Illis

## Lore

**Illis** is a skilled fencer, able to weave motifs of Mana out of thin air. His Weaver arts define his fighting style and allow him to distort the very fabric of reality. His somewhat cold attitude can be mistaken for contempt, but this is not really the case. Illis perceives reality in a peculiar way: the threads of life fold and cross, weaving links and tying knots between the living while destinies break and fray. He sees the world as a complex framework where every minute detail is of the utmost importance. His constant and meticulous contemplation of these threads makes him tend to forget the living beings they represent.

Illis was born in the kingdom of Locandre, in the lantern trees belt that separates the northern and southern realms. The human king of Locandre had managed to establish peace in this area of constant conflict.
The king had three children he loved deeply: Anae, the elder sister, was an unrivaled diplomat; Jabor, heir to the throne, was a joyful fellow and a great strategist; and Illis, the youngest, was smart and a fantastic fencer. The children did not wish for their father’s death, yet waited eagerly for the day he would designate who was to inherit his rapier, a powerful manasteel sword named Stellar.
These carefree days did not last. The dukes of Locandre formed an alliance to overthrow the king with the help of the Sorcerer Kings. The duke Heto, their leader, pressured the king by inviting each of the royal courtiers to join the rebellion, then putting to death all who refused – including Illis’ fiancee. Wishing to avoid war with the north, the king yielded. His three heirs were sent on a year-long journey to Dis to hand over Stellar as a sign of submission.
Halfway to the Sorcerer Kings’ capital, Heto blatantly taunted Illis about his dead bride-to-be. Illis seized Stellar without a word and cut the man’s throat. His siblings at his side, he cleaved through a good half of the hundred men that were escorting them to Dis, then rode back to Locandre as fast as he could, trying to outspeed the messengers that would alert the Sorcerer Kings. When they arrived in Locandre, the armies were already on their way.
The northern armies entered the capital, burning the lantern trees that had been towering over it for thousand of years, and killing any living soul they encountered.
Prince Jabor and the guards didn’t stand for long, while Anae was slayed before she could escort the children and women out of the castle. The king put Stellar into Illis’ hands and asked him to run; the benjamin protested but his father readied himself for the fight, ignoring him. Illis bowed and ran away.
The prince raced to the forest and seeked refuge under the thick petals of a lantern flower. In his grip, Stellar began to emit a prismatic light and he had a brief vision of his father facing warriors and roaring flames. The ground shook as the king fell to the ground, and Illis let out a cry of anguish as the world went black.
When he woke up, his vision was clouded. Colorful threads seemed to hang in the air in a multitude of tangled filaments. He emerged from the burnt petals of the lantern flower.
The forest was intact, no smoke in the sky, no tree lying on the ground. The birds were chirping and in the distance he could see the castle standing proudly. Three heirs were leaving the gates, surrounded by soldiers and led by a loud-mouthed duke.
He stared at Stellar and the incinerated flower, understanding in an instant the unbelievable truth.