Tashara the Veiled Flame
The Flame of Eru’Dan Maerila Venyre Sarovin (a.k.a. Tashara the Veiled Flame)
Tashara the Veiled Flame was a revolutionary thinker, escape tactician, and magical saboteur whose quiet brilliance changed the course of Tanarian history. Born in Emberhold, a small but fiercely independent kingdom nestled between Kalros and the Valorian frontier, Tashara witnessed her homeland annexed and dismantled by Valorian conquest before she reached adulthood. Her people were scattered, her culture buried, and her kin enslaved or executed under the banner of “civilized unification.”
Rather than let grief consume her, Tashara disappeared into the shadows, only to reemerge as the founder of a covert resistance network: the Eru'dan. Using illusion magic, coded firelight signals, and a network of beastfolk messengers, she helped smuggle hundreds, then thousands, of non-humans and political dissidents out of occupied zones.
But she didn’t stop there.
Tashara's greatest legacy lies in thwarting Valoria’s attempted invasion of Kalros. She united fractured clans with shared intelligence, exposed sabotage efforts through intercepted communiques, and reportedly crafted false visions (disguised as divine prophecy) that sowed distrust between Valorian generals and their royal court. By the time Valoria turned its eyes eastward in earnest, they found Kalros not only prepared—but united.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born in 473 CE in the once-independent kingdom of Emberhold, Maerila Venyre Sarovin was the daughter of a mid-ranking diplomatic family. Emberhold stood as a beacon of multi-racial cooperation along the Valorian frontier, until Valoria decided it stood in the way. By the time Maerila was sixteen, her homeland had been annexed, her parents executed for “treason,” and her people scattered across the empire.
She survived by hiding her identity and her magic. Her fire, once a celebrated part of Ensurii culture, became a liability under Valorian scrutiny. Disguised as a mute servant, she slipped through the cracks of noble courts and army camps, listening, learning, and waiting.
In her late twenties, Maerila resurfaced under a new name, Tashara, a word whispered in defiance that meant “she who carries the ember.” She became a phantom in the occupied territories, forging documents, guiding refugees, and sabotaging supply lines. Her efforts culminated in the founding of the Eru'dan, a covert network of safehouses, messengers, and magic used to smuggle non-humans out of Valoria and Jou’lunn.
In her later years, she became instrumental in uniting the clans of Kalros, sharing intelligence and strategy that prevented Valoria’s northward expansion. Though she never saw the rise of the Harmonium Era, many consider her one of its quiet architects. She died in 112 CE, before the Calamity Era's end, disappearing during a final mission in the Emberdeep, her body never recovered.
She left behind no children, no tomb, and no portrait, only firelit legends and the lanterns still hung along hidden roads.
Accomplishments & Achievements
- Founder of the Eru'dan: Tashara laid the foundations for the underground resistance network that would become known as the Eru'dan, coordinating safehouses, smuggling routes, and magical protections for non-humans fleeing persecution.
- Savior of Kalros: Her strategic insight and clandestine diplomacy united fractured Kalrosi clans just in time to repel Valoria’s northern incursion. Without her intervention, Kalros might have been lost.
- Author of the Ember Codex: A collection of encrypted lessons in subterfuge, resistance, and moral resilience, the Codex became a sacred text among resistance cells and is still studied by Lanternfolk today.
- Saboteur of the Black Pike Accord: Infiltrated and dismantled a secret alliance between Jou’lunn warlords and Valorian generals that would have led to a continent-wide purge of beastfolk and Ensurii enclaves.
- The Flame That Endured: Though hunted, betrayed, and nearly executed more than once, Tashara never gave up her work. Her survival alone became a symbol of endurance, and her name was spoken in reverence by refugees who never saw her face.
- Architect of Unity: Tashara’s legacy helped inspire the ideological roots of the Harmonium Era. Her writings advocated for coexistence without assimilation, and many of her ideas later appeared—uncredited—in the foundational laws of emerging free states.
Morality & Philosophy
Tashara believed in liberation over peace, and truth over comfort. To her, freedom was not a gift to be granted, but a right to be reclaimed, even if it meant lying, stealing, or burning bridges, sometimes literally. She didn't see resistance as inherently noble. It was simply necessary.
She had no illusions about moral purity. She harbored smugglers, liars, mercenaries, and outcasts because survival required more than good intentions, it required teeth. Mercy was a tool, not a rule. When possible, she offered it. When not, she didn’t hesitate to strike first to protect the many.
Despite that, Tashara carried a strong internal code: never exploit the desperate, never punish the innocent, never forget the cost. She believed every fire needed a purpose, hers was to light the way, not scorch the earth.
Her philosophy was rooted in pragmatism, tempered by empathy. She believed a better world was possible, but only if someone was willing to walk through hell to reach it.
You want clean hands? Then don’t build anything worth keeping.
Species
Ethnicity
Honorary & Occupational Titles
The Lantern Queen, Mother of the Hidden, Ashwalker, The Veiled Flame
Date of Death
Sombriel 17th, 112 CE
Life
173 BHE
112 BHE
61 years old
Birthplace
Emberhold, a former kingdom swallowed by Valoria
Children
Pronouns
She/her
Sex
Female
Eyes
Warm hazel with golden flecks, almond-shaped, slightly upturned at the outer corners
Hair
Coarse, black with silver streaks, worn in thick braids or wrapped for practicality; mid-back length when unbound.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Deep bronze with sun-kissed undertones
Height
5'9" (175 cm)
Weight
168 lbs (76 kg)
Quotes & Catchphrases
“Funny thing about tyrants. They never seem to see the knife until it’s lit by lamplight.”
“You don’t have to be a torch. Sometimes, being a spark is enough.”
“I do not light lanterns to be admired. I light them so others may find the road I never got to finish.”
“The night is long. So we leave lanterns behind—not because we’ll make it, but because someone else might.”
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