Ethari/History

Information
History
Relationships
Gallery

* Overview
* Prequels
* First Saga
* Second Saga

## History

Ethari was born inside Xadia on September 5th and eventually became a smith and craftsman who supplies assassins in the Silvergrove with his wares and some magical equipment. He had been happily married to Runaan for an unspecified amount of time, and both had been friends with Tiadrin and Lain, as well as their daughter Rayla.

At some point, Rayla was taken in by Ethari and Runaan, as her parents' duties to the Dragonguard and the absence attached to said duties prevented them from raising her. Shortly after taking Rayla in, Ethari tried his hardest to provide a loving home to her and to keep Runaan from butting heads with their new family member. After an encounter with the dangerous Bloodmoon Huntress, which the three of them drove away through a combined effort, their new little family began their life together. When Runaan began to train Rayla to be an assassin like himself, Ethari did not wholly approve, having deemed Rayla to be too kindhearted for the profession. He eventually crafted Rayla's twin butterfly blades that were forged from pure moonsilver. On one of his birthdays, Ethari was surprised with several gifts he liked by Rayla and Runaan, including his favorite flower, the lunabloom.

After Avizandum had been slain, Ethari had outfitted the Moonshadow Elf assassins who were dispatched to kill King Harrow and Prince Ezran to avenge the Dragon King and his unhatched egg, with Runaan and Rayla among them. As per tradition, Ethari forged an ornate metal lotus for each of the assassins in the team, which would be placed into a pond, and sink should any of them die. Before letting him leave, he told Runaan that his heart will go out with his respective lotus.

After King Harrow was successfully assassinated, all the assassins' flowers in the fountain sunk except for Rayla's, signifying that they had died. As Rayla's lotus remained afloat, the notion that Rayla had abandoned her duties became widely believed inside the Silvergrove. Ethari, noting Rayla's kind nature, had believed that Rayla abandoned the team out of fear instead of malice, but still held her accountable for their deaths. Reluctantly, but convinced of her guilt nonetheless, Ethari partook in the ritual that Moonshadow Elves use to shun those they believe have abandoned their duties; turning Rayla into a "ghost", cursing her to never be seen or heard by her kin, and to never see their faces in turn, should she ever return home.

## First Saga

When Rayla returned to her former home, the Silvergrove, Ethari was crafting in his workshop when the former sought him out in hopes to still be visible to him after having been ghosted. Able to notice her through a reflection, Ethari was initially unsure about welcoming Rayla back home due to believing for her to have deserted her mission, but he eventually decided to briefly break the ghosting spell to reunite with her. When Rayla and Callum revealed to him that Azymondias had never been killed, Ethari provided his and Runaan's Shadowpaw and Moonstrider as mounts for their journey to the Storm Spire, before making his way back to his workshop, where he crafted a white Shadowhawk to send a message of life to the dying Zubeia.

## Bloodmoon Huntress

Ethari, Runaan, and Rayla bid farewell to both Tiadrin and Lain as they depart for the Storm Spire to join the Dragonguard and fulfill their duties. Ethari gives Rayla a handkerchief for her tears, but she rejects his offer and remains unhappy about her parents leaving her behind. Ethari and Runaan then throw a welcome party at their home to cheer Rayla up and be a family with her. However, Rayla is still upset while claiming that her parents are her only family and chooses to go to her new bedroom instead with Runaan pointing out the location. Despite the unpleasant moment, Runaan assures Ethari that Rayla will adjust to her new home since she has no other choice.

Ethari cooks breakfast for Runaan and Rayla the next morning. As Rayla grows curious about Runaan's hand bandages, Ethari decides to distract the young elf by inviting her to his workshop. Ethari shows Rayla some of the special arrows and objects he has been crafting for the year's Harvest Moon when Moon magic is at its peak, and he does his best in revealing the special arrows' true purposes. When Ethari reveals that the Harvest Moon is also known as the "Blood Moon", Rayla becomes excited about the possibility of the Bloodmoon Huntress legend being true. Ethari dismisses the Bloodmoon Huntress as a myth but he does believe that the Harvest Moon makes the magic of the Silvergrove and the Moonshadow Forest more powerful and more dangerous, which is why it is perilous for elves of any age to be out alone on the night of the Harvest Moon. As Rayla tries to talk about the special arrows again, Ethari decides to prepare an early lunch for them.

Later in the afternoon, Ethari kisses Runaan goodbye, which makes Rayla more suspicious since Runaan left with a bag of blades. When Ethari continue craft his workshop, Rayla asks him about making weapons for Runaan before making guesses about Runaan's work. Ethari tells Rayla that they will have a conversation about Runaan's work when she is older since it is difficult to understand. Shortly after, Ethari gives Rayla a Wingaling that will alert the one Ethari has in case Rayla is in danger. Rayla thanks Ethari for the gift.

By nighttime, Ethari is washing the dishes when Rayla decides to pretend in having an early sleep when in reality she is sneaking off to follow Runaan and discovers that he is training would-be-assassins. Rayla and Runaan return home to reveal what happened and Ethari scolds Runaan for almost shooting Rayla. Ethari decides to explain Rayla that assassins are needed when reasoning is no longer an option and to prevent more losses. Rayla is angry when Runaan tells her that assassins must make sacrifices so that others do not and storms off to bed, leaving Ethari confused and exasperated.

The next day, Ethari, Runaan, and Rayla are shopping in the market, and Ethari has grown fed up by Runaan and Rayla's disagreements. He decides to have prepare for the Harvest Moon at home alone and manages to convince Runaan in taking Rayla to the assassin training with him. The night after, Ethari checks on Runaan while the latter is drinking tea on the dining table. As Ethari asks Runaan if something is bothering him, Runaan wonders if things would turn out different if he had not chosen to become an assassin. Ethari assures him that he would still love Runaan no matter what as the couple embrace with Rayla secretly watching them.

On the day of the Harvest Moon, Ethari is washing the dishes when Rayla asks if Runaan's job bothers Ethari. Ethari confesses that he can never be as bold as Runaan, for he is far too invested in everything around him to think about choosing between duty and home. He also assures Rayla to always remember that he, Runaan, and her parents love her, and that love is rooted in every family and in every creature. Ethari goes on by saying some souls are willing to protect everyone as fiercely as those they hold close, and that whenever Runaan leaves, he leaves with the weight of the possibility of not returning, and that he might sacrifice himself to fulfill his duty and to protect the ones he care about. When Rayla asks if Ethari forgives Runaan for putting himself in great danger, Ethari replies that there is nothing to forgive him for. He knows that nothing will deter Runaan from fulfilling his duty since the day they met and that part of loving him is understanding his deep devotion to his people. Ethari then says that an act of caring requires great feats of strength or something as simple as being there when no one else is. As the Harvest Moon festivities are about to start, Ethari ushers Rayla to run along and have fun.

Later on, Ethari and Runaan are informed by Rayla that the Bloodmoon Huntress has taken a family of Skywing Elves captive, with the young boy Suroh waiting just outside of the Silvergrove. However, Suroh's encounter with the Bloodmoon Huntress caused him to distrust Moonshadow Elves and is not around when Ethari and Runaan arrive at the location where he is supposed to be at. This prompts Runaan and Ethari to dismiss Rayla's story, which forces Rayla to rescue Suroh's family herself. However, when Rayla's Wingaling goes off during Runaan's training, Ethari and Runaan realize that Rayla was telling the truth and rescue Rayla from drowning in a river. Ethari and Runaan apologize to Rayla for not believing her before and agree to help her in rescuing Suroh's family.

Runaan enters the mausoleum to confront the Bloodmoon Huntress by himself. When the Bloodmoon Huntress offer Runaan to give his blood in exchange for the others to walk free, Runaan refuses and attacks her in his Moonshadow Form while Rayla and Ethari free Suroh and his family. With the help of the illusion that Ethari created, Runaan is able to wound and weaken the Bloodmoon Huntress, forcing her to retreat. Runaan was slightly wounded during the fight, but he assures Ethari that he will be alright before helping Rayla in destroying the enchanted altar of the Bloodmoon Huntress.

As evening falls, Ethari joins Runaan and Rayla sitting outside of their home, with Runaan accepting Rayla to be his student as she begins to understand what it means to be an assassin. The joyful Rayla then gives Ethari and Runaan another chance to be her family.

## Book Three - Sun

### Ghost

Ethari is crafting weapons when Rayla returns to his home with Callum and Azymondias. Much to her sadness, she finds out that Ethari had also undergone the ghosting spell, but he is shocked to see her reflection in the blade he is working on. Ethari tells Rayla that she should not have come back since Runaan and all the other assassins were killed due to her desertion. Later, Ethari approaches Rayla at the lotus pool and he temporarily breaks the ghosting spell and hugs her. Rayla explains that she never truly abandoned her duties, telling him how the egg of the Dragon Prince was not destroyed but stolen and has since hatched. Ethari then informs her that Zubeia is dying and summons his Shadowpaw and Runaan's Moonstrider for her and Callum to take to the Storm Spire. Ethari gives Rayla his Moon Opal necklace and resumes the ghosting spell before they part ways. Soon after, Ethari uses a Shadowhawk to send a message telling Zubeia that her son is alive.
To be added.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Book Three, Chapter 3: "Ghost"
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bloodmoon Huntress (Novel)
3. ↑ Book Four, Chapter 8: "Rex Igneous"
4. ↑ Lunabloom: A Story from the Silvergrove
5. ↑ Book Three, Chapter 6: "Thunderfall"