OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on the Shadow Knights. Sub the commander of the Icewind Ravagers.
Image Credit: Here. 'Rhona'. By RinRinDaishi.
Role: Eldorai paladin, rogue Angelii, foil for Kaida, friend of Sahome.
Links: Eldorai Exodus from Kaeshana, Casus Belli, Kaeshana, The Blitz.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Age: 94
Force Sensitivity: Master.
Species: Eldorai.
Appearance: Tall Eldorai female with pale skin, pointed ears, yellow eyes and long auburn hair. Her most distinguishing features are three nasty scars on her face. One runs across her left cheek below her eye, another across her forehead and the third lies below her right eye and cuts across her cheek. Her stomach is marked by scars inflicted by shrapnel from a grenade explosion. For an Eldorai she is strong in build, and exercises regularly to maintain a combat-ready physique. Lilandra favours practical attire and is usually found in a suit of armour or light combat suit. She has a rising sun tattoo on her back.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Name: Lilandra Taeyr.
Loyalties: Icewind Ravagers, Aspirants, Ashiranism, Sahome Tyral, Eldorai.
Wealth: Low to Average. She receives a commissioned officer's salary from the Aspirants, but her self-imposed penance involves abstaining from materialism and ostentatious living. She does not live in poverty, but her life style is rather Spartan. This is partly by choice. Lilandra believes in the importance of alms-giving and actually practices what she preaches. Thus she donates a large amount of her salary or what profit she gains from loot to charities and good causes. This does not leave her with much, but it is the way she wants to live.
Notable Possessions:
- Annotated copy of 'Liber Ashira' - the Ashiran holy book.
- Ashiran talisman given to her by her mother.
- Copy of Sahome's 59 theses.
- Sarix
- A holopic of the massacre she participated in. Lilandra keeps the gruesome image close to her to remind herself of her sins, the dangers of pride and blind obedience.
- Seraph Battle Shield.
- BCC BC-11 Comlink (purchase request here, permission here).
Personality: Elementalists are often assumed to have personalities that match their powers. A calm and collected person shooting fire is a rare occurence, for instance. Pyromancers are passionate and fiery, aeromancers tempestuous, terramancers grounded and patient and cryomancers are icy and laconic. It is a common joke in the Angelii Corps that the cryomancers show the least enthusiasm at church. Lilandra, a cryomancer, subverts some of these expectations.
In that regard she is the polar opposite of Kaida. Unsurprisingly, both women dislike each other, though they are both rogue Eldorai who have rejected the Matriarchy and feel strong revulsion for the old guard. Like her counterpart, Lilandra is dedicated to the cause. But whereas Kaida is stoic and cold, she is a very passionate woman. She is the type to inspire her comrades with passionate speeches and songs, which is something the laconic Kaida hates doing. Both have about the same military rank and command units of elemental warriors.
In contrast to the atheistic Kaida, Lilandra belongs to the Aspirants, an Ashiran sect that feels the orthodox Church has chosen gold over the true message of the Goddess. In what could be called a Reformation, they have abolished formal ecclesiastic titles and returned to the teachings of the scriptures. In a way, Lilandra is an atoner. She was drawn to the reformist movement because the bloodletting she 8had performed at the behest of the Star Queen of the Eldorai weighed heavily on her conscience. Moreover, she was increasingly disgusted by the corruption at the royal court. Guilty over past sins is one of her driving forces. Kaida views guilt as a selfish, pointless emotion.
Lilandara's mother was a decorated Angelii and so it was only natural for her daughter to follow in her footsteps after her Force powers manifested. She entered the corps with idealistic notions and a certain sense of entitlement. But many of her notions were shaken, until she made the choice to fall in line with those branded as heretics. She sees her service to movement and the protection of the innocent as a way to do penance for her deeds, though she regards this more as a road than a destination.
Lilandra still wrestles with her guilt and shame. Her zeal also makes her brave and she leads from the front. The former Angelii has achieved some renown among the Aspirants as the woman who helped their prophetess escape from the clutches of the ancien régime and fought tirelessly for the cause. However, she is uncomfortable with this and reacts poorly when she is treated as a heroine or some sort of role model.
It makes her very hard on herself. She is a devout believer in the Goddess and prays regularly, but opposed to blind obedience. After all, she has seen how easily fervent faith can be twisted and abused by those in power and does not want others to fall into the same trap as her. Her political views are probably close to that of a theodemocracy. She endorses the lawfulness, indeed obligatory nature, of tyrannicide and rebellion against an unjust ruler.
Despite all the hardships and humiliations the Eldorai have been through, she is still a believer, viewing these events as tribulations. Like all Aspirants, she is a monotheist, viewing Ashira as the one true goddess and creator of the Eldorai race. Her monotheism puts her at odds with the orthodox Church of Ashira, which is henotheistic accepts the existence of other deities, but regards them as subordinate to Ashira. To Lilandra, Eldorai deities such as Valora and Ardarvia are emanations of Ashira's grace, more akin to angels. She treats her Ashiran faith as her guiding light and dislikes the current trend towards securalism in the Eldorai Matriarchy.
Lilandra lacks Kaida's staunch sexism, and so she lets men join her unit and gives them decent chances of promotion. Lilandra lived through the cataclysm on Kaeshana, foregoing the chance to leave the planet with the exodies. This probably contributed to her being more open-minded than some of her sistren, as the old gender policies were too impractical for the Forsaken to maintain. Ironically, her more progressive views in this field are at variance with the mainstream views of her Church, which supports traditional gender roles. The idea of a male ruler would still seem silly to her.
Lilandra has been less exposed to Tygarans and only visited their homeworld briefly. As a result, she is somewhat patronising when interacting with them and a bit ignorant of their cultures. Lilandra rejects the dualist view of morality that the Jedi and Sith share. Like other Eldorai, she believes her Sciia is her spiritual power and that it is her actions that shape her destiny, not an energy field shared by all other things.
COMBAT INFORMATION
Weapon of Choice: The Force, Bolter, Heavy Bolter, Cylix Bolt Pistol. Uses a Sarix in melee combat.
Combat Function: Lilandra is an Alter Environment and heavy weapons specialist. Ice and water are the elements she specialises in. She can also manipulate the wind, summon a blizzard, ice storm and so on. These abilities make her a potent support player, especially at long range. Ice Shaping is good for confusing, slowing, freezing or impeding attackers and concealing allies. She is proficient in Force Sight, which is especially useful in conditions of lowered visibility. Ice is less blatantly destructive than fire, but a strong support power and frostbite is nasty. So is being drained of body heat.
The unit she commands specialises in far range elemental ice attacks, such as summoning blizzards. Her elemental abilities help a bit with evading detection as she can lower her body temperature, making it more difficult to detect her via heat scans. Moreover, she can manipulate the air and summon blasts of lightning. Needless to say, being electrocuted after getting wet is very unpleasant. She has a strong Force connection and her elemental abilities make her good at shielding herself against the elements.
Lilandra thrives in cold temperatures. Unsurprisingly, her powers are at their peak in an arctic environment. By contrast, being exposed to a hellish hothouse such as Tatooine or Mustafar would weaken her gravely and make her far less effective as a Force warrior. While she could fight in such an environment, many of her elemental Force abilities would be no use and she would tire herself at a quicker rate if she tried to use the Force. She is not skilled in the use of mental attacks or manipulation. Even a simple 'these are not the droids you're looking for' or 'you will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open' esque mind tricks elude her.
Lilandra is a skilled commander on the tactical level. She is good at leading small units, but would be less efficient if she was given a large force. She is best given a group of soldiers and an objective to accomplish. For an Eldorai, Lilandra is quite strong, which is useful for carrying and using heavy weapons such as bolters and anti-tank missile launchers. She is a good, patient shot. However, these weapons are heavy and loud, which has implications for stealth and mobility. The type of ranged weapons she favours also tend to have a low ammo capacity and their weight limits the amount of ammunition she can carry.
Lilandra has received melee weapons training as an Angelii, but her focus lies on her Force powers and guns. As a result, she is more of a defensive fighter in melee. She is good in hand-to-hand combat, but that is only an option some of the time. In that regard one could compare her to a Jedi Consular. Lilandra does not own a lightsabre and has not been trained in its use. She's used to melee weapons with actual weight behind them. Thus if she found a lightsabre lying around somewhere and tried to use it in a fight, she'd be awkward and clumsy, unless she received actual training.
Strengths:
- Strong Force-User. Lilandra is an ice mage and also good with telekinesis and lightning. Her power and skill makes her a lethal Force warrior.
- Good and shot and skilled with heavy weapons. She is quite strong and robust.
- Capable commander on the tactical, though not the strategic level.
- Not trained in the use of a lightsabre.
- Lacks talent as a mentalist. She cannot order stormtroopers to undo her restraints, exit the cell and leave the door to it open and unguarded. The same applies to summoning illusions, carrying out mental attacks and so on.
- Stubborn, driven by religious zeal, guilt and a desire to atone for her sins. These traits can be used against her.
Lilandra grew up on Kaeshana close to the end of the Four Hundred Year Darkness. Elsewhere planets were recovering from the horrors of the Dark Age. Explorers and merchants were blazing hyperlanes and reconnecting worlds that had been isolated and regressed. Inevitably great powers arose, seeking to exact their will upon the Galaxy or at least a good portion of it. Globalisation was at hand - both for good and ill.
However, parochial Kaeshana did its best to isolate themselves. The Eldorai's rulers viewed the outside Galaxy as a threat, fearing that foreigners would attempt to subjugate them or lead the Eldorai astray and tempt them away from the old ways. Isolation was justified with a xenophobic ideology that postulated the Eldorai were the sole form of intelligent life in the Galaxy, for the Great Goddess Ashira had made them in her image. Only barbarians lived beyond Kaeshana. This mind set kept the Matriarchy insulated, but also ensured that the Eldorai remained backward. As contact with outsiders was prohibited, they were unable to catch up with a Galaxy that had long left them behind. This would have implications when slavers, pirates and foreign empires took an interest in Kaeshana.
These were the conflicts Lilandra would have to face as she grew up. At first she knew nothing of this. Her mother Aleasa Taeyr was an officer in the exclusive Angelii. This was the Eldorai's special corps of Force-Sensitive warriors who guarded the Star Queen and served as elite shock troops. She had been decorated many times for her bravery in fighting the enemies of the Matriarchy - and for picking the right side in the succession struggle.
When Lilandra was still a little child, Tirathana VI of House Venari ascended to the throne. Though her propaganda machine claimed otherwise, she was not the next in line to the throne when Tirathana V passed away. However, Tirathana did not let such legal niceties deter her. So she did what any claimant did: Gather a coalition of allies, promise them a stake in the realm, take control and topple her rivals. Those who refused to bend the knee were purged or banished. The throne was hers by right and all who opposed her claim were enemies of the realm.
This included the Evora royal family. The Phoenix Crown was theirs by right, but while Tirathana might not have had the legal right, she had the martial right. Following past precedent, she declared her enemies heretics, for as Star Queen she was not just a temporal ruler, but also the viceroy of the Goddess Ashira and High Priestess of her Church. Thus the Evoras were banished from Kaeshana, the Eldorai homeworld. They found refuge on Corellia. They became obsessed with returning to Kaeshana and overthrowing the 'Usurper'. Their single-minded obsession with regaining their lost power would destroy their family.
Aleasa had had a role to play in these dramatic events. For to take power, the 'Usurper' had to assure herself of the support of the elite guard. Aleasa was one of the officers who rallied the Angelii behind her, after being bribed. Some Angelii disagreed and they were branded traitors. Aspasia Evora, Tirathana's rival, was slain, along with her two little daughters. Aleasa was part of the squad that subdued and killed them. This bloodletting earned Aleasa coin, a promotion and royal favour. By the time her career came to an end, she was a Captain-General, the second highest rank in the corps.
Lilandra grew up in the belief that her mother was a Hero of the Matriarchy. After all, she had helped the 'rightful Queen' defend the goddess-given order against heretics and traitors. The Evoras were usurpers who had consorted with the enemies of the Matriarchy. Thus Lilandra's upbringing was somewhat privileged. She was not an aristocrat, but being the child of an accomplished Angelii was a quite prestigious thing. Her father had a minor bureaucratic job and was subservient to his wife, as a Goddess-fearing, good Eldorai husband is expected to be. A servant taught her how to read and write.
In her youth, she often dreamed of becoming an Angelii. As a student, she was quite gifted and precocious, though also bossy and a bit arrogant. Her Force powers were revealed during a standard medical test. Per Eldorai law, all Force-Users had to receive training to control their powers. Those who displayed martial aptitude were conscripted by the military to serve as soldiers, so such tests were common.
Being a Sciian, or Force user, was not a stigma in Eldorai society, and was much more common than with humans. Indeed, being a Force user was one of the few ways for the lowest ranks of society to advance themselves. Lilandra was no exception; she was taken out of the private school and enrolled at one of the government schools designed to help train and manage Sciians before they could become a potential threat. Her affinity for ice and water meant that she was enrolled primarily as a potential soldier in the future. Over the next twelve years she continued her education in the ‘Academy of the Four Powers’, performing well. She was overjoyed when she was inducted into Angelii Istrai or young angels, where she was taught to use her powers offensively, trained with weapons and in combat situations.
After ten years of this, on and off, she became a full Angelii, and began a tour of duty in the outer lands near the western sea. Her mother pulled strings, ensuring that she was soon posted to the prestigious Valora's Chosen Company. However, though her mother was proud of her daughter's accomplishments, there was also a certain degree of ambiguity. Perhaps her mother realised that Lilandra's idealistic notions would be challenged when she was exposed to the harsh reality of the game of thrones - and realise that things were less black and white than she thought. Nonetheless, Lilandra wanted to serve and it was stipulated by the law.
It did not take long for Lilandra to see combat. Outsider slavers had preyed on the Eldoraii for many years, but they became emboldened by the relative weakness of Eldorai technology and attacked more often. In this battle, the Eldorai warriors were exposed to superior foreign technology. When her battle sisters came under fire from e-webs, Lilandra summoned a mist, enabling her comrades to get close and attack the raiders with Sarix and Sarzmigar. She was mystified by the superiority of foreign tech. While Sarix and Sarzmigar were effective, the Eldorai's Stasers, a primitive slugthrower/blaster hybrid, were useless against foreign armour. By contrast, the foreigners' blaster salvoes went through Eldorai armour like a hot knife through butter. She took the repeating blaster of a human slaver she slew as a trophy.
However, her initiative was noted and she was promoted to Wing Leader, the equivalent of a corporal. She kept silent about her thoughts and conformed. Further assignments pitted her against bandits and outlaws. One of these fights pitted her against Kar'zun, the Eldorai's hereditary enemy. Being silicon-based life forms made out of rock, they were extremely tough, strong and difficult to kill. Unable to match them in raw strength, the Angelii used teamwork and agility. Ambushing a group of bandits, Lilandra worked together with one of her battle sisters, a pyromancer, to take a rock man down. She suffered serious injury from the Kar'zun's mace, but used cold, sustained ice to freeze, whereupon her comrade struck the enemy with a thermic lance. Lilandra was soon promoted to Host Leader, the Eldorai equivalent of a Lieutenant. She was nearing the end of her compulsory service, but had chosen to stay in the corps.
Then came the New Green Ribbon Insurgency. Labelling the Star Queen an unjust tyrant, they declared that she must be overthrown in the name of the Goddess Ashira. Significantly, their leader was a royal pretender. For she claimed to be Aspasia, a scion of the Evora branch of the royal family, which had been ousted by Tirathana VI. In truth she was probably an army deserter and a demagogue. The usurper promised an end to oppressive taxation, freedom from exploitative nobles and 'forgiveness for all previous crimes'. Peasants would no longer toil the land for a lady or pay tithes to a corrupt Church. Every woman would reap what she had sown, from the highest lady to the lowest gutter rat. It is doubtful that all of the pretender's supporters believed she was who she claimed to be. Her inner circle was undoubtedly aware that she was a charlatan. However, her supposed social agenda gained her many followers.
The uprising was a brutal one. The pretender's make-believe utopia was played out against a backdrop of blood and terror. Her faux royal decrees unleashed a frenzy of hatred. Peasants rose in revolt, butchering the matriarchs, their families and hated tax collectors. Nobleladies were dragged from their hiding places, flayed, burned alive or hung from trees. Villagers who persisted in recognising the 'usurper Tirathana' were hanged in rows. Brigands, who claimed to be affiliated with whichever faction was ascendant, attacked travellers and raided settlements.
The retaliation of the government troops was just as brutal. Suspected rebels were shot out of hand, hanged or immolated. Villages believed to be harbouring rebels were often razed. Desperate townspeople, not knowing what their interrogators wished to hear, gave stock answers when asked whom they considered to be their lawful sovereign: "Whomever you represent," they replied.
Dispatched to the frontlines, Lilandra experienced the horrors of a vicious counterinsurgency campaign. At first she was enthusiastic about it. Partly because she was sincere in her belief that these rebels were evil heretics who threatened the wellbeing of the Matriarchy, but also because she saw a chance for promotion and wanted to make her mother proud. She proved herself an energetic junior officer, distinguishing herself in the field. She was driven into a rage when her unit came across captured Angelii who had been crucified by the rebels. After giving their comrades a proper burial, they retaliated by taking out their anger on rebels who had surrendered after a major battle.
Her elemental abilities were not only useful on the battlefield, but also practical for torture. Lilandra acquitted herself well, honing her skills as a cryomancer. Lacking the skills to become a great duellist, she focused on harrassing or bombarding enemies at a distance, making her a good support player and elemental warrior. She received an award when her Company succeeded in seizing a strategically important village in enemy territory. The rebels had blown up the bridge leading to it and set up flak batteries, which prevented aerial assault.
A first attempt to cross the river on boats ended in failure. But Lilandra joined with her battle sisters to freeze the lake while it was dark, launching a daring night raid. The cryomancer used her powers to low her own body temperature to the point where heat scans could barely pick it up. They managed to make the crossing and fell upon the rebels. Lilandra distinguished herself by capturing an enemy officer.
However, it was a dirty war. As the insurgents lost ground, they retreated into the countryside, seeking to blend in amongst the rural folk. Innocent civilians who had no part in the struggle were thus put into the crossfire. Forced to give the rebels shelter and supplies at gunpoint, they risked royalist retaliation. This marked a turning point for Lilandra. It was the village of Tyldarn that would change her life forever. Rebels had been sighted in the general area, and so royalist troops descended upon the village, searching for rebels or hidden weapon caches. No rebels were found. The same applied to any meaningful weapons caches.
The village had paid tribute to the insurgents because they had been forced to do so at gunpoint. A royalist tax collector had been murdered due to her brutal methods and avarice. After interrogating captured villagers - poor fishers and peasants - Lilandra was certain there were no rebels to be found. However, her superiors had other plans. Queen Tirathana VI wanted to make a 'salient example' of all those who sympathised with traitors.
"By the command of Her Serene Majesty Queen Tirathana, the Sixth of her Name, the village of Tyldarn is to be given a salient example of what happens to those who support rebels and traitors to the Crown. Since those responsible have not come forward, the community will pay by 'drawing the bones'. Host Leader, perform the count." This was the order Lilandra's Captain gave her. For the first time in her career, Lilandra wavered and tried to stall. "Host Leader, I am waiting. If you feel you are unable to perform this task I will find someone of truer heart and nobler loyalty than you. Now, begin the count!" She complied.
They did not draw straws, as that was primitive. Instead they had a random number generator which counted off each person. A zero meant they were to be executed. Due to the random nature of it, it was not strictly even, so two might be killed next to each other, and a dozen might be left unscathed. Innocent villagers were gunned down. Stasers were rather messy weapons for this task, as they caused splatter.
Her compliance with immoral orders gained Lilandra a promotion to Captain. She hated herself for it and turned to the bottle to drown her sorrows. Her performance suffered as a result. She was reported for disciplinary issues and alcoholism. It was only her past accomplishments and her mother's connections that salvaged her career, but her career stalled. A rift developed between her and her mother when Aleasa affirmed the royal decrees and told Lilandra to be a good soldier and conform. Lilandra tried to bury her guilt and soldier on, numbing herself. The rebels were defeated and the pretender was hanged, drawn and quartered.
Tirathana VI had secured her throne, but at a cost. It did not take long for other challenges to arise. One came from what should have been the strongest pillar of support for the Star Queen, the Church of Ashira. The Queen was not just a temporal ruler, but also supreme head of the Church as High Priestess of Ashira. However, a reformist movement within the Church challenged the established orthodoxy. In particular, it criticised the sale of indulgences, which promised remission of sin. The most prominent of the reformists was a charismatic cleric called Sahome Tyral, who made a name for herself by nailing 59 theses on the doors of the Cathedral of Ashira. In these theses, she attacked corruption in the Church, clerical abuse of power and the sale of indulgences.
At this stage Sahome was still a moderate, believing she could reform the Church from within. She was also a strong supporter of the Monarchy. To her, the Star Queen was still Ashira's viceroy. Rebellion against her was not just treason, but heresy. Indeed, Sahome seemed convinced that the Queen herself was righteous, but misled by bad advisers. However, this rosy view of the Queen would not last. She wrote a series of pamphlets outlining her ideas, such as 'To the Ashiran Nobility' and 'On the Freedom of an Ashiran Woman'.
However, her actions attracted the attention of the Temple of Ardarvia. Arvardia was the Eldorai Goddess of Law, Order and Justice and her clerics acted as inquisitors, charged with ensuring that all believers remained true to orthodoy and did not stray. During a sermon, Sahome was arrested and informed that the Star Queen had excommunicated her. She was then brought to Santaissa, where she was put on trial by a religious court. What worked in Sahome's favour was that some nobles felt sympathy for her cause - or at least saw her as a useful pawn in the game of thrones.
After being interrogated by the inquisitors, Sahome was put on trial, but refused to recant. The Ardarvian cleric presiding over the tribunal declared her a Dark Eldorai and heretic. This made it a crime for anyone to give her food or shelter. Anyone who aided her would be declared an enemy of the Crown and the Faith. It also permitted anyone to kill her without legal consequences. Her family was put under pressure to disavow her.
Lilandra was one of the Angelii who had arrested Sahome and been responsible for guarding her, as it was feared that her followers would try and stage a rescue. However, this backfired because she was moved by the priestess' conviction and strength of will. Thus rather than lead the heretical preacher to her punishment, she helped her escape. This made Lilandra an oathbreaker, a Dark Eldorai - like the rebels she had once fought with such conviction. The priestess persuaded Lilandra to accompany her into exile. Being an empath , she sensed the turmoil and guilt inside the former Angelii.
After having departed Kaeshana, she confessed her sins to the priestess. Sahome was not the type to grant instant forgiveness. Forgive and forget was not part of her philosophy. But while Lilandra had sinned, she could atone for her crimes and find her way back to the Goddess Ashira by devoting herself to fighting the forces of darkness. Lilandra pledged herself to Sahome, becoming her sworn shield.
The priestess soon acquired a following among fellow Eldorai exiles. They called themselves the Aspirants because they aspired to Ashira's Grace. In exile, Sahome unleashed a barrage of polemics and theological writings, taking advantage of the fact that she was now out of reach of the Eldorai religious police. Despite strict censorship and border controls, some of her writings were smuggled into Kaeshana by sympathisers. Her boldest assertion was that the Star Queen did not possess the exclusive right to interpret scripture. Any Eldorai woman could do this, for the Goddess had made her daughters in her image.
Lilandra had to shield her teacher from a royalist assassination attempt. Once when Sahome was preaching in an improvised temple - in actual fact a warehouse - Lilandra suddenly felt a warning through the Force. Interpreting this as the voice of an angel, she ushered her mentor out. Putting a life on the line, she shielded her and two choir girls from a bomb explosion and used her powers to put out the flames. She suffered severe injuries in the process. The shrapnel and burns scar her body to this day. She would later claim that she had seen a radiant, divine light and the features of an angel. Sahome was able to heal her protector and nursed her back to health. It did not take long for other groups of exiles to take an interest in the sect.
The Evoras had not gotten over losing the throne and constantly schemed to reclaim what they regarded as their rightful inheritance, rallying mercenaries and fellow exiles to their cause. Someone like Sahome seemed like a useful asset to them. Sahome was hesitant, but accepted an audience with Taenarys Evora, against Lilandra's advice. Taenarys called herself the 'rightful Star Queen of the Eldorai' and had awarded herself a host of other titles, such as Breaker of Chains, the Queen Across the Stars and She Who Was Promised. She offered Sahome a position in her 'shadow court' as Grand Chaplain if she and her followers submitted her.
However, the priestess refused to bend the knee. She was disgusted when she heard rumours about the pretender sharing her bed with a foreign sellsword. It did not take long for the 'rightful Queen' to grow irritated, especially after Sahome said "Idle hands and pretentions are the tools by which Illyria corrupts the works of Ashira". Lilandra drew her weapon when Taenarys sentenced Sahome to death by immolation, but the priestess commanded her to stay her hand and submitted to the trial. Sahome managed to quell the fires, showing that she was divinely protected. As a result, several of Taenarys' followers turned on her. Motivated solely by credit, the foreign mercenaries still stood with the pretender. In the melee that followed, Lilandra shot a mercenary who tried to assault the priestess and froze another one's legs.
But Sahome took control of the situation. Refusing to spill blood, she called on her supporters to leave this den of iniquity with her, though not before making some ominous predictions about Taenarys' fate. Frustrated and angered, the claimant vowed to 'take back what is mine' and punish those who defied her. Shortly thereafter, the Evora claimant launched an attack on Santaissa. Since her support among the Eldorai exiles had diminished many of her soldiers were sellswords. Thus the attack went poorly. A cabal of mercenaries betrayed her at a crucial moment and sold her out to the authorities, expecting to be rewarded. However, Tirathana had her warriors execute the mercenaries anyway because they'd sided with a traitor. Taenerys shared their fate. The executions were extremely grisly.
Lilandra remained with the Aspirants, but grew restless. A warrior at heart, she assumed a martial position within the sect, training some of its members in combat. In that regard one could compare her to a warrior-priestess. She also led operations against slavers who had abducted Eldorai, freeing some of her fellow elves from a Sith cult. She took pride in her work and while still troubled by her past, seemed to be at peace with herself.
Meanwhile, the wind of change swept across Kaeshana. Tirathana VI was succeeded by her daughter Silaqui III. Under her reign, Kaeshana joined the Omega Protectorate and made first tentative steps towards modernisation and liberalisation. Religious persecution was rolled back to appease the Protectorate and because the new queen was not a fanatic. However, she was murdered by rebellious bodyguards during a failed reactionary coup. After Silaqui's death, her sister Anya Venari ascended to the throne. Assuming the regnal name Tirathana VII, the former exile vowed to be a queen for all Eldorai, no matter their social class, gender or creed.
Religious persecution was abolished, the power of the secret police curtailed and the Queen attempted to break or at least reduce the stranglehold the nobility and church had over the common folk. However, she had to proceed cautiously because the monarchy depended on these groups to remain in power. Moreover, she was a fairly lightsided ruler, and thus did not want to advance her agenda through excessive bloodletting. Thus several reforms were stalled, watered down or moved at a slow pace. She received the support of Firemane Industries. The corporation helped the Eldorai modernise their army and fleet and its mercenaries fought in many battles alongside them.
Lilandra had mixed feelings about this. Living in exile had exposed her to foreigners and made her realise that not all wished the Eldorai ill. In fact, the vast majority probably did not care about the elves one way or another or even know where Kaeshana was. However, she was troubled by what she perceived as her people becoming dependent on them. She was also bothered by the fact that while some corrupt or malicious officials were dismissed from office or executed, many still remained in office or received comfortable retirements. Of course, being a soldier who did not hold office herself, she might have lacked the perspective that lasting change could not occur in a short time span, especially if it was supposed to unite rather than divide. But being a religious woman, she could not help feel that faith in the Goddess was being lost in this new era of enlightened despotism.
Sahome, meanwhile, planned to take advantage of an amnesty and return to Kaeshana, for her visions had informed her that the Eldorai would soon be in great peril. Then came the Netherworld Event. Lilandra was among the untold trillions who were raptured. Waking up in the underworld, she was confronted by the angry spirits of the villagers of Tyldarn. These were the women, men and children she had condemned to death. Being confronted with her sins was a harrowing experience for her.
It was the moment where she was forced to decide to atone fully, but had to realise that it would not be an easy road or even one that would save her immortal soul from damnation. She may never be allowed to enter Ashira's heavenly realm. Perhaps it would be her lot to wander the endless wastes off the void. Fated to see Asur from afar, but never allowed to enter it. There was no easily attainable state of grace that could wash her sins away. If she treated redemption in such a way, then she was not truly atoning, but trying to feel better about herself.
After she managed to escape the Netherworld and return to Kaeshana, she reunited with Sahome and sought out the families of those she had murdered. The more liberal regime had allowed them to return to their homes, but they still faced hardship. Many understandably scorned the repentant war criminal and some attacked her on sight. But she tried to help them as much as she could, protecting them from bandits and exploitative local matriarchs.
When she learned that Kaeshana would be devastated by a huge asteroid, she helped survivors of Tyldarn flee from the planet, using her connections with the Church. This involved commandeering a ship that belonged to a few bigwigs. Lilandra could have probably left Kaeshana in time, but chose to stay behind. In that regard she shared the fate of Sahome, who also refused to leave. Her mentor and friend ministered to her flock in an underground bunker when the asteroid impacted.
Having been forewarned, the Eldorai and Firemane made a colossal effort to save as many Eldorai as possible. The majority of Eldorai could be saved and evacuated to Tygara. Firemane's warships were able to drastically reduce the asteroid in size. This mitigated the destruction caused by it. However, some Eldorai had to be left behind. They were forced to eke out an existence in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and cursed those who had gotten away. They called themselves the Forsaken. Menaced by slavers and corsairs, the Forsaken vied amongst themselves over the scarce resources.
The Aspirants were one of the groups that tried to wrest some order from the chaos and aid the survivors. However, this forced them to make ideological compromises that just a few days weeks ago would have been anathema to them. Perhaps this was a test from the Goddess. Initial contact with the Shadow Knights was hostile. Lilandra thought poorly of secularists and idolators. It did not help that some members of the Shadows were genuinely hostile to her sect. They also made deals with some warlords, whom she considered to be inimical. Both groups competed for resources and launched raids against each other.
Her mentor Sahome had a crusader mentality and encouraged her followers to oppose the Shadows. However, this was disadvantageous, as it helped split the Eldorai, weakening them. Unexpectedly, both groups were forced into an alliance against foreign raiders and Archangel, which some of the warlords to gain processing materiel, sending agents to infiltrate their ranks. Shadow Knight history likes to portray their own actions as selfless, citing an event where they came to the aid of a beleaguered Aspirant congregation. In actual fact it was strongly motivated by pragmatism. After a very heated debate, the Aspirants' synod decided to agree to a truce. They tried to implement a join command structure to protect themselves against mutual threats.
Lilandra founded a new military unit that would be placed under her command, the Icewind Ravagers. Composed of cryomancers with an a was intended to give the Forsaken an edge against the warlords, pirates and the genocidal machine cult Archangel, which launched raids to acquire Eldorai so that they could be processed into machines. With resources so scarce, the Shadows had to rely on what tech they could scavenge, barter or acquire through raids. Her cryomancers proved their mettle during the Long Night. Their elemental abilities proved quite useful against Archangel's droid forces, as these were very tech reliant. The Eldorai combined these preternatural techniques with guerilla tactics to ambush raiders. In one instance heavy snowfalls wreaked havoc on a convoy of raiders and collaborating Eldorai warlord forces, enabling the partisans to strike. In the spirit of gender equality and sheer pragmatism, she allowed male Eldorai to join the unit.
When the Shadow Knights and Aspirants allied with the Galactic Alliance, Firemane and the Tygaran Alliance during the Kaeshana Rebellion, the Icewinds were deployed to the ruins of Santaissa. Once this proud city had been Kaeshana's capital, but the asteroid had destroyed it, turning it into a ghost town. Still it was a combat zone in this battle. Lilandra took up arms along her comrades.
For the sake of the common cause, she and her elemental warriors linked up with royalist Angelii commanded by Kaida Taldir. They combined their powers with those of Kaida and her Angelii to summon a blizzard in order to impede the First Order forces in the city and provide protection against enemy air strikes. This turned out to be vital, for the blizzard protected the force of Angelii that tried to secure Santaissa when they came under assault by First Order TIEs. Lilandra helped her former battle sisters defend themselves against their strike.
Ultimately, however, the First Order took control over the planet, and the allied forces retreated. The Shadow Knights were forced to vacate the planet, after evacuating the Eldorai civilians who had sought refuge in the ruins of the Citadel of Dusk. The Icewinds and Lilandra went with them. She has been part of the Shadow Knight migrant fleet since then. Lilandra belonged to a unit of renegade and loyalist Angelii who participated in the First Battle of Skor under the overall command by Kaida Taldir. First they battled Vong and Graug, then First Order forces. This battle was an Alliance victory. But ultimately the First Galactic Alliance-First Order War was ended by treaty after the Alliance's Hoth offensive had been repulsed, though Firemane and the independent Eldorai refused to recognise the treaty, as Kaeshana remained under foreign occupation.
Now the Shadow Knights were a force of exiles fighting for a homeland. They had to adapt to being part of a spacefaring people - Space Elves in the most literal sense. For Lilandra this marked another turning point. She had been compelled to become a leader, while still wrestling with her own doubts continuing her quest to do penance. She was also reunited with Kaida Taldir. The frost elf had risen to become the commander of the Valora's Chosen, Lilandra's old unit. However, she defected to the Shadow Knights after growing disillusioned with the Eldorai Matriarchy. Unfortunately, the two women dislike each other. The Aspirants' accord with the Shadow Knights proved to be a problematic one. Dogmatic and political reasons motivated Sahome Tyral to form her own nomad fleet, though not all Aspirants joined it. It was a hard choosing for Lilandra, but in the end she went with her old mentor, taking several of her students with her.
