Keyara ai-Ledasy

> *See also: Keyara POV*
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**Keyara ai-Ledasy** is a close childhood friend and cousin of Baharra and serves as her counsel in Usharbanipal.

## Background

• Keyara and Baharra are the same age.

• Milk-sisters - they shared the same wetnurse, and as they got older they joked that they were "wine-sisters", since that was the preferred drink they bonded over now.

- a cousin of Baharra's from their shared grandfather, Maiad, the Shuridanyr of the Amerani. Mother is Nalatika.

- Keyara lived in the Wirashom as her father was a minister in the lower court. She and Baharra were milk-sisters.

- Baharra was exiled with her mother Sonuya by Empress Mizaara. They lived with Sonuya's half-sister Nalatika.

- Keyara refuged in her friendship with the more authoritative Baharra, who was very cosmopolitan and charismatic. They spent little time in the Wirashom after her exile, traveling around as foreign princesses, and when they returned at Empress Fayza's behest discovered they had few friends in court. Time apart had alienated the two girls from their cousins and their intrigues, walking into a web of secret alliances and vendettas of several spiteful, proud women.

- Serves Baharra as her scribe, secretary, personal assistant, advisor, right-hand, and confidante.
- in exile, Baharra became highly popular at foreign courts and established a powerful commercial and celebrity image for herself.

## Biography

### Early life

* As children, Keyara and Baharra lived in the Wirashom.
* Baharra was subjected to a ridicule by another girl in the harem. Baharra reacted by brooding privately, while Keyara plotted to avenge her friend.
* Through clever means, Keyara got back at the girl and left no evidence of her involvement, but the petulant girl instantly accused Baharra. Baharra, wanting to protect Keyara, admitted guilt and took responsibility for the prank. Fayza had Baharra punished and Keyara has since felt devoted to her.
	+ This instance formulated Fayza's lasting impression of the two girls: Baharra as the spiteful, motivated entrepreneur (who in the end told the truth) and Keyara, the loyal and distressed fledgling (who fled from it). This impression would help to influence Fayza's decision in picking Baharra as her successor.
	+ In truth, Keyara is more accurately an unsuspecting avenger of the weak and exploited, and Baharra characterized more as a victim of her own sensitivity and pride. As well. Keyara told the truth, that Baharra was not to blame, and Baharra lied to protect Keyara.

— To Keyara, Baharra proved herself to be brave and self-sacrificing, whereas Keyara showed herself as arrogant and cowardly.

* Was in love with one of the boys in the Wirashom, an elf named Lyrros. He was castrated upon maturity, preserving his boyish features, which disturbs her. He is now a guard in the Wirashom.
* Keyara holds 'some' off feelings about Heban, since Mizaara ordered the castration of the boys in Drachan's age group. Pity & resentment for the handicapped child of her love's mutilator.
* She has never seen Lyrros since exile, but had always pined for him. When she meets him again, she is startled to see him so sober and unlike her image of him.
* "That same boyhood face she fell in love with all those years ago...unchanged."

• PLOT: Keyara eventually comes to realize she invented a fantasy of Lyrros and held onto it as some safeguarded nostalgia that gave her comforts. She dreamed of one day reuniting with him.

## Involvement

### New Column

Keyara & Baharra are in New Column at the start of the story. After preparations are made in the wake of the Naeoleis Incident, they meet the legate representing Ushanra, Freyhe. Baharra warns her against advancing the Cabal's goals and tells Freyhe not to cause more issues for Ushanra than it has to deal with already.

• (?) PLOT: Baharra becomes Rumsa at the beginning of the story.
– [?] Fayza is still alive. News of her death and Baharra's recall from exile set up their storyline.

### Return to Usharbanipal.

* Jodam ai-Yanza.

A few non-Cabal Ushanran generals were not present at the Alvard conference and were spared annihilation.

— PLOT: Keyara & Baharra try to devise a coup to dispose of Mascad and the Cabal, gathering allies and support over the course of the series. It never really gets off the ground, or might even get botched. ("Once I'm empress, I'll rid us of these usurpers and prove how awesome I am.") They learn that staging an uprising is difficult, and not everyone's goals or demands match up prettily.

— PLOT:

- generals who are worthless (old, drunks, addicts, criminals, corrupt, or evil—no wonder they weren't invited to the conference?)

- the few possibly worthwhile survivors

- few who are too low-ranked to be of use, even if supportive

- those of dubious loyalty (support the Kailar or the Cabal, or simply oppose Baharra and her politics)

- some want to be of help, but are more of a hindrance/liability.

- the dangerously overzealous, who take things too far.

— "Long live the empress!"

— Loriv is one of the generals that Keyara approaches. He is amicable to the anti-Cabal prospect, but also disapproves of Baharra.

### Rays of the Sun

The rebel group that has declared for the restoration of the monarchy calls itself the \_\_\_\_ ("Rays of the Sun"), the 'spears of the Rumsa.'

• The rebels hunt Mascad's supporters, impaling them on spears or immolating them with flame accelerants.

• PLOT: a misguided revolutionary cell—the Rays of the Sun—conspires in Usharbanipal in support of Empress Baharra, causing many problems for her as she tries to disassociate herself with them as much as she can after they commit crimes of vandalism and attempted kidnapping.

— Keyara has to try and disperse the rebel group through subterfuge and secret diplomacy to assist Baharra (who can't be seen intermingling with the rebels) to maintain stability in the Shuridiaar and good relations with the Kailar as she is being accused of inciting rebellion and civil war in peacetime, and could be declared unfit to rule and replaced if the Grand Diaar willed it.

—— Mascad's man gives her an ominous warning to call off the rebels, because if she's found to be conspiring against the Kailar, it would be imperial treason;

- Bah: "How can it be treason if I am the empress?"

- Mas: "Even the empress can betray her people."

- Bah: "I am Rumsa of Ushanra!"

- Mas: "You are Baharra zo-Sonuya."

### Wedding

The Ushanrans are preparing for Baharra's arranged marriage with the chosen gulam, Hishah of the Amerani shuridanno, to replace the neeam slain in Alvard. Baharra's return to Ushanra was expedited for this very reason, as the extended gap of Amerani's allegiance was a risky affair.

• Baharra and her cousins are all occupied with wedding plans in the midst of politic intrigues.

### Three Questions

• Loriv and Keyara meet and he promises to trade a secret for a secret. The first secret he reveals is that he had Jodam killed, not Mascad.

"Why?"

"He was plotting insurrection. Why else? Traitors have loose necks by nature, looking this way and that, searching for the easiest way out. I had it loosened further."

"Was he a Ray of the Sun?"

"I don't know. He didn't tell me."

"Are you a Ray of the Sun?"

"You've asked me that before. Now answer me something. Have you spoken to the creature [Caliban]?"

Keyara was stricken.

### Murder of Heban

The \_\_\_\_ Shuridanno conspires to kill Heban, hoping the Serag insurgency will stop and the neeam's death will prevent a new war with the West.

• Eledrios, the Canveri Shuridanyr, allegedly secretly reached out to his son to sneak in [His own/Dimuwar] men to kill Heban.

– Dimuwari impostors, hoping to implicate them.

– At one point, a cadre of Dimuwari infiltrate the Wirashom and attempt to kidnap and kill Heban.

Lyrros, the Canveri neeam, confesses to his estranged father contacting him and says he complied with his father's murderous plot out of a longing to feel accepted by him.

Eledrios denies ever communicating with his son.

Baharra demands blood for blood.

Instead of killing the neeam (the seal that binds the danno to the empress), the bitter empress punishes her minister by instead executing his precious daughter, and the Canveri's hopes for a future Rumsa on the throne.

– "It doesn't seem fair to me that Lyrros, a pawn and victim of your greed, should suffer for your ambitions. No, I shall simply punish you by removing your ambitions. Lyrra will die instead." Eledrios's face went pale. "Blood for blood. They are the same blood, are they not? Closest I've seen."

Lyrros feels guilty after the unanticipated execution of his sister.

• Eledrios is being framed by his son Lyrros, who secretly harbors a lifetime of resentment towards the father who abandoned him to enslavement and castration in the Wirashom.

"Why the child? Why did Heban have to die?"

Lyrros grimaced, his fingers curling on his thighs. Lyrros frowned deeply and avoided her gaze. "His father never loved him. I did him and everyone a favor." He then turned to her, glaring with so much anger and sadness that Keyara didn't quite know how to respond except with the contempt she had been nursing since that childish face first dismissed her.

Keyara slapped him, tears gathering on the line of her jaw as it trembled.

## Notes

• A few girls assist Baharra & Keyara, spies for their own agenda or for another cousin.

• PLOT: Keyara becomes aware that one of her handmaidens that she asked to spy for her was raped by a powerful politician. Later, Baharra delegates an assassination order for Keyara to bring to [Caliban]. Using the meeting as an opportunity, Keyara also commands him to kill the rapist.

>> political ramifications of his death
>> Baharra angered at Keyara's disloyalty; it causes a rift between them

### Involvement with Duck Hunt

• Baharra places a bounty on Urdankar's head, as well as that of any Serag member, hoping it will reflect favorably on her public appeal.

• Baharra also tasks Loriv with garhering intelligence on the Serag.

• Baharra gifts intel on Urn to Sloan as a good faith measure from Ushanra.
– In exchange for what?