Description
Lady Sylenna Thornbrook is the ruling Lady of Sunset Bluff, a strikingly beautiful woman who appears to be in her early thirties despite being in her fifties. She has high cheekbones, luminous grey eyes, and dark hair that falls in waves past her shoulders. Locals say she is the spitting image of her mother, the late Lady Varina, which they attribute to strong bloodlines.
Like all members of the Thornbrook family and their court, Lady Sylenna observes the strict humility laws of their branch of the Church of Elandria, wearing an ornate silver veil that covers the lower half of her face whenever she appears in public. Her voice is soft but carries an undeniable authority, and she moves with the practiced grace of someone born to rule.
Personality
Lady Sylenna presents herself as a pious, reserved noblewoman devoted to the traditions of her house. She speaks rarely and chooses her words with care, projecting an air of contemplative wisdom. She is known for her patience and her reluctance to act rashly. When she does make decisions, they are final. To those who earn her confidence, she reveals a dry wit and a keen intellect that belies her serene exterior. She takes a genuine interest in her people’s wellbeing and rules with a light hand, preferring persuasion to force.
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The Truth
Lady Sylenna Thornbrook is the High Deathlord of The Deathless—and she has ruled Sunset Bluff for over three hundred years.
She was originally appointed Lady of Sunset Bluff in 932, a young noblewoman who had secretly converted to the worship of Vaelith after witnessing the death of her entire family to plague. She underwent the Deathwalker transformation shortly after taking power and has ruled ever since, her immortality hidden behind a carefully constructed facade.
The Thornbrook family’s strict observance of “humility laws” (requiring face coverings at all times in public) is a fabrication designed to conceal Sylenna’s unchanging face across the centuries. The family follows matrilineal succession, supposedly passing the title from mother to daughter. In truth, there has only ever been one Lady Thornbrook. Every few decades, Sylenna stages her own “death,” retreats from public view, and then returns as her own daughter or granddaughter. The transition periods are handled by her inner council, all of whom are devoted to Vaelith.
The “striking resemblance” between generations of Thornbrook women is local legend now, attributed to strong blood and divine blessing. No one suspects the truth.
The Secret Faith
The entire leadership of the Church of Elandria in Sunset Bluff is secretly devoted to Vaelith. The cathedral’s underground crypts house a hidden temple where Deathless rituals are performed. The city’s Tether resides in a chamber beneath the cliffs, accessible only through the temple.
Every member of Lady Sylenna’s council is either a Deathwalker, Deathpriest, or living devotee of Vaelith who has proven their loyalty. The city functions as a haven for the Deathless, a place where they can exist openly among their own kind while presenting a facade of Elandrian piety to the outside world.
Princess Mariella
King Aldric IX’s daughter, Princess Mariella, married into the Thornbrook family and now resides in Sunset Bluff. Lady Sylenna has taken a particular interest in the princess, though whether this is political maneuvering, genuine affection, or something more sinister remains to be seen.
The Long Game
Lady Sylenna and her council have plans to eventually “liberate” other cities—spreading the faith of Vaelith and the freedom of the Deathless beyond Sunset Bluff. But they are patient. They have been patient for three centuries, and they can wait three more. The Right to Life. The Right to Death. The Right to Free Will. These tenets will spread, one city at a time, one generation at a time.
She believes the Church of Elandria’s dominance is a form of spiritual tyranny—a denial of death’s sacred role in the natural order. Her goal is not conquest but conversion: to show the world that Vaelith’s way offers true freedom, not the gilded cage of endless light. :::