Durlyn Mae'yukir Sarghress

*Appeared in chapters*                                          40    44      50  52  54  56 57

## Durlyn Mae'yukir Sarghress

Moonless Age Cameo Character

Sponsored by: Durlyn

Mixblood

## Deceased

### Trivia

* Affinity - Wind Sorcery
* Nether Sealing

* Had a crush on Ariel.

## Family

* Itan'sha - Antecedent
* Bal'diira - Sister
* Akumu'keshi - Mate
* Unnamed child

Durlyn was a member of the Home Guard and one of Ariel's earlier supporters among the Sarghress rank and file. He was ultimately slain by Da'xia in the course of a battle with the Nidraa'chal.

## Appearance and Personality

Durlyn was a male mixblood with a light build and pale blue eyes. He had white hair that he dyed with red highlights at the ends. He wore fairly standard armor in battle, usually paired with a white coat. One aspect of his attire that remained consistent was a blue scarf, which drew attention to his youthful face. His favoured weapon was a heavy Sarghress sealing spear, though earlier in his career he favoured a shield alongside lighter arms.

He was an exceedingly enthusiastic individual, with arguably obsessive level of devotion towards Ariel. In large part, this was due to his long and unrequited crush on the Sarghress heir, amplified by a pronounced lack of romance in his life. With time, and as he entered into a relationship with Akumu'keshi, his idolization faded somewhat and was replaced with genuine respect and trust for the growing leader.

## Biography - Arc II

### The District War

#### Slavers District

Durlyn first appeared as a sealer in Ariel's infantry squad, as the Home Guard took an increasingly aggressive posture in the District War. He supported the Sarghress advance by sealing demons summoned by the defending Sharen forces, most notably those brought forth by Oiloss'lin to cover the Sharen retreat. Amusingly, he feigned a leg injury after the battle in a bid to draw the attention of Ariel. To his annoyance, the ploy was unwittingly foiled by Kev'ren's prompt and earnest offer of aid.

Following the battle, discipline began to falter, culminating in Sorin's murder one of the district's former slaveowners. This prompted a ferocious argument among the troops that nearly ended in violence, with Durlyn siding firmly with Ariel as she sought to reign in the worst excesses of her fellow soldiers. Ultimately, Ariel was able to defuse the conflict by granting the captured slaves the choice to serve in the Sarghress military rather than be treated as spoils.

#### Captured

However, the one crisis soon gave way to another, as a Sharen-aligned saboteur succeeded in collapsing a tower onto the building the Sarghress had occupied. In the ensuing Sharen counterattack led by Oiloss'lin, Durlyn was among a number of injured Sarghress to be taken captive. When one of the Black Sun mercenaries chose to "discipline" Ariel (then disguised as Faen), he attempted to intervene and was beaten for his effort. Moments later, the mercenary's cruelty was eclipsed as Nihi'liir arrived, driving a blade deep into Durlyn's leg just to make a point. Though foolish, the gesture was appreciated by Ariel and rewarded with a small token of affection.

While eventually freed when the Sarghress captured the prison, Durlyn's leg injury had worsened from lack of treatment. Though nearly requiring amputation, he ultimately recovered without such drastic measures.

#### Assaulting the Council Dome

Following his recovery, Durlyn was reassigned to a squad led Jak'iaah, taking part in the Sarghress assault upon the Council Dome. In the course of the intense fighting, they came up Vierynda'diira. The last survivor of her squad, Vierynda'diira joined their squad, directing them to a nether gate that was carved into the back of a poor child. Seeking a way to disable the gate and save the hapless victim, Durlyn left himself exposed to the fire of a hostile sniper and was shot in the arm. Though the injury left Durlyn disabled, Zair was able to to drag his friend to safety, encouraging him to keep hope.

### Sarghress Civil War

#### Rising Tensions

Durlyn was present not long after Ariel returned from Felde, as prepared to spar with Quain'tana. As he remarked on her ability to remember the names of his peers, she played a small prank on him be pretending to not know who he was. Joined by his squadmate Zair, the pair exchanged banter over Zair's attraction to Faen, before their squad-leader arrived and attempted to restore discipline. He was still present when Ariel came into conflict with a young soldier expressing anti-Val sentiment, culminating in a ferocious sparring match. Outraged at the soldier's lack of respect, he cheered when Ariel's creative use of her shape-shifting ability won her the bout.

#### Death of Quain'tana

Days later, with the pain of her poisoned wound and treachery from her allies driving her into a maddened fury, Quain'tana went on a brutal rampage. Durlyn was among the throng of Sarghress soldiers who surrounded the dying Ill'haress as she was finally brought down by a volley of crossbow bolts. As Suu'be prepared to deliver the finishing blow, Ariel attempted to intervene. Suu'be's harsh attempts to intimidate Ariel into backing down drew criticism from some within the crowd, with Durlyn among the supporters of the "Little Wolf". Ultimately, the distraction would cause Suu'be to perish as well, as Quain'tana took advantage of the distraction to snap her former comrade's neck with her dying breath. With the sudden death of two of the clan's leaders, Ariel was ordered to advised to return to Machike until the political turmoil died down. Durlyn was one of the soldiers who chose to depart with Ariel, alongside his longtime friend Zair.

## Biography - Arc III

### Birth of The Wolfpack

#### The Hermionne Invasion of Machike

Durlyn fought alongside Ariel, his sister Bal'diira and Zair after golem pilots Kau and Slyand'iss had been downed and overrun by Hermionne invaders during the defense of Machike'Shikumo. The four Sarghress fought to clear the area for the golem pilots to recover as Faen Val'Sullisin'rune and Kel'noz unleashed their abilities on the battlefield, scattering the remaining horsemen and helping rout the invaders.

#### Nidraa'chal Assault

After the battle with the goblin invaders had been concluded, Durlyn and Bal'diira were present when the Nidraa'chal landed at Machike. When the ship was forced to leave after failing to negotiate with Machike's leadership, the Maeyukir siblings manned a cannon on one of the upper fortifications, pointing it at the airship. The airship moved out, as if to leave, but returned and bombarded the colony with its mana cannons.

The resulting damage was too much to recover from, and the colonists were forced to flee deeper into the underworld to Fustin'darun, the underground half of Machike. There, they set traps, waiting for the return of the airship. While an initial counter-attack was successful against the Nidraa'chal and forced them to retreat, they soon returned with a payload of floating island boulders, which they then dropped on the civilian population below.

During the bombardment, Durlyn and Zair located Ariel and Faen as they took cover with Pelan and Octarya. They quickly asked Ariel for her orders, unsure of how to proceed against such an attack. Making a decision, she ordered them to fire mana flares into the air, drawing the airship's attention to them instead of allowing it to remain on the civilians, and to collect as many of the remaining fighters as they could. The small group then made a run for cover, and were temporarily able to escape the Nidraa'chal.

The remaining defenders numbered approximately thirty, devastating the young leader. Determined to give the other survivors a fighting chance, the group moved further into the underworld, hoping to draw the airship with them. Shortly afterwards, the defenders encountered an Alliance traveling party, led by Oiloss'lin Xyrrai'zestu Sharen. Hiding quickly, they managed to avoid being detected by the Alliance warriors, as they did not know the motives of the travelers or their destination. After the party was ambushed by Kavahini warriors, Oiloss'lin resorted to nether summoning to scatter the ambushers. As one of the wounded Koubagia Kavahini attempted to escape, she was chased by one of the summoned demons, and made her way towards the rocks where the Machike defenders were hidden. Not wanting to allow a demon to attack their own group, Bal'diira sealed it away, while the others tended to Koubagia.

They were soon confronted by another Kavahini warrior, Chakri. She demanded the release of her comrade, who was being tended to by Faen. When Ariel attempted to request an audience to discuss a possible alliance, the Kavahini mocked her, claiming that while they hid, the Kavahini fought. If the Sarghress and defenders truly wished for an alliance, they would need to show their strength by defeating the airship.

#### Escape to Sha'shi

Taking on Chakri's challenge to prove themselves worthy of being the Kavahini's allies, the defenders continued to play cat-and-mouse with Snadhya'rune's airship, leaving a trail of stuffed dummies and stone counterfeits to draw the fire of the mana cannons and to lure the ship deeper into the underworld. Eventually, they located Sha'shi, a research outpost located in the heart of the underworld which was home to a group of engineers studying golem technology and the nearby pieces of the fallen moon that had formed the underworld millenia ago.

#### A Desperate Gamble

After forging a temporary alliance with the engineers of Sha'shi, the Machike defenders decided to make an attempt to board and capture the Nidraa'chal airship when it landed at the outpost to take on supplies. Durlyn and several others managed to sneak on board the ship initially, with Durlyn and Bal'diira following Kau and Slyand'iss on deck before Da'xia spotted Ariel on the ground. The Nidraa'chal quickly retaliated, with Bargrez throwing a volley of bombs at them, which managed to injure Durlyn and Bal'diira. After the rest of the boarding party was pinned down by Bae'rali Val'Sullisin'rune, they were then released by Faen Val'Sullisin'rune, who countered the powerful empath. The remaining defenders were then able to resume boarding the vessel, eventually wresting control and forcing the remaining crew to flee.

### War with the Nidraa'chal

#### Uniting the Colonies

Weeks later, having repaired the damaged airship and acquired skilled engineers to operate it, Ariel led her newly formed "Wolfpack" of colonists in a campaign to unite the surface colonies against Snadhya'rune by any means necessary. Though some colonies allied willingly, the ruling council of Ys had strong to Snadhya'rune and rejected Ariel's proposed alliance. With peaceful negotiations having failed, Durlyn watched from the airship as the Wolfpack and their Kavahini allies abruptly moved to seize control of the colony. The sudden assault, though a gross violation of the customs of war, succeeded in capturing or killing the colony's leadership with nearly no losses to the civilian population.

In the coming days, Ariel and her forces traveled along the Mist Sea, allying with the smaller colonies and outposts where possible and seizing control where it was not.

#### Battle of Shikomei

While the airship allowed The Wolfpack to move quickly, their aggressive actions triggered a swift response from the Sarghress of Chel, who had come to view the Wolfpack as a rogue faction of the clan. It was at the Kyorl'solenurn colony of Shikomei that Ariel's forces were finally intercepted by a large Sarghress legion under the command of Sang. With their small force unprepared to combat a full legion, Duryln joined his peers in a fighting retreat to the airship. Though the Wolfpack was narrowly able to escape aboard the airship, alongside several of the colonists led by Chiri and Felyn'mice, the colony was all but obliterated as Ash'waren ordered a full bombardment of the colony to cover their escape.

#### Assaulting Felde

Having taken several injuries and losses to Sang's legion, Ariel and Kel'noz swiftly deduced that their control of the colonies would not withstand a full assault by the main body of the Sarghress. Seeing few other alternatives, a plan was developed to lure the legion to Felde, intent on sparking war between the two opposing factions and making a direct assault upon Snadhya'rune's territory. Kel'noz was able to signal for aid from the Highland Raiders, who under the command of Quill'yate placed their loyalties with Ariel.

While bold, the plan was thrown into disarray almost as soon as the airship took significant damage entering the field. Additionally, unbeknownst to Ariel and Kel'noz, Sang had entered into a political alliance with Sang, negating their attempt at sparking a conflict between their two largest enemies. The resulting chaos was a staggering disaster for all involved, seeing the destruction of the airship, heavy casualties, massive collateral damage to the city, and the release of an enormous swarm of uncontrolled nether demons. Ultimately the battle was lost, with Durlyn and the rest of the surviving Wolfpack surrendering to the Sarghress. With Sang killed in the fighting, her son took command of the legion as they returned to Chel with their new prisoners.

#### Ariel's Trial by Combat

Upon their return, Ariel and Kel'noz were separated from their peers and led to to a large courtyard to stand public trial before the assembled clan. Durlyn was among the Wolfpack prisoners who were "freed" as part of a political maneuver, forced under guard to witness the trial of their leader. Once there, it became apparent that Mandroga led the dominant faction seeking Ariel's execution. However, with almost all of the prominent Sarghress leaders missing or dead and the clan teetering on the brink, his grasp on power was tenuous and unpopular.

While Mandroga intended for a rapid public execution of the remaining Sarghress Vals to cement his authority, Kel'noz was struck mid-speech by crossbow fire from an outside assassin. In the chaos, Ariel was able to escape her bonds and invite Mandroga to challenge her for leadership of the clan, aided by strong Sarghress traditions and sympathic supporters within the crowd. Though Mandroga was unable to openly refuse a duel, he was able to successfuly deflect it by inviting his subordinates to challenge Ariel if they so chose. After an especially brutal bout left Ariel visibly weakened, Mandrago saw his opportunity to finish Ariel off personally. However, in what would prove to be a fatal mistake, he overestimated the severity of Ariel's injuries and was unable withdraw his challenge before the gathered crowd. He slain in the resulting duel, allowing Ariel to claim leadership of the clan.

Though some refused to accept Ariel's victory, Kor'maril was able to use his own considerable influence to prevent further challenges, with Durlyn watching warily for any that might refuse the command.

#### Coalition Assault

With the Sarghress' supplies depleted and time running short before Snad responded to the devastation of Felde, Chrys'tel proposed an immediate assault upon the Council Dome and kill Snadhya'rune before she could escape or wreak further havoc. Though joined by members of many clans, the primary force was comprised of the Sarghress under Ariel and a detachment of the Imperial Guard led by Chrys'tel. Organizing quickly into a loose coalition, the combined forces advanced into the Sharen-held district surrounding the Dome. Their arrival was not entirely unanticipated by Snadhya'rune and her Nidraa'chal agents, who staged an ambush of the column with artillery.

While the coalition was able to repel the initial assault, Nidraa'chal agents utilized the chaos and rough organization of the allied forces to make assassination attempts on key leaders. Ariel was fortunate enough to spot one assassin approaching, recognizing them from prior attacks and attempting to warn those nearby. Unfortunately, whether as an act of spite or simply engaging the closest target of opportunity, Da'xia responded by switching her attack to Durlyn. Ariel's attempts to warn her long-time companion were too late, and he was nearly decapitated by a strong cut to the back of his neck, killing him instantly. Enraged, Durlyn's sister charged into battle to avenge her brother.

## Notable Quotes

"*Do not mock Ariel, or you'll have me to fight.*" - Reacting in anger to Min'issya's disrespect towards Ariel.

"*For Machike!*" - Charging into battle for control of the Nidraa'chal airship.

"*Glory to the Sarghress! We hold fast! Hear us Snadhya'rune! You are going down today!*" - Making what would prove to be his final rallying speech.

## Character Concept

Official concept art of Durlyn, Chapter 40.Official concept art of Durlyn, Chapter 44.Official concept art of Durlyn, Chapter 50.Official concept art of Durlyn, Chapter 52.Official concept art of Durlyn, Chapter 56.Official concept art of Durlyn, Chapter 57.