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.

Lyra with other Voices

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.

Lyra Statblock

Lyra is the Master of the Archives, providing control, precision, and defensive clarity against the mental chaos of the Darlingverse.

Core Stats & Proficiencies

• Race/Class: High Elf / Wizard (Abjuration)
• Armor Class (AC): 13 (Mage Armor) + 5 (Shield Spell) = 18 when needed.
• Hit Points (HP): 65 (10 hit dice)
• Speed: 30 ft.
• STR 8 (-1), DEX 14 (+2), CON 13 (+1), INT 20 (+5), WIS 15 (+2), CHA 10 (+0)
• Proficiency Bonus (PB): +4
• Racial Traits: Keen Senses (Proficiency in Perception +6), Darkvision.
• Saving Throws: Intelligence +9, Wisdom +6
• Skills: Arcana +9, History +9, Investigation +9, Insight +6

Combat & Tactical

• Spell Save DC: 17
• Spell Attack Modifier: +9
• Cantrips (At Will): Fire Bolt (2d10 damage), Prestidigitation, Mind Sliver (1d6 psychic damage, subtract 1d4 from next saving throw).

Wizard Features

• Arcane Ward (At Will): The first time Lyra casts an Abjuration spell after Long Rest, she gains a Ward with 25 temporary HP. If she casts another Abjuration spell, the Ward's temporary hit points increase by twice the spell's level. The Ward doesn't disappear if it reaches 0 temporary hit points but ceases to absorb more damage and can still be increased by casting Abjuration spells.
• Arcane Recovery (1/Long Rest): When Lyra finishes a Short Rest, she can choose expended spell slots to recover. The slots can have a combined level equal to or less than 5 (for example, one 3rd-level and two 1st-level slots).
• Abjuration Mastery (1/Long or Short Rest): After completing a Long or Short Rest, Lyra can choose to prepare any Abjuration spell that she keeps prepared until her next Long Rest.
• Spell Slots: 5th (2), 4th (3), 3rd (3), 2nd (3), 1st (4).

Prepared Spells

• 1st Level: Shield (Abjuration), Mage Armor (Abjuration), Magic Missile, Identify, Detect Magic (Divination), Comprehend Languages, Feather Fall.
• 2nd Level: Misty Step (Conjuration), Web (Conjuration), Blindness/Deafness, Levitate (Transmutation), Suggestion, Arcane Lock (Abjuration).
• 3rd Level: Counterspell (Abjuration), Dispel Magic (Abjuration), Lightning Bolt (Evocation), Haste (Transmutation), Slow (Transmutation).
• 4th Level: Banishment (Abjuration), Polymorph (Transmutation), Greater Invisibility (Illusion).
• 5th Level: Hold Monster (Enchantment), Wall of Force (Evocation).

Custom Stabilizing Abilities (Darlingverse Focus) These abilities focus on restoring logical order, dispelling chaos, and analyzing Aberrations.

1. Minor Stabilization: Clarity of Fact (Action)

• Requirement: Lyra must be able to see an Aberration or a source of minor mental chaos (like a fear cloud).
• Effect: Lyra instantly isolates and analyzes a threat. She grants all allies within 30 ft. Advantage on their next attack roll against the targeted Aberration, as its weak point is temporarily revealed. Alternatively, she can instantly clear all illusions or mental distortions within a 15-foot radius.

2. Major Stabilization: System Defrag (Action & 1 Minute Concentration)

• Requirement: Lyra must be standing still and consulting her archives (a book, scroll, or mental space) for the duration.
• Effect: Lyra methodically cleanses mental corruption from an area. When casting and at the start of each Aberration's turn within a 40-foot radius, they must make a DC 17 Intelligence Saving Throw. On a failure, they suffer disadvantage on the next Saving Throw they make. If Lyra maintains concentration for a full minute, the ritual permanently disrupts all existing illusions and minor mental chaos in the area. The first time this ability completes successfully per day, Lyra recovers one expended 5th-level (or lower) spell slot. If the ritual is interrupted before the full minute, Lyra takes 10d6 Psychic damage (due to mental backlash).