Darly, as she is known casually (her mother and others often use the slight pause: dar lih), actually began using her Vortal powers while still in the womb. She could 'see' her 'grandpa Vahh' quite clearly, his aura at least, and thus he was quite intrigued with this. He had never been up close and personal with a baby before, let alone a pregnant woman who carried, effectively, his descendant. So Keenan was able to extend Darly's Vortal education to well beyond what it would have been had she waited until birth or later to 'see'.

Dar'lih Keh-vahh was not the first born to the Pantheon (those Origin children grown up), nor was she the first child that her mother and father had conceived. But she was the first that Melissa carried to term, and was widely regarded as the most important child of her era. Because her birth was extremely difficult, it was something that brought many concerned relatives to her side. Melissa was in labor more than 36 hours, and the only reason that Dar'lih was even born was because Mel eventually insisted that Wilson use his incredible speed and strength to literally rip her uterus completely out. Melissa's regeneration was so fast that it was all but impossible for a c-section to be done, and at that point none of the teleporters in Mel's life had the precision or the guts to teleport her out.

She knows that her birth caused quite a stir, and specifically a lot of strife between Uncle Wilson and Grandpa Vahh. However, she lays down the law - and they play nice whenever she throws a fit. As an adult, she doesn't exactly throw fits, but she can just glare at either of them, or anyone for that matter, and shutting-up is done. As an infant, Dar'lih was very particular about some things. She loved being lulled to sleep on Kallah-vahh's shoulder, being escorted around Black Mesa by Wilson, greeting her mother with a brilliant yellow sparkle, and barfing on her father Paxton. In that regard she is still going strong - she treats each person she meets with a slightly different aura and style. She stopped barfing on her dad a long time ago.

She still threatens to, however.

Dar'lih keh-vahh was named in a traditional Vortal ceremony by a circle of Vortigaunts - aliens from another dimension and planet, allies and/or uneasy enemies of the Mystery. Melissa wished to wait to decide on any other given names, until they had spoken their wise words about her. However she was only named after Melissa insisted that Wilson have a 'proper' title given to him - he'd been 'the unnamed' as long as he'd lived. Thus, two of the Vahh clan were given titles that night, something which some Vorts still grumble about. Dar'lih means 'the brightest spirit', which is easily seen in her powers. However it is the second part of her title, keh-vahh, which caused Keenan to completely re-evaluate his life, existence, and direction. Vahh, his namesake, means many things akin to mystery or lies, and in this case directly refers to him as a personage. He was of course quite proud to have two more officially-recognized members of his family, but he was still uneasy, still shocked.

Because keh means "fixed", "repaired", or as Keenan had taken to sense its meaning: forgiven. In the moment she was named, the Mystery realized he could redeem himself in the eyes of his most powerful part-time allies, right the serious wrongs that had been done, or at least try to. And for the first time in his entire existence, Nach'lih kallah-vahh knew what it was like to live. He doted upon this little descendant of his, and while Paxton had to be sent out to finalize the work that Kallah-vahh had started millennia ago, Darly was raised by her other family members with care.

As she was still quite young when Ulathoi was put down, and her father was still recovering from his ordeal in doing so, Dar'lih has largely known a different world than even her parents did when they grew up. Far from their scrabbling and hiding, Dar'lih's youth was dominated by rebuilding, growth, and a reasonable amount of peace. Since she has been to her father's Sanctuary within Melissa's mind, and as telepaths they frequently share full memories with each other, she knows what it was like for them, but not first hand. Their sense of urgency is absent from her personality.

Dar'lih seems to be a lot more like her father than her mother, in many regards. She is often serious, or at least looks serious. That's not to say she doesn't lighten up (figuratively). Perhaps because he played a strong role in her Vortal upbringing, Dar'lih often emulates Keenan's impish sense of humor and enjoys messing with people's minds. She did happen to learn a lot of 'bad words' from her mother and has been known to blurt Vortigese curses out when things don't go her way.

Because she was young and considered 'Vortal royalty' by many who knew her (as Paxton was and is the broadly acknowledged leader of the Pantheon on that world) Dar'lih concentrated her learning and activities mostly on mental pursuits and practicing her Vortal powers. She is only slightly stronger than average physically, and though she has never undergone the Icarus treatment she seems to be far sturdier - taking after Melissa but not to the debilitating level that her mother has. (When her own birth is an example of 'how things can go wrong with immortality', she takes note.) Darly was never really interested in learning to build or work with much equipment, but she did love to explore; her (actual) uncle Geoff helped her gather skills for outdoor use. It's also very likely that he taught her the sneaky tactics that she uses in Paragon.

Dar'lih voluntarily had herself put into stasis twice before the group was stable and decided to head to other worlds. She 'missed' the first couple ventures that her father led, only bodily - she is already adept at Vortally escaping her physical form, but prefers to remain 'alive' like Keenan. She is eager to explore this new dimension, and also eager to be able to put her considerable Vortal powers to use. Back on their original dimension, there are few if any banks to rob, though there are plenty of little warlords or local issues to quell. She knows that this trip to Paragon is 'practice', and will take in everything she can, before heading home. It's only moderately likely that she'll be able to move back bodily by herself, but Vortally she is able to tap into the same 'visual energy' that Keenan uses to power his 'office without doors', to look back to their home and see how things are going in real-time.