Lyra Blackwood
(a.k.a. The Shadow's Apprentice)
The shadows speak to those who listen.
Lyra represents the first Blackwood heir to receive formal education outside family traditions in seven generations, a deviation from protocol that the family had no choice in. Her enrollment at Oathwatch gives her a chance to research concerning shifts in the border-wards her family helps maintain—fluctuations suggesting degradation in magical boundaries that have stood stable for centuries. Academy records indicate her attendance was accompanied by a sealed missive from the Blackwood Matriarch to the Queen herself, contents classified beyond even faculty access.
Preliminary magical assessment places Lyra's capabilities far beyond her fellow students despite her performing deliberately below her capacity in formal evaluations. Divination instructors report disorienting experiences when attempting to monitor her magical signature, describing sensations of "falling into ancient woods" or "hearing whispers in forgotten languages." Particularly troubling, three separate faculty members have documented instances where Lyra appears to cast no shadow under certain lighting conditions, though investigations have found no evidence of illusion magic or other explicable cause for this phenomenon.
The Blackwood grimoires Lyra occasionally references in advanced theoretical discussions are not catalogued in any known arcane library, public or restricted. Fragments of knowledge she has revealed indicate these texts contain hybrid magical systems incorporating elements of traditional spellcraft, primal druidic rituals, and something older that defies conventional magical taxonomy. Her ring—the only visible symbol of her house—contains enchantments so subtly layered they escaped initial security screening, its purpose still undetermined despite discreet monitoring.
Observation suggests Lyra's territorial behavior regarding arcane resources stems not from petty academic competition but genuine urgency related to her family's border-warding responsibilities. Her frequent midnight visits to the academy's oldest texts focus specifically on pre-veilbinding magical systems and planar boundary theory. Faculty debate continues regarding whether to restrict her access to certain dangerous knowledge or to monitor her research for potential insights into the border-ward fluctuations.
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