Elia Toland

Quentyn Toland (deceased)

Viserra Toland

Aemond Toland

Elia is the eldest child of Ashlynn Toland and her Prince-Consort, Aenys Velaryon followed by her twin brother, Andrey Toland only two minutes later. She is married to Benjen Stark with whom she has one son.

## Appearance and Personality

Elia was born with the unique traits of each of her family, having the fiery red hair of her mother, purple-blue eyes of her father, and sun-kissed skin of the Dornish. She has put in much work maintaining her appearance as a respectable Dornish Princess by flaunting her wealth with the best spun silks, gems, and an adorned tiara.

Elia is perhaps the most enigmatic of the Tolands, excluding her own mother, of course. Though never buying into the paranoid fear of her mother, the air of intrigue that surrounded the Toland court of her youth has rubbed its way into her psyche making Elia rare to fully trust anyone outside of her family and always prepared to use her ever growing arsenal of webs to gain dominance over others. Despite this, Elia can be quite charming and worldly, if not shallow, when with others. She has also adopted some traits of her bookish father and has a personal library installed in her quarters.

## History

### Early Life (105-120)

Elia would be born on a sunny day during the year of 104 A.C. From her birth it would be her destiny to one day rule Dorne as its’ Princess despite her name being Toland. Her parents' marriage was a product of the very betrayal that made the Tolands the masters of Dorne. A pact to betray the Martells sealed with the marriage of a royal cousin, Aenys Velaryon  to Ashlynn Toland. Though many in Dorne cursed the marriage as compounding the treason against the Dornish people, the faithful followers of the Red God disagree. At Elia and her twin Andrey’s birth the priests of the faithful celebrated the birth claiming that the healthy duo was evidence of Rhil’lors favor.

Elia would have a mostly happy childhood even as her mother’s reign of terror across Dorne made the rest of the kingdoms lives a living hell. As a Princess Elia would never feel in want nor lack confidence, even as a baby her crib was decorated with the finest silks. As she grew older this would only grow as she was dotted on by servants, nannies, and perhaps most significantly of all, Red Priests. Though it was a comfortable life, it still left much to be desired. Her mother’s ceaseless paranoia meant that the young heir to Dorne was rarely allowed outside and on the few exceptions it was universally with a close guard who reported directly to Ashlynn.

This proved to be intolerable for the young heir who despite having leagues more than almost all others in Dorne sought autonomy above all else. Elia first found her opportunity by the extensive use of disguises. A successful raid on the servants quarters gave her her first step by attempting to hide among the servant population, though this would only work so well. She tried dying her hair to remain hidden but that would only work well so long as her eye remained purple, somehow that would have to be changed.

She prayed to Rhilor for an answer to this paradox, how could one be disguised with royal eyes? Fortunately, Rhilor answered. The priests told her that Rhilor could give many gifts including Glamoring. After nearly a year of study and prayers, she saw her moment. A thief had attempted to rob Ghost Hill, a young Dornish beauty who looked not so dissimilar to Elia. Though her crime was petty her punishment was not as Ashylnns ever growing paranoia saw even the most minor of crimes to be treason, not that Elia cared. Stealthily Elia snatched the fallen thief's clothes and a single ruby from the treasury. After hours of prayer and on the sacrificed blood of the thief's form she was now trying to take Elia created her escape. Her god had answered for when she hung the ruby on her neck she felt the heat burn into her. When her eyes opened again the purple was gone replaced by Dornish brown just as her eyes turned from red to black and skin from sun-kissed to dark. Elia had become someone else, unrecognizable, and perfect to escape with.

### Princess In All But Name (120-127)

From there her talents in intrigue would snowball. Ashlynn would become increasingly reclusive as the years continued on, dedicated to her research in the arcane, as this became more apparent it fell to the Toland children to take the reins of leadership on the ever unstable Dorne. In her absence, the groupings of thugs and spies had gone far out of control even necessitating a Justicar to come to Dorne to bring it under control. Elia attempted to tame the sprawling spy and security networks that ran across Dorne. Though she found it unwieldy and at the beginning, even occasionally losing control of parts of it, Elia eventually tamed the groups making it less into a gang of thugs and more into a refined informant network, albeit in a much reduced size largely due to the Sand Judges crushing large sections of it.

With her time freed she moved to matters of the faith sponsoring Red Priest expeditions across Dorne to enlighten smallfolk and noble alike of the Lord of Light. Conversions around Ghost Hill were largely successful though attempts to convert, or at least teach those Dornish in further land of the Faith failed. Every step of the way she was sabotaged by both the Justicars and the zealous faith of Dornish noble and commoner alike. During this time it was also decided that, as the heir, she would have to marry. Elia was resistant to the idea and having to at least openly give up the life of paramours for marriage and motherhood, especially when a Stark was proposed as a serious candidate for a husband. However, not long after the wedding, she found she liked such an exotic husband from the far North maintaining a surprisingly steady marriage.

### A Realm Divided (128-30)

With her time freed she moved to matters of the faith sponsoring Red Priest expeditions across Dorne to enlighten smallfolk and noble alike of the Lord of Light. Conversions around Ghost Hill were largely successful though attempts to convert, or at least teach those Dornish in further land of the Faith failed. Every step of the way she was sabotaged by both the Justicars and the zealous faith of Dornish noble and commoner alike. During this time it was also decided that, as the heir, she would have to marry. Elia was resistant to the idea and having to at least openly give up the life of paramours for marriage and motherhood, especially when a Stark was proposed as a serious candidate for a husband. However, not long after the wedding, she found she liked such an exotic husband from the far North maintaining a surprisingly steady marriage.

Soon a new issue grew out of the cracks within Dorne. The so-called “Children of the Spear” began to become a pest throughout the realm. Around the time of their foundation, Red Priests and agents alike began showing up dead. Perhaps the two were related? Alas, she could never say for sure as her efforts to uproot these rebels failed every time.

Though ever frustrated by the Justicars and Children of the Spear Elia found the status quo tolerable for the moment. In her off time, she found peace in the arms of her husband and in the studies of the arcane arts of Rhil’lor. It was only with the death of her brother, Quentyn, at the hands of a Martell all while the Jusicar declared his murderer innocent and whisked his child away and did something to snap in Elia. She was hardly a loyalist before this but after such brazen abuse of power and mishandling of justice broke her tolerance of the Targaryens broke. From that moment on she began plotting a Dorne without the Targaryens or at the very least without the Justicars.

## Family Tree

https://www.familyecho.com/?p=VG2MC&c=8rwmfcfny5&f=651813649695930675

## Stats

Skills: glamour, poisoncraft, espionage

Mastery: cloak and dagger