 About Lel'ZaneHero. That's how the people of Magnimar would describe her, but to Lel'Zane, she never felt that way. Heroes were figures larger than life, whose Deeds shaped the very fabric of the world not only for its current generation but for those far beyond it. Aroden, that was a hero. Lel'Zane was simply... Well, Lel'Zane. Starting at a young age Lel'Zane was different than other children, she was quickly picked out of her school and placed into the Magnimar's Wizarding College. There she quickly grew in aptitude and at a age 10 she had already surpassed all but the most studious of students. Even at her young age though Lel'Zane wanted to be more. Frequently adventurers would come to the college in hopes of finding a prodigious young talent to accompany them on quests. She had seen these people, armed to the teeth in armor and swords, secretly she wanted to be like them, not the weak girl she was who could only rely on her spells. Often through her time at the college they stressed to her the importance of avoiding resorting to fighting and to use the power of her mind to overcome any challenge. But to Lel'Zane that just seemed like weakness. Lel'Zane took to doing favors for people whenever she could to try to scrounge together enough money to afford to buy herself a sword. By the time she was eleven she had finally amassed enough money to purchase her first weapon. Soon after she took to spending every spare moment on honing her swordplay. However she never quite happy with her success. However, that all changed when she went to the library one day to grab more books on martial theory. In her rush out of the library she crashed into a man. Lel'zane fell to the ground, her books falling around her. The man looked down upon the girl and quickly apologizes to her, reaching down to pick her upon; he notices her selection of books. Lel'Zane also noticed his selection of books, tales of the Mwangi Expanse and its sorcerers and tales of wizards and spellbooks of minor spells and cantrips. The book's contents were well beneath her own level of knowledge and study. After getting to her feet, the man introduced himself to Lel'Zane as Gil Rastavahn, she guessed he was probably almost an adult, or maybe just having become one. Once she got a better look at him though she became very excited as he was wearing armor and swords. He explained that he just recently discovered his own spellcasting ability and had come to the college to hone his skills, he questioned Lel'Zane why she had so many novice books on swordplay and she explained her reasoning was much the same as to his own. Lel'Zane proposed an exchange, if Gil would teach her everything he knew about fighting, she'd gladly share her own knowledge. Gil seemed reluctant at first but seemed to quickly reconsider. The two spent time together for the next two years and they quickly became to rival one anothers capabilities in their respective crafts. At the end of this time, a major discovery occurred at the college. A sealed vault had been opened as per the instructions of a diviner in the institution, and two black blades were found. Their was commotion across the university as there were set to be trials to seem who would be worthy to wield the legendary blades. At the end of the days long ordeal, only Gil and Lel'Zane remained. Taking this to be a sign of his time at the college to be at a close, Gil left to resume his duties as a paladin and member of the Magnimar's watch. Lel'Zane had begged for her to be taken with him as Gil had become a brotherly figure to her, but he declined and told her to remain at the college and finish her studies, and that he would visit her often. The next two years for her were miserable as all the other students either feared Lel'Zane for being one of the legendary carries of a Black Blade, or hated her out of jealously. In the meantime, Gil had established himself as a prominent figure in Magnimar, defeating a band of cultists. At fifteen, she practically rushed out of the college to meet back up with Gil, who had now become a member of the Pathfinder Lodge. Gil had just accepted a mission to leave to Katapesh to reclaim an artifact. Lel'Zane told Gil she would accompany him, but he refused not wanting to see her get hurt. Lel'Zane would not take no for an answer, and Gil told her that if she was able to pass the Pathfinder Lodge trials, she would be allowed to travel with him, in hopes she would fail. But Lel'Zane easily bested the trials, and Gil was forced to keep to his word. In the desert nation of Katapesh, Lel'Zane and Gil reclaimed a fallen village from a tribe of ferocious gnolls, did battle with giants and numerous other dangerous denizens of the desert wastes. Even meeting other carriers of the legendary black blades, who they themselves found were drawn to Katapesh. Deciding to adventure together, the group of five eventually came across a mysterious vault. Which contained five locks, discovering that their black blades were keys, the five of them opened the vault and found themselves face to face with an awakened Efreeti lord. In the aftermath, only Gil and Lel'Zane remained, the others and their blades having perished in the fight. Having found the artifact of his quest on the body of the Efreeti Lord, Gil and Lel'Zane returned to Magnimar. Having completed his mission, Gil was promoted to Venture Captain of the Magnimar Lodge, and Lel'Zane took to being his keeper. A year later, Gil sent out an explorer to track down a group of pathfinders he sent out to Sargova. When even the explorer failed to report back, Gil and Lel'Zane made their way to the jungle lands.
It was then that Lel'Zane received her summons. ============= Ziman was next in line at the lodge, he looked around nervously. He wasn't comfortable being surrounded by adventurers, any of these men could turn and clean the floor with him at a moments notice. A door opened across the room and a voice called out, "Next." he was surprised to hear it was a woman's. Entering into the room, he found himself in a large office. Inside, there were a number of trophies and medals as well as various artifacts that Ziman couldn't identify. In the center of the room was a very large desk, behind which sat an impressive looking man, but sitting on the desk itself, closer to Ziman was a woman. She sat upon the desk with her legs crossed. Though she was sitting Ziman guessed she was no taller than 5'2 or 5'3. She wore a peculiar looking armor, like silk, and carried at her side a long curved blade that was jet black. Her tanned skin stood at odds with the shock of long white hair, and strange tattoos that adorned her body. In her lap rested a book that she was looking down at and making occasion marking with a quill, while in her other hand she levitated a multi-cubed block that she was assembling and reassembling absent-mindedly. She didn't look up to Ziman, rather she continued to make her notes in her books, though she eventually did address him after some pause. The man continued to merely stare. "Name?" asked the woman. "Ziman." he responded. "What do you require of the Pathfinders, Ziman?" the woman questioned again. "Me and a great many other merchants down at the docks have been threatened recently by ruffians, we're hoping maybe you could send down some members to straighten them out?" The woman makes a few more marks in her book, "This seems more of a job for the city watch, have you considered contacting them?" "We have." Responded Ziman, "But they've yet to be get back to us after several weeks, you're the only people we know to turn to before things get out of hand." The woman makes more scratching in her book before turning slightly to look at the man behind the desk who gives an almost imperciptible nod. Turning back to him, the woman speaks again, "Very well, Ziman we will file an order for you and the other merchants, please see Oralins at the front desk and provide him any relavent information." "Thank you so very much, thank --" began Ziman before the woman spoke again. "Your gratitude is appreciated, that is all." says the woman, indicating to the door with her quill. Approaching the front desk Ziman gave Oralins all the information he knew before he commented to him, "Your bosses secretary, she's kind of snooty, huh?" Oralins looked up at Ziman confused for a moment before realization came to him, "Oh! Lel'Zane? Lel'Zane, the slayer of the Tyrant Sirocco of Flames; banisher of the Dead God, Svyr? I'll be sure to pass along your criticism." Ziman felt all the blood drain from his face and Oralins laughed and patted him on the back, leading him out of the lodge. ============= In the time after this, Magnimar held a large festival and invited all the sword lords of Varisia to come and participate in a weeks long tournament to determine who was the greatest duelist in all the land. It was here that Lel'Zane first came to be seen as a force to those outside the Pathfinder Lodge. She defeated some of the most prolific sword fighters and legends in all of Varisia, some who could not even exchange a single blow with her. Her speed was too great, her strikes too precise, and her magic terrifying. At the end of the week Lel'Zane stood amongst her peers as the greatest duelist in Varisia. Furthermore, given the names of the opponents she had bested, it catapulted Lel'Zane's into conversations as one of the strongest forces in all Golarion. Brevoy Swordlord Belamuto Risandimos had this to say of Lel'Zane, "I've never seen someone so fast. In all her bouts Lel'Zane's opening volley was nearly indefensible." "From afar she would reign down magic upon her attackers, and once they were foolish enough to close the distance, she took advantage of their opening to deliver fight ending strokes." "After her victory I became more interested in her and began to dig, it appears before he decision to master the blade the young woman was already well in her way to being one of the youngest Archmages ever." "In the time since she left Magnimar's Wizarding College, she has been quietly accruing extraordinarily impressive accolades." "I would be entirely willing to bet that Lel'Zane is among the three most talented artists of the blade in all of Golarion." "It seems a sleeping giant has been found in Varisia." ============= Winning the tournament in the fashion she did had been disappointing for Lel'Zane. She hadn't learned anything at all from her competition, no new techniques to consider, none of her weaknesses exploited, no counter attacks to her style. In truth, the tournament had been a waste of time. In many ways, the tournament had actually been even a nuisance to her. After her victory Lel'Zane become something of the talk of Magnimar. Who was this mysterious powerful woman that had been living in there midst? Many people came to see her at the lodge, to ask her questions on her life, what her future plans were, did she plan to attempt the trial of the star stone? Would she attend a Golarion wide tournament held in absolom? What was her childhood like? Her opinion on the Magnimar Wizarding College? Her tattoos appeared magical in nature, what did they do? What was it like being the holder of a mythical black blade? Was she seeing anyone? Lel'Zane didn't like all the new attention that had been thrust upon her, she was so used to being a respected, but relatively unknown prodigy. Least of all she liked these impromptu interviews, most of all because for the majority of the questions, she didn't know the answer herself. What were her future plans? As far as Lel'Zane was concerned she had only really ever had one, to become the strongest woman to ever walk the face of Golarion. She wasn't naive to think she was there yet, but it wasn't unreasonable to think she might actually achieve her goal, and in quicker time than she had thought. What WAS she going to do then? What was her childhood like? Her parents were kind she supposed? But she left for the college so young, she felt like she never really got a chance to know them. The college itself taught Lel'Zane very little, her raw talent doing all the work for her. Were her instructors skilled teachers? She didn't know. They had been supportive of her, she assumed the college was a good one. What was it like to be a holder of a black blade? She knew this was different for everyone. Her relationship with Rubicon was curt, almost business like. Lel'Zane wanted be the strongest woman in Golarion, Rubicon only wanted to create the strongest person in all Golarion. Anything she did that did not further that goal lead to Rubicon becoming very upset. Was she seeing anyone? Lel'Zane herself wasn't sure. Men at the lodge never approached her, and she knew this was because rumor was that she was Gil's woman. Lel'Zane never denied this, but she wasn't sure what her relationship with Gil was. At times it seemed like it might become more, especially when they were alone and adventuring together. And other times their relationship fell back to what is was when she was a child, like he was her big brother. She had considered confronting Gil on this, but too she was afraid of becoming romantically involved for fear it would destroy their close friendship they had shared for so long. Rubicon didn't help matters, it knew how Lel'Zane felt and chastised her constantly. "Gil would just use you to be a receptacle for his children, leaving you at home while he continued to adventure. Good luck becoming the most powerful force in Golarion when you're stuck at home raising children." She hated Rubicon when he became like that, but secretly she feared it was right. She knew Gil wanted to have children eventually, she wasn't an elf or even a half elf, her lifespan was short. She couldn't waste it bearing kids. So she bought a Nacreous Ioun stone. Rubicon protested that it would make her complacent, but she paid it no mind. Still, Lel'Zane spent many nights awake wondering if she was trapped in a situation of unrequited love, but she said nothing, and neither did Gil. |
