Eilat Dodatrad

### Epithet

The Terror of Itamar Island, The Bloody Barbarian, The Charging Elephant, The Mercenary Queen

## Physical Appearance

### Physique

Over two meters tall, possibly the tallest person in Ashby, broad with firmly-toned muscles

### Scars/Marks

Scar on her belly from Udell's attack, various scars from battle

## Family

### Partner

Garnock Gyrtréow-Dodatrad

**Eilat Dodatrad** was the founder and first chieftain of Clan Dodatrad. Known as the "Blood Queen" for her thirst for war, she was a shrewd fighter with a deep grudge against Clan Glitrós. She was in charge of training Delaney Dodatrad in warfare, and upon turning 16, Eilat named her as the Dodatrad heiress.

## Appearance

Eilat was notoriously tall, certainly the tallest person in Castle Dodatrad, and possibly the tallest person in Ashby. Her height came from her Feijoan father, who was also notorious for his size, being known as Kelon the Tall. She was also broad and muscular, an intimidating size for a woman of Ashby. Her enemies called her *The Elephant*.

She had narrow black eyes that are described as having an Arava look to them, and curly black hair she inherited from her father. She kept her hair cut very short so she would always be ready to put on her battle helmet. She has never let her hair grow below her shoulders, as she felt long hair was too masculine.

## Biography

### Early Life

**Halt! Major Spoilers Ahead!**

Eilat's early life is not known to most. She was the firstborn child of Kelon the Tall, a Feijoan slave. Eilat never really got to know her mother, besides that she was an Arava and died in battle against At some point, Clan Glitrós attacked her home, killed her mother, and took Eilat and her father to Castle Glitrós as slaves. Being so young, Eilat was allowed to stay with her father, while he quickly became the favorite stud of Queen Finnea Glitrós. Not only did Finnea enjoy his pleasure, but she ordered him to sire strong, tall children with most of the female staff. No one knows how many children born during those decades were sired by Kelon.

The old queen grew to truly love Kelon, so his daughter Eilat was given the honor of being the personal servant to Finnea's eldest daughter and heiress, Ileanna Glitrós. The young heiress hated Eilat for being the daughter of the man who replaced her father, and she bullied and mistreated her at every opportunity.

When Eilat was 12, the rivalry came to a head. Finnea had just given birth to Udell Glitrós, obviously Kelon's child. In a rage, Ileanna attempted to kill Eilat. The slave girl fought back, moved with inhuman speeds, and without touching her, she sliced Ileanna's arm, scarring her for life. Fothergilla hit Eilat hard on the head, knocking her out long enough for guards and the Queen to come to the scene.

Although Eilat claimed self-defense, everyone in the castle knew Ileanna abused Eilat, and Finnea did not want to break Kelon's heart by banishing his beloved first daughter, as the clan chieftain, she could not overlook the fact that her heiress had been maimed by a slave. Eilat's punishment was to be branded and sent to work mucking out the garderobe.

However, Ileanna insisted that Eilat had not used a knife to cut her arm, but magic. She wanted her to be beheaded, declaring that Eilat was a warlock. Before she could be detained and tested for magic, Eilat panicked and fought her way out of the castle, killing six soldiers with magic. Finnea had no choice but to declare Eilat a warlock, although she did not spread the word to other clans, fearing how that might look, one of their slaves turning into a warlock.

#### The Child Mercenary

While traveling west, Eilat got into a scuffle with five older boys. Right as Garnock Gyrtréow planned to rescue her, Eilat defeated them all. This impressed Garnock. Seeing that she was injured, he offered her shelter and food. She was starving and agreed, although she promised to slit his throat if he tried anything improper. He took her to a hut he had inherited from a widow.

Garnock was used to a harsh life, having lived on the streets since he was 12, so he trained Eilat how to fend for herself. She was already skilled in hand-to-hand fighting in order to protect herself. Eilat's towering stature attracted other homeless children. She took in anyone outcast and willing to fight, regardless of gender.

Eilat heard stories of the hardships all these commoners had, compared to the opulence she saw in the castle. She grew angry at the social injustice against men, and the slow enslavement of the poor. She began to speak about creating a world without clans, where anyone can become mighty, and leaders earned their position, not inherited it.

This attracted more followers. As Eilat needed funds to feed everyone, she began to take jobs, and her small band of street urchins began to call themselves *mercenaries*. Garnock and Eilat led the gang as equals.

Eilat had seen open sexuality in her youth, especially with her father being a sex slave, so as she hit puberty, she unabashedly sought out anyone she fancied. At first, these were women in her gang, but she also bedded almost all of the men, including Garnock. Eilat found his company the most enjoyable, and gradually they became exclusive. While Eilat liked him mostly for his stamina in the bedroom, Garnock truly loved Eilat, admiring her strength, beauty, and idealism.

#### The Charging Elephant

She and her gang grew in notoriety, to the point where they were hired by Queen Azara to fight a Glitrós sub-branch troubling fringe settlements in Arava Desert. Eilat received her first real sword from the Arava chieftain. Finding themselves in the midst of luxury and a clan that allowed young marriages, Eilat and Garnock decided to wed. She was 15; he was 19.

Everyone who knew Eilat saw her take on an even fiercer attitude in this fight, like she personally had a grudge. Because of her towering height, massive build, and her eagerness to rush into battle, she got the moniker *The Charging Elephant*. It was an easy victory, but Azara did not want them to pursue. She only wanted her land protected. Eilat was furious at being ordered not to pursue the Glitrós and quit her service.

Shortly after, she discovered she was pregnant. Although it was against the law, she kept fighting until the armor would not fit her belly. The gang remained active thanks to Garnock, but they took only small jobs. Eilat gave birth to Stejar, and once recovered she immediately went back to fighting.

#### The Terror of Itamar Island

When she was 17, Eilat entered the service of Clan Itamar, hired by Queen Olivetta. She learned proper fighting techniques, studied swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat with a warrior druid, as well as training on a variety of weapons. As she put it, "In the heat of battle, sometimes all you have around you is a dead archer, so you better know how to shoot."

However, Clan Itamar did not allow men to fight in their army. Eilat had come with a mixed crew, believing that a warrior could be any gender, and men were often more powerful with swords than women. However, she could not get the Itamar to rescind their ban on men serving in the military. Being forbidden to fight, the men in her group left, except for Garnock.

A year after arriving, Eilat became pregnant again. Queen Olivetta forced her to stop fighting or even training on weapons, which infuriated Eilat ot the point where she almost left the island. Garnock convinced her to stay. When the baby was born, Eilat left as soon as she could walk and went out to duel with anyone she could find. She refused to deal with the baby or even name the girl for a week, calling her merely "Wild One." Queen Olivetta decided to use that term and named the girl Awilda. Eilat began to take contraceptive brews so she would not be forced to quit fighting again.

Queen Olivetta felt that Eilat needed to learn some basics about motherhood. She ordered Eilat to train her six-year-old heiress, Betulla Itamar. Eilat grudgingly did so, and while Betulla never succeeded at even basic swordplay, Eilat discovered that she had a talent for scheming. She urged Olivetta to hire an Aitil to hone in on Betulla's sharp mind.

Eilat rose to the rank of a captain in the Itamar Navy. Her fierceness in battle earned her the moniker 'The Terror of Itamar Island'.

After five years serving the Itamar, Clan Glitrós launched an unexpected attack against the Itamar islands. Eilat was sent to fight the armada, and although Olivetta forbade it, she brought Garnock along, figuring she could use all the warriors she could get. She was successful in her campaign, but Udell Glitrós launched a surprise attack on the main island, killed Queen Olivetta, her husband, all but one of her children, and burned Castle Itamar. Ten-year-old Betulla rescued Stejar and Awilda (ages 6 and 4) and took them with her as her uncle helped to evacuate the burning castle. Eilat heard about the massacre and assumed her children were dead.

#### The Mercenary Queen

Freed of children and royal employers, Eilat kept the ship she had been captaining and turned to piracy, mostly targeting Glitrós ports and ships. After a few years, she was attacked, her ship beached, so she returned to being a mercenary. With her idealistic dreams of overthrowing the clan system, hundreds came to fight alongside her. She fought for whoever paid the most, and she even created conflicts when they needed money. Her army was so huge, she gained the nickname 'The Mercenary Queen'.

It was five years before Betulla found Eilat again, delivering her two children. Seeing such a massive army, Betulla convinced Eilat that, with a stable base of operations, she could create a flow of income to feed and arm her soldiers. Then she could grow large enough to be a force to rival Clan Glitrós. All she needed was to use her mercenary army to take over a portion of one clan's lands.

Betulla's plan was to attack Clan Abellio, who were allies of Clan Glitrós and had taken over the old Itamar shipping routes, so the spices from overseas could be a source of income. However, Garnock recommended that they focus on the north. When his ancestors, the Gyrtréow family, had been a clan, they were the richest clan in Ashby thanks to the silver, gold, and gem mines of the Iceglade Mountains. Plus, there were more commoners living under a harsh rule in the north, whereas Clan Abellio was small, their lands were warm, and even commoners lived fairly comfortable lives. They would also have to deal with pirates if they wanted those shipping lines. They had a large ground army, but no navy.

Eilat chose to go north to the Winterlands and attacked Clan Buxenus. She easily took over Castle Thrust and pushed the Buxenus almost completely out of the Winterlands, although she stopped at Cystel River, reasoning that laying siege to Castle Buxenus would take too long. Queen Aralia Topola eagerly offered to help in their battle, pushing the Buxenus south of Idra Bay.

Using the training she received as an heiress, Betulla helped Eilat to establish order. She convinced Eilat that, if she wanted to be respected, she had to play the "clan game," at least until she could overthrow that system. First, she needed alliances. Although Eilat despised the idea, Queen Aralia and Queen Verbena Sadira convinced her, it was legally necessary if Eilat wanted their aid. There were laws that they, as clan chieftains, had to follow, and those laws could only be overturned if Eilat destroyed Clan Glitrós and convinced their many allies to abolish such rules. Grudgingly, she agreed. Clan Topola was the first to recognize the Dodatrad as a noble clan, quickly followed by Clan Sadira.

### Blood Queen of Clan Dodatrad

Now 'Blood Queen' Eilat, chieftain of Clan Dodatrad, Eilat set about with massive reforms that swept across the Winterlands. Boys were to be taught reading and writing. She abolished laws forbidding men from working in female-only jobs. However, Eilat faced resistance when she wanted to integrate her mostly-female army with men. When she realized that she would lose many strong fighters if she integrated genders, she decided to instead create a separate all-male army. Garnock was field marshal, and his opinion in battles held at equal value to the female field marshal. While they had plenty of female followers, Eilat actively tried to recruit men. She gave Garnock the funds he needed to train any man who came to them with a will to fight. It was a slow process, although the rumors of the Dodatrad's male army spread and brought men from many clans and walks of life.

Betulla warned that, for the sake of politics and alliances, Clan Dodatrad would need someone to represent them at heiress balls, and since no one else knew anything about the mind games of nobles, Betulla easily convinced Eilat to send her as the ambassador. She became the face of the clan, a refined woman from an ancient and formally well-respected clan, and a constant reminder of how Clan Glitrós could turn against any of the smaller clans without provocation. Later, when Awilda came of age, Betulla brought her to youth balls while continuing to attend the adult balls herself.

For nine years, things were normal. Betulla handled civil and political issues, Eilat mostly oversaw the military, although she liked to personally greet any village leader who came to see her. Eilat wanted to know what the commoners needed to make their lives as comfortable as possible. However, Betulla had to drag Eilat into meetings with nobles, since she found them to be spoiled, arrogant, and conceited.

#### Strongest Woman in Ashby

At some point, a *Strongest Woman in Ashby* contest was held. Aristida Arava had won that contest twice, but Eilat decided to enter. Although she nearly failed the archery part, she won the rest of the categories and was named Strongest.

The contest fell out of favor after that, and instead any who wanted to claim to be strongest went straight to Eilat. She always accepted a challenge, saying she would host a full contest again if anyone could beat her in a sword duel. Over the decades, she defeated hundreds of people seeking the title, but since she remained undefeated, she never hosted another contest. Most of the commoners who lost to her were urged to join the Dodatrad army.

#### Breakup with Garnock

During a party at the Pink Palace, everyone got drunk, Eilat woke up in bed with a stranger, and she discovered Queen Verbena and Garnock sleeping together. This made her bitter with jealousy, which was exacerbated when Verbena developed a rather open unrequited love, frequently flirting with Garnock, even at public events.

From that point on, Eilat and Garnock began to grow apart. She stopped sleeping in the same room as him, and she began to have affairs, although only with women, as she could not find a man to match Garnock. This even included a relationship with Verbena that lasted many years.

For his part, Garnock never again gave into Verbena's seduction, nor did he have relations with any other person. He stayed in Castle Dodatrad because he loved his children, respected Eilat, still believed in her cause, and enjoyed his job teaching the men in the male army to fight.

#### Duel With Udell

When Awilda turned sixteen, she attended her first heiress ball and made friends with Roanne Glitrós. Whereas this merely upset Eilat, it outraged Ileanna, who was determined to crush Eilat before she could “bewitch” her eldest daughter. Queen Finnea ordered her bastard daughter, Udell, to attack the northern port city of Banyanville and personally duel with Eilat. She reasoned, this could help Clan Buxenus get back their lands, and at least it give Kelon's daughter the honor of dying in battle.

Udell at first kept the fight fair, since too many were around who would witness anything underhanded. However, right after Eilat dealt a hard blow to Udell and was sure of victory, she felt her stomach rip in half. With the pain was a deep iciness, *the chill of magic*. Udell had completely severed Eilat's womb, so that at least she would not have more children. Udell and the Glitrós army retreated, satisfied that they had at least proved the Mercenary Queen was not invincible.

Eilat survived only because of Awilda's healing magic. She was taken to Castle Dodatrad to heal. Queen Verbena arrived with her healers, but nothing could be done. Her uterus had been removed with almost surgical precision. Although Eilat accused Udell of being a warlock, Finnea fought back, since Eilat had no proof, no one who saw that particular moment of the fight.

Finnea privately warned Eilat not to pursue her claim, since the Glitrós could easily release information about Eilat that would have her charged with the crime of being a warlock as well. Up until then, Finnea had kept that information away from the public eye, mostly to protect Kelon. Even most of her own clan knew nothing about Eilat's past. (Only the nobles who were there that day, as all the staff were later killed to keep the secret safe.)

Knowing Finnea could expose her, and now as a chieftain herself, Eilat fully realizing how strict the laws against warlocks was, she no longer made that claim publicly, although she often ranted about Udell in private. Eilat became devastated. Although she was 34 and apathetic about her children, the idea of *never* being able to have another traumatized her. She turned to heavy drinking, grew unreasonably abusive toward subordinates, and wanted absolutely nothing to do with her children.

#### Trouble with Awilda

A few months later, Awilda married Alon Suma. Less than a year into their marriage, Eilat heard rumors that Awilda and Roanne were plotting to kill her. She locked Awilda up without looking into the source of the accusations. She learned Awilda was pregnant, something she had not yet told Alon.

**Halt! Major Spoilers Ahead!**

Eilat schemed up an idea and told Garnock her plan. She would stay with Awilda until the baby was born, and he was to tell everyone that Eilat went to the Albizia Mountains so that sorcerer druids could heal her womb. Garnock hated the idea of lying to their own people and using their daughter so cruelly. Eilat threatened to kill Stejar if he didn't go along. In self-loathing, he obeyed.

Eilat stayed with Awilda all nine months, giving her a false sense of love. As soon as the baby was born and the umbilical cord cut, before Awilda could even hold her child, Eilat killed the midwife and took the baby. She tied Awilda up to the birthing bed, hoping she would bleed to death. She resurfaced, pretending to have just arrived from a journey, and claimed the daughter, Delaney, was hers.

Stejar almost ruined her plan when he rescued Awilda and tried to sneak her out. Eilat caught them, harshly punished Stejar, threw Awilda back into the dungeon, and ordered that she be left without food or water. Garnock tried to reason with her, that she could bring Alon and they could have another child in case Delaney died.

Eilat had other plans. She didn't want anyone to suspect the child could be Awilda's, so they would not use Alon. Instead, she asked Garnock to pick five strong men to slowly break Awilda's will, who could dominate her strength. Garnock was horrified and sternly refused. Eilat brought him to where they had Stejar and made him watch his son go through flogging and branding until he finally begged them to stop. He picked the five men. In exchange, Stejar and his son Quennel would not be killed.

However, when they went to check on Awilda the next morning, they found five dead men and a charred corpse in the room. Eilat believed Awilda had killed herself.

Eilat began to replace staff who might question Delaney's heritage, including her field marshal, hiring Kalina Aitil. She continued to drink heavily, and she felt she was being haunted by the ghost of Awilda. Although Alon continued to pay her yearly visits as dowager of the Dodatrad, Eilat strictly refused to allow Delaney to meet him, fearing that Alon might realize the child was his.

During the following years, she focused on ways to give her army an advantage over the Glitrós, turning to some of the best military minds in Ashby. She came up with the solid black armor they now use and asked Clan Aiken to experiment with lighter but stronger metals, which gave birth to her infamous massive sword. Eilat also started to breed horses to be fast and easy to command, realizing cavalry was the way of the future, and speed would dominate.

For sixteen years, although there were skirmishes with Clan Buxenus, issues with the Sool, and pirates in the Bay of Asterids, Eilat ran a massive track of land that was mostly peaceful.

### Raising Delaney

These events happen in Daughters of Ashby.

## Personality and Traits

From a young age, Eilat supported social reform. She accepted all genders into her mercenary army, and the only reason she later split the male army from the regular army was at the insistence of Clan Itamar (later including Betulla). She spurns the "decadence of the clans" but enjoys small comforts, like brandywine, feasts, hosting and participating in hastiludes, and soaking in Clan Sadira's hot tubs.

Eilat came across as heartless, even (or especially) to her family, although people close to her knew that this jaded look was partly an act, and partly stemmed from a hard life.

Although she started off idealistic, wanting to overthrow the oppressive clan system, free all slaves, and create a world where anyone can rise in society regardless of gender, wealth, or bloodline, she gradually became cold and vengeful, using that same clan system and her own bloodline in ways that were arguably worse than the other clans.

Eilat had no patience for weakness, and this includes children. She generally ignored children until they were old enough to handle a sword. Still, she recognized that strength can be mental, not merely physical. She keep shrewd people around her, like Kalina Aitil and Betulla Itamar, relying on their perceptive minds, although she was quick to turn on them if they questioned her too much.

To her, people are tools of war. When a tools is no longer needed, she will cast it aside for the next necessary tool. Friends, allies, even family are all a means to get what she wanted. She forced herself not to form any strong bonds in order to keep that simplistic view and focus on her social goals. She had no tolerance for even the slightest disobedience, as evidence to her locking up Awilda when only a rumor of a plot circulated, and she stopped sleeping with Garnock after he had an affair with Verbena, despite her also having a sexual relationship with the Mystic Queen.

Despite her strong convictions, fearless attitude, and outward confidence, Eilat was prone to fleeing her guilt and regret in a bottle of brandywine. She felt showing emotions was a weakness, although she could not control her own anger. She feared that her legacy would all be in vain, and later in life she regretted that she had not bore more children to keep her legacy going, although she despised being pregnant and wanted nothing to do with raising children.

Eilat firmly felt that Clan Glitrós were rotted to their core and it was time for the clan system of Ashby to fall. She believed men and women can be equal so long as they can prove themselves to be strong. She believed the only true weapons were a person's feet, fists, or what can be held. Thrown objects (arrows, javelins, slingshots, throwing knives) and archery were for cowards who feared getting hurt.

Her religious feelings are, "Believe in goddesses, but do not expect their help."

Her skills include leadership, battle tactics, and weaponry. Eilat was a master at the swords and martial arts. Despite her disdain for archery, she was decent at it. She was notorious for healing quickly.

Although she was born with a talent for magic, Eilat refused to use it in battle, doing so only once on the battlefield, and instantly hating herself for what she saw as succumbing to weakness.

## Relationships

Eilat had a close relationship with her father, Kelon the Tall. At some point after she escaped Castle Glitrós, she returned to free her father, but he refused to leave the luxury of the palace.

She and Garnock Gyrtréow-Dodatrad remained married, although in name only. Her relationship with Verbena Sadira was exceptionally close, and although Eilat spurned Garnock for sleeping with the Mystic Queen, she was in a sexual relationship with Verbena herself.