Nayla Zahir

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The Basics
Full Name and Title: Baroness Nayla Zahir

Born: Whistlewind 17th, 604 ATA

Father: Earl Aynor Zahir (Deceased)

Mother: Countess Gezelle Zahir (Deceased) [Formerly Lomasa]

Sibling: Earl Volnor Zahir (3 years older)

Public Biography
Nayla Zahir was born on the seventeenth day of Whistlewind in the year 604 ATA. One brother preceeded her by three years: the mischevious Volnor Zahir. Her father, Aynor Zahir, was an Earl, fond of delegating official tasks to those beneath him and spending time at home rather than bothering with the rest of Fastheld. Her mother, Countess Gezelle Zahir (formerly a Lomasa Baroness), was the exact opposite, often out of the manor and planning one event or another. How these two came to marry is entirely unknown by anyone other than themselves, although several relatives have pointed out that Gezelle's hobby wouldn't be very interesting without her husband's property to host upon.

Her childhood was mostly spent as that of any other noble: lessons at home with Volnor. Their father usually sat in on these lessons, claiming that he wanted to ensure a good education for his children. Volnor had a wild streak, and often caused some form of mischief or another, mostly various sorts of pranks. It was around this time that Nayla started developing her Zahir-esque qualities. She found that Aynor would reward her for tattling on her brother's trouble, and that Volnor would try to bribe her to keep her mouth shut. Through careful manupulation and cost-benefit analyses (or as close as a child can get to these), Nayla would pick and choose when to tattle and when not to, and as a preteen she even learned how to tattle without seeming to, and hence gained the benefits of both sides.

As she slipped into adolescence, her lessons shifted to suit her to the role of a woman. She was taught of proper address, modesty, and all of the things that were considered ladylike. Her brother, in the meantime, was introduced to politics and other things of that sort. Nayla resented being emotionally boxed in, and would often sneak into her brother's lessons to learn of a world she found rather fascinating. When she attempted to prove to her father that she was just as capable of learning such things as her brother, he went to his wife for an idea of how to distract their daughter from these thoughts. And so Nayla's lessons were changed slightly to include the learning of a hobby of her choice (politics not included). She chose the wind instrument, and for a time her political inclinations were quelled. This did not last very long, however, and Nayla resumed her sneaky expeditions. While she quite enjoyed the emotional outlet of playing her thorn, nothing could quell her interest in the political world.

Later in her adolescence, Nayla was courted by one Abron Seamel, an up-and-coming young Viscount and soon-to-be Earl. While she had no interest in love or romance, she couldn't turn down the chance for political gain and freedom from the suppression of her home. Not that she had much of a choice; her parents also saw this as a promising opportunity, and would likely have pushed her into it anyway. Nayla spent this time perfecting her manipulative abilities, wrapping the already-lovestruck Abron further around her finger. It took some doing, as even with his feelings for her the Seamel was rather headstrong and proud, and didn't relish the idea of his love "wearing the trousers," but eventually she managed to get into the exact position of control she wanted. Their wedding was scheduled to be sometime in her early twenties.

At least, that was the plan until the destruction of Light's Reach in 624 ATA, in which both of her parents were killed. Nayla did not outwardly mourn the loss of her parents, but inwardly it crushed her. She became increasingly withdrawn and antisocial, and started slowly pushing away at the world around her. Nayla stopped caring about her political aspiratons and latched onto her thorn, often sneaking away from home to play it in the silent streets at night. Abron saw these changes and realized that his beloved was not the woman he had loved, and soon called off the engagement. After a while, the Zahir woman used what she learned from her childhood and shaped for herself a series of emotional masks, using these to interact with the world rather than letting them see what was left of herself. It was not long before she alienated her brother, who had inherited the family's estate, and eventually she left home to strike out on her own.

Since then, Nayla has recovered some small amount with time, although still relies on her masks to a point where it is questionable whether a "real Nayla" still exists behind them. What is certain, however, is that in spite of this (or perhaps aided by it), she is as cunning and manipulative as ever, capable of being sickeningly sweet one moment and harshly cruel the next should the situation call for it. Most of the time, however, when there is no call for any mask, she is completely and utterly neutral. She has taken a renewed interest in her political gain, no longer held back by her parents' oppressive views on how a lady should act, nor by the idea that she needs anyone else in her life to do it. Her thorn can still be found on her person at almost all times. She will oftentimes spend nights playing that instrument, weaving a haunting melody that is all her own to fade into the darkness of her lonely world.

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