Lirieth
Lirieth was the younger sister of Hellebron and like her, the daughter of Alandrian[1a] and Mirieth. [1f]
Contents
Appearance
In Nagarythe she wore vambraces and a breastplate of chased gold carved with the runes of Khaine and fixed with rubies, her long silver hair bound with circlets of bone and sinew. [2a]
History
Early Years
She was born twenty years after her sister, but they were so alike in appearance they were more like twins. [1a]
Lirieth introduced Hellebron to her lover Maenredil and the Cult of Khaine taking her to a ceremony in the forest where a Beastman was sacrificed to the God of Murder. Hellebron pledged herself to Khaine, offering to be killed if she could not serve. [1b]
With the Army
Hellebron went to her father with her plan to bring Khaine to the people of his city and was well received with his only caveats that her sister go with her and that they not receive special treatment by the cult or the army with whom they would march. They quickly departed the city with the army and as they chanted in praise of Khaine, saw them slaughter a horde of Beastmen and then assisted in the sacrifice of captives, anointing the best warriors with their blood. [1c]
For the next two decades, they marched with their warriors of Nagarythe, learning to fight with the dagger, spear and sword as part of the greater whole. They reveled in the sacrifices and fought together in battles with both beastmen and greenskins, becoming known as the Daughters of Murder. Maenredil grew bored of having his advances spurned in favour of training or bloody worship and they ended their tryst. [1c]
The sisters sought out captains and masters of the blade to improve their skills and ability to command - some were willing to teach eager students, others were vain and jaded and the sisters used their beauty to persuade them, discarding them they had taught them all they knew. Lethruis, the priest of Khaine was outraged by the latter and banned them from the ceremonies - forcing Hellebron and Lirieth to conduct their own. [1c]
Their own sacrifices were fresh and energetic with Hellebron allowing others to use the dagger, unlike Lethruis who maintained himself as the sole conduit between the worshipers and the Lord of Murder. They decided that Lethruis was destroying the belief in Khaine with his insipid dedication and lackluster ceremonies and that they would need to give the army a sacrifice it would never forget. [1c]
As the next battle began, they broke from the ranks, drinking a mixture of ireleaf and venomblossom laced blood before they discarded spear, shield and mail armour, advancing towards the greenskins with only sword and dagger. Lethruis tried to stop them but they seized him and when he appealed to the army commander, Malriad they demanded the priest take up a blade and fight. He refused and they told the prince to renew his pledge to Khaine with the blood of the coward which he did, plunging his sword into the priests throat. The battle began shortly after. [1d]
They killed many orcs, seemingly unstoppable and when the battle was won, they organised the bloody rituals and sacrifices that included not only the warriors but the camp followers - over the next three nights - 200 greenskins perished under torture with each company having its own pyre and sacrifice - the two sisters receiving the adoration of the whole army. [1e]
Cult Leaders
However when they arrived home, the reception promised by their father was lukewarm - mostly just the families of the returning warriors and although their father gave a speech, Hellebron was angered and frustrated. Lirieth cautioned her against rash acts, giving her Dreamwood to calm her and so she was in a more receptive mood when Alandrian explained that the people were more interested in the harvest and trade to Galthyr. He further confirmed they would be the hostesses of a great gala that evening. [1f]
They arrived arm in arm, in skimpy crimson silk dresses with red hair, lips and their exposed flesh whitened with jewelry proclaiming their allegiance to Khaine. To the shock of many, they were armed, each having pair of curved daggers in their belts. The gathered priests and priestesses challenged them about the death of Lethruis but the sisters were unimpressed and when threatened by Khelthion, high priest of Ereth Khial, Hellebron slit his throat and pushed him to her sister who plunged a dagger into his heart. [1f]
Many called for Alandrian to act but he retorted with: Khaine will take what is his. The is a religious matter, it is no concern of mine. Hellebron then announced that the body would be cremated in a Khainite ceremony at midnight and all were invited. Huge numbers attended, and although many were aghast at the bloody ceremony, many others were enraptured by the theatrics and masterful oration by the sisters. In the aftermath Alandrian warned them to keep control but also that he would support them as much as he could. [1f]
In the aftermath, Lirieth warned her sister that their mother was speaking against the cult and that her powerful family might use it as an excuse to crush their father. Liannin also brought word that Khelthion's successor, Anellion had asked that Khorlandir come from Ulthuan to denounce them. The sisters secretly drugged Anellion's lover Maineth with dreamvine, seeking to make her kill him, but the next day she choose to sacrifice herself. More and more acolytes joined the cult and the sisters took over a villa on sacrifice square erecting a black granite statue depicting Khaine and by the next spring there were several thousand in their sect. [1f]
The following spring Khorlandir now wrote to Hellebron to praise her but warn her that in both Ulthuan and the colonies, the other cults were uniting against that of Khaine. Liannin also warned the sisters that the members of sect were starting to become disenchanted with some new great act of sacrifice and Lirieth pushed Hellebron not to be overconfident. The sisters led fifty of their followers to the shrine of Atharti, dragging out the high priestess Ilintali and sacrificing her to Khaine. In retaliation, mobs gathered by the other cults abducted Khainites and sacrificed them but none attacked Hellebron and Lirieth directly. Running battles erupted the next night and the following morning, Alandruan ordered that all cults cease the disorder and arrested his daughters. [1f]
Exile
For the next three years, the sisters were imprisoned in separate country villa's until word came to Alandrian that civil war had erupted in Nagarythe and that Morathi herself was being taken to the court of the Phoenix King for judgement. He visited Hellebron seeking their aid against the cults to which she agreed and he spent the next two years politicking before reuniting them and marching with them home. [1g]
Triumphant Return
They began swiftly resulting in a night of burning temples, dragging cultists for sacrifice but Maenredil informed them that not only was their mother now openly challenging their fathers rule but to not act against her would a sign of weakness to the other Khainites. As Alanandrian watched, they marched to where Mirieth was preaching and despite her pleas to abandon their path, Hellebron cut her throat stating to the crowd: I have just killed my mother for the glory of Khaine. I did it swiftly and with love. Any other elf that stands in my path will not be so fortunate.[1g]
Nagarythe
Having been tasked by Morathi with finding and killing the so-called Shadow King, both sisters were brought by the father to Anlec to help hunt him. [2a] Alandrian determined that Alith would strike at the counting house of Athel Yranuir and went there with his daughters and the Sorceress Ashniel Moranin who confirmed the location. [2b]
Once at the town they advanced on the counting House and Alandrian told the occupants that he just wanted the Shadow King and when they refused, two children were dragged out and threatened - again there was no response, so both were killed. A group of four Shadow Warriors attacked but Hellebron and Lirieth cut them to pieces with ease - more charged out but again they were swiftly dispatched by the sisters or the sorceress. [2b]
As Lirieth cut the heart out of one of the fallen and raised it high to praise Khaine, she was shot in the throat and killed. [2b]
Weapons and Equipment
In Nagarythe she had a pair of longswords sheathed at her waist, daggers in her belt, scimitars on her back, spiked gloves and rings with curved talons on her fingers. [2a]
Quotes
| We need no altar to make sacrifice to Khaine. This battlefield shall be our temple. Our war cries shall be our litany. To slay is to Pray!
~ Lirieth.[1d] |
Sources
- 1: The Sundering (Omnibus): The Bloody Handed (Novella)
- 2: The Sundering (anthology) (Time of Legends edition): Shadow King (Novel) by Gav Thorpe,
