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Liliana Temult is the mother of Imogen Temult and the former wife of Relvin Temult. As an NPC, Liliana Temult is played by Matthew Mercer. She initially appeared only in Imogen's dreams.

Description[]

Liliana Temult - Porzio Art

Fan art of Liliana, by @porzio art.[art 2]

Liliana had deep lavender hair tied up over her ears in a long braid down her back.[1][2] When Imogen encountered her in her dreams, she was an older woman who greatly resembled Imogen, but with a harder look. Her expression was a mixture of surprise, concern, and coldness.[3] When the party saw her at the culmination of the Apogee Solstice at the Tishtan excavation site, her lavender hair was still braided down her back and she wore a long, leather coat.[4]

Her former husband Relvin described her as sweet, smart, and strong-willed, which is why he liked her. He'd suspected she'd eventually realize she didn't belong in Gelvaan, but hoped when she left, they'd go together.[5] When Imogen later spoke with her in a dream, she admitted that she longed for her earlier, simple life as a ranch woman, but felt that as a Ruidusborn, she had had no choice but to leave, although she attempted to protect her daughter from the same fate.[6]

On Ruidus, she had a remarkable, almost mythological reputation, and many of those who met her daughter and noticed the resemblance were immediately amazed and/or intimidated by it.[7]

Biography[]

Background[]

Relvin, Liliana, and Imogen - cvleart

Fan art of Relvin, Liliana, and Imogen, by cvleart.[art 3]

Liliana at one point lived in the Dureni Fields near Gelvaan[8] with her husband Relvin and daughter Imogen on the ranch seen in Imogen's dreams. Later, Relvin said he suspected that she had always had her psychic powers and concealed them from him because she was ashamed or frightened. A year or two after Imogen's birth, Liliana began having dreams, said she was afraid Imogen would follow in her footsteps, and left her husband and daughter.[9]

Growing up, Imogen knew almost nothing about her mother, since she left when her daughter was still very young.[10] Imogen told the rest of Bells Hells that she wasn't even sure if Liliana was alive or dead, saying only that "She's gone," and "I don't know her." Her father would not speak of her, admitting later that he thought letting Imogen think her mother was dead was easier than telling her the truth.[11] Any time Imogen brought the subject up, he just turned off. Imogen told the party: "Once everything started changing, it's almost like he knew that he'd give something away. I just thought he was uncomfortable. I mean, I know she existed. I know who she was. I don't know anything about her."[12]

When Imogen's dreams of a red storm started, she heard her mother's voice in them, seemingly speaking to her from another realm, leading her away from the storm.[13]

Imogen later learned that her mother had left because she was seeking information about her growing telepathic and telekinetic abilities as an Exaltant Ruidusborn. Liliana wandered through Marquet and beyond, looking for answers, before in about 831 to 833 PD,[14] about ten to twelve years before the beginning of Campaign Three, she found and became part of a study spearheaded by Professor Kadija Sumal of the Omen Archive of the Aydinlan Seminary in Yios researching recurring dreams of a red storm linked to theories of fiendish influence, Ruidus tidal corruption, or elemental boundary flares.[15] She was last known to be in Yios around 831 PD.[16] She was the first identified of the most powerful of the Ruidusborn, called an "Exaltant", and participated willingly until she was found by Otohan Thull and the Cerberus Assembly.[17] She was one of the few Ruidusborn who could communicate with the crimson dream entities known as "Reilora",[18] and who could project herself into others' dreams.[19]

Campaign Three: Bells Hells[]

Liliana's voice was heard in all of Imogen's nightmares of an approaching red storm, urging her to run.

Hondir knew Liliana in approximately 831 PD, twelve years before the beginning of Campaign Three. She was one of the volunteers in Grim Verity's study of Ruidusborn at the Aydinlan Seminary in Yios. She was "incredibly gifted" with telekinetic powers similar to Imogen's.[20]

After a particularly vivid dream of her mother during a Ruidus flare, Imogen cast Sending to Liliana, asking, "Are you there?" After a long moment, the reply came: "Imogen?"[21] During that conversation, and the next a few days later, Imogen repeatedly asked to see her mother. Liliana repeatedly told her it was too dangerous, and Imogen needed to run.

When Bells Hells spoke with several members of the Grim Verity about Liliana, Ebenold Kai said he assumed she was part of the army Otohan Thull was assembling in the Hellcatch Valley, and that her need for answers had overridden her judgement.[22] Planerider Ryn's goal was to stop Otohan from accomplishing what Ryn believed was Thull's goal: to release Predathos from its prison within the red moon Ruidus.

Through Fresh Cut Grass's Shared Dream spell, Imogen, Laudna and the cleric were able to locate the ruins in Marquet where one of the Malleus Keys was being built, and Imogen was able to briefly interact with her mother before Liliana forced her to end the dream, urging her daughter to go away despite her offering of help.[23]

The last time Imogen was able to find her mother in her dreams, Liliana seemed confident about the benefits of following Ludinus Da'leth's plan, showing her daughter visions of that "ideal" world. Days later, when Imogen and some of her friends met Beauregard Lionett and Caleb Widogast in the Tishtan excavation site, the other adventurers revealed that Liliana was now one of the generals of the Vanguard. When asked, Imogen said that she would prefer if they didn't have to kill Liliana and explained to Beauregard that Liliana's sudden devotion to her cause might not be totally voluntary.[24]

Within the ruins, Liliana was using her telekinetic powers to move pieces of machinery and armor for the workers when she noticed that a Warder automaton appeared to be malfunctioning (it was actually being controlled by FCG from the inside). She forced it to stop and during Ludinus' speech she kept a watchful eye on it. When she noticed Orym trying to help his cleric friend get out of the Warder, her counterattack was halted by Imogen's plea in her mind. For a bit, her daughter tried to persuade her to join forces with Bells Hells instead of supporting the Vanguard. However, Imogen's pleas ultimately failed, and when the Champion of Ravens appeared in order to protect Keyleth of the Air Ashari (who had come to help Bells Hells), Liliana magically activated a trap wherein her cast spell was amplified by mirrors installed within the site, transforming the celestial warrior into a dark orb that acted as the final lens of the Malleus Key.[25]

Days later when Bells Hells reunited in Jrusar, Fresh Cut Grass cast Scrying on Liliana (using her locket), and they located her walking next to Ludinus in the middle of a red storm on the surface of Ruidus.[26] The next time Imogen had a dream connected to Ruidus she heard her mother's voice urging her to run, and she resisted the urge pulling her toward the surface. A projection of Liliana's mind then approached her, saying she wanted to protect her daughter, although she didn't think she had caused the explosion of white energy at the Malleus Key site that shunted Imogen and the others out of danger. Liliana said she wasn't fighting Ludinus' plans because she needed him as much as he needed her, and he was "older and more cunning than most". When Imogen asked if she intended to free Predathos and destroy the gods, Liliana responded, "You deserve to be free."[27] When eventually Imogen decided to embrace the red moon's influence in her dreams, she felt herself pulled inside the satellite, heard her mother's voice, and was very alarmed by this.[28]

Imogen and her mother by colealexart

Fan art of Imogen and her mother's reputation, by Cole Alexander.[art 4]

While Bells Hells were exploring the city of Kreviris, Imogen was repeatedly taken for her mother, confirming their close resemblance. Eventually Imogen learned of an imminent assassination attempt being plotted by the Volition, and was offered the chance to lead it herself, being informed that the general and some of her forces spent a lot of time in the Woven Music Grand Hall lately. Emotionally torn, Imogen admitted that although she thought she had written her mother off as irredeemable, when faced with her death she still wanted to make one last attempt to save her. She met Liliana in a dream, where Liliana said she was sorry that despite her attempts to push Imogen away, the burden had found her anyway. She was trying to make a difference from the inside by protecting other Ruidusborn children and influencing Ludinus Da'leth's actions. She didn't believe Predathos would harm people or the world and saw the gods as tyrants who protected people only to protect themselves. She apologized to Imogen for not being there during her childhood, and they told each other "I love you".[29]

Relationships[]

Imogen Temult[]

Liliana loves her daughter and when she abandoned her as a baby she did so thinking it was the best for her. Likewise, all her actions working with the Ruby Vanguard have the ultimate goal of giving security and freedom to both her and Imogen. However, in her determination and fervor to accomplish that mission she refuses to give in to her daughter's pleas, even if it puts them on opposite sides of the conflict.

Ludinus Da'leth[]

According to Liliana, she has enough influence over the archmage to have pulled him from the edge more than once, even encouraging him do some good on occasion.[30] She realizes she is surrounded by dangerous people, but they listen to her, and by staying she can protect other Ruidusborn.[31] She accepts that Ludinus may be evil, but is combating him by working from the inside.[32]

Character Information[]

Abilities[]

Spells[]

  • Sending[33]
  • Banishment
  • Telekinesis

Quotations[]

  • "Imogen, run! Run far!"[34]
  • Liliana: I just want to protect you, more than anything.
    Imogen: Then why didn't you?
    Liliana I am. [...]
    Imogen: Are you setting him free? Predathos? Is it going to really destroy the gods?
    Liliana: You deserve to be free.
    Imogen: At what cost, Mama?
  • (to Imogen) I'm not doing any of this for Ludinus. I'm doing this because I didn't have a choice. Neither of us do. We're here. I tried to keep this from pulling you here, but you came anyway, and now we're both here in the center of it all and it's going to happen. But I want you to be free of it. And once this is over, all of us will be, all of us who were not given a choice but be born into this red light and changed. Do you know how much I miss just taking care of those horses? Do you know how much I dream of just walking the fields and making breakfast at sunrise? All that was taken from me, and all I could think about was making sure I didn't take it from you. I failed at that, too, it seems.[35]

Appearances and mentions[]

Trivia[]

  • Her name comes from the Latin lilium (lily).
  • Before having a vision of her mother when she was around one year old, Imogen believed Liliana had died giving birth to her.[36]
  • Liliana likes violin music and the smell of lavender vanilla.[37]

References[]

  1. See "What Dreams May Come" (3x34) at 0:16:15.
  2. See "Night at the Ligament Manor" (3x46) at 2:28:32.
  3. See "The Aurora Grows" (3x49) at 1:33:11.
  4. See "The Apogee Solstice" (3x51) at 1:38:21.
  5. See "An Exit Most Fraught" (3x48) at 3:35:26.
  6. See "Divisive Portents" (3x89) at 2:07:59.
  7. See "Seeking Sedition" (3x88) at 2:42:04.
  8. See "An Exit Most Fraught" (3x48) at 3:40:44.
  9. See "An Exit Most Fraught" (3x48) at 3:30:02.
  10. See "What Dreams May Come" (3x34) at 2:52:57.
  11. See "An Exit Most Fraught" (3x48) at 3:29:48.
  12. See "Make It Fashion" (3x12) at 0:18:01.
  13. See "On the Trail of a Killer" (3x04) at 0:55:58.
  14. See "Ominous Lectures" (3x45) at 1:33:23.
  15. See "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11) at 4:57:53.  Imogen found a book in the Starpoint Conservatory listing her mother as one of the contributors or subjects of the research. Additional pages on the topic had been torn out. She later learned that the Lumas twins were the last to borrow the book, and they were staying with Roe Estani when they were killed in the mysterious attack that Orym and Fearne were sent by Keyleth to investigate.
  16. In 843 PD, Hondir said he had last seen Liliana in Yios twelve years earlier.  See "Dark Portents" (3x29) at 3:04:41.
  17. See "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) at 3:10:19.
  18. See "Ominous Lectures" (3x45) at 1:33:07.
  19. See "Ominous Lectures" (3x45) at 1:34:33.
  20. See "Dark Portents" (3x29) at 3:05:02.
  21. See "The Momentum of Murder" (3x39) at 3:30:36.
  22. See "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) at 3:10:19.
  23. See "Night at the Ligament Manor" (3x46) from 2:21:51 through 2:30:15.
  24. See "Red Moon Rising" (3x50) at 3:16:54.
  25. See "The Apogee Solstice" (3x51).
  26. See "A Path of Vengeance" (3x65) at 3:38:38.
  27. See "For The Tempest" (3x68) from 0:40:59 through 0:48:19.
  28. See "The Eve of the Red Moon" (3x81) at 1:28:14.
  29. See "Divisive Portents" (3x89) from 2:02:47 through 2:15:16.
  30. See "Divisive Portents" (3x89) at 2:04:55.
  31. See "Divisive Portents" (3x89) at 2:09:48.
  32. See "Divisive Portents" (3x89) at 2:13:49.
  33. See "Compulsions" (3x40) at 0:20:48.
  34. Some variation of this was said in virtually all of Imogen's dreams and visions of her mother.  See "Make It Fashion" (3x12) at 3:14:05.
  35. See "Divisive Portents" (3x89) at 2:07:14.
  36. See "4-Sided Dive: Fun Scary" (4SDx07) at 0:20:29.
  37. See "Ominous Lectures" (3x45) at 1:40:38.

Art:

  1. Fan art of Liliana Temult, by Kiera James (source). Used with permission.
  2. Fan art of Liliana, by @porzio art (source). Used with permission.
  3. Fan art of Relvin, Liliana, and Imogen, by cvleart (source). Used with permission.
  4. Fan art of Imogen and her mother's reputation, by Cole Alexander (source). Used with permission.
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