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| Race | Ayleid | |||
| Culture | Ayleid | |||
| Born | In 1E 344, the Stepstone Isles | |||
| Died | In 1E 474, Eldarhall (aged 130) | |||
| Father | Naelor Arana | |||
| Mother | Helara Errinorne | |||
| Spouse | Lord Janos Torelle | |||
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Rhaethen Arana was the youngest sister of Aerel I Arana, and played a central role in his conquest of the Summerset Archipelago. A gryphonrider like her two siblings, Rhaethen rode Dawnwing into battle, commanding Arana forces multiple times during the Invasion. After the war she was married to Janos Torelle, the son of Lord Erlan Torelle of Sunhold, with whom she had three children, Anumaril, Elaith, and Haraleth.
Rhaethen was the first of the lords inquisitor, the official spymasters of the Marble Throne, having been granted the title during the reign of Anumaril I Arana.
Appearance and Character[]
Rhaethen was a beautiful woman with silver hair, blue eyes, and a slender body.
Rhaethen was kindhearted, graceful, playful, curious, impulsive, and given to flights of fancy, with a mischievous aspect to her personality. She loved music, dancing, and poetry. Rhaethen loved flying even more; it was said that she spent more time flying on her gryphon, Dawnwing, than her siblings did combined.
Rhaethen was not averse to less honourable behaviour, as she exhibited a great skill in political manipulation during the reign of her nephew, Daethen I Arana, when she maintained stability at court through a variety of political scheming, ensuring the loyalty of various lords. Her actions during Daethen's reign lead to her becoming the first of the lords inquisitor, the first official spymasters of the Marble Throne.
History[]
Early Life[]
Rhaethen was born on the Stepstone Isles to Naelor Arana and his wife, Helara Errinorne. She had two older siblings: Aerel and Alyssare. Sometime prior to Aerel's Invasion, Rheathen became a gryphonrider, having bonded with the gryphon Dawnwing.
Aerel's Invasion[]
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When Aerel's Invasion of the Summerset Archipelago began, Rhaethen sailed with her siblings from the Stepstone Isles. While Aerel began the construction of a small wooden fort, Rhaethen and Alyssare flew with their gryphons to the nearby castles of Houses Silinor and Highre, who swiftly surrendered to their might.
Aerel and Alyssare continued their march northward, conquering dozens of Houses before arriving at Firsthold and accepting the surrender of King Sandur III Rilis. However, Rhaethen remained with the wooden fort to guard the rear of Aerel's host. Her force was eventually set upon by a combined force from the south, which she was just barely able to repell with the aid of her gryphon.
During the second phase of the conquest against the Kingdom of Summer and Sea, Rhaethen was sent on her own once more to subdue the Lord of Sunhold, Ayred Caidan, and make him bend the knee to Aerel. It was during the Sun's Dusk that Lord Ayred and his children were slain by Rhaethen. Upon reaching Sunhold, the castellan appointed by the now extinct Caidans, Erlan Torelle, yielded the city without a battle. He would later be named the new Lord of Sunhold and High Kinlord of the Summerlands.
After her victory in the south, Rhaethen regrouped with her siblings and began their march to Lillandril, though were eventually intercepted by a large force led by King Coreriil III Arana himself, which the siblings defeated though left them severely weakened. Upon their arrival to Lillandril, they were met with another great force that greatly rivaled their own, and could possibly crush them even with the might of the Arana gryphons. Rather than being met with swords, they were met with a messenger, who sent word that Lady Erandel Andorin desired to speak with Aerel. After two hours of private discussion, Aerel and Erandel emerged from the encamped tent and Erandel bent the knee to the young King. A marriage was arranged for the following day between Aerel's son, Daethen, and Erandel's daughter, Linaarie, which took place in the war camp outside Lillandril.
The combined Arana and Andorin force marched onwards to Alinor, where King Coreriil had regrouped and was ready for battle. An immediate assault was ordered by Aerel, and the three Aranas ravaged Coreriil's force, their overwhelming numbers securing their victory. During the battle King Coreriil was slain by an unknown person, and his son and heir, Prince Earron was impaled by the talons of an Arana gryphon. After the battle, the Aranas marched into Eldarhall in search of Coreriil's last child, Princess Arannelya, though she could not be found. A second and final coronation ceremony was prepared for Aerel, during which he was proclaimed the first King of the Summerset Isles.
Marriage[]
The day-to-day governance of the realm was often left in the charge of Rhaethen, Alyssare, and Aerel's councilors.
After the conclusion of the conquest, a betrothal was arranged between Rhaethen and the son and heir of Lord Erlan Torelle of Sunhold, Janos Torelle. In 1E 380 the betrothal was concluded with marriage, and in 1E 421 Rhaethen gave birth to their first child, named Anumaril in honour of Rhaethen's grandfather Anumaril Arana. In 1E 443 Rhaethen fell pregnant once more, giving birth to a daughter named Elaith.
Reign of Daethen[]
When Aerel died, Rhaethen and her husband accompanied the two-month long funeral procession that brought his body from Alinor to the Monastery of Serene Harmony in Shimmerene to be entered, a custom that would remain for all kings of the Summerset Isles.
Rhaethen remained at court throughout the reign of her nephew, Daethen I, at first only out of an expectation to serve her king, though later out of necessity on part of Daethen. When the High Aldarch of the Monastery began a religious civil war against the Aranas in 1E 440, Daethen I and his mother Alyssare marched out to quell the growing rebellion, and Rhaethen remained behind to aid Lord Tranian Rilis in ruling the realm, as he was the Warden of the Isles. She laboured at court to ensure the loyalty of the many lords and ladies, often resorting to less than honourable means to ensuring loyalty. It is said by historians that while Daethen and his mother fought battles in the field, Rhaethen fought battles at court. Rhaethen liked to keep Tranian out of her plots, as she distrusted him, though he often served as a piece on her metaphorical board of schemes.
Reign of Anumaril[]
After the death of Daethen I during the Siege of Shimmerene, as well as the dissapearance of Alyssare Arana, Daethen's son Anumaril was crowned king. With Rhaethen's consent, the Warden Tranian Rilis declared himself temporary Protector of the Isles, ruling as the young king's regent with Rhaethen's continued aid. Sometime during Tranian's tenure as Warden, the title lady inquisitor was created and granted to Rhaethen so that she might serve as the Marble Throne's spymaster in a more official fashion.
Rhaethen attempted to keep track of her sister's movements through a growing web of informants across the archipelago, to know which settlements, temples, and chantries she was destroying. The ever-pressing needs to identify when settlements rose in rebellion to join the High Aldarch's uprising caused Rhaethen to slowly expand her web of spies to span the entire realm. Upon Alyssare's return to Eldarhall, she demanded that Tranian immediately begin a new campaign to capture Shimmerene and raze it as Aerel did to the Aerie so many years ago, though was refused by both Tranian and Rhaethen. During the length of Anumaril I's reign, the two sisters would frequently engage in verbal fights about how to best crush the High Aldarch, where Alyssare preferred a more direct approach while Rhaethen preferred a more indirect one. Alyssare's aggressive methods resulted in several Arana victories, though also many defeats.
Alyssare eventually died in early 1E 444, and Rhaethen had her remains entered in the royal chantry of Eldarhall. With the death of Alyssare, Rhaethen remained the only gryphonrider alive, though was tethered to Eldarhall in order to keep track of her spy network, as well as to keep the nobility in check. This effectively robbed the Aranas of the advantage of their gryphons for the remainder of the High Aldarch's uprising. Lord Tranian eventually resigned as Warden, returning to Auridon to take direct command of his armies and bannermen. Rhaethen's nephew and the King's uncle, Sir Viseriel Arana, was named Warden and Protector of the Isles in Tranian's stead.
The war dragged on throughout the reign of Anumaril, no side being able to gain the better of the other. However, despite remaining within the safety of Eldarhall, the young Anumaril I Arana eventually died in late 1E 444, poisoned by one of his bodyguards who was promptly brought before Viseriel Arana and sentenced to death for his regicide.
Reign of Viseriel[]
Viseriel I Arana ascended to the Marble Throne in the winter of 1E 444, keeping Rhaethen as lady inquisitor. In a matter of months a ceasefire was arranged with the High Aldarch, who agreed to meet with Viseriel in a remote location to negotiate terms. Terms of a cease of hostilities were arranged, as it was clear the uprising would drag on for many more years if not. During these negotiations Viseriel displayed a great diplomatic talent, arranging for the creation of the Principle of Exceptionalism with the Church to guarantee the legitimacy of the incetuous unions practised by the Aranas, thereby guaranteeing the legitimacy of Viseriel's own reign in the eyes of the gods.
Rhaethen continued to serve as lady inquisitor to the Marble Throne, and eventually died of natural causes in 1E 574 at the age of 230. Her remains were the first to be entered in the Monastery of Serene Harmony since her brother's were decades prior.
Family[]
Quotes by Rhaethen[]
Quotes about Rhaethen[]
He may have been a boy, but he had a dangerous shadow, and if you weren't careful that shadow might've been your ruin.
—X about Rhaethen during Anumaril I's reign
Notes []
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