Imra
Imra is a major protagonist in The Metalwood Saga. Introduced in the second book, The Stone Flame, she is an elven bladedancer and Hunter from the village of Sylrantheas.
As the best friend to the saga's central heroine, Arra, Imra often feels overshadowed, blending into the background despite her own incredible talents and deep capacity for love. However, her quiet sweetness masks a fierce warrior who is fiercely loyal to her friends. Throughout the series, Imra evolves from a soft-spoken archer harboring a secret, unrequited love for her best friend into a formidable combatant who ultimately finds true love and purpose alongside the former killgirl, Phoenix.
Appearance and Personality
Imra is consistently described as breathtakingly beautiful, possessing a "cherubic" face with milky white skin and thick, red lips. Her most striking features are her thick, shoulder-length, curly dark hair and her blazing green eyes, which Phoenix once described as "startling green eyes blazing out like two beacons in the night." She is well-built and muscular, contrasting with the skinnier frames of characters like Beam or Elanil. During her time in Sylrantheas, she frequently wears standard leather Hunter attire and carries a leather quiver, though she is also known to wrap herself in a simple shawl on cold nights.
Personality-wise, Imra is unfailingly sweet, kind, and pleasant. She possesses a warm, mid-range voice and a calm demeanor that makes her highly approachable. Because she is so accommodating, she is often underestimated. However, beneath her gentle exterior lies surprising fire and conviction. In moments of combat or passion, her sweetness drops away, revealing a deadly, calculating warrior who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves.
Biography
Early Life and the Shadow of Arra
Imra grew up in the elven village of Sylrantheas. Her childhood was marked by tragedy when her mother contracted the flu. Because her mother had participated in the ancient Sundering ritual, she was rendered permanently immune to soulsoothing magic. Unable to be healed by the village mages, she subsequently passed away from the mundane illness.
Growing up, Imra became Arra's closest companion. For years, she harbored a deep, secret romantic love for Arra. Imra kept her feelings hidden, believing that Arra—who was universally admired and naturally gifted at almost everything—was entirely out of her league. Imra was content to remain in Arra's shadow as long as she could stay by her side.
War and the Waychoice
When the human Remnant forces led by Zel began encroaching on Sylrantheas, Imra fought alongside Arra and Fenian in the early skirmishes. During the village's Waychoice ceremony, Imra formally chose the Way of Bombardment, officially committing herself to becoming a Hunter.
Her celebration was cut short when Cothellon soldiers from the sky cities brutally attacked the village. During the chaos at the mentorfire gazebo, Imra worked seamlessly with Arra, using her bladedancing magic to guide Arra's arrows into the enemy. Tragically, Imra was severely injured when the gazebo exploded, leaving her slumped on the ground and no longer breathing. With no soulsoothing magic available to her, Arra relied on the mundane medical training she had learned from Eloen and began performing chest compressions. In less than a minute, her mundane CPR worked, and Imra sputtered back to life without even needing mouth-to-mouth.
Valaralda and the Shadowmages
Following the activation of Fennas Elenathon, Imra traveled with Arra to the planet Valaralda. While visiting Arra's ancient hometown of Errenmel, Imra finally confessed her long-held romantic feelings to Arra. Though Arra loved her deeply as a friend, she gently rejected Imra romantically, and Imra acknowledged that Arra's heart belonged to Trey (Tarathiel).
Shortly after, Imra accompanied Arra into the Faedori Forest, where they stumbled upon a horrific resurrection ritual being performed by six Eglaria shadowmages. Imra was captured and brutally stabbed multiple times by a shadowmage. She would have bled to death in the tree canopy had it not been for the unexpected intervention of Lorelei. Having miraculously unlocked her own Prime Mage abilities, Lorelei flooded Imra with soulsoothing magic, instantly repairing her shredded organs and saving her life.
Phoenix and the Final War
When the Twins were unleashed upon Valaralda, Imra fled via a gate alongside Phoenix, Rylan, and Elanil, eventually arriving on the deserted, tropical island of Tanomar. There, she bonded with Phoenix over their shared heartbreaks (Imra mourning Arra’s rejection, and Phoenix mourning Beam's death).
The two women grew close, culminating in a passionate kiss in the underground base of the mage Lightning in Ilyrion. Imra realized she had finally found someone who saw her true strength and loved her for exactly who she was.
During the apocalyptic battles against the ghostly soul army, Imra and Phoenix fought back-to-back. Imra shot arrows while maintaining physical contact with Phoenix, allowing Phoenix to infuse the arrows with volatile forcefinder (Destroyer) particles. The explosive combination decimated the soul army. Later, at the Salt Spires, Imra and Phoenix combined their magics again—this time generating an unprecedented wave of joyful "life" magic to counteract the Twins' destructive rage.
Epilogue
Following the deactivation of Xyclami and the permanent erasure of magic from the universe, Imra served as the maid of honor at Arra and Tarathiel’s wedding, looking resplendent in a green gown with white flowers.
No longer content to live in the forest, Imra and Phoenix decided to move to New Paris within the newly formed United Sky Cities. Taking positions offered by Executive Leader Hammond, Imra and Phoenix laid down a picnic blanket beneath the New Eiffel Tower, ready to build a quiet, magical life together without the need for actual magic.
Powers and Abilities
- Bladedancer (Light Poplar): Imra's natural Alignment was the Way of the Protector (light poplar). By releasing poplar dust from her hand, she could telekinetically manipulate the trajectory of edged weapons in mid-air.
- Master Archer: Even without magic, Imra was a devastatingly accurate and lethal archer. When combined with her bladedancing, she could loose multiple arrows simultaneously and bend their flight paths around obstacles to strike hidden targets flawlessly.
- Latent Prime Magic: Though not a true Prime Mage, Imra briefly accessed other Aspects of magic during the formation of a Soulcircle. By linking hands with other mages and utilizing the Book of Amplification, she helped channel massive amounts of soulsoothing magic to heal the blinded eyes of the ancient mage, Cariel.
Key Relationships
- Phoenix (Megan): The love of her life. They bonded over their shared trauma and feelings of inadequacy, quickly falling into a deep, harmonious romance. They ultimately move to the United Sky Cities together.
- Arra (Alleria): Her childhood best friend. For decades, Imra harbored a secret romantic love for Arra. Though Arra did not return her romantic feelings, their platonic bond remained unbreakable, with Imra serving as Arra's maid of honor.
- Beam: Phoenix's deceased partner. Though Imra barely knew Beam, she occasionally grappled with feelings of jealousy toward the profound history Beam and Phoenix shared.