Lore's Drop : The Queenmaris (Patreon)

To be escorted by a Queenmaris is to enter a silence as vast and implacable as the ocean itself

Their role is an ancient one, dating back to before the arrival of the Elves in Terrybiël. Born under Vealia's blessing, they are as wordless as the deep sea. They guide children on their birthdays through the veil room. Their presence is enough to stifle the slightest word before it even crosses one's lips. Like a wave erasing traces on the sand.

They form a very restricted circle within the court of Amandil, Queen of the Elves. Neither quite advisors, nor simply spies or guards, they embody a caste apart: the Queen's most devoted and feared servants, whether by elves or others.

Born of the most secret needs of Elven royalty, Quenmaris, or Kingmaris depending on who sits on the Bramble throne, aren't all descended from high Elven nobility. Some come from modest lineages, selected at an early age for their special gifts. All of them have undergone a sealing ritual that binds their conscious minds to Amandil's in a one-way link: she can sense their thoughts, but they can never read hers. However, they are still able to hear and share thoughts and emotions with the rest of the inhabitants of the Silent Lands.

They serve many purposes.

Mental messengers: Capable of sending fragments of thought over very long distances, even through closed magical zones.

Invisible executors: They are sometimes responsible for matters that Amandil does not want to be dragged through official channels.

Guardians of secrets: Each Queenmaris carries a fragment of old knowledge, divided among them like a living, scattered grimoire.

Hidden judges: Some Queenmaris are sent to silently assess the loyalty or deviance of one of the Queen's subjects.

Appearance

They are often dressed in very plain clothes, usually in ash gray or misty white, and wear a silver brooch in the shape of an acanthus flower. Their eyes sometimes have a very pale, washed-out hue, the result of the ritual.

They inspire deep respect... but also fear among the Elves. Some see them as living relics of the mental power of the Royal family. Others whisper that they are no longer truly themselves since the sealing.

They are Amandil's shadows, her will made flesh. Always present, always silent, they embody law and secrecy They appear, observe... and sometimes, they act.

Queenmaris do not wield weapons. They are weapons. Their strength lies in their economy of movement, absolute precision, and magic integrated into their flesh.

Their training begins early. They are taught to observe and imitate, to understand the intention behind movement and the weight behind a gaze.

Their bodies are shaped by years of asceticism: They possess unreal flexibility, able to slip into almost inaccessible spaces, explosive power, capable of breaking a neck or stopping a heart with a single blow. Finally, they master their breathing and heartbeat to perfection, to the point of appearing dead to deceive the enemy.

Each Queenmaris kills without emotion, without brutality. They do not relentlessly attack and take no pleasure in the act.

Their efficiency is based on a form of lethal dance, where every movement is planned, rehearsed over and over again, and meditated upon. They do not need to fight for long: their goal is not to defeat, but simply to end.

They rarely leave any traces: no blood, no screams, no witnesses.
They carry out the Queen's every orders... even those that no one talks about.

The Queenmaris are not soldiers, They're sentences.