#liaur

Two decades ago, roughly, Liaur emerged from his pod shortly after his twin sister, Auri. He was the hot to her cold, and the calm and rational to her boisterous and impulsive nature. They were close, full on inseperable, so much so that Auri refused the call of her wyld hunt because it didn’t include him. Then the Nightmare Court caught them.

One night, during a warden raid on the camp they were being kept at, Liaur offered to act as a distraction so the warden would have enough time to get his sister to safety. It worked. The warden got Auri out, but despite her begging, no one had a chance to go back for Liaur, and he was left behind. He was recaptured and moved to a different camp, where his torture continued until the day a special guest visited. The Duke of Burning Frost had a bit of a reputation for tearing apart and absorbing smaller, harsher court encampments, and they had set their eyes on the count who was torturing and killing rather than converting a number of prisoners. This wouldn’t stand, it wouldn’t help the court grow at all, so the duke stepped in, and they tore the count apart, absorbing this camp into their own.

As a prisoner, Liaur was given medical treatment and a special visit from the duke. The two hit it off surprisingly well, and it didn’t take long for the duke to convince Liaur to actually convert. Once recovered, he joined the duke in their personal camp, joining the Frostflame Court and quickly working his way up to the position of knight. At the same time, his duke quickly pulled him from friendly courtier to partner, and the two started an unhealthy relationship fueled far too strongly by passion and strong emotions and lack of thought or care. Looking back now, Liaur understands how toxic it was, and how much the relationship affected him as a person, but still says it was mutually unhealthy and he caused just as much harm to his former duke. Neither realized in the moment though, too blinded by love to care. And they stayed together for a long while.

During his time serving as a knight, Liaur developed a Dark Hunt, calling him to the Maguuma Jungle. He followed, aided personally by his duke and a carefully selected group of other courtiers to find what he believed may be another Tree, untouched by the Dream. The expedition, and his Hunt, were successful, but the timing was unfortunate. While gathered around this Tree, meeting sylvari who were truly independent, Mordremoth awoke. What followed was months of Liaur hiding among the many hollows of this Blighting Tree, trying to resist the call and avoid his own corrupted lover seeking him out. Eventually, he was cornered and forced to face down his own duke, killing them in a desperate fight shortly before being saved by a ragtag group of Pact survivors. Liaur stayed in the jungle, aiding the survivors for a while until he could safely go home, returning to the Frostflame court and helping it rebuild after the loss of its duke and the grand duchess. The court that rebuilt after, in the corpse of what Faolain had created, granted Liaur the title of Duke of Freezing Fire, and elected him to a small council of the more powerful members who wanted to keep the court the same. He stayed and played nicely enough with the other dukes and duchesses, feeling more and more trapped in what the court was becoming again. He tried to lead the Frostflame Court well, fair and steady, but still far gentler than anyone would expect a duke to be. And when the opportunity presented itself, he left someone he trusted in charge, faked his death, and left the court behind.

He works now as a secretary in the Order of Whispers, for one of the more notorious agents. He’s also slowly reconnecting with his sister, who’s glad to have him back in her life after so long. She’s maybe too forgiving, but there’s nothing that says either of the twins have to be good people. Just lawful ones, when certain authorities are watching.

...There are, of course, universes where he never leaves. Where he gets pulled deeper into the politics and dangers of the Court, and where he seeks not escape but to drag his sister into it with him. But in his main universe, he’s offered a way out before its too late by @mystery-salad‘s Kvold, and he leaves that life behind, becoming someone new with the help of his sister and his new best friend. It’s sweet and bright and full of a lot of laughter and a lot of love and a lot of people waiting for him to realize he’s in love with Kvold.

-

Liaur is a berserker, fighting wreathed in flames with either dual swords or a sword and a torch. A notably feature to him is his blood is highly flammable. Even the smallest cut in battle will erupt into brilliant blue and white flames. The longer he fights, the hotter and faster he gets, becoming a bright blur across the battlefield. He likes to go shopping or browsing a lot, enjoys taking any excuse to dress up, and always looks forward to game night with his sister and her weird man eating roommate. He’s also always ready to meet up at the water cooler to gossip when at work, delighting in wasting time  and sharing drama with the other desk workers for the Order. OoW rumors are incredibly juicy after all.

"I love you, you know. I won't let anyone here hurt you, or even threaten you." The Duke of the Court of Frost kneels before their lover, their hand gripping his arm tight and protectively. "I will keep you safe, just like I promised."

Liaur lets out a small hiss, and a soft "ouch" at the gesture. "Love… you're doing it again…"

The duke pulls their hand away immediately. Where it was, a dark handprint remains, frost gathered in the center of it, spreading outwards from where their palm had been moments earlier. This one is not as bad as some of the others had been, and Liaur hopes this one will fade with time instead of scarring.

"I'm so sorry my love, I-" his duke begins, but he shushes them gently.

"I know love. I know how you get. You were just worried. I'm alright. From this and from before. I am your knight, after all. It's supposed to be my job to protect you. What kind of knight would I be if I couldn't defend myself as well?" Liaur sets a hand softly on his duke's cheek, and they lean into it, smiling at the gentle warmth of their lover's hand.

"You can, my dearheart, I know this. You are amazing and so skilled. But I have all this power, I should use some of it at least to keep you safe."