Liyra Istin

Liyra Istin is a member of the necromancer's guild in Malum, specifically its secretary. She is introduced as an NPC in Arc 10.

## Description

Liyra is a lovely woman with a fae-like appearance. She has fair skin and bright pink hair in little space buns. She is "kind of a necromancer", but not an arcane one: they have made various Warlock pacts, and have technically become a Cleric of 17 different deities over the course of their life, which has already been centuries longer than it was supposed to be for them as a Human. While these deities don't individually want to keep her alive forever, she makes sure that at all times, there is a deity with a vested interest in keeping her alive for now, and sometimes even plays them against each other.

The Raven Queen is not one of the deities she has a pact with. In fact, the Raven Queen hates her, according to Liyra, alledgedly for no actual reason. Liyra claims that she accused her of cheating the natural rules of life and death, and that she just answered she should tell that to her friends, who "seem pretty keen on that as well", accusing the Raven Queen of double standards.

For the centennial meeting of the necromancer's guild at Tiffany's mansion, she wears a long, deep dark pink cloak with bright geometric patterns that is open in the front, revealing a skin tight shirt underneath, and high waisted pants.

Liyra and Tiffany have an on-again-off-again relationship, and shared custody over a phoenix. It is later revealed that Liyra is pregnant with Tiffany's child.

## Backstory

A few decades before Arc 10, Liyra is visited by Nea Veia and Edd Yaug, who just kind of follows Nea Veia around.

Tiffany and Liyra have not apposing, but also not always congruent approaches to magic, and go at it in different ways; Tiffany being an arcane caster, and Liyra more devine. However, Liyra knows enough about his magic to understand the basics of it. Liyra is aware that he believes that she betrayed his trust at some point, but does not seem to agree to that interpretation of events. Still, the two of them decide together that she would keep herself ignorant of what Tiffany is doing, partially because she does not want to be held liable for whatever it is.

Some time before Arc 10, she notices that there are some problems in the fabric of magic. Part of her reasoning to visit the guild meeting is to investigate the problem.

## Development

Liyra is the first person to arrive for the meeting, and Theodrink has her as one of the biggest variables of the night. Immediately, she asks to see Tiffany and moves past Theo to let one of the simulacra bring her to the real one. Later, Tiffany and Liyra emerge from his study, with Liyra shouting at her, threatening to murder her; Tiffany just starts greeting the guests. During the show and tell, Tiffany stabs herself, and the power goes out in the mansion. Liyra uses that time to go upstairs, opening the only door on that floor that is always there with a silver key. Behind it is a hot blaze of red: she takes the phoenix that she and Tiffany have shared custody over.

As the guests meet again in the ballroom, Liyra identifies the dead man lying there next to the spot where Tiffany stabbed himself and vanished as Edd Yaug. The others question her what her argument with Tiffany was about, and she says that it was a personal disagreement, and that she, after the party, doesn't want to have to do anything more with him.

Later, Dion and Luminessa meet her alone in the dining room, where they ask her some more. Liyra explains that she has no idea what Tiffany was working on. She says that was supposed to investigate the problems with magic, but since the Arc 10 party is so invested, while she isn't, she decided to just let them do it. Still, she follows the group into the basement, to find out the truth behind what is happening.

In the basement, Luminessa murders Tiffany as she finds out that he was harming Nea Veia, turning him into a zombie under her control. Liyra is angry at that, but attacks zombie Tiffany. After the fight, Theodrink finds her crying in the bedroom, the zombified Tiffany next to her. He gives her Tiffany's diary. Liyra asks Theo about his children, and tells him that she is pregnant with Tiffany's child, but that Tiffany did not want to play any role in their life, which is why she will leave her soul where it is: inside a gem on a volcano. Liyra then proceeds to follow the schedule for the meeting, summoning the tome containing the bylaws of the guild, so that amendmends can be proposed.

Liyra does not join the quest on the ranch of Bishop and Marigold, as she has to deal with Tiffany's affairs.

## Trivia

* There are multiple hints to Liyra's pregnancy: In Episode 2, she does not drink the wine during the show and tell. In Episode 5, she eats a steak covered in peanut butter and cocktail sauce, drinking a glass of water with it. In the same episode, she says that her tastes have gotten weird lately.
* Liyra has never read the bylaws for the necromancer's guild.