Elee Llamas

"*Our only allies are our enemies.*"
—Elee Llamas

 Alias
* The Peacekeeper
* Oakheart
 Family
 Born
 Status
 Ethnicity
 Height
 Alignment

Mistress **Elee Llamas** was the head of House Llamas and a renowned blademaster and spy. Elee trained with elite Wojahn warriors and learned to wield dual katana with deadly grace, and became one of the most proficient women to ever wield a katana. Her constant traveling put her at odds with many surrounding factions through her diplomacy.

Elee gained much experience on and beyond mercenary work, leading a group of trafficked younglings to revolt against their gang captors, helping rescue a town in the Dry Steppes from enslavement by the Zulu Slave Empire, and serving as an enforcer to the House Cao—with her close friend, Ikeda Cao, among them—as they fought against opposing clans and families of Xainsai.

Following the Liberation of Kurast, Elee joined Ikeda's growing organization and became the head of his intelligence network and adopted the codename "**The Peacekeeper.**" As The Peacekeeper, Elee provided intelligence to various guild factions including Yseult's mercenaries in Gea Kul. Elee took a particular interest in Yseult's mercenaries due to their connection to black market dealers and traffickers in her quest to liberate their victims.

Despite her appraisal and heroic deeds, Elee's actions have often made her the subject of controversy even unto her death and after. Many times her unscrupulous methods of deception and violence created altercations, however her results would receive critical acclaim from both the public and her peers; this lead to her making many enemies through her years of unsteady alliances formed through exploitation, as well as espionage backed by the Eternal Companions, internally and externally.

## History

Elee was born the eldest daughter of Elendar Llamas, Warden of the Tooth Oasis, in the desolate sands of Kehjistan; The small town in Tooth Oasis comprised of mostly lowborn citizens and her family was held in high significance. Her mother died when Elee was so young that she did not remember her. She had a single older brother, Ryger, who drowned when she was eight. This made her the only offspring of Elendar, a fact that naturally encouraged him to find a suitable match for her. She found little desire in being married off to another family and instead sought to find political intrigue in court. She accompanied her father in many occasions when he would serve justice and punish the wicked, inspiring her to do the same when the day came to take her father's place.

### ***Bounties***, ***Blades and Secrecy***

Over the course of upbringing, Elee honed a natural talent and bold interest in blades. However, she saw use of weaponry as more of an art and rather than a purpose to fight. Through her family's influence, Elee began studying about blades and how artisans craft them. It took time for her to muster the courage to begin wielding and practicing with swords, but on her twelfth birthday she asked her father for a dual set of Katanas. When Elendar questioned her reason for wanting a pair of swords, she responded, "*I'll hang them on my wall for display. The Katana is the most beautiful weapon in the world.*" Elendar granted her wish and was surprised to see his daughter in such bliss when she received her birthday gift. After that, she would practice with her swords in private for two hours a day and kept her hobby a secret.

When practicing alone no longer pleased her, Elee spent traveled to the city of Wojahn and began training with the military elite. As months passed, and her skill with a blade exceeded her own expectations, she began searching for ways to fight for justice outside of court. She eventually returned home and joined the Fighters Guild and concealed her identity with a mask. Elee's prowess developed slowly as her practice with veteran fighters continued over the weeks; she would often journey with veteran mercenaries and act as their partner while fulfilling contracts. She also made everlasting alliances with other organizations like the Mage Clans and the Iron Wolves. She took on the alias '**Oakheart**' within the guild.

Oakheart's secret identity was eventually revealed when she came into a heated conflict with a guild member, in which he accused her of being an outlaw due to her always wearing a mask, and was forced to show her face. On the day when the Fighters Guild's leader, Sir Aegarth Zoquaz, found out she was a member of House Llamas, daughter of the Warden, he appointed her as treasurer in hopes of her family filling in the role of benefactor. Elee's political power and significance within the city and guild rose greatly when the citizens found out the Ward's only daughter was a blademaster. However, Elendar was not at all pleased with Elee's secret in training with a blade and joining the Fighters Guild; yet he was satisfied with her rise in political intrigue and global connections with other worldly organizations.

Overtime, she gained much popularity within the region surrounding the Tooth Oasis. By 1263 A.K. she had completed over one hundred bounties and contracts; in the same year, she became the Fighters Guild's benefactor. Shortly after being appointed her new rank, she discovered a written will by Sir Aegarth within his desk drawer that stated his young son would be appointed acting leader of the Guild should Aegarth meet his demise too soon. Elee's lust for power began to consume her as she feared that Sir Aegarth would deny her leadership and command over the guild. Elee was greatly restraint to kill or frame either Aegarth or his son and preferred devious act over a moral one: she began spying on Sir Aegarth in hopes of discovering a dirty secret in which she could use to blackmail him.

Elee created an elaborate plan to blackmail Sir Aegarth after she discovered he was actually a fence of the Thieves Guild: She confronted Aegarth about his activities and agreed to keep it a secret, knowing full well that exposing the guild leader as a corrupt and untrustworthy individual would damage the guild entirely. Elee's blackmail paid off when she made him tare up his will and allow her to become the new leader of the Fighters Guild. The two of them agreed never to expose Aegarth's secret. However, the former leader secretly vowed to find a way for Elee to fall from power, one way or another.

### ***Akarat's Artifact***

Many months after becoming the new leader of the Fighters Guild, Elee's father became sick during the winter of 1263 A.K. and Elendar stepped down from the head of House Llamas. As Elendar's only child, the monarchy of the family passed down to Elee and she inherited the house's wealth. Soon her rise to power reached its prime, thus Elee was now the most powerful individual in the Tooth Oasis and took the title of 'Mistress'. She began dining with wealthy lords who passed through the city and attended elegant social events. Her father remained close at her side to provide her council, despite his senile condition. Meanwhile, Sir Aegarth's hostile demeanor turned to rage when he observed the wealth and luxury that Elee now possessed.

In her spare time, Elee would search for other fighter or mercenary guilds that shared her passion. She crossed paths with Shingen Cao, the head of his House, who sought to hire Elee and the Fighters Guild for a handsomely paid contract. Shingen's son, Ikeda, was to accompany Elee in her mission: recover a lost artifact within the Kehjistan desert that once belong to the legendary Akarat. With her vast connections throughout Kehjistan, Elee eventually recieved information that lead to Akarat's artifact, hidden in a ruined fort occupied by a warlord and his outlaws. Elee selected the most experienced members of the Fighters Guild to join her in the contract, along with Ikeda and a few of his own companions; the group set out to reach their destination and reclaim Akarat's artifact. In her absence, Elee reluctantly placed Sir Aegarth in command of the guild.

After nearly a week of travel, Elee and her companions crossed forty miles east into the wasteland and found the ruined fort once called 'Dreadstone'.They were all appalled to find a large gathering of outlaws who used the fort as a safe haven. With no hope of launching a successful attack on Dreadstone, Ikeda proposed to sneek into the fort and scout inside the interior, in which Elee gladly volunteered. Espionage and a clever disguise kept her hidden among the outlaws while she infiltrated the fort and searched for the exact location of the artifact. She retrieved the artifact, which turned out to be a ruby scepter, and managed to successfully escape the fort but not without alerting the denizens. The outlaws pursued her and a fight then commenced against Elee and her companions outnumbered 3:1. Despite their numbers, the outlaws faced no match against Elee, Ikeda and the rest of her lawful companions; though victorious, many of her comrades had perished during the battle.

    Elee, Ikeda and the remaining companions traveled back to the Tooth Oasis with the captured warlord, who had surrender during the battle, and Akarat's Artifact. After Shingen received his prize, there was a great meeting to decide the fate of the warlord. Upon interrogating the warlord, they learned his name was Arkon Lithgow and that he was not a warlord at all, nor were his men outlaws, but rather an exile from Tur Duira; Fort Dreadstone had became a home to the exiled warriors and he sought a buyer for the artifact. With no injustice done, the authorities released Arkon from his conviction and he became a prominent member of the Fighters Guild.

With the prize now in his possession and paying Elee a handsome reward, Shingen Cao departed from the Tooth Oasis and traveled for Kurast as a means to find more holy artifacts. Elee and Ikeda remained close friends; she would eventually travel to his homeland of Xiansai and aid him in important political matters. As a sign of good will towards the man she once betrayed, Elee returned the Fighters Guild into the hands of Sir Aegarth. Though he was relieved that her ill intentions had been lifted, Aegarth remained bitter and sullen about her actions and still sought revenge.

### ***Island of the Frozen Sea***

While visiting Ikeda's homeland of the mysterious island of Xiansai, Elee took great pleasure in serving House Cao and its vessels as a secret specialist, spying on rival Houses. Elee also became acquainted to Katheryne, Ikeda's betrothed, and saw fit to serve her family as well. Elee's services in Xiansai garnished well for her reputation as she made friends, yet her rivals spawned foes that created conflict in the weeks that followed her arrival. Her overall presence in Xiansai proved to be valuable to both herself in which she became a much more disciplined warrior and for House Cao as an asset to combat against their rivals.

By Spring of 1264, Elee had integrated herself in the culture of the Xian. She was an attendee to the wedding ceremony of Ikeda and Katheryne. She also became a protege under Ikeda, as well as trained and worked alongside Tomaka several hours everyday. While living on the island for several months, she became known as **The Katana Gaijin**, due to her use of the Katana and foreigner status. Valued for her knowledge of the outside world, many people, especially members and associates of House Cao, sought to hear her wisdom and stories.

Elee took great pride in extending her skill with the Katana, the weapon of her choice from a young age and that her father had given to her as a gift many years prior. Katheryne's Godmother, Marcella Nguyen, began training her in swiftness and dexerity, traits she began to utilize as a warrior and assassin alike. As a sign of trust and friendship Ikeda eventually bestowed upon Elee a set of Xian armor made personally for her; she donned the armor during missions or battle in many future missions.

### ***The Emergence of Evil***

Elee's services to House Cao continued with heavy praise, her accomplishments being recognized by her friend Ikeda and his older brother Masao who was head of House Cao. However, word eventually reached Xiansai of the Mephisto's influence in the Fall of Kurast. With no word from his father who had been stationed there, Ikeda assembled a great host of warriors, Elee included, to travel to the once great city to find his father and aid the city against the demonic threat. Before leaving, Elee sent two letters, one to her father and one to Sir Aegarth, both explaining her intentions on fighting in a war.

While traveling with Ikeda's forces, her journey by sea took her through the Twin Seas, and upon reaching Kehjistan she docked at Gea Kul. Ikeda tasked Elee and Marcella at traveling north to Caldeum; there, they rendezvoused with Katheryne who was stationed at the Yshari Sanctum and allied with a mystic known only as 'Silhouette' who shared information about the recent event in Kurast. The mystic, his name revealed later as Alec Kylar, was quick to befriend Elee due to her bousterous personality. A week after they reached Caldeum as requested by Ikeda, Elee departed the city with Katheryne, Marcella and Alec toward Kurast to rendezvous with him by use of Waypoint.

Remaining close to Ikeda's side, Elee began to conscientiously follow his commands; her respect for Ikeda's courage and uplifting morale convinced her that he was a valiant leader. In the weeks following their journey to Kurast, Elee managed to summon multiple seasoned warriors from surrounding Fighter Guilds across Kehjistan to aid Ikeda's forces in the coming conflict. Foul creatures awaited them in the jungles, and the closer the Ikeda's forces made way through the jungles the more they encountered.

Elee and her companions were shocked by the horrific demons that occupied Kurast, yet hope remained to take back the city when Ikeda and his forces crossed paths with a band of warriors monitoring the city. Among the warriors was Markus the Crusader, Lyola the Sorceress, Sir Hale the Paladin and Dearak the Monk. With their coalition forces combined, the alliance lead an open assault into the ruined capital Travincal. Elee's years of fighting and skirmishes did not prepare her for the open warfare within the city, and she was nearly hesitant to flee before Ikeda encouraged her to continue fighting. Before the battle was won, Elee was able to show her valor and courage by successfully defending a group of escaping villagers by the onslaught of demons, earning her the nickname **The Peacekeeper**.

The Battle of Kurast proved to be a victory that boosted the fame and glory of Ikeda and his followers. Elee was among the many who reaped her rewards and was heavily praised by both her peers and comrades. She was also hailed as a heroine of Kurast by its citizens due to her efforts. Unbeknownst to everyone else, however, was the fact that every demon she slayed during the battle traumatized and scarred her mental state; hours after the battle, many noted Elee's limp, blank, unfocused gaze of a battle-weary soldier. The mysterious warrior known as Alec, whom she had fought along side during the battle, was the only who knew of the traumatic stress that affected her mental state. Alec's uncanny ability to read minds proved useful in analyzing her, and would later call her experience as a "metamorphosis into darkness", one that left her despondent and her mind shattered.

After the battle of Kurast, in which Elee had managed to avoid any serious physical injuries, Ikeda selected her in completing a stealth mission. Joining her was Ikeda's close friend Tomaka and the mysterious newcomer Alec Kylar. The trio's task was to infiltrate a hideout in the sewers beneath the city, occupied by a demonic host that was mustering for an assault to recapture Travincal. Meanwhile, Ikeda would lead an expedition squad that included Katheryne, Alliser, Zira and Marcella. The mission was a success when the five warriors provided a distraction while Elee, Tomaka and Alec entered their encampment to assassinate their demonic overlords. After the demons were defeated, Ikeda and his company freed over 90 captive citizens that were being held prisoner within the sewers. The eight companions celebrated their victory in a tavern during the reclamation of Kurast and were renowned for their deeds. Ikeda's seven followers would later form the group known as the Eternal Eight.

### ***The Eternal Companions***

Weeks after the Battle of Kurast and the forming of the Eternal Eight, Ikeda establisted Kurast as a temporary outpost to recruit individuals for one goal: eliminate potental threats in the Kehjistan region. Demonic threats remained at large but among the their enemies were outlaws, unholy cultists and feral monsters. While outlanders and regional warriors answered the calls of Ikeda, Elee began recruiting her own personal agents into her spy network. Among her closest associates within her spy network were Tomaka, a freelance assassin and close friend to Ikeda, and Alec, an enigmatic warrior skilled in psionic abilities and mysticism.

The Eternal Eight successfully recruited numerous warriors in the following months, and their network expanded to the western continent ruled by the nations of Zakarum. Ikeda became a self-proclaimed executor, and with the political help of his lover Katheryne he created an organization spawned from his original eight followers: The Eternal Companions. Executor Ikeda named Elee his spymaster, a rank that already suited her due to her vast connections around Sanctuary and the dozens of spies that reported information only to her. Alec, whom she had developed a friendship with since the Battle of Kurast, also provided her with necessary information under delicate matters.

In the months following the organization's inception, Elee expanded her vast web of spies into multiple regions of Kehistan, infiltrating clans, cities and other organizations. In Westmarch, Entsteig and parts of Torrance that remained unbesmirched, Elee established headquarters to provide safe haven for her minions. Circa 1265, Elee traveled between Gea Kul, Caldeum and Lut Gholien to conduct a majority of her missions in espionage, and paid Captain Dregg Ortega for transpiration. Eventually, she began relying on the use of Waypoints as a quick way of transportation, especially when summoned by Executor Ikeda for information or council. Elee also contributed to the Rune Rogues and their benefactor Alec by expanding the search for runestones across Sanctuary.

Elee's missions were given to her by Ikeda and sometimes Alec, and her greatest task was tracking down bounties, assembling recruits and, most daunting of all, locating demons where ever they massed. Elee also made use of her spy network to complete freelance work, such as silent assassinations and black market trade. Living up to her nickname **The Peacekeeper**, Elee forged alliances and established neutrality with potential hostile organizations that dwell in illegal activities, such as her association to the Thieves Guild in Westmarch. At the peak of her career in 1267, Elee's had secured ties to over 80 different groups of organizations, monarchies, gangs and clans.

Among her most controversial arrangements was her desire to purchase orphans from human trafficking and use them as her minions; Elee justified her decision to use children by claiming they would receive better treatment under her protection, a statement that was constantly challenged by Ikeda and other leaders of the Eternal Companions. Ikeda loathed Elee's human trafficking purchases until he found out that she secretly used the orphans she bought as a means to utilize them not just for spying on behalf of the organization but as a means to locate the family they once belonged to before orphaned, alas the children she 'owned' were safely returned back to their family or placed under guardianship to Elee's choosing. Ultimaetly, Ikeda allowed her and Yseult the Watcher to continue their trafficking transactions with impunity.

### ***Seed of Sin***

Elee maintained communication to her father and former comrades of the Tooth Oasis by sending letters and occasionally visiting her home. By Feburary 1266, Katheryne managed to repair a long forgotten Waypoint in the rural desert near the town at the request of Elee; this aloud Elee to frequently visit the city and resume activities as the heir to her family. However, her return was ill welcomed by Sir Aegarth who held a grudge toward her in the years prior when she blackmailed him. He humiliated her during a public incident by spooking a horse she was mounted, causing her to fall off; quick to temper Elee violently lashed out at Aegarth. At the time of the incident, Aegarth was a constable to the town of Tooth Oasis and as a result Elee was detained and placed in prison.

Elee was forced to apologize face-to-face to Aegarth for the the public disturbance and attacking a city constable, as well as pay a fine, but did so bitterly and to Aegarth's delight. Elee's Xian armor and Katana were also detained during her imprisonment. Elee's father Elendar, who had been bedridden for sometime, was contempt at helping Elee in the midst of the incident so that she may be granted clemency. Elendar succeeded at keeping Elee away from any further escalation or punishment, but leaving his home in his state of sickness only worsened in the following weeks.

On March 2nd, Elendar died of natural causes in his sleep.

## Character and Appearance

Elee was vain, nefarious and changeable, traits that made her easy prey for flatterers and boasters, but these flaws were not immediately apparent in her personality. Her quick temper and her easily wounded pride frequently lead her to make rash decisions, and she rarely considered what unintended consequences her actions might have. In her youth, she was described as timid and shy. Most notable, Elee maintained little to no interest in what others thought of her by displaying a self centered views on how the world works.

    She would often wear revealing attire to sway over her male foes and seduce them. Her favorite color was red and would have it displayed in her clothing. In close combat she was sly and vicious, often finishing off her opponents slowly. Even after she lost her eye, Elee remained physically appealing to many of her comrades and even her greatest foes, such as Sir Aegarth who admitted to finding her attractive.

She was playful to those closest to her and welcomed intimate moments with those she considered friends, such as Ikeda, Alliser, Dregg, and Alec. She was also very open about her thoughts whenever Katheryne or Alec peered into her mind and would innocuously provoke them into entering. On one such occasion, Elee and Alec shared a private room together during their travels; Their sexual attraction to each other sparked a brief moment of intimacy and later created frustration between them.

Prior to her death, many her closest friends and allies looked upon her in mixed interpretation. Alec Kylar, whom she was fond of, considered her the "loneliest person in all Sanctuary." In his mind, the possibility of her redemption and rocky relationships she maintained over the years made her one of the most complex people he had ever met. Katheryne always viewed her as "troubling", and often made the effort to avoid confrontation. Among her enemies, Dearak came to respect her discipline in combat despite his grudge against her. At her funeral, Ikeda openly grieved as did many others who were close to her, and he continued to keep her close in his thoughts in the years following.