Delshara Dharlen, Lady Defender of the White Flame
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Wyndamyr Emberdaarke, Cerrick's chief councillor and famous sculptor
of Tarn, became a great friend of hers during this time. He was
even more reserved than she, but had a rather fearsome reputation
for militant and ruthless protection of the Light. He also had a
rather poor opinion of people in general, save for the Order,
who was his only family. Delshara got over her intimidation and
became a confidant of his, as many others had before. When Wyndamyr
started to express a deep love for her, Delshara was intrigued
because this was a side of the sculptor that she had never seen before.
She gave in to her own feelings, and they began a secret love affair
under the very eyes of the virtuous Order and of Cerrick himself.
(Unbeknownst to them both, Cerrick was perfectly aware of the situation.)
No one knew of their attachment, and it was very difficult for them
both to keep their feelings hidden under the eyes of the world,
always quick to judge Crusaders in particular because of their
espousal of the Virtues. Strangely enough, the quiet and almost
antisocial Wyndamyr brought out a passionate side in herself that
almost frightened her, but which also helped her to feel more secure
about herself and her abilities as a command officer, because of
the added strength and experience he lent to her. It was by far the
most consuming, most emotional, and deepest passion of her life.
The marble and jewel statue he sculpted of them together in the
Holy Grove stood ever after as a reminder of this time.
Cerrick, in the meantime, had ascended into the pantheon as the
god of Justice and Truth. Having finally came out to the public
about their love, Delshara and Wyndamyr became a high profile couple
after seven years of complete secrecy. Their attachment came
as a total surprise to everyone that knew them, but not to Cerrick,
who had known about them since almost the very beginning. He
made her Leader of the Order. She took up her position with
great fortitude and enthusiasm, keeping the old order of Knights
with Wyndamyr as her own chief councillor and her lover as well.
It may be said that their physical attachment to each other eclipsed
their personal attachment, but it symbolized for them a catalyst for
their melding of self and spirit.
She inducted new Knights and made sure that they were a strong presence
in the land of Tarn. She forged stronger ties with the Empire through
a formal agreement with Jherlen, the Duke of Elysia, and established
new liaisons with the Sultanate and the Magi as well. As the Empire forces
was greatly lacking in both quality and quantity, save for Jherlen and
a few others, Delshara commanded the Knights to help in the
defense of the Empire. She made Alera, Cerrick's wife, her own second in
command, strengthening their own good friendship. The threat of a Dominion-
Empire war arose unexpectedly with the rise of Delalia to power in the
Dominion, and Delshara and her senior staff joined the effort to end it
peacefully, while making secret preparations for war. With a great deal of
communication and careful planning, Daniela, the head of the Dominion at this time, also
agreed that war was not a worthwhile venture. Delshara took a dislike to her. It was
understandable, however, due to the fact that Daniela had previously participated in a
successful assassination attempt against her. She never forgave the three evil men who
also killed her in a previous attempt while she was Commander either, but this particular
insult was avenged by her own Knights against Entawn, Gryap, and Lazarus. Gryap was
punished by the gods for his senseless crime, but Entawn and Lazarus died at the
hands of her avengers. Entawn eventually came to reconcile with Delshara, if only for a short time, and these two
eventually managed to put this incident behind them, though each fought on opposite
sides of the battle of good and evil.
Some of her new Knights were taking a more violent stand against evil than she
would have liked, but she was never made aware of this until an unwelcome scroll
from Nazzandrok, a powerful avernon of Labyria, forced her to dismiss the violent
member in question. Generally, she had trouble controlling the more "enthusiastic" of her zealous Knights. When a great split in her own ranks threatened the standing of
the Order in the public eye, she was forced to dismiss her own friend, Zane,
but readmitted him when he apologized for his actions. Most of her job was
negotiation, and she emphasized its importance over violence in the defense of the Light.
Rastafer then accepted her as a devoted follower, granting her his own golden
shackles. She was surprised and pleased at this, and wore these tokens proudly.
While Wyndamyr loved her, he was not influenced by her peaceful
personality. He unwittingly started a war between the Order and Empire, and
Baldon Hael and his allies in the Church of Wealth. When Baldon came to the
defense of the illusionist Wyndamyr attacked for placing spells on him against
his will, he also seized the opportunity to assuage his hatred for the Crusaders.
Strangely enough, Baldon had been a spy for Delshara, but had quit when Alera
forgot to ask him for help while she was giving birth to her twin children, Jacien
and Kirana. Baldon's attacks against the Griffon at Crusader's Keep,
his theft of the sacred books in the Order library, his contempt for the Order in general
and his ever present threat to Elysia led to him being flagged as an Outlaw and
an enemy of the Knights. Delshara issued a death order against Baldon and whoever
else aided him, the insult to the Order magnified when Alera died at his hands, and when
Kirana was kidnapped under pain of death. Fortunately, Kirana was retrieved safely,
though the price was lifting the criminal flags off of Baldon and his friends.
Delshara, Jherlen, and Alera came after Baldon, but he escaped. He was later tracked down
and killed by a party of Crusaders and Wardens, among them Wyndamyr, thereby ending
the situation. Baldon's soul was banished from the realms soon after for his
heinous crimes.
A few years after this incident, Delshara asked Wyndamyr to marry her. He accepted
readily, their love growing stronger, more passionate, and happier every day. She was
accepted by Lisstrielle, the new Lady of Empathy, Duty and Magic, the first warrior
to do so. This situation was not to last for very long, however. Delshara
fell pregnant with his child, but he would never know of the child's existence. A wasting
illness took him within a month, the years and the tragedies rapidly taking their toll
on this tired conjurer, and so it was her love that washed him away to the next world at
his deathbed. His passing was painless and comfortable, and he was accorded a burial
under the Sacred Stones in the grounds of the Crusader's Keep. With her hand over her
belly, Delshara looked down upon his grave as his body was laid into the ground, and she was
never the same after the last clods of earth had fallen upon the corpse...
Last Modified: December 25, 2000