Lady Rancora

> "*Do you like my new look? Behold, Rancora!*"
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> ― Lady Rancora revealing herself to half of the Star Darlings.
> The Power of Twelve
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**Lady Rancora** is one of the main antagonists in the Star Darlings animated and book series. She is a famous actress who was mentioned in several books before becoming famous. She first appears in the episode *The Power of Twelve* and is voiced by April Stewart.

Rancora appears to thrive on negative wish energy and started the energy crisis to gain power. She is the main antagonist of the series, having posed as Lady Stella to fool Ophelia. Rancora then infiltrated Starling Academy as Lady Cordial. Rancora used Negatite Magic, the Negatite Florist, Negatite Nail Care, and Negatite Arts and Crafts to carry out her plan.

## Story

### History

Cora was a born artist, having an extraordinary acting talent. From the first year of her studies at the Starling Academy, she played the lead roles in all theatrical productions of the academy. Cora and Lady Stella were once best friends but quarreled over a bad wish orb. During her final year of school, she also had a boyfriend named Theodore, but after her expulsion from school, he broke up with her.

### *Good Wish Gone Bad*

In the past, Starlings had to deal with an energy crisis. One day, Lady Astrid told the students that the president had given her additional instructions - including a proposal that this year's science and wishes competition should focus on the ways of solving the problem of the shortage of positive energy. As a result of Stella's involvement, Cora also pledged to help. At her urging, both girls went to Wishworld to try and persuade Wishlings to create new wishes but ended up with negative wishes. Guiltily, Cora decided to go to Negative Energy Facility alone. On the spot, she destroyed the wish orb, the explosion of which, however, sent a large amount of negative energy into the atmosphere of the Starland.

Afterwards, Lady Astrid requested to see Cora in her office. Lady Astrid tried to convince her to confess, but since Cora did not want to admit to the act she had committed, Lady Astrid removed Cora from Starling Academy. Although both Stella and Cora were involved, Stella was not expelled.

The extreme amount of negative energy affected Cora for the worse. Long-term exposure made it indispensable; taking an oath of revenge on Stella and Starland, planning to destroy every Starlings' life. Stella later learned from the director that she and Cora had been the subject of a prophecy - one girl would be responsible for spreading negative energy, while the other would have to stop it and save their world. Because of this prophecy, Lady Astrid could not keep Cora at the Academy, not because of what she had done but because it would undermine the future.

Sometime after her expulsion from school, Cora made a secret hiding place for herself inside the Negative Energy Facility. Sage, Adora and Scarlet also discovered that she had forgiven the bad wish orbs a few years earlier, right when she began working at the Star Academy as Lady Cordial. Rancora learned that the bad wish orbs turn into black rocks called negatite upon forgiving the wish and that she can grind the rock into an almighty powder.

After collecting enough negatite, she created a potion that changed her external appearance, thanks to which she could become Lady Cordial and start her revenge. After about a year at Star Academy, she learned about Lady Stella's plan to form a group of twelve Star-charmed Starlings to help solve Starland's energy crisis. Because it would foil Lady Rancora's plan, she returned to the Isle of Misera to find a way to sabotage their mission. With the help of three holo-books, she created negatite-soaked keychains, nail polish, and coral flowers to disrupt them.

### *Stealing Starlight*

In *Stealing Starlight,* she brings Vivica under her thrall, as she believes Vivica is the subject of a prophecy that a dark starling would decide the fate of Starland. Rancora works from the shadows and gives Vivica her teardrop-shaped pendant to assist her in granting a bad wish.

## Appearance

Rancora has light green eyes with black sclera instead of a white sclera. She has ashen skin and has her hair in a rumpled bun. She wears a laced corset, a collared jacket on top with ripped sleeves, a black vine on her left arm and a long ruffled skirt. Her wish pendant is a tear-drop-shaped necklace that glows purple.

When Rancora was younger, she had long silver-blue hair and light blue eyes.

## Personality

Lady Rancora is a cruel, hateful, power hungry, vengeful and negative Starling.

When Lady Rancora was young, she used to be kind, loving, and a sweet starling before she was trying to get rid of a Bad Wish Orb.

## Powers and Abilities

### Starling Physiology

Being a Starling, Lady Rancora possesses all of the natural traits that the species has.

* **Negative Wish Energy** - Rancora harnesses negative wish energy rather than positive wish energy for most of her abilities.
* **Energy Blasts** - As displayed in *The Power of Twelve*, wish energy can be used to fire streams, bursts, orbs, and waves of offensive power against opponents.
* **Extended Lifespan** - In *Scarlet Discovers True Strength*, it’s confirmed that Starlings can live for thousands of years, as Mira’s grandmother is over thousands of years old. Before that, in *Leona's Unlucky Mission* it was hinted that a few decades wasn’t too long in comparison to Starling lifespans. However, they do not have eternal youth, as Professor Elara Ursa is stated to be among one of the oldest wish granters and has clearly aged in a similar manner to a wishling elder.
* **Disease Immunity** - In *Scarlet Discovers True Strength*, it states that the wish energy surrounding Starlings keeps them from contracting illnesses.
* **Superhuman Knowledge** - In *Leona's Unlucky Mission*, Starlings are shown to be nigh-perfect at mathematics from birth. *Astra's Mixed-Up Mission* also implies that Starlings are the same way towards towards literature and similar subjects such as language and grammar.
* **Life/Power Draining** - In *The Power of Twelve*, Lady Rancora uses this on Vega, greatly weakening her to the point of being unable to be healed by Adora.

## Trivia

* It has been mentioned that Rancora has a brother named Cosmo.
* She lives in her cottage in Isle of Misera.
* Rancora used her transformation spell to disguise herself as Lady Cordial.
* Her name references the word *rancor*, a synonym for hatred.
	+ Her real name is Cora, having changed it after being expelled from Starling Academy.
* While studying at Starling Academy, Cora used a shining star ring as her wish pendant in *Practice Wish Orb Mastery* class.
* In the book *Vega and the Fashion Disaster*, Cassie talks to Vega about how she thought Lady Rancora stole her star-zap. This was probably a mistake, as in the book *Good Wish Gone Bad,* Lady Stella says she was surprised to see Rancora for the first time when her disguise as Lady Cordial was discovered.

## Gallery

A holographic drawing of Rancora made by Piper.Star Darlings about to defeat Lady Rancora using their power crystals.