Léyvia Lelfeylénta

Artist's rendering of Léyvia

Léyvia Lelfeylénta (79 BE-1 AE, 2357 C - 2436 C) (pron. LEY-vee-uh Lel-fey-LEN-tuh) was the supreme leader of the Kiri Empire during the Kiri-Sama War and, thereafter, became a preeminent figure in Kiri legend. Her official title was Worldkeeper of Onáda.

Biography

Léyvia was the third of the six children of the Worldkeeper of Onáda Legel Lelfeylénta and the Worldbringer of Onáda Névator Lelfeyléntor. This is an unusually large family by Kiri standards but less unusual for the high ruling family at this era, which would often groom several children for various sociopolitical roles. Léyvia's sisters were Jlethelíne, Anja, and Soréyna, her brothers Právalon and Turmar. 

Lévyia's older sister, Jlethelíne, was in line to inherit the title of Worldkeeper, but she chose to become a religious teacher (Jetháta) instead. Her older brother, Právalon, was prohibited from inheriting a ruling title because he was male.  The title of Worldkeeper devolved onto Léyvia.  She married Átajor, son of the Worldkeeper of Dényvla, at 20 years old (2377 C).  At 25 (2382 C), upon her mother's death, she became Worldkeeper of Onáda and leader of the Kiri Empire.

She bore three children, a daughter, Menjenálta (b. 2387 C); son, Évenor (b. 2391 C); and daughter, Nedrásha (b. 2393 C), who died at the age of 5.

Kiri-Sama War

During the Kiri-Sama War, Léyvia led the Kiri Empire in resisting the Sama claim to the Feyléna planets.  She was responsible for the decision to deploy the weapon of mass destruction, Naira, which closed the Sel-Fey Tide, temporarily hindering Sama access to these planets.  In the year after the War's End, Léyvia died in continued aggression on the Feyléna planets between the Kiris and the remnants of the Sama colonists.  She was succeeded by her daughter, Menjenálta.

Legend

Reiable information about Léyvia as an individual is difficult to come by as her figure is so legendary in Kiri society. In folklore, Léyvia and all her immediate circle are people of heroic stature. 

Appearance

As with most Kiris, photographic images of her were rarely taken, but artistic representations of her describe her precisely as a tall, pale woman with earth-brown hair and moss-colored eyes (generally understood to mean the gray-green of lichen), arched eyebrows and a long nose.  She is traditionally described as very beautiful.

Skills and Personality

Lévyia is depicted as a strong, active leader, well suited for a time of war but also a skilled diplomat.  Her particular skills traditionally include strong telepathy, singing, harping, riding, sword-fighting, swimming, archery, diplomacy, history, theology, and biology. 

Specific Legends

• Léyvia is said to have been taken prisoner by the Samas as an adolescent and to have engineered her own escape, but this almost certainly apocryphal as there was no hostility between the two Nations at that time.
• She is said to have been a féyshelaz ("animal speaker"), one who can telepathically access the minds of other animals engineered to have telepathic centers.  This, too, seems unlikely since feyshelázi are almost always defined by that life role.  However, since Léyvia inherited a different, highly significant social role, she might have been an exception.
• As a féyshelaz, she is said to have made particular friends with a large, brown leopard, Mirvo, sometimes depicted a symbol of her reign.  However, brown leopards are not known to exist on Onáda, the setting of this story.
• She is said to have had a sexual liaison with one of her advisors, Ravon.  There is no historical evidence to confirm or deny this.

Léyvia on Perdita

Léyvia's legend was co-opted on Perdita as a basis for the fabricated goddess, Leva, designed as a propaganda tool by the priest class (Jethor) to promulgate a dogma of ecological awareness.