Sicia Flametongue

All beings in Teleria are the result of the Dances of Creation performed by Siroth and Lumaya, and so have within them both Light and Darkness. For those known as the Firstborn, the immortal Lightbringers and Demons, however, this is no longer so. But with smoke must come fire, and with shadow, light. One cannot exist without the other. Or so Sicia Flametongue believes in her heart of hearts. Though she is corrupted by Darkness like all Demonspawn, there is nonetheless something of the person that she once was that yet flickers within her. Before the Great Divorce between Siroth and Lumaya, Sicia was simply another Firstborn. Clever and adventurous, she explored the world and sought to learn all that she could about those peoples who had been created after hers. She found them fascinating, not just because they were so different from herself, but because they had so much to teach her. Nor was she alone in her fascination. She soon found another Firstborn, Cardiel, who shared her delight in the doings of the mortal races. They roamed Teleria together for years, but Sicia became tired of the antics of those she had once found fascinating. Yet as her boredom grew, so too did her feelings for her companion. It was a sensation she had never felt before and, at first, she was too confused to ask if he felt the same. He confessed his love for her however and she was overjoyed to find that he too felt the connection. But before they could explore these new feelings, conflict arose between Lumaya and Siroth, pitching the Firstborn into a war that threatened to consume them all. The central issue of the clash was Lumaya’s refusal to conclude the Seventh Dance of Creation – the Dance of Darkness. Sicia could not believe Lumaya’s apparent inability to see the sense in Siroth’s desire to add new and interesting things to a world that she felt was becoming dull. She tried to convince Cardiel that Lumaya’s way would condemn the world to stagnation, but he disagreed. Instead, he abandoned Sicia and pledged his loyalty to Lumaya. Angered by what she saw as Cardiel’s betrayal, Sicia joined Siroth and quickly rose in his esteem as one of his most trusted lieutenants. She became infamous for her ability to convince Lumaya’s followers to switch sides – all save one, however. Cardiel resisted her efforts time and again, and more than once while speaking to him, she felt her own loyalties waver. Despite their disagreement, Sicia knew that her bond with Cardiel was just as strong as it had been before the Great Divorce. She wished she could make him see sense before it was too late. Then came Lumaya’s banishment spell, and Sicia was dragged to Anathraad, along with the other Firstborn who had served Siroth. There, all the Light was purged from her, and her form became twisted and nightmarish. Great horns sprouted from her skull, and wings of infernal flame rose from her back. Her transformation into a Demon was painful – but even more so was her surety that she would never see her beloved again. This proved not to be the end, however. In the age that followed, Siroth found a means to invade Teleria, and Sicia was at the forefront. It was not simply her loyalty to Siroth that drove her, but also a burning desire to see the world she had once explored with Cardiel. It had changed much in the intervening years, and she was determined to explore it as she had before the Great Divorce. But Siroth’s forces, including Sicia, were ultimately defeated and cast back to Anathraad. Then came the Age of Hellfire. Siroth invaded the world once more, and once more Sicia was at the forefront of his armies. But something had changed. The Arbiter had found a way for Lumaya’s Firstborn followers – the Lightbringers – to re-enter Teleria after they had been cast into the Halls of Eternity by the banishment spell, much like Siroth's own Demonspawn. The Lightbringers descended from on high to battle Siroth’s forces. Demonspawn and Lightbringer clashed again and again. It was during one such confrontation that Sicia found her attention drawn to one Lightbringer in particular, who was somehow familiar to her. As the shimmering being roared out a challenge, something about his face snapped into focus. With a start, she realized who it was that hurtled across the battlefield towards her. Cardiel. And when their eyes met, she saw that he recognized her as well…