Lillian Sesthal

General

[Link to last profile: 'Pupil of the Evenfall'

Additions marked by a ' + ' Edits are in 'Blue'

Name: Lillian Sesthal

Titles and monikers: Lil, Lily, Lollipop, Kid

Age: 17

Race: Apparently human

Hair: Soft and glossy strands of sable silk

Eyes: Eerily blue and frighteningly clear, with a sinister glow

Height: 5’ 4”

Weight: 64 lbs. (Change in body composition, not anorexia)

Class: 'White Widow'

Occupation: Freelance librarian, Matriarch of the House of Sora, Ghost Scholar

Personality

Lillian is as quirky as teenage girls can get: her world is a world of books, and even when confronted with reality, she acts as if she were still trekking the Mountains of Zaleiya or enduring the blistering cold of the fictional ‘Steppes of the Ice-Veiled King’. Of course, she is kind and sympathetic, but her shyness tends to overshadow her better qualities; she did live in seclusion for the greater half of her life. She is prone to awkward comments, and could potentially halt the most heated debates with a single sentence. Still, beneath her cheerful countenance lie constant bereavement for her late parents and a longing for a place she could truly feel at home. Ever since leaving Fallien, the girl has been gaining more confidence on an almost day to day basis, and is now capable of speaking her mind to those she has learned to know. The girl, however, still has a tendency to make a mockery of herself in front of strangers. Her travels also seem to have stirred a side of her personality that few have ever seen, so unnervingly cold and remote that some would think her possessed. The girl, however, seems oblivious to the surfacing of this strange behaviour. She is no longer as naïve as before, and her many losses and hardships have made her wary of taking risks or embroiling herself into the business of others.

Appearance

Lillian is of an average stature, standing at an unexceptional height, yet her lissome figure and comely features are more than enough compensation. An inkfall of darkness tumbles down onto her shoulders, framing her delicate visage, stark white save for florid hues upon her cheeks and the rosy lushness of her lips. She habitually dons an immaculate gown, its hems adorned with soft frills, and is shod in common, auburn ankle boots. However, what clash most with her debonair aspect are the twin pools of coruscant ice that compose her unsettling gaze, eyes that seem to peer deep into one’s mind to find its darkest secrets. Recently, she has discovered budding curve in her silhouette, and her face is slowly taking on a more adult appeal. Lately, she favors wearing her hair in a loose fishtail braid. Oddly, even though she feels and looks healthier than ever, the girl has measured an unexplained loss in body mass after weighing herself, which has left her quite perplexed. It now reaches a limit that, to any other human, would be considered life-threatening, as her feathery weight is far past emaciation according to the Aleraran Body Mass Index. Lillian is extremely concerned, for though she may see or feel no deterioration, she now knows for a fact that her physiology is changing at its very core.

Skills

Eidetic Memory
Lillian has, quite simply, the ability of total recall. Everything she has ever seen, read, heard, touched or lived through is permanently engraved in her memory, and these memories can be accessed as easily as if they were recent and fresh in her mind. This has allowed her to memorize countless books, be they about nonexistent adventures or cold hard facts relevant to Althanas. This allows her to assimilate information and learn at insane rates, and has already served her well in learning various languages such as Elven, Salvic, Drow, Dwarven, Dheath and even Daemonic. Alas, with the gift of perfect memory comes the curse of never being able to forget, and so she lives on, unable to break free from the sorrow caused by her parent’s departure.


Speed-Reading
The average person reads a little below a hundred pages per hour or more than a page per minute, whereas Lillian can read with full comprehension by simply glancing at a page, technically taking no more than a minute to read through a hundred pages; regrettably, the speed at which she turns pages is on par with that of any commoner, and she is just as prone to paper cuts as the next girl. Still, she would rather take her time and to fully appreciate a novel, and knows better than to skim over the poetic ‘Anthologies of Gwylliam Winterdell’.


Parallel Processing
Though it is not an ability Lillian can make use of whenever she wishes, it can manifest in stressful situations that require quick thinking. When it does activate, she is able to manage multiple streams of thought, which substantially accelerate the speed of analysis and problem-solving. Since she is not used to it, continuous use of this ability may eventually cause a painful, painful headache.
[Acquired in 'Into and Out of Hiding']


Night Vision
Either because of her years spent in dimly-lit libraries or her apocryphal lineage, Lillian possesses a highly-developed vision, come night time and dark places. This allows her to see further and clearer what others would wholly omit. However, her daytime vision is no better than any common human’s, and in very bright times, it may become worse.


Bladed Weapons Proficiency
Her father never let himself rust, and his hand had never weaned from the cold warmth of his blade’s haft. In the Outlander’s Quarters, the weak often fell prey to predators, and with a wife and a daughter, he could not allow himself any rest. One day, worry had overtaken him, and he decided to teach his little girl how to defend herself with a sword. She had learned the basics, but was still at a tender age and was utterly incapable of lifting a sword and putting to practice the theories she had been inculcated. Now, Lillian is by far more apt, capable of standing her ground against adversaries approaching expertise using blades, with perhaps the slightest of edges. Also, she has extended her martial understanding to other similar bladed weapons, such as knives, daggers, dirks and the like, which she can also throw with impressive accuracy.


Flexible Weapons Proficiency
After months of adventuring in the real world, she realized that to survive, words and daggers were not always the most useful tools. Lillian was often in hackles when she found herself unable to reach distant targets with bladed weapons, and she realized that willingly disarming herself with the throw of her dirk was more detrimental than beneficial in the long run. Because of this, she chose to make an innovative use of her web-weaving abilities: by affixing magical threads to her weapons, she could substantially increase the range of her attacks, without risking the potential loss of her scarce arsenal. With time, she became quite a legend with her control of a flexible weapon, to the point that she can rely on it and it alone against large groups of armed professionals.
[Acquired in 'What Happens Now?']


Unarmed Combat Proficiency
Lillian is less than an amateur in hand to hand combat, though that is due to a lack of practice rather than knowledge. She knows of multiple combat techniques but, due to her natural frailty, lacks the strength and body mass to execute them correctly. While she is sometimes unable to throw a straight punch or kick without tripping herself, she would be able to execute deadlocks and grapples, were her physical attributes somehow enhanced. This is all, obviously, irrelevant if her strength remains as abysmal as it usually is. However, using her dexterity and reflexes, she has become apt at redirecting the force of blows aimed at her: while she may not avoid the hit itself, she can use the inertial moment to execute a counter-attack.


Abilities

Uncanny Hodgepodge

In the slew of books she has read came the occasional grimoires and scrolls of magic. The ink had been washed away in most, while the contents were utterly false in others, but sometimes she stumbled upon the fragments of the keys to unlock powerful magics… but that was what she had, fragments of different keys. With only pieces of knowledge, she did not possess the full understanding of elemental, portal or ethereal magic, but she had glued a key nonetheless, and opened the most bizarre of doors. Whenever she calls upon preternatural forces with her patchwork magic, anything can happen, from bursts of cold fire to gusts of stunning wind, but more often than she wishes, the spell backfires in the most unpredictable ways. Repeated failures have shown that the most likely form of the aforementioned flops is a weak bolt of lightning that descends from the sky to strike her.


White Widow

The very first set of magical powers produced by the Welkin Body. Through assimilation of Giant Spider blood, Lillian has given birth to a unique form of magic: it revolves around the creation of black threads that can be controlled through sheer will as long as they do not stretch over forty feet in length. They have the tensile strength, shear strength and special properties of Prevalida. Weaker threads can be created in greater numbers and length depending on their exact strength. When weaved beyond their maximum functional length, they become as inert as any other inanimate object. (Half of the weaker threads in her possession are automatically upgraded to maximum strength at the end of a quest. As such, it would take two quests to convert all of them.)
[Acquired in 'The Demon and the… Librarian!?']
  • Formula Shift
By slightly altering their formula, she can make her threads highly-adhesive, change their color for purely aesthetical purposes, or choose to make them either reactive or conductive to magic. Reactive threads can blow up when struck by powerful magic, while conductive ones can be imbued or safely fused with magical energies of her own or those of an ally (if a thread conducts magical fire, it will become a fire thread, et cetera). After the spell’s effect ends, the thread automatically vanishes.
  • Web Therapy
Lillian's most prominent use of these threads is the weaving of an impermeable web that accelerates the rate of healing when applied to a wound. By feeding energy into the damaged tissues, the web precipitates cellular division without the risk of long-term degeneration of cells. The web remains affixed until it is fully healed, and is quite useful in stopping hemorrhages, as it stems the flow of blood. Surface wounds like scrapes and cuts take only an instant, while clean fractures and burns take seconds, although those require much more energy from her. Lillian can now treat very serious injuries, or attempt to heal lethal wounds with a high success rate, but the exact efficacy of the spell depends on her mindset while sewing the magic into a web. These healing properties can be infused in both active threads (still connected to her body) and inert threads (disconnected from her body).
[Acquired in 'The Demon and the… Librarian!?']
  • Seamstress of the Sinister
No longer is Lillian limited to weaving only strings and webs. During her years of indiscriminate reading, the librarian has come across much knowledge concerning various forms of craftsmanship, notably that of tailoring and its multiple branches. After hands-on application of her knowledge by practicing every morning, Lillian has become more adept at complex weaves, though she has only recently crafted crude pieces of clothing using her abilities. These items born of her magic usually have no ability, save for their similarity in appearance and properties to spidersilk. However, with more time and effort (a day of assiduous work for lesser than masterwork items of clothing), she would be capable of producing quality textiles of the same strength as her current black threads, while losing little to none of their flexibility. Anything of weaker strength would take from a few hours to half a day. When left untouched for twenty four hours, the fabric becomes as any other non-magical material, which means that Lillian can no longer make it disappear; as such, it can be enchanted. (Either she can weave two jackets or four shirts of this material in every quest, or spin the equivalent in silk cloth for future use. Must be requested at the end of a quest. Can be sold.)
[Acquired in 'Saved']


Gargantua’s Might

The second power produced by the Welkin Body. By sipping the blood of a red-eyed mercenary named Godhand, with his permission that is, Lillian has, on top of gaining nigh-immunity to his specific pheromones (and resistance to similar particles), made his sheer physical strength into her own. Though upon the first use of her newfound might, her body was capable of the same extraordinary feats as the man, she is no longer capable of drawing from it at the same level of potency. Under its influence, she can lift up to 9000 pounds and can, with effort, bend Mythril; in this state, her running speed can almost quadruple, and she will also gain impressive stamina. Lillian can emulate the mindset needed to call upon this power with a good success rate. Otherwise, it usually activates under situations of high emotional stress or duress and at varying degrees of effectiveness, and is most likely to manifest when her life is endangered. When in this state, dark red rings form around her irises.[Acquired in 'Blood Red Blossoms']
  • + Soma of the Behemoth
In a subconscious effort of counter-balancing the self-destructiveness of her strength, Lillian’s body has adapted by unnaturally enhancing its base constitution. As such, when Lillian makes use of her earth-shattering strength, her muscles and bones reactively become extremely hard, allowing her otherwise frail body to withstand the immense stress and high-velocity impact of her own attacks. This also provides her greater defense against blunt damage, though her muscles are still very susceptible to piercing and slashing attacks. An interesting corollary of this ability is that her constitution is heightened even in her normal state, albeit to a much lesser degree. Moreover, she now permanently maintains a fraction of her unusual power, due to a bleed-through effect from repetitive use of her full-fledged strength. This allows her to lift, without much effort, heavy objects that would give a pair of average men some difficulty.


Elder Vespers

Of the many ancient houses of magic, Shadows were the first to have been forgotten, though some would argue that their fall into oblivion was a deliberate act. After all, light has been the bellwether element of the past few eras, and as such no secret has been able to slumber in its heart. Shadows, on the contrary, have harboured the mysteries of the world ever since they vanished from the minds of each and all; in secrecy lies their power, their ineffable importance. Still, an exception was made: Lillian, as a gift for her help in returning a swarm of shadow beings to their realm, received the Treatise on the Spawns of Shadow, which allows those with the affinity to summon such creatures. The librarian managed to call upon Shalim who, after much persuading, finally decided to teach her the fundamentals of ancient Shadow Magic, the Elder Vespers.
[Acquired in 'A Study in Black']
  • Shalim, the Child of Dusk
The very same being that she helped in the library of Ankhas, Shalim is a small and swarthy creature that stands at barely two feet tall, with short and somewhat stubby limbs. Its head is rounded, large and disproportionate to the rest of its body, tapering out slightly at the back. It has two wide, glowing white eyes and does not seem to have a mouth. Rather than being bound to Lillian, it acts as the girl’s teacher in the Elder Vespers. It is a powerful being, but it will not fight for Lillian nor will it obey her should she order or command it to do anything (as such, it cannot be used in battles and it will only use its spells for training demonstrations or story-related purposes).
  • Shadow Twist
The bare bones of the Elder Vespers consists in manipulating natural shadows to one’s will, for doing so awakens their latent magical properties. Right now, Lillian can only draw from shades within a twenty-foot radius. With them, she has learned to shroud her body, inanimate objects and/or other living beings, making whatever is underneath substantially more unnoticeable than it already is and much harder to focus on in or out of combat. She can otherwise create intangibles tendrils that are able to substantially drain away a person’s vitality upon contact. She can make seven tendrils at most that each stretch to a maximum of twenty-five feet, or a single tendril that can span a little over seventy, though this distance can be increased in conjunction with other shadow spells. The shadow tendrils can only be disconnected from her body if imbued onto an object, and anything that touches the object will see its life drained as well.
  • + Crown of Sheol
The grand purpose of the Elder Vespers is not only to conceal, but also to preserve. In light of this, Lillian was taught how to mold the shadows in her vicinity into a protective shroud that can dampen the effects of any non-physical assault, from magic to various types of radiation (thermal, light, even nuclear to some extent). Though it does not provide any manner of immunity and does not last indefinitely, most harmful forms of sorcery and technology aimed at her will see themselves attenuated. When subjected to intense flames, she will not immediately feel the heat, an when she does, the effects will be mitigated. Focused forms of energy will not pierce through her, but be momentarily diffused by the shroud, giving her time to escape. All in all, this defensive ability allows her a greater chance to survive situations that otherwise would have made short work of her.


+ Bardic Repertoire Since her enrollment at Istien University in the Empirical Major, Lillian has learned much about her musical talents. She has found herself a rather adept vocalist as well as a skilled flautist, but her understanding of the theories and practical applications of song-magic is what she developed the most during her short tenure there, before being evacuated during the siege of Eluriand.

  • + Melody of the First Revelation
The first melody learned by students of the School of Ost’Dagorlin in the fledgling Empirical program. It requires precise notes balanced with emotionality, and upon its successful playing, the song-mage’s natural affinity will manifest. Most create sparks of fire, small waves of mist, sudden breezes or a weak quake in the ground, consistent with the basic elements. Some, however, can manifest their affinities in the crackling of lightning, a halo of light or the flicker of shadows, amongst others. Lillian’s affinity manifests in animating shadows in a way that reflects the heart of their owners. Other than being an interesting parlor trick, however, it has no direct practical uses.
  • + Wilwarin’s Signature
Under the tutelage of High Bard Orophin Súrion, during their sojourn in the forest of Timbrethinil, Lillian learned her first offensive song-magic from the School of Ost’Dagorlin. By playing the rapid melody without mistake, she can summon a swarm of sorcerous butterflies; their wings glow an ethereal blue, and their flutter is accompanied by a sound much like the crackling of electricity. In large numbers, they are small and individually deal medium shocks, but they are larger in small numbers and can stun as well as cause a notable level of pain by electrocution. The effects of the song are best with a flute or when sung, but a very small fraction of the its potential can be used with finger snaps or hand claps.
[Acquired in 'Horrors in Timbrethinil']
  • + Flute Concerto for Wirilómë
Though well aware that she only plays the part of the soloist, Lillian has composed a complete concerto for the strangest of accompaniments. In playing it, an innumerable swarm of dark blurs are summoned, shaped vaguely like scuttling spiders with threads of mist and shadow trailing from their incorporeal bodies. Lillian does not control them individually, but they all respond to simple directives: search and relay. As extensions of her mind, they allow her to see and hear beyond the limits of her senses by relaying simply information (geographical coordinates with her as the point of origin, outlines of what they can see, snippets of sounds) that her brain overlaps to process something much more accurate. As such, within a radius of 90 feet, topographical mapping, basic trap detection and improved searching are all made possible. Lower numbers of spiders allows for a greater range (up to 1000 feet), but with inversely proportional levels of definition. The concerto must be played to the end for an entire swarm of spiders to work until dismissed, but a few seconds of the music or finger snaps can summon up to ten. As a note, being incorporeal, they cannot physically attack, but they can interact with other shadows, be they natural or magical.


+ Planar Weave

The third power produced by the Welkin Body. By lapping specks of blood belonging to Mathias Vinkuzri, Lillian has found herself gifted with abilities similar to his planeswalking. She now possesses a hyper-sensitive spatial cognizance, allowing for her to be aware of weaknesses and distortions in the fabric of space, as well as sensing the presence of those using similar powers, allowing her to track them to some extent by locating their residual energy or metaphysical footprints.
[Acquired in 'Magnolia in the Mold']
  • + Spider's Burrow
Lillian can tavel long distances almost instantaneously by creating a wormhole of sorts on the ground: it will open as long as she has a clear picture of the location as well as general knowledge of its geographical position on Althanas. It can draw in objects as well as willing people by using ethereal webs that dematerialize matter upon contact. Jumping into the wormhole bypasses the process altogether, making this method faster, albeit much more uncomfortable. Lillian can effectively burrow to a different continent, but such a distance can only be traveled twice per day. She can however make up to five burrows a day within the same continent, with a cooldown of at least 2 hours between jumps. She cannot yet travel to other dimensions. Short-range burrows are impossible, making this ability completely worthless in combat.
[Acquired in 'Magnolia in the Mold']
  • + Knapsack Universe
Using this power, Lillian can weave a pocket dimension in her knapsack, allowing greater volumes to be carried inside its limited space. This, however, also applies any type of container from scabbards to pockets, which allows her to store a rapier inside a dagger sheath. The volume of the pocket dimension is six times greater than that of its physical container, and objects within it weigh a quarter of what they should. She can create these easily for small containers, but the time requirements and difficulty grow almost exponentially for larger physical volumes. Lillian uses this mostly to carry all of her belongings with her, as she spends most of her life on the road.
  • + Divination Principle
Lillian and Mathias both can sense one another, somewhat like a compass point permanently pointed in the direction of your counterpart. If either of them focus on one another's location, they can skein a vision of the other's location by a form of scrying or divination. This allows them to travel towards one another, wherever they are. She will also be able to sense those with whom she develops a similar bond, potentially allowing her to travel to them in the same manner. Time is a crucial ingredient in the use of this principle, and divining a true vision of another’s location is no exact: as such, she still has difficulty using it correctly.
[Judge Bonus Acquired in 'Magnolia in the Mold']


+ Stygian Arcana

The fourth power produced by the Welkin Body. By drinking the astral blood of a Forgotten One, the Necromancer Xem Zûndalon, Lillian has gained her darkest power yet. When activated, her newfound knowledge of Necromancy allows her to understand the ebb and flow of life, and thus to alter its path and direction in certain spells of her own that deal with this cycle, or to bolster them with the sacrifice of her or a willing donor’s lifeblood. Moreover, this power provides her with a heightened resistance to magics of rot and decay or the draining of life, though in no way is it even close to an immunity. When in this state, her eyes are overwhelmed by a vitreous black, and those attuned to sorcery may notice a dark aura exuding from her skin.
[Acquired in 'Dawnbringers']
  • + Queen’s Aegis
Using this magnified form of her resistance to the black arts, Lillian is capable of commandeering a spell pertaining to life cast in close proximity, such as necromancy and many certain of healing. Once the hijack is performed, she can either dispel it, counter it back, or redirect it to a tertiary target. This, however, tires her greatly, and she usually reserves it for magic that can surpass her necromantic resistance. This can only be performed twice in a battle and/or twice in a day.
[Acquired in 'Dawnbringers']
  • + Sanguine Magnetism
Though currently underdeveloped, this ability allows her minor control over not only blood, but any physical essence that is deeply linked with a living being’s life-force, such as ichor and liquid mana, among others. Any blood within her line of sight can be summoned to her, be it spilled or dripped, though it must be fresh to a certain degree (clotted blood works to an extent, by dry, old blood does not). Once manipulated, however, the cells will remain everlastingly fresh and will never go stale. Her manipulation of blood resembles telekinesis, though she cannot move blobs of blood very quickly yet, and the maximum volume she can manipulate at once is three liters. For now, she cannot drain blood from an open would, only what has already been spilled. Moreover, given time and focus, she can make cultures from blood samples, effectively cloning the cells. As such, blood samples she possesses can be increased in mass and volume as a spoil request, unless the increase is used solely for storyline purposes.Using this magnified form of her resistance to the black arts, Lillian is capable of commandeering a spell pertaining to life cast in close proximity, such as necromancy and many certain of healing. Once the hijack is performed, she can either dispel it, counter it back, or redirect it to a tertiary target. This, however, tires her greatly, and she usually reserves it for magic that can surpass her necromantic resistance. This can only be performed twice in a battle and/or twice in a day.
[Acquired in 'Dawnbringers']
  • + Sanguine Magnetism
Though currently underdeveloped, this ability allows her minor control over not only blood, but any physical essence that is deeply linked with a living being’s life-force, such as ichor and liquid mana, among others. Any blood within her line of sight can be summoned to her, be it spilled or dripped, though it must be fresh to a certain degree (clotted blood works to an extent, by dry, old blood does not). Once manipulated, however, the cells will remain everlastingly fresh and will never go stale. Her manipulation of blood resembles telekinesis, though she cannot move blobs of blood very quickly yet, and the maximum volume she can manipulate at once is three liters. For now, she cannot drain blood from an open would, only what has already been spilled. Moreover, given time and focus, she can make cultures from blood samples, effectively cloning the cells. As such, blood samples she possesses can be increased in mass and volume as a spoil request, unless the increase is used solely for storyline purposes.

Equipment

Lillian carries a knapsack in which various odds and ends can be found: food rations she has learned to bring along ever since she was too afraid to walk back home, a few blankets, a change of clothing, a wool cloak for outerwear and, obviously, her ‘books of the moment’. She also carries a blank diary (she had thought of writing entries, but realized it was too much of a hassle), a fountain pen and a set of pencils. Moreover, her house is riddled with weapons of her father’s making, notably the tulwar made of an unknown metal he wielded decades ago as an adventurer. Otherwise, she has only the clothes on her back, that is to say a white dress; it was sewn by her mother as a gift for her eighth birthday, which was incidentally the last one they spent together.


+ Blood Samples from Legends
During the Cell, Lillian collected the blood of each renowned warrior she encountered. This includes: Joshua Cronen, the nearly indestructible Pagoda Warrior; Rayse Valentino, the arsonist and Human Torch; Letho Ravenheart, the Red Marshal and Hero of Corone; and lastly, Teric Barton, the Bloodrose Wolfe.

[Acquired in 'The Aequitas Chamber' and 'The Mazrith Chamber']


+ The Nightmare Schiavona
René Magritte, better known to the people of Camus as the Memory Man, possesses a device that can not only record memories, but also convert them into physical manifestations of themselves. In exchange for the memory of her worst nightmare, a premonition of the otherworldly monster she was to become, Lillian was given in return a basket-hilted sword. Its blade seems a long, broad jag of crystalline blood, while its bell-shaped hilt is a weave of nightmarish tendrils, neither metal nor organic. A word, ‘‘Preta’’, is etched on each side of its flat in the script of Fallien: it refers to the starving ghosts of myth that wander the deserts, insatiably craving for that which they find repulsive. Whenever she holds the blade, the memory of her nightmare returns as vividly as if she had just awoken from it, and every time the sheer shock warps her mind, bit by bit.
[Acquired in 'The Memory Man']
  • + Preta, the Starving Lotus
Much like the monsters after which it was named, the sword is an entity whose craving can never be sated. It yearns for blood, and the more it drinks in a day, the more pain it will inflict on those it wounds. Its true power, however, lies in what becomes of the blood it ingests. Once a person is cut, the blade acts as an extension of the Welkin Body, although instead of absorbing them, it randomly steals one of the victim’s powers. Three choices are available to her afterwards: if she chooses to do nothing, her opponent will be unable to use their purloined power for an hour; if she wills it to happen, she can activate the stolen ability and use it as her own, but only once; if she cuts herself with the bloodied blade, however, her body will copy the ability permanently, and the victim will see their power return automatically. Unlike the abilities she normally absorbs through the Welkin Body, those stolen with the ‘’Preta’’ cannot change or evolve, and will always remain as they were at the moment of the theft (and once cut by the ‘’Preta’’, victims will be immune to any subsequent theft and/or power-lock for the rest of the thread). Because of its maddening effects on her psyche, however, Lillian only makes use of the ‘‘Preta’‘ when she has no other choice.
[Acquired in 'The Memory Man']


+ International Pass
As thanks for her help, and since she is the only person who knows what the Villeneuve family truly does, Lillian can use the International, the family ship, as a mode of transportation (as well as the Villeneuve family as minor NPCs so long as they aren't killed off). While she possesses no ‘‘actual’‘ physical pass, their recognition of her does allow her access to a rather sizable seafaring vehicle and every piece of equipment upon it.
[Acquired in 'The Three Ouellets']


+ Subdermal Cocoon
In order to protect her frail physique, Lillian developed over the months a network of extremely thin strands of interconnecting silk within her body. She basically weaved a layer of webs between her epidermis and dermis, thus giving her heightened protection from slashing, though not quite as much against piercing damage. She is still just as vulnerable to blunt damage, however. Over her chest, the layer of webs also uses her thorax as support, allowing high-impact damage to spread out, though this would likely break all her ribs. It is the strength of her strongest threads, which is currently that of [COLOR="blue Prevalida</font>.
[Acquired in 'The Three Ouellets']


+ Prevalida Needles (x10)
Purchsed from Caitlyn Menagerie’s haberdashery, ‘‘All Seams Fine’‘. They are two-eyed needles of Prevalida, of approximately two and a half inches in length. They improve the transmission and overall power of magical enchantments and additive spells, while remaining just as resistant to offensive sorcery and curses.
[Acquired in 'All Seams Fine']


+ Sitayamini Beachwear
A two-piece bathing suit complete with sarong, weaved from her trademark spidersilk. The fabric itself is impermeable as well as soft and comfortable, despite having the shear and tensile strength of [COLOR="Blue Prevalida</font>. As opposed to being used only for the beach, however, Lillian usually wears the bathing suit as undergarments, while the sarong can be used as a shawl or blanket during cold nights. The fabric can change colors or boast any number of patterns with a single touch and thought from the girl.
[Acquired in 'Lost and Found']


+ Cloak of Occultation
A gift from Ramirez Vinkuzri, leader of Concord, after her escape from the lair of the the Lich Morian. It is of a simple design, though the fabric has a weightless quality to it and gives off an unwonted sense of durability. Silk-like ribbons are used for fastening, and the hood is ample enough for free motion without impeding eyesight. Its color dances between midnight and cobalt under changing light. Wearing it allows Lillian to escape most means of scrying and detection: she still gives off heat signatures, but any magical or divine aura she may exude cannot be perceived while her body is covered by it. Due to this effect, one cannot seek her out by any idiosyncratic signature she may give off or by divining her location, and it will keep her safe from the Hunters of Devayoni, for the moment. As a note, wearing the cloak does not render her invisible in any way.
[Acquired in 'Magnolia in the Mold']


+ Valdaglerion Fluteblade
A gift from Rávion Valdaglerion, after the ordeal of Timbrethinil. Crafted from an unknown crystal, this flute is imbued with the magic of Valdaglerion soundsmiths, allowing it to transform into a fluteblade with a rapid swing or a strong grip. In its blade form, it still has apertures for wind to pass, allowing for the use of toned-down song-magic in the midst of armed combat: that is to say such song-magic would only manifest 25% of its usual efficacy. The use of song-magic through the flute form, however, enhances its effects by 50%. Its strength is equivalent to Delyn.
[Acquired in 'Horrors in Timbrethinil']


+ Crude Maple Flute
Another gift from Rávion Valdaglerion, after the ordeal of Timbrethinil. It is a simple flute crafted from maple, and it has no special properties.
[Acquired in 'Horrors in Timbrethinil']


+ Soirée Attire
The fabric of the dress is a satin of both deep cobalt and midnight blue, with simple cuts and a streamlined design. Rather than the short sleeves she is so acquainted with, there is only a strap rounding back her neck, its thin ends tied into a subtle ribbon. Donning it, her back and shoulders are bare and exposed, and while not plunging, the décolletage almost seems too revealing in her eyes. The hem of the dress floats inches beneath her knees, and the outward shape reminds her of blossoming petals without being too obvious or infantile. Made and given by Alexis Manna, seamstress and owner of the ‘‘Needle of Your Eye’‘. It comes with a matching pair of low-heel slingbacks.
[Acquired in 'Needle of Your Eye']


+ Manna’s Pendant
A pendant with a golden chain. Though old, it is barely worn and is of exquisite craft. It was a gift from Alexis Manna, though unbeknownst to the girl, there was a motive behind its offering. Cannot be sold.
[Acquired in 'Needle of Your Eye']


+ Elven Bottle of Wine (x3)
Taken from a supply room within the Obsidian Spire. Each bottle is enchanted with elven magic that allows the wine to age thousands of years beyond its normal capacities without turning into vinegar. As such, it is of an exceptional quality and, quite likely, worth.
[Acquired in 'Blood Red Blossoms II: The Reach of the Tower']


+ Delyn Rapier
It was given to her by the mercenary Godhand during their stand at the Obsidian Spire. It is of masterwork quality and displays exquisite craft, with silver inlays on the hilt and guard.
[Acquired in 'Blood Red Blossoms II: The Reach of the Tower']


The Treatise on the Spawns of Shadow
Though it disappeared from one of the underground vaults of Ankhas, it reappeared in Lillian’s backpack, repaired and recharged as a gift for returning a group of summoned shadow creatures to their world. This book currently allows her to summon the Shadow Child, a small being of aggregated darkness with large white eyes. More information on this creature can be found under the ability ‘Elder Vespers’.
[Acquired in 'A Study in Black']


The Ode to the Night
A glass-encased vellum on which is written a single spell that has three different effects, each depending on the presence or absence of the moon (Not to be confused with an actual magic item or spell that she will use, as it is solely for [U]storyline purposes[/U]). It is carried by Shadow Child, who safeguards it in the dimension locked within its body.
[Acquired in 'A Study in Black']


Eclipse Pendant
A pendant given to Lillian by Seti Dylan, proof that she is a member of the House of the Sora. It is made of refined silver, treated so as to have mirror-like properties, and is engraved with the solar eclipse, the official sigil of the House. It currently has no ability. Cannot be sold.
  • + Tejas, the Ring of the Sun
The inside of the pendant has been outfitted with a miniaturized teleportation device, allowing her to create a portal linking her to any of the full-sized Rings that each of the House of Sora bases now possess. To choose which, she only needs to rotate the dial on the back of the pendant to the correct position, then tap on the face of it with force five times in quick succession. Due to its portable power source, it can only generate a portal twice per day before needing to recharge.
[Acquired in 'Ring of the Sun', 'Empathy for the Stars' and 'Bottled Moon']


Mazzra Medal of Valor
Unlike what could be expected from a decoration with such a distinguished name, it is merely a piece of polished brass in the form of a seven-pointed star. It has no ability.
[Acquired in 'A Study in Black']


Vial of the Spider God's Blood (x3)
After defeating the ‘Spider God’ that assaulted the port city of Scara Brae with the help of the Izvilvin and the half-elf Anenfel, Lillian gleaned some of its purple-black ichor for later analysis of the substance, hoping to understand what could have triggered its unnatural growth.
[Acquired in 'Into and Out of Hiding']


Eye of the Spider God
At the same time, she pried out from the waterlogged corpse the only eye that was still relatively intact after the fight. It looks like a slightly over-sized crystal ball, opaque and tinted gold.
[Acquired in 'Into and Out of Hiding']


Bicycle
In actuality, Lillian has finagled a little brass claxon that magically turns into a bicycle when she honks it. For some reason, long rides are not quite nearly as tiring on this one, and it travels a bit faster than the common bicycle for the same effort put into pedaling.
[Acquired in 'Yves Montand Sang About It']


Tri-Horned Pendant
The strength potion that Lillian asked to be brewed in the Synthesis Shop somehow turned into a hardened piece of material very similar to amber, though tinted a green hue with dark spots and a Tri-Horned beetle trapped in its core. When activated, the pendant increases the user’s strength to 4 times what it currently is and will last for anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Once the effects wear off, the pendant will need roughly 10 to 12 hours to recharge.
[Acquired in 'The Wild Hunt Ends']


Pocket Watch
A fine timepiece she has carried with her since her trip to Scara Brae. It has no properties other than telling time. Made of refined silver.
[Acquired in 'The Demon and the… Librarian!?']


Silver-Rimmed Glasses
Because of her blue eyes, Lillian is very sensible to sunlight. To remedy this, her mentor, Merkah Baen, gave her a pair of alchemically crafted glasses that filter light without reducing her vision. Strangely, whenever she is blinded by natural or even sometimes magical means, putting them on helps her recover her eyesight very quickly. Otherwise, they have no properties. She seldom wears them, as most of her time is spent in dim libraries, where her eyes does not suffer one bit.


The Unseen Nexus
Also known as the 'Invisible Bonds of Love', the Nexus was found in the top shelves of the 'Bawdy Barry', an erotic bookstore in Radasanth. Though not a magical artifact, it is of unquestionable value, as its ciphers contain the hidden locations of countless books and grimoires, their lore and underlying powers lost to the times. Lillian is working hard on decoding the texts, but the task reveals itself to be extremely complex, even for the blue-eyed prodigy. Still, Lillian does not capitulate, for she feels that her efforts will soon return success.
[Acquired in 'Althanaversary Round 2: Ataraxis vs. Culix']


Anumati, Cillu Dirk
The last work of her father is a Cillu Dirk that he had crafted for a priestess Lillian could never find. Deciding against leaving her country unarmed and without a physical memento of her father, the young girl brought it along for her long trip. With a handle grooved down its length for enhanced grip, a blade bearing the washed pattern on nacre shells and an overall length of nearly fourteen inches (13 6/8”), the weapon’s design is a strange mix of balance and asymmetry in its shape as much as its ornamentation, with embeddings of small Kiramaini beads in the pommel, on the guard and along the flat. Though it was originally meant for use in ceremonial services, the dirk remains a weapon before all, and a remarkable one at that: it has been weighted and balanced to make throwing a viable option, and its sharp edge is still sparkle clear even after the reckless battles it has seen.
  • Vatya, the Desert Gale
After being combined with a number of crystals and scales at the Synthesis Shop, the dirk now finds itself imbued with a power over wind. The enchantment reduces the drag of the wind against the blade, allowing it to travel faster and straighter with less resistance towards its target. Also, by quickly slashing the air in front of its target or targets, it will create a pressure disruption that forms into a crescent-shaped current of sharp and extremely fast moving wind. It is able to slice open skin and cloth, but will dissipate upon impact with most metals, though still doing some damage to materials such as leather.
[Acquired in 'The Wild Hunt Ends']


Throwing Knives (x3)
They were given to her by Alaina Varia, the wife of a travelling companion of hers, Aiden DarkStorm, upon his death at the hands of the wizard Ishadin. They are simple steel weapons, and have more sentimental value to the girl than anything else.
[Acquired in 'Saved']


Dvaita, Prevalida Throwing Dagger(s)
Purchased at the ‘‘King’s Armory’‘, a small store in a Salvaran fief handled by a warmhearted woman named Erin, this innovative dagger made of Prevalida has helped Lillian out of tough situations quite a few times, thanks to its unusual characteristics. Not only is the blade small enough to fit in her palm, but its edges are sharp and jagged, making it quite hard to remove every time it lodges into something. Three holes are set at the end of the tang in a triangular formation, each large enough for a finger to fit in, making it a good throwing weapon. Its most notable use, however, is its ability to (after enough force is applied to its tang so that the small clamps along it disengage) split vertically into identical pieces, thus becoming two daggers instead of one. Those who know of this particularity find the meaning of its name, Duality, quite fitting.
[Acquired in 'Shopping']
  • Samsara, the Wheel of Karma
Lillian had gone to the Synthesis Shop to have the Dvaita enchanted, though the actual nature of its imbuing was left to the Fae’s creativity. Lasair was, however, unaware of the weapon’s particularity when she synthesized it, which resulted in a pleasant surprise for both girls. As it was, the Dvaita had the power to send poisonous bursts of pure magical energy into the system of whatever creature it cut. Though the effects vary with the gravity of the wound and the general amount of energy absorbed within the victim’s body, it can cause from light-headedness and the dulling of the senses to vomiting and possibly fainting. However, its greatest effect is the temporary disruption of magic, which means that a being wounded by the Dvaita may half the time see his spells malfunction, become inoperative or even backfire. Still, the true marvel of the enchantment lies in its effects when the Dvaita is split in two.
[Acquired in 'The Wild Hunt Ends']
  • Atamas, the White Datura
One of the halves turns from the Prevalida’s clear blue shine to a glossy ivory. It inflicts the most damage against creatures such as vampires, demons and the undead. After stabbing these, the Atamas sometimes causes internal bleeding or disables the opponent’s healing abilities, but it always sends waves of pain throughout the body. On normal or diametrically opposite entities, it deals the same damage as would a normal Prevalida dagger, perhaps even less.
[Acquired in 'The Wild Hunt Ends']
  • Gahana, The Black Asphodel
The other half of the Dvaita becomes a deep shade of matte onyx, and thus reflects very little light. It deals increased damage to all beings that are said to be attuned with light or allegedly ‘clean’ magic, such as Faes, animated entities and a number of elementals. To these, being stabbed by the Gahana sends a burning flux of pain like acid eating them from the inside, which can become quite crippling over time. On normal or diametrically opposite entities, it deals the same damage as would a normal Prevalida dagger, perhaps even less.
[Acquired in 'The Wild Hunt Ends']


Sitayamini, Black Spidersilk
Sitayamini, or Sita Silk for short, is the name Lillian has given to the special brand of magical spidersilk that she can create. Whenever she finds the time, Lillian weaves as many of her magical threads as she can, and as such she has accumulated quite a few spools of the Dehlar-strong material. One spool is considered the equivalent of one shirt. Two shirts, thus two spools, is the equivalent of a jacket.


The Welkin Body
A sentient artifact buried deep in her complex mind, and the source of Lillian’s bizarre abilities. It is of a nature unknown, its composition a befuddling conundrum on its own while its dimensions are literally out of this world, beyond the comprehension that a dimensional tetrad can provide the likes of mortality. The closest Lillian has ever been to an accurate description of the object is a twenty-faced ideal polyhedron, constituted of a dark, crystalline matter, which contains the glow of a purplish-black light. It has revealed to her that it possesses the capacity of adaptation beyond that of humans, and that their symbiotic relation allows her to tap into this power to create an array of abilities, depending on the nature and urgency of her situation.
Its most notable use, however, is that of assimilation: the Welkin Body can capture the essence of virtually anything that substantially affects Lillian’s mind (as long as it is magic or organic) and absorb a portion of it for processing. The sample is then converted over time into powers related to the substance in question. As of now, a maximum of five essences can be transformed at a time, and it can require several months, if not years, before the procedure is completed. Under rare and specific circumstances, however, the absorption capacities of the Welkin Body can momentarily manifest, even if it already is processing at maximum capacity: this allows her to gain abilities that do not evolve in ways other than efficiency as she grows. A relevant example would be during a near-death experience, though this has not yet occurred. [Acquired in 'The Demon and the… Librarian!?']

History

The Story till Level I: 'Maiden Voyage'


Lillian’s first true adventure was at the age of twelve, when she boarded a ship for Scara Brae to follow in the footsteps of her parents. It was quite unfortunate that she started her first venture into the world by almost dying and becoming the meal of a gigantic spider. The trip was, luckily, not an utter failure, as she did befriend a charming, albeit dense boy named Sam and made the acquaintance of the mercenary demon, Ifrit Obsidian, who became her guardian during her stay on the island. She even became aware of a strange being that had lived inside her in secrecy, self-proclaimed the Welkin Body, and of the new healing powers it bestowed upon her. The entity, however, fell into a deep slumber shortly after their meeting, one from which the child could not shake it, no matter what she did. Halfway through the forest, in the village of Greenclough, she was kidnapped by a crime syndicate. During her time of captivity, she learned of her parents’ ties with the leader of her abductors. What followed was as much of a happy ending as she could hope, for the demon returned to save her and saw her safely to Scara Brae. There she recovered a box that once belonged to her mother; though it was locked and without a key, she took it back to Fallien as a keepsake.
Four years later, Lillian was exiled from Fallien for her failed attempt at entering Irrakam without an exit pass. The deed was done by the same man who had denied her parents the same right before their disappearance. The girl had never learned his name, and reckoned she never would; this made her already heartbreaking departure from her homeland that much more frustrating. She found refuge aboard the Peregrine as a stowaway, but was quickly discovered by the captain, a certain Rajani Aishwara. Instead of throwing her into the ocean to feed the sharks, as she had seen done in so many books, the young man took interest in her prodigious mind, and by some strange turn of fate, made her an integral part of his entrepreneurial group.
He sent her on her first assignment, where she was to persuade a monk of Ai’bron in joining their forces to fight against the Illicit Entrepreneurs. With the help of the sword-mistress Doji Ki, the mission had been a success, though she did not leave the Citadel without a few bruises and broken ribs. Her second task was to research the resources of Salvar in the library of Ankhas, a much less dangerous mission than her previous one… or so Rajani thought. There, she inadvertently unleashed a legion of Night Incarnates, who seemed to feast on fear to spread the darkness. After realizing that they had been called away from their home, she helped them return to their realm with the help of an arrogant Drow Summoner, Helviana Erelisstra. A few weeks later, she made her way to Salvar, where she helped her leader diffuse the resources of Althanas with her newly-acquired knowledge. The teenager had not expected the business venture to end with a gentle force blessing the Peregrines on their voyage.


The Story till Level II: 'Perusing the Nexus'


Upon her request, the ship dropped her off at the dock nearest to Radasanth, where she had hoped to spend quality time browsing its world-renowned library. Unlucky as she was, however, she became the murdering tool of a lecher sorcerer, who took over her body to dispose of Devin, heir of the Argente family. Following a violent battle, Lillian was wounded by the boy’s silver katars, but the pain was enough to summon an old power back to the surface. Once more, the Welkin Body rose from an unknown abyss, expelling the intruder from the temple of her mind without difficulty. Devin, remorseful, nursed the girl back to health after hearing her apologetic explanation, but disappeared once the girl had fully recovered. Hoping that she could resume her perusal of the library, she came across information that told of the Unseen Nexus, a special book which contained the locations of the most occult tomes and arcane scripts on Althanas, and perhaps even beyond. Following a trail of two-hundred-year-old clues, she was led to the 'Bawdy Barry', an erotic bookstore, where the said book had been securely stashed for centuries. Alas, she fought over its possession with a purple-haired boy and shoplifted the Nexus by accident. On the streets, she jarred into a political insurrectionist, who also happened to be a most potent fire wizard. With the help of the same boy, she defeated him and his flaming golem, saving innocent bystanders on the streets from what could have been a burning massacre. As a token of his gratitude, the owner of the Bawdy Barry gave them each a copy of the Nexus, though Lillian realized a few days later that he had given her the original by mistake. Concomitantly, Lillian found a new reason to explore the world; to exhume time-lost knowledge all over the world and make it her own.
As the first step of her new quest, Lillian traveled to the esoteric country that was Dheathain. In the swamps of Fiorair, she met Aiden DarkStorm and his son, Chance, though the circumstances of their meeting were somewhat unsettling. By some strange force were they lulled to an old and massive tree, exuding of mysteries and an unshakeable taint. With their help, she contended against an ancient evil that lurked within the sylvan prison, escaping both gruesome rape and agonizing death by its monstrous hands. After this blood-curdling ordeal, she became good friends with the man and the boy, deciding to tag along with them on light-hearted adventures, scouring the rainforest and grasslands for synthesizing ingredients. With her new allies, she fought Algoras, Wyrms and Wyrvens, becoming stronger and hardier with each day spent at their side. Alas, when they set out to rescue Aiden’s wife and daughter, Alaina and Fate, her friend met his dreadful end, and his son was kidnapped by the same man who murdered him, a despicable sorcerer named Ishadin. For months, Lillian grieved. For months, she searched, desperate. But nothing.
After months of silence from the Peregrines, she received a letter that summoned her to Marach Mor, where Rajani was forming a party to explore the ruins of the ancient capital. The news made her cry in happiness, trawling her from her pit of solitude and remorse. At the Great hall, she met a handful of important figures, including the captain of the Peregrines and Seti Dylan, a foul-mouthed architect and the leader of the House of Sora, which allied with his group shortly after the completion of their mutual task; that is to say, the discovery of time-raught artifacts and the repairs of the ruins themselves. For this venture, Rajani had only requested her aid as a scribe, wishing for her to record everything of import that was to occur during the endeavor. Little did he know that a steadfast quill and a faultless memory were not the only things this girl of sixteen would bring to the table. Little by little, the girl had gained respect from those she frequented. Now, however, it is fame that she is gaining.


The Story till Level III: 'Reaching Above the Skies'


After her adventure in the ruins of Donnalaich, she was offered a position in the House of Sora as Matriarch of Lodge Vespera, where she would lead a team of scholars on various research projects of both scientific and magic nature. Her first assignment was, naturally, to recruit a team comprised of Althanas' greatest minds. After multiple refusals on her voyage, she dejectedly returned to the island where it all began, Scara Brae. There, she sought the vestiges of her past, the few remaining mementos of her parents had left, before taking roots in Fallien. During a sojourn at the Sea’s Salt that should not have lasted more than a night, she made the acquaintance of a half-elf warrior, Anenfel Saendithas, and of a Drow named Izvilvin, while the port city was attacked by a horde of spider-mounted goblins. In the middle of the siege, the spiders retaliated against their masters, instead uniting as one under the shadow of their God, another spider of gigantic proportions. Their motley team eventually prevailed, and decided to set out on more adventures to the west.
After leaving Scara Brae, she headed out to Raiaera so as to resume her mission, while not forgetting her personal search for knowledge. Using the first few decoded pages of the Unseen Nexus, the girl learned of a set of books called the Red Pharos and the White Calamity, supposedly housed by a dilapidated library in Anebrilith: were they to be reunited under one unsuspecting owner, they would bring about the lands chaos and destruction. She was unfortunately too late, as they had both been rented by a pretty bookworm by the name Maia Kristel, whom she followed to the coast of the port city on a private beach. Unable to purloin the items from her bag, Lillian decided to remain with the bonnie blonde instead, ever on the lookout for any sign of an impending cataclysm. Alas, the influence of the books had already begun to spread on the beach-goers. Luckily, with Maia’s help, they interrupted the clash of the two entities and returned peace to the elven city. Though they took different paths later following these events, they left as close friends.
The following events were a maddening spiral. She was first taken to an alternate dimension where she faced with an alien entity with powers very similar to her own, hell-bent on assimilating the magical powers of those it captured. Its plan failed, and all prisoners had been released with her. Among them was a renowned Raiaeran Bard, Orophin Súrion, who grudgingly recommended that she study at the IstienUniversity. There, she followed the Empirical major, a fledgling program that favoured hands-on studies rather than theories. She was a prodigious learner, but this caused her classmates to avoid her, all save one young man, Io Beauregard, her roommate who soon became her friend. A dark presence lurked on the school grounds, apparently following the girl for shady reasons, but one day she learned that there was much more to him than met the eye and that they shared a strange… kinship.
It was then that an ancient evil resurfaced in Raiaera. Under the rising shadow of Xem‘Zûnd and his undead legion, Eluriand was in turmoil, and all students were ushered out of the University while thousands of soldiers were mobilized. Lillian was among them, but was alas separated from Io in the chaos. Alongside the famous Skie dan Sabriel, a mercenary called Godhand, a battle-scarred warrior named Kross and another student, the ophidian Khalina, Lillian escaped from the walls with the help of a mysterious force that teleported them to Carnelost, already ravaged by the Necromancer‘s army. There, they fought a few risen corpses before withdrawing into Lindequalmë, where they encountered one of the Forgotten’s generals, the Queen of Undeath, Cydonia. To survive, the librarian assimilated the mercenary’s inhuman strength and fought alongside him and Kross, defeating her with her healing powers. When all seemed well, however, Kross revealed his true colors as one of the Dark’s goons, and fled the Obsidian Spire with Skie on his shoulder, while the undead were closing in on the Tower, once a shelter but soon to be their grave.


The Story till Level IV: 'Return to the Fold'


Lillian escaped the Obsidian Spire by inadvertently touching the onyx stone on an armour that once belonged to Xem’Zûnd. It sent her flying far away in a dark stream the bore resemblance to a murder of ravens, and brought her to the ruined castle of one of the Dark’s esteemed generals, Sir Anderson Maxwell, the Unbeliever. There, she was kept prisoner for what seemed to be ten days, until she escaped from her cell by breaking the bars, using only a piece of a broken platter and her soaked dress. She ploughed a path through the thin ranks of undead that had not left the castle for patrol, until she jarred into Godhand Striker at the gates. Her defences crumbled at the sight of that old friend, until she collapsed from exertion, malnutrition and excessive happiness. He left her to sleep in his wagon while he quickly dispatched the general using his new magic-cancelling sheathe. However, after being left in the adjacent village, she decided to rush back to the Tower, hoping that there had been survivors – she knew it was highly unlikely. Unbeknownst to the girl, something within her had activated a strange spell, which created a gate that sent her ten days in the past, incidentally a few hours after her teleportation from the Spire. Thus was she able to assist her fellow stranded classmates in fending off the army of the Necromancer.
Following this ordeal, the teenager returned to Ettermire, where she continued to search for fellow scholars who would be willing to join the Vesperan Lodge. By visiting an old friend, Shairin Melarn of the Moru Úr inn, she ran into the Drow Summoner Helviana Erelisstra, the insufferable prick of a friend she had made during the incident in Ankhas. The girl was ecstatic when she heard of their engagement, though not exactly surprised by that turn of events. A few days later, she learned that the Qu’Ellarin Building was being sold off floor by floor, and she struck a deal with the town hall to rent the seventh floor, which thereafter became the headquarters of Lodge Vespera. There, she launched a series of projects with the help of the people she had managed to recruit, including Helviana who worked there part-time. Their first order of business was the creation of a dimension expander that would allow them more room in the cramped space that they had been provided, but Lillian knew that was only be the beginning.


The Story till Level V: 'Windows of Opportunity'


Seti Dylan, Patriarch of the House, was last seen in a foreign country on the continent of Kebiras, where raged a violent civil war. Rajani Aishwara, Patriarch of Lodge Peregrine, was said to have been be lost at sea or returned to his home of Avalon. Even with these ill tides, Lillian would not leave the House to die. As such, she formed an interim triumvirate with two other Patriarchs to sustain the group until the return of its missing leaders. During that time, the gears kept spinning in Lodge Vespera: a number of volunteers came to its aid, participating in the search for a number of special components that were necessary to its many projects, such as the retrieval of teleportation gate prototype in the mines of Kachuk and the hunt for a magical power source that could power it. Were they to return successful, she would be able to start the next phase in the expansion of the House throughout Althanas. That being said, she also had an unexpected meeting with an old member of the organization, Caduceus Grimaldi, who revealed to her that he now led the Order of the Golden Dawn and wished to form an alliance with the House. She gladly accepted, knowing full well that the Order was a benevolent association, being well acquainted with one of its other leaders, Dagon Dessalines, whom she had long ago met in the dreadful forest of Luthmor.
However, she had noticed certain changes occurring within her body for some months now, such as an unexplained loss of weight and a resurgence of vivid nightmares and otherworldly voices that haunted her more and more during every waking hour. Fearing that whatever was happening to her might endanger her colleagues, she delegated her work and set out for Fallien, her native land, sensing that her old mentor knew the answers to questions she could still not formulate. The girl did not have the slightest clue that the events that were to follow her return home would change her forever, and in more ways than one.


Afterwards...


(To Be Completed)

Other Notes

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