Isla (EE-luh)

Reclusive and mysterious, Isla is one of the Celestials of legend. She currently resides in South Geranium as its ruler, although many do not think she is a Celestial, choosing instead to believe she is simply a powerful ice mage whose title has been passed down.

We'll stay with Isla. She's the one who protected me when I ran away last year, and she'll protect us now.

— Tendra, Digital Warfare

History

Most of Isla's history is unknown by the galaxy, but stories from Southern Geranium nobility tell of her past. Princess Isla was the third child born to the former king and queen of South Geranium. Within a few years, Isla began manifesting incredible magical abilities, particularly ice elemantalism. Her control was practically nonexistent and after several injuries, her parents forbade her from interacting with others. Isla spent the next ten years isolated from her family until an official ceremony she was required to attend.

If they did not want her, she did not want to stay with them. She would make her own home and family, even if it took a thousand years.

— Isla, Iceheart

During the ceremony, an altercation ensued with Isla's oldest brother. Accounts of the event are vague and their only similarity is the end when Isla loses control of her now unimaginable power and kills her family. Horrified by her actions, Isla fled the city and disappeared into the mountains, where she protected herself with magic.

While in the mountains, Isla was visited by the only other Celestial in her area: Conri, the Celestial of wolves. Conri taught Isla how to use and control her magic. With his help, Isla was able to understand her power and meld with it rather than try to suppress it. Isla returned to the city after several years in the mountains and insisted on being made queen. The city's inhabitants accepted her and allowed her to rule the South from her mountain stronghold.

In the years following her successful takeover of South Geranium, Isla realized she had become a Celestial. She became good friends with Conri, who explained why she had become a Celestial and helped her learn to interact with other Celestials that would visit, particularly his siblings. Although she did meet others, she preferred to keep to herself. Very few of her subjects ever brave the freezing mountains to seek her out, although it is generally known that anyone in need is welcomed at her palace.

by Lilliana Casper

As time passed, Isla continued to rule over South Geranium from her mountain fortress, isolated from the rest of the world and only occasionally journeying to the city to check on her people. Her only friends for hundreds of years have been Conri and various messengers from the city and other southern villages. Despite her absence from society, her presence can be felt throughout South Geranium as her magic protects the entirety of her territory and her existence remains a well-known fact.

Magic & Powers

Unlike many Celestials, Isla is primarily a user of ice magic. However, she has demonstrated her grasp of additional abilities with her powerful barrier and detection magic that allows her to protect both her territory and her fortress as well as discover trespassers. Even her abilities with ice far succeed those of mere ice mages. Her control and power over both ice and snow are absolute, allowing her to achieve things no other can. No temperature is too cold for her and she can influence the weather on a massive scale with very little cost to her.

Divine Classification

Celestial of ice

Age

About 1800 years old

Gender

Female

Eyes

Pale blue

Hair

White-blond

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale

Height

5'6"

Appearance & Renderings

Isla has often been described by writers as a young woman of average height with pale skin, white hair, and icy blue eyes. Her hair is long and wrapped around her head in elaborate braids. The snow-white color is not uncommon to Eternals. Her powers over snow and ice are extensive enough for her to create clothing from it, held together entirely with magic, and she is often pictured in dresses, robes, and cloaks of pure snow decorated with a thin layer of frost spun into patterns.
Over the years, several artists have made paintings and sketches of the elusive Celestial. Some are from meetings with her and more are based on the testimony of others. Most renderings depict her in her icy fortress, either standing on one of its many balconies or seated on the impressive throne. A few show her walking through the snow in a cloak, surrounded by an army of her own magical creation.

by Lilliana Casper