| “ | So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Sparda, besides the will of evil. We were fated to meet. In which case you were fated to have freedom of independent thought. Exploring and embracing the better parts of yourself. To become something more. An encouraging thought, no? | „ |
| ~ Lilandra to Sparda |
Lilandra, known as the Fire Maiden, was a mortal priestess belonging to the Church of Fire. She was the priestess whom Sparda first befriended and is the driving point behind his rebellion against Hell.
Overview[]
Lilandra was a priestess of the Church of Fire. She and the church served as the final beacon of hope in the darkness underneath the demons of Mundus. The Gate of Hell, erected as a sacrificial altar for Mundus and the legions of Inferno, was stationed within Calgotha. The darkness that seeps from the Gate twisted and distorted the town to become a shriveled husk of its former glory where misery and despair reigns over the heads of the citizens. The Church of Fire was made to become the final beacon of light within the darkness where Lilandra would aid the struggling and weak-willed people of the village, lifting them up in times of turmoil.
Lilandra's activities, unfortunately, garnered the attention of Mundus' demons who destroyed the Church of Fire, killed the priestess and priests and tore Lilandra's eyes out as a form of mockery, forever being blind to the light of the fire. Despite the destruction of the church, most of the priests/priestesses either killed or abandoned the way of the church, Lilandra kept firm to her belief and would light fires beneath the catacombs of the town. At some point, Lilandra received visions from the fire involving a great champion with "black wings of treachery" raising up his sword against the forces of darkness which he once stood with, though she did not disclose that information to anyone. Sparda was ordered to search for the source of the rumors in regards to small groups of people still practicing the beliefs of the Church of Fire. When Sparda found them, he met Lilandra and while the situation was quite tense at first, something about Lilandra's character slowly sparked a close friendship between her and Sparda.
Eventually, Lilandra's spirit, will, and beliefs began to change the way Sparda viewed humans. It also sparked the first friendship between a human and a demon, especially where a human made a demon understand compassion and humanity. At the time, Mundus' invasion was fast approaching, but the Dark Emperor took wind of Sparda's extended leaves of absence and had a squadron of demons search for him. They discovered Sparda's allegiance to the humans via his aid of Lilandra move the remaining people far from Mundus' coming attack. When a demon fatally wounded Lilandra, her blood burned the demon from a simple touch before being slain by Sparda. Sparda understood that her blood would be a key to Mundus' defeat in the process, but instead of tending to her wounds Lilandra urged Sparda to defeat Mundus and his armies. After single-handedly defeating Mundus and his armies, Sparda carried the wounded Lilandra to the altar where the Gate stood and hesitantly used her blood to initiate a powerful spell that closed the Gates before destroying it completely. Before she passed, Lilandra had Sparda promise to follow his heart and embrace his humanity.
Appearance[]
Lilandra's age is unknown though she often appears to be young or middle-aged. She has platinum blonde hair tied in braids, fair skin, and wears the traditional attire for a priestess. As the Fire Maiden, her clothing consists of a black cloak or hood clipped around her shoulders, blackish grey or brown dress, and is barefoot. After her eyes were plucked, she wears a pristine silver visor with a single jewel in the center.
Personality[]
Lilandra was soft-spoken, well-mannered, but compassionate, polite, gentle, and extremely wise. She never raised her voice and held tremendous will power. In fact, it was her will that prevented her from succumbing to the darkness that enveloped her village. Even when losing her sight she never lost hope even when all those around her abandoned their beliefs or were slaughtered by the demons and corrupted the Calgothians. She would at times be cryptic, but always knew what to say to lighten up one's spirits. Such character traits are what drew the likes of Sparda to her in the first place which sparked a close and important friendship. Sparda held a deep respect for Lilandra, to the point where he took her cloak and used it to cover his presence during his travels, always keeping it close to feel her warmth, and remind him of the human who changed his life.
Lilandra is the sole reason behind Sparda's abandonment of his servitude to the dark powers of Hell. One often believes that Lilandra embodies the human spirit or will which may be as to why she never succumbed to temptations of evil or malice. Even just observing from afar, Sparda was captivated by her comforting presence alone. Sparda learned much from her in terms of showing compassion but more importantly, learning how to find and embrace humanity, which would unlock one's greatest potential from within. Sparda's newest traits of wisdom was also due to Lilandra's teachings. As time progressed after her passing, Sparda's character would develop, with Lilandra's influence being the seed which was planted to change his views and morality. Lilandra is also incredibly selfless as she was unconcerned with her own life and only wants to ascertain the survival of her people. She also willingly gave her life for the sake of extinguishing the darkness.