Qialynna Chionaetes

Qialynna of House Chionaetes is a Draenei Anchorite, and was at one time an Exarch of Athanatoi. In the early days (Sha'tar, 2007) she was prominent member of the Alliance, heading up the Alliance Council before her resignation at the lack of discipline at meetings. She was held hostage by Geis Archrion of The Essence during The Captured Exarch storyline, and was extremely traumatised by the whole experience.

Name & Style
Once known as The Dark Lady, Qialynna has since retired from public life and simply retains the name of her house and her office as a Priest of the Light under the leadership of Velen.

Appearance
Tall even for a female Draenei, she wears her age well. Her cranial extension extend immediately outwards from her skull, and then finish in up turned points. Her skin is a deep shade of blue, and her hair a slightly darker shade. Her hair reaches almost to her waist. Patterns are etched into her cranial extensions.

A variety of Qialynna related art available here

History
Still to be written

- Joining Athanatoi (2007)

- Capture Exarch storyline (2007/08)

- Fallout (Qia turns evil) (08/09)

- Family fractures (2009)

- Retirement (2009)

Origin Story (Pre-Exodar Landing on Azeroth)
"Power is hard work, little one." It was the only thing she could ever recall of her sire, a phrase said in a deep, gruff voice, and blue-skinned hands that had gripped her deftly about her waist, holding her still and up to eye level. Eyes like her own, lacking an iris, imbued with that soft blueness that adorned all the eyes of the Eredar. He had been a military male, but not from a unit known for magical or martial prowess - he was one known for work with his hands. A craftsman, one amongst many artificers that populated the gleaming planet of Argus. His speciality had been what Azerothians called 'trees'. He guided plants with care, with skill, and made beautiful flowers.

This she had learned from her mother, an arcanist, many years later. At the time she had been scornful, but years later she had begun to understand the words he had said, and his love for his work. She had never learned his name, nor even which part of the Planet he had lived on, but his memory remained equated with smiles and light, even as she arrived at her full growth, and entered the ranks of Artificers herself. She served in the lower ranks of her people, for her skills were but average, and she had been happy. That had been so long ago, but she could not count the time, for each planet kept it's own time, and those who would eventually be called Draenei wandered too long and too far for time to continue to govern their lives.

Before the corruption, she had served the Triumvirate in her own way; she had been an Artificer of the body, studying it's weaknesses and powers, learning to encourage the fledgling arcane powers such as arose in her customers and patients. She had worked under a famous Physician at one point, and it was through him that she had come to be drafted into the ranks of the new Eredun army that had been ordered. This new army had been a confusing addition to the professions of the Eredar - they had never needed to fight, and yet the ranks of this army swelled daily as talks of enemies and dark conquests ran riot in rumour and gossip. Her friends had told her that there was strife between the three leaders, and that there were outside dangers encroaching. Panicking, she joined the Eredar army, against the wishes of her arcanist family.

It was there that she encountered the fel energies that had become...so important to her. With them she soon found she was able to match and surpass her mother. She did not rise far in the ranks, but she was noted as a good soldier. Her life in the barracks was simple, all she needed, as riots started occurring all over Argus. Eredar fighting Eredar, hideous accusations of mis-use of magic and power thrown around, and all the while she kept her head down, glorying in her studies, in her private progress. As her fellow soldiers fell prey to the corruption of the fel magics they were talk, she turned her eyes from the fangs they developed, and the horns that grew. She ignored the changes in her own body, as her blue skin turned brown, then black, then lightened to a deep red. She could not let go of the magic that her superiors fed and encouraged.

And then Velen, who had remained apart and disapproving of all his fellow Triumvirs had done, denounced everything. He ran. All of those who rejected these new fel-powers, these warlocks as they were called, ran like rats from a sinking ship. As the Man'ari prepared to leave Argus behind, and empty shell, the Naaru had appeared, and aided the fleeing rats. She had been so angry, so furious. How dare they flee the new era?

Later she would weep for those thoughts. She had been wrong. So very wrong.

She had foolishly attacked the retreating ranks of her Eredar brethren, as they ran for the safety of the....thing that the Naaru had brought with them. The Athanatoi, as always, holding the rear guard. She had been powerful, but she was only one, and they were well trained and sure of their cause. She had been confused and lost. The tall warrior had raised his weapon to end her life, even as she exhausted the last vestiges of her power, and all had gone black. She had woken in the ship, in a holding cell. Her mother had been standing outside, next to a male she had not known. She tried to follow their tongue, but already the language of the rebels had broken from the mother tongue - it had, even as the ranks of the army had been corrupted, they had held together. The pair spoke to her, but she did not understand. She wavered in and out of conciousness many times, but even when she was awake she found she preferred the oblivion of sleep, for her watchers always beheld her with an accusatory gaze.

Once her oblivion, her safe sleep, was broken. There was no voice, but she felt a question was asked of her.

"Will you serve?"

"Yes."

The next time she had come to wakefulness, she had found herself unbound, and the barrier that kept her in check had closed. For the first time since capture, she looked down at her own body. It was....altered. The blue skin of her childhood had returned, as if she had never paled from age, nor darkened her soul and her skin through the magics she had so eagerly grasped after. "

"I am..."

"free, Qialynna, of the taint that had bound you. Return now, and serve your people." The voice was familiar - her mother. Qialynna blinked in surprise, for she found herself understanding clearly the dialect that came from her mothers mouth. '''"How.." '''She began to question, but her mother wordlessly handed her the robes of a novice Anchorite, and smiled, interrupting the confused Qialynna by placing a hand on her shoulder. Then she turned and walked away. Qia pulled the robe on, and stumbled after her - unaccustomed to the gravity in the strange ship. As time in their new world went by, she learned of a few others who had been redeemed even as the Draenei fled Argus - they had not been wholly corrupted, or perhaps were ignorant of the treachery of those now named the Deceiver and the the Defiler. The Draenei followed Velen, the Divine, and they went in search of a new home.

There had been the crash at Oshu'gun, the horrifying loss of the Naaru who had so carefully piloted their escape ship.

On Draenor, Antares had been born.

On Draenor, she had discovered a new life, an a distraction from her lust for power. Her sister would be an Arcanist, but Qialynna would remain an Anchorite, studying the light and rejoicing in her new found freedom of thought and life. She served at Auchindon, and even at Karabour, for a time, though she did not distinguish herself. And then....and then...the flight from Draenor....the crash landing on this new planet, Exodar. She never found out if her mother had gotten to the Exodar, but so many had died, so many had changed almost beyond recognition. It was during her early endeavours that she found Antares, and together they journeyed, trained and grew. Something about the new planet, or perhaps the crash, had triggered Qialynna's own power - and she was able to tap into the light as never before. It was not long before she rediscovered the shadow magic, the darker side of the light. And yet with her new grasp of the light, this new found talent in the shadow did not trouble her soul.