User:Jack "BtR" Saxon/Lara Croft (first continuity)

"I only play for sport."

- Lara

Lara Croft (b. 14 February, 1968 ) was a world-renowned archaeologist and author. The daughter of Lord and Lady Croft, she was born in Wimbledon, Surrey and raised in the secure world of aristocracy. However, after surviving a plane crash in the Himalayas, Lara decided to pursue a life of solitary adventure, leading her to be disowned by her parents and living alone at a house she inherited. She looked to writing to fund her expeditions.

Childhood (1968-1983)
"A respected archaeologist, Von Croy had once lectured at Lara's school to pupils and parents alike. The experience had a profound effect on Lara, triggering a desire for travel to remote locations in search of adventure. In some ways Von Croy had become an inspirational figure for Lara - the memories he had recounted came flooding back as if she had been there herself, rekindling her desire to experience the rewards of discovery firsthand."

- Description

Lara was born on 14 February, 1968 in Wimbledon, Surrey to Lord Henshingly Croft and his wife. She was raised at the Croft Manor, receiving private tutoring from the age of three to eleven, when she began attending Wimbledon High School for Girls. She once attended a lecture by Werner Von Croy, which triggered in her a desire to travel.

Adventure in Ireland and Von Croy's expedition (1984)


After turning sixteen, Lord and Lady Croft decided that Lara should broaden her education by studying for her A-levels at Gordonstoun Boarding School. While repairs were being carried out on the Croft mansion, she went to stay with Winston Smith and his wife in Connussie. After overhearing Winston talking to Father Patrick about strange apparitions, Lara sneaked out of her bedroom window to investigate. She encountered several demons on the isle and eventually came across Father Patrick, finding the Bestiary and using it to save him from Verdilet.

Lord and Lady Croft were unhappy with Lara's adventuring at Gordonstoun and discussed the possibility of her accompanying her aunt on a trip to Europe to learn about European history during one of her school holidays. Lara overheard the conversation and had no wish to spend such a long time with her aunt, and instead demanded that she accompany Werner Von Croy on an expedition to Cambodia. Lord and Lady Croft eventually agreed, with the former writing a letter to Von Croy offering funds in return for his daughter's place on the project. Von Croy accepted Lord Croft's arrangement and Lara was permitted to embark on the expedition. Lara travelled to Cambodia and enters Angkor Wat with Von Croy, promising to obey his instruction. The expedition's purpose was to locate the Iris, and Von Croy proposed a race between the two of them to the artefact. Although Lara warned Von Croy that an inscription promised vengeance upon any that attempt to remove the object, Von Croy took it anyway, resulting in his apparent death.

Education and plane crash (1984-1990)
"After attending finishing school at the age of 21, Lara's marriage into wealth has seem assured, but on her way home from a skiing trip her chartered plane had crashed deep in the heart of the Himalayas. The only survivor, Lara learned how to depend on her wits to stay alive in hostile conditions a world away from her sheltered upbringing."

- Narrative

At Gordonstoun, Lara discovered rock-climbing as a pastime, often leaving netball practice to climb in the hills. She also excelled at canoeing, horse-riding and archery, and took up shooting as an extracurricular activity, but was instantly banned for showing too keen an interest. Her experiences in Ireland may have led her to embrace such activities, having remarked after banishing Verdilet that she had learnt a lot from her adventure. Additionally, terrifying dangers had become an accepted part of her life after the hazards she survived in Cambodia. She was taught history for two years by Charles Kane, with whom she formed a father-daughter relationship, with them remaining in contact following her leaving Gordonstoun.

Lara began attending a finishing school in Switzerland. Having been forbidden from taking up shooting in Gordonstoun, she charmed her way onto the Swiss Armed Forces shooting range, where she showed natural skill and qualified marksman class. She also took to extreme skiing, spending a holiday in the Himalayas to find more challenging terrain. On the return trip, the plane crashed and Lara was the only survivor. She learnt to depend on her wits to stay alive and managed to arrive at Tokakeriby two weeks after the crash. She returned home, but found that she was only able to feel alive when she was alone and resented the claustrophobia of the British upper class.

Rise to fame (1990-1995)
"Ah, the Philosopher's Stone. One of Lara's early conquests. And one of her most challenging pursuits, if my memory serves me."

- Winston Smith

Lara became an archaeologist, gaining an intimate knowledge of ancient civilisations across the globe and remaining in contact with archaeologist Charles Kane. At a young age, she presented the Louvre with a giant painting that she had discovered on her adventures, a venture that was pursued by a large amount of media interest. This caught the attention of Pierre DuPont, who chose to take up the same line of work as a result of the media coverage she was getting. Lara and Pierre often sought the same artefacts, leading to a rivalry between the two.

One of her early conquests was the Philosopher's Stone. She arranged to exchange money for the Mercury Stone, which was in the possession of Larson Conway and Pierre DuPont, who attempted to double-cross her. During her mission to find the Philosopher's Stone, she believed Larson to be killed by stone serpents and Pierre by falling in a colosseum.

Lord and Lady Croft were displeased with Lara, having hoped that she would marry the Earl of Farringdon. They ceased to associate themselves with their daughter, disowning her. Lara turned to writing in order to fund her trips, making a name for herself by publishing travel books and detailed journals of her exploits. She inherited a mansion from a great-aunt, which she used to house her finds. She also inherited her butler, Winston Smith.

Lara set upon a mission to recover the Spear of Destiny from a German U-boat before Sergei Mikhailov, working with Kane. She located it first, but was forced to hand it over to Mikhailov. After handing it over, its great power caused the sinking of the submarine, which Lara managed to escape from, though she was unable to save Igor Yarofev, whose story she promised to share. She left with Kane, leaving the Spear at the bottom of the sea, and did not tell Winston about the details of the adventure for his own safety.

Atlantean Scion (1996)
"Then you'll like a big park - Peru. Vast mountain ranges to cover. Sheer walls of ice, rocky crag, savage winds. And there's this little trinket – an age old artefact of mystical powers buried in the unfound tomb of Qualopec. That's my interest. You could leave tomorrow. Are you busy tomorrow?"

- Natla

While staying at the Imperial Hotel in Calcutta, Lara was approached by Larson, who was working for Jacqueline Natla. Natla offered her a large sum of money to find the Atlantean Scion in Vilcabamba, and then adventure after Lara proclaimed that she only played for sport. Lara agreed and left for Peru, locating one piece of the Scion. She defeated Larson after he attempted to take it from her and asked him, at gunpoint, where the other pieces were, learning that Pierre was searching for one.

Lara broke into Natla's office in the headquarters of Natla Technologies and read about a monk's experiences at St Francis Folly. She deduced that that was where Pierre was searching, and left for Greece. There, she fought and killed Pierre and recovered the second piece, receiving a vision of the banishment of one member of the Atlantean triumvirate. Lara killed Larson and located the final piece of the Scion in Egypt, before being accosted by Natla and her minions, whom she asked from only after having the Scion taken from her. She managed to sneak onto their boat and arrived at the Great Pyramid. There, she learnt from Natla of her plans to accelerate the evolution of the human race, and destroyed the Scion to thwart her. Lara later killed her and escaped from the island on the boat as it exploded.

Lara later returned to the Great Pyramid and killed more of the mutants that Natla had created. She also presumably recovered the pieces of the destroyed Scion and kept them in her treasure vault.

Dagger of Xian (1997)
"So indulge me about the dagger. I'd be indebted with your life."

- Lara interrogating

In 1997, Lara went on a quest to acquire the Dagger of Xian from its temple beneath the Great Wall of China, arriving there by helicopter. Her mission was at odds with the Fiamma Nera, whose leader, Marco Bartoli, also desired the dagger, but for his own ends. She learnt of Bartoli from one of his men, whom she interrogated before he drank poison and died. She used a laptop to learn about Bartoli and discovered that he was in Venice.

Discoveries

 * Bestiary (1984; left in Ireland)
 * Iris (1984; taken by Werner Von Croy;
 * Atlantean Scion (destroyed; remains taken to Croft Manor)
 * Dagger of Xian (taken to Croft Manor)
 * Mask of Tornarsuk (apparently left on Melnikov Island)

Appearances

 * Tomb Raider
 * Tomb Raider II
 * Tomb Raider III
 * Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
 * Tomb Raider: Chronicles (flashbacks only)
 * Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness