Lady Maeriel

**Lady Maeriel** is a distant figure within the cult, keeping only to her own company, her brethren, and Greatmother Lucaerna. For years now, Maeriel has served as the shadowed hand of Lucaerna, even before The Mother recused herself broadly from active movment and activity. A highly capable wielder of illusion magic, Maeriel holds a careful balance between Shadow and Fel magics. Her talents of intelligence gathering are storied in the Shal'dari, with her greatest achievements being her inroads into Suramar during the Legion War. Many times she impersonated Nightborne so to better obtain Nightwell energy. Many more times she took positions of Legion authority to better command her lessers around. Deceitful and prideful, Maeriel perhaps takes after her parents a bit too much.

## History

The reasons for her service are mysterious to many, unknown to all save to Lucaerna and her closest sisters if that. Shortly after her maturation, she vanished from the temple and Lucaerna's sight, perhaps to go to her other parent; the Sayaad Queen Xazariel and her domain of Helmouth. Some suppose she chaffed under the binds of blood ties and sought to wander. Or perhaps she was permitted to by Lucaerna. All that is known is that after a time, she wordlessly returned to the temple and the halls of the night walkers, displaced the satyr at the head of the Assassin Clades, and took control in a single stroke.

In addition, she nominally "controls" the Queensguard; the Sayaad born of Lucaerna and Xazariel. This loose alliance within the cult see themselves as superior to their "halfbreed" brethren by dint of Xazariel's blood. Perhaps they are right, or perhaps it is undeserved.

Maeriel's own effectivness and prowess has earned her the nigh unique honor of bearing Lucaerna's own surname as a title, to the extreme jealousy of many, and to her sisters of the Queensguard who actually care.

## Personality and Acts

Lady Maeriel is an arrogant and haughty individual who lords her Firstborne status over others. For among all the servants of the Shadow Cult, she alone has earned the status as the most favoured Sayaad outside of the Handmaidens of the Mother. She herself was offered a position among the Handmaidens, but declined, and shortly thereafter vanished. Unwilling to take child for herself, and, uncommonly among many ranking Sayaad of the Shal'dari, follow the path of destruction to perpetuate the cycle of birth and death. She has born no children, and despite her seductive and mercurial nature, is careful to avoid the act of procreation herself, for she bears all of the qualities of a Handmaiden, but suppresses them.

## Role in the Cult

As her roll as head of the assassins, Lady Maeriel retains a great many captured magi and scholars to ply the timeways and the aether, seeking out targets with prescience that may one day come to harm the Greatmother. In the end it is Lady Maeriel who decides who shall be eliminated at the very highest levels and it is she who appoints those who shall train the next generations of killers. Beyond that, she is content to let her subordinate assassins take on the roles they see fit, heeding the commands of military leaders of the Varak Jal or taking on missions as requested by Shal'dari civilians or militias. As an incredibly prideful and glory hungry being, she selects only the choicest kills for herself that she knows will succeed; often taking the form of regime change assassinations, subverting towns and nobles houses, and other such high sakes missions.