Lythia Krean

Life in the 3rd Age

As a Wilder, Lythia’s abilities manifested themselves deep within the mines of the Mountains of Mist. There also her Talent began to emerge: Earthsinging.

Her love for mankind stemmed from being raised by a widower father, despite such a life among the harsh mining camps that was his profession. She was orphaned at 7 and without family that she might be sent away, she was turned into a child slave in the mines in repayment for her father’s many debts. In the off season, she was little better than homeless and begged in Baerlon, awaiting the spring when it was time to return to the mines. Eventually, she came to her days as a Wilder when her love of Earth made her most comfortable underground.  The first sort of guidance she ever had was an Aiel-half brother, Syn-Jyn Quick Kick of the Reyn Sept, who showed up one winter seeking his father but found a half-sister instead. He taught her how to defend herself, hence making street life a little easier to bear. 

Life in the White Tower

Stubborn and headstrong she had to be taught a lesson from the Amyrlin herself on how to be humble and docile enough to be called to the Arches, but once she was, Lythia was spectacularly talented with the One Power. She blazed through acceptedhood and was raised to the Shawl at 19. Although she stubbornly continued to break tower custom (and law) all along the way, she learned to hide it better. 

Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah

Once she was raised to the Shawl, Lythia knew exactly who she would bond as her warder. Her devotion was pledged to Asha’man Shadow al’Mere, a man who would eventually bear the mantle of M’Hael, and she journeyed immediately to the Black Tower to find him. Together, they lived primarily at the Black Tower throughout both of their early careers, each pushing the channelers and teaching them how to be the best soldiers they could be by making them train with saidar in addition to saidin. When he was asked to replace Michael as M’Hael, he immediately accepted the responsibility with honor and devotion. During this time was when Shadow bonded her in return, and they were reknown as the first double-bonded channelers. As a result, their ability to sense one another and fight together was legendary. Although they never married, Lythia was never as happy as she would be the rest of her life as during the years she lived with him among their brothers. Both her bondmate and half-brother died within a week of each other: Syn-Jyn at the blightborder and Shadow assassinated. To this day, Shadow is still considered the most competent of all the M’Haels to ever lead the Black Tower.

Her bondmate and love of her life had been assassinated, first succumbed to poison then to the weapons of a Gray Man. His last breath was taken in Lythia’s arms as she had no ability to Heal. Pained and grieving, it was a dark time for Lythia, whose devotion was more fully aligned with the Green Ajah over the White Tower. She journeyed to the Blight Border alone for a while after that, priding herself on valorous deeds defending the border in company of Brothers as often, or more, than Sisters, and keeping herself distracted. Such was how she came into the position of Captain-General, for her renown in battle and devotion to defending against the Last Battle. The politicking was a necessary evil, however. In a relatively short time, the Sitters followed her lead unquestioningly. Furthermore, she was the Tower’s recognized expert of male channeling among the Aes Sedai.

She memorialized their memories by displaying Shadow’s sword and pins and Syn-Jyn’s spears on the wall in her quarters.

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She eventually came to bonding young Lord Blakeahle Darwyn of the Eponymous House of Andor. The story was fortuious. The night Tar Valon was attacked by the Dreadlord Arikan’s forces, Blakeahle was only a student in training with the warders. Everyone was deployed in defense of the city, however, and Blakeahle, her assigned protector given she was unbonded, was wounded while defending her. She opted to bond him to save his life in return, and their relationship matured over the following years. For a nobleman with a serious claim to bid for the throne of Andor as their first king in centuries, he was shuffled off to the White Tower for training with warders in honor of the traditions of the Daughter-Heir and novices, and that he actually ended up bonded to an Aes Sedai was something of political controversy.

The handsome and charming Lord was a friend, protector and companion to Lythia, but she would never love him like she loved Shadow before him. Likewise, Kentrillo became a powerful and deadly Asha’man, even marrying his Aes Sedai bondmate, Lianora. When his allegiance suddenly turned rogue, she callously hunted down her long-time friend, captured him on the field of battle and gentled him on the spot for his crimes against the Black Tower. This deed, while powerful, was not something that went over well in either Tower. He was eventually tried, ruled innocent, and his ability to channel restored through Healing. Not unexpectedly, their friendship was never the same.

In one of her most recent acts as Captain-General, she broke tower law (again) after capturing a Dreadlord of rather mighty renown. Arikan was older than Taim by a century and worked in the shadows springing wars in Tear, masquerading as a Lord Captain of the Children of the Light, infiltrating the Black Tower, and eventually coming to serve Baldragos upon his resurgence to the world. The very same dreadlord whose forces attacked Tar Valon all those years before. His capture would likely seal her path to becoming Amyrlin Seat someday, but Lythia opted to hide him away for herself. Torture was absolutely forbidden by the White Tower, and he hoarded so much information about the Shadow, she could not bear its loss through his inevitable execution.

She recruited Byron Calanail to impersonate a Hand of the Light and torture him for information. Byron was a Dagger of the Tower. Sent on covert missions that the Tower could not afford to be involved in, he maintained a series of alternate identities. The primary one being Byron Gaidin, a goofy, unbonded warder that played practical jokes and lazed around the Tower. It was only after Lythia slept with him that she came to understand there was more than met the eye. Byron had not been sent on a mission for a great deal of time given that the last person who knew how to deploy the dagger was Corele Sedai, the previous Keeper of the Chronicles, who was since burnt out. Growing restless, he was eager for a mission and agreed to participate at Lythia’s behest. The torture worked better than she could have ever anticipated, and Byron recorded his many findings for her later perusal. She was in Shienar, trying to bolster the borderlander’s morale after their failure to recruit more substantial help from Tar Valon, when a conversation with Aileen Sedai told her of recent happenings at the Black Tower. There, Kekura Sedai had taken a ter’angreal she had discovered in the islands of the Amayar for testing. It was discovered that it turned and then released a soul of service to the Dark One. Knowing that Corele spied on Arikan’s dreams, Lythia considered that it was the same object that may have been used on the dreadlord at one point. So she convinced Kent to let her borrow it thinking that if Arikan was returned to the Light, he may help her attack the forces of the Dark One and finally bring him down. Unfortunately, it worked all too well, but when Arikan was released, he took his vengeance out on Lythia.

Immortality

Thus was how Lythia became a darkfriend. Arikan eventually escaped. She left Kent, Corele, Byron and Blake in the mountains to fend for themselves, stole Byron’s notes from the tortured revelations and absconded with the dark ter’angreal itself. Her warder, still a servant of the Light, attempts to bring her back somehow but fears she will kill him to protect her secret. Indeed, she almost did, but she could not bring herself to fell the deed, so she severed their bond instead. Ironically, it was Arikan that orchestrated the assassination of her bondmate, Shadow al’Mere, all those years beforehand though she does not know it.

Lythia’s machinations resulted in the deposition of the Amyrlin Seat, Kaydrienne Lindelle, to whom she was always loyal previously, and replacing her with an Amyrlin of wartime. Kekura Sedai was the perfect candidate. She hated the Seanchan and was well-known to resent Kaydrienne for anchoring her to the position of Mistress of Novices. Lythia planted the legal proof she knew Kekura would require to motion the hall to depose Kaydrienne, and the Reds were so mistrustful of the fact he wore black, that they never saw the wrapped up package of Jai Kojima as anything but what he was.

Lythia had made a deal with Nae’blis that could elevate her to the rank of Chosen. If she succeeded in toppling the leaders of both Towers so they would be replaced with an Amyrlin and M’Hael so focused on the Seanchan that the Towers would turn away from the threat of the Shadow, she would take Hessalam’s place among the Chosen. To that end, she was gifted Hessalam’s services, whom was renown in the art of compulsion.

She waited in Bandar Eban and true to Kekura’s word, Asha’man Kojima arrived as predicted. Lythia tried to persuade him to go to the White Tower, but he resisted, and Hessalam proved useful.

The Forsaken Sylvena

Lythia was not recognized among her Sisters as being a skilled player of the Great Game. To them she was a Green first, a Black Tower woman second, and an Aes Sedai third. Yet her movement through the Black Tower built herself a veritable army of male channelers loyal to her. Even among their factions she was always a unifier. The Sitters appointed her their leader, and in turn, Lythia all but ruled the Green Ajah in the name of Captain-General. She even manipulated the Accepted Nythadri into pledging her aspirancy to the Greens, a feat that surprised everyone. She herself never realized her own potential until the Shadowrod turned her allegiance to the Dark One. Since her plotting overthrew leadership in the Black and White Towers, she attained the rank of Chosen, and now uses her Earthsinging talents in the expansion and construction of the Blight Cities, Dark Fortresses embedded within the Blight itself meant to house the future of the Shadow’s civilization. She does not realize it, but she has come to the attention of a certain Gleeman visiting the Tower; attention she rather enjoys.

For her successes in the assassination of M’Hael Larnair and the deposition and execution of the Amyrlin Seat, she was elevated to the rank of Chosen by Nae’blis and given a new name, Sylvena, meaning “Whispering Doom‘ in the Old Tongue, replacing the demoted Hessalam.

Afterward, her Green sister, Caia’li Sedai was slowly sensing something different about Lythia, so the Captain-General sent her to Shienar to bolster their defenses at the Blight and maintain the appearance of support.

Talents and Weaknesses

Her talents with the One Power lie with Earthsinging, Delving (earth), and Traveling. She is currently using her talents to help construct the Blight Cities, fortifications on the northern side of the blight border for the future of the Shadow.

She has a particular weakness for men, especially beautiful blondes that was only enhanced by her turn to darkness. Thus it is rather fortuitous that she replaced Hessalam, who was originally Kamaris prior to her resurrection, another woman with an insatiable appetite for male company. Specifically, Lythia lusts after Jai Kojima, but has thus far refrained from acting on those urges.

Rebirth

1st Age: Lawrence Monday, a reporter and investigator. She could learn to channel but is not a wilder in this Age.