Nala the Great
From FiranMUX
Contents |
Overview
Clan Leader Nala led the Griffon Clan in battle and died fighting the Shamibelians during the invasion of The Great War. She is considered by many to have been the last true Griffon Clan Leader, as none that have followed her have ever showed her battle prowess.
Early History
Nala grew up in a clan at war. She was the daughter of Clan Leader Corista and like him, an avowed enemy of the Gold Dragon Clan. When she was young, she barely escaped with her life when the Gold Dragons captured the capitol city of Anarinuell. Only through her own craft was she able to help her family sneak past the Gold Dragon soldiers being led by the boy prodigy Elianos Firgalik, and when the city fell, she vowed that she would learn to fight better than any man.
But while Nala, still a girl, was leading Griffon troops in Firalut, the Dragons launched a bloody attack against Scirlut that resulted in horrors and genocide as the Firan Realms had never seen before. Refugees poured into the surviving Griffon cities of Firalut and Ellish, and Nala's father was forced to surrender the Staff of the High Priest/Priestess to Clan Leader Firgalas of the Gold Dragons.
Rise to Power
In the aftermath of defeat, Nala's father descended slowly into madness, a condition she blamed on the Gold Dragons and swore she would avenge. It was her fierceness, and her passion against the oppressors of her people that led her father to give her the medallion instead of her brother Dalumik.
Both Nala and Dalumik were able warriors, but Nala was especially beloved of the Goddess Uf. It was even said that no mortal weapon could hurt her. Certainly, Nala won every battle she personally fought in, and was known for her matter-of-fact expectation that all Griffons learn to fight, and never allow for weakness in their children.
Scandals
Nala never took a husband, despite a wide range of offers. Some said that her chastity was the price to be paid for her battle mastery. Others say that she preferred women to men, and she famously took a liking to the oracle Velani. Still others say that Nala took lovers in the fashion of a man, choosing who and when and where at her leisure.
The only thing that is certain is that she produced no legitimate heir, and neither did her brother.
The Great War
Nala's heroism was tested most thoroughly during the invasion of the Shamibelians during the Great War. Although she and Elianos had been mortal enemies their whole lives, they both agreed on one thing. The only way the Firans would survive is if they bought time for the civilians to escape.
It was Nala's fateful decision to keep Griffon forces at borders when the Shamibelians invaded, so as to allow the rest of the Firan clans to evacuate that both saved the Firan people, and ended her life.
Nala's brave stand was one for the ages, and her Griffon Clan companions stood just as bravely. It was for this reason--that the Griffon Clan stood as a bulwark against the Shamibelians while other clans ran--that they suffered such heavy and crippling losses during the Great War.
Divine Death
Though it was said mortal weapons could not harm her, myth holds that Firanos turned his fateful arrow against Nala on the battlefield, and it pierced her stalwart heart. Elianos dragged her from the battlefield before the Shamibelians could desecrate her corpse, and even though they had been enemies, she entrusted him with her medallion before she died.
Nala's Heir
Because Nala had no children of her own, Elianos searched for her brother Dalumik who was thought to be lost on the battlefield as well. Later it would be rumored that Dalumik was actually murdered by the Lanester of the Lanesh. With none of the heirs of Corista still living, Elianos gave the medallion to Corista's sister, Nala's aunt, Tazi.
