Elysia Blackwall

Elysia Blackwall is Priestess of the Old Ways hailing from the northern lands of Gilneas. The only representative of her House outside the wall, Elysia serves as a token of Gilneas' betrayal of the Alliance, as well as reminder that the decisions of Kings often times forget about those they are pledged to serve.

## Elysia Blackwall

### Relatives

Edmund Blackwall (Father, Alive)
Kimberly Blackwall (Mother, Alive)
Abigail Blackwall (Sister, Alive)
Darren Blackwall (Brother, Alive)

### Affiliation

The Alliance
The Valorcall Company

## History

Born to Edmund and Kimberly Blackwall on March 23rd, -1, Elysia is the oldest of her three siblings. As the first born, much of the expectations of doing what was "best" for the family fell to her. Despite a rather rebellious childhood aimed at combatting that fate, time waits for no one, and Elysia was forced to confront the fact that regardless of what she wanted, her life would be decided for her by her father based upon what the House needed most.

And so it was, shortly after her fourteenth birthday was she given the news--House Blackwall had brokered an alliance with another house by the name of Corvington in the far off kingdom of Stormwind. To seal the deal, she would be wed to the heir of the other. In year 13, not six months after the news was broken to her, Elysia was shipped off to Stormwind to start her new life with Bernard Corvington. They would not be wed just yet, she was far too young. They would wait until the girl came of age for the ceremony, and for now she would get accustomed to her new life in her new Kingdom.

### Movement to Stormwind

Elysia's transition to Stormwind, as could be expected, was rough. Her dearly beloved was easily twenty years her senior, and seemed to enjoy this fact far more than he should have. If he was not making lecherous passes at the young girl, he could be found at the nearest tavern rendering himself absolutely plastered.

Elysia found herself isolated in the new city and the unfamiliar culture, with no one to turn to she withdrew internally instead. Friends were hard to make, the girl not allowed outside the Corvington Estate unless she had good reasoning; And, as it were, she often did not unless being dragged around by her Husband-to-be and paraded around like a shiny plaything. Depression began to take hold, followed by desperation. By the time she was 17, she had rotted for three years in that Estate, propped up like a trophy and pawed at like a toy. She wanted out, and as time slowly stretched along, she realized she would be willing to do anything to achieve that.

### Freedom from House Corvington

News, unfortunately, was hard to come by during her life in Stormwind. She of course heard about the current events and issues plaguing Stormwind itself, but information of home was scarce, if it came at all. Bernard and his family intentionally kept news of Gilneas' secession from her, the crumbling of their alliance to House Blackwall and the construction of the Gilneas Wall unbeknownst to her entirely as they bode time until Elysia came of age.

Elysia, however, had other plans. Like a wild animal caged in a trap, she was struggling at every turn to escape from the life that had been forced on her. She had plans, had dreams and aspirations that would never see fruition if she continued on the path she was set upon. Running away did not work, as she had previously found out, but there was one definitive option that would secure her freedom--The death of Bernard Corvington.

She was careful to make it look like an accident, of course. The drunkard had made a lot of enemies over the years, thankfully. On one of their outings to the local tavern, she slipped a vial of Nightshade extract into his drink while his back was turned and not thirty seconds after he'd taken another swig, the man was frothing at the mouth and writhing on the floor. His passing was a traumatic but welcome sight, her fear at what she'd done overwritten by the massive relief she now felt.

A man he had an ongoing feud with took the fall, jailed and eventually punished for his "crime" but Elysia never spoke up. The guilt was not enough to beat out the elation, and this was one secret she was happy to take to the grave with her even if it meant an innocent man had to suffer on her behalf. Shortly after Bernard's death, as the Corvington family had no additional sons, she was kicked out to the streets with little more than her clothing and a paltry sum of coins to feed herself with for the next week.

### Introduction to the Priesthood to Present

With Gilneas now closed off and no way to return to her home, Elysia resigned herself to the fact that Stormwind was now her permanent residence. Her work options limited due to a lack of training, she found herself seeking the guidance of the church as she had been taught her to do from a young age. She had been raised in the Old Ways by her mother, despite the quickly rising faith of the Holy Light through Gilneas. Upon finding very few followers of the Ways in Stormwind, let alone any sort of formal organization, she turned to Stormwind's premiere faith--The Holy Light. Through the Light she hoped to find her path in life as well as atone for the sins that had brought her to this point.

The church was happy to take her in, and begin retraining the pagan heathen to instead worship the Light. As she immersed herself into the church, Elysia found herself blending her old faith in with the new. The wind and the rain still came to her beck and call and yet so did the Light. Forced to start at the bottom and work her way up, the Gilnean woman was happy enough to ascend through the ranks through hard work and a studious attitude. As an acolyte of the church she was bounced from abbey to abbey for several years, until eventually she was trustworthy enough to begin missionary work out in the field.

It is here that Elysia finds herself as the drums of war thunder once more. Now a cleric-for-hire, she hopes aid those who cannot aid themselves, much like she found herself unable to do in her youth. She also does well to spread the word of the Old Ways of Gilneas as well as the blessings of the Light to whoever will bend an ear towards her on their adventures. She keeps her past fairly close in the fear that one day it will catch up with her, though one day she will perhaps find one she is willing to entrust the story to.