Darlingverse/Lyra

Lyra: The Orderly Keeper

Before Darling: Lyra was a quiet, inquisitive half-elf girl of perhaps eleven or twelve, whose greatest joy was found curled up with a book in the quiet corners of Waterdeep's various libraries or her family's small study. She possessed an unusual knack for remembering intricate details and categorizing information, often found meticulously organizing scrolls or correcting minor inconsistencies in texts. She was observant but preferred the company of words to noisy games.

Captured by Papa: One evening, returning home from an errand for a local scholar, Lyra felt an unnatural stillness descend upon the bustling street. A hand clamped over her mouth before she could scream, and a sickeningly sweet scent overwhelmed her. She remembered being bundled into a heavy, dark sack, the muffled sounds of the city fading into terrifying silence.

Papa's Basement and the Void: Her next awareness was of cold stone beneath her, the metallic tang of something unpleasant in the air, and the low whimpers of other frightened children in cages around her. Her eyes, accustomed to reading fine print, quickly picked out details in the dim light. She saw a large, shadowy figure – Papa – approaching a cage not far from hers, and then, a wave of indescribable terror washed over her as the memory dissolved into a blinding, agonizing void. All that remains is the visceral feeling of being utterly helpless.

Life in the Darlingscape: The Architect of Memory: When Lyra came to within "The Golem's Canvas," the chaotic, shifting reality around her was overwhelming. Instinctively, she sought to impose order. She saw it as her sacred duty to catalog the fragmented thoughts, the swirling sensory data, and the disparate memories that formed this strange afterlife. She became the self-appointed keeper of the Gallery of Shifting Memories, constantly trying to bring logical structure to Darling's thoughts and experiences, ensuring nothing is lost or out of place.

   With Elara: Lyra quickly found a kindred spirit in Elara. They shared a profound intellectual curiosity and a mutual dedication to understanding and organizing this impossible world. Elara's arcane knowledge helped Lyra build the mental frameworks for the Gallery, and they often consult on how to best "file" and protect Darling's growing mind.

   With Flicker: Lyra values Flicker's ingenuity and mechanical understanding. She sees him as the engineer who builds the physical 'storage' for the concepts she categorizes. They work well on ensuring the "Grand Conjunction" (Darling's logic center) runs smoothly, with Lyra verifying the data Flicker's mechanisms process.

   With Pip and Jinx: Lyra finds Pip's chaotic nature and Jinx's frivolousness deeply unsettling. She often attempts to impose order on their erratic tendencies, viewing their impulsive actions as threats to the fragile balance of their world. Their lack of serious regard for meticulous work frustrates her to no end.