Jyrine Tessella Marten
“You look back. She looks forward. She will guide you into the future.”
-Voice from the void, communication between Sleepless Cabal and Elders.
Description
Jyrine Tessella Marten was a member of the Sleepless Cabal, an organization dedicated to gain knowledge from Great Elders, and a Soulbound. She was the wife of Calder Marten.
In last book she served as the High Priestess of Void and later as a host of Kelarac. Jyrin possessed by the Great Elder was killed by Shera.
Appearance
Normal : Jyrine is described to be a beautiful woman with tanned skin and long braid of brown hair with her dangling emerald earrings. She is seen wearing dresses of variety of coloures. She has the script tattooed on the back of it. The lines of symbols cover most of the left side of her body, from the top of her foot all the way up to the side of her neck, flowing down her arm like a tributary river. The symbols terminate below her jawline.
High Priestess: She wore a long golden dress, her hair tied back into a single braid. Her emerald Soulbound Vessel, once mounted in an earring, was now embedded directly into the center of her forehead.
Kelarac Possessed : Her eyes were covered in a blindfold of steel and wore gold rings on every finger and layers of jeweled necklaces.
History
Flashbacks:
Before she was born her parents came to the Capital from Vandenyas which is situated in southern parts of the Empire. Jyrine's father was a member of Sleepless Cabal and had raised his daughter with a positive view of Great Elders, not something to fear or hated, but awed at. He like others of his organization believed that communication with Elders would grant humanity knowledge and power to usher their civilization in a golden age. He once took young Jyrine to a gathering of Sleepless members where they tried to communicate with Great Elders. They were all shown visions of Elders. Bold and curious nature of Jyrine made her the attention for elders who chose her to be the guide of Sleepless to the future. She was bestowed an emerald flaming jewel with instruction for her to become its soulbound. Jyrine's father was part of the Blackwatch and was reported to be killed in the line of duty. Although he had told Jyrine beforehand to not trust anyone claiming his death, so his fate in end is fairly ambiguous.
As a twelve-year old, she was brought up to Grayweather House to be tutored along with Calder Marten under the same teachers. Her father was friend of Alsa Grayweather. She had a curious nature when it came to the matter of Great Elders, Guilds and other adventurous topics. Calder and Jyrine became great friend in the following couple of years. At 14 years of age Jyrine risked her life to help Calder broke out his father out of Candle Bay Imperial Prison. She was neither summoned to face Emperor nor punished for her involvement in the destruction of Imperial Prison.
Calder was discharged from the Blackwatch Guild and added in the numbers of Navigator's Guild. He was a valuable asset to empire as a soulbound to The Testament and as the master of Lyathatan. To repay for the destruction of Imperial Prison to empire he had to chart the Aion sea like a regular Navigator Captain, so he could earn and clear his debt. Jyrine joined him on the ship and worked as their Navigator and planned which route to take, which direction to head, reading maps, etc.
Jyrine often met fellow Sleepless cult members in secret at ports and towns their ship was anchored at.
Present:
The crew of The Testament was tasked with protection of a former Chronicler named Naberius. Jyrin confronts Shera who came to assassinate Naberius. She reveals herself to be a soulbound in the fight and shocks both her opponent and her husband Calder. He also stumbles upon his wife's ties with Sleepless when during the fight she utters the words "That which sleeps will soon wake." . Shera paralyzed Jyrin with a poisoned needle and shoved her overboard with intention to kill. The Gardner took her to the Gray Island as a prisoner when Jyrine survived the fall.
Consultants treated her quite well, for a prisoner. Her cell was five yards by five, which was noticeably bigger than the cabin on The Testament. The mattress they gave her was thin but relatively comfortable. They fed her twice a day, and the room was even lit by the even, warm light of a quick lamp. It was placed high out of her reach, true, but it banished the shadows far better than a candle. Jyrine had requested two books, by leaning against her bars and shouting. She never saw a guard, but the books appeared in her cell within a few hours.They had covered her head in a hood when they took her here, but they didn’t bother to hide the fact that they were taking her underground. There were no windows she could conveniently slip through, no guards to bribe. She had faked illness a few days before, and found a bottle of medicine delivered with her next meal. Jyrine at least once every day closed her eyes and stretched her mind out for her Vessel. The earring was somewhere on the island but sealed. There was only one another prisoner beside her, a former Gardner named Lucan. During their imprisonment together she talked about her organization with him and how they want to bring prosperity to world by communicating with Great Elders. Sleepless Cabal via void communication instructs her to remain where she are and wait for the Heart of Nakothi to come close. They also gives her a device that would help her break out at the correct time.
Months after she was captured Calder and she is reunited. Though her husband is still angry by her secrets and leaves her to rot in the prison. When Jyrine feels the strong presence of heart of Nakothi, she uses the device given to her. It was meant to summon a lesser spawn of Othaghor, one that could lead her out of captivity and to her Soulbound Vessel. From there, she was meant to recapture Nakothi’s Heart and deliver it to her sect. She sent a call out while in the presence of one of Nakothi’s hearts…and during the Awakening of a blade that once pierced a different Heart of the Dead Mother. Nakothi held so much sway over that island at that place, at that moment, that she and she alone determined what answered that call into the void. She sent one of her Handmaidens.
Lucan breaks out of his cell but doesn't help Jyrine. As the structural integrity of her prison is about to fail under the rampage of Handmaiden, she receives a void transmission. A single piece of jewelry tumbled through the air, gleaming green and gold. Her vessel. In the swimming lights and endless black of the void, an Elderspawn floated. It looked like an octopus, tendrils swimming in unseen water, but its head was smooth and flat. She is instructed to use the elder spawn to escape. Jyrine escapes barely in time to avoid roof falling upon her cell.
Jyrine is transported to Emperor’s quarters with the help of Kelarac that she is assumes is just an Elder Spawn. The quarters had a full bathroom complete with a toilet and functional plumbing. Kelarac only on the sixth day of her stay in the Emperor’s Elder-sealed room reveals his identity. He instructs her to stand with her back to the Optasia, facing the door. and orders to stand in the spot as long as she can, using the full extent of her power to defend herself but stand aside when she reaches her limit. She uses her soulbound powers to keep the intruders out as long she could but is captured by the imperial guards. She is thrown into prison.
While she is in prison, Calder sends imperial guards couple of times to fetch her for a talk. During these conversations Jyrine tries to get Calder to see what she sees as the only way to improve the human civilization. Kelarac contacts her in prison and tells her about how Shera is an obstacle for Calder to be the Emperor and all her dreams. Jyrine begs him for an opportunity to remove her. He gives her Vessel back to help her and advices to not let The Killer meet The King. When Calder sends for her again she takes her earring with her. She thinks that Calder communicating with Great Elders as an equal through Optasia would grant them the necessary knowledge and power. But Lucas, who is present as a neutral person between Calder and Jyrine, disagrees. And is sure that using the throne will only bring destruction to the world. Jyrine then reveals what Kelarac told her. But before any imperial guard could restrain her she in order to weaken Shera tried to kill Meia but failed as she was saved by the intent of Lucan. Overcame by the strain of strong use of Reading Lucan became vulnerable. Jyrine took advantage of this and fired a finger thin blast of green flame though his stomach. He died on the spot.
Kelarac next visits Jyrine in prision and orders her to free Urg’naut from his tomb and awaken him with the Heart of Nakothi. He also gives her soubound vessel back but instead of being just a regular earring the green jewel stabs into her forehead. Heat spreads throughout her body but she doesn't feels hurt. Jyrine notes that it felt like she had been burned down and rebuilt in its flames. She describes being reforged and reborn. She becomes the High Priestess of Void. Through Void portal Jyrine reached tomb of Great Elder of Shadows. She lets the guards escape and drills holes in castle walls. This makes the roof collapse. Jyrine drops the heart of Nakothi given to her and Urg'naut is awakened.
When Guilds and Reagents were engaged in a battle against Kelarac in his true form, Jyrine appears aboard The Testament. She tries to convince Calder to give up his body to Kelarac and become his host. She even proposes that with his strong intent he could be the one to posses Kelarac. But when Calder declines she starts tearing his armor apart piece by piece with Emerald Flames. Jyrine wasn't trying to kill but leave him vulnerable to Kelarac. Though unbeknownst to her Calder was now a Pseudo-Champion. He stomped Jyrine straight through the railing. She ends up falling in the Aion Sea.
Jyrine rises from the sea but is possessed by Kelarac. Her eyes were covered in a blindfold of steel and wore gold rings on every finger and layers of jeweled necklaces. Jyrine’s face was covered from nose to hairline with a polished steel plate, the very center embedded with the most impressive jewel of all: her emerald Soulbound Vessel. Kelarac possessed Jyrine toys with Calder. His champion strength wasn't enough to deal with the host of a Great Elder. But when Kelarac was talking with Calder he misses Shera creeping closer to him. The Head of Consultants stabs Jyrine's body from behind. Piercing the heart with Syphren which has the ability to turn defenses against the victim. More powerful the defense more powerful the blow. The Great Elder didn’t get a chance to cry out, or protest, or strike back. Kelarac's host body died in a pillar of green light. Every part of Jyrine dissolved.
Powers
Jyrine was a Soulbound from a young age. Her vessel given by the Elders themselves. Her vessel is an flaming Emerald which she usually disguises it as her earring. She carries an identical earring though its only imitation of the original which is suppose to counter the overwhelming power of her vessel. Her Vessel can be seen whispering to her couple of times throughout the books. Often telling Jyrine that she is stronger than other and that she should burn down those who oppose her.
Her Vessel is an Awakened earring, bearing the mated power of a Kameira and a notorious Elder. Through it Jyrine can shoot emerald flamed that can dissolve most things without even leaving ashes behind.
