Elven female, born LY 882, in Woodstockade. Colonel of the Woodstockade regiment of the Army.
When many humans hear the surname "Grandview," it's difficult for them to believe the name belongs to an elf. Ever since the elves rejoined human society during the Coming of the Order, the majority of elven surnames anyone hears begin with "Des'" (short for "descendant"), followed by the name of one of the First 50 Elves. This is because that was the only formula for choosing surnames for some time, when the practice was adopted by the third generation of elves. However, a later generation of elves began choosing entirely new surnames, though these tend to carry less clout among elven society, which means those elves with the original style of surnames tend to rise to the most prominent positions, thus making them the most likely ones for humans to hear of. However, this by no means should be taken as a sign that elves bearing "less Elvish" surnames are disdained by elven society, nor that they can't attain prominent positions, themselves. It's not remembered, even among Cynthia's clan, exactly when their surname was adopted or to what it referred; however, in spite of her family not having any great wealth, fame, or social status, she has always believed it to refer to the view of the small lake on the shore of which her family has resided for several generations.
It's well known that elves tend not to settle on a career too early in life, though for most of her life, Cynthia knew she wanted to be a painter. She actually had a fair degree of success in this field, though when, following the war, a group of human soldiers came to her village to help organize a local regiment for the army of the Second Order, she saw this as a good way to get to know people from other lands, and possibly even travel there herself. So, she joined the army. Though this turned out to afford her less chance for travel than she'd hoped, she did enjoy meeting humans, both in person and via t-mail. She also enjoyed military life in general, though some have claimed this might be because she never saw any actual combat. Of course, ever since the original elves had been exiled, they had had soldiers of their own among them, and the first colonel of the Woodstockade regiment was one of these elven soldiers. But when he retired in 910, he was replaced by Cynthia.
When the Chaos War began in 912, Cynthia expected it to be her first chance for actual combat. However, this didn't come to pass. She and her regiment left Woodstockade on 25 Su'yet, being transported by a fleet commanded by Garrett Bridgebuilder. They were supposed to go to Shanty, and from there to Triscot, which they would occupy for the Second Order. Before reaching Shanty, Bridgebuilder was ordered to change course, to intercept a fleet commanded by Alphonse Teach. This led to the Battle of West Ocean on 8 Aut'gin. However, Rear Admiral Bridgebuilder was relieved of command by Captain Zarrin Des'Lossin of the Roderick's Revenge, whose ship left the battle and returned to Woodstockade. In Bridgebuilder's absence, Col. Grandview assumed command of what remained of the fleet, and ordered them to continue on their mission to Shanty. Her regiment did eventually occupy Triscot, but no battle was required to do so. After the war, she spent some time sightseeing, saying she wasn't about to miss her chance at enjoying a vacation, after all those years of wishing to travel. She then returned to Woodstockade, and is still waiting to see if she'll ever again have a chance for combat.