Ilyana Torcaryn

Ilyana was a member of Hralldan Dawncaller adventuring party. She fought Malataxes, a chromatic Black Dragon, twice in her life. She also fought in the Sunset War against the Valdoreians refugees, before switching sides to fight against the Kingdom of Epixus. She assisted in slaying five of the six Prime Demons of Atar, and held off the sixth while Hralldan finished the divine sealing ritual of Thoella. In her later years, she founded the Mage Guild Guild in an effort to research divine and arcane magics, and invented the only known Portal to other Realms, although the instructions for how to perform the ritual were ultimately lost during the final battle against Malataxes.

History

Early Life

Ilyana was born in the year 160 AG in an Elven forest village of Aria in the Kingdom of Epixus. Her people realized her natural brilliance immediately, and sent her to an academy in the capital city of Andsall. She studied Arcane Magic in various schools of magic, which at the time was considered much worse than Divine Magic, given how active the Gods were in the Hidden Realm. After finishing her Masters at the Wizardry College in Andsall, she attempted to obtain a research position, but was told she was not qualified enough.

She set out on her own to learn more about the Arcane, and came across the town of Bardpointe. She met an 18 year old human paladin, named Hralldan Dawncaller, who convinced her to help him slay a dragon that he had been tasked with removing from the nearby area. She agreed, and along with the halfling Jorga Greywing, the three succeeded in driving off the Black Dragon. The three agreed to remain together and travel, becoming close friends.

Adult Life

They took on contracts across the continent, travelling to new lands and seeing new things, until they came across a Dwarf being attacked by a young remorhaz. She distracted it while Hralldan finished it off, and Hralldan and the Dwarf, named Pallmir Cinderhair, fell instantly in love. She insisted that Pallmir be kept somewhere safe and not brought along with them, much to Hralldan's dismay, but he ultimately relented.

When the Sunset War broke out, she advised that the companions stay away from Epixus until the war had ended, but Jorga convinced Hralldan that they should go to help people, and she was outvoted. Ultimately, she did find a purpose in the war, proving the power of the Arcane. She acted as artillery for the armies, wiping out hundreds of the invading Sea Peoples with Fireballs, Vitriolic Spheres, and Meteor Swarms. She was feared by Epixian troops as well as the Valdoreian troops for her indiscriminate use of Evocation Spells. When Jorga returned from his assassination attempt with the Elven Queen, Ila Irdleliem in tow, she immediately attempted a Power Word Kill, assuming that he had been charmed or otherwise enchanted. It was counter-spelled by Jorga, and Hralldan restrained her to allow Jorga to explain. After the explanation, she apologized to the Queen, and was the first to agree to switch sides, assisting Jorga in convincing Hralldan that the war with the refugees was anathema if they continued. This ultimately turned the tide in the war, leading to the white peace that led to the Valdoreians to settle in Epixian land.

During the final years of the Age of Gods, when the Prime Demons began erupting from the earth, she assisted her companions in hunting down and slaying five of the six Prime Demons. However, it was her that held the final Prime Demon off while Hralldan channeled his god's energy into the seal that stopped it. Her and Jorga went separate ways after his death, both heartbroken from the loss of their friend.

Later Life and Death

After telling Pallmir of Hralldan's death, he broke down and she could not pull him out of the overwhelming heartbreak, and ultimately left him in the home him and Hralldan built in the isolated Northern Kingdom of Grimsaldr. Pallmir was last seen wandering into an icy northern blizzard without any coverings, and his body was recovered frozen the next morning. She personally blamed herself for not understanding the Arcane or the Divine enough to save Hralldan and Pallmir, and founded the Mage Guild in order to study it further. She dedicated the rest of her life to research, and her work ultimately culminated in the development of a portal that would connect the Hidden Realm to the other Realms, but it still needed more testing.

Before that could be completed, Malataxes, now an adult, attacked the Mage Guild. She attempted to battle him, but her old age had weakened her ability to fight him off, and he stole the documents. She put a bounty on him and urged Timur Tilallel, her apprentice and prodigy, to recover the documents. He failed to recover them, but he did manage to slay Malataxes, splitting him in half by closing the portal he had opened with him halfway inside it. She attempted to recreate her research but her health was failing. On her death bed, it was recorded her last words were:

For five centuries I have travelled this world, and I have not enough time for the task required of me.

Legacy

Mage Guild

Ilyana founded the Mage Guild, which persists today. It also exists for much the same purpose as when she first founded it. However, many of the mages are still trying to recreate her research, rather than attempting their own research and exploration of the arcane and divine like the mages of Ilyana's time did. She is regarded as somewhat of the patron saint of mages, and is considered one of, if not the most, powerful and brilliant wizards of all time.

Family

Ilyana never settled down with a partner. It was often joked among her peers that she was married to her research, however, most likely she was harboring guilt from her past, and her research kept her focused elsewhere. It was obvious to anyone in the guild though, that she considered Timur to be her true successor. She had taken him under her wing to teach him all she knew, and it was even rumored and speculated that she considered him the son she had never had. It hit him especially hard when she finally passed, and he swore to carry on her legacy and he took over leadership of the guild and its research.