Rigel Quicklingfay's page

Rigel’s family bloodline has a reputation for being dreamers rather than doers; even among the half-elven nobles of Talingarde, they are regarded as ‘fey-touched’ (hence the family name, given long past). Her grandfather, Bartimeo, certainly lived up to that: by the time Rigel’s father Antiphas inherited the (relatively minor) estate, the manor house was almost a ruin and the grounds were over-run. Antiphas was nothing like his father, and had the sense to marry well: his wife Serryna was from a family of wealthy human merchants, and full of good sense. Between them they managed to restore the manor house and bring the surrounding farmlands (some of the most fertile in Talingarde) back into production. They also drilled a Mitran sense of duty into their two oldest children, Lirran (now a lieutenant in the army) and Ysriel (working her way up the priesthood of Mitra).

Rigel, born well over a decade after her siblings, was something of an afterthought – a celebration of the family’s restored prosperity. As such, she was lavishly spoiled. Blessed with good looks and a knack for making friends easily, she eased her way into adulthood without ever really having to grow up. It was perhaps only natural that she would end up in Matharyn, capital city and the refuge for every bored scion of the nobility. It was here that Rigel found her true calling, one night after a particularly wild party where a number of her friends were arrested. Although she had never had a particular quick mind (as elves measure intelligence), still waters run deep, as the saying goes; and she had a knack for spotting connections, thinking things through, and – it turned out – structuring arguments. Combined with her insights into what motivated people, she had the makings of an excellent barrister.

The process of learning the law and reading all the jurisprudence is a slightly dusty affair, but Rigel had found her calling and she learned the necessary discipline. She also learned something else: the old legal texts, the ones that nobody really read any more, had a different tone. After some effort, she realised that there were coded messages hidden in among the legal arguments – or rather, that the arguments were the code, pointing to a different purpose, and an altogether different deity. The law, Rigel came to understand, is not about ‘justice’ (for after all, who can point to what that is exactly?). Rather, its true purpose is to defend and maintain privilege against those below you in the ladder, while seeking advantage against those above. This is strictly against Mitran teachings, and Rigel was extremely careful to avoid any appearance of heresy as she advocated her position; one which made her popular in one circle of the aristocracy, led by a particularly decadent pair of half-elf twins: Lucrezzio and Jocaste.

Stories of 'Lu & Jo' (as she came to call them) are everywhere, and their parties were the stuff of legend. The pair's servants were discreet and well paid, ensuring that any rumours of drug-fuelled orgiastic excess were easy to dismiss as jealous gossip from people who hadn't been invited. Rigel's parents however were deeply disturbed by what they heard, and demanded that she return home - an intervention as well-meaning as it was too late. Rigel had few expenses (her new friends were generous and wealthy) and she earned enough as a barrister not to need the allowance her parents now cut off.

It was not her growing allegiance to Asmodeus that was her downfall (at least, not directly). There are other powers in the world beyond those of Heaven and Hell, and Jo & Lu's excesses had drawn attention. Rigel was invited to stay at their estate just outside Ghastenhall; she awoke one morning in the woods, barely alive, covered in blood (not all of which was hers) and little else. Jocaste and Lucrezzio were sprawled next to her, dead; the rest of the group had simply vanished. Stumbling in search of help, she encountered a Knight of the Alerion - after giving Rigel his cloak, for modesty's sake, and tending her wounds, he arrested her.

Good is not dumb, and the authorities proceeded carefully. Rigel was confident of beating any murder charges (the injuries to the dead - and Rigel herself - were... unsettling, but not obviously caused by a weapon). To her dismay, she was instead charged with Blasphemy: the facts of what had taken place in the woods were unknown, but it was alleged that the group had gone far beyond their usual debauchery and had willingly - gleefully - stepped entirely outside the protection of Mitra's light. It was purely circumstantial, but the wounds on the bodies, the fact that they had been found in what was euphemistically called 'a state of advanced undress' and the testimony of the (now unemployed) servants about what had happened at the parties in town made a powerful case. The discovery of an Asmodean symbol among the remnants of tattered and discarded clothing was the prosecutor's final, dramatic flourish (it could not be proven to belong to Rigel, but by that stage it really didn't matter; the grim irony of this is not lost on her). Against this, Rigel could only assert - truthfully - that she had no memory of what had happened. It took the jury all of ten minutes to convict her.

And so she languishes in a cell at Branderscar, condemned to death and awaiting sentence; has the saga of Rigel Quicklingfay, good-time girl, advocate to the rich and pampered, and servant of Asmodeus, come to its untimely end?

Rigel has inherited both human and elven features: neither too short nor too tall, she cultivates an artless attractiveness that both men and women have found desirable. Her long, deep-red hair is worn carelessly loose in a manner that takes a long time to arrange, and her large dark eyes are friendly but impenetrable. She has on occasion been aware that a juror or judge is susceptible and has used that to her advantage, allowing her to prevail where her legal skills alone might not. Having never done a day's work in her life (and going so far as to wear gloves when reading and writing, to avoid calluses forming from quill pen or book spine) it would be easy to mistake her as soft, but a childhood spent fighting her much older brother and sister has left a legacy that means she doesn't step back from a physical confrontation.

Rigel is from the Heartland of Talingarde, where speech is slow and Old-World courtesy and manners are still valued. Her conversation is patterned in that fashion, measured and polite, never visibly angry; her reaction to being found guilty and sentenced to death by burning at the stake was "Well, gosh." Beneath this friendly exterior is an adamantine veil, masking her ruthless and entirely self serving ambition: her warm gaze is useful to put people at ease, allowing her to assess their desires and motivations. If they make the mistake that she cares about them, well, that's their mistake.

Apart from her current plight, the only thing that has shattered her poise and self confidence is the fact that she still has no memories of that fateful night. (It has also left her with a fever and chills that she cannot seem to shake, but she reasons that right now, that's the least of her problems.)

Antiphas Quicklingfay (male half-elf) – Aware that he has deeply failed his youngest child, Antiphas is overcome with guilt (for spoiling her when she was younger) and shame (that Rigel turned out to be quite so bad). He has withdrawn from life and is now leaving the day-to-day management of the estate in the hands of his wife. He didn’t attend the trial. He doesn't leave the house these days.

Serryna Quicklingfay (female human) – Serryna’s primary emotion is anger: cold, towering, furious rage. Directed primarily at Rigel, it is also aimed at herself (for failing to prevent this) and at her husband (for spoiling Rigel rotten as a girl, and also for withdrawing now and leaving Serryna to pick up the pieces). She attended the trial and sentencing, but didn’t speak to her daughter once. After the verdict was passed, she sent Rigel a note via her lawyer: Mitra may forgive you. I never shall.

Lirran Quicklingfay (male human) – the half-elf line has not bred true in Antiphas’ oldest son, but he is nevertheless a credit to his family. Dutiful, stern, proud, perhaps not the sharpest of wits but enough sense to spot that Rigel was heading into trouble. Tried to tell his parents when he was last in on leave; it provoked a long argument. He is now stationed on the Watch Wall, far from the Heartland, and hopes to be so for long enough for the whole thing to die down. Did not seek leave of absence to attend the trial. Tries to pretend he isn't related.

Ysriel Quicklingfay (female half-elf) – Rigel’s mirror image, Ysriel is dark-haired, quiet, studious and pale. She is also unequivocally the nicest person Rigel has ever known. Ysriel forced herself to sit through Rigel’s trial just so she could try and understand what had happened to her baby sister; by the end of it, she was in tears (Rigel herself remained dry-eyed throughout). If the prison permits visitors, Ysriel will make the journey from her current position in Ghastenhall Cathedral (she’s risen up the ranks of the church quickly and is chaplain to one of the bishops).