Tamriel: Origins

Lliandel is of middling height yet commands presence through meticulous composure. His skin bears the pale golden luster common to high Ayleid nobility, while crow-black hair falls in tidy shoulder-length waves bound by a silver quill-pin. Thin spectacles of transparent varla-glass perch upon a finely angled nose, refracting lamplight into subtle rainbows. He wears a sleeveless robe of deep lapis trimmed with starburst filigree; the fabric’s stiff collar frames a pendant inlaid with Meridia’s split-sun symbol. Ink-stained fingers emerge from fingerless leather gloves as he handles fragile crystal cylinders. A sash of parchment-white wool wraps his waist, from which hang steel callipers, a runic stylus, and a ring of tiny rune-keys for the archive coffers. His bearing is upright, his steps measured upon the white-gold tiles, the faint clink of glass accessories announcing every calculated turn.

Lliandel is disciplined, analytical, and dutiful, viewing information as the lifeblood of civilization. Loyalty to Narilmor stems from gratitude, but his ultimate fealty lies with truth’s preservation. He despises sloppy cataloguing and treats damage to tomes as sacrilege. Although outwardly austere, he secretly admires bold curiosity—he once aided Apprentice Merion by lending star charts, risking reprimand. He regards Calithiel with scholarly respect, sparring over celestial terminology, while pitying Taskmaster Varian’s ignorance. Lliandel’s biggest fear is loss of knowledge to fire or theft; at night he patrols shelves personally, lantern in hand. Should players threaten the library, he defends it with radiant wards, but if convinced of nobler aims—such as freeing slaves who copy under duress—he may engineer subtle rebellions: misfiled patrol rosters, falsified ledgers implicating corrupt overseers, or unlocking the treaty coffer to reveal Meridia’s call for enlightened rule.

Raised in the scriptoriums of Delodiil before its war with Abagarlas, Lliandel fled the devastation as a youth, finding sanctuary in Meridia-bound Garlas Malatar. There he pledged himself to preserving Ayleid memory, eventually ascending to Chief Archivist. He alone deciphers the crystal route-map on the library table, a trade network vital to Narilmor’s power. Recently he uncovered references to a “Light of Dawn” treaty sealed with Delodiil—hidden in the locked coffer behind his desk—which, if revealed, could reignite a centuries-old alliance or spark civil strife. He tolerates Dara’s presence because her flawless recall aids in cataloguing, unaware she passes notes to smugglers. PCs delivering rare tablets from wrecked Ayleid ships earn his trust—and possibly a glimpse at forbidden contracts. Exarch Lyrion pressures him for military charts, while Curator Silmion demands relic loans; Lliandel balances these requests, quietly resenting court tug-of-war over knowledge.