#bethyn

Her real name is Loreleisse Acero, and she’s a human chanter from the Vailian Republics (her family moved there before she was born, so she’s actually meadowfolk, but has a Vailian name).  She abandoned her studies as a chanter in order to pursue a career in the soul sciences and moved to Defiance Bay, where she made a couple of minor breakthroughs, but mostly spent her time studying and learning as much as she could.  The public eye generally passed over her, thanks to her efforts to avoid it since she had little interest (and some moral misgivings) about the larger projects in Brackenbury.

Lori fled Brackenbury and hid almost as soon as the rioting in Defiance Bay started, taking her chances in an abandoned house in Copperlane.  While there, heartbroken and angry at the devastation in the city, she began to shelter a few of the orphans who were now wandering the city, running from the massacre or searching for families who wouldn’t come home.  She took in a total of 3: Ilaine, a 6 year old elven girl, Meryna, a human about 11 years old, and Gjeorun, an 8 year old human boy.  However, even as things began to cool in Defiance Bay over the next few weeks, Lori had no desire to return and no hope for the future of her studies in the Dyrwood.  She began to make her way towards the newly-restored Caed Nua, hoping she might be able to eke out a living there and find somewhere safe for the children now following her.

However, on the way, she heard a rumor of free land being offered to settlers in the village of Dyrford as a result of the new mayor’s policies.  Realizing that what the children with her wanted was not more change, but a stable life, Lori changed her mind and headed towards the village. Along the way, she met a wizard by the name of Dannith Spackholm (who belongs to @classhattery ) who had come from Aedyr in order to escape the politics of his old life and learn more about the world. Lori struck a deal with him: the two of them travel to Dyrford together, pretending to have been a family coming from Aedyr looking for a new start, and she attempts to help Dannith endear himself to the mayor. After all, this Teylecg fellow is rumored to be close to the Lady of Caed Nua, and the libraries and history there are almost as impressive as those of Defiance Bay. Not even the children that they now consider theirs know the truth of their former occupation. Dannith agreed, and the two became fast friends. In order to sell the ruse, Lori changed her name to Bethyn Spackholm.

While neither Bethyn nor Dannith are entirely fulfilled by their lives in Dyrford (both wish they could have pursued their studies further and hold onto that dream for some distant future), they get along famously and have found relative peace in Dyrford. Ilaine, Meryna, and Gjeorun are content, and Bethyn and Dannith were inspired by the recent engagement of Mayor Teylecg and his dear friend Charity to confess their feelings for each other, unaware of how the two love stories mirror each other.