Salia Emal

a portrait of Salia painted from a sketch taken during her sister's wedding

​*"It is a generally understood within the various fields of arcane study that one must not allow their quest for knowledge to overtake their ethics. I fear that many are beginning to cast aside this rule in pursuit of knowledge at the expense of all else; it would not be so awful were it not that for the fact that such people are often rewarded for their actions. I cannot be a part of this any longer."* - Taken from Emal's letter of resignation from the position of head of the Asmori Mages' Guild

## Biography

Famed for her advancements in the field of leyline research and for her part in the Descendents' Rebellion, Salia Emal was one of the most celebrated arcane researchers of the late 5th and early 6th centuries of the Era of the Phoenix. An incredibly private woman, she was very firm later in life that she would rather be remembered for her academic work than her short stint as a revolutionary.

One of the youngest people ever elected as Head Librarian of Talmira's Grand Archive, Emal was a respected scholar and arcanist for most of her life time. When it was revealed that she was in fact a descenaent of the mage kings, her fellow arcanists rallied around her to prevent the regime from arresting her. This allowed her to build them into what would become the Mages' Rebellion.

After the death of her wife, Emal became far more reclusive, even resiging from the Mages' Guild though this was apparently over ethical concerns. Up until this point, she had been partly overseeing the imprisonment of Val'ye Meїll and Ïr'ez Taala; after withdrawing she began to focus more on this role and on her own personal research. When Taala died in 2EH, both Emal and Meїll mysteriously vanished. They had apparently struck up a rapport in their later years and, given Emal's later interest in planar travel, it is believed they decided to leave the material plane together. The exact circumstances are unknown.

### Best Known Works

* *A Deep Study into the Effects of Leyline Activity and Geomantic Energies*
* *Study of Psychological Impacts of Long Term Medicinal Enchantments*
* *Tracing Leylines: The Circulatory System of Our World*
* *Study on the Effects of Leyline Factors in Inter Planar Travel*
* *Explorative Arguments on the Relationship Between Conjuration Practices and Transmutative Effects*

## Description

### Appearance

Though never praised for her looks in the academic field, there have been occasions were historical figures write experiencing shock when they met her.

*"I expected some dusty, decrepit old scholar, instead I was met with raven-haired beauty and piercing eyes of gold. Of the many heart-breaks I have experienced in my life, discovering Salia Emal was married shall definitely mark as higher on the list." -* from the personal diary of Kasiria Farla, 432EP

### Personality

Cold and aloof for the most part, Emal rarely made friends willingly. Most of the people that became important to her were people who, for one reason or another, stuck by her side through the various trials and tribulations she faced with them. When she did realise that she accidentally befriended someone, she became fiercely loyal and protective, if not especially verbal with her affection.

## Relationships

### Ovak Emal

*"I miss you, my darling, perhaps more than words can say though I shall certainly try."* - taken from a letter Emal wrote to her wife while Ovak was deployed during a border skirmish

Emal's wife of forty years. After Ovak went on permanent medical leave, Emal rarely, if ever, left her side. She invented the Peace of Mind Amulet to help Ovak deal with her PTSD and flashbacks. All reported them to be deeply in love for the entirety of their marriage and a dangerous combative pair on the battle field.

### Cassius Dragongaze

*"Quite possibly one of the most insufferable men I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. He is also the only leader I would lay my life down for."* - a letter from Salia Emal to her sister

Allegedly meeting through a gambling event during a Trickster's Ball celebration, the two formed a tempestuous but strong friendship of shared trauma and near-death experiences at the hands of the Tae-Oshi regime.

She formed the Mages' Rebellion with the express purpose of supporting Dragongaze in his efforts for victory as she had no intention of leading herself. Though they often bickered and argued, they had genuine fondness for each other; Salia even named the newly restored wing of the Grand Archive after him.

### Dixie Keenkeep

*"Dixie was asleep under my desk this when I woke up this morning. Apparently a job went wrong and she needed somewhere to hide. I do wish she'd take better care of herself."* - from the diary of Salia Emal

Though very little is known of the relationship between the two, it is heavily implied in various records that they had a very good relationship.

### Celeste Nightwood

"*Salia then tied me to a chair and animated several knives to point at me while she questioned my intentions. It was all rather overdramatic though I am sure her heart was in the right place."* - Saras Nightwood writing about the night he asked Celeste to marry him.

Reportedly always incredibly protective of her younger sister, Emal worked closely with the Nightwoods for many years prior to the engagement as they donated a great deal of money and resoures to the Talmira Grand Archive. Emal introduced her little sister Celeste to the family on a whim and was reportedly slightly concerned when Celeste and Saras Nightwood began courting. When the regime threatened Celeste and the Nightwood family, Salia redoubled her efforts to bring them down.

### Val'ye Meїll

*" And then there is Val'ye Meїll who is confusing.* *It is unquestionable that she ~~is~~ was my enemy and yet I can speak freely with her as I can with few others. There is nothing that she doesn't wish to speak about and she seems to have a great knowledge of many things whether it be arcane theory, history or religion. Since Ovak ~~d~~, she has been a surprisingly great comfort."* - from Emal's personal writings after the death of her wife

Whatever relationship the two women had, it is kept incredibly private with the few exceptions of written descriptions in personal writings (as above). They seem to have built a strong rapport that Emal highly valued. Though people suspected that some form of friendship was forming, they didn't see it as anything too concerning until the pair vanished.

*"Salia's gone. She's just fucking gone. Just upped and vanished into thin air. I'd think she was kidnapped but the last time she saw me she spoke oddly, cryptically. Something about taking time away? I'm not sure. I'm doing my best to look for her but something tells me there will be nothing."* - excerpt of a letter from Levi Rythen to Tarina Colsh