Leafiara (prime)/Rise of Rone

Events

Vigilante Ethics

In early 5118 a white-cloaked vigilante began to make appearances around Wehnimer's Landing. Capable of travel through an ethereal mist, he was known to slay people for unknown reasons and leave their gutted corpses behind. Loresongs of the bodies would reveal deeds such as sexual harassment, wife abuse, embezzling, and selling children as slaves, all happening immediately before the attacks.

The loresongs, along with the vigilante telling Puptilian that he intended to cleanse the town of corruption, left Leafiara initially equal parts nonchalant and flippant about whether the vigilante should be pursued or left alone. She did, however, acknowledge curiosities about how--or if--he was gathering information on who to target and why he saw the Rooks as part of the town's corruption.

Leafi began to take him more seriously after an attack on the Rook tunnels, in which the vigilante unleashed exploding prisms whose effects rocked the town even above ground. More importantly, at least in her eyes, loresongs of the slain Rooks did not reveal any fell deeds before they were attacked--only refusing to reveal the whereabouts of Rysus, who the vigilante said was dying. Though still not condemning the vigilante, she grew determined to confront him.

Dubious Decisions, Odd Opportunities

For unknown reasons, Stephos DeArchon began to take an interest in capturing the vigilante and proposed releasing prisoners to bait him out in a meeting which Leafi refused to attend due to personal disdain for the man--though this led her to a crisis of conscience.

Thinking she might not be any better than Stephos, she confessed to Shinann and Stormyrain that during the Kestrels' time in the outpost she had released a series of anonymous pamphlets attempting to incite vigilantes to rise up among the townspeople and take action against Dennet Kestrel since she couldn't find an opening to do it herself. She made the information public at the suggestion of the militia captains, along with an apology for indicting the townspeople over not doing enough to stop Dennet.

Afterward she took it as an opportunity. Mayor Cruxophim rejected Stephos' plan, but as the vigilante now going by the name Rone began to make increasing threats against Crux, Leafi privately offered her own proposal. She argued that while others' plans typically involved baiting Rone with figures who he would see as enemies, she--having called for vigilantism before--might be able to bait him as a figure who he would see as an ally or sympathizer.

Treacherous, Traitorous Treason?!

Stephos moved forward with a backup plan, using a yellow shard to create an anti-magic field throughout the Landing, disabling Rone's means of escape through the mist. Thereafter one of his hired mercenaries shot and injured Rone--who, in an act of desperation while surrounded, took Lylia hostage, set off a prism, and ran.

Leafiara would ultimately find the two of them in the forest, where Rone moved his dagger away from Lylia and asked for help with his wound, to which she agreed. Stonmel arrived to see and alert others, but before many could arrive, Leafi finished bandaging Rone, who thanked her, pushed Lylia away, and disappeared through the mist.

Stonmel would go on to raise accusations of treason, which Mayor Crux passed along to the courts, and Leafi made a public statement about the hostage negotiation. Ultimately Renpaw did not pursue an investigation.

Bloody Finale

Despite her help, Rone didn't allow Leafiara to get closer to him than anyone else over the next month. As she and Lylia campaigned to be the next mayor, the situation also escalated throughout the Landing with imitation vigilantes trying to bait him out, actors trying to frame Mayor Crux for kidnapping and torture, and a crowd of unidentified people taking up their own white cloaks and attempting to arrest Crux.

This culminated in Crux proposing to repurpose the bone pillars left behind by Grishom Stone, nominally to draw upon their latent energy to shield the Landing against future attacks--but also with the covert second agenda, known to his advisors such as Leafi, to use that energy to capture Rone.

The situation came to a head after Rone injected Cruxophim with an unknown substance that cut him off from the mana flows, claiming to intend to reveal the monster he is. One week later, the blood mages Stormyrain, Kipara, and Khylynnia would go on to enact Crux's plan, aided by Leafi and Mayor Elect Lylia helping to channel the energy, in a ritual that ultimately bound Rone and led to his capture.

Aftermath

What Could Have Been: Blood Maiden Leafiara

After wondering for almost two years what might be possible if she began to practice blood magic, Leafi at last approached Stormyrain during Rone's time with questions about what it entailed--partly driven by the plan to capture Rone and partly driven by Breshon Caulfield's urgency to find a way to restore Larsya Caulfield's youth. After hearing her out, Leafi concluded that it would be counterproductive to learn about blood magic personally and is no longer pursuing the idea, but remains open to enlisting the help of other blood mages.

The Most Free People of the Landing

When Rone appeared at the Black Sands at the end of Charlatos, with Leafiara knowing well that he would likely be captured that night, she bid him a public farewell of sorts in full view of everyone, saying: "You're one of the most free men in the Landing, Rone, aren't you? You and the Rooks... bound by no laws. The most free people of the Landing. It's kind of admirable, if either of you didn't see fit to kill indiscriminately. Almost envious of you."

A Week Too Late For Sabotage

Despite aiding with binding Rone, Leafiara told him after his capture that "It's really a shame. I liked you a lot, actually. If this were a week ago, I would have tried to sabotage it. But that was then and this is now. It's nothing personal." What this implies and why is anyone's guess aside from her closest friends.

However, as Cruxophim revealed Rone to be Malluch and told him to look at what he became, Leafi said she kind of liked what he became, but he picked the wrong targets. Crux warned her that Malluch had taken a road one couldn't turn back on, but she said maybe someone would prove that wrong.