissatisfaction, her lips stretch just slightly upwards and form a dry, ironic smile.
== Occupation ==
Lyall is first and foremost an Alchemist; those who have met her can affirm that she is in fact better known from her brews and potions than her talents with demonic arts. While (un)death seems to have claimed most of her previous knowledge, she is slowly yet steadily becoming more and more skilled in Alchemy, and she is always willing to have new customers who can stand her attitude and don't ask too many questions. She also practices Herbalism because of the steep market prices although she claims to greatly dislike it.
As of late, Lyall has also become again interested in witchcraft. This is something she probably would not reveal if asked, however, and it is unknown how well versed she is in the dark, pagan magic. While she also dabbles with Demonic and Fel magic, she seems to dislike summoned minions, calling them only when absolutely needed. She barely stands her imp, Tarkin, and will proceed to insult her Voidwalker Chargrave if given even the least bit of reason for doing so. Tarkin is as mischievous to her as she is spiteful to him, but Chargrave would remain faithful to his mistress until death despite the cold treatment.
== Family Background ==
Lyall's parents were nothing short of commoners who provided their daughter with the presumably most important things she needed in life: food, shelter and understanding of the importance of hard work. She recalls having several siblings, but next to nothing more - other than that she wasn't in very good relationship with any of them. Most of her immediate family was killed during the Third War - if not all of them - but she doesn't seem to care about the fact too much.
The person most dearest and important to Lyall was her aunt Minerva, whom all the other members of the family considered to be little short of a loony. It was her who encouraged Lyall to search for her own way instead of submitting to the will of others, and it can be also assumed that she induced Lyall to study witchcraft. Minerva was eventually killed by an aspiring Paladin who cared little for the good deeds she had done (such as providing the people of the nearby village with herbal brews and using old wisdom to cure their cattle), which partially contributed to Lyall's contempt towards followers of the Holy Light.
== Background ==
Lyall was born somewhere near Southshore to a not-so-wealthy family with several children. She had to help at the field already in an early age so that they would have their living, and the rural environment provided her with little intellectual stimuli. Nevertheless, she was a pensive but also stubborn child, teaching herself to read from the announcements attached to the walls of the local pub and her eldest brother's textbooks. Like many others with a similar background, she yearned for a wealthier and more comfortable life yet didn't seriously believe such a dream could ever come true.
Being a normal girl with no exceptional beauty or other noteworthy qualities, Lyall's hand was promised to a young man from the same village. The marriage would have likely been to the benefit of both families - seeing that neither of them was very wealthy - but the plans came to an end in a rather a drastic way. The man who was supposed to marry Lyall approached her during one harvest festival while drunk and tried to make advances on her. Lyall reacted by punching him to the face, effectively breaking his nose. Both his parents and her parents were appalled by her crude and unexpected act. Thus, the marriage plans were cancelled, and Lyall was sent to live with her aunt, Minerva, in the age of seventeen.
Minerva was an eccentric outcast of the family who lived alone in a shack near the border of the Silverpine Forest and Tirisfal Glades. She was rumoured to be a witch and thus was avoided by the majority of peasants in the vicinity - when they weren't in a need of a curative brew or someone to take a look at their cattle. After hearing of her situation, Minerva took Lyall in with no reluctance, and soon she also started teaching Lyall her trade: Alchemy and some pagan magic. They lived quite contently together, Lyall aiding her aunt and she what knowledge she had in things with her niece, until some fanatic followers of Light finally caught Minerva and slaid her for witchcraft.
=== Move to Lordaeron and Descent to Undeath ===
After her aunt's death, Lyall continued to live in her her cottage for a few years before deciding that it was her time to show her worth and moved to Lordaeron. She rented a shack in the outskirts of the city and began brewing potions day and night, working hard to to prosper with a business of her own. 
People would not turn so easily to the vulgar brewlady with no former merits, however. Lyall would have probably been able to become an apprentice for any Alchemist in Lordaeron and little by little rise towards prosperity, had she only had the humility; instead, her decision to work on her own, combined with her straightforward and even blunt personality, made the number of potential customers dwindle to almost inexistent. Soon what little money she had owned was spent on the rent and the materials, and Lyall's ambitions of becoming a great Alchemist were reduced to starving from the lack of customers and income. In the end, she stole in her desperation grain which had been contaminated with the Plague (unbeknownst to her) and fell to the Blight.
It took several weeks or maybe even months before Lyall was broken free from the Lich King's grasp and became a Forsaken. However, almost immediately after "re-awakening" she realised that the time she had spent roaming as a mindless member of the Scourge had had its toll on her mind: she had lost a part of her memories and skills - including almost all of her Alchemical knowledge. She was infuriated by such mockery of fate, venting her anger on whomever she could, but after some encounters (and eventually risen feeling of embarrassment and shame) she calmed down. She started restudying Alchemy from the scratch, and her background with witchcraft and death-twisted curiosity lead her to follow the dark path of Warlockhood.
== Personal Notes ==
*Despite her poor background - or perhaps exactly because of it - Lyall has grown a liking to good-quality clothes and fine cuisine (even though she no longer need any food to function). She has been known to occasionally accept payments in these luxuries instead of money.
*Some fitting tropes from TVTropes.com:
** For The Evulz (seems to occasionally enjoy tormenting things or people, especially rodents or Humans)
** Jerk Ass (although may sometimes border a Jerk with a Heart of Gold)
** No Sympathy (at least not publicly, see above)
** Perpetual Frowner (seldom smiles and even then usually for irony or mockery)
** Wicked Witch (at least aspires to be one)
Category:Characters
Category:Horde
Category:Forsaken
Category:Warlock
Category:Female